Summer Suds

This month the BOTB Guys take a look at some summer beers - canned beers with a summery feel to them.  I'll also finish up my take on the state of craft beer in England.

The Beers of Summer 2015

Ahh, summer. Hot days and cold beer. We decided to make our annual foray into summer beers or, as we like to call them, boat beers. Basically beers that are a bit on the light side (but not the lite side) with lower ABVs. Like the old Schaefer Beer ad used to say, a beer for "when you're having more than one." Most of the beers we had clocked in at under 5% ABV, though a couple broke the Boat Beer limit by a couple of percentage points. Being very open-minded Guys, we included them anyway.

SUM'R

UINTA BREWING

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Summer Ale; BREWER: Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah; ABV: 4%; IBU: 17; SRM: 3; MALT: NA; HOPS: Sorachi; AWARDS: 2010 Silver Medal World Beer Championships. 

What the Brewer Says: "Citrusy and thirst-quenching, this refreshing golden ale is highlighted by the use of unique hops."

Color: Pale yellow with a faint green tinge

Pour: Nice, thick white head

Aroma: Not much noticeable aroma

Body: Light, thin

Taste: Light citrus, with hints of lemon

Overall Impression: Leave it on the shelf

Comments: "Palate cleanser; Not one I would go out and buy again; Certainly a summer beer; better than Bud, Coors Light etc.; Weird color, almost green; Kind of nondescript but better than some summer ales I've had; At least it's not a Shandy."

DOWN TO EARTH

21ST AMENDMENT BREWERY

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Session IPA; BREWER: 21st Amendment, San Francisco, CA; ABV: 4.4%; IBUs: 42; MALTS: Golden Promise, Munich, Light, Crystal 45, Caramalt; HOPS: Cascade, Mosaic.

What the Brewer Says: "Down to Earth is the natural evolution (pun intended) of Bitter American, our original session ale. We thought it would be fitting to bring our space chimp home and let him chill. Whether you have a long mission behind you or a full afternoon ahead, this session IPA will help keep things real. More relaxed than an IPA, but with all the hop aroma and flavor, Down to Earth is our tribute to unsung heroes and unplanned adventures."

Color: Pale gold

Pour: Nice head with good lacing

Aroma: Nice hoppy aroma - grapefruit

Body: Medium

Taste: Light grapfruit-bitter hoppiness with a hint of a metallic taste. A balanced malty/bready backbone.

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This!

Comments: "Nice job on the packaging; Really nice taste - I could drink this; Well balanced for a golf cart beer; Tastes bigger than 4.4%; Attacks the tongue (nicely); this brewery doesn't disappoint; We had a shit-load of 4.4%ers in England, but this is so much better than any of them, so much fuller flavored; It's got the citrusy taste with some solid malt that gives it a fuller body and more complex flavor than a lot of the session IPAs; I'd like to taste this side-by-side with Bitter American to see the difference. I was a fan of Bitter American."

CITRA SUNSHINE SLACKER

EVIL TWIN BREWING

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Session IPA; BREWER: Evil Twin Brewing, Two Roads Brewing Co, CT.; ABV: 4.5%;IBUs: NA

What the Brewer Says: "Despite his bitterness, lack of power and unsuperable aversion to any kind of extravagant labor - he kind of has a charming charisma, and perhaps he is even loveable. Somehow we find him unbelievable, irresistible and stimulating because he is one of the few that masters the ability to effortlessly impress with his sharp intelligence and make it look so damn easy."

Color: Pale Yellow with a faint green cast

Pour: Guinness class head

Aroma: Citra hops dominate with a strong grapefruity aroma

Body: Medium

Taste: Tilts toward the bitter/hoppy end of the spectrum with strong citrus, grapefruit and pine tastes.

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This

Comments: "Bitter on the end; Good summer beer - tastes summery, but hoppy; Tastes better than it looks; 16 ounce can makes for a better golf / boat beer; bigger can makes for a better beer can chicken; It's a nice session IPA, not complex, but enough flavor to set it apart from a lot of other summer brews; Nice, easy-drinking beer."

EASY JACK

FIRESTONE WALKER

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Session IPA; BREWER: Firestone Walker, Paso Robles, CA; ABV: 4.5%; IBUs: 45 - 50; COLOR: 4-5 SRM; MALTS: American Pale Malt; English Carmel 35; Cara Pils; Rolled Oats: HOPS: Bavarian Mandarina, Hallertau Melon, Blend of New Zealand, American Mosaic.

What the Brewer Says: "Brewmaster Matt Brynildson went to the mountain and returned with a vision for a different kind of Session IPA, one that would be brewed and dry hopped with a globetrotting selection of new hop varieties from Europe, New Zealand and North America. He foresaw a beer that would deliver massive hop aromas, a signature malt balance and an empty glass before you knew what hit you. And so the newest member of our Jack IPA family was born."

Color: Golden

Pour: Between Decent and Guinness Class heads.


Aroma: Resinous, hoppy, grapefruit

Body: Medium

Taste: Leans heavily toward the hoppy/bitter end of the spectrum with citrus/grapefruit, pine, hints of lemon and a subtle malt backing

Overall Impression: Nearly Can't Get Enough

Comments: "Nice finish; Starts out strong - finishes strong; Doesn't taste like a session beer; Fuller body bodied beer than you get with most sessions; Really good beer; Have they re-made this beer? Seems like I had it before and was kind of lukewarm about it, but I really like it today."

ALL DAY IPA

FOUNDERS BREWING COMPANY

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Session IPA; ABV: BREWER: Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI; 4.7%; IBUs: 42; AWARDS: 2014 Australian International Beer Awards - Gold Medal.

What the Brewer Says: "The beer you've been waiting for. Keeps your taste satisfied while keeping your senses sharp. An all-day IPA naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops. Balanced for optimal aromatics and a clean finish. The perfect reward for an honest day's work and the ultimate companion to celebrate life's simple pleasures.

Color: Clover honey

Pour: Big off-white head

Aroma: Grassy

Body: Medium

Taste: Hoppy/bitter with grapefruit, pine, citrus and grass

Overall Impression: Between I Could Drink This and Can't Get Enough

Comments: "You don't taste the alcohol difference, but you can taste the hops; Fills the nose; More grassy than grapefruit/piney hops; A standard session IPA; You always want to have it on hand for the summer"

BREW FREE! OR DIE

21ST AMENDMENT

The Beer Facts: STYLE: India Pale Ale; BREWER:21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, CA; ABV: 7%; IBUs: 70; MALTS: Two-Row Pale, Imported Munich and Light Crystal; HOPS: Bittering: Columbus, Finishing: Cascade, Centennial

What the Brewer Says: "Brew Free! Or Die IPA is brewed with some serious west coast attitude. This aromatic golden IPA starts with three different hops to the nose, quickly balanced by a solid malt backbone supporting the firm bitterness. Our top selling beer at the pub, this IPA starts big and finishes clean leaving you wanting more."

Color: Deep Gold

Pour: Near Guinness Class off-white head

Aroma: Hoppy, pine

Body: Between Medium and Full

Taste: Strong grapefruit, pine with hints of grass and a nice sourdough/bready taste underlying the hops.

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "Tastes like a big beer - especially after the sessions; One of my favorites; Tastes really good - has a bigger ABV but doesn't have that 'hot' alcohol taste; An awesome beer, nicely complex and full-flavored."

                                       SKINNY DIPPER

ST. LAWRENCE BREWING CO.

The Beer Facts: STYLE: American IPA; BREWER:St. Lawrence Brewing Co., Canton, NY; ABV: 7%; IBU: 85; MALTS: Pale Malt; HOPS: Cascade, Centennial

What the Brewer Says: "Hoppy and bitter, clear orange color, medium mouthfeel...easy drinkability."

Color: Hazy straw orange-ish color

Pour: Decent white head

Aroma: Straw

Body: A bit beyond Medium

Taste: Leans toward the hoppy, bitter end with some biscuit, nutty underpinnings

Overall Impression: Between I Could Drink This and Can't Get Enough

Comment: "Aroma's neutral, but taste is big; Aftertaste stays with you; Interesting taste - unlike any we've had today; Complex taste; Nice beer - I really like it; Pretty smooth."

THE RESULTS

What's the bottom line on the Beers of Summer that we tried? Here's the breakdown:

1. Brew Free! Or Die IPA was easily our favorite. It also was a bit higher ABV than most of the others as well. It is a terrific beer and it got top scores all around.

2. Easy Jack came in second. We felt it was quite a full flavored beer for a session with a big hop hit and solid malt backing.

3. Skinny Dipper  edged out All Day IPA by just a bit. It had an interesting nutty quality to it that made it a bit unique.

4. All Day IPA from Founders we all agree is a great staple to have on hand. It's an easy-drinking beer with a good solid hop presence.

5. Down to Earth and Citra Sunshine Slacker pretty much tied with solid "I Could Drink This" votes. We found them both very tasty beers with low ABV that epitomize the spirit of Boat Beers.

6. Sum'r alas did not fare well. We said we'd leave it on the shelf. The color was a bit off-putting - a very pale yellow with a greenish tinge to it. Oddly, when placed side by side with Citra Sunshine Slacker they looked almost identical. But they tasted radically different. I liked Sum'r better than the others in that I didn't find it terribly objectionable, it just was a bit bland for our tastes. 

A BIT MORE ON THE BRIT BEER FRONT

We were told early on by someone in the know that if we wanted hoppier beers as well as more variety we would find it in the North. North of London the pubs seem to be more independent and tend to have more in the way of craft beers. South of London not so much so. And indeed we found this to be so. While in the South we noticed that many of the same beers were found in every pub: Carling, London Pride, Sharp's, Tetley, Guinness, etc. Once we moved North, there were more local brews, more beers one would consider craft beers, beers brewed by smaller breweries. We stayed with an old high school friend in the village of Ulverston in the northwestern part of England. Ulverston's most famous native son was Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame. There is a Laurel and Hardy museum and the local Ulverston Brewery names all its beers after something related to Laurel and Hardy (Another Fine Mess, Laughing Gravy, Lonesome Pine, Fra Diavolo, Flying Elephants, Bad Medicine, Harvest Moon). If you are fan of Laurel and Hardy, you'll recognize the references. We weren't able to sample all of them, but the ones we did were tasty, malt forward easy-to-drink beers. Not a big hop presence, but definitely drinkable.

One of the things I began to notice was the term "Free House" on the signage of some pubs. I soon learned that a Free House was a pub that was not owned by a brewery. The term "pub" comes from the term "public house" which became a widely used term in the 19th century used to refer to ale houses. For quite some time, most pubs brewed their own beers on the premises but gradually this practice died out as more and more of the pubs were bought up by breweries. These became known as "tied houses" and they had to sell the beer produced by the brewery that owned it. This is one of the contributing factors to what the CAMRA movement refers to as "the homogenization of beer." Free houses often have a much larger variety of beers from various brewers, although they often still have an agreement with one of the larger ones to set aside a certain percentage of their taps for their beers. Free houses are where you are more likely to find craft beers. 

