Lawnmower Beers

This month:
- The blog undergoes an Extreme Makeover. There's nothing like slapping a little lipstick on a pig!

- We check out some Lawnmower Beers - purely as a public service, of course.


                                                          SHERMAN ON THE MOUNT

By Rick Sherman

I decided the blog could use a little sprucing up, so I came up with this. Makes me thirsty just looking at it. But, besides the appearance I've also added a neat little search gadget right up there at the top of the page. It's pretty cool. Want to know if we have reviewed a particular beer? Type the name into the search bar and voila! Just like that you'll be taken to the review. Go ahead, give it a shot. I'll wait right here while you do.

Got an email from friend-of-the-BOTB Dan P. He sent me a link to a place in Watertown, NY called Bear World. Here's a link. Looks like a great place to pick up some good craft beer. I'm thinking we'll have to take a hike up North and check it out.

Well, what did I tell you? I mean, I was going to go on a rant about our local fireman's field days having only light beer, but then I thought maybe I already did that. I typed in "fireman's field days" and sure enough there was last summer's article. So I won't go into that again. (But honestly, two beers to choose from and they are both light? I don't get it.)

So this month we decided to review what we lovingly call "lawnmower beers." It took awhile to figure out just what constituted a lawnmower beer. Is it a beer low in alcohol? Or is it a beer that comes in a can for convenience? Or is it just a beer whose name somehow denotes summer and fresh cut grass? Well, we never really settled the matter so we ended up with a potpourri of beers that covered the spectrum and then some. 

If you recall, last month I took some shots at summer beers - that they tend to get away from what makes beer, well, beer. Namely hops and malt. I heard from a number of you out there who were in agreement, but was taken to task by our BOTB friend Shannon (and not for the first time, I might add). Here's what she had to say:

"Good blog, Rick. However, I doth protest a bit on your lament to the summer ale. It is of my highly sought opinion that adding a bit of the citrus to a nice light summer ale is both delicious and refreshing. While lemonade and Seven Up are both nice light beverages, they don't have that same wheat/citrus flavor one seeks out on a nice, hot summer day. Furthermore, I dare say, the hoppy flavor that you and the other B.O.T.B. guys enjoy lies rather heavy on a more delicate palate in the higher temperatures."

And then, for good measure, she saw my song parody and raised me with her own take on a classic summer song - The Jamies' "Summertime." (You know, the one that goes "Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime...). Herewith I present Shannon's melodic rebuke:

Lemon, lime and orange too:

I like Corona and Landshark brew;

Summer ale is a tasty wheat;

It's a once a year summertime treat.

Summer brew - oohooh ooh.

Well Shannon, we've got some beers for you this month. And while I still prefer fall and winter brews, I decided to try these summer ales with an open mind and open mouth. But be warned, I have a second salvo of lyrical licentiousness brewing. The chorus is something like this:

There ain't no cure for the summertime BREWS.

That's all I got at the moment.

The truth is, we here at BOTB like the fact that the craft brewers out there are such experimenters. It's such fun to discover a new brewery or a new take on a familiar style. The key here is CHOICE. It wasn't so long ago that the only choice you really had in beer was the name on the bottle. It was pretty much a case of "same beer, different label." Then came light beers so you had a choice of a light lager or a Lite lager. Still, most restaurants' taps are dominated by the big boys, but little by little craft beers are sneaking in. 

And Now For the Beers

We welcomed Leinenkugel Brewery out of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin into the fold this month. Leinenkugel is the seventh oldest brewery in the U.S. Started in 1867 by Jacob Leinenkugel, it is the oldest business in Chippewa Falls and one of the oldest in the state. 

Their year round beers are: Sunset Wheat, Honey Weiss, Berry Weiss, Red Lager, Creamy Dark, Leinenkugel Original (Pilsner), and Classic Amber. 

Their seasonals are: Summer Shandy, Oktoberfest, Fireside Nut Brown and 1888 Bock.

This month, fitting in nicely with our lawnmower beer theme, we checked out their Honey Weiss and Summer Shandy. The Shandy is their most popular beer. 

To judge these beers, Gerry created a form with a continuum for malty and hoppy, followed by color, clarity and head. For taste we had a menu of choices: malty, hoppy, sweet, nutty, roasted, citrus, wheat, bitter, tart or sour. Aftertaste was judged as: strong, firm, memorable, weak or invisible. Finally, since the theme is lawnmower beers we had an appropriateness meter - determining just how advisable it would be to drink while mowing the lawn. The beer was either considered a "smooth mowing" beer or a "cut off your foot" brew. 

There was really on head to head comparisons here as in some cases it would have been like Microds vs. Monster Trucks. Not really a fair fight. It was a meeting that titillated the taste buds and angered the liver.

Leinenkugel Honey Weiss -                   

The Basics: ABV - 4.8%

                   IBU - 13.5

Malts - Blend of Wheat and Pale

Hops - Cluster

Other - Real Wisconsin Honey

The Results:

                     - Not very malty

                     - Not very hoppy

                     - A pretty light yellow color

                     - Very clear

                     - Carbonated head

                     - Sweet, wheat taste

                     - Somewhere between weak and invisible aftertaste

                     - A smooth mowing beer

Comments: "Way thin. I'd not buy it, but it is inoffensive. / It looks like an old time beer ad. / Pleasant and inoffensive. / I like it better than some other wheat beers I've had. / Commercial beer."

