SAMUEL ADAMS WINTERTIME

I recently attended a holiday preview trade show where Sam Adams representatives were kind and attentive. These were much younger people than myself, so the Beer Doctor found himself in the delightfully awkward position of knowing more about the history of Samuel Adams than they did! I have been drinking the different versions of the Winter Lager for at least fifteen years. I have seen, or rather tasted, the evolution of this wonderful recipe, from a raw dark wheat beer to the refined spiced dunkelweizen bock that it is today. A deep copper coloured pour with a malty-spicy palate. In fact, to not be coy about it, I would have to say that this is the best version of Winter Lager I have ever tasted. They seemed to have resolved the balance problem that for me, was present in the newly used and powerful Saigon cinnamon of last year. So overwhelming it was, that the lager was starting to resemble a wassail. But now Winter is refocused on its bock roots, where the spices are used to compliment, rather than take over. And no one could be happier than myself. My only prayer is thank you.
The Beer Doctor.beerdocwordpress.odt

MICHAEL JACKSON, THE BEER HUNTER

It is incredible to me that I did not learn of Mr. Jackson’s death on August 30 until Tuesday, October 23. Perhaps this is an example of how big media barely notices important news simply because it is not lurid or sensational. This does not change the fact that a writer of considerable skill, who exerted far reaching influence on the brewing industry, has left us.
Let me be honest: without the Beer Hunter I would have never become the Beer Doctor, a title conferred upon myself by a pony keg owner who considered my knowledge on brew as a kind of marketing oracle, when it came to ordering beers for his store. “You’re the Doctor,” he said to me, a moniker that has been attached to me ever since. But it was Michael Jackson, along with James D. Robertson and Alan Eames, who got me formally started on the brew path of discovery.
Michael Jackson was the Samuel Johnson of my lifetime. His best beer writings will no doubt in the future, be seen as literary cultural artifacts of the highest order. Like J.R.Capablanca playing chess, or Isaac Stern playing the violin, Jackson’s compassionate humanity is something world memory will not easily forget.
Home brewers, craft brew distributors and everyday beer seekers, all found great inspiration from  the Beer Hunter’s tireless chronicles for all things beer throughout the globe. It seems ironic to me that only recently I was complaining about large media ignoring most of what goes on in the beer universe, while setting up the web site: beerdoctor.org. Little did I know at the time that a giant of all things beer, was already gone. Beer=Proof=God=Love=Happy.
The Beer Doctor

WINTER MOON ALE

Full Moon Winter Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Coors-Molson, Toronto, Canada
Although the term abbey ale, used to describe this beer is a bit of a stretch; as a winter seasonal, this is far superior to the hazelnut Blue Moon winter of last year. This brew has a gentle doughy palate with a relaxed malty profile. The addition of dark candy sugar (hence the use of the term abbey) gives the ale a flavorful extended finish. Very nicely done.
THE BEER DOCTOR

SHINER ANNIVERSARY BEER

For some strange reason, the popular Shiner beers from the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner Texas, are enjoyed by many people completely unaware of their ANNIVERSARY series of beers, created to celebrate their upcoming 100th anniversary as a brewery. This year’s SHINER 98 is a Bavarian amber, a very tasty beer indeed. Last year’s SHINER 97 was an incredible bohemian take on black (schwartz) beer. So popular in fact it will soon be available as part of their regular porfolio: SHINER BLACK LAGER. What makes the Anniversary recipes note worthy is their German-Czech heritage. Living proof that beer is also culture. A tasty brew is a form of happiness.
THE BEER DOCTOR

A SAMUEL SMITH’S CHRISTMAS STORY

Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome 2007-2008, Samuel Smith Old Brewery. Tadcaster, England
A deep copper coloured pour with a rich malty-vinous nose. A very lively fresh sample that… but wait! I don’t want this to be yet another dry clinical beer tasting study. Instead I think it is time for a little Christmas Story:
       Once upon a time in a town called Cincinnati there was a deli shop owner named Joey. It was known that Joey ran a very good food shop with a nice selection of wine and beer. But it was the beers that made Joey famous. Long before the terms microbrewery and craft beer became part of the common language, Joey stocked beer from all over the world.
I remember the first Holiday beer I ever tasted. It was none other than Wurzburger Holiday Bier, a Christmas dopplebock recipe hundreds of years old. Mind you, I knew none of this at the time. All I did know was that the beer I was drinking tasted very good. This discovery was only made possible by Joey’s. Joey knew what holiday beer was when most folks in Cincinnati did not have a clue. That was why he would purchase many many cases of Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome in late October, and sell it out of his store until April of the following year.
People from the entire tri-state area would travel to his modestly sized shop. And no wonder, for it was from Joey’s I first tried Anchor’s Christmas Special Ale. The first Sierra-Nevada Celebration Ale, the first Saranac Season’s best… Alas, all of this now is just history, for Joey’s has been out of business for quite a few years. But that reminds me, sipping this wonderful Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome 2007-2008 that once there was a deli that was for The Beer Doctor, the absolute center of the brew universe.
“Blessing of your heart, you brew good ale.” Shakespeare