Painting in broad strokes here, I found that in London there seemed to be three types of pubs. There are the big commercial pubs tied to a large brewery that owned it. Their selection was often limited to the beers produced by that brewery. Then there were the more traditional neighborhood pubs, most of which were free houses though some were tied houses. Here you'll find the usual (Boddingtons, Fuller, Newcastle, Carling, London Pride) but also a selections of Bitters, Pales or Blondes on cask. These often boast of Real Ale or CAMRA approved. If you wanted a hoppy, West-coast stlye IPA (and yes, they advertise them as such and, yes, they mean the West coast of the US) you would need to find a trendier pub generally skewing to a younger, hipper crowd. We hit Brew Dog's pub in Shorditch. There they had many of their beers but also guest beers from craft brewers around the UK and from the US (Stone, Sierra Nevada). Lots of IPAs and Double IPAs which was balm indeed for a couple of hops-starved travelers. 

Out of London and to the north we did find more indy pubs such as the Swan Inn which had a nice variety of beers - Stouts, Pales, Bitters, Porters, Fruit Beers, Belgians, cider - from big brewers to smaller local brewers. Plus a couple of nice IPAs.                                                                       So craft beer is indeed alive and well in Great Britain, though not quite at the level it is in the States. 

Inside the Swan. Note the variety of beers and ciders.

Of CAMRA and Casks and Craft

The Green Dragon - Upper Wensleydale

Fellow BOTBer Mike and I and our respective wives took a trip to England this May. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip that started in London, headed South to Poole and Guernsey then back up through Yorkshire and the Dales, visiting Sherwood Forest then all the way up North to Ulverston and finally back to London. We took in a collection of castles, an abundance of abbeys and a plethora of pubs. Along with the history and culture, Mike and I decided this would be a great opportunity to research the state of Craft Beer outside the US.

The Craft Beer Revolution here in the US came about as a reaction to the homogenization of American beers. Through the '50's '60's and '70's American beer became increasingly tasteless and bland as big brewers followed the Anheuser-Busch model of spending on advertising and branding while saving on quality. The American beer market was flooded with watery, bland German-style lagers. And then came Light (or Lite) beers which managed to make the bland even, well, blander (despite Miller Lite's "Tastes Great!" claim). I have in the past compared American mega-brew beer to pre-sliced, pre-packaged American cheese - cheap, inoffensive and boring. While many people like American cheese, wouldn't it be awful if that was the only kind of cheese you could get? That was pretty much the state of affairs before craft beer. If you wanted a beer, your choices were a lager or a light lager.

Random Weirdness:
Found in a kitchen drawer in our
flat in London

The growth of craft beer here in the States,  in large measure, can be traced to England. Many of the early craft beer pioneers have similar stories of traveling to England and finding beer with flavor and variety. So it was interesting to find that there are a couple of competing movements afoot in the UK which are reminiscent to the American Craft Beer Revolution. While Britain has its own craft beer movement, there is also a separate beer-related movement: CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale). If you were to lay out a Venn Diagram of these two movements, the area of overlap would be in their common impetus. Both evolved as a result of a beer landscape more and more dominated by a few large breweries flooding the market with middle-of-the-road brews. However, the similarities end there.

Whereas the craft beer movement there is similar to that in the States - a sort of free floating, experimental what-can-we-do-next approach that often pushes the boundaries of brewing while, simultaneously, honoring its traditions - CAMRA has a narrower focus. CAMRA advocates accept only cask ale - often referred to as "real ale" and cask cider. Nothing bottled, canned or kegged. Only ales poured via the pump system. In fact a beer is not CAMRA  approved if there is both a cask version and a bottled, kegged or canned version (although bottle conditioned may  be becoming more accepted). But the CAMRA movement goes beyond beer. CAMRA is a reactionary movement looking for a return to days of old when the neighborhood pub was a social gathering place. A place for a quiet pint with friends, perhaps a game of darts, but none of that loud music or those big TV sets on the wall. It is a case where one movement is more inclusive vs. one that is more exclusive. CAMRA aficionados would not necessarily approve of many of the pubs serving craft beer, or the beers themselves. Whereas the Craft Beer followers certainly appreciate beer in it's many forms including cask ales.

"Real ale" seemed to be more prevalent than craft beer. Most pubs advertise real ale, and most pubs have at least a couple of cask ales (cask conditioned ales are unfiltered and unpasteurized. They do not leave the cask until the beer is served, and are hand pumped without the use of nitrogen or carbon dioxide to provide pressure). Mike and I generally choose a cask ale, so we had the opportunity to sample a number of them. We had a great many Bitters - Ordinary, Best Bitter, Special Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, Premium Bitter. The names roughly denote strength, though there is nothing set in stone regarding at what point a beer goes from, say, a Special Bitter to an Extra Special Bitter. It's sort of at the discretion of the brewer. Bitters are a sub-class of Pale Ales but it is not always easy to differentiate between the two. Cask ales tend to be less carbonated and, yes, they would be considered warm by US standards, meaning it is not ice cold. The thing is, it doesn't need to be. Malt, yeast, bread are the dominant flavor notes with varying levels of toffee, caramel and hop. We also had a few Stouts and  Porters that were quite tasty.

Most beers clocked in at 5% ABV or less. Many at under 4%. At one pub, The Swan in Ulverston, we spotted an IPA from nearby Hawkshead Brewery. We each ordered a pint. The bartender said, "Now, you realize this is 7%?"
"Yes," we said.
"Are you local then?" he asked.
"Local?" I said, then realizing what he was asking, said, "Oh, yes. We walked here." Which we had.
"Ah, then. That's good," he said and poured us our beers.


The beer, by the way, was excellent. It was by far one of the hoppiest beers we had tasted while in England. It is referred to as a traditional British IPA taken to a new level using new world hops. The "New World" referred to here was the US and New Zealand. The hops they referred to were Cascade and Columbus from the States as well as Motueka hops from New Zealand.

What did we discover in our informal, totally unscientific bit of research? A couple of broad generalizations came to light. We'll give you our take on this and the lowdown on a few of the interesting pubs we hit and beers we drank on our journey next time.

But now, we need to take a look at some of this month's beers.

SAM PLUS TWO

This month Sam Adams had a few brews for us to review. Six to be exact, but that left us one short of our normal seven. Luckily, I had picked up a six pack of Bedlam while in Springfield, Illinois that I thought would make a good one for BOTB. On top of that, Mike arrived with a new beer from Ommegang out of Cooperstown, NY. Let's start with the Sams.

REBEL RIDER IPA

SAMUEL ADAMS - BOSTON 

The Beer Facts:  STYLE: Session IPA; BREWER: Boston Beer Company / Samuel Adams; ABV: 4.5%; IBUs: 45; MALT: Samuel Adams Two-row Pale Malt Blend; HOPS: Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe, Citra

What the Brewer Says: "Samuel Adams Rebel Rider is a bold yet mellow IPA with the hop character of a West Coast style IPA complemented by the golden crispness and lighter body of a session beer."

Color: Hazy wheat

Pour: Decent head with nice lingering

Aroma: Citrus, sour, piney

Body: Somewhat light

Taste: Balanced in that it is not overly bitter, with notes of grapefruit and understated lemon character

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This!

Comments: "For a session, it has a lot of taste; Nice lawn-mower beer; Not a lot of hoppiness, just a little bitter - way better than a pilsener; Very subtle; A good "gateway" beer - introduction to IPAs."

ESCAPE ROUTE

SAMUEL ADAMS - BOSTON

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Kolsch; BREWER: Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams; ABV: 5%; IBUs: 30; MALT: Samuel Adams Two-Row Pale Malt Blend, acidulated malt, flaked barley, Carafoam; HOPS: Strisselsplat, Aramis.

What the Brewer Says: "Escape Route is a limited release beer brewed for the spring season. This golden and hazy Kolsch-style brew is bright, fresh and crisp, perfect for the last days of winter and first days of spring."

Color: Cloudy Wheat

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Grassy, floral

Body: Light

Taste: Tending toward sweet with with malt-first but some subtle grapefruit hop coming in

Overall Impression: It would do in a pinch for us. If you like Kolsch - Can't Get Enough.

Comments: "Not my favorite style, but for a Kolsch drinker I would think this would be great; Light finish; True to the Kolsch style but a little more body than most; Much more flavorful than I expected; Some nice hop character there - subtle, but definitely there."

COLD SNAP

SAMUEL ADAMS - BOSTON

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Belgian-style White Ale; BREWER: Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams; ABV: 5.3%; IBUs: 10; MALT: Samuel Adams Two-Row Blend, Malted Wheat; HOPS: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble.

What the Brewer Says: "Cold Snap is a crisp, refreshing Belgian-style White Ale with a combination of hazy golden wheat and a lively blend of exotic fruits and spring spices."

Color: Cloudy wheat

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Sweet with hints of clove, floral

Body: Slightly less than medium

Taste: Sweet with hints of orange and strong coriander presence. Very subtle hop.

Overall Impression: We would Leave It On the Shelf - just not the style for a bunch of hopheads.

Comments: "Wheat beer; Thin, sweet, somewhat watery; A bit spicy; Just not crazy over the taste of coriander, and it is very evident here; If you're a fan of Belgians, you probably would like this, just not my mug of beer, so to speak."

CRYSTAL PALE ALE

SAMUEL ADAMS - BOSTON

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Pale Ale; BREWER: Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams; ABV: 5.3%; MALT: Pale, Maris Otter, Honey; HOPS: Crystal, Fuggles, East Kent Goldings.

What the Brewer Says: "Crystal Pale Ale is a bright and earthy pale ale named after its signature ingredient - Crystal hops grown in Corvallis, Oregon. Neither a classic American nor classic English Pale Ale, Crystal Pale Ale is inspired by both styles. the distinct bright, citrusy hop character of the American Crystal hops is complemented by the earthiness of English hops and balanced by malt sweetness, a trademark character of English Pale Ales."

Color: Golden

Pour: Better than Decent Head with a nice lasting lacing

Aroma: Grassy, floral, citrus

Body: A bit more than medium

Taste: leans to the bitter end of the scale with nice grapefruit notes balanced by a malty, nutty sweetness to give it a more complex taste than the previous beers.

Overall Impression: Beyond "I Could Drink This" and heading toward "Can't Get Enough!"

Comments: "Nice, big finish; A darn good beer; It's got some taste and body to it; The more I taste it, the more I like it; Solid malt backing with hops on top of it, makes for a nice tasting beer; Would love to see it out there more; Crisp, clean taste; I'm a fan; A very nice beer, one of the better Pale Ales I've had."

REBEL IPA

SAMUEL ADAMS - BOSTON

The Beer Facts: STYLE: India Pale Ale; BREWER: Boston Brewing Company - Samuel Adams; ABV: 6.5%; IBUs: 45; MALTS: Samuel Adams Two-Row Pale Malt Blend, Caramel 60; HOPS: American Cascade, Simcoe, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo

What the Brewer Says: "Rebel IPA - the first West Coast style IPA from the same brewers that started the craft beer revolution in 1984."

