Imagine The Surprize

Fifteen years ago when the craft brew world was starting to go into orbit, few at the time would have imagined that the orbit is permanent, or L5 as they say. Recently sampling  Great Lakes Grassroots Ale, I was struck by the fact a brewery located in Cleveland, Ohio could produce an herbal farmhouse style of ale, found in Belgian and French farms, and somewhat rare, even in their countries of origin. Mind you, it is not my favorite beer, but the Belgian yeast strain, combined with the herbs, keep this in authentic context. On the bottle’s label, it is referred to as a mild ale, which when you see that it is 6.2% abv, they are using the term mild in the Belgian sense of the word. In British vocabulary this ale would be deemed strong.
But there is certainly something to be said about sitting in the backyard, on one of the warmest days so far this year, amidst abundant foliage and sunlight, and pouring this beautiful golden ale into what could be rightfully called a performance ale glass,  which exhibits this beer in all its saison glory.

Brewers in the United States are very interested in all different styles of beer. Take Andygator from The Abita Brewing Company in Louisiana. A big southern take on the traditional German Mai bock. Packaged into a 22oz bottle (a bomber as the beer crowd calls it) this 8% golden boy, is most definitely a bottle for two. If you open this while alone, well its time to get happy and responisble ( by not performing any tasks that require responsibility). Time to sit back and enjoy the malty golden nectar.
Which brings me to a point I would like to make. As The Beer Doctor, I was schooled in tasting by Beer Hound James D. Robertson, who taught me as a taster, its my job to meet any beer’s recipe halfway. In other words, if I am sampling a beer brewed with corn grits, say Straub or Pabst for example, I am not going to compare it with an all malt recipe. To say that beers made with adjunct grains are inferior is to deny the history of brewing (especially in the United States) that brought them about. Whether it is macrobrews or craft brewed, these marketing terms are incredibly overrated, because in truth, it is the recipe that counts, and how it is put into production. Of course branding has something to say, when it comes to satisfying the ticklish consumer palate. That is why Heineken Lager is sold in green bottles. Why Corona is sold as some fantasy beach vacation, rather than the dull migrant cooler that it actually is. Stella Artois is another marketing coup, taking a rather common table lager from Belgium, and making it “Reassuringly Expensive” as it was touted in England up until a couple of years ago.
The price of beer is often used as a way to determine the quality of the beer. After many years in the trenches, so to speak, I can assure the dear reader that this is not so. But people believe what they want to believe, so I am not at all surprised  when I observe someone forking out serious dough, for a six pack of something I would consider not worth buying at half the prize. Such is essential human freedom, and bless us all for deciding what each of us  wants to drink.
The recipe is the thing that will catch the conscience of The Beer Doctor. Whether it is new world or old world or downright acrchaic (such as brew lagered for months in stone caves). If it tastes good or interesting, it is going to be counted. Cheers!

KEEP ON BOCKING IN THE USA

With Spring comes bock, and with the arrival of Genesee Bock 12 packs in cans, it seems to harken back to a simpler time. Which seems to be effecting regional brewers across the country, who are rediscovering archival bock recipes to revive. A good example of this is Stegmaier Brewhouse Bock, a turn of the 20th century recipe that reminds me of the estery magic possible in an all malt, traditional German style recipe. In fact, although I thoroughly enjoy Anchor Bock, Leinenkugel’s 188 Bock, and Christian Moerlein Emancipator, I think the Stegmaier takes the prize for astounding flavor not magic.
Samuel Adams Double Bock has undergone a change in marketing strategy that I can not say I approve of. It use to be, for many many years, Double Bock appeared for a short six weeks of the year in six pack or case. Now it has been revamped to be produced year round as a four pack in their Imperial Series, kicking up the alcohol strength past 9% abv, I guess to help justify spending $10 on four bottles of beer. Unfortunately, many stores who carry Sam Adams beer, are a bit gun  shy on carrying an expensive four pack. So it has actually become more difficult to find the new version, of which I still have not tried.
ASomething definately worth checking out is Shiner 100th Anniversary Commemorator, a top fermented dunkel weizen dopplebock, a style usually associated with Schneider & Sohn’s Aventinus or Erdinger’s Pikantus. Here the Spoetzl Brewery takes on the recipe Texas style, performed with flavorful audacity. Not to be missed.
There are many other examples of bock this year available, including Dundee Pale Bock and Summit Mai Bock, both fine examples of the golden coloured late spring style. Many others, due to logistical distribution factors, I will not able to sample, including Yuengling Bock, found one state to the east of me. Anyway, here’s to bock! In its myriad recipe forms. To the restorative powers of malts I say cheers! and as always my only prayer is thank you.

NEW BEERS IN THE NEW YEAR

2009 is proving to be an interesting year.  The arrival of Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier is a very pleasant addition indeed. Too many fruit flavored beers miss the mark, but that is not the case with this recipe. A thirst quenching, delicious beer that, at 5.5% abv, is substantial enough to be enjoyed anytime of the year. A welcome addition to the Sam Adams permanent portfolio.
Another addition to yearly production is Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA Ale. An orange-copper colored pour that is lively, with a surprisingly subtle, hops rich nose. “Torpedo” refers to the “hop torpedo” method created by Sierra Nevada, to uniquely dry hop this ale, which is only logical, from the brewery known for its obsessive hops personality. An uncompromising American IPA, well designed for those who love this brewing style, where intense hop floral resins combine with malts to create a complex, citrus-layered palate, that finishes as long as the day therein.
The same can be said for their annual barleywine style, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale 2009, where the hug malt presentation does not escape Sierra Nevada’s hops assertion. This was an “extreme beer” long before anyone had coined the term. A welcome selection for post-holiday, dead-of-winter. A seriously deep brew with complex bitterness, for those who can sip and enjoy, a truly heavy beer.
A very good seasonal now available is Pandora’s Bock from Breckenridge Brewery. A lively dark copper pour, with a rich malty palate, offset somewhat by hops, making it rather doughy in the finish. Four different malts are used, along with a traditional Bavarian lager yeast, and Strisselspalt and Chinook hops, combine well to perform their magic. A tasty, beautiful presentation.
Matt Brewing has released their St. Patrick’s Day offering, with their Saranac Irish Red Ale. A festive, pleasurable event in the Irish amber style. Nothing is out of place here. A tasty drinkable beer, from start to finish. Have a case or two of this, for a crowd.
In the state of Ohio, in February, six packs of beers from Mendociono Brewing Company are on sale at $6.99 (+). A very good offering is their White Hawk Original IPA, with its subtle (as opposed to overwhelming) aromatic nose. Like nearly all American versions of India Pale Ale, this is aggressively hopped to say the least.
Hoppy beers have become quite a rage amongst beer seekers lately, and there are plenty of examples to choose from. White Hawk is Mendocino’s year round offering, and at 7% abv, it is a couple of notches in strength below the hops blow-out, extreme, “Imperial” versions. But there is plenty of flavor here. There is more of an apricot note in the citrus palate, fairly mild and finishes long.
Another interesting offering is Mendocino’s Black Eye Ale, a rich dark pour with a reddish undertone. This “black and tan” combines Black Hawk Stout with their Eye Of The Hawk Red Ale, producing a smooth malty, 6.5% abv, presentation. Here hops and malts blissfully co-exist. There are many flavor notes here, but why get ponderous? This top fermented blend is designed for drinkability (in a 22oz bottle at that), which it most certainly is, with a silky smooth finish.
Bock beers keep arriving this time of year. This season Jacob Leinenkugel Brewery decided to revive their brewery’s first 19th century recipe. 1888 Bock is dark amber in color, and a gentle malts showcase, serving as a reminder that bock beer  has been a part of the American beer vocabulary for a very long time. The use of pale and dark malts keeps this tasty and festive.
Last but not least, Anchor Brewing Company’s Anchor Bock, is a very fine example of American bock. A luxurious, deep brown pour, that combines barley and wheat malts to produce an outstanding beer, with many flavorful notes. This is the first time I have sampled this beer, and the fact that this was a fresh sample, made this a very glorious experience.
Cheers!

INTO THE NEW YEAR

New Year’s celebration turned out to be a blast. Not only were there many holiday offerings to choose from, the reappearence of the Genesee Beer 30 can pack, turned out to be quite handy during the endless college bowl football games. Also, I was fortunate to get a hold of the Rochester, New York brewery’s Dundee Festive Ale, a quite good wassail with substantial strength (6.2% abv), made to seem more exotic at this locale, because of its limited availability.
With still plenty of winter to endure, I still have bottles of Avery’s Old Jubilation ale, and a couple of Goose Island’s Christmas Ale to toast things up a bit. I look forward to the season of bock (just around the corner) including this year, a first sampling of Leinenkugel’s 1888 Bock, using the recipe from that year.
This post is short and sweet. Here’s hoping everyone has a peaceful and prosperous New Year. Later… Beer Doctor. Thank You.

HAZY HOLIDAY DEFINITIONS

The Holiday/Winter beer investigations continue. I am going to have to do some travel to expand the portfolio of bottled offerings. Like all true lovers of this ancient beverage, we know, WE JUST SIMPLY KNOW, that there is no such thing as too much beer!
Now some misunderstood souls will see this as an endorsement for drinking excess, Not so! There are beers (Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout for example) so rich and full that one is certainly enough. No, what I mean is, in the long scheme of things, like a beer blogger in Alaska once noted, you can be stocked full with all kinds of beer, but there will always be something you would like to have on hand, to make an occasion or holiday complete. It is the seeking where a lot of the love comes in.
Recently I went to beeradvocate.com to read what others thought of this year’s “Our Special Ale” from the Anchor Brewing Company. It was there I noticed that under category, it was listed as “winter warmer”. Winter Warmer? When did that become a recipe definition?
Mind you, I am old school. I was once at a trade show talking to sales reps from the Boston Beer Company, who happily discovered I knew more about the history of Samuel Adams Winter Lager than they did, simply because I was drinking it before they were legally old enough to imbibe. But the winter warmer definition is disturbing to me, because Winter/Holiday beers have always been my favorite subject. Winter warmer is a vague definition, like the equally stupid “session beer” which can best be described as: Well I see you guys are going to pound a few.
Winter/Holiday beers have many descriptions. Wassail for example, is ale with spices, Anchor’s 34th edition is a prime example. Winter Ale or Old English Ale, is a non-spiced ale that puts great emphasis on malts, and the interplay between malts and hops, that change definition somewhat, through the passage of time, when hops, which were once in the foreground, fade into the malty background. A once prime example of this was King & Barnes in England. Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome is another. In the United States, Goose Island, Avery, Great Divide, all pay tribute to this, with big malty productions.
A more recent, but much beloved development is the West Coast idea of making India Pale Ale as a holiday offering. The most famous example of this is Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale. Mendocino Brewing does this also. So does Rogue Brewing, with their Santa’s Private Reserve Ale.
Another hoppy take is Holiday Amber, where hops are combined with a more malty approach, Magic Hat’s Roxy Rolles, is a fine example.
Bottom fermented beers, or what is known in the U.S. as lager, have their own storied history in the making of holiday beer. Christmas Bock, a tradition that dates back to at least 1543, with the world famous Wurzburger Holiday Bier. Penn Brewing continues this tradition with their St. Nikolaus Bock, along with other brewpubs and homebrewers. I have often been asked, is Sam Adams Winter Lager a wassail? Not exactly. It is a spiced, dunkelweizen bock. Old Fezziwig Ale is Samuel Adams wassail.
The term Festive Ale, is sometimes used, which often refers to strong barleywine style ales. In the United States, Stone Brewing’s Double Bastard Ale, is a prime example.
The Belgians have their own unique contribution to the holiday portfolio. Affligem’s Noel, Scaldis Noel, Stille Nocht, Delerium Noel are some examples. These are ales that sometimes use fruit, spices and honey. All are flavor rich and strong.
Add to all of this, ales that are aged in oak, and it becomes quite obvious that the  term “winter warmer”, simply will not do, when describing the holiday beer universe.
As always, thank you.

THE SHOP IS OPEN

First off, it has been awhile since I have written anything on this, my favorite beloved web site. Recent distractions, such as the high cost of living due to the fossil fuel energy inflation, have taken their toll. Nevertheless, many things have happened.
The Fire At The F.X. Matt Brewery. Thursday night, a fire broke out at the brewery located in Utica, New York. I learned of this through e-mail from the company itself. This is a sad, though not dire, situation. I soon learned that their production facility was damaged, but not the brewed beer! I am going to purchase Saranac beer through the summer (at least) as tribute to the fine, decent business that the Matt Brewery is. I remind myself that not only do they produce their own great line of beers, but are also the contract brewers for the Brooklyn Brewery. Through their contractual work, many have enjoyed their handiwork, without even knowing their name. Blessings of the heart, they brew good beer.
What A Wonderful Beer. I am speaking of that conspiracy of goodness that has returned: Genesee Bock Beer. The arrival of this inexpensive, great tasting brew is just what the doctor ordered in these monetary challenging times. I have read comments from beer snobs who just could not understand why they enjoyed an affordable beer in a can. The gentle graphics of a young goat with flowers, green and yellow, should tell you that this is no ordinary beer. For lack of a better word, I call it: magic.
Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. From Chico, California comes this ale that is the epitome of the Sierra Nevada Brewery’s personality. Taking up where their fall classic, Harvest Ale, stops. Southern Hemisphere uses the fresh hops being harvested in New Zealand, which in turn, are quickly shipped from down under to California. Although expensive at five dollars per 24 ounce bottle, it is most definately worth the bother. Unlike the trend towards “extreme beers” , the empahsis here is on the tremendous flavors of the recipe. For those familar with Sierra Nevada, I will put it this way: sipping this ale, I had an almost Proustian moments of remembrance of Celebration Ales from the past. Easily one of the very best brews available in the United States.
Harpoon 100 Barrel Series: Old Rusty’s Red Rye Ale. From Boston, Massachusetts comes this amber colored pour with a very inviting, spicy nose. There is a drop dead iron-like palate. This is a rye ale that is exquisite in every degree. Truly something to behold. An incredible rye bread spicy finish, with a 6.5% abv, that says yes, it is all true. This is an iconoclast recipe for the ages. Pure example of what the best craft brewers strive for, challenging and deliciously unique.
Moylan’s Hopsickle Imperial Ale. From Novato, California, this bright orange-gold pour is luxuriously deep, even in a mug with handle. The intense citrus nose of foam makes this a kind of sherbet. The extended length of time it takes to settle, acts as a natural preventative from consuming too quickly, and at a too cold temperature.
As to the palate? This is indeed for the lupulin warriors. A combination of Chinook, Ahtanum, Columbus, Sincoe, and Cascade hops make this a tart bittersweet  experience, with a long, as in the day is long, finish. In what in the United States are called “extreme beers”, this “triple hoppy” Imperial IPA  would be an honored guest. A very strong presentation, equally matched in strength (9.2% abv). At one time, this would be considered adventurous, but after so many stabs by brewers at extreme beers, this might be considered par for the course.
So that is all for now. I will try not to be a stranger. My prayer is, as always, Thank You.

BOCK THIS HOUSE TONIGHT

Take me bock, take me all the way bock. There is nothing like the goat beer in the time before Easter. Of course there are other bock celebrations at different times of the year; Christmas and May bock come to mind. But it is the bock in the time of Lent that has the strongest roots in American beer culture, including myths and misinformation that still exist in some circles, even today. No, bock is not beer made from the bottoms of the tanks during spring cleaning, an urban legend that has persisted for generations. And no, the goat symbol associated with bock is not some pagan symbol of passage, but rather an iconic designation that this is a beer with kick. It all goes back centuries, to German monks who were encouraged to cut down on eating, as part of a pre-Easter fast. The malty rich beer was a pleasant way to imbibe nutrition. Such was the case with the Paulaner Brewery in 1634 in Munich, where the monks created the first trademarked dopplebock known as Salvator, still brewed to this very day. The use of the a-t-o-r ending has been adopted by many a brewery as tribute to this original style of beer. Thus you will find: illuminator, bajavator, optimator, celebrator, etc. In 1634, the first dopplebock or double bock was created. In 1643, the first Christmas dopplebock was created and it too is still available, it is known as Wurzburger Holiday Bier. But back to the bock at hand…
Bock beer was the one link to great beer when the United States was mired in pedestrian forms of pale lager. Spring bock was when for a short but blessed time, beer with full flavor became available. Many people who enjoyed these beers had no idea of its cultural significance… some folks associated with St. Patrick’s day! But one thing was certain, bock was always and will continue to be a wonderful style of beer.
With the craft brewing renaissance in the United States, bock as a style for serious consideration came into vogue. Soon, Samuel Adams offered their Double Bock, an 8 percent plus abv of full malt strength and character. Soon there were other takes on bock, including wheat brewed or weizenbock, made world famous by the global standard: Schneider and Sohn’s Aventinus. This is where bock ceases to become a bottom fermented beer and becomes an ale.
But it is with single bock that I am most concerned with here. Traditional American bock that was higher in strength than normal lagers, but not overwhelmingly so. Huber bock comes to mind, so does Berghoff Bock and Shiner Bock, and what is probably my favorite U.S. single bock: Saranac Black Diamond Bock, a beloved recipe from the Matt Brewing Company in Utica, New York.
I have experienced many wonderful bock beers over decades. There was Pabst Blue Ribbon bock, Augsburger bock, Point Bock, Genesee bock, Hudepohl Bock, and Schoenling Old Tyme Bock. All of these brews I have very fond memories of. And to be honest with you, I wish all these recipes and more would be revived. By all means drink some bock in the spirit it is intended, a celebration of life! As always thank you!