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy -

The Basics: ABV - 4.2%

                      IBU - 13.5

Malt - Wheat and Pale

Hops - Cluster

Other - Lemonade

                                  

    The Results: 

                       - No appreciable taste of malt or hops

                       - Light and yellow

                       - Not at all clear; quite cloudy

                       - Citrus (lemon) taste with the sweet/tart taste that goes with good lemonade

                       - Slight but memorable aftertaste

                       - An ideal "smooth mowing" beer. 

Comments: "Very much like lemonade. Not as bad as I had anticipated. / Beer for those who really don't like beer. / Lemon flavor very prominent. / Liked it way better than I thought I would. Beats the hell out of the Raspberry Wheat. / Thought it would be really sweet, but the tartness redeems it in my opinion."

Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #37 - Rich and Dan's Rye IPA

The Basics: ABV - 6.9%

                       IBU - 54

Malt - Pale, Maris Otter, Rye, Caramel 60, Flaked Rye, Vienna

Hops - Centennial, Willamette, Chinook, Falconer's Flight

 A Brief Aside - You may wonder what is a beer like this doing in with our "lawnmower" beers. Well, in truth this is a difficult beer to get hold of unless you are near the Harpoon breweries in Boston and Windsor, VT. However  Ed Valenta, the Harpoon rep for this area who has been very good to us here at BOTB, was kind enough to wrangle us up a bottle. We were happy to oblige. The beer takes its name from Harpoon's co-founders, Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary. It's available in draft and 22 ounce bottles, but with limited quantities we were glad to get some.

The Results: - Moderately to very hoppy; malt backbone

                   - Darker than a typical IPA with a red tinge to it.

                   - Moderate clarity and head

                   - Complex taste ranging from hoppy to malty to bitter to tart.

                   - A strong and memorable aftertaste

                   - Definitely NOT a lawnmower beer - closer to a "cut off your foot" beer. Though at 6.9% it's not over-the-top strong. 

Comments: "Tastes like a beer should taste. / I could drink this 'til I pass out. / Nice warming quality - great beer. / I COULD DRINK THIS!"

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA -

The Basics: ABV - 10%
                      IBU's - 120
Malt - Pale and Caramel
Hops - Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo
Other - Harpoon's proprietary yeast

Aside #2 - Okay, what can I say. Ed from Harpoon was good to us. This is a beer to be sipped and savored. It is not one to be downed while operating any heavy machinery other than perhaps the TV remote. But, man, what a great beer to sip and savor! It comes in 4-packs year-round.

The Results: 

                  -A very hoppy beer laid over a strong malt backbone. The caramel malt gives it a slight sweetness to offset the prodigious amount of hops.

                  - Deep amber color

                  - Moderate clarity

                  - Full head

                  - Very complex taste - malty, hoppy, nutty and bitter. 

                  - Unanimous agreement - strong, lasting aftertaste; Not for the faint of heart (or those with delicate palates.)

                  - Definite "cut off your foot" beer. Don't use a mower, chain saw, hedge trimmer, or butter knife for that matter. 

Comments: "Oh, baby! / That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! / Wow! Great beer!"

Stoudt's Double IPA - 

The Basics: ABV - 10%
                      IBU - 90
Malts - 2 Row, Munich
Hops (aroma) Cascade and Willamette
Hops (fermenting) Warrior
Top fermenting yeast.

Aside #3 - Okay, how about this: our mission was to see what beers were good lawn mower beers and what beers weren't. In order to do this we needed examples of both. Stoudt's Brewery is located in Adamstown, PA. They make three "big" beers. Besides this one, they have Fat Dog Stout and Triple Belgian Style Abbey Ale. In terms of ABV and IBU, this is the biggest of the three (Fat Dog: 9% ABV and 55 IBU; Triple: 9% ABV and 37 IBU.)

The Results:

                  - Moderate to very hoppy with a malt backbone.

                  - Orange-ish color

                  - Moderate to full head

                  - Big taste ranging from hoppy to malty to sweet. Some mentioned nutty, citrus and roasted flavors.

                 - Unanimous - strong aftertaste.

                 - Unanimous - "cut off your foot" appropriateness as a lawnmower beer - same rules apply as the Leviathan.

Comments: "Beautiful beer - monster hops! / YOWZER! / Full flavored, robust. Very good beer - again not for the faint of heart."

Grindstone Brewery's Latest:

The Basics: Northern Saaz and Cascade Hops

The Results:

                   - Decently malted with a good dose of hops

                   - Rich color

                   - Unfiltered and cloudy

                   - Nice head

                   - Malty, hoppy and roasted taste

                   - Firm aftertaste

                   - Just as a general rule, one should not use power equipment after drinking Grindstone beers.

Wacko by Magic Hat:

The Basics: ABV - 4.5%

                      IBU - 15

Malt - Pale, Sugar

Hops - Apollo

Yeast - English Ale

Interesting other - colored with beet juice

    The Results:

                       - A bit more malty than hoppy, but not overpowering of either

                       - Red

                       - Moderate clarity

                       - Decent head

                       - A sort of malty/sweet and sour taste

                       - Pretty weak finish

                       - Smooth mowing beer

Comments: "Very typical of Magic Hat beers. / Very carbonated."

Long Trail Pale Ale - 

The Basics: ABV - 5.7%
                      IBU - 35
Malt - 2 Row, Caramel
Hops - Centennial, Cascade

Long Trail Brewery is one of many terrific breweries in Vermont. Located in Bridgewaters Corners, VA, Long Trail brews an impressive array of beers. Yet it is their Pale Ale is the beer they are best know for. Besides the Pale Ale, their year-round brews are: Long Trail Ale, IPA, Blackberry Wheat, Double Bag Strong Ale. Their Seasonals are: Pollenator Pale Ale, Belgian White, Harvest Brown Ale, Hibernator Scottish Ale. They also have an intriguing Limited Edition which are tough to find in our neck of the woods. They are: Coffee Stout, Double IPA, Imperial Porter, and Imperial Red Ale. 