Color: Cloudy honey golden

Pour: Better than Decent Head

Aroma: Straw, grass

Body: Medium

Taste: Beyond balanced toward bitter with citrus, grapefruit, pine and hints of caramel.

Overall Impression: Well toward Can't Get Enough

Comments: "More complex taste, many flavors attack the tongue (in a good way); Bitter finish; Always glad to see this on tap; A really nice beer; Nice lacing; Kind of a classic IPA taste though a little sweeter than some; 45 IBUs is lower than many, but it still delivers a nice hop punch."

REBEL ROUSER DOUBLE IPA

SAMUEL ADAMS - BOSTON

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Double IPA; BREWER: Boston Beer Company - Samuel Adams; ABV: 8.4%; IBUs: 85; MALTS: Samuel Adams Two-Row Pale Malt Blend; HOPS: Bravo, Galaxy, Zeus, Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Amarillo.

What the Brewer Says: "Rebel Rouser IPA is a Double IPA, brewed to showcase a wide variety of hop characteristics, rather than just hop bitterness. To drive the hop impact of this beer, our brewers didn't just take our Rebel IPA and double the hops. Our Double IPA is brewed with more than 5 lbs. of hops per barrel and dry-hopped with five american hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest. At 85 IBUs, Rebel Rouser Double IPA was brewed to showcase bold hop character, not palate-scraping
bitterness."

Color: Amber

Pour: Much better than Decent Head, with lingering lace.

Aroma: More acidic than hoppy, alcohol, some pine, floral.

Body: Full

Taste: Grapefruit, pine, alcohol warmth, malty base, citrusy hints of orange

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough!

Comments: "Very complex; Alcohol jumps out at you; A lot of stuff going on here; Clean beginning with a bitter and strong finish; Nice step up from the Rebel; Contrary opinion - I liked the Rebel better; Overall I really like this whole Rebel family of beers, I wonder where they might go from here - a Belgian-style Rebel? A Red Rebel?"

BEDLAM BELGIAN IPA

ALE ASYLUM 

The Beer Facts: STYLE: Belgian-style IPA; BREWER: Ale Asylum, Madison, Wisconsin; ABV: 7.4%;

What the Brewer Says: "This beast is a beauty. It is heavily hopped and fiercely aggressive, with an unmistakable aroma and flavor profile in a sea of India Pale Ales. What started as an experiment in our original brewery has gone on to become one of the highest rated Belgian-style India Pale Ales in

the world."

Color: Unfiltered amber

Pour: Decent Head

Aroma: Grapefruit / piney

Body: Between Medium and Full

Taste: Balanced with a wonderful malty, yeasty background combined with a citrusy spiciness.

Overall Impression: Pretty near "Can't Get Enough!"

Comments: "Easy finish; Balanced; Big taste - filled the mouth; I like it a lot - delicious; The Belgian characteristics meld well with the IPA characteristics; They seem to bring out the best in each other; Not a real Belgian fan, but I like this."

NIRVANA IPA

OMMEGANG BREWERY - COOPERSTOWN, NY

The Beer Facts: STYLE: American IPA; BREWERY: Ommegang - produced by sister brewery Boulevard in Kansas City, MO; ABV: 6.5%; IBUs: 60; HOPS: Bravo, Simcoe, Centennial, Topaz, Citra  and Mosaic.

What the Brewer Says: "Tri-State hop-heads are about to discover an entirely new state of being!..our first ever American-style India Pale Ale will be available across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut...The flavor is hoppy, juicy and citrusy goodness - without harsh bitterness."

Color: Wheat

Pour: Better than Decent Head

Aroma: West Coast big aroma of grapefruit and pine

Body: Near Full

Taste: Toward the bitter end with tastes of grapefruit, citrus, pine, and hints of lemon

Overall Impression: Very near "Can't Get Enough!"

Comments: "Drinkable - I can definitely have more than one; Really, really nice tasting beer; Farming it out right now because Boulevard is better set up for hop-forward beers and six packs - Ommegang has only 4-packs and bombers; Ommegang is such a highly respected Belgian-style brewery, glad to see them get into IPAs; Really good beer, very complex mix of flavors."

THE RESULTS

So what's the skinny on this octet of ales? Keeping in mind that hoppy is our happy place it's not surprising that the IPAs took top honors, though there was no clear consensus among the top three, leaving us with a three-way at the top spot. Anyway, the results were as follows:

#1 - Rebel Rouser Double IPA - The most complex of the Rebel family, also the highest IBUs - although at least one of us preferred the regular Rebel in part because they felt the alcohol presence was too much.

#1 - Ommegang's Nirvana IPA - For us it was great to see one of New York State's most respected Belgian-style breweries dip their feet into the American IPA pool. This is the third Ommegang brew I've had recently that scored well with hop-heads like us (the other two were Hop House Dry Hopped Pale Ale and Hopstate NY American Pale Ale, a terrific beer I just had last night.)

#1 - Ale Asylum's Bedlam Belgian IPA - I am finding that Belgian style IPAs seem to bring out the best of both styles, and this one was a delicious melding of the two. 

#2 - Samuel Adams Rebel IPA - We found this to be another solid IPA from Samuel Adams to go along with Latitude 48, Whitewater IPA, Third Voyage, Tasmen Red and Dark Depths Baltic IPA to name a few.

#3 - Samuel Adams Crystal Pale Ale - A tasty, hoppy Pale Ale that scored well with us.

#4 - Samuel Adams Rebel Rider Session IPA - Sam's entry into the session IPA realm. Easy drinking. A nice beer particularly if you intend to have a few. They put a lot of flavor into a 4.5% ABV beer.

