A Session with some Sessions

It's been awhile since my last post - sorry. It's those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer and I really have taken the "lazy" part to heart. Also ran into a crazy Internet virus that struck both our desktop and my laptop. The source seems to have been an email which looked legitimate (from Fedex) but when we opened it there was simply a blank page. Next time we restarted the two computers (which are networked) we had all kinds of problems. The desktop I finally reformatted and am in the process of adding back all the programs we've lost. The laptop I spent hours with and got nowhere. Basically it's going to cost a couple of C's to get it straightened out (I am one month off the warranty!) Anyhow, be aware of any emails claiming to be from Fedex.

To the important stuff: our latest Beer Club meeting took place at Mike and Diane's on a warm Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately Gerry was unable to make it (and unable to get his beer to us either - a true tragedy) however everyone else was present. Being summertime, when the living is easy, we decided to take a look at Session beers. What exactly are session beers? It seems you often hear certain beers described as being an ideal session beer. But what exactly does that mean? With the help of our friends over at Beer Advocate, I'll give you a little history, an "official" definition, and then the definition we choose to use.

A Brief History of the Term

Like so many beer-related stories this one could be in part beer-fueled or it could be the real deal. It certainly has the sound of truth to it. Apparently during World War I British workers in the factories that produced artillery shells were given time periods, or "sessions" when they were allowed to relax and imbibe. These consisted of two 4 hour sessions (11:00 am - 3 pm and 7 pm to 11 pm). Now we all know it is quite possible to become decidedly shit-faced in a four hour session of drinking, especially if you are consuming brews of high alcohol content. Not the ideal way to be working with high explosives. Ergo, they sought out beers with a relatively low ABV so they could return to work without blowing themselves (or the soldiers using the shells they produced) up. These beers were called session beers. They were generally around 3 to 4 percent alcohol meaning as many as eight beers in the four hour span could be consumed and the consumer could still remain upright.

A Working Definition

The Beer Advocate created a nice working definition which I will rip-off for your perusal since I can never see the point in reinventing the wheel, so to speak:

"Any beer that contains no higher than 5 percent ABV, featuring a balance between malt and hop characters and typically a clean finish - a combination of which creates a beer with high drinkability. The purpose of a session beer is to allow a beer drinker to have multiple beers, within a reasonable time period or session, without overwhelming the senses or reaching inappropriate levels of intoxication. (Yes, you can drink and enjoy beer without getting drunk.)"

Our Somewhat More Workable Definition

So we tweaked the definition above a bit to fit our purposes. Ours goes something like this: "Any beer that allows you to remain coherent and able to walk a relative straight line even after consuming several. Somewhere around 6% or less."

Hey, it's not like we're building artillery shells here after all.

The Beers:

The beers we choose in our typically random style were:
Otter Creek - Solstice Session Ale - contributed by Herb Clark; Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale - brought by Hal Moore; McSorley's Irish Pale Ale - Dan Riley's contribution; Ithaca Brewing's Phin and Matt's Extraordinary Ale - my addition; Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale - brought by Ron Harrington; and Grindstone Brewery's Baby Shower Pale Ale - Mike Watkins' contribution.

We opted not to rate the beers against each other this time, but merely talk about each on its own merits. The reasoning being that they are not all the same style so it didn't make sense to compare them.

Otter Creek's Solstice Session Ale

This is a true session beer - fitting both of the above definitions with a 4% ABV and 18 IBU. It is the lightest of the beers (and I don't mean that in the same vain as Lite). Very easy drinking, smooth. A good lawn mower beer. This is a real nice summer beer without being annoyingly lemony as seems to be the case with some of the seasonal beers. There were still good beer flavors if you know what I mean, but nothing was overpowering. A very pleasant beer.