In Praise Of The Matt Brewing Company, Utica, New York

It was twenty five years ago that I first tasted a beer from what was then called The F.X. Matt Brewing Company. It was simply called Matt’s. It was a clean tasting American lager, bottled in clear glass but packaged in a light-proof carton. Well now that recipe is called Saranac Traditional, and now it is stored in brown coloured glass. The evolution of Matt’s into Saranac is a remarkable transition. It’s an outstanding example of how the so-called craft brewers helped to revitalize the entire brewing industry.
I remember the first Saranac I ever tasted. In those years it was simply called Saranac (later known as their Amber Lager). I will never forget the first time experiencing the signature cascade hops combined with the finest malts. An outstanding beer, down to this very day.
Matt Brewing is famous for brewing many different beer styles. This is partially due to their expertise as a contract brewer; work that includes producing Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout and Post Road Pumpkin Ale. Access to the finest ingredients has prompted The Matt Brewing Co. to create some incredible in-house brands, such as their winter lager, Saranac Season’s Best. Their Saranac Pumpkin Ale is a delicious tribute to all things autumn including Halloween. Early into the new year they release what could arguably be considered one the very best bock beers in the United States: Saranac Black Diamond Bock. Add to all of this their High Peak series edition called Saranac Imperial India Pale Ale, an 8.5% abv ale which employs ten different malts with ten different hops!
Saranac beers have always been reasonably priced, which only makes them more remarkable. If you never had a Saranac beer, try one and see what you think.
THE BEER DOCTOR

EYE OF THE HAWK

Obtaining beer in the Ohio valley is always hit and miss. So it is with the Mendocino Brewing Company beers: some years they are suddenly available, and then, just as suddenly they disappear. Their Eye of the Hawk select ale is an original take on a traditional English style strong ale. Malty with susbstantial hop support, this is one of those one beer at a time type beers (in other words: a sipper), where flavor complexity becomes an avenue of discovery. And rightfully so! Brewed at Mendocino’s east coast operation in Saratoga Springs, New York, at the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company. An 8% abv ale, this is the kind of brew trappist monks would say to enjoy the way it was made: peacefully.
There is no such thing as too much beer.
THE BEER DOCTOR

TRYING NEWLY FOUND BEERS

As The Beer Doctor, I am always sampling new brews, time permitting. I also sample the annual return of seasonals, such as autumn, oktoberfest, holiday and spring bock.
This leads to other discoveries. For example, Blue Moon Brewing Company, the craft-style subsidiary of Coors-Molson, has released their winter ale for this year. But it is
not the hazelnut recipe of last year. It is said to be an abbey-style ale brewed with dark candy sugar. What does it taste like? I do not know yet. I just didn’t have the time.
THE BEER DOCTOR

Jinx Ale Good Choice For A Change In The Seasons

Beer Notes: Jinx Ale, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Burlington Vermont
Magic Hat’s Jinx Ale is a big time, full strength, malt showcase that
includes peat smoked whiskey malt and dark candy sugar. A rich
autumn ale that is best consumed after the season has turned. A
warm elixer for a chilly day or night.

BEER IN THE TIME OF THE HARVEST

A recent encounter with Magic Hat Brewing’s Jinx ale has prompted me to release some notes on some other autumnal season beers:
Broken Rake amber ale, from Pyramid Breweries on the west coast is a big malty drink that reflects, like their winter seasonal Snow Cap, the brewery’s distinct personality. While Sierra-Nevada puts emphasis on hops, Pyramid puts emphasis on malts. Speaking of Sierra-Nevada, their lively, delicious, Anniversary Ale is yet another take on the India pale ale style, again reflecting the brewery’s distinct personality.
In Chicago, Goose Island’s Harvest Ale is a beautiful copper coloured pour with a spicy hop nose. A very good ale indeed, with a pleasant doughy palate with many flavor notes and a tasty and complex finish.
Breckenridge Brewery’s Autumn Ale is a dark brown brew with a rich but subtle nose. This is very tasty dunkel. A German approach from start to finish. Nothing is out of place.
I have been told by distributors that all these brews have been sold. So if you see any of these beers in a store, my advice would be to purchase them. No more will be produced this year.
Cheers!
THE BEER DOCTOR