#5 - Samuel Adams Escape Route - Kolsch would admittedly not be our beer of choice, but this would be our Kolsch of choice. It was tastier than we had expected, given the style.

#6 - Samuel Adams Cold Snap - This was by far our least favorite beer. If you're a fan of hops, you won't care for this. If you're a fan of White Ales spiced with coriander, this is your beer.

Next Month,
The latest Boat Beers - Canned Brews for the Summer

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys

Road Pubs

Road Pubs

There was no BOTB meeting in March, alas. Members were scattered to the four winds (mostly those that blew South). We headed West for a final trip to Springfield, Illinois. We meandered our way there, hitting a few brew pubs along the way. Thought I'd give you the highlights, just in case you happen to be in these various areas.

LAVERY BREWING COMPANY

ERIE, PA

It's a rustic Irish-themed room with a bar at one end and a few tables around a fireplace.  They have a small but interesting pub-style menu and an intriguing line-up of beers. Unfortunately, no wine which made it a no-go for dinner as far as my wife was concerned. We grabbed an appetizer and I ordered their Dulachan India Pale Ale. It was delicious. I picked up a six-pack to go. "Dulachan," by the way, is the Celtic Grim Reaper.

The Brewerie at Union Station

Erie, PA

The Brewerie at Union Station,which opened in 2006, was Erie's first brewpub. They have five "regulars" on tap all the time: Railway Hefeweizen, Uncle Jackson's Blonde Ale, Hopness Monster IPA, Apparition American Ale, and Major McNair's Nut Brown Ale. They combine this with rotating seasonals. The seasonal selection the night we were there included: Koehler Pre-Prohibition Lager, Big Easy, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. Along with their own brews, they have a nice selection of  bottled beers all from Pennsylvania breweries. On the bottled beer menu is a caveat: "Sorry...no Bud, Miller or Coors here! Just bottled beer from Pennsylvania's finest microbreweries." You gotta love that!

 Those breweries included: Erie, Lavery, Penn, Stoudt's, Troeg's, Lancaster, Yards, Victory, Voodoo, Otto's, Weyerbacher, and Fox. If you couldn't find a beer you liked here, then you just don't like beer. Not surprisingly, I had their Hopness Monster IPA. Very good.

Front Street Brewery

Davenport, Iowa

This place is easy to miss. We parked at a small community park along the Mississippi River and followed a path that ran between some railroad tracks and the Mississippi. Not the most picturesque of areas and particularly not in early March. But we spotted this place and made our way over to it. It's a cozy little room dominated by the bar on the right, some booths lining the left wall and some high-top tables scattered between. Apparently there is a larger basement room for receptions etc. We ordered their spinach artichoke dip as an app and I had their IPA which was sort of an easy-drinking IPA without a huge hop bite to it.

Bent River Brewing Company

Moline, Iowa

We were looking for a brewpub for supper and this place looked promising. When we arrived, however, we found they didn't serve food other than limited bar snacks. I mentioned to the bartender that we were under the impression that they were a brewpub and he pointed out that this place was strictly the brewery and bar. The brewpub was a few blocks away. As it turned out, our mistake was fortuitous as I ordered an Undercurrent IPA. I mentioned to the bartender that I'd love to sample their Jalepeno Pepper Ale. He poured me a sample and it was a very unique beer. The jalepenos give it a nice bite without being too hot to enjoy. The bartender then handed me a half and half - half Jalepeno Pepper Ale and half Undercurrent IPA. He said, "You like hoppy beers and you like the pepper ale, you're going to love this." And he was right. It was a great combination where the hops complimented the pepper and the pepper complimented the hops. 

We then went to the other Bent River for dinner where I was able to get an Undercurrent IPA in a seriously large mug (pictured at the right) because we happened to be there on a night when they ran a special on 24 oz "pints." Pretty awesome.

Below is a shot of their beer lineup. Definitely a place to visit if you ever happen to be in Moline, Il.

We`ll be back soon with a look at some of Sam Adams latest brews.

Slante,

The BOTB Guys

A Taste of the Highlands

SHERMAN ON THE MOUNT

Bud Anti-Craft Beer Ad Smells of Desperation

There is an old adage in advertising that says if you happen to be number one, you don't acknowledge the competition. You sit regally above the riffraff and let the underlings fight it out for the number two spot. For years Coke never mentioned Pepsi in their ads, for example. So how bizarre was it to see Budweiser roll out a nasty little ad during the Super Bowl which took goofy cheap shots at craft beer drinkers. Nestled in there among their tear-jerk cute puppy/Clydesdale and uber patriotic spots, the ad had the distinctive stench of desperation to it. If you haven't seen it, you can find it at YouTube or a hundred other places online. I will not sully this blog with it. Suffice it to say they portray craft beer drinkers as a bunch of lefty, sissified hipsters who are out of touch with the real world of macho blue-collar beer drinkers, and who, for some strange reason, prefer beer with actual flavor. Bud proudly brands itself as a "macro brew" in a rather clumsy "bigger-is-better-if-you-know-what-I-mean (wink, wink)" message that is probably lost on much of their intended audience. Their tag-line is that they brew beer "the hard way" just in case you missed the point. Besides the Freudian reference, the implication is that they don't cut corners. Yet anyone who knows anything about the beer business knows that the Anheuser-Busch business model for years has been just that: cutting corners on quality and spending big bucks on advertising.

Consider this: Budweiser is by far the largest-selling beer in the country. While craft beer has been growing steadily over the years, the entire industry can't match the sales of Bud. So why the snarky ad? It's like the spoiled rich brat who has everything but can't stand the thought that some other kid has something they don't. What exactly did they hope to accomplish with this ad? Did they think they were going to embarrass craft beer drinkers into switching to Bud? Or was it an attempt to make Bud drinkers feel somehow superior so they wouldn't try a beer with taste and be drawn over to the dark side?

And, really, is this not just the height of hypocrisy? Here's Bud, which wraps itself in the flag at every opportunity, yet is owned by a foreign company (InBev) taking pot shots at the real all-American breweries. Further, the Bud ad denigrates craft beer drinkers and breweries while its parent company, Anheuser-Busch/InBev, busily runs around buying up craft breweries, or invents pseudo-craft brews, so that they can get a piece of the craft beer pie for themselves. In the ad they blast craft brewers for producing such abominations as Pumpkin Peach Ale, yet A-B just bought Elysian Brewery which in fact makes a pumpkin peach beer called Goardia on My Mind (great name, haven't tried the beer).

Look, we here at BOTB have had some fun at times with some of the fruity beers - the raspberry wheats, the blueberry and apricot beers that sometimes stray too far from their beer roots and taste more like a soft drink than they do an ale. But kudos to craft brewers for experimenting with different flavors. After all, a lot of people like those fruity beers even though it's not our mug of ale, so to speak. And some people love their Budweiser, and good for them. No one's trying to take that away. The key here is choice. In my lifetime never have there been so many wonderful options when it comes to beer and that's a great thing. AB/InBev I'm sure would love to see the US go back to the bad old days where the only choice was lager, lager or light lager.

For a great no-holds-barred interview with Dogfish Head's founder Sam Calagione, check out this article, Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione Squares Off Against Budweiser  from Men's Journal on-line mag.

Since the ad aired, a number of craft brewers have come up with their own ads bashing the Bud ad. This one from Ninkasi is particularly pointed and dripping with irony. 

SCOTTISH ALE OR SCOTCH ALE?

One could be forgiven for assuming that the two styles - Scottish Ale and Scotch Ale - were simply alternate names for the same kind of beer. But the truth is, while they both have their roots in Scotland and use essentially the same ingredients, they are distinctively different styles of beer. 

Scottish Ales are more session ales. They tend to be more subtle as far as flavor is concerned and are considerably lower in alcohol than their big brother, Scotch Ale. They usually clock in anywhere from 2.5% to 5% ABV.

Scotch Ales, on the other hand, tend to be big, robust brews. The flavors are more aggressive and the ABV can be anywhere from 6.5% to 10%. 

Yet both styles share a similar baseline taste profile. Both are malty and tend toward the sweet end of the spectrum. Often notes of caramel and toffee are present in both. Scotch Ales sometimes add a roasted malt to the mix, giving it a fuller, richer, deeper, more complex flavor. Scotch Ales also can have a bit more of a hop  presence to balance out the sweetness.

This month we checked out a few Highland brews and found them quite guid.

PUNK IPA

BREW DOG BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWERY: Brew Dog Brewing, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; STYLE: Scottish IPA; ABV: 5.6%; IBUs: 35; MALTS: Maris Otter Extra Pale Malt; HOPS: Chinook, Athanum, Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin.

What the Brewer Says: "Welcome to a post Punk apocalyptic mother of an ale. A beer that spent its formative years Blitzkrieg Bopping around India and the sub-continent.This light, golden classic has been subverted with New World hops to create a devastating explosion of flavor. Steel yourself for Kalashnikov bursts of caramel, incendiary tropical fruit and an all-out riot of grapefruit, pineapple and lychee, before a spiky bitter finish. This is quintessential Empire with an anarchic twist. Turn up the volume. Pay the man. Embrace the punked up, pimped up Maharajah of Pale Ales. Nothing will ever be the same again."

Color: Cloudy, light honey

Pour: Better than decent, thick and white head

Aroma: Grass, a bit of pine.

Body: Medium

Taste: Unbalanced, more IPA than classic Scottish ale, resinous.

Overall Impression: Near "Can't Get Enough"

Comments: "A tasty beer; Classic IPA profile; Great session IPA; Tastes just like another one; Nice solid taste of citrus, grapefruit-y; Very nice beer - bit of cheat as it's an IPA, but it did come from Scotland, so that's fine with me."

NEWCASTLE-CALEDONIAN SCOTCH ALE
NEWCASTLE BREWING + CALEDONIAN BREWING
(LIMITED EDITION)

The Beer Facts: BREWERY: Newcastle Brewing, Tadcaster, UK and Caledonian Brewing, Edinburgh, Scotland; STYLE: Scotch Ale; ABV: 6.4%; IBUs: 40

What the Brewer Says: "Newcastle Scotch Ale is a well-balanced, malt-forward brew with a delightful velvety finish...Newcastle and Caledonian made a kick-ass beer that does not suck."

Color: Amber

Pour: Decent head

Aroma: UK yeast

Body: Medium

Taste: Malt, initial sweetness with notes of banana, cloves though not overpowering

Overall Impression: I Could Drink This

Comments: "Not a bad tasting beer; Nice taste; Leans toward the malt; Creamy aftertaste; For a malty beer, has a little bitterness toward the end; Has a Newcastle mouthfeel; Enjoyable; Got that hint of toffee going for it along with that bit of banana and clove."

SHIRE ALE

HOPSHIRE FARM AND BREWERY

 

The Beer Facts: BREWERY: Hopshire Farm and Brewery, Freeville, NY; STYLE: Scottish Ale ABV: 7.8%; IBUs: 30; MALTS: Flaked oats, Chocolate Malt, Dark Crystal, Amber.

