Omnivore Atlanta

Rx for Beer Blahs: Mama

Take two and call me in the morning

Oskar Blues Brewery, makers of Dale’s Pale Ale and Ten Fidy Imperial Stout, have released a Czech-style pilsner called Mama’s Little Yella Pils that should prove popular this summer. The Lyons, Colorado-based Oskar Blues has made a name for itself as one of the first craft breweries to sell their beer in cans rather than bottles. Cans are easily recyclable, more easily handled, require less energy to produce, and can be taken many places where glass bottles are not allowed, such as the park, the beach, or the pool.

Mama’s Little Yella Pils is modeled after the classic pilsner from the Czechoslovakian region of Pilsen that inspired the original Budweiser. A generous amount of pale malts and German specialty malts give this interpretation a firm, grainy body, while the Saaz hops provide a fresh, floral aroma and a crisp, dry finish. The modest 5.3% ABV keeps it in the realm of an everyday quaffer. Yella Pils is available now in 6-packs of bright yellow cans. Unfortunately, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau rejected their tagline on the can, “Take two and call me in the morning.” Don’t ask me why.

Firkin Saturdays at the Brick Store Pub

The Brick Store Pub will be tapping a fresh cask of real ale every Saturday at noon, just in time for sidewalk season. The first offering this past Saturday was the Russian Imperial Stout from Thornbridge Hall Country House Brewing Company, an amazingly rich, smoky stout with a dark-fruit tang and notes of chickory and bittersweet chocolate. If you weren’t there, you missed it, since the firkins only last a couple of days and this was the only one shipped to Georgia. Coming soon will be Gwatkins Yarlington Mill Cider, the CAMRA Gold Medal Champion Cider of Great Britain in 2002. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Toasty: Weyerbacher Fireside Ale

Weyerbacher Brewing Company
Easton, PA
7.5% ABV

It will probably soon be back up to a balmy 65 degrees, but I had to pick up this smoked ale for the snowy weekend. Weyerbacher’s Dan Weirback has shown great respect for malts while many of his craft beer compatriots in the United States have been pushing International Bittering Units to the max with high-alpha American hop varieties. Fireside Ale has the unmistakable aroma of toasted malts and a hint of smokiness that is comforting and homey. Woody malts and a caramelly fire-toasted marshmallow dominate the malt profile, with a semi-sweet center of maple, cocoa, and nut contributing to the campfire vibe. Clove-like spice, tingly alcohol, and flash of citric and piney hops gently balance the malts. The finish is somewhat dull and undercarbonated, but the silky smooth body makes for pleasant sipping. Enjoy it in front of your fake fireplace.

Bookmark to:

No Green Beer: The Distillery in Savannah, GA

In less than two weeks an estimated 400,000 revelers will descend on Savannah for the second largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the United States. There will be parades, Irish music, and green beer, but it will be hard to find a Guinness stout, much less a top-notch American craft beer. The proprietors of The Distillery, which opened in November across from the Savannah Visitors’ Center aim to change that.

Michael Volen purchased the building that houses the Distillery in 2004, but was unable to find a satisfactory tenant until his son Ben suggested a bar dedicated to craft beer. Ben Volen got bitten by the craft beer bug while a student at Pace University in Westchester County, New York, where he drank the local craft beers from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Pleasantville. After finding that the “craft beer scene was non-existant in Savannah,” he convinced his father, a teetotaler, that a first-class taproom could succeeded there. Ben and his friend Chris Hubbard, who serves as the reaturant’s general manager, came down to Savannah last summer and began renovating the century-old building that was once home to the Louisville Distilling Company, named for the Louisville road that begins across from the site. (more…)

Bookmark to:

A trusty old dog: Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

Smuttynose Brewing Company
Portsmouth, NH
5.7% ABV

Dogs seem to be a frequent inspiration for brown ales, as evidenced by Abita Turbodog, Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale, and the new-to-Georgia Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale. This beer pours a clear, glowing chestnut that is just about the same color as Olive (R.I.P.), the Smuttynose mascot that graces the label. A volumionous, rocky head sits atop the body and pops and crackles down to a thin cap, leaving some fine lacing. A moderately sweet, toasted malt aroma fairly explodes from the glass, suggesting brown bread crust with an earthy spice note. There are some fruity notes of apple skins and orange, as well. The toasted bread continues in the flavor profile, along with soft crystal malts, steeped grains and a faint nutiness. A flash of juicy sweetness in the center hints of maple syrup, cocoa and toffee. The hops are subdued and vaguely tea-like, with a bit of steely tang of alcohol and a chocolately orange in the clean, dry finish. Round and smooth, with a decent heft to the body, this is a delicious take on an English brown ale, wth its emphasis on malt complexity. A perfect accompaniment to beef or sharp cheese.

(photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

Recession busters: Good beers at a good price

We’re all watching our pennies these days, but if you’re like me, you’ve come too far in your beer taste to go back to The Beast. But that doesn’t mean you can’t save a little coin on your beer purchases and still enjoy a well-crafted brew.

The price of all beer has gone up, so there is only so much you can save without joining the Carrie Nation. The sooner you accept that fact, the sooner you can be enjoying a beer. And remember that a dollar or two savings on a 12-pack of Busch Light evaporates faster than you think – you’ll find yourself going through 4 or 5 in a night vs. 2 or 3 of a more flavorful beer.

Here are a few things I picked up at Tower and Green’s recently that were relative bargains. I tried to balance price and overall enjoyment. All prices are for a 6-pack of 12-oz. bottles except as indicated. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Three-way, anyone? Stone, Jolly Pumpkin, and Nogne O Special Holiday Ale

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido, CA
9.0% ABV

Once again I am late for the party. I just picked up this holiday collaboration, and I wish I had done so earlier because this one would have been great with the Christmas goose (if I had had a Christmas goose). No worries; this wassail-like ale with a hearty ABV and a complex laundry list of additions should age wonderfully for next year. If you see it around, pick up a few and sock some away to break out at the end of the year. There are three different bottles, each with a note from one of the three brewers.

Mitch Steele of Stone, Kjetil Jikiun of Norway’s Nøgne Ø, and Ron Jefferies of Jolly Pumpkin in Michigan got together on this one, and each brought a little something to the pot–juniper berries from Norway (actually sourced from Italy), chestnuts from Michigan, and sage from Southern California. The enticingly spicy aroma will awaken holiday memories of evergreen, berries, and nutmeg, and the taste has a noticable earthy nuttiness. Dry, woody malts and a faint mincemeat-like sweetness linger under the tang of rye malt and caraway seeds. Cocoa and chickory in the center carry over into a long, dry, herbal finish of anise and cranberry. The body is firm and smooth, but not particularly creamy, with a warm alcohol, bordering on hot. The herbal flavors are tea-like, and I could see drinking this warm like a toddy to soothe flu symptoms (disclaimer: I am not a doctor). Complex and unique, if a bit raw, I am looking forward to trying it with a bit more age on it.

Bookmark to:

The AJC reported Sunday that the Senate Regulated Industries Committee will hold a hearing this Wednesday on legislation to allow local jurisdictions to vote on Sunday retail alcohol sales. Opposition to the measure, introduced both this year and last year by Sen. Seth Harp (D-Midland), may be softening, and proponents are contending that Sunday sales could add $5 million in revenue to state coffers at a time when the money is desperately needed. However, Gov. Sonny Purdue’s spokesperson indicated that the governor remains opposed to Sunday sales, and the Christian Coalition has promised to make the issue part of its agenda for the upcoming gubenatorial primaries. As usual, tax revenue is more important to legislators than individual freedoms, but if it means I can get a beer when I want one, then I’ll take whatever reasoning I can get. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Allagash Dubbel Reserve

Allagash Brewing
Portland, ME
7.0% ABV

Introduced to Georgia a little over a year ago, Allagash produces some of the best American examples of Belgian-style beers around. Their dubbel exhibits the rich caramel malt and yeasty tang of a traditional dubbel (Corsendonk and Chimay Red are probably the best known examples) with more of an herbal bite. It pours a deep chestnut brown with a nutty aroma, a hint of spice and some sweet maple notes. The taste is nicely balanced right from the start, with cola-like brown sugar sweetness, spicy bitterness, and tangy yeast all pushing through. A toffee and cocoa center tamps down the fruity esters that are more typical in a dubbel, but there are definite notes of raisin and red apple. Tart apple and citrus emerge middle to end, with a bracing herbal hop bitterness of anise and earth in the lingering dry finish. The mouthfeel is a bit thin for the style, but is consistent and clean, with a blooming carbonation. The well-integrated sweet and herbal flavors would be an excellent foil to sweet grilled meats or smoky cheeses.

