Taproom Talk

I might travel back in time to a truly important event. The bottling of J.W. Lees Harvest Ale 1997. You see then I would be able to tell what it tasted like fresh. I say that because I received a true gift from a friend at Finewine.com. Today, on the last day of 2006, he gave me a bottle which he had aged for 9 years.

This strong ale came from the 1997 harvest of barley and hops by this Manchester brewer. To celebrate the first harvest, J.W. Lees uses the finest of their crops of barley and hops with choice yeast to brew this Vintage Limited Edition beer.

At 11.5% Alcohol and in a 9.6 oz bottle this little delight had an overwhelming barleywine (high alcohol) smell and port like finish. Full aroma like a warm apple cinnamon crisp. Balistic taste. So many flavors at once. With my simple meal of bread, cheese and honey baked ham it is both overpowering and a welcome compliment to the meal. No, it overpowers the meal, but isn’t out of place. Sipping it from a wine glass it is harmonious. That’s it. It doesn’t fight the taste of the food. Caramel and fruit and wood in a beer…what a way to ring in the new year and finish out 2006…and 1997.

What am I doing blogging at 10pm New Year’s Eve?!? Parties be damned, it’s my new years resolution to be more creative, and entering this blog is the first step to following my path to creativity.

As one of the only (or the only) commercial producers of cigars who ages his cigars from the year of production (each year going back to 1990) I marvel at the complexity and character this aged beer. My cigars (produced to my specifications at a Dominican factory) mellow and the natural flavors of the tobacco marry and blend together over time. The same has happened with this perfectly conditioned bottle of J.W. Lees 1997 Harvest.

The last sip was a complex swirl of fig, plum and biting brown sugar. This was a rare and amazing treat that began with diligence and hard work and continued through the aging process with a beer aficionado’s steadfast patience. 2006 and many years in the past I worked hard in my field to produce an exceptional product, then age it to perfection. Now I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of an aged super premium product.

Thank you Nick for the beer and good times. Thank you Andy for the forum and friendship. Happy New Year beer lovers!

Tis Christmas Eve and I am beaming,
cherubs singing, bells a-ringing.
Nick at Finewine.com did me a solid
Found me this stout; apostolic.

See, the distributor here in Virginia
stopped carrying this beer. Why, I wonder?
It’s taste is robust, like nuts a-roasted
Smothered in chocolate tones; I boast it.

How he got it, although I wonder,
that it’s here, my pirate plunder
is all I care for, mind the effort,
A truckload or two is what I care for.

So here I sit after months of waiting
west to east this beer was coming.
My stout is here, Christmas is merry
Until I run out, that time I’m weary.

I’m not normally a fan of wheat beers due to a sharpness I find in their taste from time to time. In fact, when I first tasted the Struise Witte from Belgium’s Noordhoek Ostrich Farm (yes, you read that correctly, this brewery is an Ostrich farm) I was a bit underwhelmed. Reading the label proved to give this beer a second chance as I noted that it’s a bottle-conditioned beer– accordingly, I decided to stick a few in the back of the fridge to let them age and hopefully mellow out.

The Struise Witte, which roughly translates to “Robust White”, pours a slightly cloudy yellow hue due to its unfiltered nature. It reveals virtually no head and has a pleasant malty nose with citrus hints. The ale’s taste is delightfully smooth like a Belgian blonde; however, its edge, typically associated with these beers, has significantly abated leaving a citrusy warming taste with subtle spicy hints. I was quite impressed with this beer’s smoothness and could pick up a slight lime presence that could be emboldened with the addition of a lime slice on a warm summer’s day.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with this beer’s soft aging, which has revealed an inviting spicy essence bound to please even the most demanding of beer connoisseurs. Just remember to give this beer time to mature!

On a recent trip out west, I had the pleasure of enjoying a few beers from the venerable Alaskan Brewing Company, who beer snobs the world over admire for their celebrated Smoked Porter. On this particular occasion, I had the opportunity to sample the brewery’s Summer Ale and I am here to tell you is a fabulous beer of momentus proportions! As I drank this nectar I kept thinking “WOW this is tasty”– what an excellent drink for a warm summers day. No doubt, the Summer Ale is an invitingly refreshing beer worthy of a beer snob.

The Summer Ale pours a light gold hue with a tiny head, which caressed the sides of my glass inviting me to partake of this most wonderful nectar. The beer gives off a wonderful spicy, sweet essence that complements its sweet grassy taste with a pleasant hop backdrop. The finish is astonishingly crisp with a slight hoppy character.

Interestingly, this is a Kölsh style beer, which means it is a Germanic type beer with typical hoppy overtones like a Pilsner; however, it is not a Pils because it’s a top-fermented beer, like all Ales in general. I hadn’t had a Kölsh before this sampling, but my first impression is an unbelievable knock out.

Indeed, this is one of the best beers I’ve had in awhile and I’d enjoy the opportunity to enjoy another! If anything, tasting this stupendous beer has transformed me into a whale of fan for the Alaskan Brewing Company.