What the Brewer Says: "A malty brown ale fermented with Scottish Edinburgh yeast. Flaked oats and six different barley malts...are used in this rich tasting ale. Lightly hopped to let out the sweetness of the malt. A fun beer to make and a fun beer to drink."

Color: Brown

Pour: Decent head

Aroma: Yeast typical of British Isle beers (bit of banana aroma)

Body: Between medium and full

Taste: Sweet / malt with notes of toffee

Overall Impression: I could drink that

Comments: "Creamy malt; Smooth; I like this; Similar in taste to Newcastle, but fuller body; A little sweet, but boy it's good; Water aftertaste; Funny, they refer to it as a Scottish ale but the ABV is up there in the Scotch ale range. Doesn't taste that big, though; A well-made beer; It's a sweetie."

McEWAN SCOTCH ALE

McEWAN BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWERY: McEwan's, Edinburgh, Scotland; STYLE: Scotch Ale (export only); ABV: 8.0%;

What the Brewer Says: "McEwan's Scotch Ale has a lot of loyal followers, especially in North America, and its rebirth is a direct result of customer demand."

Color: Mahogany

Pour: Decent head

Aroma: Reminiscent of maple syrup

Body: Full

Taste: Malty and sweet with a bitter bite. Notes of caramel, toffee, maple, raisins and brown sugar.

Overall Impression: Close to "Can't Get Enough"

Comments: "Nice finish; Full; attacks the side of your tongue; Not as roasted a malt as some others; sneaky beer - they've hidden the alcohol well; 50 shades of black; Could pour it on your pancakes; Not just for breakfast anymore; You really get a taste that reminds you of raisins and molasses, but there's enough hop bite to ensure it's not cloyingly sweet; Nice beer."

SCOT SCOTCH ALE

DAVIDSON BROTHERS

The Beer Facts: BREWERY: Davidson Brothers, Glens Falls, NY; STYLE: Scotch Ale; ABV: 8.3%

What the Brewer Says: "Our Scotch Ale is more technically called a Strong Scotch Ale, and it doesn't fail to live up to its name...This is a favorite among wine drinkers, with its sweet profile and high alcohol content."

Color: Mahogany

Pour: Better than Decent.

Aroma: Not a strong aroma - a touch of smoke, molasses.

Body: Full

Taste: Alcohol, sweet with notes of molasses, toffee, caramel.

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough

Comments: "Tastes like a big beer; Tastes a lot bigger than the last beer; A bit fuller than the last beer; Residuals are not sweet; End that leaves a bit of a bitter finish; Very impressed with this beer; The alcohol cuts the sweetness."

DIRTY BASTARD

FOUNDERS BREWING

The Beer Facts: BREWERY: Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, MI; STYLE: Scotch Ale; ABV: 8.5%; IBUs: 50.

What the Brewer Says: "So good it's almost wrong. Dark ruby in color and brewed with seven varieties of imported malts. Complex in finish, with hints of smoke and peat, paired with a malty richness and a right hook of hop power to give it the bad attitude that a beer named Dirty Bastard  has to live up to. Ain't for the wee lads."

Color: Ruby

Pour: Decent

Aroma: Malty sugar, grassy but not a big aroma

Body: Full

Taste: Strong and bitter on the front, mellows on the back with notes of caramel, toffee and some balancing bitterness.

Overall Impression: Can't Get Enough

Comments: "Founders never disappoints; could almost chew this; A different approach to a Scotch Ale; More hops than in most today; In your face brew; A great beer; it's a Scotch Ale with hops; Great beer for a cold winter night."

THE BOTTOM LINE

Straying from our normal regimen of hoppy IPAs can be a dicey proposition. It's not like we suddenly decided to review a bunch of lite beers or Strawberry Wheats, but Scotch/Scottish Ales are big on malt and tend to be sweeter than the IPA/Pale Ale camp. Despite this, we found this bunch of beers to be very good, any of which we would be happy to see on tap.

Our two favorites were Founder's Dirty Bastard and Davidson Brothers Scot. Both were big, full-bodied, full-flavored beers. Both landed squarely in our "Can't Get Enough" camp. Dirty Bastard had strong toffee/caramel maltiness balanced with a nice hop kick. Scot had a similar profile though sweeter, with hints of molasses and brown sugar.

McEwan's Scotch Ale and Brew Dog's Punk IPA both were very near "Can't Get Enough." We found McEwan's delicious with strong taste of raisins, molasses, brown sugar and maple complementing the expected caramel/toffee. Good for a pint or two, but a bit on the sweet side for too many more. Punk IPA is an interesting hybrid of Old World UK style IPA and New World US style IPA. With a base of English Maris Otter Extra Pale Malt paired with US hops (Chinook, Athanum, Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe) with some New Zealand Nelson Sauvin thrown in for good measure, Punk IPA has a distinctive American IPA vibe with a hint of its UK roots.

We gave both Newcastle-Caledonian Scotch Ale and Hopshire Farms Shire Ale a solid "I Could Drink This!" rating. The Newcastle brew maintained the sort of classic Newcastle taste as a base with a little more of a hop kick and classic Scotch Ale elements, though a bit more muted than some of the other Scotch Ales. One of the most pleasing aspect several of us commented on was its creamy mouthfeel. Shire Ale is a bit on the sweet side, but very tasty. Strong toffee malt taste with little hop presence. It's a solid Scottish Ale taste profile with a Scotch Ale ABV. Tastes like a session but it's too strong to fit that category.

IN MY FRIDGE

LAGUANITAS NIGHT TIME ALE: Described as Day Time's "big, dark, scary sidekick" this is nice full-bodied black IPA. Big malt taste with a strong hop bite. A delicious beer that will please both hopheads and stout lovers.

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys