Open mike: Strong beer!

Ain't nothing better and more refreshing than to break up a day of winetasting with an excellent lunch paired with some excellent beer--I discovered that pretty early in my winetasting experiences.

Kloster Weltenburg (oldest monk brewery in the world based near Kelheim whose beer is brewed by the neighbouring Mönchshof brewery in Regensburg)
- Baroque Dunkel (from vat at the brewery): very nice dark colour, enjoybly malty
- Anno 1050 (idem): golden colour, nice spiciness on the palate, very good but heavy

Nice. I've only had them in bottle, but I found their Barock Dunkel simple and quite pleasant, but was really blown away by their Barock Hell and Asam Bock. Good brewer.

Schlenkerla (small private brewery in Bamberg making beer from smoked malt -
- Rauchbier: very smoky, with notes of lard and bacon. Not my style

Yeah, style preferences do vary . . . my notes for that beer included the clincher, "feels like beer I have always been looking for, could drink a lot, a masterpiece"

Tucher (large private brewery in Nürnberg)
- Kupfer Dunkel: traditional amber colour, malty good zest and not too sweet

Off topic here, but are there any brewers in Nürnberg who offer their full range of beers along with food in a Brauhaus that you could recommend? Done this often in many other towns, but had difficulties finding one in Nürnberg--I only saw the establishment run by Lederer and it looked more like a place where frat boys go when they grow up than my kind of scene (and the beer, which I have since sampled--most definitely not my scene).

And, of course, I'll look forward to any reports you have on the wines! But thanks for the beer report. Very interesting indeed.

Hi Keith,

Asam Bock is indeed a great beer / sorry to have forgotten about this one, which I also had from the tap!

Regarding your question on Brauhaus, I am not sure what you are looking for:

- A Biergarten where you can get a simple "brotzeit"? Then I would recommend the one that you know as well: Lederer near Furth (Lederer is also made by Tucher). The beer from the tap there is outstanding and they do happy hour from 16-17h ("Mass Bier" for E4.. I spent there many happy afternoons playing cards with friends and my kids. There is also another small on near the Wörther See, but I don't remember its name ...

- A traditional Gasthaus? Here I would recommend you the Böhms Herrenkeller in the city center (near the railway station). if you are only interested in great Franconian food, then go to the Schäfeleswärtschaft in the Südstadt (see http://www.schaeufele.de), the HQ of the Schäufele Club. It is down to earth but don't expect anything but else than Franconian as language (maybe German would be ok ... but I wouldn't guarantee it)

There are no longer any independent brewery in Nürnberg, with the exception of the small amount of Weissbier produced erratically by the Biermuseum - all the other breweries belong to Tucher. if you are often down there, you should buy the Bierführer, which is a local book in Germany with all the hundreds of private artisanal breweries in Franken. It is widely available in Nürnberg.

Hope this helps!

PS: Are you often down there?

BTW, I am not planning to post notes on the Frankenweins but in a nutshell:

- 2007 is very peachy and mineral with good presence and not too much alcohol.
- Silvaner is good, Riesling fared better I think and Bacchus (which I love because it goes so well with local food) is not good at all.
- I was also surprised at how good the 2006 Silvaner have developed. Wirsching made a stunner in the form of the Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner Spätlese Trocken "S". The Horst Sauer Lymp Silvaner GG 2006 was nearly hollow, which surprised me given the high praise from the Germany GM press.

I sampled:
- Juliusspital (good Stein Silvaner Kabinett Trocken)
- Hans Wirsching (great success with both Silvaner and Riesling - one can buy blind all bottlings)
- Castell (only the Silvaner - very disappointing because bordering on hollow. My usual favourite, the Hohnart Kabinett Trocken was just ok)
- Horst Sauer (great Silvaner Trocken litre bottling, very good Fürstenberg Kabinett Trocken and a great Lump Spätlese Trocken as well as an impressive Lump Riesling Auslese).

Hope this helps.

Hope this helps.

It does. Thanks so much!

Does Finland offer more interesting choices on tap that are widely available or does the tap world mirror the bottled one?

Oh yes. There are a few very interesting brewers that make batches for certain bars or restaurants that are just stunning! My current favourite is Severin Brewery's HODA (Hop Overdose Ale) brewed only for the Black Door pub in Helsinki. Low in alcohol (under 4% IIRC) yet very intense and hoppy, yet without going over to the soapy aromatics that so many super-hopped beers have. Stadin Panimo also has some lovely beers that I see on occasion (a lovely IPA for example). These are IMO truly world class beers that would deserve more publicity.

I don't recall seeing it [Koff's Porter] in the USA, but I'll keep my eyes open for it . . . selection of beers from abroad seems to be expanding rapidly--at least in the places I've lived. Would love to try something Finnish . . .

A quick google brought up that it is ineed available in the USA. Most of the refernces didn't say what shop or importer, but one mentioned Kahn - is that some famous importer there?

Fish, I love Schlenkerla's Rauchbiers - but de gustibus non est disputandum. Did you have the Märzen or the Urbock?

-O

The Horst Sauer Lymp Silvaner GG 2006 was nearly hollow, which surprised me given the high praise from the Germany GM press.

I know that Horst Sauer has a hard time keeping up with demand which leads me to believe that he may release wines a bit too soon. Could this early release contribute to this hollowness?

otto: it was the märzen - sorry, I should have mentioned it.

bill: i doubt that the 2006 GG suffered from too early bottling as GG wines cannot come onto the market until september 1st after the vintage. so there is theoretically no pressure to bottle early. the wine simply felt bizarrely hollow and non-saying ... maybe it was closed, i actually suspected cork at first but magdalena sauer insisted that the wine tastes this way.

Hope this helps!

PS: Are you often down there?

Indeed it does, Jean, thanks for all the very helpful info. I don't imagine I'll do much better with understanding Franconian than I have with Swabisch, but perhaps with a drink or two . . .

Hmm, not often. I've visited a few times in the past year and a half and would like to fit in some more visits when I can, but who knows.

Thomas Hardy's Ale 2006 11,7% abv; 4,86€ / 0,25l



This is a classic and perhaps the best known barley wine. Brown colour. The nose is very complex but very, very young (my boss at the bookshop recently opened a 1997 for us to taste): dried fruit, cherry, rye bread and strong maltiness with some savoury and salty tones to balance the sweetness. This has hardly any bubbles; it is weighty like a wine, slightly sweet, but with an attractive and refreshing hoppiness on the aftertaste. I would love to try this when it is 10 years old. The alcohol isn't noticable. Lovely stuff!

So often beers are thought of as being fizzy drinks meant to be drunk very cold; but the world of beers is as intriguing and complex as the world of wines. Barley wines are aptly named as they should be treated like great wines: aged for years or even decades, savoured slowly rather than guzzled down to quench thirst, and above all they deserve contemplation.

This was a natural partner to a chunk of stilton.

New Holland Brewing Company. Full Circle. Holland, Michigan. (Kölsch-style ale) crown cap on 12 ounce bottle, no abv listed – appears a slighter darker hue of a ginger ale color, thin quickly dissipating small bubble white head, slow scattered bubble movement, smell ginger and almonds, apricot, very different, very inviting nose, touch of syrup, mouthfeel heavier, only a touch of thickness accompanied by wave of finely tuned bubbles, taste dry and casky, tightly bound, good concentration of flavor, hard to describe but tastes like intense essence of apricot without any of the sweetness, fascinating, dense in flavor but easy to down, extremely well-balanced, touch of emphasis in just the right places, delightful—not sticky or thuddening on palate as one might fear, wonderful. I’ve had very little Kölsch, but this was wonderful—it’ll be interesting to see how it compares with the beer in Köln, which I hope to visit over the summer. $9.50 for 6-pack of 12 ounce bottles

Clipper City. Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale. Baltimore, Maryland (India Pale Ale) crown cap, 7.25% – appears deep red amber, thin white head, medium bubble movement, smell faint soap, watermelon-peanut butter mix—not that exactly, but seemed familiar anyway!, freshly cut grass, light fruity zippy hoppy nose, mouthfeel thick, solid, substantial, taste incredibly fruity hops upfront, peaches and grapefruit, solid peachiness to it, almost nectar-like, delightful bitterness on finish including some nutshell, very light crisp and fresh which contrasts the heavier feel of the texture, this truly fits the profile of an IPA, and though that is not my favorite style of beer, I loved this one, though it was very hoppy on both the nose and palate, the quality and delicacy of the hops made them absolutely delicious and intensely interesting, add to that that the bitterness was refreshing and light rather an all-out assault on my tongue and I was very happy with this beer, paired well with grilled mahi mahi, but went even better with salted nuts. $9 for a 6-pack of 12 ounce bottles

From producer: Hops: Magnum, Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo and Palisade. Malts: Crisp English Pale, Carapils, and Munich. Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale - called Hop 3 (hop cubed) ale to reflect the enormous amount of hops in this beer: over 3 pounds per barrel! Also the beer is hopped 3 ways - in the kettle, in the hop back, and dry hopped. Available year round.

I spoke with a very knowledgeable and very helpful representative of the brewery at my local retailer and he informed me that the beer is unusual in that it uses hops at three times during the beermaking process. Often there is debate over whether to throw hops in the kettle during the final stages of boiling the wort or to dryhop and add the hops to the cooled wort once it has been removed from the kettle—adding to the kettle aids extraction of the oils of the hops and yields complexity but the delicate aromatics go up in steam, while dryhopping captures the greener and more aromatic side of the hops while not extracting much due to the lack of heat. Well, in addition to using both of those methods, this beer also includes hopback where the boiling wort is removed from the kettle but before it cools, they add a batch of hops in a sort of French press/piston press device that both allows the remaining heat to extract more flavor while not allowing the resulting hoppy aromas to escape. Despite all the emphasis on how much hops they can fit in at different points in the process, my primary admiration for the beer is how balanced and delightful to drink it is.

I was only introduced to Clipper City and New Holland this year, but I have been very impressed with all that I have sampled across their line-ups: very balanced and, in many cases, very food friendly. And, for Otto, it turns out that the one Finnish beer that my local retailer carries is indeed the . . .

Oy Sinebrychoff Ab (part of the Carlsberg Group). Porter. Kerava, Finland. (baltic porter) crown cap on 33 cl bottle, 7.2% - imported to USA by B United International, Redding, Connecticut – appears dark impenetrable black, medium coffee color head, no light penetrates the color of this beer, smell wonderful, tightly bound light chocolate, bare essence of pecan tart with hint of pear or apple, mouthfeel thick and viscous, heavy, motor oil, taste wonderful pecans and coffee, sweet approach, very gentle, lots of coffee and espresso notes on front end, tender and gentle on palate, lurking bit of fruity zip inside—odd but intriguing, bit of hopped zip on finish, paired well with English cheddar, but superbly with late night ‘breakfast’ of black beans and scrambled eggs, delicious breakfast beer. $3.50 for a 33 cl bottle.

Sierra Nevada. 2008 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale 1st Release. Chico, California. (American India pale ale) crown cap, 6.7% - appears beautiful amber, puffy off-tan head, slow bubble streams, smell fresh and rich, oatmeal cookies, bit of peanut butter and dried figs, rich peachy depth, mighty nice nose, mouthfeel thicker gripping and foamy, taste oats and graham cracker, bit of sweetness upfront but no syrup, taste bit of oils and bitterness I associate with hops, intense flavor, the hops here were lovely and delicious, the beer had wonderful moments where freshness and delicacy were all that were all that was on my mind, if the beer had stayed in that zone, it would have been a knockout for me, however, at times, the intensity of flavors overwhelmed my palate and lasted too peppery on the finish, not syrupy-hot, thank goodness, as I find with some ‘overdone’ IPAs, but nonetheless a bit too intense for my preferences, still the hops here are delicious stuff, good stuff for $4.50 for a 24 ounce bottle

From producer: The fresh hops in this beer are dried right after being picked then shipped immediately to Chico for brewing so that they retain their peak aromatics and flavors. To ensure the freshest hops possible, we went to the added expense of flying these hops from New Zealand to Chico so we could brew with them the week after they were picked. beginning gravity 14.7 Plato; ending gravity 3.9 Plato; bitterness units 66; Yeast: Ale Yeast; Bittering Hops: Pacific Halertau; Finishing Hops: New Zealand Motueka & New Zealand Southern Cross; Malts: Pale & Caramel

A visiting representative from the brewery at my local retailer informed me that Sierra Nevada introduced this new harvest ale as a spring companion to their usual fall harvest ale that uses hops harvested from Yakima, Washington. A spring harvest ale meant heading down under which was the reason the hops for this beer were flown in from New Zealand. The brewer aims at getting the natural oils and concurrent aromas of the hops before they dry—basically going straight from the harvest into the beer. The representative told me it was 48 hours from vine to bottle for the hops for the Fall Harvest brew and less than two weeks for the spring harvest with hops from New Zealand. I had the chance to try a few more of Sierra Nevada’s lineup, but as it turns out only around 12 of the 20 beers are distributed and only about 6 of those make it to the East Coast. I would love to try the Fall Harvest beer as a comparison.

Clipper City. Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night Saison Ale. Baltimore, Maryland (saison/farmhouse ale) crown cap, 7.5% – appears golden apricot tinge, thin white head, quick bubble streams and rogues, smell particular ketchup and tomatoes, as opens up more yeast and very slight banana, mouthfeel not all that thick, weaker carbonation, soft and easy style, taste soft and melding flavors, hard to pick out but warm fuzzy peaches without the fruit, essence of sophisticated nonsweetened candy for adults, gentle and refined, finish is clincher, precise, pointed, hint of tart syrup, gingerbread and yule log, I would expect this beer to be somewhat deadening, it was not, a very good expression of the style compared with the Saison Dupont, if just a tad heavier, I am impressed yet again with Clipper City, $9 for a six-pack of 12 ounce bottles

From producer: Hops: Magnum and Styrian Goldings; Malts: Pils, Carapils, and wheat malts, Belgian candi sugar. This beer is brewed in the Belgian Saison style (country farm house ale). A potent yet delicate ale, brewed with a unique Belgian yeast which develops a spicy, fruity flavor. Enormously complex. Available from May to around August.

Brasserie Dupont. Saison Dupont. Tourpes, Belgium (saison/farmhouse ale) sparkling wine type cork closure with wire cage, 6.5% – imported to USA by Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown, New York - appears apricot gold, huge foamy seashore head, smell yeasty jolly rancher, fresh, unique nose, hint of that old banana and ketchup mix, mouthfeel tightly bound, sprinkly bubbles with nice fade, beautifully bound, taste wonderfully integrated yeast, firm, solid, bit more citrus here, fresher unsweetened peaches and yeast, very clean with a magnificent grip, light razoredge of hops, perfect pair for grilling and enjoying grilled asparagus, summer squash, red onions and halibut steaks, the perfect balance between summer and substance, $5 for a 375 ml bottle.

From importer: Six or seven breweries make Saisons. The undisputed classic of the style is Saison Dupont. It comes from an artisanal brewery that is also a working farm (eggs are sold in the ‘executive’ offices!) and produces beers with exquisitely hand-made character, and unruly clumpy yeast. When Saison Dupont first arrived in this country, we had to do quite a bit of explaining about the look of the beer. The brewery has cultured their yeast for taste and aromatic qualities. Because Dupont basically only sells beer from the brewery, they haven't concerned themselves with developing a yeast that travels well. For the uninitiated, the look of the beer is daunting. However, the sweetest rewards await the adventurous. Saison Dupont is a delight to the taste buds. Snappy, yeasty, with a clean, bright quality. The Dupont brewery is run by Marc Rosier (brewer) and his sister (microbiologist). They also operate the farm, and are interested in sustainable agriculture.

New Holland Red Tulip Ale. New Holland, Michigan (amber and red ale) – crown cap - appears beautiful amber caramel, medium tan head, slow bubbles, nice lacing, smell savory barbecue sauce, bark, bright and bit sweet nose, mouthfeel nicely bound, just hint of carbonation, weak foam, easy going, taste very faint, lots of malt, easy going, at times tasty lipsmacking, caramel and bark, feels like eating a fruit and having that all-encompassing memory of the fruit as a whole, like, but doesn’t reach love, some tangy tangerine hidden, but overall simple pleasant malty stuff, but not much beyond malt—no reach here, there are better ambers. $9 for a six pack of 12 ounce bottles.

Rogue American Amber Ale. Newport, Oregon (amber and red ale) – on tap at Matchbox, DC - appears caramel red, medium off tan head, smell soft and faint, milky, nice, mouthfeel loose, but great grip, low bubbles, slight foam but good texture, taste light nuttiness, hint of caramel, but very light, very pleasant finish, tinge of meat, very clean and precise, no syrup, tangy long finish, fruity, wide and pure, nice stuff, would revisit. From producer: created from Northwest Harrington and Klages, 95-115 and 135-165 Crystal Malts. Kent Golding and Cascade Hops.

Allagash White. Portland, Maine. (Witbier/Belgian white) on tap at Matchbox, DC – appears cloudy pineapple juice, thick foamy white head, nice lacing down the glass, smell Riesling-like nose, then citrus, very fresh, mouthfeel tight and light bubbles, foaminess, taste very light delicate, obvious and prominent banana, very easy to drink, simple but very very nice, tinge of metallic that distracts occasionally, but overall very impressive, lots of citrus zest, zippy and fun

Weyerbacher Muse Farmhouse Ale. Easton, Pennsylvania (saison/farmhouse ale) crown cap, 6.2% – appears apricot cloudy gold, thick foamy white head, some lacing, smell funky orange and coriander, some similarities (vaguely) to nose on German hefeweizen, citrus and yeast, mouthfeel tightly bound small bubbles, bit of heaviness with great flow, taste in mouth very light and pale, then onto intense roasted flavor comes roaring in, nuts and pressed fruit, spicy peppery finish, good citrus faintly in background, oddly enough when I sampled this I remembered the initial faint flavor and wateryness, but drinking a whole bottle left it very abrasive, hoppy overdone, burnt edges, this beer is too intense for me, though I imagine others might like its aggressive approach, $4.50 for a 1 pint 6 ounce bottle.

From producer: Muse, a Farmhouse Ale, is brewed "somewhat" in the tradition of the style, but it has Weyerbacher fingerprints all over it! Made with Pale malt, a little carapils, raw wheat and raw oats, this warm weather seasonal is dry and ever so slightly tart on the pallet from the wheat and oats. At 6.2% abv, its a bit higher than your strictly traditional farmhouse, but not out of the realm, really. The wheat and oats makes the mouthfeel silky and light at the same time. They also bring some cloudiness to the brew, but don't be afraid! Hopped with Styrian Goldings and finished with Saaz, this beer has a noticable hoppy dryness which makes it a fine thirst quencher, something the original Farmhouse Ales were intended to be, served to workers out in the fields on hot summer days as a restorative. Fermented with Forbidden Fruit yeast, at a very high temperature (78F), the spiciness developed is entirely from this traditional yeast strain, not from any kettle additions. Unfiltered, to enjoy this natural beauty, and imagine yourself out in the flat fields of Belgium!

Southern Tier Hop Sun Summer Wheat Beer. Lakewood, New York. (American pale wheat ale) crown cap on bottle, 4.5% – appears deep caramel (but not red) gold, thick foamy white head, slow bubble movement, smell cheerios, wheat, strawberry, fresh and very nice nose, mouthfeel bit heavier toward viscous, lots of thin foam, taste very balanced bitter hops with grapefruit rind and squirt of lemon, cleansing, simple delicious, easy to drink a lot, a fantastic summer beer I could drink all summer long. From producer: 11.5° plato, 36 ibu, 4.5° L, 2-row pale malt, caramel malt, wheat malt, kettle hops: centennial, dry hopped: centennial

Hey Tyler! A little off-topic, no, make quite off-topic, but how did your tasting go last Friday?

Sucking down a relatively weak 6% Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and enjoying it immensely, I remain,

geo t.

How fitting.

Though it isn't particulary strong, I am drinking a new beer tonight (new to me at least).

I am sitting right now in the restaurant of a hotel in Wroclaw, Poland drinking the beer Paul previously mentioned called Okocim.

This beer is on tap for $2 per .5l (6 PLN). It is a summer beer by my standards, fresh and light with a good amount of carbonation. It is served with sufficient foam, but this falls rapidly. The nose is rather fruity and not very hoppy, though there is a distinct hops nuance. The finish is crisp and really quite nice.

Carlsberg is also on tap, and would probably be more appropriate for the weather, but I'm not in Denmark!

I'll order a SNPA when there are no better choices, but I find it rather mainstream and dull. I do like the SN Celebration Ale, though it tends to be inconsistent from year to year IMO. I didn't know they made an IPA, other than the CA; I'd like to try it.

I agree with you about SNPA. But since Otto is in Helsinki, I doubt he would be able to find US hop head beers like Three Floyd's Alfa King, Bell's Two-Hearted, Victory Hop Devil or Stone IPA.

Bell's Hop Slam Ale, only released for a few months in January, Febuary and maybe March, is the hoppiest beer I've ever encountered. The first time I poured a glass winter before last, I took a whiff and it smelled like a bag of high quality bud. In a former life, I might have tried to dry, roll and smoke it. $15 a six pack isn't cheap, but if there's one beer that's worth it, this is it. Killer stuff!

A little surprised no one has mentioned the likes of Chimay from Belguim (all the rich flavor and high alcohol with none of the funky qualities of many Trappist Ales) or Stone Brewery Arrogant Bastard Ale from the San Diego area (rich malty character offset by a serious case of hoppiness.)

We also have a fine Michigan Brewery High Seas IPA available locally in Michigan; maybe not that high in alcohol, but for hopheads like me, I couldn't ask for more when there's no Hopslam available! I like it as well as Bell's Double Hearted.

Brasserie Dupont. Saison Dupont. Tourpes, Belgium (saison/farmhouse ale) sparkling wine type cork closure with wire cage, 6.5% – imported to USA by Vanberg & DeWulf, Cooperstown, New York - appears apricot gold, huge foamy seashore head, smell yeasty jolly rancher, fresh, unique nose, hint of that old banana and ketchup mix, mouthfeel tightly bound, sprinkly bubbles with nice fade, beautifully bound, taste wonderfully integrated yeast, firm, solid, bit more citrus here, fresher unsweetened peaches and yeast, very clean with a magnificent grip, light razoredge of hops, perfect pair for grilling and enjoying grilled asparagus, summer squash, red onions and halibut steaks, the perfect balance between summer and substance, $5 for a 375 ml bottle.

From importer: Six or seven breweries make Saisons. The undisputed classic of the style is Saison Dupont. It comes from an artisanal brewery that is also a working farm (eggs are sold in the ‘executive’ offices!) and produces beers with exquisitely hand-made character, and unruly clumpy yeast. When Saison Dupont first arrived in this country, we had to do quite a bit of explaining about the look of the beer. The brewery has cultured their yeast for taste and aromatic qualities. Because Dupont basically only sells beer from the brewery, they haven't concerned themselves with developing a yeast that travels well. For the uninitiated, the look of the beer is daunting. However, the sweetest rewards await the adventurous. Saison Dupont is a delight to the taste buds. Snappy, yeasty, with a clean, bright quality. The Dupont brewery is run by Marc Rosier (brewer) and his sister (microbiologist). They also operate the farm, and are interested in sustainable agriculture.

This is one of my all-time favourite beers! If you like this, you must try Thiriez's Etoile du Nord from the French side.

*********

Beers tasted during the past few months:

Nils Oscar India Ale 5,3% Sweden

This was a very charming ale, but it wasn't as strong as an IPA in my experience usually is. Rather this is citrussy, quite light, very hoppy, not very sweetly malty but very balanced and refreshing.

Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale 2007 5,9% USA

Was all about grassy and coppery hops. I love it. It seems lighter than the alcohol would indicate. Perhaps one dimensional in its hop-forwardness, but that one dimension is one that I hugely appreciate!

de Ranke Guldenberg 8,5% Belgium

I have loved de Ranke's XX Bitter, so I wanted to try this one too. It was softer and sweeter than the XX but still deliciously hoppy and refreshing despite the huge size. Dangerously moreish despite the size.

Nørrebro Little Korkny Ale 2006 Denmark

A barleywine at about 12% abv. This smells sweetly hoppy, very concentrated, quite like a Port wine with herbs. Herbal, massive palate, very concentrated - I would love to try this with Stilton. Very impressive but since this comes in a 0,6l bottle I do wonder how one is to drink this? Age it several years and share it with a number of people? 0,25l as with Thomas Hardy's Ale would be a better size IMO.

Huvila Pale Ale Finland

Under 5%; very hoppy, lovely refreshing aromas, light but intense, perhaps a bit too much carbonation. Same producer as the Black Door HODA (Hop Overdose Ale) that I recently raved about. This wasn't so extreme, but was still very lovable for me.

Samuel Adams Utopias 25% abv ? USA



Massive and massively expensive. Served blind after a Port wine tasting, I thought this was sherry because it smelled a bit oxidative/rancioed, toffeed but not obviously sugary. Still, slightly sweet, acidic, refreshing despite the size and concentration. I loved this. But why pay 150€ a bottle when an excellent Palo Cortado costs a fraction?

-O

Brasserie Dupont. Saison Dupont.

This is one of my all-time favourite beers! If you like this, you must try Thiriez's Etoile du Nord from the French side.

Thanks for this, I will keep an eye out for it. Thanks as well for the notes on the de Ranke and Sam Adams Utopia--prices aside, that is one interesting looking bottle!

I stopped by Birreria Paradiso in Georgetown, DC, for the first time and was mightily mightily impressed with their beer selection (pretty serious folk there--the Three Floyds below is not available outside of Indiana and Illinois so the only way they have it on tap is someone from Birreria Paradiso drove it back from Indiana!). I had a few flights of some of the beers on tap . . .

Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale. Munster, Indiana. (American pale ale) on tap at Birreria Paradiso, DC, 6% – appears apricot caramel cloudy gold, lacing and puffy, smell fresh sharp apricot and citrus, bit of syrup, very full and melon, mouthfeel loose, easy froth, smooth to extreme, taste bitterness well integrated, subdued hops, soft rounded with integrated intensity, hoppy, yet not, as you get the essence, but you don’t feel it on the tongue, neat stuff, 66 IBUs

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Kalamazoo, Michigan. (American India pale ale) on cask at Birreria Paradiso, DC, 7% – appears caramel brown, thick little bubblehead, clear, smell caramel, Trockenbeerenauslese-type nose, noble rot, no syrup, very different delicious nose, mouthfeel tight, little bubbles, firmly bound, taste citrus, nonsweet caramel, intense grapefruit, lemon and savory, classic IPA here, liked its individuality, though perhaps I am not the biggest fan of its style.

North Coast Cru d’Or. Fort Bragg, California. (Dubbel ale) on tap at Birreria Paradiso, DC – appears caramel red, very red, thick tan head, smell peanut brittle, pure and simple, sweetly intoxicating, mouthfeel loose foam, very foamy, not much grip, taste Belgian yeast that vaguely resembles elements of a German hefeweizen, but no banana, sweet rounded not syrupy or unpleasant, very clean, good intensity and precise, I like it very much.

Oskar Blues Gordon. Lyons, Colorado. (American double/imperial IPA) on tap at Birreria Paradiso, DC, – smell fruity with bit of ketchup, hops peeking through, mouthfeel medium bound with lots of sharp bubbles, then foam, taste burnt edges, plenty of hops of various flavors and textures, malt marries nicely with long tart almost bitter finish, bit more on the syrupy intense side than I tend to like, but what flavor! what hops! does nicely as amber meets new generation of hop-fresh IPAs. From producer: Gordon is a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA. We make it with six different malts and three types of hops, then dry-hop it with a mutha lode of Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% alcohol by volume, and has 85 International Bittering Units. It features a gooey, resiny aroma and a luscious mouthfeel. Gordon is brewed with dash of chocolate malt in it, to round out its load of hops and balance the beer. The result is an assertive yet exceptionally smooth version of strong beer. We brew Gordon in tribute to the late Gordon Knight. In addition to opening some of Colorado’s first microbreweries, Knight was a Vietnam vet, grade-A citizen, and huge promoter of craft beer. He lost his life in 2002 while fighting a wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado. Originally our winter seasonal beer, it has become a cult favorite of extreme-beer lovers, so we now brew occasional batches of Gordon throughout the year. Released in bottles in 2003 and 2004, Gordon is now sold in four packs of hand-labeled cans and on draft in select markets.

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale. Boonville, California. (Winter Warmer) on tap at Birreria Paradiso, DC, 6.9% – appears cloudy brownish bronze, smell sweeter apricot cobbler, very nice confectionary, mouthfeel tightly bound sharp and foamy, mouthfilling, taste intense savory pecan pie, oatmeal cookiers, mighty tasty, lemony on edges, finish spicy pine needles, fun stuff and good a few days before the summer solstice!

Stone India Pale Ale. Escondido, California. (American India pale ale) on tap at Birreria Paradiso, DC, 6.9% – appears tinge of orange yellow, yellowish white head, lacing, smell very fresh, very subdued but very integrated, can’t pick out much, slight grapefruit zest and scones, but barely, mouthfeel loose binding, easy foam, very soft, taste very integrated soft aromatic (in mouth at least) hops, less bitter, more flavor, now an IPA the whole family can love, soft citrus, approachable full flavored, amazing and for the books. From producer: Magnum and Centennial hops, 77 IBUs.

Now that I'm back in London my beer drinking increases, and last night I had a pleasurable Samuel Smith Old Brewery Bitter that was creamier and more flavorful than their thin and skunky Best Sovereign Bitter. I'm usually not a big fan of the non bottled beers from these guys but this was drinkable.

How about Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout? I usually buy a case every late Fall and the current offering comes in at 10% abv . For my money I think it's one of the best USA made Imperial Stouts available.

Drew

I'm usually not a big fan of the non bottled beers from these guys but this was drinkable.

I'm curious . . . have you noted any significant connection between your enjoyment of cask-conditioned ales and the skills of the bar attendant doing the pouring?

How about Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout?

Drew,

I haven't had that one, but would like to . . . Brooklyn makes very respectable stuff. The Stone IRS is really delicious as well.

Have you tried the Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse? I only sampled Schneider's version (the Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse) but found that little bit a bit too intense and syrupy to consider a purchase. I haven't tried Brooklyn's, however.

I'm usually not a big fan of the non bottled beers from these guys but this was drinkable.

I'm curious . . . have you noted any significant connection between your enjoyment of cask-conditioned ales and the skills of the bar attendant doing the pouring?

I probably haven't paid close enough attention, but in this case with the S.S. Old Brewery Bitter the bar attendant was pretty sloppy and just stuck the glass under the tap with high octane pouring until the glass was full and then let it settle down after I had paid. I was then grumbling to Gesche about how we need to find places with better pourers, but then I actually enjoyed the beer.

That said, it probably wasn't a great beer for the most discriminating of palates and it is hard to find places that take beer seriously. Especially when that is not always the priority of everyone else in our party.

Brooklyn Brown Ale. Brooklyn, New York. (American brown ale) on tap at Ella’s, DC, 5.6% – appears cola color, thick tan head, lacing, smell molasses and gingerbread, mouthfeel tiny sharp bubbles with lots of foam, taste sweet brown sugar and lots of wonderful citrus, an integrated roasted character which worked really well, good balance here, with the right food it might sing, but it was just a comfortable beer for me, I’d gladly revisit. From producer: Malts: British Two-Row malts, Belgian aromatic malts, American roasted malts; Hops: Willamette, Cascade, American Fugle.

Yuengling Traditional Lager. Pottsville, Pennsylvania (amber and red ale) – on tap at Ella’s, DC, 4.4% - appears amber red, tiny thin white head, smell walnuts and brown sugar, pretty unexpressive nose, mouthfeel sharp tight bubbles, slight foam, taste nutty caramel, slight syrupness, nice shingled ginger, slightly sweet and edges toward syrupy, I didn’t find much exciting here and bored pretty quickly with it, nothing wrong, just a cling or a zip that I wish it had, that being said the malts are nicely rounded which makes it pretty easy to drink, I tried it on tap shortly after sampling a bottle my housemate had left in the fridge for months, the freshness made a big difference and on tap it was much more expressive

New Holland Mad Hatter India Pale Ale. New Holland, Michigan. (American India pale ale) crown cap on 12 ounce bottle, 5.8% – appears reddish clear, medium bubble movement, thick white head, lacing, smell warm syupy hops, intense and concentrated and sweet, mouthfeel loosely bound, little bubble feel, taste intense harsh soapy, sticky hops, too soapy, that’s all I have to say, this was and is the type of IPAs that make me think I don’t like IPAs, (but have found too many exceptions to my liking to know any longer what the rule is), I don’t care for it, but, wow, what an amazing match for Maytag blue cheese, one of the best cheese pairings I’ve had