Beer Fellows

The Bruery - 4 Calling Birds

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 22:32:00 +0000

The 12 Days of Christmas is a holiday tradition that I have always liked - hey, I was 5 Golden Rings - and I think it is a tradition that we should keep going into the future. But can you just have one day on a can? Well, The Bruery is suggesting just that and if the can I tried a night ago is any indication, they may be onto something.

Four Birds Calling is the new flavor from the The Bruery and it is a dark porter that has really comes alive. A nice rich and roasty flavor, it lives up to the usual Bruery taste.

Purple Black Eye by Ocelot Brewing Company

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 00:30:00 +0000

Purple Black Eye

by Ocelot Brewing Company

Often times when you discover a really unique blend of coffee and cascara (dried coffee cherries), you stand up and say "Why has it been such a long time for this flavoring to make it here?" Then you stand back and casually read the label of the beer you have been drinking and it hits you - if you were going to have a guess, it would be Ocelot Brewing Company and the blend would be Purple Black Eye.

Purple Black Eye - Ocelot Brewing Company

Ocelot Brewing Company (23600 Overland Drive, Sterling, VA Voice: 703-665-2146; www.ocelotbrewing.com) is nothing new to the National Capital area. Nestled to the west of the Dulles International Airport (www.iad.com) on the Loudon County Parkway, I have made note a couple of times of these breweries experiments with deep brewed stouts. This time is no exception with this classic tasting and unique brew.

Purple Black Eye takes two approaches to its coffee laden stout flavor. First, it takes the traditional fashion of using hops to arrive at the the flavor. The Purple Black Eye does this pretty early and begins to bring in the drinker. But then, it socks it to you with in the surprise, a dried coffee cherry, known as a cascara. It is a sweet cherry but it is tempered by its bitter coffee taste. The two flavors taken together with their strong stout base make this a truly flavorful beverage that leaves the drinker wanting more. It is a truly fantastic experience.

I gave this is 4.5 out of five star on Untapped. This is a really outstanding drink - and I think the cascara and coffee combination is headed for bigger things if it is to be realized.

Skal!

Happy International Beer Day

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 22:02:00 +0000

Happy International Beer Day!

World of Beer Becomes CraftHouse in Northern Virginia

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 16 May 2017 04:14:00 +0000

The World of Beer is undergoing a reinvention in Northern Virginia this week. The three franchises - Reston, Arlington, and Fairfax - have transitioned from World of Beer and will be known as CraftHouse.

The locations, owned by Eban Metz, have been laboring under the World of Beer logo since they opened, paying for the menus and supporting the computer systems. Metz believes that he could do so much more with an expanded beer selection and an updated menu without the World of Beer fees. The Fairfax location has already made the transition, and it is safe to say that the Reston and Arlington locations have likewise done the same.

The Fairfax location, because of it abundant outdoor area, is one of the top 10 locations for World of Beer, headquartered in Florida. The Reston location was within the top 10 until Fairfax opened, so two of its top flight locations will be leaving the fold, a fact not to be missed by World of Beer.

New Sign, Same Content - Whole Foods - Fair Lakes

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 23:37:00 +0000

New Sign, Same Content - Whole Foods Fair Lakes

On the Road - Pirogue Black Tripel by Warped Wing Brewery

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 15:31:00 +0000

Last week I was on the road again visiting a friend (Hey, Steve!) in Dayton, Ohio. The purpose of the trip was simple - see the location where the Wright Brother's worked on the discovery of flight (yes, I know, Kitty Hawk, NC is the place where they flew) by visiting their bicycle parts business. (Really interesting link between bicycles and airplanes.)

Visiting the Wright Brothers also meant going to see the public viewing space of the US Air Force base at Wright-Patterson. (Spoiler alert: They have a B-2 Spirit!) Finally, you have to wrap up visiting the breweries that have popped up around town and as a bonus, cover the Packard car museum. Its a lot to cover in just a couple of days, so lets get started!

