There Is No Such Thing As Too Much Beer
15 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in american ale, anheuser-busch, Anniversary Ale, beck's, Beck's Oktoberfest, beer, Beer Advocate, budweiser, craft beer line, feastive ale, Goose Island, Hudepohl Festival Bock, Hudepohl Oktoberfest Bier, InBev, nut brown ale, oatmeal stout, Shiner Oktoberfest, Spoetzl Brewery, St. Arnold Brewery
The science of tasting beer can be a hilarious subject. Take a look at members’ reviews over at Beer Advocate, where some brews are hailed as the second coming, while others, for the crime of being produced by companies owned by international corporations are banished to the outer darkness, the unholy ones, as it were. All of this of course, is quite arbitrary, especially when beloved breweries, such as The Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, receive an Anheuser-Busch Inbev offer they could not refuse.
It should be noted that Goose Island chose to discontinue producing their Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout before the acquisition. Their concentration on the beer connoisseur segment of business, emphasizing expensive, oak barrel aged products, seemed far away, from the Goose Islands I sampled in the last century, which were modestly priced ales of great character. Such is the nature of change, as the old cliché goes. But one thing I do hope for, is that Goose Island returns to bottling their Christmas Ale into 12 ounce bottles, instead of the 22ounce version, given the silly name of bomber, so in vogue with the craft beer crowd. With a few exceptions, most bombers means you are going to spend a lot of money for 22ounces of beer. Three $9 bombers means you are paying $27 for a five and a half pack of beer. I gather that many believe that this leads to a superior drinking experience. Equally, many believe that if a beer is modestly priced, it must not be good, and many a fine recipe is dismissed because it is not expensive enough. Delegating many tasty recipes to condescending terms such as a good gateway beer.
I bring all of this up because of recent tastings of different Oktoberfest beers, which are popping up everywhere. Take Beck’s Oktoberfest from Bremen, Germany. A fest beer given the Oktoberfest designation in the United States, since only the brews within the city limits of Munich are allowed to use the name in Germany. Beck’s, now a part of the Inbev global portfolio, still makes a very tasty Marzen lager for fall, using only the four classic ingredients.
Or take Shiner Oktoberfest, probably the lightest take on Marzen. Where a doughy palate is simple and direct. The 96 Anniversary recipe, called a seasonal ale on the bottle. But this is where geography plays into the picture. The Spoetzl Brewery, being in Shiner, Texas, has to designate any beer above a certain alcohol level as ale, regardless of the fermentation method. The geographic location also helps explain why this recipe has a lighter approach: it gets very hot in Texas. Different parts of the country have different requirements. There is certainly room enough for all to be enjoyed. 
THE UNKNOWN BELGIAN
15 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Anniversary Ale, beer, bock, Brasserie de Silly, La Binchoise, La Chouffe, N'ICE Chouffe, North Coast Brewing Co., Rodenbach, Speciale Noel, Uncategorized
It all started with a two and half year old bottle of Matilda. Goose Island’s stab at a Belgium pale ale. As stated on the label: “Flavor will continue to develop for five years”. Bottled on January 10, 2008, this Matilda is coming into the home stretch.
It is my own bias, having sampled many actual Belgian beers, but it seems many small American breweries think Belgium beer means simply the distinctive yeast which imparts the fruity-floral, somewhat musty aroma, that is generally associated with the taste. To be frank, some of the American takes on Belgium style ales are nearly wretched… especially if you take the trouble to discover the originals, which are often being so poorly imitated.
One of my earliest contacts with Belgium brew was Brouwerji Affligem. Brewers of the famous Affligem Noel. So long ago in fact, I remember when they released a second Christmas ale known as PATER’S VAT, a rare dry hopped production in those days (but more on than a little later).
With the very kind assistance of then- importer Jeff Dafoe, I was introduced to some of the finest Belgian beers I have ever tasted. Brasserie d’Achouffe, producers of La Chouffe and Mc Chouffe, along with seasonal offerings: Bok Chouffe and N’ICE Chouffe. They have recently added an India Pale Ale style to their portfolio known as Houblon Chouffe.
Brasserie La Binchoise produces two of the most remarkable ales I have ever tasted. Biere des Ours or beer of the bear, is, in the Beer Doctor’s opinion, the best honey brewed beer in the world. There is nothing I know of, in commercial production, that comes anywhere near its flavorful depth.
Then, to move on to even a greater moment in my personal beer tasting history, I arrive at La Binchoise Speciale Noel, one of the greatest holiday events I have ever experienced. A Belgian redefinition of what wassail is suppose to mean.
The champagne of beer is not Miller High Life, despite having copious foam. No, the real champagne of beer is DUVEL, the golden coloured strong ale from the Moortgat Family Brewery. As a consultant, I have suggested to New Year’s Eve party planners to serve Duvel as the ceremonial midnight libation. I’ve been told that no one suffered a headache the following morning.
Despite its international fame, and the fact that Duvel is available in 60 countries, Moortgat has not rested on its laurels. Instead, the last few years has seen the introduction of Duvel Tripel Hop, a dry hopped version that not only uses the prerequisite Saaz and Styrian Golding hops, but also the distinctive American Amarillo.
There are so many chapters in the Belgium beer story. Trappist Ales, that is beers brewed by actual monks, as opposed to abbey style, are few and far between. One famous, or should I say infamous, is St. Sixtus, a Trappist ale made even rarer when mass media dubbed it ” the best beer in the world”. Despite the notoriety and demand, the monks refused to increase production or price. Said Father Abbot of the monastery: “We have to live ‘from’ and ‘with’ our brewery. But we do not live ‘for’ our brewery. We are no brewers. We brew beer to be able to afford being monks.”
In Belgian culture, beer is food and an essential part of cuisine. So it is not surprising that the Van Steenberge brewery suggests you use their Gulden Draak as substitute for whiskey in Irish coffee. It is also recommended that this barley wine style blends well into stews.
Experimental recipes? With all due respect to Dogfish Head and associates, the Belgians have been on the cutting edge when cutting edge was not considered cool. Take Pink Killer from Brasserie de Silly, a whit style concoction that uses grapefruit juice. Or take the many exotic lambic styles that American brewers imitate but can never duplicate, not even close.
Which reminds me, this bottle of Matilda is Belgian like, but there is a sourness in the finish that seems strange. There are many American takes (or should I say attempts) to bring to this country the tastes of a sophisticated beer-based culture. North Coast Brewing in California, is an old hand at this, producing their Pranqster and later, Brother Thelonious, a deliciously drinkable tribute to the great American composer-performer, Thelonious Monk. Ommegang, in Cooperstown, New York, which is owned by a Belgium brewery consortium, produce a solid line of Belgian styles in their portfolio. The same can be said of the Allagash Brewery located in Portland, Maine.( Also of note at Allagash is their Hugh Malone Ale, a tribute to an Irish immigrant at the turn of the 20th century, who is now remembered as a pioneer of hop flavoring.)
Add to all of this, is Flying Dog Brewery’s Raging Bitch, a Belgian style India Pale Ale, and it is obvious that Belgian yeast is all over the place, not only in the U.S.A., but in Canada too.
But for now I am going to start paying attention
to the originals again. There so many aspects I left out, like the sour red ale style of Rodenbach? For a small country, Belgium has a very large, beer universe.
Peace and all the best,
The Beer Doctor
STOUT FULL OF MEMORIES
24 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in 30th Anniversary, american ale, Anchor Brewing, Anniversary Ale, beer, sierra nevada, stout, the lion brewery, Uncategorized
The stage was set to try the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary ale. A collaboration between SN and Anchor, known as Ken and Fritz Ale. A stout. No denying it.
The 25 ounce bottle complete with with caged cork is a beauty to behold. The black label seemed and was perfect.
What kind of glass to pour this into? With all the wine-like presentation, a snifter might seem in order. But I chose less pretension: a straight up American ale glass.
Pouring this beer produced a cascade of brown foam that took awhile to settle down, where it appeared like chocolate meringue, substantially thick, but surprisingly, little aroma.
Although I do not listen to western classical music much, I put on a CD of the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Szell, of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. This provided musical background.
What was truly remarkable about Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary was the fact that no one flavor dominated in the malts presentation. Only the hops in the finish reminded me that this was a product from Chico, California. But what a loving tribute to Stout as recipe style. I was reminded while tasting this of all kinds of stout. From Irish dry to Imperial to Foreign and everything in between. A magnificent reminder of how great this recipe style truly is.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention the strength of this ale. A 9.5% alcohol by volume number, which I could not detect at all in the beer, just all malt goodness. I was happy I was not splitting this fifth. Besides hiding its strength, 30th Anniversary is incredibly drinkable.
The Beethoven was 34 minutes long, and I must have sat there another 15 minutes trying to fathom the quality I was tasting. “Finishing it off” as it were, I then proceed to bed, where I slept a full seven hours of dreamless sleep. I awoke refreshed with no hangover and totally convinced of the restorative power of malt. Cheers!
Craft Goodness from Chico, California
06 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Anniversary Ale, beer, sierra nevada, stout
It should come as little surprise that Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, known for their obsession with fresh hops, would produce for this year’s Anniversary Ale, an IPA brewed with what they describe as “sustainably grown Cascade hops”.
Over the 29 years the brewery has been in operation, Sierra Nevada has revealed time and again, to be one of the finest craft breweries in the United States. This 2009 Anniversary Ale not only showcases the magnificence of Cascade hops, but with the balance inherent in this recipe, serves as a gentle reminder of the other fine productions in their portfolio, from Torpedo to Pale Ale to Stout to Porter year round, to their holiday seasonal Celebration Ale to the deep winter Big Foot barley-wine style Ale. Not to forget the richly layered Hop Harvest Signature Series, a hemispheric tribute to wet hops, and soon it seems a production is coming from the Chico Estate, utilising hops grown by the brewery.
20 years ago things were quite different here in the Midwest. I remember the first time I tasted Celebration Ale 1989 and was nearly overwhelmed by tasting an IPA like recipe, presented as a holiday beer. Which was quite new in those days, and was made even more exotic by the fact, that Sierra Nevada beers had very limited availability. Things like Big Foot were unknown legends. But all that changed as we moved into the 21st century. Sierra Nevada beers are available nearly everywhere, and despite an increase in production size, they remain ales of the highest quality.
Of course the brewery’s personality is not for everyone. People who do not like pronounced hops should stay clear. But judging by the spectacular success of their year round Torpedo IPA, there are plenty of folks who like hop heavy beers.
It’s good when good things happen from a good brewery. Cheers and Thank You.
The Beer Doctor