The Results:

                   - Hoppy, floral aroma

                   - Nice maltiness with tart hoppy taste

                   - Very respectable head

                   - Firm finish

                   - Kind of a mixed bag as to the advisability of mowing your lawn after some Long Trail.

Comments: "Oh, so good. / Always a favorite. / Long Trail makes a good beer. / Crisp, balanced, very clean. Good beer."

Oskar Blues Brewery Dale's Pale Ale - 

The Basics: ABV - 6.5%
                      IBU - 65
Top U.S. Pale Ale - New York Times
Gold Medal 2010 World Beer Championship
World's Best Canned Beer - Details Magazine

   Oskar Blues is a unique brewery in Lyons, Colorado. What makes them unique is the fact that all of their beers are canned. They do not bottle at all. They are the first craft brewery to put their beers in cans. The controversy of years past over bottles vs. cans is gradually becoming somewhat moot due to the fact that the interior of modern cans are lined so that metal and beer never never touch. Oskar Blues produces five beers, all in cans, some more available than others. They are: Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chub Scottish Ale, G'Knight Imperial Ale, Mama's Little Yellow Pils (a Pilsner in case you didn't catch the misspelling), Ten Fidy Imperial Stout, and Gubna Imperial IPA. Dale's Pale Ale and Old Chub are readily available in our area - Wegman's regularly carries them - but the others are tough to find. We'd love to get our hands on them based on the other two. Dale's and Old Chub are both full bodied, full flavored brews.

And I gotta' tell you - I have got to get to one of their brewpubs (Oskar Blues Grill and Bar, The Tasty Weasel Taproom, Home Made Liquids & Solids) one of these days because their rotating slate of beers on tap is impressive and intriguing. Just check out these names: The Mutilator, One Hit Wonder Imperial IPA, Velvet Elvis Stout, One Nut Brown Ale, Smoke On The Water Holiday brew. A serious road trip is in order.

The Results:

                  - A somewhat malty aroma, with a more pronounced hops scent
                  - Slightly darker than your average pale ale
                  - Better than average head
                  - Hoppy, malty/sweet taste
                  - Firm to memorable finish
                  - Mixed bag again as to advisability of mowing. 6.5% is up there. But the can really works.

Comments: "Pretty heavy duty for a lawnmower beer, but the can makes it handy. / Very hoppy for a pale ale. Good beer. Best canned beer I've ever had, bar none."

Mayflower Brewing Company Golden Ale:

The Basics: ABV - 4.7%
                      IBU - 18
Malts - Pilsner, Caramel Pilsner
Hops - Calena, Liberty
Mayflower House Yeast

We've enjoyed a few Mayflower Brewery brews here at BOTB's (go ahead, check it out in our cool new search engine!). Mayflower is a bit of a newcomer (2007) to the scene but they are slowly growing. Right now they have four year-round beers:  Pale Ale, Golden Ale, IPA, and Porter. They also produce five seasonal offerings: Spring Hop Ale, Winter Oatmeal Stout, Summer Rye Ale, Autumn Wheat Ale, and Thanksgiving Ale. We checked out their Golden Ale which is the mildest of their regulars.

The Results:
                  - Aroma fairly balanced between hoppy and malty.
                  - Light golden color
                  - Fairly clear
                  - Big head
                  - Fruity and sweet taste with a little hoppy presence.
                  - an overall memorable finish
                  - A smooth mowing beer.

Comments: "Good summer beer. / A nice lawnmower beer. / Overall, a tasty beer - very balanced. / Some nutty notes and good hops presence."

Ellicottville Mow Master Ultra Pale Ale:

The Basics: ABV - 5.0%
                       IBU - 36
Malts - Belgian Cara
Hops - Citra plus other American Hops

Ellicottville Brewing Company in Ellicottville, NY has been around since 1995. They brew nearly thirty beers including seven regulars: EBC Pale Ale, Blueberry Wheat, Nut Brown, EVL Nut Brown, Toasted Lager, Black Jack Oatmeal Stout, and Pantius Droppus Imperial Pale Ale. We, however, opted for one of their six seasonals.

The Results: 

                   - A more hoppy than malty aroma

                   - Unfiltered

                   - Decent to big head

                   - Hoppy, citrus-y, roasted and tart tastes emerge.

                   - Firm, memorable finish

                   - Smooth mowing beer

Comments: "Similar to Saranac's Pale Ale, / Perfect mower beer - duh!"

Pork Slap Farmer's Ale

                         The Basics: ABV 4.3%
                         Malt - 2 Row North American Barley
                         Hops - Crystal
                         Other Stuff - Fresh ginger
             

One of the things I love to do is check out craft breweries' web sites. They are often fun, sometimes wacky, a little crazy but nearly always clever. But for pure serendipitous goofiness you'd be hard pressed to match Butternuts Beer and Ale's web site at  http://www.butternutsbeerandale.com/ . Take a minute and check it out. I'll wait. Located in rural Garrattsville, NY, Butternut Brewery produces only four beer: Porkslap Pale Ale, Snapperhead IPA, Moo Thunder Stout, and Heinieweisse Weissebier. Like Oskar Blues, they only can their beer, no bottles. That alone made Porkslap an interesting lawnmower beer. The low ABV was simply icing on the cake so to speak. Or lipstick on a pig.

The Results:                     

                   - Way more malty than hoppy

                   - Quite dark for a pale ale

                   - Large root beer like head

                   - malty, sweet, nutty and roasted tastes dominate. 