Bookmark to:

Fans of the Brick Store Pub were so excited about the opening of the owners’ latest venture, Leon’s Full Service (131 E. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 404-687-0500), that there was some tussling over who would get the honorary first pint. Local resident and Decatur Book Festival founder Daren Wong suggested that the prize be auctioned to benefit the workers of Trackside Tavern and 5th Earl Market, who were put out of their jobs by a recent fire there. Excitement quickly built around the Ebay auction and when the smoke cleared (so to speak), the historic first drink had sold for a whopping $2,650 to an anonymous bidder from Oakhurst. In addition to the luscious libation, the winner will also be immortalized in a picture on the wall at Leon’s and in the name of a special drink.

Leon’s opens to the public tonight after a two-night soft opening for friends and family over the weekend. The bar features over a dozen taps, a short-list of specialty cocktails made from fresh juices and infusions, and a beautiful cooler over the backbar kept at cellar temperature and stocked with Belgian specialty beers and American crafts. The menu is inspired by Belgian bistro fare, including pub fries served with a selection of dipping sauces, mussels steamed in witbier, and artisanal meats and cheeses.

Bookmark to:

Thank You for Your Support: Smuttynose Finestkind IPA

The name might produce a snicker, but there’s nothing silly about the first-rate beers produced by Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewing Company. Established in 1994 by Peter Egelston and his sister Janet, the company has been gradually expanding its production to meet demand and is now being sold in Georgia. Egelston, who serves as president of Smuttynose, says that they have purposely grown slowly to avoid what happened to many craft breweries in the 90s:  capacity expanded well beyond demand and became overextended. Still, their growth has been strong enough that they plan to construct a new facility beginning next year.

The Egelstons have been at the forefront of the craft beer movement on the East Coast, having opened the Northampton Brewery in Massachusetts in 1987, now the oldest operating brewpub in New England. They opened Portsmouth Brewery, also a brewpub, in New Hampshire in 1991. When a local microbrewery went out of business, Egelston purchased the operation at auction with no marketing plan or name for his new brewery. He later settled on Smuttynose, the name of a small island off the coast of New Hampshire because it had a local connection and was “a funny, quirky name that once people got, it they would not forget it.”

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Make it funky: Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo Especial

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, MI
Belgian Amber Ale
7.5% ABV

Although it was released in November as a seasonal ale, it is certainly not too late to pick up a bottle of this “special brown ale.” In typical Jolly Pumpkin fashion, it straddles the strange territory between open-fermented Belgian ale and tropical elixir by way of the frozen Midwest. It is brewed in the abbey style, with wild yeasts that introduce funky aromas of dirty sheets and composting earth. Really. Cacao, cinnamon and orange peel add the equatorial element suggested by the Venezuelan city from which the beer takes its name.

This is a fairly light-bodied beer, flinty and sharp, despite its rusty amber color. Tart green apples, sour cherries and tangerine ride on a barely-there raft of toasted malt, yielding to herbal flavors of lemongrass and mint in the tart-but-not-puckering finish. Intriguingly complex but eminently approachable, Maracaibo Especial is a great introduction to the world of wild ales, and a tart, fruity treat to get you through a cold winter.

Bookmark to:

February packs a lot into its 28 days, what with Black History Month, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Charles Dickens Day (February 7, in case you were wondering), and of course, today, Groundhog Day, representing for rodents everywhere.

I suggest working beer into the celebrations wherever possible. For instance, in honor of Black History Month, sample the products of Brooklyn Brewery, founded by Garrett Oliver, one of the few African-Americans among American craft brewers. For Valentine’s Day, sample some chocolate stouts and porters, like Terrapin’s latest project, Dos Cocoas, or Atlanta Brewing Company’s Double Chocolate Oatmeal Porter. For Charles Dickens Day, try out some traditional British ales like Fuller’s ESB or Bluebird Bitter. For Groundhog Day, you are on your own. Here are some beercentric goings-on that are worthy of your attention this month. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Otter Creek Copper Ale

Copper Ale
Otter Creek Brewing
Middlebury, VT
5% ABV

I recently ran across several beers from this small-town Vermont brewery and picked up the altbier on a whim. The Copper Ale is Otter Creek’s flagship beer, and the first one it produced back in 1991. A Czech pilsner and a porter are part of the lineup in Georgia. The brewery also produces Wolaver’s Organic Ales.

Altbier (literally “old beer”) is a German ale style popular in Dusseldorf, and a throwback to the pre-lager days. Altbiers have a bit more malty character and body than German lagers, with perhaps a hint of fruity esters from the ale yeast, but this is still a clean, well-structured ale. Otter Creek’s version features toasted grains and caramelized malt nicely balanced by a floral hop character and a quenching citric sourness. The firm body is consistent throughout, with a lively carbonation and a moderately bitter finish. The toasted malts and slightly sweet grains are a natural match for a burger or wings; just in time for your Super Bowl party.

(Photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

Human Blockhead nails it.

If the cold weather and gray skies have got you feeling down, buck up! It’s already time for a spring release, the return of a classic barleywine, and other random oddities.

You Blockhead! Human Blockhead, the latest in the Coney Island Lager line from Schmaltz Brewing Company, hits stores this month. Billed as a “Tough-as-Nails Strong Lager,” the seasonal offering is brewed from eight specialty malts including rye, wheat and oats, and six hop varieties that suggest a dopplebock style. It packs a whopping 10% ABV that might have you feeling like Melvin Burkhardt, who for 25 years pounded nails into his head as the original Human Blockhead at the Coney Island sideshow. The current MC of the sideshow, Donny Vomit, now keeps the act alive and is featured on the label. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Coney Island Lagers goes to support Coney Island USA, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of American popular culture.

Magic Hat Spring Fever Variety 12-Pak. It seems a bit odd to offer a spring variety pack from Jan. 1 to April 1, since the dates only include 10 days of actual spring. But then again, the folks at Magic Hat often seem to have dipped into the psilocybin bag. This year’s Spring Fever Variety 12-Pak contains three bottles each of the #9 ale, Circus Boy, hi.P.A., and the latest Odd Notion, a Poppy Agave Pilsner that contains agave and blue poppy seeds. Perhaps that explains the odd release dates. The hi.P.A. is a regular in the spring lineup, made with English pale malts and Columbus hops. It has 45 IBU (International Bittering Units) and 5.8% ABV. (more…)

Bookmark to:

The fourth offering in the Terrapin Side Project series is a porter brewed with two kinds of Ecuadorean cocoa provided by Cacao Atlanta. Sixty pounds of cocoa powder are added after the boil. the finished beer is then aged on 60 pounds of cocoa nibs, lightly roasted cocoa beans crushed into coarse chunks.

Traditional porters often have some chocolate flavors from roasted specialty malts, so the addition of chocolate is a natural extension of the style. Terrapin thankfully avoids chocolate overload to create a subtle chocolate aroma and flavor complemented by dry, peaty malts. It tastes initially of powdery cocoa, just as advertised, with some smoky malts, raisin, caramel and earth. Bittersweet chocolate and coffee notes add to the complexity.

Hop flavor seems limited to some grassy, hay-like notes and a bit of citrusy tang that may also come from the yeast. Bitterness is subdued but more than adequate to counter the malts, which are pleasantly dry and toasty. The solid, consistent body lends a pleasing mouthfeel from beginning to end — smooth and mouth-coating, with a gentle carbonation. Alcohol becomes a bit more evident as it warms, but I would be surprised if it were more than 7 percent.

Dos Cocoas is a fantastic, easy-drinking porter in the English tradition. I could drink it all day. This is no Snickers bar, but it would certainly pair well with one.

(Photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

THE BEST THING ABOUT THE MIDDLE AGES: Gruit ales

With the high cost and limited availability of hops over the past year, brewers have shown an increased interest in returning to early beer recipes for an alternative source to bitter and spice their beers. Prior to the extensive use of hops, European brewers typically used a mixture of plants and herbs called gruit, or grut. The core ingredients in gruit were sweet gale, yarrow and marsh rosemary, each of which contributed desirable characteristics, such as flavoring, bittering and preservatives. Brewers added other herbs, spices and plants, including juniper berries, caraway seeds, anise, ginger and nutmeg to create individual flavor profiles.

The primary herbs used in gruit also had another characteristic: They were noted intoxicants, inducing euphoria and stimulating the libido. Hops, on the other hand, were known to be more soporific than stimulating, decreasing sexual desire and leading to sleep. (more…)

Bookmark to:

BORN TO BE WILD: Roxy Rolles Amber Ale from Magic Hat

Magic Hat Brewing Company
Burlington, Vt.
5.1% ABV

I was introduced to this redhead in the Magic Hat Feast of Fools winter sampler pack and was hoping I could find it by itself in a sixer. Lo and behold, there it was, and I’ve been going back to it again and again. Billed as a hoppy amber ale, it’s very approachable and makes a great everyday drinking beer. Simcoe hops are added after fermentation, and their piney, grassy character is evident in the nose. There’s also some sweet, toasted malt and a bit of yeasty sourness that make a solid first impression. The taste is equally complex, with woody, herbal flavors nicely balanced by a slightly tart cherry and apple tang, and a soft caramel sweetness that gives way to a dry, citric finish. Roxy Rolles is proof that drinkability doesn’t have to equal banality.

(Photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

IT'S KOSHER: Steinbeck’s teams up with Shmaltz Brewing for a beer lunch, Sat., Jan. 17.

Your intrepid beer writer is recovering from an obscenely massive beer tasting, so you’ll have to be satisfied with some random tidbits of news and information this week.

Beer and Chocolate. Two great tastes that taste great together. Summits Wayside Taverns are having their annual Belgians, Barleywines & Bodacious Chocolates event this week, pairing the titular Belgians and barleywines, as well as some choice stouts and porters, with chocolates from Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger, Lindt, El Rey, Valhrona and more. A full gourmet dinner is also included for $69.99 per person. Featured beers include Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, Lindeman’s Peche Lambic, Sweetwater Happy Ending Stout, Rogue Old Crustacean, and Hebrew Jewbelation, among others. The event takes place 7 p.m. tonight (Mon., Jan 12) at the Cumming location; Tues., Jan 13, 7 p.m. at the Snellville location; and Thurs., Jan 15, 7 p.m. at the Woodstock location. Call the individual stores for more information. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Divine: Lectio Divina from Saint Somewhere

Saint Somewhere Brewing Company
Tarpon Springs, FL
8% ABV

My hope is that breweries like this little upstart near Tampa are the wave of the beer future. They don’t even have a proper website! Still, the Saint Somewhere Brewing Company has managed to get its two Belgian-style ales distributed in Georgia, so they know how to work it.

Beautifully packaged in a 750-ml bottle with a cork-and-wire closure and Art Nouveau-style artwork, Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) is an amber ale that falls somewhere between a dubbel and a strong dark ale, with a bit of Flanders red tartness thrown in. Bottle-conditioned with a big, funky yeast, it should be decanted carefully to keep the yeast from overpowering the other flavors. There’s lots of caramel and candied sugar sweetness in the aroma, along with the  yeast’s distinctive, ripe banana ester.

The taste brings a more complex palate of orchard fruits, raisins and sour cherries, along with white pepper, clove, mace, and a spicy, yeasty tang. An active carbonation counters the slightly syrupy mouthfeel. As befits its humble origins, the flavors are a bit raw and sweet, and the alcohol gets a little boozy, but Lectio Divina is a distinctive ale that proves that there’s more to Florida beer than island lagers with a lime jammed in the neck. It pairs nicely with the nutty flavors of an asiago pressato and some Wheat Thins.

(Photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

Seasons Greetings: The 5 Seasons Westside promises to be a palace of good beer and food.

If you read the paper or watch the news, you are probably thinking that 2009 will be a year to survive rather than enjoy. This doesn’t have to be the case. If good beer makes you happy, there is much to look forward to, even before the first daffodils start popping up. Here’s a look ahead.

Terrapin’s Sweet Tooth. The fourth installment in the Terrapin Beer Company’s Side Project, Dos Cocoas, should be hitting stores soon. It is brewed with cocoa powder and aged on cocoa nibs. The chocolate theme continues at the 2nd Annual Wake-N-Bake Off, where participants incorporate Terrapin’s Wake-N-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout into a dessert recipe. The judging takes place at Aromas in Athens on Sunday, Jan. 25. Contact the brewery at 706-549-3377 for more information. (more…)

Bookmark to:

HeBrew Jewbelation Twelve

Shmaltz Brewing Company
Saratoga Springs, NY
12% ABV

The final installment of this month’s big, black, high-gravity beer picks is this monster kitchen-sink anniversary ale from He’Brew. With 12 malts, 12 hops, and 12 percent alcohol, it is a mouthful. Caramel malts, herbal hops, and some molasses in the nose give little hint of the intense flavors within. The taste is full of burnt sugar, roasted malt, huge toffee, anise, chocolate and alcohol that is sort of like Kahlua on steroids. I searched desperately for some fruity elements and found a bit of black cherry and raisin, but this is more about charred malts and piney, resiny hops. Some baked grapefruit and brown sugar provide a juicy, quenching finish. Charcoal flavors and some hot fusel alcohol that burns the tongue give it a challenging drinkability. Full-bodied and sticky, with an oily mouth-coating bitterness, this is a big beer that would probably benefit from cellaring for a year or two. I really enjoyed last year’s Jewbelation 11. Did one more malt and one more hop variety push this one over the edge? Hell yeah. This one goes to 12!

(photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

BEST CELLAR: Adrian Dingle checks his cellar inventory

I suppose we all mellow with age, and it is no different for beer. While the value of aging wine and spirits has long been recognized, typical pale lagers are meant to be served fresh (as Budweiser will no doubt tell you), so most people never consider the possibilities of cellaring beer. However, with an increasing number of breweries producing high-alcohol beers, spiced seasonals and kitchen-sink anniversary ales, the opportunities are everywhere to sock some beers away for a year or two to mellow out the alcohol hotness, take some of the bite out of any harsh hop bitterness, and allow the complex flavors to comingle. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY

10% ABV

In keeping with this month’s somewhat accidental Beer Pick theme of thick, black, potent beers, this week’s pick is Brooklyn’s luscious take on the Russian Imperial Stout. Like the Baltic porters, these stouts were brewed in Britain for export to the Baltic states and Russia, where they were reportedly a favorite of Catherine the Great. As a woman of legendary appetites, she favored the strong roasted malt bitterness and alcoholic strength. This one knocked me back at first, and I struggled with the burnt flavors and astringent bitterness. However, I found that I had made a rookie mistake in not letting the beer warm up a bit. Straight from the fridge, the chocolate-y notes and pruney sweetness are muted, leaving only the bitter edge. Gradually the more complex notes of chocolate-covered espresso beans, licorice candy, soy, and molasses emerge. The obvious alcohol hits in the nose and in the dark rum-like finish, warding off the cold. Viscous and smooth on the tongue with a long lingering bitterness, this is a big beer that demands respect. For such a potent brew, it is also a relative bargain at $10.99 a six-pack, so if you think Guinness is for wussies, this one’s for you.

(photo by Jeff Holland)

Bookmark to:

It’s that time of year where we reflect on the past 12 months and consider what happened and whether it was good or bad. Oh, and we make a bunch of lists. Here are mine:

Best of 2008

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron. Aged in a giant vat constructed of Palo Santo wood, a dense aromatic wood from Paraguay that is more commonly used for wine, this strong brown ale has a remarkable vanilla-oakiness and a deep, roasted malt character. Building the 10,000 gallon tank, the largest wooden beer vessel built in the United States since Prohibition, proved to be its own special challenge. Procuring such a large amount of the wood was difficult since there are few large pieces, and it is over three times as hard as oak, dulling saw blades and defying nails and screws. It’s an interesting story, but how does it taste? Terrific. Like a great single-malt whisky, it seems to draw out the earthy, woody essence of the roasted malt. Herbal elements of licorice, tobacco and coffee bean are held aloft by a raft of softly sweet vanilla, molasses and cherry. Warm without being boozy, and delightfully complex, it is a treat to have it in the regular rotation from Dogfish Head. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Traquair House Ale
Traquair House Brewery
Peebleshire, Scotland, UK
7.2% ABV

The Traquair House is the oldest continually-inhabited residence in Scotland dating to 1107. It was owned by the Scottish Crown before passing to the Earls of Traquair. It is still occupied by the descendants of the Maxwell Stuart family. A brewery operated out of a separate building in the 18th century producing beers for the house and staff. It was abandoned for some 150 years before being revived by Peter Maxwell Stuart, 20th Laird of Traquair, in 1965. It is currently managed by Stuarts daughter, Catherine Maxwell Stuart and produces 600-700 barrels of beer annually, including the flagship House Ale, a subtle “Wee Heavy” with a not so subtle 7.2% ABV. Rich, peaty malts, powdery carob, and burnt caramel dominate the front end, with raisin and fig notes midpalate. Herbal flavors of anise, eucalyptus, and vanilla gradually emerge, along with a sherry-like alcohol. A citric tartness and mineraly tang builds slowly in the finish. The thinnish body and gentle carbonation make it an easy drinker, but this authentic ale rewards reflective sipping, and at about $5 for an 11.2 oz. bottle, it is a bit pricey to be throwing them back.

Bookmark to: