New New York Brews

RIDING ON THE CRAFT BEER COATTAILS

While engaged in one of my favorite pastimes - namely checking out the craft beer section of a nearby grocery store - I noticed a big blue beer with the word "STONE" prominently displayed on its side. I was, at first, taken aback since I was unaware of a new Stone beer on the market. But, being the savvy craft beer geek that I am I noticed two things that told me this was not a Stone beer. The first thing was the word "light" printed below the word "STONE." Anyone who knows Stone Brewing knows that Light or Lite are totally anathema to all that Stone stands for. This is the brewery whose flagship beer is Arrogant Bastard, upon whose bottles is printed a diatribe decrying "Wussy yellow beers." A light beer by Stone would be like a sweet romantic comedy directed by Quentin Tarantino. Stone makes big in-your-face beers. "Light" is not in their vocabulary. And then I saw the word "KEY" printed discretely above the word "STONE" and realized this was Keystone Light a beer produced by MillerCoors. And they had changed their can design. The old can looked like this:

Notice that the word "KEYSTONE" is all one word. No mistaking what it is. Now, the new can isn't likely to fool an experienced craft beer aficionado, but perhaps one less knowledgeable who is first dipping one's toes into the craft beer pool might think they are buying a Stone beer. It's enough of an issue that Stone has brought a suit against MillerCoors. Whether anything comes of the suit or not is not as significant as the fact that a megabrew feels the need to get a free ride from a respected craft brewer. 

SOME NEW NEW YORK BREWS

716 IPA

FLYING BISON

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Flying Bison Brewing Company, Buffalo, NY; STYLE: India Pale Ale; ABV: 6.4%; IBUs: 50; MALTS: UK Pale, NY Craft Malt Erie Canal Pale; HOPS: Centennial, Cascade, Galaxy, Amarillo

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Medium bodied American India Pale Ale using the best UK Pale malt and citrusy, aromatic US hops. The bold hop aromas, flavors, and bitterness are supported/balanced by a solid malt backbone."

COLOR: Golden

POUR: Better than Decent pure white head with good lacing

AROMA: Earthy

BODY: Medium

TASTE: Nice hop bitterness with solid malt balance. Lots of pine and citrus.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!


COMMENTS: "Malt comes through nicely; Balanced; Hits the side of my tongue; Piney after-taste; Fine beer - apparently not available in Central New York; Lingering after-taste; Good Bills tailgate beer."

THE ELEVEN IPA

CRITZ FARMS

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Critz Farms Brewing and Cider Co., Cazenovia, NY; STYLE: India Pale Ale; ABV: 6.6%; IBU

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A citrusy, piney India Pale Ale with the complexity of eleven constituent parts and the singular deliciousness of local, homegrown ingredients."

COLOR: Unfiltered golden

POUR: Better than Decent head

AROMA: Piney, toffee and malty

BODY: Medium

TASTE: Malty and Bready with a bit of citus in there

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Nice maltiness; Nice beer; A little piney and some nice citrus notes; Flavors mesh nicely, nothing overpowers; Really good beer."

IPA'EH'

BIG TUPPER BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Big Tupper Brewing, Tupper Lake, NY; ABV: 7%; IBUs: 65

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "IPA 'Eh' is our flagship beer - Say it like a Frenchman, drink it like an Adirondacker! And, just like our French Canadian influence, our IPA 'Eh' has lots of positive attitude and unique accents. It has a crisp flavor with a slight citrus finish that leaves you wanting more. Our IPA 'Eh' pairs well with beef and food with a little spice.

COLOR: Between Wheat and Golden

POUR: Near Guinness Class Head

AROMA: Clean

BODY: Bit more than Medium

TASTE: Citrus and lemon dominate

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Smooth; Fills the mouth nicely; Too citrusy and lemony for me; Dry, clean finish; Too sour for me."

HOPPY HOUR HERO MOE.SAIC IPA

SARANAC BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Saranac Brewing Company, Utica, NY; STYLE: Double India Pale Ale; ABV: 7.8%; IBUs: 75; MALTS: Pale, 2-Row, Honey Malt; HOPS: Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Combining the intensely piney, citrusy, and tropical fruit aroma and flavor of Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops, this Double IPA is a liquid jam-session of big hop flavor. Packed with pineapple, mango, and passionfruit hop character, this is a big beer with a full body and firm bitterness."

COLOR: Golden

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Soapy

BODY: Bit beyond Medium

TASTE: Nicely bitter with tropical fruit and butterscotch

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Delicious!; I've got to get this; Superb; Nice malt on the end with a decent hop kick; Nice clean finish; One of their best beers; Hopefully they'll continue to make this; Will actively seek this out; Bravo, Saranac!"

SPACE KITTY

ROHRBACH BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Rohrbach Brewing Company, Rochester, NY; ABV: 8.4%; IBUs: 92

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "This American Double IPA features a trio of rare hops, high in alpha acids and juicy oils, that mimic the West Coast style we love so dearly. Do not age Space Kitty and please drink fresh."

COLOR: Hazy honey with much flotsam and jetsam.

POUR: Decent head

AROMA: Big hoppy, piney nose

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Nicely bitter with strong citrus zest

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Some bitterness to it; The nice thing about this is that you get your daily fiber along with a good beer; Hop forward; Thus far the best of the day; I like it a lot; Reminds me of the IPAs I first grew to love."

DEBACLE DOUBLE IPA

COPPER CITY BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Copper City Brewing Company, Rome, NY; STYLE: Double IPA; ABV: 8.3%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Extraordinary double. Sticking with a west coast style theme this IIPA has a malty body, pleasant aroma and a nip of bitterness. 8.3%, make your choice wisely."

COLOR: Cloudy honey

POUR: Near Guiness class head

AROMA: Grassy

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Bitter with nutty, malty notes

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Sweet on the end; Smooth - could sneak up on you; A good beer; Really nice beer - another sort of old school West Coast IPA, with a good solid malt backbone."

DOUBLE MIDDLE FINGER LAKES IPA

REINVENTION BREWING 

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Reinvention Brewing Co., Manchester, NY; STYLE: Double IPA; ABV: 9.7%; IBUs: 92

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "You asked for it. Our brewer delivered. This is a deceptively drinkable beer, with tons of hop flavor. Watch out or you'll be seeing double!"

COLOR: Amber

POUR: Decent head that quickly dissipates

AROMA: Fairly neutral, not a strong aroma, a little fruit.

BODY: Leaning toward Full

TASTE: Strong malt presence with lots of pine and grapefruit hoppiness, bit of citrus

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Nice beer!; It's big, but still very smooth tasting; Yeah, but a bit alcohol forward; I don't really taste the alcohol - very smooth to me; Deceptive, could keep drinking this but better not operate any machinery; I've got to get out to Manchester and see what elFse they've got there."

OUR RATING

In another month where there really wasn't a bad beer (everyone came in better than "I Could Drink This"), we went with our old tried and true method: everyone listed the beers 1-7. Like golf, the low score wins. Our results:

7. IPA 'Eh' - Though we all liked this beer and rated it near our top "Can't Get Enough!" there were a few dissenters, feeling it was a bit too lemony, thus it came in last. Still a good beer.

6. The Eleven - Another excellent beer - received a #2 and #3 rating by a couple of us - and receive our version of a 4 star rating. Just ended up in 6th place.

5. Copper City Debacle - Another tasty IPA - no complaints. Nice West Coast IPA vibe.

4. 716 IPA - A nicely balanced IPA  that we loved and couldn't get enough of.

3. Hoppy Hour Hero - The great offering from Saranac. We considered it one of their best IPAs. Our hope is that this becomes a regular.

2. Space Kitty - A hazy IPA  with a big taste and a big kick. We loved it.
1. Double Middle Finger Lakes IPA - First of all, you gotta' love the name! This cozy little neighborhood brewery just off the thruway in Manchester, New York has a number of unique and interesting beers along with this one, which packs a punch at 9.7%, yet is deceptively smooth.

Next Month: Stouts

Slante,
The BOTB Guys

Brown Ales

BROWN IS THE LONELIEST COLOR

If one is trying to sell a house or a car, perhaps, it's unlikely the real estate agent or car salesman would describe it as brown. Instead it would be chocolate or burnt umber or chestnut. Maybe russet, smokey topaz, taupe or perhaps even kobicha. But brown? Probably not. Yet if one wanted to describe where one lived they'd likely say something like "'It's the brown house third down from the corner." To say "It's the kobicha house" might "muddy" the descriptive waters. Red is a sexy color, Amber somehow exotic and Dark (as in dark beers) denotes an air of mystery. But Brown - meh. In truth brown is a warm often rich color with a myriad of tones and hues. And so it is with Brown Ales, which are first cousins to Red Ales, Amber Ales and those Dark beers like Stouts and Porters. In color they can span the spectrum from a near black to reddish to amber. Traditionally Brown Ales, a British staple for years, are more malt-heavy than hoppy with taste that can be bready, yeasty, biscuit-like with undertones of toffee, caramel, coffee and sometimes chocolate. However, with the explosion of craft breweries here in the states Brown Ales, like all other styles of beer, have been tweaked. Or not. The result being that you can find very traditional Brit Beer style Browns out there or Brown Ales with a little more hop to their step, so to speak.
This month the BOTB Guys grabbed some Brown Ales and a thesaurus (because, how many times can you just say the color was brown?) and went to work.

THE BROWN NOTE

AGAINST THE GRAIN BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWERY: Against the Grain Brewery, Louisville, KY; ABV: 5%; IBUs: 20.0; MALTS: British malts and oats, with specialty malts; HOPS: Traditional British hops, Cascade.

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "The brown ale to end all brown ales. Enjoy it, because there is no longer any reason to drink another. You've reached the pinnacle. A healthy blend of traditional British malts give this popular style a semi-sweet, biscuity, slightly roasted flavor. Oats thicken the mouthfeel, and a handful or specialty malts add complex chocolate, toffee, and caramel notes. The hops are mostly traditional, earthy British hops, but we cocked it up a bit with some Cascade late in the boil just to show those snooty Brits that we don't approve of that Constitutional Monarchy crap."

COLOR: Brown

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Nutty, bready

BODY: A bit beyond Medium

TASTE: Tends toward sweet with lots of notes of Malt, bread, nut, coffee, chocolate, toffee and caramel.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Clean at the end (wiped?); Like a thinner porter; I like this - nice beer; Once I get passed the label, I like it; I really like it - no shit!; I've seen this on the shelf and actively avoided it because of the label - really turned me off. I mean, I like the humor used by craft brewers - but this is a bit too juvenile and in-your-face  Not exactly subtle or clever . The beer itself is really good, though; It's rich, full flavored; A case of 'Can't judge a book by its cover' sort of thing I guess."

HAZELNUT BROWN NECTAR

ROGUE ALES

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Rogue Ales, Newport, OR; ABV: 5.6%; IBUs: 33; MALTS: 2-Row, Munich, C15, C75, C120, Kiln Coffee, Brown and Rogue Farms Dare and Risk Malts; HOPS: Rogue Farms Revolution and Independent Hops; YEAST: Pacman Yeast; BONUS INGREDIENTS: Hazelnut extract, Free Range Coastal Water."

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "From the hazelnut capital of the United States, this nutty twist on a European brown ale was originally crafted by Rogue Brewmaster John Maier's good friend and avid home-brewer, Chris Studach. Hazelnut Brown Nectar offers a hazelnut aroma with rich nutty flavor and a smooth malty finish."

COLOR: Dark Amber

POUR: A bit better than Decent Head

AROMA: Bready, Yeasty, Nutty

BODY: Medium

TASTE: Sweet, malty, nutty with hint of vanilla

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Sweet!; Like a creamy brown ale; Very drinkable; Fall-leaf-raking ale; Rogue makes some good beers, and this is one of them; It's a little different from your typical brown ale; I taste some vanilla in there - took me a minute to identify the taste; Yeah, it's that vanilla that kind of gives it the sweetness, I think; And hazelnut nutty taste of course, which sets it apart."

BEST BROWN ALE

BELLS BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Bell's Brewery, Constock, MI; ABV: 5.8%; HOPS: American

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A smooth, toasty brown ale, Best Brown is a mainstay in our fall lineup. With hints of caramel and cocoa, the malt body has the depth to stand up to cool weather, but does not come across as heavy. This balancing act is aided by the generous use of American hops."

COLOR: Mahogany

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Not a strong aroma, bit of bread, perhaps.

BODY: Medium

TASTE: Tending toward the sweet with notes of brown sugar, caramel and a slight whisper of  chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Less of a mouthfeel than the others - a little thin; No particular taste is overpowering in this, subtle; I could actually drink more of these than some of the others simply because it is a pretty easy-drinking beer; Nice blend of flavors; It's a nice solid ale."

OLD BROWN DOG

SMUTTYNOSE BREWING CO.

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Smuttynose Brewing, Hampton, NH; STYLE: Brown Ale; ABV: 6.5%; IBUs: 29.5; MALT: North American 2-Row, Munich 10L, C-120, Chocolate; HOPS: Bittering: Cascade and Galena, Flavoring: Willamette; YEAST: American Ale

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Old Brown Dog has been cited as a classic example of the 'American Brown Ale' style of beer. Compared to a typical English Brown Ale, Old Brown Dog is fuller-bodied and more strongly hopped."

COLOR: Ruby Brown

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Malty

BODY: A bit less than Medium

TASTE: Tends toward the sweet end of the spectrum with strong malt taste as well as toffee, bit of nut and caramel.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Most mellow yet; Soothing and mild come to mind; Sweet all the way through, and finishes that way; A bit thin, but quite tasty; It's got some hoppiness to it; Kind of silky smooth feel to it; Another nice, easy-drinker."

BOFFO BROWN ALE

DARK HORSE BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Dark Horse Brewing Co., Marshall, MI; STYLE: Brown Ale; ABV: 7%; IBU: 26

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Boffo Brown Ale is a favorite to many of us here at the brewery. Like most of our beers, it's robust full body and soft mouth feel is pushing the envelope of what an American Brown Ale is to most people. Flavors begin with malt, caramel, toffee, and finish with a nutty, mild earthiness. Boffo is extremely versatile and can be paired with hearty food and sips of bourbon or mild cheeses and sunny days."

COLOR: Between Brown and Mahogany

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Caramel

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Malty, Caramel, toffee with a bitter tinge, burnt chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Borders on being a really nice Stout; Delicious!: There's like a burnt chocolate thing going on there - and I mean that in a good way - maybe dark chocolate; Bitter on the end; Smooth in the middle; Maybe a bit of coffee in there as well; Nice bit of hoppiness gives it the bitter bite that is a real nice counterpoint to the sweetness."

INDIAN BROWN DARK IPA

DOGFISH HEAD BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Dogfish Head Brewing Co., Milton, DE; ABV: 7.2%; IBUs: 50

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Forget about the car companies, this is the original hybrid. A cross between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale and an American Brown, Indian Brown is well-hopped and malty at the same time (it's magical!). The beer has characteristics of each style that inspired it: the color of an American Brown, the caramel notes of a Scotch Ale, and the hopping regimen of an India Pale Ale. We dry-hop the Indian Brown in a similar fashion to our 60 Minute IPA and  90 Minute IPA. This beer is brewed with Aromatic barley and organic brown sugar."

COLOR: Chocolate

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Caramel, maple

BODY: Somewhat more than Medium

TASTE: Malt, Bread, Nutty, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Molassas, touch of Dark Chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Just shy of "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "A little zestier - you can tell it's an IPA; Malt forward, kind of reminds me of Wookie Jack; Dogfish Head - it's great!; One of my favorite Dogfish Head beers; Really good beer"

WYNONA'S BIG BROWN ALE

VOODOO BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: BREWER: Voodoo Brewery, Meadville, PA; STYLE: Brown Ale; ABV: 7.3%; MALT: Brown Malt, Marris Otter; HOPS: Simcoe, Amarillo, Northern Brewer.

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A robust dark brown ale brewed with generous amounts of brown malt and Marris Otter and hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo, and Northern Brewer to enhance the flavor and aroma for your enjoyment."

COLOR: Dark Brown

POUR: Decent Head with nice light brown lacing

AROMA: Sweet malt

BODY: A bit beyond Medium

TASTE: Nicely complex beer with the taste of malt, nut, chocolate and yeast (bready), bit of coffee and molasses

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Close to "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Nice smooth body; Right alcohol level for hop heads; Clean finish; What's not to like?; Real nice roasty malt taste in there, maybe a bit of vanilla, all those good Brown Ale flavors."

OUR RANKING

This month was another one in which we really didn't have a bad beer. All of them came in above average if we consider "I Could Drink This" as average - which we do. The "I Could Drink This" rating means it's a beer we would enjoyed and would be glad to see on a menu in a restaurant or at a sports bar but it might not be a beer we would actively seek out. Anything above that - and all of these beers were - is a beer we consider to be a better than average craft beer. The interesting thing here was that, despite all of these beers being Brown Ales, they didn't all taste exactly alike - an issue we have found in the past with certain styles particularly Oktoberfest brews. While all of the Browns we reviewed shared certain taste profiles of malt and nut, each one seemed to tweak those flavors along with coffee, chocolate, toffee, caramel, molasses and others to create a uniqueness while staying true to the Brown Ale traditions. Here's what we thought:

1. Dogfish Head Indian Dark Brown Ale - This one eked out a win over Wynona and Boffo both of which were up near the "Can't Get Enough!" level. A real nice full-bodied beer that just bursts with flavor. Nice, complex which appeals to both malt lovers and hopheads.

2. 3. - Wynona's Big Brown Ale and Boffo Brown Ale pretty much tied for second. 
            -Wynona we found to be a really smooth beer with a nice combination of Malt, Nut and chocolate.
            - Boffo was darn near of really tasty Stout with a great finish and a hint of bitter dark chocolate to compliment the Malt.

4. Hazelnut Brown Nectar - We really liked this beer from Rogue Brewing. Very drinkable with a nice hint of vanilla along with the nutty maltiness.

5. 6. 7. - Another log jam here as all three scored the same - roughly a 4 out of 5 or right in the middle between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!" So alphabetically by Brewery:

      - Against the Grain The Brown Note - Stepping away from all the puns generated by the label design, we found this to be like a thinner Porter. Very tasty with all the requisite Brown Ale notes - Malt, Bread, Nut, Coffee. Really good beer.

     - Bell's Best Brown - A little thin compared to the others but still a nice beer with a pleasant taste of brown sugar in there.

     - Smuttynose Brewing Old Brown Dog Ale - We found this very mellow, soothing and sweet all the way through with a nice toffee taste in there.

Next Month: New New York State beers. Until then.

Slante,
The BOTB Guys

  

Double Feature

Due in part to a busy schedule of family and travel and in no small measure to my own innate procrastination, I had fallen behind on this blog, for which I apologize. This month, while convalescing from knee surgery, I had some extra time so I decided to get caught up with an old fashioned double feature. We'll take a look first at a number of beers from around Central New York as we "buy local." Next we'll take a look at a sort of catch-all style known as "Strong Ales."

BUY LOCAL

The area in and around New York City is generally referred to as "down state," while the rest of New York (the majority of the state land-wise) is referred to as "upstate." Now Upstate is then often broken down into Northern New York, The Southern Tier, Western New York and Central New York. Exactly where Central New York ends and Northern or Western New York or the Southern Tier begins is a bit blurry. So when we decided to concentrate on locally brewed beers, we had to narrow things down a bit. we decided to call "local" anyplace within the 315 area code. Now, the 315 area is indeed huge, so big that it is being split up into two different area codes. That being said, we found that there are plenty of breweries in the very heart of Central New York - the area in and around Syracuse, that we didn't need to go too far afield to come up with some very good beers brewed locally.

BUM'S LOST IPA

WOODLAND FARMS

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: India Pale Ale; BREWER: Woodland Farm Brewing, Marcy, NY; ABV: 6.5

COLOR: Unfiltered wheat

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Apricot, juicy

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Big citrus taste with some bitterness

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Nice, drinkable beer; Woodland makes good beer; It's a real nice summer beer with that big citrus taste; Real bright taste; bit of apricot, some tropical fruit in there as well; Very tasty beer; East Coast style IPA with the haze and big citrus taste."

HAZE IN THE HOLLOW

HOPSHIRE FARMS BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: New England Style IPA; BREWERY: Hopshire Farm and Brewery, Freeville, NY; ABV: 5.4%; HOPS: Citra, Mosaic, Centennial, Galaxy

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Juicy. That is the best description for the new style of beer called New England IPA. True to style this beer is brewed with no hops in the boil. Then a boatload of Citra, Mosaic, Centennial and Galaxy hops are used after the boil and for dry hopping. The result is a beer with intense aroma and flavors of citrus and tropical fruits. You don't have to wait in line fro this beer at Hopshire and you can have a couple glasses at the bar."

COLOR: Milky, creamy, hazy golden

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Big citrus, fruity aroma

BODY: Medium

TASTE: Tropical fruit, citrusy with notes of grapefruit, maybe papaya, and a touch of pineapple

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough

COMMENTS: "I could drink this for breakfast; Tastes like a session; Juicy; Really nice beer; Ugly color - delicious taste; Definitely what I think of when you say New England Style - kind of bursting with tropical and citrus fruit flavors, very little bitterness, but a bit at the end; Real nice beer."

DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION

IBU BREWERY

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: American Double IPA; BREWER: IBU Brewing, Syracuse, NY; ABV: 7.4%

COLOR: Unfiltered copper

POUR: Big, lingering near Guinness class head

AROMA: Citrus

BODY: Pretty full-bodied

TASTE: Grapefruit, citrus and tropical fruit

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough

COMMENTS: "Nice malt backbone to this one along with the big, fruity taste; Beautiful copper color; Tastes a little bigger than 7.4% - a bit of an alcohol taste there; A little sweetness on the end; I'd go to that brewery for a couple of growlers of this; Kind of a melding of East Coast and West Coast IPAs here, sort of best of both coasts."

LOCAL MOTION DIPA

LOCAL 315 BREWING CO.

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Double IPA; BREWER: Local 315 Brewing Co., Warners, NY; ABV: 8.5%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Beer made here in the 315."

COLOR: Copper, a bit cloudy

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Somewhat bready

BODY: Full

TASTE: Big, balanced and complex, with bready maltiness and piney hop dominates with a touch of grapefruit in there as well

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough

COMMENTS: "Tastes like a West Coast IPA to me; Another really good beer - a winner; Haven't had a bad beer all day - and the winner is... us!; Doesn't come across as being as big as it is at 8.5%; Kind of a retro IPA after all the New England IPAs out there; It's got that nice piney taste that I have always liked in IPAs."

ROME BALTIC PORTER

COPPER CITY BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Baltic Porter; BREWER: Copper City Brewing Co., Rome, NY; ABV; 8.0%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Robust, Full-bodied and smooth with a sweet, malty, roasted flavor."

COLOR: Near pitch black

POUR: Big, full, rich, tan head

AROMA: Sweet chocolate

BODY: Full

TASTE:A nice melding of chocolate and vanilla with coffee. Big mocha flavor

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Delicious!; Somewhat more carbonated that most Baltics; Not too sweet, not burnt, just right (says Goldilocks); Great fall woodstove beer - pre-turkey; What nice, smooth sipper; It has that kick back, feet up, warm fire, shadows flickering, cold outside but warm in vibe; Yeah, a little chocolate, a little coffee, a touch of alcohol but it doesn't overpower at all."

THE ELEVEN

CRITZ FARMS

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: American IPA; BREWER: Critz Farms Brewing and Cider Co., Cazenovia, NY; ABV: 6.5%; IBUs: 85; SRM: 7.5; MALT: Locally grown malted barley (grown at Critz Farms); HOPS: West Coast hop varieties

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: A citrusy, piney India Pale Ale with the complexxity of eleven constituent parts and the singular deliciousness of local, homegrown ingredients."

COLOR: Unfiltered wheat

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Pine

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Citrus, pine, floral and a bit of caramel and toffee

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough

COMMENTS: "Nice bitterness; Tastes bigger than 6,5%; Floral on the end; Crisp and refreshing; Good beer; Tastes almost a little 'old school'; I like the size of the can; It's a nice, no-nonsense IPA, the style I keep returning to again and again."

WEDDING BLISS IPA

GRINDSTONE BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: India Pale Ale; BREWER: Grindstone Brewing, Pulaski, NY; ABV: 7.0%; HOPS: Cascade

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A beer brewed to keep the magic alive long after the honeymoon."

COLOR: Unfiltered wheat

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Grassy, earthy, hay

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Balanced with a rich bready, malty opening followed by a nice citrus finish

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough

COMMENTS: "Very pleasant after-taste; Smooth, hoppy, but real easy to drink; Citrusy bite; Another great job by Grindstone; Congrats to the newlyweds!; Nicely balanced, gives it a kind of old-school West Coast IPA taste; I really like it."

STRONG ALES

"Strong Ales" is one of those sort of catch-all terms used to describe a beer that falls somewhere between a Pale Ale (or even a fairly light IPA) and a Barleywine. Scotch Ales, Old Ales, bigger IPAs, Imperial Stouts, and even some Barleywines can fall into this broad category. Generally the Alcohol content is above 7%, but IBUs can range from 20 to 90 or more.  As a result, our samples this month included an IPA, a Double IPA, a couple of Scotch Ales, an Imperial Brown Ale, a Belgian Strong Ale, a Belgian Quad and an American Strong Ale. 

SLY FOX 113

SLY FOX BEER

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: India Pale Ale; BREWER: Sly Fox Beer, Pottstown, PA; ABV: 7%; IBUs: 70; HOPS: Combination of Pacific Northwest and British hops.

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "This complex, aromatic beer is brewed with a n abundance of the finest hops from the Pacific Northwest and England. Every sip will remind you of just why you fell in love with craft beer in the first place."

COLOR: Copper

POUR: Between Decent and Guinness Class

AROMA: Malty, bready aroma

BODY: a bit beyond Medium

TASTE: Nicely bitter with solid doses of malt, nut and toffee.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS: "Classic West Coast taste in my opinion, Spicy; So-o-o good!; Beautiful - perfect color - and tastes as good as it looks; Nice lingering after-taste; I like that it has a solid bitterness to it, it seems like so many IPAs are moving away from that, yet it is one of the qualities that first attracted me to the style."

LIMITED EDITION WILCO TANGO FOXTROT

LAGUINITAS BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Imperial Brown Ale; BREWER: Laguinitas Brewing, Petaluma, CA; ABV: 8.1%; IBUs: 64.20

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Rich, smooth, dangerous, and chocolatey. It's a big ol' Imperial Brown Ale to help you with your slippery slide on into the heat of the night."

WHAT THE BREWER ALSO SAYS: (Thought I'd include this interesting little mashup of famous film speeches by Henry Fonda as Tom Joad a la John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath, Jimmy Stewart as Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,  and Humphrey Bogart as Rick in Casablanca from the Laguinitas website. A bit of an indulgence here, I admit, but Steinbeck is one of my all-time favorite authors whose writings more of less helped inform my world view. In many ways he is the American Charles Dickens in that his work shone a light on the plight of the powerless, the poor and the desire for those with both money and power to keep poor in their place. Combine that with three great American films and I thought the mashup was worth reprinting here.): "I'll be all around in the dark. I'll be ever'where, wherever you can look. Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise, and livin' in the houses they build, I'll be there, too. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here. You just have to see them again. You think we're licked. They all think we're licked. Well, we're not licked. And we're going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause, even if this room gets filled with lies like these; and all their armies come marching into this place. Somebody will l  isten, I'm no good at being noble, but t doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday we'll understand that. Now, now - Here's looking at you, kid."

COLOR: Amber

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Not a strong aroma, a little malt

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Malty with undertones of caramel and chocolate

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough"

COMMENTS: "Sugar Daddy sweet taste; A sweety; A little bitter on the end after the sweetness; I get a little bit of molasses in there; Strong caramel, I feel like I taste more caramel than chocolate; Nice warming breadiness here; I do like this, I get a little brown sugar here as well; A nice winter warmer beer."

BOURBON BARREL-AGED ARROGANT BASTARD

STONE BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Classified (let's just call it an American Strong Ale); BREWER: Stone Brewing, Escondido, CA; ABV: 8.1%; IBUs: Classified; HOPS: Classified

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "...Are you Worthy of quaffing a beverage of this intensity, irreverence and quality craftsmanship? Not likely, but for those who 'get it,' I know my time in this bourbon barrel has not been wasted. Cheers to you, enlightened imbiber. On second thought, cheers to me!"  For the rest of this, go to their web site. It's worth the trip because it's quite a trip.

COLOR: Garnet

POUR: Guinness Class head

AROMA: Bourbon, alcohol

BODY: Near Full

TASTE: Oaky, alcohol with hints of caramel

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Very distinct taste of bourbon; Vanilla beans; Reminds me a bit of a Baltic Porter; Whiskey drinkin' guy's beer; Love the bottle; I get that sort of dark fruit, plum taste in there; It's a little bit smokey, a little piney hop in there; Pretty big alcohol taste though; I like this okay, but must admit that I prefer regular Arrogant Bastard - still ranks as one of my favorite beers."

KILT TILTER

MIDDLE AGES BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Scotch Ale; BREWER: Middle Ages Brewing Company, Syracuse, NY; ABV: 9.0%

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "A Scottish "90/-" ale. Brewed only once a year, this ale is rich and full with a dryness that is beautifully balanced with a classic malt sweetness."

COLOR: Ruby/brown

POUR: Big tan head, lots of lacing

AROMA: Banana ester

BODY: Near full

TASTE: Banana, ester-y, cloves

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Classic Scottish Ale; Really, I consider it the best Scottish Ale I've ever had; Smooth; A lot of that British Isles taste going on in there, which I guess, makes sense; Fills the mouth; Some hints of maybe raisins in there, big on the malt, bread, definite clove; The alcohol doesn't bite you on the ass like some of the bigger beers, somewhat sneaky; Little bit of hops there at the end; A nice smooth finish."

BIG BROADCAST DIPA

WAR HORSE BREWING COMPANY

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Double India Pale Ale; BREWER: War Horse Brewing Company, Seneca Lake, NY; ABV: 9.1%; IBUs: 100; MALT: 2-row, Munich, CaraPils; HOPS: Mosaic, Centennial, Chinook.

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "'Here is your country. cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children.' TR. We have as much love for the land as ol' Teddy; this is why we spend so much time finding the perfect raw materials to use in our beers. The Big Broadcast drinks smooth (maybe a little too smooth). Enjoy this beer in a glass or from the can, indoors or out, just enjoy."


COLOR: Dirty blond

POUR: Between Decent and Guinness class

AROMA: Dank

BODY: Near Full

TASTE: Grapefruit, bitter, pine, resin, fruit

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near "Can't Get Enough"

COMMENTS: "Sneaky - misleading, tastes less alcohol-y than it is; You think you're swimming with the dolphins until you realize you're in with the great whites; Citrusy hop; Some tropical fruit going on in there; A little orange, touch of lemon; Mostly I get grapefruit; What about pineapple? I get a bit of that too; A bit of spice to it, like pepper; I like it."

OMMEGANG 20TH ANNIVERSARY

BREWERY OMMEGANG

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Belgian Strong Ale; BREWER: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY; ABV: 11.50%

COLOR: opaque walnut

POUR: Decent Head

AROMA: Dark fruit, blackberry

BODY: Near full

TASTE: Dark fruit, hints of blackberry, plum, currents, raisins, bit of chocolate, oak, vanilla

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Can't Get Enough!

COMMENTS:  "Ommegang hit a home run with this one; Sweet and smooth;Full-bodied; I don't get the strong alcohol taste you would expect from a beer this big; The taste follows the aroma; Plum or current overtones; I really like it; Nice middle of the winter or after dinner beer; Fluted-glass beer; Snowing-like-a-son-of-a-bitch beer; Mouth-filling; I don't want to wait another 20 years for the next one."

WOLAVER WEE HEAVY ALE - BOURBON BARREL AGED - WOLAVER'S ORGANIC ALES

( UNDER THE AUSPICES OF:OTTER CREEK BREWING)

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Wee Heavy Scotch Ale; BREWER: Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, CT; ABV: 12%; IBUs - NOTE: Wolaver's Organic Ales has retired production.

COLOR: Walnut

POUR: Very little head, with some lacing

AROMA: Molassas

BODY: Full

TASTE: Brown sugar, molasses, sweet, raisins

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Near  "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Sweet, maybe not as smooth as Ommegang's; Somewhat reminds me of Dogfish Head's Raison d'etre; A nice beer, I like it; Very sweet; Another good warming beer with that pleasant molasses or brown sugar taste."

VICTORY V-12

VICTORY BREWING

THE BEER FACTS: STYLE: Belgian-style Quad; BREWER: Victory Brewing Company, Downington, PA; ABV: 12.0%; MALT: Pilsner, Dark Caramel Malt, Dextrose; HOPS: East Kent Goldings, Styrian Goldings

WHAT THE BREWER SAYS: "Taste true liquid luxury in this decadent and nuanced Belgian-style quad. Pear and apricot aromas blend with caramel, fruit and spice flavors in the full-bodied amber ale."

COLOR: Cloudy orange

POUR: A little less than Decent Head

AROMA: Yeast, alcohol, fruit

BODY: Between Medium and Full

TASTE: Sweet, with hints of pear, butterscotch, apricots

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Between "I Could Drink This" and "Can't Get Enough!"

COMMENTS: "Absolute definition of 'complex'; They should sell this beer with a helmet and a cup; Victory doesn't disappoint; A big beer; Almost like honey (reduced liquid honey); Reminds me of mead; Like a wine - sip it, repeat."

THE RESULTS

By the very nature of this category of beer, we knew we would be in for a very tasty review session, and indeed we were. None fell below that range from "I Could Drink This" to "Can't Get Enough!" So it was another of those "there are no losers here" kind of evenings. Nonetheless, below is a rough ranking of these Strong Ales - in our collective humble opinions.

1. Ommegang 20th Anniversary Ale

2. Sly Fox 113 IPA

3. War Horse Big Broadcast Double IPA

4. Wolaver Wee Heavy Ale

5. Stone's Arrogant Bastard Bourbon Barrel Aged Ale

6. Middle Ages Kilt Tilter

7. Victory V-12 

8. Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot

Want a quick glance at all the beers we've reviewed and our zero to four star rating? Get it at BOTB Tested Beers.

Sláinte,

The BOTB Guys