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

As you might expect from the name, this beer has a nice nutty taste to it though the predominate taste here is malt. A real nice color, kind of a deep ruby with a lively off-white head resulting in much lacing. At 5% ABV it fits the bill as a session beer and the nutty, malty, caramel flavor notes make it a beer worthy of more than one. There is a nice, rich flavor that is perhaps not typical of summer beers which usually tend toward the lighter side. There is a distinctive hops presence but this one is really all about the malt. Made for a nice contrast.

McSorely's Irish Pale Ale

As a general rule, Irish beers tend to make good session beers - they are low to moderate in alcohol and they are full bodied, tending toward the malty side. Mcsorley's Irish Pale Ale weighs in at 5.5% ABV. Like Samuel Smith's it has a nutty, malty taste with some hints of coffee perhaps and a nod to some hops.It is a bit sweeter too. The flavors are not as pronounced as Samuel Smith's however and, depending on your preference that may be a good thing or not.

Ithaca Brewing's Phin and Matt's Extraordinary

The color is deceptive. That was the thing that struck most of us. It is a very light yellow in color, a bit of a head and some decent lacing. But the color makes you think "lager" immediately. But then there is a nice nose - hint of hops, a pleasant, citrusy smell. When you taste it though, it most definitely is an ale, with a good piney hops taste right from the jump. Had a very pleasing aftertaste which hung in there a bit. Overall a very drinkable beer. At 5.4%, it fits nicely into our definition of a session beer.

Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale

Great Lakes Brewing Company out of Cleveland has really been a pleasant addition to craft brew aficionados. While the company has been around since 1988, it really only made a presence in our area (Central NY) in the last year or so. But boy they do make some good beers and Burning River is one of them. At 6% ABV is dances on the outer edge of our session beer parameters, but it is definitely a beer you could enjoy repeatedly on a nice summer day (or fall, winter or spring for that matter.) The color falls somewhere between Mcsorley's and Phin and Matt's - a nice amber. Very balanced though tending toward the malty side. It's got a hops presence which tends to come in toward the end. Nutty malt taste predominates. A very solid beer.

Grindstone Brewery's Baby Shower Pale Ale

"So I give you that name and I said goodbye;
And I knew you'd better get tough or die:
And it's that name that helped to make you strong."

-"A Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash

You name a beer "Baby Shower Pale Ale," a name that flies in the face of all that is holy in the world of men and beer (which are essentially synonymous, let's face it) you'd better have a beer that can transcend the image of women "oohing" and "aahing" over new bassinets and cute little onesies.
But maybe that's just the point. Maybe what we have here is a brew so assured of it's own "beerility" that it can take on whatever name it damn well pleases.
Grindstone Brewery, located on the banks of Grindstone Creek in the wilds of Richland, NY, is a small, family owned brewery known for using generous amounts of hops grown by the owner. Baby Shower Pale Ale clocks in at 5.5% ABV. As expected, the Cascade and Northern hops are front and center, giving it a nice grapefruit-like hop opening. However this American Pale Ale is eminently drinkable, with a malt balance that nicely complements the aggressive hoppiness. Overall, a tasty brew and remarkably restrained for this hop-happy brewery. Having said that, it was still the hoppiest of the bunch - which is not a bad thing at all.

-A shout out to one of our followers, Mike Metott. He emailed me to suggest a couple of beers at the opposite ends of the hops/malt spectrum. He suggested I try Samuel Adams Cream Stout and Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale. I must admit I had never tried either, but after purchasing the two I was glad I did.

I find that Sam Adams' best beers are the ones you don't see around so much. Their lager is often a lifesaver at a bar or restaurant that feels it has an extensive beer menu because they have both Bud AND Bud Light. I was at a local Fireman's field days the other day and would have killed for a Sam Adams Boston Lager. Their choice was: Bud Light or Blue Light! Really?! They couldn't have had Blue and Blue Light? They had to have two light beers? I don't get it. I said, "You've just got light?" And some woman standing next to me said, "Hey, it's cold and wet!" Yeah, well so is water. Anyway, the Cream Stout is quite tasty. Very malty, nutty, with a hint of caramel perhaps. Real nice, rich head. And it did have a very pleasant creamy mouthfeel. Maybe it was the power of suggestion, but I felt like I got why they called it a cream stout. Nice beer.

Loose Cannon from Heavy Seas, on the other hand, really throws the hops at you. The grapefruity aroma jumps right out at the pour. And your first taste is wonderfully hoppy. It has good staying power, too. An American IPA, it weighs in at a solid 7.25% ABV. There is a real nice crispness to this beer. Very fresh, sharp bitterness that is quite refreshing. Clipper City Brewery is located in Baltimore, Maryland. They are another one of those breweries that take their beer seriously, but have a lot of fun with their labels and the names of their beers. If you like hoppy beers, you need to try this one. If you like dark, malty beers, go for the Cream Stout. I tend, as I may have mentioned, to be a hop-head - but more and more I have begun to appreciate the joys of a good stout or porter.

Got any beers you think we should try? Let us know at battleofthebeers.gmail.com.

-August 1st is Middle Ages 15th Anniversary party at Leavenworth Park in Syracuse. It's free admission and the festivities begin at 2:00 pm. Live music throughout will be provided by "Enter the Haggis," "Hot Day at the Zoo," and "Dark Hollow," a Grateful Dead tribute band.
The featured brew will be Double Wench - a terrific beer that we reviewed last month as part of our all Middle Ages blog. Food, music and good beer - see you there!

Slante!
The Battle of the Beer Guys

The BOTB Guys Explore the Middle Ages

Salute, Slainte, cheers, skaal, prost to our Faithful Followers. I want to kick off this edition with an interesting and perhaps telling anecdote. We (the judges and jury - and occasionally executioners - who make up Battle of the Beers) decided to play around with our format a bit. We thought it might be fun to look at different craft brewers and rate their line-up of brews. We sent out a letter to thirty or so brewers across New York State (we decided to start with our home state) seeing if they would be interested in having us evaluate their beers. Middle Ages Brewery was the first to jump on board - and we'll get to that soon - but I wanted to talk about one of the replies we received.

I used Lew Bryson's "New York Breweries" as a guide. One of the breweries listed was Brotherhood Winery out of Washingtonville, NY. Despite the fact it is a winery, Bryson raved over the beers they brewed there, mentioning that their resident brewer, Nat Collins, has quite a reputation among New York State craft brewers. Intrigued, I decided to include Brotherhood Winery in our list of breweries and sent them a letter. I received what I can only describe as a curt response. They returned my letter and wrote across the top, "We do not brew, sell or import beer. WE ARE A WINERY!!"

Okay, so my information was perhaps outdated. Those things happen. But what struck me was the implied indignation over my assumption that they would sink so low as to BREW BEER. That got me thinking about the whole wine vs. beer thing and the superiority of the vintner over the brewer (personally I like wine and beer so I am of the opinion that, since this is not Congress, there's no reason why the vintner and the brewer can't be friends). If you're talking about the mass produced stuff affectionately known as "lawn-mower beer" (a good beer to stick in the cup holder on your riding mower) then the wine producers might have a point. But with the growing ranks of fine craft brewers out there, more and more beers are being produced with rich, complex flavors. Enjoying a good beer involves the sense of smell and taste, just as is the case with a good wine.

All of this brings us to this month's Beer Club tastings. As I mentioned earlier, Middle Ages Brewery out of Syracuse, NY was the first to respond to our challenge. And respond they did. We arrived at Herb Clark's place at Port Ontario to a couple of heartwarming sights. One was the fact that we set up shop in a bucolic location - outside, on the water, on a warm summer-like evening. The other was the sight of six growlers of Middle Ages brews: Middle Ages Pale Ale, Duke of Winship Scotch Porter, Old Marcus Ale, Kilt Tilter Scotch Ale, a test batch of Double Wench, and the final production version of Double Wench American Strong Ale.

The Middle Ages Brewing Company located in Syracuse, NY is everything you want in a craft brewer. They make a bunch of interesting, often bold, beers. They work around a theme (the middle ages) and have some fun with the names. The beers are based on traditional British brews which are then tweaked according to the brewer's whim, creating a wide array of full flavored beers.

Middle Ages Pale Ale

This is Middle Ages' signature beer, available only on tap. It started life as MacGregor's. It can be found around the region under various names (the Candlelight in Parish, NY has it on tap as Candlelight Ale for example). We started out with this beer. We changed up our format somewhat, creating a sort of round table discussion of each beer, looking at appearance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, finish and general impressions.

The pale ale is a beautiful amber color, relatively clear as it is not an unfiltered brew. It has a solid head that hung in there for a bit.

The aroma was what struck us all first. Very intense aroma of bread and a sort of herbal hops underneath.

Flavor was very balanced, leaning more to the malty side. Neither overly sweet nor overly bitter. This would be my idea of a very good session beer. The hops aren't going to knock you over, but they are present. There's a creamy mouthfeel and is pleasantly carbonated. We all noted a long finish, with a very enjoyable aftertaste. In general we felt this to be an ideal summer beer, a great one for kicking back and having a few at the end of the day. At 5% ABV it was the mildest of the evening's offerings.

Duke of Winship Scotch Porter

The Duke of Winship Porter poured with an impressive head with great staying power. Dark brown auburn color. The aroma was not overpowering (or perhaps it was the allergies) but we all felt we could detect a hint of coffee. A more intense flavor than the Pale Ale as you would expect, it tended toward the sweet end of the spectrum with hints of coffee and perhaps caramel notes. I detected a distinct chocolate finish to it, though not everyone agreed. A tasty, full-bodied brew that is very drinkable. At 6% ABV it is mild enough to warrant the "when you're having more than one" label. This was not part of our Porter competition of a couple of months ago, but Mike mentioned that this one might well have won it. Nice one to have in front of a roaring fire.

Old Marcus Ale

This strong English ale had a beautiful pour - foamy, thick head with long-lasting lacing. It has an earthy and somewhat citrus-like aroma with a nice taste of grain. The hops in this one began to move to the forefront, though again, not overpowering. A very complex, full bodied beer. Real nice finish that stayed with you. A few random comments from our judges: "Clean finish," "Go to picnic, have a beer with your brother beer," "Tastes like another!" 6% ABV, so another would be possible - and was!

Kilt Tilter Scotch Ale

Okay, first of all, you gotta' love the name! Seriously. And this one will tilt your kilt. At a hefty 9% ABV this one made us all sit up and take notice. This is a big, bold beer. A "Helmet Beer" to be sure (as in "strap on your helmet").

The flavor is full and rich. Very complex - we argued over whether we detected undertones of toast or nut. I said nut but was outvoted. But there was definitely a distinctive flavor, perhaps toffee, which gives it a warm, unique character. The alcohol content comes into play, accounting for the "warming" mouthfeel. This is a beer you want to roll around in your mouth a bit, letting all the taste buds have a chance at it. This beer and the next two are great examples of what I was talking about earlier when I compared the crafts of brewing beer and wine making. These are beers to be savored not simply swallowed.

Double Wench - Test Batch & Production Version

Okay, so check out the new and improved Wailing Wench above (Double Wench is on the right). Just when you thought something couldn't be improved...
Double Wench is as bursting with flavor as the new wench logo is, well, bursting. After trying Kilt Tilter we were dubious that the ante could be upped much more. We were wrong. We started with the Double Wench test batch. Double Wench is to be Middle Ages' 15th anniversary beer, to be celebrated in August. Apparently it was considered too sweet. Any question that these guys don't have discriminating taste is dispelled once you taste the REJECTED version of this beer. I won't spend a lot of time on this because basically it's not available other than to say we couldn't believe it was rejected. A delicious beer about which Dan said, "They should make life savers that taste like this."

So, the production version was obviously similar to the other only less sweet. It is a robust, very complex American Strong Ale. 12% ABV gives it a lovely warm, intense opening. It's a deep copper, almost red, color with a wonderful pour. Rich, full head with lots of staying power. Like the Kilt Tilter, notes of toffee seemed to be the underpinning, while the hops really jump out at you. As noted by one of our members, "The only fault, it's too strong to drink for a long time."

It's another one of those you really want to roll around in your mouth awhile to hit all the notes.

According to Dan, "One you can puff your chest out and be proud of!"

In Conclusion...

In an informal poll of the members, the general consensus was that Old Marcus Ale won out as the choice for a session beer. Though this was not unanimous. Some called the pale ale the quintessential session beer, while The Duke of Winship got the nod by at least one. All agreed that any of them would work quite nicely, thank you.

As for the which beer was the flat out favorite - Double Wench won the day.
This was a very small sampling of Middle Ages impressive line-up of beers. Their website (http://www.middleagesbrewing.com) lists 22 regularly produced beers. Some are on-tap only. The brewery has an ever changing line-up on tap for tasting or growler refills. August 1st is their anniversary party celebrating 15 years, with live music, food and of course beer. It'll be at Leavenworth Park, right next to the brewery. Hope to see you there!

Slaite!

Charleston Pub Tour

Cheers from Charleston!

Les and I just returned from a terrific week in Charleston, SC. What a beautiful, fascinating city this is. We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast-ish inn called The Anchorage. It is located in the city's "French Quarter" area just a short walk to the waterfront. Charming would be the word to describe both the place and the people who worked there. Continental breakfast, wine and cheese at 4:00 and Sherry at 8:00. How cool is that? We walked (or biked) everywhere (didn't even rent a car - only bikes) and everywhere you turn there is history. Charleston was such a key city during the Revolution as well as the Civil War and is steeped in tales of pirates (both Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet met their ends here).
On top of all this, they produce some pretty good beers down there. Right next door to us was a bar called The Griffon which has a nice bunch of craft beers on tap and most everywhere you can get some decent local brews. And we stumbled upon the best way to sample these - it's the Charleston Pub Tour. Imagine kicking back with some good brews as you listen to a guy with a wealth of fascinating stories about the city and often about the very bar in which you are drinking. That gives you some idea of the Pub Tour.
The Original Pub Tour of Charleston is owned and operated by Becca Lesesne, who has been involved with craft brewing for some time. Right away we were greeted by her and her friendly staff. As it turned out, this particular tour included us and another couple. Our guide, Dave, was about as easy-going and laid back as could be and by the end of the tour it really felt like the five of us were old friends, laughing and joking and completely drawn in by Dave's tales of old Charleston.

We Begin At the Church of Our Lady of Beer

We started out at the Mad River Bar and Grill. A very interesting bar since it was originally an Episcopal Church. All religious artifacts were removed when the building was converted, although the stained-glass windows are still there. The ambiance was pretty cool, with Kayaks hanging from the vaulted ceiling and various college and pro athletic team banners hanging about. Excellent nachos. The beer selection was so-so if you're a hophead. They had Long Hammer IPA on tap - but they were out when we were there. The other options besides the typical Bud Light/Coors Light/Miller Lite line up were Newcastle Brown Ale, Shock Top and Guinness. I went with Guinness. Went well with the warm atmosphere and Dave's tales of pirates and Colonial politics.

The Griffon - Cool Bar - Nice Selection

Next we went to The Griffon. The bar is literally papered with dollar bills. Goes back to a tradition of sailors about to ship out leaving money with their name on it nailed to the wall so when they returned they would be sure to have money to buy drinks with. The bar has a kind of neat biker-type vibe to it. This place had an excellent selection of beers on tap: Harpoon, Fat Tire, Palmetto, Avery's, Dogfish Head, Sweetwater and others. I choose Rockhopper's IPA from R.J. Rockers Brewery out of Spartanburg, SC. I found it a nice, solid hoppy IPA. Good hop flower bouquet, golden color, wonderful hops presence with grapefruit notes. Good beer. I could have stayed there a while longer and sampled a few more, but we did have a schedule to keep.

A View to Drink By

We moved on to the Rooftop Bar and Restaurant. A great view of the city and Dave was able to fill us in on the history of several of the buildings we could see. There were no drafts and the bottled beer selection was somewhat limited but I was able to get a Palmetto Amber Ale. Palmetto Brewery is right there in Charleston. The Amber Ale is an excellent session beer. Nice balance of malt and hops. Palmetto is available most everywhere in the city. Good solid beer.

You Gotta' Love American Ingenuity

The last bar was the Blind Tiger. Cool backstory here too. At one point it was illegal to sell booze in the city, so at this establishment they advertised animal performances - a tiger often. People paid an admittance fee for the "show" only to be informed that the tiger was ill and couldn't perform. Perhaps they could compensate them with a drink? Of course everyone who came in knew the routine and the "show" was attended by Charleston VIP's including the mayor.
I had the Palmetto Pale Ale. Actually, I liked the Amber Ale better. The Pale Ale was fine but not particularly memorable. Again, a decent session beer.

Below - Courtyard at Blind Tiger

Soutend Brewery - Good food, Good Beer

I might also suggest if you visit the city to make a stop at the Southend Brewery. It's a really nice brewpub with a pretty impressive array of beers. Most tend toward the malty (Oatmeal Stout, Scarlet Ale) or lighter (Blonde, Blonde Light, Ironman Wheat) but their Bombay Pale Ale was very good (in a hoppy vein). The Oatmeal Stout was excellent - more carbonated than the typical stout. Deep black in color, big tan head, nice lacing. And a really bold flavor.

Inside Southend Brewery

Slainte!

Wow! A busy month and there's a lot to talk about. The latest Beer Club meeting battled it out with Stouts. We traveled to Italy where wine is king and good beer is, well, hard to find. Also we're looking into moving away from our current format to something a little different which I think will be quite interesting. So let's kick it off with our War Between the Stouts.
The winner?
Us.

Give Me Some Beers That are Stout-Hearted Beers...

Since we looked at Porters last time, we thought it might be a good idea to take a look at Porter's most famous offspring: Stouts. Guinness coined the term Stout when the called their Porter a Stout Porter. Soon "Porter" was dropped from the name and it became known as simply Guinness Stout. The classic Stout is a deep black in color with a very full, creamy head. Guinness has a rich, nutty, malty taste with pleasant bitter undertones. Though not heavily hopped, Guinness has a stronger hop presence than it's Irish cousins: Murphys, Beamish et. al. Most Stouts have notes of coffee and chocolate in varying degrees. Guinness is very balanced. It is not highly carbonated and, contrary to popular belief, it is relatively low in alcohol, weighing in at around 4.1%, which is the case with most Stouts.

Alas, No Guinness, For We Know it Well

In our head-to-head comparisons, we did not include Guinness primarily because it is so iconic we were afraid it would be too easily recognized, thus skewing the blind taste parameters we try to stick to. I am, however, enjoying one as I write. Ergo, Guinness shall be my Muse as we explore the results of our head to head comparisons.

Beer Bracketology

We decided to have a little fun with our competition this month. We choose to set up our competition Bracket style, ala the NCAA Tournament. Thus the beers would go head-to-head and then advance. We ended up with nine beers, however, so we decided on a play in match to get the requisite 8 necessary.

The Play-In Round

This first round set the tone. Deadlocked after six votes, I had to step in for the tie-breaking vote. My house, so I only voted if there was a tie since I was the only one who knew which beers were competing.

Great Lakes Brewery's Blackout Stout - 9.0% ABV - Great Lakes from Cleveland has been a real comer in the Craft Brewing world. They have established a presence through clever appellations evoking iconic historic events and characters associated with the Great Lakes regions, such as Eliot Ness Amber Lager, Commodore Perry IPA and Burning River Pale Ale. More importantly, they have created a number of excellent beers, and their Blackout Stout is no exception. A rich black in color with a dark, full head, Blackout Stout has a solid hops presence balanced by a malty smoothness. There is an interesting spiciness, and a sweet, malty quality as well.

VS.

Shipyard Brewery's Blue Fin Stout - 4.7% ABV - Shipyard Brewery is out of Portland, Maine. They have a solid line-up of beers including Shipyard Export, Shipyard IPA, Old Thumper ESB, and Chamberlain Pale Ale. Their Stout is a classic Irish Stout with a bit more carbonation than would be normally found in Guinness or Murpheys. Pitch black in color with a rich head and rich malty nose. Caramel and malt flavors dominate with a roasted malt finish.

The Winner is...

Great Lakes Blackout Stout - In a close 4-3 overtime decision.

-ROUND 1 -
Game 1

Blackout Stout - Described previously

VS.

Paper City's Riley's Irish Stout - 5.5% ABV - Paper City Brewery is located in Holyoke, MA and has been in operation since 1996. They produce a wide variety of European influenced beers including Holyoke Dam Ale (an English style ale), Ireland Parish Golden Ale, and Winter Palace Wee Heavy. Their Irish Stout is classically black in color with a rich tan head. Distinctive chocolate notes predominate with many noting an undertone of coffee and tea!

The Winner -
Paper City's Riley's Irish Stout in a 4-3 decision

Game 2 -

Middle Ages Black Heart Stout - 6.6% ABV - Middle Ages Brewery in Syracuse, NY is fast becoming one of the premier craft breweries certainly in New York State. Using the Middle Ages as a theme, they create an impressive array of distinctive, British Isles-inspired brews, with their own unique spin. From their flagship Syracuse Pale Ale to their aggressive Dragonslayer Imperial Stout, Middle Ages beers are always bold and unique. Black Heart Stout was described variously by our judges to have coffee and chocolate overtones, a full taste, sweet with a slight hops presence.

VS.

Murphy's Irish Stout - 4.0% ABV - Murphy's was the only beer produced in Ireland in the competition and it did not fare well. It was not as deep black as the other, more of a dark brown. The head was not as full and it was described variously as "weak, watery, disappointing, bland and flat." A bit surprising, but having tasted it myself, I agreed. At least in comparison to the other contestants, it was a disappointment. Not surprisingly...

The winner is...

Middle Ages Black Heart Stout - In a unanimous blowout.

Game 3 -

Sam Adams Imperial Stout - 9.5% - To call the Boston Brewing Company a craft brewery stretches the definition a bit. It has grown to be one of the larger breweries in the country after the Big 3. Nonetheless, they brew some excellent beers. Sam Adams Lager and Ale are excellent session beers and are often life savers. In a bar or restaurant with taps dominated by Light this and Lite that, Sam Adams often can be found as the lone voice for a flavorful beer. But Sam also produces an"Imperial" series of big, assertive beers. Their Imperial Stout is an impressive beer. It has a "take no prisoners" bold flavor that either you're going to love or hate. It was by far the most distinctive beers in the group. It created quite a buzz (literally and figuratively) with comments like: "Wow! I'll remember that. Odd. Distinctive. Too sweet. Large. Strong. Malty." I personally was impressed with it and loved its unique character.

VS.
Watkins Lake Effect Imperial Stout - 10% ABV - Created by one of our members - master home brewer Mike Watkins, he wanted to enter this to see how it fared. Mike brews his beer from hops he grows himself and his motto is "There's no such thing is too many hops!" As a result, his Imperial Stout had a strong hops presence which was surprisingly well balanced with a rich maltiness. Though one reviewer considered the beer weak, most took note of the hops.

This was a bit like having a couple of number 2 seeds play each other in the first round - not really fair to either, nonetheless...

The Winner is...
Watkins Lake Effect Imperial Stout in a nail-biter.

Game 4 -

Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout (Brewed by Clipper City Brewing) - 8.0% - Heavy Seas out of Baltimore, MD is another fun brewery that follows a theme (in this case the sea and pirates) and creates an impressive number of brews, from their Red Sky At Night Saison Ale up to their Mutiny Fleet series of big beers. Peg Leg falls in the middle, though 8.0% is a solid middle. A deep mahogany in color with a rich brownish head, this beer drew raves all around. It has a deep, nutty flavor described by one of the judges as a "full, malty robust taste," which I think nails it. Some described its taste as "spicy" while one said "buttery." We noticed sediment in the bottom of the glass, to which Dan said, "Awesome!"

VS.

Victory Brewing Company's Storm King Imperial Stout - 9.1% ABV - Victory Brewing Company is located in Downingtown, PA. Best know for their Hop Devil, Prima Pils, Golden Monkey mixed 12 packs, Victory produces at least nine other beers on a regular basis plus an array of interesting seasonals. Never ones to shy away from good, flavorful brews, their Storm King Imperial Stout scored well with our judges. A very flavorful beer with a strong initial hops bite followed by a deep roasted malt that would warm the cockles of any beer lover's heart.

The Winner Is...

Victory Brewing Company's Storm King Imperial Stout - in a last second buzzer beater.


-ROUND 2 - THE FINAL FOUR - THE SEMIFINALS-
game 1

Riley's Irish Stout vs. Blackheart Stout
The winner...
Middle Ages Black heart Stout

game 2
Watkins Lake Effect Imperial Stout vs. Victory Storm King Imperial Stout
The winner
Watkins Lake Effect Stout

-Round 3 - The Finals-

Watkins Lake Effect Imperial Stout Vs. Middle Ages Black Heart Stout

The Champion:

Middle Ages Black Heart Stout

In Italy There is No Beer - That's Why We Drink it Here...

Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but Italy is not really known for its beer. Wine, yes. Coffee, yes. Beer, not so much. Peroni and Nastro Azzurro are the predominant brands and both are essentially light (in the traditional sense of the word, as opposed to dark) lagers. If you're looking for something with hops, or even something with a solid maltiness, you'll be hard pressed to find it here.

So why bring up Italy? Well, a bunch of us (several members of the Battle of the Beers club) and wives traveled to the land of Michelangelo for a whirlwind tour. We booked through Trafalger Tours, which meant we traveled by bus from Rome to Venice to Verona to Florence to Sorrento to Capri and back to Rome. The success of such a tour is greatly dependent upon your tour guide and here we struck gold with Maria. A vivacious and tireless guide, Maria has a seemingly bottomless well of knowledge about all things Italia. Whether it was geographic, historic, artistic, linguistic - or any other -ic - Maria had the info.

We were in Rome on Easter Sunday and it was a bit of a zoo. The Pope addressed an enormous crowd. Unfortunately the weather was dreary. Because it was Easter Sunday, the Sistine Chapel was closed to tours so we would not see that until the end of our tour. It was worth the wait. It's one of those things you just can't appreciate until you see it first hand.
Rome is a strange city. Some of the most amazing art work in the world resides there along with the ancient ruins of the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. But at the same time, I have never seen more graffiti in my life. It seems every square inch of available space is covered with it. And it's not artistic graffiti either. It's just random scribbles. It's as if some strange graphic virus ran rampant through much of the city. It's unfortunate.

This is a beer blog, so I do want to return to potables. In Italy that means wine not beer. Many of the meals we had included vast amounts of wine. Generally that meant a choice of a dry red wine or white wine. And it was delicious. My preference is for dry reds, but I found the whites to be tasty as well. Often the wine was served in large earthen pitchers (see photo to the left).
Maria pointed out that Italian wines were much lower in sulfites than wines sold in America and therefore we were likely to not experience headaches from overindulgence often brought on by the sulfites. We may have put this theory to the test once or twice simply in the name of science, of course.













Shelly took full advantage
of the seemingly limitless supply of wine,
bless her heart.


Pompeii

Venice