Taproom Talk

Ice beer was all the rage a number of years ago– indeed, it was a successful marketing ploy that got a lot of people drinking beastly beer containing a lot of alcohol. First, there was Icehouse, then the venerable Beast Ice, which became the choice of sophisticated frat boys looking to impress the ladies, and even the much sought after Colt Ice became a hit– this was indeed a serious drink for the refined fellas among us. Somehow, I suspect that many people eventually figured out that these beers, and others with the same sobriquet, were simply awful.

It’s easy to understand then, why this beer snob was quite suspicious at the notion of imbibing a beer that claims to be the “original ice beer.” To my surprise, the Kulmbacher Eisbock is outstanding– I mean, this beer is phenomenal! What’s more, its icy-ness is authentic!

The Kulmbacher pours a deep dark brown hue with a slight white head that disappeared before I could take in its aromatic, sweet malty nose. Its taste was equally as pleasing in all its sweet malty glory– indeed, I was able to discern a slight hint of raisins, which was complemented nicely with a smooth and spicy warming finish.

Weighing in at a hefty 9.2% ABV, this beer is made to be sipped, preferably after a hard day’s work, which is much the opposite from Beast Ice, which was made to be pounded at any given hour, preferably an early one (say, before 10am). So the next time you’re tempted to snub an ice beer, make sure it’s not the Kulmbacher Eisbock– this is no beer to knock!

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!

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.

Ladies and gentleman, you’ve heard it here first– not only does Santa make wonderful toys for children, but Jolly Old Saint Nick also brews an excellent beer to boot!

The Rogue Brewery’s Santa’s Private Reserve is a fine belly wash that pours a copper-brownish color with a beautiful head that slowly dissipates revealing a pleasant spicy nose accentuated with sweet malts. The beer has a wonderful roasted malt flavor with a slight peppery taste, which also reveals subtle hints of juniper in the finish. The spicy sweetness of the beer works well and gives it a warming character, which one expects from winter ales.

Santa’s winter wonderland must have an influence on this fine brew as the juniper hints portray a piney mouth feel that is warming and pleasant too. Indeed, for Christmas this year, I’ll be asking Santa to leave a few cases of his Private Reserve under my tree!

Released in June 1986, True Blue was Madonna’s third album. More importantly, it is a seasonal beer from Bar Harbor Brewing Company. With a smell of fresh blueberry pie, I was suprised by this ale’s crisp taste. I was expecting overwhelming blueberries, but it’s a delicious, well balanced brew.

True Blue didn’t leave my tongue a dark shade of azul like I expected. In fact, it looks more like a brown ale. Enjoying blue raspberry slurpee (or razzleberry if you will) as I do, this wouldn’t have presented a problem. Light and balanced, with ever the littlest bit of tartness, True Blue won’t give you a case of the blues, however it may leave others green with envy. Green with envy of your delightful pint. Ok, I’ll stop with the color jokes or else you might turn red in the face.

With a huge white head that clung to the side of the glass, a pleasantly spicy nose and a warm crisp taste, the Goliath Belgian Blonde Ale is another strong showing from the Brasserie des Géants brewery in Belgium. This golden colored beer with a light bubbly body has a strong hoppy character accented with a spicy peppery taste and subtle malts. The spicy finish works amazingly well– in fact, I’d say that this Belgian Blonde is even better than the Leffe.

This unfiltered crisp ale is a great warm evening drink– if you can actually find this beer, buy a few! While the Leffe is far easier Belgian Blonde to find, this beer is much much smoother.

Early fall is a great beer drinking time when adventurous breweries unleash spicy tasting pumpkin beer– this year’s first batch comes from the Brooklyn Brewery of Black Chocolate Stout fame. Under the Post Road brand, this dark logger-like hued pumpkin beer is a great showing with a nice lasting head with a fair amount of bubbliness, which imparts a wonderful malty nose with a pleasant cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness. This pleasantly crisp and smooth beer has a sweet cinnamony taste, complemented by a well balanced maltiness, which finishes brilliantly.

The pumpkin spiciness of this beer makes it a pleasant drink lacking in the harshness commonly associated with some of the more full bodied winter beers. What’s more, at 5% ABV, it’s an easy drink.

All in all, I’m impressed with the Brooklyn Brewery’s Post Road Pumpkin ale– it has been a welcoming taste for a great beer drinking season.

On a recent trip down to Houston I had the pleasure of trying, what turned out to be, a phenomenal beer. I had never even heard of the Saint Arnold Brewing company when I decided to try their Amber Ale; however, within one sip I was comfortable these brewers were masters at the fine art of producing beers worthy of highbrowed beer drinkers.

Their Ale was obviously an amber color with a light head and few bubbles that gave off a complex malty aroma that was easily complemented by the wonderfully crisp malt taste with a slight hoppy backdrop. The finish was wonderful with a subtle spiciness. This is a fabulous beer– I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this refreshing ale as I sat eating Texas Barbeque even though it was 100+ degrees outside.

The Saint Arnold brewery has produced a winner with their Amber Ale– the next time I find myself in Houston, I plan to drink as many as I can.

I remember reading something, somewhere, years and years ago that gave me a prime directive. Like a seed that can germinate years later, it nestled itself in my brain. I will now share this defining element with you, but please do not wait as long as I did. There is a beer that has a red tailed bird on its label. If you see it, buy it, because it will be one of the best beers of your life.

While at a local ‘SUPER BEER AND WINE WAREHOUSE OHMYGOODNESS!’ I spied two candidates. Immediately, like in Robocop, I saw the prime directive before me

R.E.D T.A.I.L = B.U.Y I.M.M.E.D.I.A.T.E.L.Y

I bought those two candidates: one beer that I liked, Red Tail Ale (which I will review seperately) and one that I loved, RED NECTAR. Simply put, Red Nectar is one of the most delicous, balanced and thouroughly drinkable beers I have ever had.

What else needs to be said? “An American classic – and a Gold Medal winner at the 2006 California State Fair and a Silver Medal winner at the 2005 Los Angeles County Fair and 2004 Great American Beer Festival Cheers.”