Out of the wide range of beers, I am going to focus on the Pirogue Black Tripel by Warped Wing Brewery. (26 Wyandot Street, Dayton, OH, 45402 - www.warpedwing.com) The night I walked into Warped Wing Brewery, the staff was rolling out the first night of Pirogue Black Tripel.

The brewery is in a large building (large by brewery standards) in an industrial/commercial area and has parking across the street. The bar is against the right side (the brewery is behind the wall but out of site) of the building and it has a large set of wooden tables and chairs going out to the left. It is pretty impressive and has wide range of male and female drinkers. There is room for even the kids and there are plenty of them!

Pirogue Black Tripel comes in draft with an ABV of 9.0% and IBU of 24. This beer is tightly put together so that it drinks smooth and with a lot of flavor. The aroma has a few hops in it, but not too many that you will walk away from it. The taste is what really sells this as a black tripel. The hops and the other flavors in the beer really work well together and with a barley malt, they just sing out with black tripel flavor. Overall, it is a really solid beer.

I gave it an Untapped rating of 4 stars.

Skal!

Just Type in "All That's Brewed"...

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 14:52:00 +0000

in your web address bar (www.allthatsbrewed.com) and read the same message in smooth and glorious text. That's right, you can read the same message, only faster, on www.allthatsbrewed.com.

Come over and try it out!

Yagar Dark - Cerveza Austral

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 15:05:00 +0000

Just when I thought that we had received gold from Rich and Carol Kitchens (I am considering making them our traveling reporters), I received another missive from the pair coming from the Chilean side of Patagonia.

This one concerned Yagan Dark (https://www.cervezaaustral.cl/producto/#yagan-dark) by Cerveza Austral (www.cervezaaustral.cl) which has a “with very subtle hints of chocolate, eminently drinkable, with the vicious weather of Chilean Patagonia bristling in the chilly background.” With an ABV of 6.1% and a serving temperature of about 44 degrees (approximate), this is a beer has you chortling at the rough weather in Patagonia.

So, we will be kept abreast of the Kitchens travel plans by the next beer they send back for us to take a gander at and marvel.

Skal!

What's on Tap?

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:03:00 +0000

What's on Tap? Well here is the list at Whole Foods - Fairfax

World Wide Stout - Dogfish Head Brewing

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 19:55:00 +0000

Nothing says winter like a nice warm stout. The basic stout is a great remedy to everything that is wrong with winter. The blistering cold, wind whipping, storm intensity...you have the idea.

Stouts have a way of saving the day on so many occasions, and a really good stout is always a fine treat. So, when I walked into the Dogfish Head Brewing Company to face the mob and decided to check out their World Wide Stout, I thought I would have a nice warm brew on a chilly night. Wrong.
But not for the reasons you think.

World Wide Stout by Dogfish Head Brewing Company (www.dogfish.com/front) seeks to become the firm's numero uno stout. Though the keep it refrigerated, you hardly notice the cold when you pick it up. When I looked to find its ABV, it listed it as between 15-20%. That's right, even they don't know what it is supposed to be - they have a range! It has to be one of the only profession brews to do that!

Its aroma is of a really strong stout, but it has alcohol bubbling up through the center of it. Make no bones about it, it is alcohol friendly. This beer is close to sizzling. In terms of taste, it is really simple - alcohol with strong stout - in that order. The alcohol is only for the first few minutes. As you get to drinking it, it simmers down and you can taste a bit of the stout, tempered by some of the additional flavors. A tempest of dark fruit comes to mind.

: A wickedly wild stout that reaches for the stars - and matches a few of them!

So, when the weather turns cold and its getting bitter, turn to World Wide Stout. It could be the last thing you will do, but it will be memorable.

Skal!

Four Corners - Easter Island

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 16:40:00 +0000

OK, I come from the Left Coast. Specifically, Piedmont, CA, which you won't find on anything but a detailed map of the San Francisco Bay Area. We like our anonymity because it is a small town and we like to keep it that way.

But people in Piedmont like to travel. If there is a corner of the world, someone from Piedmont or associated with Piedmont has been there.

So, in the midst of my beer blogging, I get a message from Mr. Rich Kitchen. Mr. Kitchens served as one of the gatekeepers coming out of Piedmont High School. For a lot of us, if you didn't pass Kitchens class, you weren't going to be leaving Piedmont.

Mr. Kitchens, and his beautiful wife Carol, who also taught for a while at Piedmont (still trying to figure that one out - nice going Mr. K!) send a note from Easter Island in the South Pacific that they are visiting. And then a second note with a picture of a beer from Easter Island! Yeah, Easter Island, addressed to me and for incorporation into the blog.

Mahina Pale Ale is bottled at Cerveceria Rapa Nui at Hanga Roa which is on Easter Island and it under the administration of Republic of Chile. It has a rich peach and apple taste taste combined hop flavor.

So, here is the beer shot:

: A little Mahina Beer from Easter Island.

Thanks a lot, Mr. Kitchens!

The Dude's Rug by B. Nektar Meadery

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 23:05:00 +0000

The Dude's Rug - B. Nektar Meadery

The Dude must abide! That little piece of wisdom was ground into a generation of us by Jeffrey Lebowski in "The Big Lebowski" some 18 years ago and for some of us, it still rings true. So when a drink appears on the market that brings about a stir of the same movie, it not only deserved notice, but simply, we must abide and check it out.

Not going into copious detail, but The Dude's Rug by B. Nektar Meadery (Ferndale, MI) really comes across as a total divorce from the standard cidar. Yes, this is cidar, but not like a cidar you have ever really tasted before. Cidar is usually light and the flavor is equally light. Heavy cider is a little more intense, but in the grand scheme of things, its not all that significant.

The Dude's Rug is different. Way different. This cider is more like winter time candy with intriguing levels that engross you. It has black tea, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. Not an apple, peach or pear in the bunch, though it is listed as an apple cider. The manufacturer lays it out this way:

Hard cider with tea and Chai spices

Essential Elements - Apple cider, chai tea (tea with cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla).

Appearance - Dark amber and clear with a foamy white head that dissipates into a thin white rim.

Aroma - Sweet, fresh apples with notes of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, ginger and raisin.

Experience - Sweet, baked apples followed by a vivid blend of clove and cardamom. Black tea rounds out the flavor and leaves little to no tannin. Medium-bodied with a crisp, red apple skin aftertaste.
The color is dark and the resulting drink is nothing short of spectacular. It tastes like dark, wintery port, or even porter if it had a little more body to it. It was one of those bottles that you wish you had an extra couple of ounces that you could wring out of it. It is 5.5% ABV, which is nice because you are going to come back to this one repeatedly - this could be the cider of the season.

I gave it a rating of 4 1/2 stars in Untappd. The Dude abides and this cider is keeping in that tradition.

Skal!
Brian

Dwarf Invasion! by B. Nektar Meadery

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 22:00:00 +0000

Dwarf Invasion! by B. Nektar Meadery

You know, I like mead. Maybe its my sweet tooth. Mead goes places in the taste realm that beer can't go. However, mead is kind of limited in where it can take you and that is unfortunate because I could see a number of areas where mead could influence the taste of certain food. The honey sweet grapey taste of the beverage uniquely places along the beer spectrum.

Enter Dwarf Invasion by B. Nektar Meadery of Ferndale, MI. One of the primary meaderies in the US, the products that come out of B. Nektar Meadery are really on the upside and deservedly so. Superior grapes, just the right level of sweetness from their honey, and the flavors that surround them make B. Nektar Meadery the places that one has to be beat.

And then their is the Dwarf Invasion. First off, it is a mead, pure and simple, with water, honey and wine its first three ingredients. But that is where the break occurs, because Dwarf Invasion tastes more like a fruit beer than a mead. As a matter of fact, its taste and texture make it impossible to tell it apart from a fruit beer despite the fact that it has none of the beer ingredients.

Dwarf Invasion is 6% ABV and is made with tart Balaton cherries and Styrian Golden hops to gain a taste that rivals some Belgian cherry beers. The tart cherries and the slightly bitter hops really make this a smooth and supple drinking beer.

The taste if mesmerizing. You know this is mead, but it doesn't look like mead and it certain does not taste that way. The tart cherries and the slightly bitter hops really make this a smooth and supple drinking beer rather than a mead. It doesn't not slam you back, but rather it lures you into a enchantment and lets you wander out of it. It is just really gentle with you and has no lingering effect, which some meads have in store for you.

Dwarf Invasion is one of several new meads coming from B. Nektar Meadery and I will be on the lookout for the others. Kudos!

Untappd: 4 1/2 stars.

Skal!
Brian

Off to Meridian Pint!

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 23:38:00 +0000

It is Thursday, and I am off to Merdian Pint for an exploration of their beer listings. So come on down and join me!

Brookland Pint!

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 23:36:00 +0000

It is Tuesday night and I am on my way to Brookland Pint. I will have to see what they have in store for me!

Remember...

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 21:40:00 +0000

to change your address for the Jolly Good Fellows blog (www.beerfellows.com) to:

Brian.Smith@JGFellows.com

by 1 May 2016. Before it is too late!

The Triple Lindy by Old Ox Brewery

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 21:30:00 +0000

Triple Lindy at Old Ox Brewery

The ol' Triple Lindy. Made famous initially by Rodney Dangerfield, I really hadn't heard mention made of it until I walked into the Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn, VA. Naturally, I had to order it, along with a spicy chicken sandwich and salad. Man, did I make the right choice!

What sells the Triple Lindy is its creamy base. The hops are good for the short term, but the base is what is selling this beer. It holds the Triple Lindy together no matter what you may have with it. (If the spicy chicken sandwich didn't put it through it paces, nothing will!) It comes with a nice light semi-transparent color and a good head, but it is the taste of the cream base that holds its place. Definitely a beer you can sip or hit hard.

Old Ox Brewery is a family owned and operated brewery. They put out beers that really hold their own. They produce a total of ten beers according to their menu and these are spread across seasonal, core, and experimental.

The Triple Lindy is a one-off beer. It is not listed in Old Ox's list of seasonal, core or experimental beers, but I think a nice worded note might see it return. It does not have an ABV or IBU numbers.

Though the Triple Lindy is no longer on offer (it sold out that night!), many of the Old Ox beers are excellent for drinking. Start with Alpha Ox and work your way down - you won't be disappointed!

Skal!
Brian

Wild West by Brouwerij Alvinne

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Wild West

The Wild West brings us connotations of cowboys, wrestling cattle and long beautiful sunsets as they set across the plains. The raw smell of the men, unbathed for days, doing the gritty work that we have dreamed of but have avoided because it wasn't really our "thing." Not the stuff of Field of Dreams.

Well, this Wild West is entirely different. It is brewed by Brouwerij Alvinne and has the flavor of plums in it to create a unique sour ale. Yes, that is right, I said plums, the forerunner of prunes, and have wrapped them in a sour ale.

The result is a great sour ale that is smooth and wickedly alive at the same time. They take oak aged barrels and add about 15 kg of wild plums to each barrel. The taste really begins in the nose of the beer. You just get a feeling that the beer is waiting for you to get busy. It is a lot less sour than the standard ale because the plums have been used to absorb that standard sour ale taste. The taste is really a mix of different flavors over the top of a distinct plum base. Nice to the tongue!

Brouwerij Alvinne is located in Moen, Belgium and was founded in 2004 and moved to a new building in 2011. The Wild West with plum is set for 2015, but the 2014 beer sold out. Grapes and Blackthorn were planned for last year and a Kriek is on for this year. If they have half the luck that Brouwerij Alvinne had with plums, they should be looking to sell out as well.

Wild West comes with a 6% ABV and no IBUs.

This beer and others from Brouwerij Alvinne are sure to rank up there when debating great sour ales. Get a bottle and try it out. I think you will find it pretty delicious too.

Skal!
Brian

To Get in Touch with Me...

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 22:21:00 +0000

I know that most of you are thinking, "I know how to get in touch with this guy," but I will be switching email addresses as of 1 May 2016. After that, you can reach me at:

Brian.Smith@JGFellows.com

Mark your email (or your spam folders) accordingly.

Bourbon Barrel Raspberry Stout with Vanilla Bean - Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 13:30:00 +0000

Raspberry Stout with Vanilla Beans

Raspberry stout is an excellent flavor. When you ferment it in bourbon barrels, you really get a bonus. But what did Hardywood Park Craft Brewery expect when they put vanilla beans in with it? Well, I found out when I tested this brew at Alexandria's Rustico that Thursday night.

I had tried the Bourbon Barrel Raspberry Stout right here, as some of you might have remembered and it rated pretty high in my estimation, so I figured that this stout would be good, but a definite second place.

Man, was I wrong. This raspberry stout is a completely different, though excellent tasting beer. The difference came in the way it handled the vanilla beans. It presented the vanilla beans rather than mixing them with the raspberries and the stout. Rather than being a raspberry stout with a vanilla beans chaser, it was actually a vanilla bean stout with a subtle yet substantial raspberry chaser. When you go and taste it, don't expect the raspberries to be a really strong flavor, but expect to taste the vanilla beans up front. This is very much as raspberry swirl in vanilla ice cream rather than a taste of vanilla in a strong raspberry sorbet, if I can extend the ice cream analogy. The result is a very tasty, yet different, raspberry and vanilla bean variant.

The Bourbon Barrel Raspberry Stout with Vanilla Beans by Hardywood Park Craft Brewery is a 12.4% ABV and a 50 IBU beverage. It is a Barrel Series Beer and is available in the Spring.

Oh so good!

Skal!
Brian

Yeah, It is Going to be Portland, Portland, Oregon!

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Portland, OR

It has been a long time in coming and it wasn't what I thought it would be but I am going to Portland, OR. It will be May 15-17. Well actually it is Astoria, OR and I am going with 46 other craft brewers and their guests on a three day view into how craft beer is brewed. It should be really cool. (And yes, Eric Stone, I am making time for you, though it may not be very much by your own reckoning.) Stay tuned as we get closer to the date.

Happy National Beer Day!

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 00:37:00 +0000

Today is the day! April 7, 1933 was the day that Prohibition ended and we could return to producing beer. Lots of beer! But when you consider the effects of two world wars, Prohibition and the Great Depression in 30 years, it's amazing we had an industry we could bring back at all. Cheers!

Procrastinator Batch #3 - Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:59:00 +0000

Procrastinator Batch #3

Sour, but oh so good! That is what is going through your head after drinking Procrastinator Batch #3 by Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes of Switzerland. What is really weird is that this drink is of a rare type called an eisbach. The eisbach is a brew that has been left past it point of maturation and is considered overdone. But it is served so cold that it actually has an extension to its life. So it turns out to be really sour rather than hoppy. It makes for a really interesting drink because the strength of the sour is present through out the drink.

Procrastinator does just the same thing and it is sour noticeable throughout the beer. But this drink has a lot of flavor from a mixture of fruits and berries. At first the taste is rather confused because there is so much going on, but then is starts to straighten itself out. It rights itself about half way through and then it is like liquid gold before finishing with a sour end. It is a total beverage.

Now this is when I layout the particulars for the Procrastinator Batch #3, like ABV and IBU, but these don't appear to have been any calculated for the beer. Strange, but I can accept that these will remain a mystery.

But if your brewery will carry this brand, go ahead and get a pour. If you like sours, you will not be disappointed. Think I will go back for a second one...

Skal!
Brian

Rocky Road by Smuttynose Brewers

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 03:33:00 +0000

Rocky Road by Smuttynose Brewery

Chocolate ice cream, marshmallows and walnuts. Can't ask anything more from Rocky Road ice cream manufactured by Dreyers Ice Cream of Oakland, CA since 1928. Yep, those brown and white striped containers (Edy's is the brand name on the East Coast of Dreyers) have had magical ice cream goodness in them. As a native son of Oakland, I have to say that Dreyers is a thing of beauty. Smooth, creamy, and crunchy all at the same time, Rocky Road has become one of those flavors that stands up and says "I am here. Come and get me!"

So I am going over the bill of fare at Birch & Barley preparing to order my dinner, and there it is - Rocky Road from Smuttynose Brewer of Hampton, NH. This is the first dessert stout from Smuttynose and they have picked a thing of beauty. (Still not sure that they have permission, but we will leave that one for the lawyers.) With a chocolate nib over a stout body, marshmallows and amaretto among the malt and hops, this comes pretty close to a perfect combination.

Rocky Road is a 7.3% ABV and a 25 IBU. Malt consists of North American 2-Row, Munich 10L, Carahell, C-120, Carastan, Brown Malt, Chocolate Malt, and Roasted Barley. The hops consist of Magnum (bittering) and Bravo and Sterling (flavoring). Yeast is American Ale and other flavors are cacao nibs, Fluff, and Amaretto soaked oak chips.

So glad to see Smuttynose Brewers reaching across the aisle and grabbing Rocky Road. It may be their first dessert stout, but I don't think it will be their last.

Skal!
Brian

When Things Go Badly - Creme Brulee by Southern Tier Brewing Company

skyemarthaler@gmail.com (Brian Smith) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Sometimes a perfectly good idea seems wonderful on paper, but in reality it just blow chunks. It seems like such a perfect combination. Creme brulee, one of the very hearts of a Parisian dessert, is a staple of life. Not just in Paris, but everywhere one goes and expects a dessert, creme brulee is surely on the menu. So it would make sense to create a beer to duplicate the taste. Hmm, it starts the mind to thinking...

Creme Brulee

It should start with "Are you nuts?" Creme brulee tastes nothing like beer. Not a milky sweet stout to say the least, where you are fending off bold malts from the hearts of creams that are at center of creme brulee. But Southern Tier Brewing Company said "ah, we know how to do it" and set about creating a chemical bath that would simulate creme brulee in a beer mug. Now Southern Tier Brewing Company has done some tough brews in the past and has made them sing - Anyone remember Mokah? - but there was something wrong with the Creme Brulee.

The deficient batch that they came up with is only half of the story to creating creme brulee. It actually smells like it in the glass, which is impressive, but it all goes down hill from there. The second part is just a mish-mash and turns the mix wickedly disappointing. The end is symptomatic of the whole experience - crashing and burning - as the drinker is gulping their way through the sourly tainted end. The best feeling is when the last bit is imbibed and the glass is empty.

The question becomes did Southern Tier Brewing do something by intention or was it the way the way it was prepared in the bar? Southern Tier has been serving this mixture since 2008 and that should be enough time to work the bugs out of it. The bar was Del Rey Pizza and they have served plenty of beer with success on their watch. But there were plenty of termites in this batch for everyone. Southern Tier Brewing Company or Del Rey Pizza - whom do we point the finger?

Creme Brulee by Southern Tier Brewing Company is a 10% ABV and has a serving temperature of 48 degrees. The yeast is ale yeast, four malts, two hops, vanilla and lactose sugar.

Skal!
Brian