                   - firm and memorable finish

                   - Allows for smooth mowing

Comments: "Actually, I could drink this! / European hops. Nice, pleasant beer. / Perfect for the lawnmower. /I found this beer a little on the malty side. / Not a favorite of mine because it's light on the hops, but a real nice change of pace beer."

Somehow, with the last beer, this is just a fitting sign off.

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys

Saranac Vs. Great Lakes

This Month:

-Props to the Mom and Pops (as well as a few big chains) who defy the big boys!
-I love summer - but summer beers not so much.
-A Battle Royale between two of our favorite breweries
                                                       

Sherman on the Mount

Little Guys with Big Beers

In recent years, we've had the opportunity to travel a bit, and one of the annoyances is trying to locate someplace that sells good beer. Often one of my first forays upon arrival is to the nearest grocery store to stock up. Invariably the nearest store turns out to be some big name outfit with an enormous beer section - filled pretty much with variations on the same beer. It's the "same beer, different label" conundrum. At first glance it looks like there is a huge selection, but upon closer inspection, 90% or so turn out to be of the Lite or Lighter variety (or lite with lime!) Usually you can find Sam Adams (Lager - not Ale) and lately Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has been showing up with increased frequency. Both of these are good beers to be sure, but half the fun of being a "beer snob" is finding regional craft beers to try. Beers that don't have a national presence. If you happen to be in a city with a Wegmens, you're in luck. Otherwise you hope to stumble upon one of those "Mom and Pop" stores which cater to the craft beer market. In the Central New York area there are some notable places:

-C's Farm Market in Oswego {Rated "A-" by Beer Advocate} - Tucked just off Route 104 as it bends to head toward Rochester. A fantastic selection of beers from all over. The owners are both knowledgeable and helpful. Not an easy place to find, but worth the trouble.

-Brilbeck's Corner Market in Syracuse on the corner of Avery and Ulster (620 Ulster Street).{Rated B+ by Beer Advocate} - A tiny store crammed with good beer.

-Byrne Dairy (Formerly Galeville)  {Galeville was rated B+ by Beer Advocate. No rating for Byrne}- Old Liverpool Road in Syracuse. Galeville Grocery was legendary among  Central New York area craft beer aficionados, boasting an outstanding array of beers. Unfortunately it recently closed. However Byrne Dairy took it over and has promised to continue to provide a wide selection of craft beers. While not exactly your typical "Mom and Pop" store, Byrne Dairy stores have always had that vibe nonetheless. Byrne already had established itself in nearby Pulaski as the place to go for craft beer, and a Byrne spokesman has stated that they would be increasing their craft beer selections at other locations as well.

-Beers of the World {Rated "A" by Beer Advocate}- (two in Rochester, one in Batavia). Perhaps the Mecca of craft beer in all of Central New York. It's the size of a supermarket - but it's all beer (and home brew supplies). 

A peak inside "Beers of the World"

Know of any good craft beer retailers in your area? Post them here under "comments" or email us at battleofthebeers@gmail.com. We'll update with each new post.

Summertime

Hops Take a Holiday

I am a big fan of warm weather. I live in Central New York where summer makes a brief appearance once a year. A cameo, if you will, like a big star showing up briefly as himself in a small independent film. It is ephemeral and fleeting and for me all too brief. Besides the brevity, however, my only real complaint about summer is that every brewery insists on making their "Summer Ale" as a light, fruity concoction. The thing is, if I feel like something light and fruity I'll get a lemonade or a Seven-Up or something. As my friend from the Old Harbor Brewery in Puerto Rico said, "My palate works in hot or cold weather." Anyway, with apologies to the Gershwins I present my brief "Lament to Summer Ales." (Sung to the tune of "Summertime" - duh!)

Summertime - and the beers ain't so hoppy,

Lime and lemon are the flavors du jour;

Give me a beer - not some faux soda poppy;

I want hops, and some malt, yeah, whenever I pour.

And Now For the Main Event...

After a few months of away from head to head competition, we thought it time to get back to our roots, slap on our beer goggles, and return to the thing that makes us a little different from other beer blogs: namely pitting brewery against brewery. We thought that this month we'd look for two Northeastern breweries, pick a selection of styles which both produce and do a blind taste test. The two breweries we left up to Ron, who hosted this month's meeting. He picked two of our favorites: Saranac and Great Lakes. After looking at the available brews from each, Ron decided on the following styles: Lager, Pale Ale, IPA and Imperial IPA.

The rating sheets used for the tastings divided the experience into Preparation (Color and Head), Anticipation (Aroma and Mouthfeel), and Satisfaction (Taste and Aftertaste). Then, influenced by the recent Triple Crown of horse racing, the taster was asked to determine if the winner won by: 1.A photo finish  2. A nose 3. Half a length 4. A full length or 5. It was never really a horse race. This was followed by the all important comment section.

The Lagers

Dortmunder Gold

Adirondack Lager

Color: Both beers were described as amber to light amber in color with Dortmunder a bit lighter and a little cloudy. 

Head: The heads on each were as expected - described variously as good, nice, with some references to lacing.

Aroma: Essentially the same for both beers. Described as "lager-like," next to nil, and slight malt. They are, after all, lagers.

Mouth feel: Also very similar with comments ranging from "Wet, insignificant, medium, light, carbonated."

Taste and Aftertaste: Here is where the rubber meets the road (or the hooves meet the track, I suppose.) The two finished in a virtual tie as the winner was given a "half length" on average. However choice B fared a bit better overall with comments such as: "more bitter, a little drier finish, better finish, slightly bitter aftertaste; had a bit more bite; more hops presence; nice session beer."

Choice "A" comments were: "reminds me of a Canadian beer; would make a good session beer; thought it was quite tasty for a lager;."

The winner in the lager category by a score of 4-2 was choice B - Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold.

The Pale Ales

Saranac Pale Ale

Great Lakes Burning
River Pale Ale

                              

                                                                                      

                                                                                      

                                                                                   

                                                                                      

                                                                                  

                                                                                           

                                                                                    

Color - Both medium amber.

Head - Both with solid off-white head with plenty of lacing.

Aroma - Saranac described variously as hoppy, flowery, very little, and fine. Burning River - hoppy, flowery, slight and a shade better. Saranac uses Cascade Hops as part of the hops mix in all four of the styles we tested, accounting for the flowery aroma and the citrus taste described in the stronger beers. 

Mouthfeel - Both beers were smooth and full. One taster described the Saranac as having a "hoppy residual" while Burning River was "clean and crisp."

Taste and Aftertaste - Both scored very well in this category. Both were described as very balanced, full flavored and quite nice. 

Specific comments - Saranac: "Classic American Pale Ale - nice bitter finish with a solid malt backbone; good pale ale, good beer; both are good session/boat beers; love the citrusy flavors."

                                Great Lakes: "A stronger hops presence - good bitter finish;"

This was a true horse race, with Great Lakes Burning River nosing out Saranac right at the end due to a stronger hops presence. Both were very comparable, though.

The IPA's

Great Lakes
Commodore Perry IPA

Saranac IPA

                                                               

The bigger beers were up next. Although in truth Saranac's IPA, weighing in at only 5.8% ABV is relatively a light weight in the world of IPA's. It gives up close to two percent (1.7%) to Commodore Perry, making the Great Lakes IPA nearly a third more potent. (As a side bar, I have found that Saranac IPA is a terrific beer if you want the full hoppy flavor of an IPA with alcohol level of a lager. I was pleased to find that our local Eddie's Big M here in Mexico started carrying it as their beer section leaves much to be desired. I hope they continue to.)

Color: Similar for both - described variously as wheat or light amber. 

Head: Both full, off white with nice lacing.

Aroma: Both were described as citrusy or grapefruit like or hoppy.

Mouthfeel: Described as full and hoppy. Great Lakes was described as "great" by one and "slightly over carbonated" by another, as well as "warming." 

Taste and Aftertaste: As one might suspect from this bunch, the comments were all positive for both beers. Hard to find fault with either.

     Saranac: "Very hoppy; interesting spiciness; really grows on me; workmanlike; good hop/malt balance."

              Aftertaste: "lingering; grows on you; neutral; more malty but still nicely hopped." 

     Commodore Perry: "Malty; heavenly; nice and hoppy (I could drink this!); slap-you-side-the-head hops then a nice dry bitter finish."

              Aftertaste: "hoppy citrus with slight malt; sweet; lingering' insignificant' warm, bitter grapefruit taste."

One comment summed this one up: "Real tough call for me - I liked them both." In the end a winner had to be declared. After all, this is not Tee Ball. Once again Great Lakes took it 5 to 1. But 4 out of 6 called it a photo finish or by a nose.

Imperial IPA's

Great Lakes
Lake Erie Monster

Saranac Imperial IPA

Now for the beasts! Neither of these are session beers, that's for sure. But both are full bodied, full flavored, complex beers that should be approached more as fine wines than as knock-back-a-few lawnmower beers (that'll be next month). They need to be sipped and savored, their complexities appreciated across the entire palate. 

Saranac IPA is part of their High Peak series (a rather limited series with just the IPA and their Imperial Stout: they are looking to expand the line- I'm pulling a Porter). It is brewed with 10 malts and 10 hops. It weighs in at an impressive 85 IBU's and and ABV of 8.5%.

Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster is a seasonal beer for Great Lakes Brewery out of Cleveland. With an IBU of 80, it's a hefty 9.1% ABV.

Color - GL was a wheat to light amber while Saranac was a tad darker.

Head - Both had good, full, off-white heads with moderate lacing. 

Aroma - Both of these beers were the most aromatic of the bunch. Citrus with rich earthy yeasty notes. Some noted a spiciness. 

Mouthfeel - Both were full, rich and warming.

Taste and Aftertaste - 

     Saranac: "Great; big taste - more balanced - stronger; nice, bitter; not quite as hoppy - smoother; fantastic (I could drink this!!)."

           Aftertaste - "Lingering pleasant bitterness; malty."

I can't mow after a couple of these!

     Lake Erie Monster: "Fabulous; that's what I'm talkin' 'bout; Warm grapefruit hop up front; hoppy - strong alcohol presence; whew! I could drink this!"

          Aftertaste - "Pine, citrus-y."

Some general comments were: ""I can't mow my lawn after a couple of these!; (The Saranac) is better balanced; two terrific beers!; Strong, full-flavored - (the Saranac) is a bit more complete, so it gets my nod, but both are very good." 

The winner of the feature race was Saranac Imperial IPA by a 4-2 margin. All votes were within the half length margin. In fact four of the six votes were a photo finish or by-a-nose.

Shout Outs

Had another excellent Grindstone Brewery Ale - the Grindstone Summer Ale. It does not fit in with the typical summer brews I mentioned earlier. Much hoppier and with a much stronger malt backbone than most. A nice clean finish.

Also took a trip up to Sackett's Harbor Brewing, a small brewpub which only bottles a couple of it's beer, which is unfortunate. On tap was a terrific array of beers: a stout, a porter, a bitter, a pilsner, a wheat. I bought a growler of Malicious Intent Double IPA. Brought it back and shared it at the meeting. It's a great beer. Everyone loved it and lamented the fact that 

it was only available there. Definitely worth the trip up there.

Coming up next month: Apropos to the season: Lawn Mower Beers!

I'll leave you with this. Just for kicks. Has nothing to do with beer I just believe that Looney Tunes and beer may be the two greatest gifts to mankind and I found this little gem, apparently never intended for the general public.

Sláinte!

The BOTB Guys

                                    

This Month:

-We travel to Disney World for good times and good beer!
- Rapture is postponed - If it's true that in Heaven there is no beer, then why do they call it Heaven?
- The BOTB Guys sail away into the mist with Grindstone Brewery's Spring Ale.

Sherman on the Mount

It seems that everywhere you look you see signs that the Craft Brew Spring, that growing revolution of small, independent beer makers who are standing up to the tyranny of the Mega-brewers, is thriving and winning over the hearts and minds of beer drinkers across the country. It's a beautiful thing. Craft beers are slowly appearing in places you normally wouldn't expect. Dan and I played golf at North Shores Golf Course on the north shore of Oneida Lake the other day and low and behold they had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Magic Hat #9 on tap as well as Saranac Pale Ale in cans. Golf courses generally carry only the basic Mega-brews, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

View from our balcony!

But on a recent trip to Disney World I was really surprised to find our fridge (we stayed at the Contemporary on site) stocked with Harpoon IPA and Yuengling. On top of that, nearly all of the Disney restaurants serving adult beverages had fairly nice selection of beers: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Abita Turbodog, Yuengling and Samuel Adams. Not bad.

Apocalypse Interruptus

In other news: the world didn't end despite predictions based on solid, unimpeachable evidence to the contrary. Coincidentally, the end was supposed to occur on the very night of our latest BOTB meeting. Truth be told, it looked at first like that crazy old man might be right.  First of all, it was the first Beer Club meeting that I was unable to attend - a sure sign of the Apocalypse if ever there was one. I did have a phone conversation with the Guys which, at times, sounded bizarrely like they had already been Raptured. Secondly, the meeting was at Herb's on the lake and it involved some sailing. But at around the time of the End Times a fog worthy of a Stephen King story (or John Carpenter film) rolled in (I'd say of Biblical proportions which would work metaphorically here but I don't recall much mention of fog in the Bible, most of the stories occurring in a decidedly arid part of the world). Nevertheless, armed only with Saranac Pale Ale in a can and the courage it provided, the intrepid group ventured forth into the mist, braving the unseen horrors that might lie in wait for those unworthy enough to be Taken. Of course the good news was, those Left Behind would get to drink Grindstone Brewery's Spring Ale (also known as Heaven-in-a-Bottle) upon returning to shore.

Alas, eventually the fog cleared and the guys returned to find the world pretty much the way they left it. As we learned the next day, it was all a clerical error and we still have about five months of debauchery left to us. Whew!

Back on dry land Grindstone Brewery's Spring Ale was sampled as the featured beer for this month. It is a surprisingly balanced brew, solidly hopped but not overpowering. It has a nice, toasty malt backbone making this beer wonderfully drinkable. The perfect beer to celebrate the End of the World - or the Beginning of the Summer!

Next the BOTB Guys get back in the trenches as we pit two terrific craft brewers against each other in a head-to-head, Cerveza-a-Cerveza challenge.

-Don't miss -

 Lager vs Lager

 Pale Ale vs Pale Ale

IPA vs IPA

Imperial IPA vs Imperial IPA

                       

VS                        

My taste buds are in training as we speak.

Sláinte,
The BOTB Guys

BOTB Guys Say Ahoy to Harpoon

This Month:
-The BOTB guys take aim at Harpoon! Do their beers hit the mark or does the Great White Metaphor get away?
- Ron and I travel to Puerto Rico to answer the burning questions: Is there craft beer in the Tropics? And does this mean I can write the trip off as a business expense?
-Mike and I check out a home brewing DVD. Top Chef look out, we're pitching Top Brewer as the next big reality show. And ourselves as the judges.

SHERMAN ON THE MOUNT

By Rick Sherman

There May Be a Balm in Gilead, But is There Good Beer in Paradise?

Just spent a week in Puerto Rico. It was nice to be able to get away from the winter weather that has stubbornly clung to the Northeast. We left thirty degree temperatures with just enough snow spitting from the heavens to know the weather gods were thumbing their celestial noses at us; and landed in San Juan with temperatures in the low '80's.

We stayed not too far from the shore (of course no place is too far from the shore – it is an island after all) and it allowed us daily walks along a beautiful beach only sparsely populated even on the warmest of days. It was about a two minute walk to a winding four mile stretch of beach with water the color of jade and a horizon painted with mist-shrouded islets that lent the whole vista a wonderfully mysterious quality. We took daily walks along the sandy shore, splashing through bath-water breakers. Large Coconut Palm trees lined the shore, completing the picture of  Paradise Found. There is something keenly primal about the pounding surf and the salt air.

The culture is interesting –  while the heritage is Spanish, it is a US territory so there is a schizophrenic mix of the two worlds. Most everyone speaks some level of English but Spanish is the predominant language. Speedometers are calibrated in miles per hour as are the posted speed limits, yet distances are measured in kilometers. Billboards and TV ads are a mash up of English and Spanish.

The cuisine is a bit of a mash-up as well. Most restaurants, including the small road-side types, offered a variety of dishes from Italian to New Orleans style alongside the more traditional Puerto Rican fare. And always present were plantains. Looking like mutant bananas, but starchy like a potato, they have a very mild flavor and take on the taste of whatever they are served with. And they are served with everything.

A tube of Sangria - alas not beer!

Alas, the only downside is a dearth of good craft beer on the island. Fellow BTOB'er Ron and his wife Vicky joined Les and me in our adventure in paradise, so we set out on a mission to find good beer. The primary beer of Puerto Rico is a lager called Medalla Light. It is as ubiquitous here as Guinness in Ireland or Bud in the US. We ordered one at our first stop. It is pretty similar to commercial American beers such as Bud, Miller, Coors. Yellow, pretty bland. It's a lager best served ice cold. Light beer seems to dominate the island. Every restaurant and bar had numerous light beers. One big display in a grocery store had nothing but lights: Medalla Light, Coors Light, Heinekin Light, etc. We were able to locate a sixer of Sam Adams Lager for back at the ranch, but that was it. So in between excursions to El Yunque and the Bio-luminescent bay we jumped on line and did a little research. What we found was that indeed in and around Humacao (the city on the Southeast side of the island where we were located) you were flat out of luck if you wanted good beer. The mecca of beer seemed to be San Juan. Stores and restaurants serving craft beer were all clustered around that city. Plus the only brew pub on the island was located there: Old Harbor Brewery.

Luckily we were headed for Old San Juan on Wednesday, so Old Harbor Brewery became one of the places we had to get to. And how fortuitous that we did.  Located at 202 Tizo Street in Old San Juan, it's definitely worth your while to stop in if you get to the island. Unfortunately for us we arrived at a time when they were down to only three taps: Cerveza Old Harbor Pale Ale, Cerveza Coque Golden Lager – a German Helle, and Cerveza Santo Viejo Pilser (winner of Best Pilsner of the South in 2008 and 2009). These are three of their year round offerings. All good, but for our money, the Pale Ale was the best. It's brewed with Cascade hops imported from the US and it is an excellent pale ale. Unfiltered, with a strong malt backbone and generous amounts of hops. It has a nice clean finish. Good beer.

While there we met with assistant manager Minelly Amador and CEO Luis Diaz-Romero and chatted about craft beers and asked them why there were so few on the island. Luis said it seemed to be that throughout the tropics light beer seems to dominate.  But he added, “I don't understand it because my palate works in hot or cold weather.” We told them we were sorry they were out of the stout and the Taina (seasonal) as we would have liked to try those as well. They said the Korfresi Stout was still green and not quite ready, but we could have a taste if we liked. It was an excellent stout. Really full bodied with a rich taste of dark chocolate and coffee. Very complex and a little higher octane than most stouts. I can't imagine what it will be like once it has aged correctly.

We then met one of their brewers, also imported from the US – Woodstock, NY in fact. He then gave us another work-in-progress: Visitante 212 Rum Barrel Stout. Not yet carbonated this none the less was a very intriguing high octane beer. The rum barrel aging definitely gives it a distinct character unlike any beer I've ever tasted. Sadly we won't get to sample the finished product as the only place to get it is right there at Old Harbor Brewery.

As we left the city, we picked up two big bottles of the Pale Ale. We had planned on bringing one back to share with the BOTB guys, but alas were told that there were no preservatives in the beer at all and therefore it would not survive the flight. With a heavy heart, Ron and I polished them off Thursday night before we left.

Once we returned to Humacao, we did find a restaurant that had a limited number of craft beers. A place called “The Beer Garden” which was right on our property. While not sporting a huge number of beers, they did have Samuel Smith's Pale Ale. Their food was excellent as well, so we ate there a couple of times.

"BEGINNING HOME BREWING" DVD
A Step By Step Guide to Doing it Yourself

 

Recently we were contacted by James Morris who had seen our blog. He emailed me and said he had made an instructional DVD and wondered if we would take a look at it and give our thoughts. I contacted our resident home brewer Mike and the two of us sat down to watch it.

Flowchart from PDF

I must say, if you are at all interested in getting into home brewing, this would make an excellent starting point. James lays out the process in an easy to follow step-by-step approach. It's done in a kitchen using for the most part everyday utensils. Obviously there are some initial expenditures, but he explains each tool and where you can purchase them. The whole thing is done in a very comfortable straight-forward manner as if you were sitting in his kitchen watching the whole thing. One of the neat things is that he provides options depending on your level of financial commitment and the availability of ingredients.

Included with the DVD is a CD-ROM  which contains a PDF file spelling everything out in detail, including precise measurements of all ingredients. It's as if you got the smartest kid in class to take notes for you. Take a look at his website at www.beginninghomebrew.com. He's got a few freebies there that make the visit worthwhile. We'll be here when you return! 

            

BOTB GUYS CHECK OUT HARPOON

Harpoon Brewery, located in Boston, Massachusetts and Windsor, Vermont was part of the first wave of craft breweries that helped kick off the American Beer Revolution which has transformed the U.S. beer landscape from one of copycat light lagers to the most diverse in the world. In 1986 the Mass Bay Brewing Company in Boston was incorporated; born, like so many of the microbreweries, out of a desire to bring some of the rich beer culture found in Europe to America. Rich Doyle, Dan Kenary and George Ligeti teamed up to form Harpoon Brewing. Harpoon has since grown steadily so that in 2000 the company purchased the former Catamount  Brewery in  Windsor, VT.

This month we decided to check out six of Harpoon's year round brews: Raspberry Hefeweizen, UFO White Unfiltered Wheat Beer, UFO Hefeweizen, Belgian Pale Ale, Munich Dark, and IPA (their best seller).
We used the same basic rating formula - looking at Color, Pour, Aroma, Body, Taste and Overall Impressions (ranging from "Leave it on the shelf" to "Can't get enough.")
Ultimately this line-up batted a respectable .500 with us. Keeping in mind that we are a bunch of unrepentant hop-heads (as I may have mentioned a time or two before) and three of the beers were wheat beers which tend not to have a strong hops presence, that's a pretty good percentage.

Raspberry Hefeweisen Unfiltered Wheat - 5.10% ABV - IBU: 10. Revealing anecdote: I once bought a mixed 12  a few years ago (not Harpoon) that contained a cherry wheat beer. Tried one of the cherry wheat beers and stuck the rest in the cellar fridge. Didn't like it all, but I hate to dump out beer no matter what, so they sat there for a while. Had a bunch of people over one day and I put together a cooler full of a nice mix of beers (Harpoon among others) and happened to mention in passing that I also had some cherry wheat downstairs and one guy just went crazy over that. "I LOVE that beer!" he said. So I happily gave it all to him. My point is taste is such a personal thing that maybe you, loyal reader, would LOVE Raspberry Hefeweisen, but I, alas, did not. It pours a reddish color, as you might expect and has a pretty decent head. The aroma that hits you right off is very sweet - like raspberry Kool-Aid. The taste is also very sweet. Made me think of raspberry soda. To me this tasted more like soft drink than beer - similar to those Seagram's malt beverages. I want beer to taste of those key beer flavors: malt and hops. If there are some subtle spices in there as well, that can be fun. I just found that those tastes were lacking. This was one we would definitely leave on the shelf.

UFO White Unfiltered Wheat - 4.8% ABV - IBU: 10. While a major step up from the Raspberry, the UFO White was not a favorite. It's a cloudy pale wheat color with a decent head. The aroma was fruity, with a strong smell of orange or orange peel. It is a light bodied brew, quite carbonated, with a sweet wheat taste followed by orange - the orange zest flavor gives it a bit of a bitter zing. Definitely a summer brew.

UFO Hefeweisen - 4.8% ABV - IBU: 19. While none of us, as I mentioned, are particular fans of wheat beers, the general feeling about this one was that it was much better than most.The IBU's are a little higher (19 vs. 10) than the first two. A cloudy honey color with a respectable head and some nice lacing, there is a spicy (coriander?) aroma with a hint of banana and maybe cloves. The taste was yeasty with a hint of citrus, and a spice similar to that noted in the aroma. This one would be a decent summer beer. If you're a fan of Hefeweizens you will love this beer. It hits all the notes you expect from this style. A few of the comments: "A little more flavor than most wheat beers; better than those rice beers!; Good lawnmower beer; If a friend offered me one, I'd drink it."

Belgian Pale Ale - 5.8% ABV - 33 IBU - This is Harpoon's first new year-round brew since 2007 and it's a nice addition. Harpoon calls it a fusion of Belgian and American brewing styles. Brewed with Pale, Caramel and Munich malts,Belgian yeast and Amarillo hops, this is a nicely complex brew. Amber in color with a solid, frothy head, the citrus-hops aroma really comes through on the pour. With a medium to full bodied mouthfeel, the predominant flavors were malt and grapefruit with a hint of banana in the background. Overall impressions were very favorable with a strong "I could drink this!" seal of approval.
Comments: "Hoppy flavor right up front; A little bitterness to it - nice; A little hint of spice - cloves?; Much better than the wheats in my opinion."

Munich Type Dark - 5.5% ABV - 35 IBU - Harpoon's take on the Munchen Dunkel style of beer gives this traditionally malty, sweeter type a bit of a friendly hop kick that results in a very tasty brew. It is a rich mahogany color. The head is about two fingers and very lacy. The aroma had a hint of malt with stronger alcohol scent than you would expect. It's a slightly more than medium bodied brew with a flavor evocative of chocolate and malt. It starts out sweet and ends a little bitter.
Comments: "Pretty color and aroma; I kind of like that; Good aftertaste; Definitely deep roasted malts; Could have a few of these!"

Harpoon IPA - 5.9% ABV - 42 IBU - Harpoon's flagship beer and rightfully so. Our local Pizzeria Uno had this on tap for a while and what a treat that was. This is a classic American IPA with a wonderful strong hop aroma and taste. The beer is a golden copper color with a full head. The Cascade hops are plentiful and front and center, making the floral aroma dominant. While the initial taste is that familiar grapefruit-reminiscent flavor associated with Cascade hops, there is also a pleasing malt nuttiness that gives the whole brew a nice balance. It is dry hopped so that it finishes clean, without the astringent quality sometimes associated with hop-heavy beers.
Comments: "Now this is good beer!!!; I'll tell you what!!; Nice white lacy head; Once this is in a can - great for the boat or a golf cart; This is just a terrific beer!!"

NOTE: Harpoon plans to start rolling out their IPA and their Summer Beer in cans this summer. Our "Craft Beers in a Can" competition can't be too far off as more and more good beers are being produced in cans.

INTERESTING SIDE NOTE: On our way back from Puerto Rico we ate at New York Sports Bar in JFK while we waited for our connecting flight to the Cuse. They had a nice selection of beers including Harpoon IPA and Lagunitas IPA on tap so Ron and I decided a quick informal competition. Ron ordered the Harpoon and I ordered the Lagunitas. Both were very good - the first IPA's we'd had in a week - but we had to go with Harpoon. It had a much more distinctive hops presence. This beer on tap is absolutely marvelous. As good as it is bottled, it's even better on tap. Here's hoping our Uno's keeps it there.  

Sláinte and Salud!
The BOTB Guys