Malted Musings

Connecticut Sunday Liquor Sales: A Craft Consumer's View

2012-05-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday a law took effect in Connecticut that allowed beer and liquor to be sold on Sundays, thus ending the archaic "blue law." I, like other beer fans, took it upon myself to visit my local beer superstore to pick up a few bottles to commemorate the event. In doing this, though, I fell into the trap that several small business owners expressed concern about.

The common opinion, as far as I can tell, is that beer fans (or sports fans, or Americans obsessed with convenience) all enjoy the opportunity to pick up beer and liquor every day of the week now, even if it's not imperative that it be bought on a Sunday. The flip side is that some small business owners have expressed concern that Sunday sales will lose them money, because their regulars will only purchase beer on Sundays from mega-stores. Another concern is that the small businesses will have to hire on more people to stay open on Sundays, or lose the only day off they have.

I understand the concern of small business owners. I grew up working in a small computer repair business that is still owned by my family. I have seen how needy a business like that is, and experienced how small business owners (and workers like myself) are called upon to be extra flexible to stay in business and make as much of a profit to keep afloat as possible. I just don't really agree with the arguments that the media has portrayed small business owners having in regards to this law.

Liquor Sunday inaugural beers. Not SUPER fancy, but very tasty!

First, according to the local media at large, businesses are concerned that Sunday sales will drive away customers from them. I see a few flaws in this, the first being that Sunday isn't the only day people buy their beer and liquor. Say my favorite shop isn't open on Sundays (which it isn't, currently). The only thing this means to me is that I won't go to that package store on Sundays (when they aren't open anyway), and every other day of the week I'll go to my favorite local store. It's not like I'll throw my hands up at the thought of them having the nerve to close on Sundays and never visit again: no I'll just go there every other day of the week (I usually buy my beer on Fridays anyway).

Secondly, some businesses have expressed concern that they won't have money to stay open on Sunday. Well, they don't have to. My above argument expresses that Sunday isn't the only day that people shop for beer, and if a store has been a local favorite for decades now a consumer won't (or shouldn't) jump ship just because their favorite store isn't open on Sundays. This also takes into account concerns about staffing and overworking: just stay closed on Sunday. Let Sunday (one day out of the week) be the day that people buy their emergency beer at grocery stores, and every other day of the week it's business as usual at the local establishment.

I know the economy is tough, but I have a hard time believing that one business day (which wasn't even a 'business day' five days ago anyway!) will cripple package stores that are decades-old institutions. For my part, I still plan on supporting my local package store as usual, even if they aren't open on Sundays. I like Sunday sales just because it's an option. On the off chance I absolutely positively need beer on Sunday then I have that choice. If not I'll just keep buying on Fridays like I've been doing my entire adult life.

It seems like the whole "debate" may have been trumped up by the media, but I'm honestly curious. Are you a business owner/worker who thinks Sunday sales are the worst? Are you part of a small business and think the opposite? Or as a consumer what are your thoughts? I'd love you hear what you have to think. Until next time follow me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook, and don't forget to support your local package stores that have been supplying you with liquid enjoyment for your entire life!

The 2nd Annual Rising Pint Brewfest Rocks Rentschler Field

2012-05-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Rentschler field, in East Hartford Connecticut, was the hosting location of the 2nd Annual Rising Pint Brewfest. The 'fest featured over 70 breweries including Connecticut breweries Relic Brewing, Williantic Brewery, Tullycross Tavern, Olde Burnside, City Steam, Thomas Hooker Brewery, Calvary Brewing, The Hartford Better Beer Company, Cottrell, Beaver Beer, and New England Brewery. The weather was perfect, with large crowds filing into the outer rim of the arena, and the beer flowing free.

Some of the offerings from Thomas Hooker Brewery. Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer

It was a well organized event and the crowds were exceptionally friendly. This was probably due in part to tons of beer, perfect weather, and a moderate State Trooper presence (as Rentschler Field is state property, Troopers have to be present at such events). All of the booths were set up in a gigantic horseshoe, running behind the stands overlooking the field. The setup made for great shade, and plenty of room for the voluminous crowd to move around.

In total there were just under 1,100 attendees. This was a vast increase from last year, when only between 300 and 400 attended. Proceeds from this year's fest went to the Arthritis Foundation New England and Folds of Honor. Live bands made sure that there was music going for the entire day, and Firebox, Plan B, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Beachland Tavern, Baronet Coffee, and several other restaurants and eateries made sure that no one went hungry.

The guys from the CT Beer Trail. Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer

Talking to Heather Schold, the creator of the event, she agreed that the day went of spectacularly. According to her there was a drastic increase of interest between last year and this year, with the greater attendance and more vendors making this a stellar event. Schold really focused on the craft beer community as a whole for this event, not just showcasing the distributors that she typically is involved with. For instance she got involved with Brett Hollander, the Hartford Distributors Inc. craft beer manager, to further connect with the greater craft beer community even though HDI isn't directly represented by her. With this involvement, Hollander became a staunch partner in the event and co-produced it. Says Schold, "Brett was the driving force of this event!"

The end goal, says Schold, was to have an event that helps grow Connecticut's craft beer scene, and further develops the community of beer fans. Building this up will increase traffic of people into CT to explore it's local breweries, and also increase the traffic of residents into their local beer stores to try the new craft brews. Building this influx is a goal for Schold. Connecticut has a good beer scene, according to Schold, but it just needs expansion and awareness. Events like the Rising Pint Brewfest is one way that other beer fans in CT meet, experience new beer, and organically build a strong culture.

View of the stage. Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer

Schold is already planning next year's Brewfest. For additions Schold wants Yellow Cab to be on call for the fest, so when someone needs a ride, all they have to do is walk out to the curb. Other ideas include a BBQ and homebrew beer competition. Schold is actively planning the event and is searching for more ways to make next year's Rising Pint Brewfest bigger, better, and more connected to the greater Connecticut community.

A portion of my table. Not pictured: all three Chimay varieties. Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer

For this event I poured for Chimay. Though pouring for a big fest like this is definitely a full day's work, the experience ends up being equally as fun as just attending. I showed up a hour early to pick up my name tags, setup my booth, and organize my samples. This time the distributor I pour for included not just Chimay for me, but also several other big import names to pour (such as Samuel Smith), so I had the smug satisfaction of a table full of super-high quality beer. Even though I love local and craft beer, there's nothing that compares to real Belgian beer. Quickly reviewing my tasting notes on the beers and organizing the rest of my pouring supplies, I eagerly awaited the thirsty crowd.

As people began trickling in, I made sure that my openers, tasting cups, and samples were all lined up and ready. By the time 30 minutes had gone by I hit my groove. Suddenly the history of Chimay was flowing freely, I recommended tasting notes and ideas to the patrons with ease, and I generally hobnobbed and dispensed as much beer knowledge as I could muster. Everything was going great, until someone asked to try some of the Framboise Raspberry Lambic that was on my table. Not really thinking I said, "Sure," tore off the foil, and remembered (and saw at this point) that it was corked!

City Steam Brewery's Table. Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer

Now I came with plenty of bottle openers, cleaning supplies, tasting cups, swag, and the like: but bringing a decorker never even occurred to me! Apologizing profusely I recommended another beer on the table that they ended up being really happy with (the Sam Smith's Apricot). Not wanting to be stuck again, I offered a bounty for a decorker to a few beer fans who were hanging out by my table discussing the particulars of tasting profiles: I would offer a bottle opener (that Chimay gave me to distribute where I saw fit) to the person who could bring me a decorker.

Not 15 minutes went by when someone came to my table, gave me a grin, and presented a travel decorker with a grand flourish. I thanked them profusely, coughed up a bottle opener as a reward, then cracked the corks on my lambic. The rest of the day went smoothly, with plenty of people trying plenty of beer, and tons of beer people engaging in thrilling malted discussions. Finally, at 5 PM, we began to tear down. I chatted with the vendors around me, and we helped each other dispose of our open samples. Then the boxes were broken down, everything was packed onto my hand truck, and I wheeled my way out of Rentschler field.

The cool-looking growler from cool new brewery Relic. Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer

Though tired from working 6ish hours on a Saturday (after a full week of work), there's nothing really like pouring great beer, and talking about the finer points of said beer to those who really appreciate it! For more pictures of the event, check out Jere Adametz's Flickr page. Also follow me on Facebook, Blogger, and Twitter and I will keep you up-to-date to events happening in CT, and events that I will be pouring. I highly recommend checking out CT Beer Trail to keep current with any beerfests coming up, and then I highly recommend you to go to as many 'fests as you can because they are a blast!

Tasting Notes: Oskar Blues

2012-05-14T07:43:00.001-07:00

Famed Colorado brewery Oskar Blues was featured for tasting this past Tuesday at Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown, CT. Oskar Blue, infamous for being one of the first major craft breweries to offer their beer in cans, had four beers on draught: Mama's LITTLE Yella Pils, Dale's Pale Ale, Deviant Dale's, and Gubna. The representative on hand was Brendan McLane, East Coast Sales Leader.

Oskar Blue brewery is located in Lyons Colorado (a territory of Boulder). It started in 1997 as a restaurant, expanded to a brewpub in 1999, and has expanded well beyond that since. Perhaps what Oskar Blues is most well known for is its great beer in cans. They, as McLane jokingly told me, started the "canned beer apocalypse," in 2002. They were the first craft beer company to can their beer, and have since become the leaders in a long line of craft brewery's canning their beer.

Oskar Blues HQ. Courtesy: Oskar Blues

The decision to can beer came down to a few basic points. Canned beer is more fresh, portable, and better for the environment, McLane told me. Because of canning Oskar Blues puts out 30% less of a carbon footprint, and recycles more than other brweries. Personally canned beer really agrees with me, but I shared with McClane the popular thing people say about canned beer: "It's not that great because it tastes like metal."

Like me, McLane had heard this one plenty of times before and rolled his eyes at the sentiment. He explained that the FDA decided decades ago that any canned items (soup, beans, tuna, etc) need to be lined inside first so no food products touch bare metal. As such beer never actually touches metal, and so cannot physically taste like aluminum. McLane went on to explain that the outside of the can still smells like metal, so perhaps that's where the stigma comes from. The easy solution around the metal problem, "Just pour it in a glass," McLane says.

Dale's in it's can. Courtesy: Oskar Blues

Oskar Blues wants to blow peoples' minds with canned beer. McClane says that Oskar Blues loves shocking people with their presentation. A person sees a six pack of cans, thinks of the negative stigma behind beer in cans, but then they crack it open and are blown away at the quality of the fluid within. Their goal is to pack brilliant beers into inviting cans.

One of the more interesting beers I tried was the Deviant Dale's Pale Ale. This is a variation on their wildly popular (and highly regarded) Dale's Pale Ale. The best part about Deviant was the piney, bright and balanced hop note that shines through the entire sip. I asked McLane about this wonderfully unique IPA and he said that the uncommon taste comes from a double dry hopping that the beer goes through with Columbus hops. This beer took home a silver medal in the Great American Beer Fest, and also is the first beer from Oskar Blues that comes in a 16oz can (which is bigger than usual).

Oskar Blues is special, says McLane, because of the lifestyle that they promote. Oskar Blues wants people to push the limits, get outdoors, and drink awesome beer from cans. As with many Colorado breweries, Oskar Blues is into mountain biking, other outdoor endeavors, and sustainability. They have started a farm out in Colorado where they grow their own hops, and also raise livestock for their restaurant. They want an inflow of beer and for all food to (eventually) come from their organic farms. McLane says that Oskar Blues want to bring their restaurant and brewery into a big circle, relying on their own product for everything.

The Oskar Blues Farm. Courtesy: Oskar Blues

Oskar Blues is proud of its unique style and philosophy. As McLane explains it, Oskar Blues has no set styles and instead puts its own twist on beer that they want to make. They are admitted hop heads, but embrace the wide flavor spectrum of the hop: not just bitterness. The hop is an ingredient with vast flavor potential and Oskar Blues loves experimenting with hop notes to tease out new and different flavors. They embrace craft beer as a group effort, and in their main restaurant they have 43 beers on draught, with only 12 or so from Oskar Blues. Liking to do things differently and decidedly anti-corporate, Oskar Blues is serious about making good beer, while being good to the environment and each other. "At the end of the day," McClane says, "it's just beer."

It's this cavalier attitude that speaks to the great dichotomy of Oskar Blues. They're a serious brewery that doesn't let their high quality beer extinguish their love of fun and community.

Dale's Pale Ale. Courtesy: Me

The first beer I tried is perhaps one of the widest released in this area of Connecticut: Dale's Pale Ale. This beer poured out a light, translucent yellow with just a slight tone of amber. It smelled slightly sweet and hoppy, with just a hint of bitterness on the nose. The taste was initially smooth with easy going floral hop notes. This then moves to a deeper, bitter hop that mingles with a sweet maltiness. The taste then slides to a deeper floral bitter note that ends up with a lingering dry bitterness. This is a medium beer, with a hefty bittersweet hop taste that lingers. This is a good "every season beer" due to its potent hops balanced delicately with a pleasant sweetness.

Deviant Dale's. Courtesy: Me

I tried Dale's evil cousin next: Deviant Dale's Pale Ale. This poured out a deeper translucent reddish/amber and was tinged through with a spritzy yellow. It smelled deeply floral (almost clove or pine) with a lingering bitterness on the nose. The initial taste is sharp and bright with a strong floral pineyness. This taste then moves to a sweet hoppy malt burst that mellows the sharp taste and levels out the profile. From here the taste progresses to a lingering bitterness that lightly singes the taste-buds (in a good way) on the way out to the aftertaste. This beer is medium with a sharp, unexpected floral hop burst (with a very unique piney tang) that lingers bitterly with a subtle sweetness.

Mama's LITTLE Yella Pils. Courtesy: Me.

I went for something a little more mellow next: Mama's LITTLE Yella Pils. This one poured out a transparent yellow with a solid gold body throughout. It smells sweet, with some slight hints of malting. The initial taste is sweet and light. This moves fluidly to a bright maltiness which in turns shifts to another bright, sweet note. This medium sweetness lingers on the palate lightly throughout the aftertaste. This is a light to medium pilsner, whose sweetness builds the body. It is light, but not watery, and holds interest throughout the sip by having a very interesting sweet malting note.

Gubna. Courtesy: Me.

The last beer I tried from the Oskar Blues lineup was their fortified Gubna. This beer poured out a murky, reddish golden tone. The scent was very vivid, with bright fruitiness and slight clove notes on the nose. At first sip the beer was sweet and deep. This tone then moves to a rich maltiness that serves as the precursor to a potent taste of alcohol. The alcohol is tempered by the heavy sweetness and doesn't become overwhelming. In the end of the sip, the sweetness dissipates and combines the sweet richness with an alcoholic bite. This beer is heavy. It's reminiscent of a fortified saision, in the way that it is sweet with a fruity tone, but still very smooth. It warms you up from the inside and sits heavy on your palate with that thick, balanced sweetness that lingers long after your first sip is done.

If you want to try some of the beers I talked about here on tap, head down to Eli Cannon's Taproom before they kill off all the kegs. For more info on the brand, their canned beer and sustainable mindset, head over to Oskar Blues' website. Also follow me on Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter for up-to-date news on the exciting CT beer scene!

Tasting Notes: Sebago Brewing Company

2012-05-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday Eli Cannon's Tap Room featured Sebago Brewing Company at their Tuesday Night Tasting. On draught (beside the usual lengthy beer list) were the Barleywine 2011, Elegans Saison, Saddleback Ale, and the Full Throttle Double IPA.

Sebago has five year round beers and five rotating seasonal brews. As with most breweries, Sebago does "one off" barrels every once in a while of special brew that they are either trying for the first time, or just want to make for artistic purposes. For the tasting, the Barleywine and the Elegans Saison were single barrel runs that were featured on draught, with Full Throttle being a seasonal, and the Saddleback a year round brew.

Jim Lalumiere was the Sales Representative on hand from Sebago (pronounced 's - bay -go') Brewing Company. Started in 1998 out of Gorham, Maine, Sebago began as a brewpub and has since grown to four more brewpubs in the greater Maine area. Currently the beer is on full distribution in every state in New England, except for Massachusetts. Sebago is a Maine institution, and enjoys many local accolades for being a stellar place to get great food and drink artisan beer.

The logo of Sebago. Courtesy: Sebago Brewing Company.

Lalumiere has been at work for Sebago since last October. A trained chef, Jim has always been drawn to the beer industry, and describes what he is doing now as a culmination of his love for the beer world. The new Saison features a pineapple sage spice in it (a lemongrass/light fruitiness taste) that Lalumiere brought to the table. He is proud that he can offer suggestions and taste ideas to the higher-ups at Sebago, who then hear out the suggestion and then give these new tastes a chance.

Lalumiere says that Sebago is special because it is a Maine beer that takes its time in fermenting its batches, and thrives on supporting the local communistic. For one batch of beer in particular, Sebago threw a large BBQ, invited fans to the brewery, dropped off a truckload of hops, and everyone ate, hung out, and helped shuck hops that went into Sebago's production beer. This is just one anecdote that speaks to Sebago's love of their local community; the brewers at Sebago give back wherever possible (always trying to involve local businesses) and are proud to be made in Maine.

Sebago is very much a New England beer: it has big flavor with riffs off of standard beer varieties while maintaining artistic flair. The seasonal IPA fit the Spring weather perfectly (bright, warm, and slightly bitter), the Saddleback was a great year-round beer that offered pleasing, easy drinking refreshment, but I think the Barleywine was my favorite beer of the evening (narrowly beating the Saison, which had a very unique malty sweetness).

The Barleywine 2011. Courtesy: Me

The Barleywine poured out amber red with a spritzy head on top. The nose was dry and bright with hints of a light citrus note. At first sip the beer has a bright, warm taste that lingers until the alcohol kicks in. This then moves very rapidly to a rich honey tone that trails to a very sweet and dry flavor. After this the beer finishes with a warm (again tasting of honey), lingering sweetness. This beer is very heavy with sweetness that swirls and mingles with heavy alcohol. It is one of the only beers I have had that has such a rich, pronounced honey flavor in it, while still being balanced with some dryness and warm malting. The honey flavor and the heaviness of the beer is very reminiscent of a honey bourbon, but the barleywine has a much thicker texture throughout its body.

The Elegans Saison. Courtesy: Me

The next beer I tried was the Elgans Sasion. This beer pours out a murky, translucent gold with slight lacing running down the glass. The beer smells very dry and distantly hoppy. At first sip I got a dry, and slightly fruity tone (tinged with tangerine). This then moves to a more pronounced dry fruitiness that is permeated by a lingering dry hop. In the end the fruit cuts out and I was left with a slightly dry tone. There is a semi-sweet bitterness that sits dryly on the tongue of this medium beer. It is different from most saisons that I have tried, mostly due to the prevalence of this semi-sweetness, and a lack of heavy fruitiness. That being said, it is still a very refreshing beer despite (or maybe due in part too) it's interesting dry light bitterness.

Full Throttle Double IPA. Courtesy: Me

Next up was the Full Throttle Double IPA. This beer smelled deeply floral, with sharp hops lingering on the nose. It poured out an opaque yellowish orange. The first taste I got was a semi-sweet bitter hopping that moves to a sharper, sweet hop tone. This taste lingers with a slight (very slight) sweetness that then finishes clean with a lingering dry bitterness. This beer is a dry and bitter medium, but the deep IPA bitterness of the brew was cut by a very pleasing sweetness that played throughout the entire taste profile.

Saddleback Ale. Courtesy: Me.

Finally was the Saddleback Ale. This beer pours out a murky golden yellow, and smells distantly of sweetness (although it was hard to get a nose off of this one). At first taste I got a very mild, wheaty malting. This taste then moved to a distant sweetness that mingled with a light starchiness and then finishes easily. This beer is light to medium, with any of the body coming from the starchiness. This beer has no real discernible hopping, but is sweet, mild, and very easily drinkable.

Sebago is one of those beers that you see in the package store fairly often, but may not be tasted as much as it's quality demands. See if you can get your hands on some of the barleywine or saison, but failing that be sure to try any of their bottled beer or head to Eli Cannon's to grab it while its still on tap. For more information on Sebago beers check out their website. Also follow me on Blogger, Facebook, or Twitter for all of your local beer ramblings!

Tasting Notes: Goose Island

2012-04-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

Goose Island, a Chicago based brewery/brewpub dating to 1988, has officially extended the distribution of its artisan beers through Connecticut. Up until this point you may have come across a stray bottle here and there at specialty package stores, but now (with full distribution plans rolling out) you will be able to enjoy Goose Island at every big beer store in your area.

Goose Island started out as a brewpub back in 1988. John Hall (the brand's eventual founder) had traveled across Europe, sampling beers as he went, and when he returned home he knew that he could brew beer that was just as good in America. Living in Chicago helped, as there was a massive amount of fresh water just waiting to be tapped into.

Goose Island silos, current day! Courtesy: Goose Island

Today brewpubs are fairly common; it's not too hard to find a place where you can watch the brewing process unfold before your eyes, and then sit, have dinner, and drink a beer that came from the premises. Back in the late '80s however this was more of a novelty, which made Hall an innovator. He figured that allowing the consumers to see the process would stir up interest in going outside of their comfort zones and trying new beers.

His hunch proved right. Seven years after the Goose Island Brewpub opened its doors Hall had to open up a separate brewery and bottling plant to keep up with the high demand of his beer. Then in 1999 Hall opened yet another Brewpub right next to Wrigley Field, further cementing Goose Island's presence as a premier beer line in Chicago.

Goose Island currently has over fifty beers at the brewpub, and I had the chance to try five of those at Eli Cannon's Tap Room's "Goose Island Launch Party." Two beers (the Matilda and the Sofie) reside above the 6.5% abv level and so had to be served in the smaller (highball sized) pint glasses. The other beers on tap (the Honker's Ale , 312 Urban Wheat Ale, and India Pale Ale) all were poured out in the regular pint glasses. In true Eli Cannon's fashion, samples of the beer were served from 7pm to 9pm so everyone could get a taste of what makes Goose Island special. There were no official representatives from Goose Island present (as the operations in CT are only in place probably as of yesterday or so), but I got useful tidbits from the knowledgeable servers, and from Goose Island's website.

Honker's Ale. Courtesy: Me

The first beer I tried was Honker's Ale. This beer smelled very light and fruity, with no other scents detectable. It sat a transparent reddish amber in the glass with a foamy head. The initial sip was very carbonated on the nose, and moved quickly to a deep malty grain note. There is a nutty, caramely note here too, but the flavor moves on and finishes with a distant earthy spice that lingers pleasantly. This is a light beer with a high maltiness that leaves a bready aftertaste which begs for another sip. All in all Honker is a very enjoyable beer that is light enough to have anytime, but interesting enough with the spicing to keep you coming back for more.

312 Urban Wheat. Courtesy: Me

Next up was the 312 Urban Wheat. This beer poured out a very pale amber with a light head on top. This beer smelled light and dry with a vague fruitiness that lingered on the nose. At first sip this beer is light and smooth with a hint of wheatiness. From here the beer moves to a malty, creamy carbonation. After lingering here for a moment the beer ends lightly with a hint of earthy grains. This beer is light to medium with a heady malting that cuts out abruptly at the end and leaves a mellow malting on the palate. A very refreshing spring/summer beer.

IPA. Courtesy: Me

The India Pale Ale was next. I've been around with a lot of IPA's, but honestly this is one of my new favorites. It pours out a transparent pale amber color with a slight head. The main scent I got from this one was a distant slightly dry note (it was hard to get a nose from this one). At first sip I got a dry, slightly fruity flavor which really played up the fruitiness of the hops. There is a dry, sweet burst in the middle, which then moves back to that great light, dry hop fruitiness. This IPA is light to medium, getting its body from the dryness. This is very refreshing for an IPA as the fruitiness and the dryness are perfectly balanced, giving several profiles of the hop playing across the tongue long after the sip is finished.

Sofie. Courtesy: Me.

Next up was the first entry in Goose Island's "Vintage" line up: the Sofie. This poured out a hazy amber with a light head, smelling light, fruity, and dry. The initial taste is very fruity (with a certain dryness) that moves to a more solid dry note fairly quickly. The taste proceeds from here to a dried fruit note that stretches to the aftertaste, leaving dried fruit pleasantly on the tongue. This beer is a dry medium that has the definite notes of a Belgian Saison (its lightish color and dry fruit tones). Though it is 6.5% this beer is very refreshing and pairs well with the warmer weather due to the mellow tone throughout the body.

Matilda. Courtesy: Me

I finally arrived at the end of the beer flight with the Matilda. This beer pours out a murky orange brown color with a light head on top. The scent from this one is sweet and slightly fruity. At first taste there is a prominent fruit tone that gets stronger with a potent dry note. This taste then slowly transforms into a malty dryness that lingers on the palate heavily leaving me with the caramel malting playing with the fruit tones on my tongue. This is a medium to heavy beer that gets most of its character from the dryness of the sip. It is fruity, but not overpowering, and has a very balanced taste profile which encourages further sipping and exploration into the deeper nuances of its flavors.

Goose Island (from what I could tell from the beer I tried) loves playing with dry fruity notes to make very unique taste profiles. I look forward to checking out more Goose Island as it is distributed in CT, and I encourage you all to check out Goose Island for a great set of suds to usher in the warmer weather! If you want to keep current with Goose Island check out their website and follow them on Twitter. For all your CT beer news follow me on Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter.

Tasting Notes: Harpoon Brewery Spring 2012 Sneak Peek

2012-04-07T15:50:00.001-07:00

This past Tuesday, Eli Cannon's Tap Room greeted Harpoon Brewery representative Roger Willson and offered a full selection of Harpoon beer on tap. This included Harpoon Leviathan Barley Wine, the classic IPA, Hard Cider, Celtic Ale, Raspberry UFO, and Black IPA. Out of these I had never tried the Black IPA or the Raspberry UFO, and so was looking forward to trying the new varieties. For those that don't know UFO is a Harpoon subdivision that focuses only on their unfiltered wheat beers (or hefeweizen).

Roger discussed the very interesting Raspberry UFO on tap with me first. This beer was a style that the owners thought they would never try. UFO is known for its unfiltered, unapologetically rich flavor. This richness, at first thought, wouldn't mesh well with the tart sourness of real raspberry. After a lot of insisting, the company finally put together a batch of the beer that ended up to be a huge hit. By adding natural raspberry to the beer, this hefeweizen starts out fairly tradtional, but then moves to a tartness that fits rather naturally with the unfiltered style: the all natural raspberry taste is brought out by the light sweetness inherent to the hefeweizen style. The Raspberry UFO is now available year-round.

Raspberry UFO. Courtesy: Me.

The other brand new beer on tap is the 100 Barrel Black IPA. According to Willson this beer was the brewery's attempt to crack into the popular black IPA style. They used a specialty malt (called Midnight Wheat) that gives the beer an almost stout-like appearance. This, coupled with dark malts and a wide selection of hops, yielded a beer that has since sold out to distributors quickly. The beer should be in stores now, but may be sold out due its popularity as you read this!

100 Barrel Black IPA. Courtesy: Me

In terms of the spring releases for UFO, Willson reports that they will be sticking with their UFO Hefeweizen release in late spring, and are considering brewing up an unfiltered cider style. As someone who will buy any UFO on merit (and loves orange juice with pulp), I for one would love to try a cider that retains the murky richness of the unfiltered style, while playing on the tangy sweetness of the apple.

For Harpoon Brewery releases this Spring, coming down the pipe is the 100 Barrel Ginger Wheat, Coffee Porter, and the 100 Barrel Rye IPA. Willson said he was very excited for the Rye IPA especially. Brewing with rye has been another hot beer trend within the past few years, so in this Harpoon is right on top of the curve. The Rye IPA, as Willson explained, will be mild with only hints of hops. They are starting with a Bohemian pilsner style, but basically changing the hop structure around to offer more diversity. As Harpoon built their company around their very successful IPA, I'm looking forward to the unique twist they are going to put on the rye.

The other big news coming from Harpoon is that, starting this summer, they will begin offering canned beer. I'm a huge fan of cans, it's a hot trend out West, and Willson was very excited to have Harpoon offering the fun out this way. The beers that are slated to be canned are the Summer IPA and White UFO IPA. Harpoon will be shipping their beer to Saranac to be canned, and then the beer will be distributed throughout CT.

Black IPA and the Raspberry UFO. Courtesy: Me

For the tasting notes, I had to try the two new beers that I'd never encountered before. The 100 Barrel Black IPA poured out an opaque chestnut brown with a persistent tan head. It smelled dryly hoppy with faint malting detected deep within the body. At first sip I got a strong dry hoppiness. This dryness extended to a strong bitterness that was abruptly cut with a rich semi-sweet flavor that led out to a rich bitterness. From here the taste cuts out suddenly and I was left with a lingering semi-sweet bitter taste that sat pleasantly on my tongue. This beer has a lingering medium body that sits bitterly with a semi-sweetness on the back of the tongue. Overall it is a fairly unique black IPA (which has been a very popular style recently) in that it has the bitterness, a medium body, but a semi-sweetness that balances the whole taste out.

The Raspberry UFO poured out a murky opaque orange and smelled sweetly and dryly of fruits (mostly raspberry). The first taste is a smooth, dry tone that leads to a muted raspberry note. This then ends with a carbonated slightly tart and sour note. This beer is light to medium. The body is derived from the tart raspberry flavor. The aftertaste is slightly tart with a pleasing dry fruit note on the back end. This is a great spring beer, as it has a lighter body but a tart note on the back end that adds a little bit of bite and interest to the overall flavor. In this way you get the body of a summer beer, but a taste that is reminiscent of the biting winter.

The 100 barrel styles from Harpoon have been extremely popular (not to mention tasty) and so if you see any at a store near you, be sure to pick some up! I am very excited to try the canned beer (especially the UFO) this summer, as I find canned beer more easily portable and it stays cooler longer: perfect for BBQs and trips to the beach alike. I try to promote canned beer as much as I can (its merits are extensive as it is very cost effective) and the first hurdle I have to get over is people complaining that "their beer tastes like metal."

This is impossible as there is a treatment of the lining on the can that renders it a perfectly neutral taste, but I suppose that rant is best saved for another day. In the meantime be sure to follow Roger Willson and Harpoon on Twitter, and get out there and secure yourselves some of the new Rye IPA as soon as possible. Also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger for all your local beer news and general ramblings.

Tasting Notes: Beaver Beer

2012-03-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

New local Connecticut beer brand Beaver Beer presented their product this past week at Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown CT. The brand representatives on hand were co-owners Bill O'Brien and Baxter Urist, with the third owner (Rob Anson) away for the evening. When asked why they chose beer as an occupational choice, Urist and O'Brien both laughed and said that they were just all guys that have loved beer as far back as they could remember. O'Brien in particular mused that since he was a young man he had a significant passion for beer.

This is Urist and O'Brien's first professional foray into the beer world. They all (Rob Anson included) come from a marketing background, and branched into similar ventures through their mid life. The common thread throughout all of the Beaver Beer owners' professional life has been a focus on reaching consumers with a message or a product of some kind.

For reference: a North American beaver (slightly moist). Courtesy: Shawn McCready (Flickr)

The product they now want consumers to reach for is their stable of three flagship beers, although the surprising thing about the three founders of Beaver Beer is that none of them brew beer themselves. Though they are deeply passionate about beer, and know the difference between good and bad beer, O'Brien, Urist, and Anson never have dabbled in making the stuff themselves. "It may be heresy, but aren't homebrewers," O'Brien said laughing.

Though they don't have hands-on experience with making beer, O'Brien reassured me that they have plenty of experience marketing a good product. They key tenants to be successful in the beer field (they told me Tuesday) are having a good strategy, relatable name, and eye-catching packaging. Above all though, O'Brien told me, is the necessity of a really good product that people will want to keep coming back to.

The beaver associated with the brand. Boy he's a happy beaver! (Courtesy: Beaver Beer)

To create this product, a beer that will attract fans and beer snobs alike, the Beaver Beer founders looked all around and found a brewmaster that has many years of brewing experience and knows how to craft a great beer. The fruit of this effort for the Brewery is a fleet of three beers that are based on the three most popular styles of beer in the US: the lager, IPA, and pale ale.

The process for inventing a winning beer started at least 15 years ago for Beaver Beer. It was at that time that the guys trademarked the name "Beaver Beer" (after searching nationally to make sure it wasn't taken) and set out to find great beer recipes. After getting the information on the most popular styles of beer and hiring their skilled Brewmaster, the next task was to start brewing test batches to see if the recipe would be well received. After several revisions the beer went on a blind taste test tour across three states (Vermont, Connecticut, and New Jersey). There the beer was poured next to its comparable competing style in cups marked "A" or "B." The participants drank both samples and marked which beer they preferred; Beaver Beer emerged as the clear winner through the whole tasting campaign, winning the majority of preference.

A North American beaver on a leash? Oh look it has a Christmas present! Courtesy: washuugenius (Flickr)

With its recipe nailed down the beer now focused on making itself (as the tagline on the website says) a fun name but a serious beer. In national surveys the "Beaver" name tested extremely well. These surveys were conducted online and quizzed beer drinkers of every age and gender across the nation. This research took two years and was very sophisticated: taking into account and utilizing all the combined years of experience that the Beaver Beer founders have in marketing a product.

This beer is launched out of Connecticut, and that's where the founders live. The launch location was chosen so the owners could keep their business local to where they live and connected to their immediate community. By keeping their business in their own backyard, traveling to different vendors and distributors is easier, and it makes the business personal. This friendliness is present in the beer, as Urist and O'Brien tell me, because it is a beer that goes out of its way to accommodate all subjective tastes (with three different solid brews) and be a fun conversation starter due to its cheeky name.

(left to right) Brewnette & Big Red. Courtesy: Me

The end goal for Beaver Beer is to make it as a national brand. The founders really want to get national distribution as soon as possible and establish a brand that will be recognized from Connecticut all the way to California. By all accounts, it looks like this beer will reach it's goal; O'Brien told me that the name "Beaver" resonates with people across the country. Beaver Beer is memorable, it has alliteration, it's funny, and has double entendres that work on multiple levels, no matter where you live. It's a beer that really focuses on good beer and good fun. Even though the national expansion plan may initially alarm some beer fans, I urge you all to at least try the beer before you make any dispersions. The guys behind Beaver are a great bunch, and they really have brewed some solid tastes that I plan to revisit several times this spring/summer season.

There were two of the three Beaver Beer's on tap (the Brewnette and the Big Red), and I started with the Brewnette. The Brewnette Amber Lager poured out a transparent brown with some spritzy bubbles rising to the rapidly diminishing head. It smelled sweet, with slightly dry hints of fruit. At first sip the beer starts warm and slightly sweet. This taste then moves to another warm note, this one hoppy. The taste here transitions to a semi-sweet maltiness that lingers on the palate, leaving me with a nice neutral, slightly sweet taste on my tongue. This is a light to medium beer that has a great semi-sweet malt profile which lingers long after the first sip is done.

Brewnette Amber Lager. Courtesy: Me

Next up was the Beaver Big Red IPA. This one pours out a murky, transparent red color, and smells mild with vague malt overtones. This beer initially tastes slightly bitter, but swells through the mid-taste to a slightly warm malty burst that balances out the flavor. The taste progresses from here to a bitter hop taste that retains some of the sweet warmth on the back end. The bitterness continues all the way through and remains lingering on the aftertaste. This beer is medium and bitter, but the malting gives the beer a great warm note that offers some differentiation in the standard bitter IPA layout.

The Big Red IPA. Courtesy: Me

If you want to try a little Beaver for yourself, the beer is in Middlesex, New Haven, and Fairfield counties, with 150 package stores total. This number is expanding as we speak and the founders are confident that more regional exposure will be right around the corner. Coming down the pipe the Beaver Beer founders want to branch into canning their beer (rather than having it in bottles), and developing a kolsch recipe.

Be sure to check out the Beaver Beer website for more information, distribution, and any upcoming developments on this exciting new local CT beer brand. Also follow me on my Blogger, Facebook, or Twitter for more up-to-date beer news and ramblings about beer in general.

Three Beer Things That I'm Looking Forward to in Spring

2012-03-09T12:10:00.001-08:00

Although this mild winter we've had may make it seem like we are already in the grips of spring, in reality the spring season doesn't officially start until March 20th. What this weather has done (besides make me extremely grateful for a lack of snow) is make me begin to think about what beer related activities I'm looking forward to now that things are getting warmer! I have come up with three, and I'd love to hear some of yours in the comments section.

The first and foremost things that has me all a-twitter is the prospect of being able to do things outside again. Sure this winter was mild, but I was not a bad enough (or bored enough) dude this year to BBQ outside, have fires outside, and generally spend time out of the heated indoors. Now, obviously, all that is going to change. To me the outdoors and beer are connected on a very core level. What makes camping trips that much more fun? How does fishing transcend sitting around and getting eaten by bugs to a sublime connection with nature? What's the best way to replenish after a hike? How can siting around a campfire with friends be imbued with a mirthful joy that reflects the rejuvenation of spring? The answer to all of these (among other things I suppose) is beer! For some reason there are not a whole lot of things that you can do outside that aren't made better by kicking back and having a can or bottle of tasty suds.

Springtime, in Sharon CT! Courtesy: Dougtone (Flickr)

Flipping that idea around: beer is generally made much better by taking it out of doors. My favorite watering hole here in Middletown, CT is Eli Cannon's Tap Room. The problem is that in the winter it get's super packed: like shoulder to shoulder filled. While I may not mind the tight jovial crowd so much, several of my friends find such a stuffy bar atmosphere tough to relax in. The magic cure all for this is the beer garden in back! In the balmy spring air, kicking back with an array of craft beers and snacking on fried pickle chips, life really couldn't taste much better. The same could be said to any beer garden or patio that opens come spring time: there's something about the sweet mild air that makes it almost more intoxicating than the beer that one imbibes.

The second, and most obvious, thing I'm looking forward to this spring is the spring seasonal beers. As with fall, the seasonal beers during this time are ones that typically exemplify transition and the changing of the seasons. As such you get the best of both worlds: the solid body of winter beers; with refreshing tastes of the summer. A good example of this is the seasonal offering from Sam Adams, their Alpine Spring. This is an unfiltered lager that has a brisk body, but an easy citrusy finish. The idea behind the beer is to start with a hefty base of the beer, but brew in an easy finish that hints at some of the more citrusy summer styles. Though Sam Adams may not be everyone's favorite, I find that their brewing philosophy is more or less on point with the changing of the seasons. The idea of transition is present in many other breweries as well, and as the seasons begin to shift, and the weather begins to get warmer, I'm looking forward to beers that both warm me up, and give me a taste of things to come!

Ahh the beer garden at Eli Cannon's! Courtesy: Jere Adametz (Flickr)

On the topic of warming up, my third favorite part of this season is that it is the early days of breweries planning for my favorite seasonals: the winter! Though we are just getting out of winter now, and I certainly have no wish to return to the biting cold, it is always fascinating to see what special brews that breweries have on tap for the colder weather. For brewers, it seems to me, creation of new beer is an art form: just because it is spring doesn't mean that inspiration for a special winter brew can't crop up! Especially when brewers are planning to take 5 months for an extended fermented beer, within the next few spring months is the time when breweries may start teasing us with hints of big oaked, heavily hopped, and huge imperials beers that will be showing up in time for Christmas.

As we get closer and closer to the season of short sleeves I will do my darndest to bring updates about new spring seasonals, and any other seasonal that is rumored to be released soon. While we are waiting for our favorite beer gardens/outdoor patios to open I would love to hear from all of you: what are your favorite seasonals? Where is your favorite place to take in fresh air and drink with friends? What is your favorite activity made better with beer? Leave a comment, and follow me on Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter for beer updates on the Connecticut beer scene, and general beer ramblings.

Tasting Notes: Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale vs. Oaked Bastard

2012-02-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday I attended Eli Cannon's Tap Room's Anti-Valentines Party with my wife, which featured a Stone Brewing Co. tap takeover. They had Levitation, Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, and Oaked Bastard on draught, in addition to their already-copious beer list.

Though I am well acquainted with Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale (as it is one of my favorite ales) I decided to try it off draught and then compare it to the Oaked Bastard, which I had never tried before. The regular Bastard poured out a dark velvety brown translucent color with a bubbly head that sat at a stubborn few millimeters. It had a light bitter hoppy smell with a lingering warm malty note on the nose. At first sip there is a dark mocha note that moves smoothly to a balancing tone of slightly bitter hop. From here there is a floral burst that rides through and leaves me with a slight dry hoppy aftertaste that then ends up on a semi-sweet maltiness. This is a medium to heavy-ish beer whose malts create the abundance of the body. This beer is rich and deep with a velvety smoothness that mingles with dry hopping for an exceptionally balanced taste with a hint of mocha on the back end.

Arrogant Bastard Ale (Courtesy: Stone Brewing Co.)

From here I went right into the Oaked Bastard for a taste comparison. Long story short there was a noticeable difference, but let's save that for the final word. This beer poured out a translucent, deep reddish amber: largely the same as regular Bastard, but with more of a reddish hue. This beer smelled richly of sweet malitness, with not as much of a bitter note on the nose. At first sip there is a very deep sweetness that is balanced out with only the slightest hint of dry hopping. The taste ends up being a dry, semi-sweet tone that pervades through the entire sip and ends up with some slightly more intense dryness on the back end, which is tempered by a slightly sweet tone. This beer is probably technically a medium beer, but leans towards heavy with the earthy sweetness and the woody dryness throughout the sip. This beer is a dry one, but has a semi-sweetness to it that is infused throughout the whole taste profile and sits on the palate heavily (in a good way). The major difference between the two Bastards is that the hop flavor is very pronounced in the un-oaked beer, and the Oaked Bastard is much warmer and dryer. That being said the regular Bastard has some more sweetness to it, but isn't as mellowed out as the Oaked.

Oaked Bastard (Courtesy: Me)

Obviously both Bastard offerings from Stone were great, and I recommend that you try to taste the difference for yourself. The regular Bastard is a bit livelier in taste, but the Oaked's mellowness has a great taste profile that I haven't really encountered in any other beer. I was excited for the taste differences of the Bastards, but even more excited to talk to the rep on hand about what makes Stone Brewing Co. great. Dennis Flynn, the Tri-State Regional Brewery Representative for Stone Brewing Co. , was more than happy to field my questions in the midst of slinging beer samples to the ample crowd at Eli Cannon's.

Flynn has worked at Stone for 3 years, and started out as a beer enthusiast who started running with different distribution companies until he ended up full time at Stone. Stone Brewing Co. itself is located just outside San Diego in Escondido, California. The brewery opened in 1996 and has since grown to feature world famous ales, and a bistro that is built into the brewery itself. Stone prides itself on using organic ingredients in their beer, and at their bistro. The bistro features a menu that boasts meals made from small-farm grown food and an eclectic selection of organic offerings. This mentality of making food that is simple, good for the earth, and good to the taste is all part of the philosophy of Stone.

According to Flynn, this idea of small batches and making inventive food that is just plain good is what makes Stone Brewing Co. so special. They started as pioneers in their area and were one of the first craft breweries to show up and stick around on the west coast. They were also pioneers in their big beer styles like the Arrogant Bastard series, and the Black IPA style. Since they developed the recipes, the Bastard series has now gone on to be the gold standard for American Ales, and the Black IPA style is being propagated by other breweries as a popular brewing option. Flynn says that Stone isn't afraid to pioneer new styles because Stone isn't too worried about competing with anyone for anything. Stone fills a certain section of the craft brew scene, but there are other breweries out there that brew radicailly different things, and Stone is ok with that. As Flynn said, Stone really views other craft breweries as compatriots against fizzy yellow beer. This mentality is stamped on the backs of the bottles (which are multi-paragraph diatribes that read fabulously like heavy-handed beer manifesto) and evident on their website, where they tout all the beers that they have brewed jointly with other breweries in the area.

Inside the Stone Brewing Bistro (Courtesy: Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens)

I asked Flynn about the specifics of the Oaked Bastard before he had to move on to the next round of tasting. He explained that while they do oak age Bastard occasionally, this style is actually brewed normally, but infused with oak concentrate. This is a fairly new thing for Stone, and is actively being researched and copied by other breweries as well. The oak concentrate creates a great dry mellowness throughout the beer, so I wouldn't be surprised to see "oaking" catch on, like the Back IPA style has of late.

If you want to stay current with Stone, then follow them on Twitter! For all your local beer news and views coming out of CT be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger.

NoRA Cupcake Company a Welcome Addition to the North End

2012-01-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

Though there was a "closed" sign hanging on the door to NoRA Cupcake Company, people were still making their way into the store while smells of fresh baked cake and the sound of happy chatter floated out. Inside the store smelled even better, with the scents of coffee, sweetness, and warm cupcake resting heavily in the air. This was the scene for the grand opening (or more approriately, the 'Thank You') party at NoRA Cupcake Company on Monday, the 23rd. There were blanket invites sent out to city council people, comittee members, the mayor, other important Middletown people, and everyone who had helped give NoRA a successful opening in the North End. Besides coffee, the refreshments included Irish Carbomb, Adult Twinkie, and Hazeulnut Cappuccino cupcakes. Carrie Carella runs the bakery as Senior Managing Partner of NoRA Cupcake Company, and the District Supervisor of NoRA (which includes Eli Cannon's Tap Room and Trading Company).

NoRA, Open for business!

Phil Ouellette, owner of Eli Cannon's Tap Room and NoRA addressed the crowd first. He thanked everybody and stressed that this was a "thank you," not a "grand opening party." He said that 65 years ago his dad and thousands of others stormed the beaches at Normandy to give Americans the chance to have the freedom to pursue their dreams, and have chances to open the businesses they wanted. He said Carella has been an exceptional employee, one who has worked incredibly hard. Ouellette said that he firmly believes that hard work should meet success, and so he pushed Carella to follow her dreams of opening a cupcake bakery.

Phil Ouellette and Carrie Carella

Ouellette stressed that he helped Carella so that she would help someone else who needed it, they would help someone else, and the cycle would continue down the line. Ouellette explained that this is how a neighborhood becomes a real neighborhood: by everyone helping each other out. All the pictures on the walls of NoRA are pictures of old businesses that used to be on Main Street, which reflect the idea of the small business being the cornerstone of any thriving neighborhood. When he ended Ouellette enunciated that the whole city is in this thing together: "It's not Eli Cannon's versus Esca, it's Downtown Middletown versus Downtown West Hartford, and Downtown New Haven. (...) It's not about us, it's about all of us."

Middletown Mayor Dan Drew was blown away by NoRA: its business daring, and its attitude of neighborhoods working together to better the overall city. Mayor Drew said that Eli Cannon's was an institution in the North End that he was excited to have. Looking around the bakery Mayor Drew commented that the location was beautiful, and he could feel the community pulse pounding through the building.

(L to R) Larry McHugh, Carrie Carella, Mayor Dan Drew, Phil Ouellette

This pulse of the community obviously wasn't infused overnight, but it did happen fairly quickly. After Carrie Carella thanked everyone, including her family, construction crew, and staff, she explained the process of opening the Cupcake Company to me. The idea for the cupcake shop came around about 4-5 years ago, the timing then was wrong for several reasons. Then, four months ago, "For Sale" signs went up across the street from Eli Cannon's Tap Room, and Carella and Ouellette met the realtors immediately. After coming up with a formal plan for NoRA, Ouellette and Carella went to the city council: who voted and supported the idea enthusiastically. They reached out to Larry McCue, Paul Hughes and the city council, all of whom were on board for the new business in the North End. Next they contacted the fire marshal, and presented the idea to the community: who also loved the idea. Then they finally got to work on the completely empty buildings, totally renovated them inside, and opened officially on December 31st, 2011.

(L to R) Adult Twinkie, Irish Carbomb, Hazelnut Cappuccino

Since then Carella says that the business is excellent: growing weekly by leaps and bounds. She wants to make the bakery a cool, funky place that pushes the envelope for cupcakes. She has hired a pastry chef so there will always be something vegan on the menu, and her recent bacon cupcake proved to be unexpectedly delicious. NoRA is special, Carella says, because it shows that the neighborhood is growing: the North End can be hip and fun. NoRA's building and products are attractive and go a long way to pull in everyone from the nearby college crowd, to people from many towns over. Eventual plans may include catering, and an assortment of other baked goods to go with the cupcake menu. Carella's favorite flavors (of recent) have been Pina Colada, and "Snowball" (a vanilla cake with white chocolate mousse, and whipped cream).

For more information on the bakery, please visit their site here. For more pictures of the event, follow this link to Jere Adametz's great photo album. If you want to know more about the CT beer scene and upcoming happenings in CT add me on Facebook, Blogger, or Twitter.

The Right Tool for the Job

2012-01-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

Having the right hardware is important. Whether you have a buffed out video card to run the hottest video games, a high horsepower engine to make you the fastest on the block, or the right weights and routines to get you looking real fine: there is a hard and fast rule that there is a "best" tool for every job.

So if that's the case, what about our barware? Should we agonize over what's a pilsner glass and what's a stout glass? Or should we just find any receptacle, pour out our beer, rinse (sometimes), and repeat? My personal answer is, "Well. It's really up to you."

Ah, the inauspicious pint glass. Courtesy: noii's (Flickr)

Wonderfully vague, I know, but let me explain. Through my (arguably brief) tenure as a beer aficionado, I've drunk out of jam jars (cleaned first, and they actually make great 'highball' glasses), giant steins, tiny snifters, standard pint glasses, chalices, and fake plastic mountains turned upside-down (yeah, long story). The point is that the drinking receptacle, I've noticed, varies greatly and depends almost entirely upon the company you keep.

Get some of these puppy's in highball size, and you'll be living country fabulous! Courtesy: Rev Dan Catt (Flickr)

If it's a party, with tons of people, you're not going to want to bring out the fine glassware for fear of breakages. You'll break out either the big red solo cups (if you're trying to recapture your college years), or some nice thick-walled glass pint glasses that you can pick up a dozen for around a dollar each at Target. Another bonus of basic pint glasses is that they are remarkable tough. If you're aiming to impress, on the other hand, the chalice glasses (or the appropriate beer glass for the beer style) are the way to go. Going to a beer fest? Bring your own tiny glass to take samples with and get instant credibility. Nothing says "I know beer" like bringing in a tasting glass from a fest that's happened 10 years ago (bonus points if the fest is defunct).

A chalice waiting for some delicious brew. Courtesy: Mr Wabu (Flickr)

As far as taste difference in glasses is concerned, I have noticed iotas of difference between beer in a "standard glass" and in an "appropriate glass." The biggest and most noticeable difference comes with heavier, malty beers like bocks, stouts, and large porters. With a drink like that, a glass with a wider brim and fuller bowl will offer a greater area to take in aromas from the beer. When you can get a good whiff off a heavy beer, the thick maltiness will settle into the nose and really give you a deeper appreciation for the finer notes of the drink. With a glass with a narrower brim you can't get as good of a nose off of it. Other differences from "appropriate" glassware include the better settling of the beer, improved aroma release, and aided warming of the beer.

This isn't to say that one should run out and buy a full complement of "appropriate" glassware (although I do have that), but moreover it is a suggestion to have at least a handful of standard pint glasses, some highballs, and a chalice or two. With glassware like that you can at least mix and match what you want out of your beer, and have a good spread for when company comes over.

Now THESE folks know their beer ware! Courtesy: craigemorsels (Flickr)

So what do you think? Are you a stickler for glassware? Or, like me, is that more dependent upon who is drinking out of those glasses with you? Let me know, and add me on Facebook, Twitter, and my Blogger account.

Tuesday Tastings at Eli Cannon's Taproom: Harpoon Brewery

2012-01-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

For the first tasting of the new year, Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown whet the crowd's thirst with the most recent offerings (and some classics) from Harpoon Brewery. On draught this past Tuesday I found their Leviathan Uber Bock, Winter Warmer, IPA, 100 Barrel Docesna Hop Harvest Ale, and Harpoon Cider waiting for me, the perfect antidote to the whipping winter winds outside.

Roger Willson was the man on hand to pour the beer, and he gladly filled me in on the history, mission, and mindset of Harpoon Brewery. Willson was born in Munich and so right from a young age he has had a certain appreciation for good beer! He started out in the finance department of Harpoon, but "The work was good, but I was more eager to get out of the office and talk to people," he explained to me laughing. After that he moved to where he is now: the Account Manager for CT. Willson has been working for Harpoon for 2 years.

The gates at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston. Courtesy: Aaron Gustafsonn (Flickr)

Harpoon Brewery was opened in Boston back in 1986 by Dan Kenary and Rich Doyle. There is now a sister brewery in Vermont as well, which just took over the old Catamount Brewery building when the latter went out of business. Harpoon was started with an original vision for beer that would be good and organic (green, way before it was popular), tasted great, and could be enjoyed by lots of people. The idea for Kenary and Doyle to open Harpoon came about when, after traveling the world and experiencing a vast array of beers, they were sitting at a bar in Boston. They looked at the tap handles and realized that all of the beer in America (by far and large) tasted exactly the same! The guys' original plan (which is still pretty much followed today) was to offer a solid staple of beer while also offering variety for their customer. They applied for and got the first brewery license in the Boston area and then continued to produce good beer at a staggering rate. This gave rise to the inception of the brewery and their now iconic Harpoon Ale. The rest is history: Long Trail has become as much a Boston institution as Samuel Adams is, and not to mention their firm standing in the Vermont beer scene as well.

Willson said that the biggest reason for Harpoon's success and longevity was that they could read their customers' wants. In the 80s when many breweries inundated the market with beers that few people could approach or appreciate, Harpoon made sure to tailor their beer to the drinker, and slowly weened their way into higher end "artsy-fartsy" beer.

The brewery in Vermont. Courtesy: wallygrom (Flickr)

Their infamous IPA (a great example of a staple beer), which is now a flagship beer for them, was originally an extremely well-received seasonal. When they ran out of it, they recieved so many angry letters demanding the beer back, that they dutifully reinstated the IPA as a main line beer: a prestige that it still holds to this day.

Harpoon is special, as Willson explains it, because they foster a very positive company culture. It is the type of brewery where, on any given day, the owner may be hanging out with the line workers at the plant and anyone could go right up and have a chat with them! Harpoon is focused on solid growth: they want to build a respected brand that is recognized for its quality product. Willson said that Harpoon really wants to be known by quality, and not necessarily size. Harpoon also wants to be known as a company that gives back regularly.

The idea of giving back was punctuated by the most interesting program that Willson told me about : "Harpoon Helps." This is the community service arm of the company; they help out multitudes of projects such as animal shelters, food drives, and many other local charitable organizations that Harpoon regularly searches for. Willson describes this a program to negate any bad images that may come to mind when people mention breweries. The company really rallies behind charitable work and considers it one of the main purposes of the brewery at this point. The seriousness of Harpoon Helps is even reflected on Harpoon's website. Right on the top bar, along with other main information of the brand is a direct link to the Harpoon Helps site where all of their recent endeavors are documented!

Another shot from the inside of the Boston Harpoon Brewery. Courtesy: taygete05 (Flickr)

Harpoon is a great example of a brewery that was formed around a community and, as they grew, they never forgot about the importance of serving the people around them. I have enjoyed Harpoon's beer as long as I can remember and it was great talking with Willson during this past tasting. I knew that Harpoon was in touch with different races and charity rides, but I had no idea that they had an entire arm of the corporation that did nothing but philanthropic interests. If anything this makes me enjoy Harpoon all the more. I would highly suggest you to swing by the Harpoon Helps website and check out the full extent of their outreach.

Hop Harvest Ale. Courtesy: Me

I have had many of Harpoon's offering before, but this is the first time I've tried their 100 Barrel Docesna Hop Harvest Ale. It smelled hoppy, with a citrusy sweetness wafting from it. It sat in the glass with a medium, reddish/brown amber color , and began the first taste note with a bright malty splash. From here the hops cut in almost immediately (mostly sweet hopping, interestingly enough). The taste progressed quickly through a fruity note, to a bitter note, and then ended up on a well balanced floral taste. This note continued, evened out by a burst of moderate bitterness, and then left off on a nice, neutral, dry note. This is a medium beer that is well balanced between multiple tasty hop notes: fruity (floral), bitter, and sweet. It is only slightly bitter but the multiple hop notes make this a beer that really shines, and shows what the versatile hop can really do!

Leviathan Uber Bock. Courtesy: Me.

The Leviathan Uber Bock was up next. I've tried this out of the bottle before, and so was curious to see how this brew would stack up. It poured out a medium, transparent red and brown. The smells coming from the glass were surprising, as it came off very sweet with a bright honey note. At first sip this smell is verified as a sweet honey taste initially washes over the palate. This note then moves to a bit of a dry taste that ends off with a slight spiced sweetness. This last taste lingers with a hint of alcohol and sweetness. Overall this was a medium to large beer that retains significant sweetness, but is balanced out by a big body and slight bitter notes. This isn't what I was expecting to come from a bock style and was almost more reminiscent of a mead. Nonetheless this was a beer that was well balanced and very interesting and warming: great for these cold nights! As far as how this stacks up against the bottled form, it was definitely sweeter, brighter, and smoother from the draught.

If you're a fan of mixing beers, I had another interesting mixed draught from Willson. Take 1/2 Harpoon Hard Cider and 1/2 Winter Warmer and you will get a more fortified apple beer that tastes like a malty apple pie! Pretty interesting taste, and the spices evenly balance out the sweetness. Be sure you follow my blog on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger to stay current with CT beer happenings, and learn a bit more about the breweries that make up our great part of the USA.

The Beer Tasting: Fun, Easy, and Great for Any Occasion

2011-12-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

This past June I bought several bottles of one of my favorite stouts: the Stone Russian Imperial. I drank one, gifted a few, and decided to keep one in storage for six months to see if the taste would really get better with age (spoilers, it did). I knew that the 6-month-aged time would be right around Christmas, but I didn't really know when or with whom I would be drinking this deep, rich beer with. Fast forward to the beginning of December when I get a great idea: what if a few people coming to my family Christmas party all brought a big bottle of some fairly nice beer? Then not only can I enjoy my awesome beer, but also share it, and have plenty of other big, high quality beers to try!

It doesn't get much more well balanced and thick than this! (Courtsey: Stone Brewing Co.)

I'm not assuming that I'm the first one to come up with such an idea, or even the first to write about it, but the fact of the matter is that the tasting went so well that I just have to share the after-action report with all of you, and to promote this "tasting party" as a great way to usher out the New Year, celebrate a birthday, or just add some extra flavor to watching the sport of your choice.

At our particular tasting we ended up with eight high quality beers that people had brought, along with some other gateway beers (i.e. Sam Adams) for those not feeling brave; although in the end guys, gals, young (still legal drinking age) and old all tried at least one or two of the big beers. The lineup included Doc's Draft Raspberry Hard Apple Cider, Odle Burnside's Ten Penny Ale and Father Christmas Ale, Southern Tier Krampus Imperial Helles Lager, Stone Russian Imperial Stout, and a three pack from Ommengang that included Gnomegang, Hennepin, and Three Philosophers. We then arranged the beers from light to dark, and spaced a few tastings out. The first was right before dinner, the second was right after, and the third was in line with dessert so we could have our cake with the super heavy Stone stout and beefy Three Philosophers.

The lineup! (Courtesy: Dan-O)

The actual tasting went really great. It was super casual and not the slightest bit snooty, as we all simply poured a bit out for everyone, sipped, and then commented on what we liked, what we didn't and how it compared to the other beers in the lineup. And that was it. Rinse the glasses and move onto the next one. The coolest part about this tasting-lite event was that it got everyone excited, everyone got to try a lot of beer, and no one had to break the bank. One good 750 of beer typically runs $10-15 for the more expensive options, and if a few people each bring one or two there will be plenty enough to drink for everyone. The other great thing is that no one really got wasted. It's always a bummer to have the one or two sloppy people staggering around an otherwise low-key Holiday party, and if the beer is consumed at a tasting setting (and spread out through the evening) then you never really get to the point where you need to call someone a cab. On the other hand if the objective was to get really silly off of good beer with friends then this format would still work pretty well for you; all you would need to do is increase the rate at which you drink your beer.

It was a very Hoppy Christmas! (Courtsey: Mom-O)

We are getting to the end of the Holiday season now, and if you want to jazz up your party and fiddle with the common "BYOB" trend, then switch to a tasting! Tell everyone that the price of admission is a 750ml bottle, and that will give them the chance to experience different beers and have a good time while doing it. You don't really need to be a snob to run a tasting either. In fact the people who don't know so much about beer will probably be more appreciative as they can experience new tastes and learn some more about beer in a very casual atmosphere.

I hope everyone's Holidays went well, and I'm wishing all of you a very Happy New Year. I spared this post from my tasting notes, but if you want to discuss any of the beers that I mentioned, feel free to post in the comments and I would be more than glad to discuss beer with you! In any case be safe this week, and be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger to stay current with my posts. We will be seeing you all next year!

Tuesday Night Tastings at Eli Cannon's Tap Room: Brooklyn Brewery

2011-12-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

I have raved about Brooklyn Brewery's Sorachi Ace before, so I was dying to go to their tasting at Eli Cannon's Tap Room. Showing up this past Tuesday (the 6th) I arrived eagerly to the tasting, and even though there was no Sorachi Ace, there still was a mouth watering assortment of Brookyln brews including Black Chocolate Stout, Brewmaster's Reserve: Concoction, East IPA, and Winter Ale.

The representative on hand for Brooklyn was John Williams. Though he started working for Brooklyn in March, Williams has been involved in bottling and distributing beer for years before. Admist the excited crowd that had gathered for the tasting, Williams filled me in on the background of the now-famous craft brewery.

The brewery. (Courtesy: Brooklyn Brewery)

Brooklyn Brewery is centered (obviously) in Williamsburg, New York right inside of Brooklyn. Steve Hindy and Tom Potter co-founded the brewery in 1988. Brooklyn's first beer was their Brooklyn Lager introduced in the year of the brewery's inception. Brooklyn Brown is the classic beer that was introduced soon after in 1990. Although they were able to self-distribute at first, the demand for Brooklyn beer became too high in 2004 and they now use a distribution company help them out.

Williams tells me that Brooklyn Brewery has always been surrounded by fame. Back when they first started, Milton Glaser (the artist behind the iconic 'I ♥ New York' symbol) created the first label that the brewery still uses today. Their Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, is a world-renowned beer scholar and has penned the book "The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food," and acted as the editor-in-chief for the "Oxford Companion to Beer." The co-founders of Brooklyn, meanwhile, have written "Beer School," a book that describes in-depth how to start a brewery from scratch. Williams says that Hindy and Potter are very passionate about beer education, and love to promote quality beer as a viable beverage that deserves to stand toe-to-toe with other "high class" beverages like wine. This idea is shown in the way Brooklyn Brewery pairs their beer with local food in the Brooklyn neighborhood, promoting neighborhood integration and keeping dining "real" and organic. The brewery has just expanded and currently has 12 new tanks, bringing the brewery to roughly six times its previous size. They have wanted to expand for a few years now, and when the building right behind the brewery became open, they couldn't pass up the chance to overhaul the entire operation. This will vastly increase Brooklyn's ability to brew in house.

The original logo! (Courtesy: www.miltonglaser.com)

The philosophy behind Brooklyn beers (as Williams explains it) is that they want versatile beer that maintains a high quality while still retaining an easy-drinking component. These beers have been inspired by London-style beers, whose hallmarks are lower ABV and even drinking profiles that encourage having several beers instead of just one. The brewery brews basic beer styles, but goes enough of their own direction (as with the aptly named Concotion that was on tap) to stand their own against the other big "art" style beers.

Brooklyn wants beer to regain (or perhaps just plain 'gain') a reputation as a real "snooty" beverage. Not in the way that it is only accessible by some, but that beer is a solid beverage that isn't "lowbrow" or "trashy." Brooklyn (like all the great breweries) is driven on passion. The brewery owners, Brewmasters, and everyone who works for the company is driven to produce a high quality beer that can be enjoyed by all. Williams told me that though Brooklyn takes their influence from English beer (whose recipes are long tested by time and solidly enjoyable), America does creative beer styles extremely well. This American ingenuity can be shown in Brooklyn's beers, who have a wide taste profile, high quality, and well balanced taste that will hook you after one sip.

The beers that were on tap were a pretty good cross-section of Brooklyn's brewing capabilities. You had the "basic" beers that could pretty much be enjoyed by anyone (the IPA and the Winter ale), the stronger spin on a classic (the Stout), and a really out-there beer that takes a creative palate to even approach. This vast creativity is a real hallmark of the Brooklyn brand, and a credit to their brewing prowess that they can maintain a high quality of brewing while going from basic brewing forms to more intense beers . This, combined with a fairly low price point, should make any Brooklyn beer (especially their combo-packs) a must by for this year's Holiday parties!

Brooklyn East IPA (Courtesy: Me)

When I tasted the beer I decided to go light to heavy. As such I started with the East IPA. This beer smells of moderate floral hops and pours out a translucent orange shade. The first taste note is a light, carbonated tone that segues into a moderate floral hopping. This hop note then goes slightly flatter and moves into a low-malt sweetness that is punctuated with a hint of bitterness. This is a medium IPA that goes through a pleasing burst of carbonation quickly and retains a great combination of sweet and bitter on the tail end with a slight apricot taste. All in all the bitterness on this IPA is low by American standards, but very pleasing for a change of pace from the normal hugely bitter IPAs that are floating around these days.

Brooklyn Winter Ale (Courtesy: Me)

The Brooklyn Winter Ale was next; it poured out a transparent reddish-amber and smelled slightly of light mocha with hints of hazelnut. The initial taste is smooth, lightly carbonated, and quickly moves to a mild hop note (only a little bitter). From here a moderate malty sweetness slides in, and the profile ends with a nice hazelnut mocha note that sits on the tongue and the nose. This is a moderate brew that gets slightly heavier with the sweet malting and has a great warm, nutty coffee after taste. Definitely a great beer to warm you up in the winter, and a nice alternative if you don't want a beer that is huge to the point of knocking you over (even though sometimes that is fun too).

Brooklyn Brewmaster's Collection: Concoction (Courtesy: Me)

Going up in the heavy scale was the Brooklyn Brewmaster's Collection: Concoction. This beer pours out a murky, medium amber brown shade, sitting heavily in the glass. The beer smells dry and fruity, with just a hint of malting. The initial taste is a rich spiciness that is cut almost immediately by a medium fruity note. The taste moves to a moderate bitter hopping that switches drastically again to a slightly burnt taste which continues to linger right on your nose even after you finish your sip. I hope I can convey in words how challenging this beer was. The taste profiles are all distinct and high quality in their own right, by they shift violently from one shade to another without any time for the drinker to catch their breath. The beer did get more smooth as it got a bit warmer, though, and by the end I found myself enjoying the beer more by every sip. I'm really happy I had a glass of Concoction but, for the life of me, I can't really imagine a time when I would want another. It is an interesting case of the beer being really tasty, but balanced so crazy it is hard to pair!

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Courtesy: Me)

The last beer that I went in for was the darkest on the list: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. This beer had a very thick, dark brown head sitting atop a body that was so deep it was practically black. The smell was strong, appealing chocolate malt tones. At first sip you get a mouthfull of those great warm chocolate malts thickly across the palate. These yield to a mild to moderate hoppiness that is only bitter enough to balance out the thick taste of the beer. The flavor profile then goes back to the rich malting, turns to a chocolatey note, then terminates the taste with a dark chocolate bitterness and a distant chocolate-tinged hoppiness. This stout is heavy. There is a high chocolate bitterness and sweetness present that is cut with very pleasing dry hop notes. This is a big beer that is uncompromisignly chocolate, yet also well balanced. There is a bit of alcohol on the back end, but not enough to ruin the taste. This beer comes highly recommended by me as an example of a perfectly balanced chocolate stout.

I hope everyone has gotten their shopping done in time, but if not (and you're feeling stressed) what the heck are you waiting for? Get out there, take care of business, and pick a few bottles of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout up while you're at it. Then come home, wrap the gifts, drink the bottles you bought, and revel in the warmness of the season (and the spreading glow caused by the monster beer you just drank)! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger to stay current with my latest updates. Also be sure to head out to Eli Cannon's this Thursday to the Lagunitas tasting. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone out there!

As a sort of post-script, right before I posted this I stumbled on Brooklyn's recipe for their "Imperial Stout Float" using ice cream and their Black Chocolate Stout. I figured I would point it out to all of you because now I know what I am going to do for all my parties between now and New Years Day!

Tuesday Night Tastings at Eli Cannon's Tap Room: Craft Brewers Alliance

2011-12-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

The featured beer for Eli Cannon's Tap Room Tuesday Night Tastings a few weeks ago (November 29th) was the collected offerings of the Craft Brewers Alliance. The CBA is comprised of the Kona Brewing Company, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Red Hook Brewing. There were five beers on tap from the brewing collective, namely Pipeline Porter from Kona; Widmer Brothers' Brrr, O'Ryely IPA, and Lemongrass Muscat Wheat Ale; and Winter Hook 27' from Redhook. Representing the CBA brand was Scott Bauer: Division Sales Manager for Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island.

There is a rich history behind the Craft Brewer's Alliance. Red Hook was founded in 1981 in Seattle, Washington and has since opened a brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Widmer is older: founded in 1979 in Oregon. Since they have a brewery on each coast the CBA has fairly expansive coverage throughout the United State; basically CBA is starting at either end of the US and working their way in year by year. The CBA also prides itself on their high-tech breweries: they ensure that all their facilities are constantly ahead of the technological curve. The other unique aspect about the Craft Brewer's Alliance is that it is three different sales portfolios operating under one umbrella company. The breweries are technically independent, but all pool their resources for greater coverage and distributing opportunities.

Bauer explained that the CBA started off with a friendship betweem Widmer and Redhook. They began to pool their resources, created the CBA in 2007, and saw lots of success by combining the forces of two established craft breweries. The two breweries then became involved with Kona later on and expressed an interest in bringing the premier Hawaain beer to the United States mainland. Kona joined the CBA around a year and a half ago. They lent the business their unique brews, and the CBA helped Kona with much wider distribution stateside. After a while of doing this, Red Hook and Widmer helped Kona brew a few beers in their own breweries in order to keep shipping cost down, and to ensure the freshest quality of beer. But even the beer that is brewed state-side still uses ingredients from Hawaii, which is specially shipped to the breweries so they can brew Kona beer that tastes as good as the Kona from the islands.

According to Bauer the CBA works great because it has a very diverse amount of beers: a beer for every occasion. Red Hook is a beer that overly challenge the drinker: it is good quality beer that focuses on solid styles and can be enjoyed by people at all different levels. Kona is a fun beer that offers surprising taste profiles and tropical spins on beers that are otherwise fairly common. Widmer Brothers is a higher end beer and really appeals to a clientele that likes challenging flavor notes and unique styles of beer. All the breweries under the umbrella of CBA profit from this diversity.

Speaking of diversity, January 5th will be exciting, as that's when the CBA will bring Kona Koko Brown (a toasted coconut beer) state side. It has taken a long time to find a perfect look and taste recipe, but now that the recipe is set I'm looking forward to tasting a beer that has real Hawaiian coconut in it.

The idea of having craft breweries formally working to support each other really made sense to me, and I echoed Bauer's surprise that more breweries haven't joined forces like this yet. The unfortunate thing is that when a macro-brewery company acquires a craft brewery, that particular brewery instantly loses "street cred" (much the way a band 'sells out' when they sign a major label). While this may not make a whole lot of sense (after all, a bigger label means better representation, distribution, etc), the fact remains that the snobby fans will be turned off whenever a brewery "sells out." The obvious solution is to create a coalition of craft breweries. In this way craft breweries can retain their brewing independence, but also enhance their distribution opportunities many times over. I for one am all for this; I would never say no to trying beers from other faraway states that I never otherwise would have had the opportunity to taste. As there are thousands of craft breweries in the USA (and Canada!), better distribution would allow a snob like me to have basically a brand new craft beer once a day for, like, years (hmmm, blog idea, calling it now!).

Now onto the beers I tried. The Widmer Brothers Lemongrass Wheat smells light with a barely discernable sweetness. It pours out a murky orange/amber color and sits unfiltered with barely a head. It tastes fairly light and fruity, and moves quickly to an apricoty sweetness that is cut with a sharp hop burst. This taste quickly mellows out and ends with a very (almost too) sweet note with some bright malting on the back end. This beer is light, spirited, very sweet, and ends with a hint of alcohol. Altogether a very unique fruity note, but I feel like the malts throughout are almost a bit too sweet.

Widmer Brothers Lemongrass Wheat (Courtesy: Me)

Widmer Brothers O'Ryely IPA was an interesting IPA. It poured a medium bright brown with a slight murkiness. It was hard to get a nose on this one, but there was a faint floral note present. The beer starts smooth and bitter with a slight sweetness on the first note. This moves into a plain hoppy bitterness and then progresses to a higher floral note of the hop. Finally this beer fades abruptly and ends up with a lingering, distant bitterness. This IPA is medium and smooth. It starts out fairly bitter and has a pleasing sweet note in it that gives the beer a broader taste spectrum than most IPAs.

O'Ryely IPA (Terrible picture courtesy: Me)

Widmer Brothers Brrr is the winter seasonal. that smells of mild malts and slightly dry hops. After being poured in a glass the beer sits transparent and dusky with a reddish brown tinge. The first flavor note is a mild sweetness that builds, but is cut by moderate hopping that eases out to a smooth, bright maltiness. The next note after this is a sweet floral hopiness that slowly fades to a lingering dry note. This winter beer is medium and bright with a nice, thick sweet malt that eases the taste through a pleasant smoothnes. Altogether this isn't a big beer, but a pleasing spicy variation of the winter warmer format.

Widmer Brothers Brrr (Courtesy: Me)

Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Blogger, and Facebook for all the latest CT beer events and malted musings. With any luck I'll round up some winter warmers soon, so stay tuned for your "how to" on warming up this winter!

Santa Helps Eli Cannon's Light Their Tree and Open a New Store

2011-12-08T18:06:00.001-08:00

Men, women, and kids of all ages flocked to the sidewalks late one November evening outside of Eli Cannon's Taproom and waited eagerly for the lights to brighten up the night. The atmosphere felt more like New Year's Eve as there was a palpable excited energy in the crowd. Even though many were still digesting their Thanksgiving turkey (it was the 25th after all) there was still an excited ripple of gasps and laughter through the crowd as a horse drawn carriage holding Santa Claus and Middletown officials pulled into view. As the carriage made a laborious turn down our street, police officers blocked traffic to allow Santa's vehicle to approach. "Awesome," I heard someone in the crowd chuckle, "the cops are stopping traffic for Santa."

Santa has arrived. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

Santa disembarked to roaring cheers, waving, and whistles. Throwing up a hearty wave himself, Santa shook hands with the kids, then assembled in front of the Taproom's storefront with Eli Cannon's owner Phil Ouellette. After a short speech, Phil thanked the tree raisers, the security team, the police department and the community for helping make the event and Eli Cannon's Taproom successful. Present near Santa and Ouellette during the speech were honored guests from the city including Middletown mayor Dan Drew, police chief William McKenna, and Middlesex Chamber of Commerce president Larry McHugh. After the speech, Santa lit the storefront lights across the street of Nora Cupcakes (Eli Cannon's upcoming bakery) and the Eli Cannon's Trading Company (a store next door to the cupcakery) with a wave of his specially made candy cane. Next, with a turn and flourish, Santa merrily lit the lights in front of the Taproom as snow poured joyfully from the rooftop. Santa was then escorted across the street to the Trading Post to introduce the store to the public, have photos taken, and pass out cupcakes to the merrymakers. The inside of the Trading Post mirrors the art design of the Taproom with re-purposed furniture, local art, and plenty of edgy bric-a-brac scattered throughout the story in a shocking (yet oddly tasteful) layout.

One small display in the Trading Post. Told you there was tons to look at! (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

The Eli Cannon's Trading Company is serving right now as part Eli Cannon's merchandise shop, where you get T-shirts and other swag, a vendor of dozens of hot sauces, a place to purchase artwork from local artists, and a homebrew supply shop. Eli Cannon's Head Manager Carrie Carella has overseen the development of the Trading Post, but the original idea and means to accomplish the Trading Company came from Eli Cannon's owners Phil Ouellette and Suzanne Ouellette. After the building became available to buy across the street from Eli Cannon's Taproom, the sale went through and Carella made the Trading Post a reality. Standing right next to the Trading Post is another Eli Cannon's/ Carella endeavor: Nora Cupcakes. Nora stands for "North of Rapollo Avenue," and is a way to state ownership over the area. As Carella joked, "It's the cool thing to do in New York (to rename city blocks) . . .so we thought that since we have such a big presence here we may as well do the same thing."

Santa cuts the ribbon on the Trading Post with (left to right) Mayor Dan Drew, Chamber President Larry McHugh, and Phil Ouellette. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

Nora Cupcakes will open during the Midnight on Main event this New Year's eve (December 31st) at 3 PM. The point of Nora is to have a cupcake shop/ bakery that is not your typical bake shop (for instance it has evening hours). There will be "unexpected baked goods" (as Carella puts it), eclectic cupcake designs, and a rotating variety of cupcakes much the way the Taproom rotates their beer stock frequently.

The cupcakes stand prepared. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

I spoke with Carrie Carella at the event and she was thrilled about how well it was going. According to her this is something special for the community. They have been doing it for years, bringing a literal shining light to the North End of Middletown. One of the cooler aspects of the lighting is that it was a family affair. There were around 250 - 300 people there, gathered on the sidewalk waiting for the tree to go up, and many of those people were the children and families of bar regulars, and others who appreciate Eli Cannon's as a go-to place for good beer in CT. The Tree Lighting was originally Phil Ouellette's vision and has grown with each successive year. This year there was hot cocoa, snow, elves, police and a security team (to ferry people back and forth across the street from bar to Trading Post), and a charitable toy drive going to the Salvation Army. There was such a huge turnout for the event that there was a special heated outdoor eating area to accommodate the crowd.

The picture just about captures the magic of the moment. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

This event was an exciting way to kick off the Christmas season, with plenty of cheer, beer (for those of age), and bright shining lights. The Trading Post has some awesome items up for sale, and it's worth walking through just to take in the ambiance alone. The cupcakes that were served were great (I had smores flavor) and I'm looking forward for Nora to open so I can get my late-night cupcake fix. Be sure to be there during Midnight on Main for the grand opening, and also swing by the Eli Cannon's Trading Company to check out a great assortment of local art, a multitude of hot sauces, and cool Eli Cannon's merch. For more (a lot more) pictures from the event, check out Jere Adametz's Flickr collection here.If you want to stay on top of the CT beer scene add me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook. In the meantime, if you want a great Christmas (or what-have-you) gift there are plenty of big seasonal beers on sale these days that can be aged for a long time. Buy two, have one at your Holiday party and gift the other to age until next year: it's a win-win!

Discovering a "Relic" of Brewing Excellence: A Nano-Brewery Visit

2011-12-02T15:23:00.001-08:00

Mark Sigman, who has been brewing beer since 1994, opened his brewery behind the floral-design shop owned by his girlfriend in Plainville. His brewery is compact, very clean, and laid out with plenty of open space despite the plumbing and the racks of test-growlers (to see which bottle is most appealing, he explains). The brewery's name is "Relic," and Sigman (as its owner, founder, and head brewer) is aiming to make artisan beers that take their inspiration from the flavors of the world.

Sigman's full time (or 'real' as he joked to me) job is at an advertisement agency, so Sigman is already well acquainted with business and how to craft a winning brand. At the end of the day Sigman says a good brewery needs to distribute a product that people will actually purchase (and drink, obviously). But to promote and make the beer stand out in a crowded market, Sigman draws on his marketing experience to come out with some impressive graphics and distribution ideas. For one the logo already looks professional, even though the brewery is still in its infancy. Another note that tells of Sigman's seriousness about the craft are his test growlers. He is currently testing out what bottle catches the buyers eye the most, and has a few on display in his brewery (I personally liked the brown glass bottle that looked like an old school medicine bottle).

A fine selection of "growler" sized bottles. (Courtsey: Jere Adametz)

It is obvious that Sigman has had to do his homework to get a brewery going, but the story goes back further than choosing the most appealing bottles and pint glasses. The first thing that Sigman needed to research was a good place to brew in CT. After finding Plainville (a town where he could have good access to water and shipping) Sigman researched and found that Plainville had no laws pertaining to beer brewing on the books. He lobbied for change, typed out a multiple-page document packet detailing the law change, and then, after presenting his plans, he got great feedback from the community and the motion to allow brewing passed. Even after posting the signs that made the community aware of a brewery moving in, Sigman said that he has been received very well by the surrounding community, and everyone that he has spoken to seems excited to have a brewery in town.

The name "Relic" comes from Sigman's travels. Touring other countries and experiencing new cultures have been a long, cherished past time for Sigman, as is the study of history. He said that "relic" reminds him especially of time spent in Europe, and that it refers to something that he imagines as old and cherished. Though the name is a nod in respect to medieval styles of beer, Sigman really wants his beer to have new, unique characteristics. This idea of unique character and preciousness is part of where Sigman's brewing philosophy seems to come from. He doesn't want to brew based on styles (ale, lager, stout, etc), but rather brew something that he personally enjoys with tastes that he views as complimentary or exciting. Obviously this artisan approach will take use certain styles as bases, but Sigman's point is that he doesn't want to lock himself into brewing only one certain style or another. Adding to the character of the beer is the fact that Sigman leaves his beer unfiltered and unpasteurized, and lets them to bottle condition (or age as they sit in their receptacles).

Note the subtle curving of the glass, a subtle touch that adds interest to the product. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

As far as sales go, Sigman plans to distribute growlers first, as that is the easiest to sell directly from the brewery. After that Sigman wants to start distributing to package stores and then lastly to restaurants and bars. What does that mean for you, the saavy beer drinker looking to try brand new artisan beers? Just stop on by sometime. "The lot is pretty much empty usually," Sigman joked, "So if you ever see my car just stop on by and say 'hi'."

Of course Relic doesn't open officially until maybe January, so you would probably be better off connecting with him on Twitter or Facebook. As for the final styles that are offered, Sigman is still up in the air. He wants to know what people like, and is looking forward to going to different festivals coming up and seeing what most people go for. He really wants to have new flavors cycle in and out fairly often, and wants to eventually make the brewery a go-to-stop for people to go in, try the new stuff, and refill a few growlers.

The tasting list, well most of it at least. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

He offered me (and a select few) a private tasting, and I was impressed by his adherence to a balanced taste, and a vast creativity with the hop note. He had a solid lineup for us: Belgian Wit, Sunnyside-up Golden Ale, Midnight Dunkelweizen, New Zealand Common, Shipwright IPA, Octoberfest Lager, Double Goat, Rustic Brown, and Antiquity. As a side note all of these brews are still being tweaked here and there, and the names of the brew may change as Sigman thinks of new ones.

It is hard to really pick out my favorites of the lot, but to keep from boring you with 4+ pages (easily an extra 1000+ words) of my beer notes, I'll try to narrow it down to three of the most impressive to me: Octoberfest; Rustic Brown; and Antiquity.

The Octoberfest Lager was dry, flavorful and incredibly refreshing. At 6.5% it was a bit bigger than other Octoberfests I've tried, but this honestly was one of my favorites of the year. First of all, it was dry. The malts kick in first with a big flavorful swash that dryly fills the palate. The next note is a mellow hop burst that eases quickly and ends on a smooth malty note. This beer was very well balanced, altogether refreshing, and a fine combination between dryness and gentle .

The lines are open for good beer! (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

The Rustic Brown is tied with the Antiquity as my two favorite. I can't decide. The Rustic Brown is a northern-English-style strong brown ale that smells faintly of licorice, but at first taste sips sweetly with only a hint of bitterness. These flavors are then cut with a licorice note that them moves to a great, smooth mocha note in the aftertaste. It is a very unique flavor that makes for a thick, very well balanced sip. It is unlike any other brown ale I have ever drank, and I was once again impressed with the balance of fairly unique flavor notes.

Last but certainly not least was the Antiquity. This beer was easily one of my favorite of the tasting, and maybe even a runner up for one of my favorite beers ever (if Sigman keeps it on rotation, fingers crossed). This beer pours out a very, very deep brown that makes it look almost black with barely a head creeping up the glass. At first sip the beer is thick and smoothly malty. This progresses through moderate hops, but then evens back out to that great smooth, thick malt taste. The taste finally ends up earthy and wonderfully murky on the backend. It is really unlike any other beer I've drank, standing stoutly at 7.2%, but not really a stout or a porter (again, this is an olde style ale). The earthiness on the back end is simply amazing (that staunch earthiness!), and I'm actually aging a bottle for 6 months, so stay posted to see how well this heavy-hitting ale ends up.

In summary I could imagine spending money on any of the beers I sampled, and I could imagine the Belgian Wit (an unfiltered spritely wit beer brewed with a touch of oats) easily being a smash hit in the summer beer lineup. Once again, be sure to follow Relic on Twitter and Facebook. Also, for all your CT beer news, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger.

7th Annual "Not-So-Snooty Beer and Wine Tasting Adventure" Held at New England Air Musuem

2011-11-25T14:50:00.001-08:00

Last Friday (November 18th) the CT Beer Trail helped sponsor the 7th annual Not So Snooty Beer and Wine Tasting Adventure at the New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks CT. As far as tastings go, it was one of the most unique that I have ever been to. People were dressed business casual, a jazz band played as hors d'oeuvre circulated, and all the while planes, helicopters, and large guns stood silent watch over the excited proceedings. Over 500 people attended the tasting.

This event was raising money for the "Hole in the Wall Gang." Founded in 1988 by Paul Newman, this organization is a nonprofit, year-round center that focuses on serving children and their families coping with serious illnesses. In 2011 alone the organization has served over 18,000 kids. Newman started the organization because he wanted to help kids that were less fortunate than him. The first camp to aid youngsters was founded in CT, and there are now sister camps nationwide that run independently: 14 camps in all. The organization and camps are tied tightly to the community, as each camp does its own fundraising. Maria Gomez, Director of Annual Giving for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, explained to me that the money that's raised will help send kids to the camp where they will be able to have fun with other children who also have life-threatening illnesses. Gomez went on to say that they raise all the money themselves and that the exposure the Beer and Wine Tasting offers is a great way to reach an audience that wouldn't otherwise see the organization. She also said that the organization is great because it allows many kids to be sent to camp and it is a wonderful opportunity to educate kids in their own backyard. The only way that the organization works and can continue to provide services is with the involvement of the community, which makes events like this all the more special.

Me (all the way on the right) hanging out with the guys at Cavalry Brewing. (Corutesy: JAdametzPhotographer)

The community heeded the call, and truly came together for the event. CT Beer Trail member Laurie White came out with the free tickets that she won from the website. She and her husband, Wayne, just joined the site this year and were on the fence about going before she won the tickets. They have a regular Friday schedule that they stick to (usually the Cambridge Brew House, where they are mug club members), but after winning the tickets for free they couldn't say no. The thing they enjoy most about craft beer is how much fresher it is than macro beer and the different artistic styles of beer that one can enjoy. They summarized the event by saying that they couldn't believe their good fortune about winning, and were already looking forward to next year's event.

Bryon Turner, founder of the CT Beer Trail, was on hand and helped to sponsor the event as well. "Connecticut's craft beer industry had an outstanding show of support for this event," said Turner, "Once again this community has shown how generous, compassionate, and professional they are."

Bryon Turner "inspects" the Olde Burnside claymore up for raffle. (Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer)

According to him over $4000 dollars was raised on the raffle alone, and they made more on donations and ticket sales. Turner is an active part of the Bradley Family Day Committee and was the driving force behind getting the local craft beer industry on board for the tasting. Due to the increased interest in the event, the tasting had to be expanded to two of the Air Museum's hangars to accommodate the thirsty crowd. The CT Beer Trail organized the event to feature every main CT brewery, five brew-pubs, four breweries that are currently under development (known as 'nano-breweries'), and three homebrew shops. In addition to the large amount of CT beer, there were also four breweries from surrounding states that contributed to the event. "Beer was clearly the main event at this year's event," said Turner. "When I first got involved in the Not So Snooty four years ago, there were only a limited number of craft beer producers involved. This year we had 20 craft beer related business on hand to help this worthy cause."

Kathy Maznicki, Bradley Family Day President was on hand as well and said that this was one of the three events that Bradley Family Day put on yearly. According to Maznicki the Beer and Wine Tasting is a very unique event that is marked as special due to the setting, food, variety of vendors (which included beer, wine, and cheese), and the raffle (which included air fare from sponsor Jet Blue, bottles of beer and wine, and a claymore sword from Olde Burnside Brewery). “This evening is all about Connecticut,” said Event Co-chair Kathy Maznicki. “It’s about locally produced beer and wine. It’s about cheese made right here in our home state. It’s also about a special place in Connecticut that helps children and families coping with more than anyone ever should have to.”

Maznicki went on to say, " As Not So Snooty grows and more funds are raised, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is able to bring hope and joy to more children with serious illness right here in Connecticut and throughout the Northeast."

The gang at City Steam (Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer)

The joyful sentiment was shared also by Debbie K. Donahue, event co-chair, who sent the following in an email to the volunteers, "We appreciate all the hard work and dedication. You have made a difference...we will be sending some sick kids to camp and that was the goal!"

This cheerful aspect was prevalent throughout the entire night. I spent the evening running around, taking down interviews, and helping out at the CT Beer Trail Booth. Through it all there was a noticeable sense of excitement and happiness among crowd. I, and everyone I talked to, had a great time sampling the beer, and it was made even more great by knowing that any work or money put into the event was going right to an organization that selflessly gives to kids that really need the help. This made it a fairly unique event for me. As mentioned above, the setting was one-of-a-kind with the airplanes and helicopters looming above the action. The mood was a lot more formal then most of the beer tastings I've gone to: one never really wears a blazer to a beer tasting; and forget about hearing smooth jazz bands (who were great by the way). And to top it off, a lot of the Bradley Family Day and Hole in the Wall Gang people were on hand and very eager to talk about the event and let everyone know exactly what good the money was going to do for needy kids. By having people there who actively represented the charity, it almost made the giving feel more "real" because it allowed the crowd to get firsthand accounts of the charitable programming and real stories about the good that has been done so far.

The Thomas Hooker Brewery booth. (Courtesy: JAdametzPhotographer)

So the tasting was unique, very much so. But along with that it was also one of the most fun tastings I've been to. It felt amazing to support such a worthy cause, and it was great to see craft beer finally taking its rightful place alongside high quality wines and cheeses. As far I'm concerned if craft beer gets a little snooty, that's ok with me! Just like the Whites (who won the tickets to the event) I too am already planning on attending next year.

Mark off you calendars, and watch the CT Beer Trail's website to keep in the know about this event, and many more charitable tastings events coming up, and follow this link to the Beer Trail to see the extended vendor list. For more pictures on the event check out Jere Adametz's Flickr page. Also be sure to follow me on Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter to get all the latest news and opinions about the fast growing world of CT beer!

Tuesday Tastings at Eli Cannon's: Sierra Nevada Belgian Night

2011-11-17T18:46:00.001-08:00

This past Tuesday at Eli Cannon's Taproom in Middletown, CT the featured brewery for their weekly Tuesday tastings was Sierra Nevada, and the featured style was Belgian-inspired ales. The beers on tap from Sierra Nevada were Ovila Saison, Ovila Dubel, Ovila Quad, Estate Homegrown Ale, Northern Hemisphere Wet Hop, Belgian Tripel, Celebration Ale, and the ever-classic Pale Ale. Though the reps from Sierra Nevada didn't make it out to the tasting, the beer was particularly unique and everyone I talked to that tried it agreed that this limited release beer was fantastic.

Information from the Sierra Nevada website revealed that Ovila is a joint operation between the monks at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, CA, and the brewers at Sierra Nevada (whose brewery is apparently only 15 minutes away). The monks approached Sierra Nevada with the desire to get into the "family business" of making beer (as beer is still brewed by Cistercian monks in Belgium and the Netherlands). They have been working to rebuild a medieval chapter house that dates to 1190. This monastery was dismantled and shipped from Spain to America in the 1930s. The monks gained possession of the ruins in 1994 and began rebuilding the chapter house piece by piece.

This ambitious project gives buying Ovila beer some real meaning. The name "Ovila" is taken from the historic Santa Maria de Ovila monastery, whose ruins were partly bought by William Randolph Hurst in the '30s and brought to California. It is these same stones that are being assembled today to recreate the monks' chapter house. Some of the proceeds from the sale of Ovila beer is going to the reconstruction efforts of this ancient, beautiful building. After reconstruction the monks will allow the public onto the grounds to experience the architecture and ambiance of a time long past.

Part of the reassembled chapter house. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)

Even though there were no reps on hand, the tasting went awesome and showcased just how well the Ovila brand could speak for itself.. And, after researching the joint-venture, Ovila has a remarkable story that's very much worth investing in. So, in this season of giving, be sure to support the reconstruction of an ancient landmark, and earn points for a cool gift by buying some of the Ovila brand for your loved one or friend. The beer itself is spiced, but well balanced and plus comes in a sweet 750ml corked bottle that will be sure to bring a smile to anyone's face, even if they aren't serious beer drinkers. If you want more info on the Ovila brand, be sure to check out the site for a cool video, old pictures, and more history I didn't have the room for here.

Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Ale

As there were tons of beers on tap and I had a limited time to give them a try (a literal "too much beer, too little time" moment) I gravitated towards a few of the larger beers and consulted with the indomitable bartenders to get a good cross section of the unique Sierra Nevada lineup. The first beer I had was the Estate Homegrown Ale. It smelled of deep malts, apricots, and dully sweet with a hint of sourness. It poured out a translucent (barely see thru) brownish red. The first taste was of warm bitter hops that builds to a sharp mid-taste bitter stab. This was dulled by the heavy malting and the sweetness eventually cut out; after which I was left with just the lingering sharp hop taste. There was also the tang of dull fruits that was barely perceptible on the back end. This ale remained bright throughout, but still big. The body is derived from the super hoppiness that is then in turn dulled by warm malting. All in all, this is a big, warm ale that is not big enough to be an IPA, but too large to be a light ale. Very nice for the winter season.

Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad

I decided to go big next and jumped right to the Ovila Quad. It poured out a super-dark (almost black) brown with a reddish tint, and smelled barely of a deep, deep mocha. This beer starts out smooth with the tang of dried fruit that oozes across the palate. The next note is a sweet burst near the mid taste that borders on being too sweet, but is then cut with a dried fruit, very spicy heavy malt. The aftertaste is thick and tinged with dried fruit. This beer is big, thick, and sweetly spicy. It borders on being too sweet, but mellows out just in time. It's very heavy, precariously balanced, and a definite sipper due to the sweetness. The spice taste will linger on your tongue for minutes after you're done as well. This beer is great for the colder weather, and would be amazing aged for a year and paired with some thick, red meat.

Sierra Nevada Ovila Saison

The last beer I had in my Belgian-style flight was the highly suggested Ovila Saison (thanks Mike!). It poured out a barely see-thru dull orange, and smelled slightly of dull dried fruits and malting. The taste on this one is immediately bright and spritzey, with a quick initial blast of carbonation. The brightness ushers in dull malting that grows bright with the carbonation and reaches a pleasing fruity point with a slight hop burst. This is a very bright Belgian-style beer that has an enticing bright malt which is balanced very well with a slight bittering of hops. The dry fruit lingers on the back end, sits on the tongue and (awesomely) on the nose as well because of the carbonation. This was my favorite beer of the evening, and the one beer that is probably the most flexible to drink in the winter seasons. This could be paired well with a large variety of foods and is sweet enough to be approachable, and robust enough to be interesting.

The next tasting on tap will be Magic Hat on the 21st. After that I hope to see everyone come down next Friday (the 25th) for the 5th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Grand Opening party of Eli Cannon's Trading Company. Bundle up, and then head on down to hear some carols, say "hi" to Santa, and peruse the Eli Cannon's merch available for purchase, plus much more. Hope to see you all there, and until then follow me on Facebook, add me on Blogger, and follow me on Twitter for all the latest malted musings.

November Happenings at Eli Cannon's

2011-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

Last Beer Tasted: Harpoon Leviathan Uber Bock.

This beer pours out a dark reddish amber, and smells very big with spicy malts and a tinge of alcohol. The initial taste is of big, rich, bready malts. This grows to a high, heavy caramel mocha malty taste. In the very middle of the taste there is a slight hoppiness that then goes back to that heavy malt. The aftertaste sits very bright and heavy on the palatte, with more slight hoppiness on the tail end. This beer, above all else, is big and bold. It is very heavy and bready, but it sits warm and thick on the tongue. As far as bock styles go this one isn't terribly balanced in terms of an even taste, but if you're a fan of malts (as I am) then you will enjoy the heavy caramel mocha taste in the beer. However if you prefer sharp hops or a balanced fruity end to a bock, then you may have trouble to this one.

After a wasted week (thanks a lot early winter storm) I'm hoping to get back on track with some good beer & beer events. And what better way to get back into the wonderful world of craft beer, and experience the new line up of winter warmers and seasonal varieties then to go on down to Eli Cannon's Taproom in Middletown CT and check out their Tuesday Tastings. Every Tuesday at 7:00 PM Eli Cannon's welcomes in a brewery rep who come with samples of the particular brewery and plenty of knowledge to answer any of your questions about the brand.

Tonight the featured brewery will be Saranac. This brewery from Utica, New York has just introduced their seasonal "12 Beers of Winter," and will hopefully have some of those new seasonal varieties on tap tonight.

Next week (11/15) is the Sierra Nevada Belgian Night. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is based out of Chico, California and has become well known with their IPA styles. Sierra Nevada really have mastered the hop, and if they are hosting a Belgian themed night then that is definitely a cause for excitement.

The week after that (11/22) is the popular South Burlington, Vermont brewery: Magic Hat. These guys are well known for their #9 "Not Quite Pale Ale" and their eclectic artistic style. They too have just released a winter seasonal beer as well, and hopefully will have it up for tasting.

These are the Tuesday Night Tastings that are lined up, and at the end of the month there are two more big events. The first is the 5th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, and the grand opening party of Eli Cannon's Trading Company on the 25th. The other is the Craft Brewer's Alliance on the 29th. Both of these events are big news, and I'll bring you more info on them in the next few days.

So now that I've given you something to do on Tuesday, I hope to see you there! Remember to check my blog for reviews on the tasting nights, news updates on big events, and more beer news from around CT. For the most recent updates first follow me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook.

Now I'm Not Bitter But . . . (Thoughts on IBUs)

2011-10-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

In my last few blog posts I have been developing a general idea that is (honestly) a fairly new one for me that: A) Macro beer has its place in the beer world and isn't evil; and B) Just because a beer has a massive IBU/ABV doesn't necessarily make it good. I've addressed the former in a previous blog post, so I'll take a look at the latter today: specifically our infatuation with IBUs.

Now I've talked to several beer representatives now, most of whom scoff at the single-minded desire for the biggest IBU in the world. Some see it as almost petty: as a way to move beer to snobs like me (and us, I'm assuming) to buy expensive beer. Other reps view the IBU race as something that is harmless and silly: if people want beer that big then why the heck not? Most point out the fact that IBUs are kind of nonsense anyway as the human palate can only discern a count up to 100 IBUs; after that 100 you cease tasting more bitterness and instead taste the next flavor that's been brewed in the flavor profile. The only rep that I can think of who defended IBUs as a bragging point was representing a beer that takes it's biggness as a point of pride: Stone Breweries.

Stone Brewing Co: Smugly brewing superior beer since 1996. (Courtesy: Stone Brewing Co.)

Let's make one thing clear: Stone is one of my absolute favorite breweries. I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong about IBUs. For that matter I'm not sure there is a right or wrong: people will like what they like and that's it. What I'm looking at, for the purposes of this blog, is the culture of the big IBU. Why do we love it, and where did it come from anyway?

I feel that now would be an appropriate time to make a scandalous admission: I am not a super huge fan of the IPA. Let me explain. As far as beer snobs go I like to think of myself as a guy who can find something redeemably about most beer. There is rarely a time when I will turn my nose up completely at a beer just because *I* don't like it. The IPA style though, I find, has been done hundreds of times and I really struggle to find different markers in the very similar variations of the same shade that come my way (although at the Boulder Beer Co. tasting the other week they only had IPAs, which did open my eyes to the potential for variety in the IPA style). Thus I put IPAs toward the bottom of my "list of favorite styles" (which seems to be heresy for most New Englanders) but I still enjoy a good one when it comes my way. IPAs are, after all, still on the list of favorite styles, just maybe down it a ways.

With winters like *this* no wonder most New Englanders like it bitter! (Courtesy: babycase1991 (Flickr))

The problem (and this is leading back into the IBU idea, I swear) that I find is that most IPAs just jack up the style with very, very bitter hops and then leave it there. I'm not sure if this is the "traditional way" to make an IPA (although I'm sure some of you beer historians do out there, and I would love to hear your comments) but I for one enjoy the fruity taste that hops can produce over the bitterness. The first time I had one of Boulder's IPAs and experienced the fact that a beer can be dry, fruity, only slightly bitter, and be really good, was the day that I really questioned huge IBUs.

I do have a theory, which I mentioned the other week. Most of us have taken a beer journey to become the snobs we are today. I (and most of us I assume) started out drinking flatly-flavored macro beers, worked our way up through some wide-release craft beers, and now enjoy our niche craft beers and Belgian imports (or whatever). The change that occurs on this timeline is the fact that macro beer is low in IBU and ABV, and as we drink beer with higher quality it typically (but not always!) has a higher IBU or ABV count. Thus we, as beer drinkers, associate "good" beer with "big" beer. Going along with this, as we seek to discover beer we never drank before, we are drawn to the big beer like a challenge. "What? A beer from Belgium that has 11% ABV? Holy crap it sounds crazy!"

An instance where big beer IS good beer too (Chimay Blue)! (Courtesy: Chimay)

With that, whether the beer purposely markets itself as a big beer or not, we are sold by the fact that a beer has a crazy high ABV or IBU. The thing with IBU that I still don't get is that the flavor drops out after a certain point: so why push it? Some people have commented to me that the whole challenge of a beer in excess of 100 IBUs is whether or not the brewers balanced it, and if one's palate is delicate enough to detect the taste after the initial bitterness drops off. This is a fair point, and it does make beer super snobby, but also pointed. After all, if a beer can get it right and make the bitterness break through to further flavors, then why not experience these bold new taste horizons??

At an event after I introduced my blog to someone they asked me, "So why 'malted' musings? You don't like hops? Or is it just a general beer blog?"

I thought the question over and gave the answer I write here, that my favorite style of beer is the big, bold beer that is filled with rich malts and spice. I'd take a boisterous porter, an espresso stout, or a nice German dark any day over a bright IPA. But the fact doesn't escape me: my malty beers that I love so much are only good because they have been balanced out with hops and bitterness; to keep the overall sweetness from becoming overwhelming.

The perfect place to enjoy a big, malty warmer! (Courtesy: RodneyRamsey (Flickr))

I do drink IPAs, and I especially love them as relief in the spring or summer; but my favorite season for beer is on us now, the fall and the winter. Now is the time we get big winter warmers! Malty Christmas style ales! German Oktoberfest style (which sadly has passed us by once again for the year) with its clearness and sweet aftertaste! The beer stage is set for the malty monsters to play, with the IPA heavy hitters serving as a supporting role until the seasons shift again. As I sign off I'll say this: enjoy your big ABV and your sharp IBU; but please don't assume that just because it's big then it's good. The real sign of a beer snob (a fun one at least) is one who can admit what low-quality beer they like, point out the problems in overrated beer, and generally just love all types beer! As usual I look forward to your comments. Do I have a point? Are my points invalid? Are there some IPAs out there that would knock my socks off and make me clamor louder for super high IBU? Let me know, and then get connected with my blog on Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter!

Tuesday Night Tastings at Eli Cannon's Tap Room: Boulder Brewing Company

2011-10-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month (the 4th) Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown welcomed Boulder Beer Company as their featured beer. There were four Boulder beers at the weekly beer tasting: Hazed and Infused; Cold Hop IPA; Hoopla IPA; and Mojo IPA. Boulder specializes in pale ales, and the expertise was well appreciated by the usually large Tuesday night crowd, even though the Hazed and Infused keg wasn't tapped till much later in the evening (after I had gone).

The representative on hand was Nancy Naigles, who is the East Coast Promoter for Boulder Beer. She explained that Boulder Beer Company, opened in 1979, is Colorado's first brewery post-prohibition, and the 43rd licensed brewery in the United States. The brewery started out in an old goat shack and over the past 30 years has (obviously) expanded quite a bit. The brewery was started by two college professors at Colorado University who wanted to make better beer than what was out there already.

The brewery used to focus on olde style and unconventional beer. However, to appeal to Coloroado's great love of hops and ale, the brewery began to gradually transition from a stock of non-traditional beer, to a stable, approachable line of beer that was high-quality and enjoyable. The pale ales were the easiest to switch to for the brewery and for their unconventional offerings they started the "Looking Glass Series" in the 90's, which features a Barleywine and an Imperial Stout. As Naigles puts it, back in the 80's no one was really ready for the wild beer that was being put out, but now there are almost too many wild styles of beer to choose from. What makes Boulder Brewing unique is that they started off with crazy beer, evened out to make approachable beer before most other breweries even existed, and now have a strong enough base to make basically whatever beer they want.

Obviously since they've been around for so long, Boulder Beer has quite a large following both locally and nationally. As Naigles said, since Boulder has had a core of great IPAs for the past 20+ years, they are free to experiment with and put out brand new beer styles. Boulder is currently available in 39 states and is able to self-distribute much of their beer. The key to their success, according to Naigles, is that they tap into every market they can. In Colorado especially they focus on the college-aged following and make their beer not only accessible, but also desired to the drinking-aged students. Boulder also focuses on the home-brewers with their "Goat Shed Revival" event in which home-brewers are challenged to create the best beer they can. The winner of the event gets to have their beer put on tap at the Boulder brew pub.

By being involved in so many markets, Boulder Beer toes the line between crazy and approachable beer. Their "Hazed and Confused" beer is best-selling, but not all that big in alcohol by volume (ABV). In fact, Boulder is one of (if not the only) brewery whose flagship beer is less than 5% ABV. According to Naigles this is intentional to buck the idea that good beer has to be really big. Naigles says that she (and the brewery) knows that craft beer drinkers gravitate naturally towards big beer, and she is confused by it. As she puts it, she likes to trick people with their flagship "Hazed and Infused." She will get a "beer-pro" to sample the beer, and then have them guess the ABV. She says that typically the guesses will come in at around 7%, and the shock is evident on their faces when she answers that the actual ABV is only 4.85%. As Naigles says, "You don't need a really high ABV to have a rich tasting beer."

Naigles and Boulder Beer have made it their mission to challenge peoples' perception that beer with higher ABV is "better" than other beer. I found this sentiment interesting and realized that it raised a question: why do us craft beer drinkers thrive on finding and drinking the biggest ABV beers we can get our hands on? The answer is suitable to a blog post unto itself but I can attempt to give at least two reasonable answers. One is that after drinking so many macro beers that have a low ABV, I think that it's the logical step for many new craft beer drinkers to get as far away from the "horrible low ABV" as possible. So, by that logic, the greater the ABV there is, the better the beer is(which is not necessarily true). The other point is that (much like craft beer drinkers and IBUs) we sometimes consider that the higher the ABV on a beer gives us more "beer-cred" or bragging rights. That is, our buddies bring over a 9% Imperial Stout and we, in turn, can snort, smile smarmily, and produce an 11% Trappist Ale. Both these sentiments help create the inherent close-knit community of beer culture, but both are arguably damaging to people who view the culture from the outside. But, as I said, that is a topic for another day.

Cold Hop (Courtesy: Me)

Now onto the beer that was there! I started with the Cold Hop IPA. This beer smelled distantly of fruity hops and poured out a light orange/amber: barely translucent. At first taste there was a fruity dryness which grows until it reaches a high hoppy point that doesn't quite manage to overwhelm the senses. This fruit dryness lasted throughout the entire sip and lingers on the tail end along with some moderate malting. This is a dry, light to medium beer that gets its depth from the flavorful hops. The bitterness is around average for an IPA, but the sweetness and fruity tone make it very palatable.

Mojo IPA (Courtesy: Me)

Next up was the Mojo IPA. This smelled bitterly of distant hops and poured out a very pale orange/amber color that was deeper than that of the Cold Hop. At first taste the beer has a dry hoppy tone with a hint of fruit. This moves into a deeper dryness with a ever-growing hint of fruit and bitterness. The taste resolves quickly with a malty hop bitterness and a lingering dry aftertaste. This is a medium IPA that once again gets its real weight from IBUs and a high fruity bitterness. More bitter than the Cold Hop, this is still a very clean-drinking beer that has a big bitterness but resolves quickly.

Hoopla Pale Ale (Courtesy: Me)

The last Boulder Beer Co. beer I tried was the Hoopla. This beer smells of hops with a distant bitterness. It pours out a dull orange/amber color. The initial taste is an even dryness that moves into more of a bright hop tone and retains the dry flavor throughout. This then gives way to a fruity aftertaste that is dry without any real hoppy bitterness. This is a light to medium beer that is distantly fruity with hops, but without too much bitterness. Like the other Boulder brews this beer is dry, crisp, and clean. Definitely the most mild of the three I drank, this beer still showcases quality brewing, but will disappoint any hop-head looking for a bitter blast to the senses.

Between the three I tasted, the Cold Hop was in the middle for bitterness and my favorite. I enjoyed how there was plenty of hoppiness in the brew, but its bitterness was balanced out with that great fruity hop flavor you don't see too much of in an IPA. I'm still searching for "My Favorite Pumpkin Beer of 2011." Right now I'm holding at Southern Tier, but I'm trying to track down the Heavy Seas and Weyerbacher offerings, which hopefully I'll bring to you guys soon. For up-to-the-date musings follow me on Blogger, Twitter, or Facebook!

Pumpkin Beer 2011: Three More Strong Contenders

2011-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

It is officially Autumn, which means the air is getting crisper, the days are getting shorter, and the pumpkin beers are flowing freely! In a previous article I had a look at a couple pumpkin micro-brews and received a lot of insightful commentary from members of the CT Beer trail as to what pumpkins are good and not so good this year (be sure to check out the thread). My mission still is to find the best pumpkin beers of the season, and let all of you know what I uncover on my journey (as much as one can journey by just sitting and drinking beer). I have three good ones for you this time.

UFO Pumpkin (Courtesy: Me)

The first up is Harpoon UFO Pumpkin. The UFO line, started by the founders of Harpoon Brewery, has a respectable array of unfiltered German-style beer. Their pumpkin (in my opinion) is the best of the line and a brilliant marriage of styles. The beer pours out a deep orange with a slightly golden hue, sitting with the characteristic cloudiness associated with the unfiltered beers. There is a hard nose on this one, smelling very sweetly of malts and light pumpkin overtones. At first taste the beer has deep, smooth balanced pumpkin spices (spice that doesn't taste like it came from a spice-shaker). The taste then moves to a slight hoppy bitterness, sweeter malts, and a very deep spice note that is balanced between the sweetness and bitterness. The taste ends with a smoother pumpkin note that is ushered out with a balanced sweetness. This beer tastes like real pumpkin spice not something you would get in a cheap, store bought pumpkin pie mix.

Southern Tier Pumking (Courtesy: Southern Tier)

The next high quality beer is the Southern Tier Imperial Pumpking. This beer pours out a gold/amber transparent pour. The nose is a deep pumpkin spice with sugary, nutmeg sweetness very prevalent (colloquially speaking, it smells amazing). The initial taste is dry and smooth with that nutmeg/malty sweetness throughout. The taste profile then grows to a high hoppy point that is cut by the pumpkin/nutmeg to end up with a flat note that is spiked with the tang of liquor. This beer is big (around 8%) but maintains a medium body. This brew showcases a really great pumpkin flavor but leans a bit heavy on the nutmeg. Despite that sweetness this beer is really tasty and is big enough to warm you up in the chilly fall evenings.

Dogfish head Punkin (Courtesy: Me)

The Dogfish Head Punkin Ale smells immediately of dull malting that gives way to a bright pumpkin smell. It pour out a translucent copper/gold with a stubborn quarter inch head. The initial taste comes with a malt burst and slight hops that carry the flavor note to a mouthful of well-rounded pumpkin spicing surrounded by a balancing bitter of hops. The taste ends with more of that slight bitter taste which surrounds the pumpkin spice taste and isolates it in the aftertaste. The beer is medium bodied, very bright, and does one thing very well: isolate and showcase the pumpkin taste throughout the entire sip of the beer.

As of this point the bar for "My Favorite Pumpkin Beer 2011" has been raised significantly (as I thought it would). My favorite is either the Southern Tier Pumpking, which is big, smells amazing, and hugs your taste buds with sweet warmness, or the Dogfish Head Punkin, which I think is a beer that works hard (and succeeds) to perfectly showcase the taste of real pumpkin. I did love the unfiltered style of UFO, so it's highly recommended that you check that out too. The next pumpkin beers that I'm working hard to hunt down are Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin, Weyerbacher Pumpkin Ale, and Heavy Seas Great Pumpkin.

I'll be at the "Keep the Glass Night" in Colchester this Wednesday at Cafe on Main, featuring Chimay. If you buy some Chimay White on draught you get to keep the (really cool) glass. The tasting is from 7 to 9, I hope to see you there! Also don't forget to add me on Twitter @Malted_Musings for more musings through the week.

Why Macro Beer Isn't Evil

2011-10-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

I talk a lot about micro brewing in this blog, and whenever I talk about macro brewing (people like Bud, Miller, Coors, etc) it's usually with a disdainful tone in reference to them and the people that support the brand. However, I have noticed that I have changed a lot since my first few blog posts, in which all I did was rail against the evil doings that macro brews do to the beer world and act generally snobby. My change started off slowly at first. I would talk to a beer rep here, a brewer there, and sales manager every once and a while, and by far and large none of the people in the industry would join in my mocking of the macro beer industry. Instead they would admit that macro beer tastes horrible, but then immediately they would say how the macro companies have brewing down to a perfect science: a way to regulate their beer across an entire nation. This, they would say, is no small feat and does demand some respect.

Really great picture: not the "macro" that I'm talking about though... (Courtesy Flickr (Tambako the Jaguar))

My changing feelings toward macro beer came to a head the other night when I talked with Jamal Robinson, the Blue Point New England Sales manager. Here was a man with a dream beer job, but he started working in the beer industry at a distributor for macro beers! This gave him very interesting view points on beer, all of which were detailed in my last blog post. The view points in question, though, gave me pause and made me reflect on my previous animosity towards macro.

In essence what Jamal said was that macro beer is still beer. It may not be good, but without it you wouldn't have innovators who branch off and create so many microbreweries. Also with macro beer you have an industry (whose business practices, while effective, are questionable I admit) that give people like Jamal and other beer fanatics experience in the industry so they can then turn around after a few years and start promoting or making craft beer. This fact had never been considered by me, and I don't think is considered by many.

A graphic representation of my previous feelings toward macro beer. (Courtesy: Flickr (cowbite))

A lot of the industry guys I talk too are of the general consensus that beer fans can take it way too far sometimes. That is, without knowing virtually anything about the beer industry, some beer-aficionados simply sit back, sip beer, and fire off barbed criticisms that border on plain hostility. I know that everyone has free speech and I also know that not everyone can spend time researching the industry when they just want a beer, but the point is that (and this sentiment was echoed by several brewers) people who judge others on beer, or are just plain mean when talking about beer generally turn casual drinkers off to the craft beer world as a whole.

Now I'll admit: I'm guilty as charged when it comes to being super snobby. Especially when I first started the blog I would go on about how macro is horrible and how people don't take beer seriously enough, blah, blah, blah. I see now that maybe I was just taking it too seriously. Don't get me wrong, I love trying new beers, and I'll tell you when they stink, but even beers that kind of stink have a purpose. Macro breweries balance out the market, gives tons of people jobs, and have even been trying their hand at "craft-style" beer recently, which (while not great beer maybe) piques people's interest to what good beer could taste like and will (hopefully) lead more people to the doors of their local brewery.

Not my brewery, but certainly the doors of my local watering hole. (Courtesy: Flick (JereAdametzPhotographer)

Most craft brewers got into making beer because it was fun. The distributors that I talk to all really love their brand and have fun selling it. Through my experiences I've found the only people in the beer industry that don't have fun with beer are the drinkers that mock people based on drink choice and personally attack breweries based on the liquid they produce. And yes, I know, I fell into that camp at one point. But I'm a changed man now and I promise: the moment I stop having fun with beer is the moment I stop blogging altogether!

While I feel like I've changed with my opinions on the beer industry, it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be drinking more macro anytime soon, and it certainly doesn't mean I'm "Mr. Everything is Great" either. All I am is more informed and perhaps less venomous. But what do all of you think? Is the hate toward macro a bit much? Can us beer fans turn off casual beer drinkers to craft sometimes? Let me know what you all think, and don't forget to add me on Twitter @Malted_Musings for more musings through the week. Also I'll be at the "Keep the Glass Night" in Colchester this Wednesday at Cafe on Main, featuring Chimay. If you buy some Chimay White on draught you get to keep the (really cool) glass. The tasting is from 7 to 9, I hope to see you there!

Tuesday Night Tastings at Eli Cannon's Tap Room: Blue Point Brewery

2011-09-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown CT featured Blue Point Brewery as their beer for tasting. There were four Blue Point beers on the menu and up for sampling: Blue Point Toasted Lager, Oktoberfest, Blueberry Ale, and Hoptcial Illusion. The man representing Blue Point brewery was Jamal Robinson, the New England sales manager. At first I didn't recognize that he was the official Blue Point rep, as he was wearing a rather fetching dress. He told me "I lost a bet, I hope you can take me seriously enough to interview," but I assured him that it took a lot of integrity to actually follow-up with such a crazy bet and most guys I know wouldn't of had the guts to do so. The ice being thoroughly broken, we got to talking beer.

Blue Point is a Long Island beer that was started by Mark Burford and Pete Cotter in 1998. As Robinson explains, these were just two dudes who started brewing their own beer and realized that it was as good or better than anything that Long Island currently offered. Today Blue Point has 16 different beers that they cycle through, including their American "Pale Ale" and "Toasted Lager" which are year-round beers that are quite popular. The quality of Blue Point's beer is evident to the Long Island area, as (according to Robinson) just about every bar in L.I. has at least two or three Blue Point brews on draught at any given time. Robinson admits that Blue Point knows that the beer industry is, well, an industry. Accordingly they put out beer that is approachable, and beer that requires a wider palate for.

Blue Point Toasted Lager won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup in 2006. This is their flagship beer that is easy drinking to be approachable to the larger beer market, but the lager also has some complex notes in it to keep it appealing to craft beer drinkers. Though the lager appeals to both serious beer drinkers (if there really can be such a thing) and casual beer drinkers, Blue Point's brews run the gamut from easy-drinking to very complex brews. As Robison told me, Blue Point has easy beers that are 5% ABV all the way to hoppy-monsters and other beers that weigh in heavy at 10% ABV.

The topic of the beer industry came up several times during the conversation. Robinson expressed that the industry needs visionaries, but when a large number of them cropped up in the 80's, too few of them had any business knowledge and so folded quickly. By far and large, says Robinson, brewers get into the business for the right reasons: they brew for the love of beer. Problems commonly occur when they start to try to supply large areas, and it is very hard to even consider supplying beer nationally. But despite any business or brewing decisions that have to be made, Robinson was adamant that the quality of the beer is what decides the business. "Beer is all about the liquid: at the end of the day it's what pulls people in, or pushes them away," Robinson told me.

And that's what Blue Point is: a brewery that puts out consistently good beer. The reason for this, Robinson tells me, is that Blue Point is now and always will be a craft brewery. Even if they are brewing an easy or "approachable" beer, Blue Point does it with the seasoned respect of skilled craft brewers. Blue Point believes in craft beer, as does Robinson, the fact he pointed out is proved in how good the beer is.

Robinson himself started at a distribution company for Anheuser Busch, and as such has an interesting perspective on the beer industry. While he worked at the distribution company, he drank and loved craft beer, but still admired (from a pure business stand point) how AB could regulate and distribute their product so seamlessly across the world. As Robinson says, Blue Point has trouble regulating their beer across two breweries, and yet AB manages to do it seamlessly with 12 breweries throughout the United States.

Though not considered "great beer" by many craft drinkers, Robinson insists that macro beer side projects (i.e. Shock Top and Blue Moon, etc) are good for the industry: they are what get people interested in better craft beers. There is a beer for every season, says Robinson. The beer you knock back with old high school friends will probably not be the beer that you treat yourself to, or serve with a really awesome dinner. In this way, cheap beer is not "bad" in the fullest sense of the term. It may not taste great, but it has its purpose. Accordingly, Robinson always gets upset when people are judged by what they drink. "I don't even drink high-end craft beer all the time," he told me. Everyone has to start somewhere with drinking beer, and there is a place for all beer, even the stuff that most beer snobs (me included) would turn their noses up at.

Toasted Lager (Courtesy: Me)

I definitely didn't turn my nose up at Blue Point Beer, however. I tried the award-winning "Toasted Lager" first. The initial smell is a distant, vaguely sweet malt scent. The beer itself pours translucent reddish-amber gold: an altogether pleasing appearance. The initial taste is a medium sweetness that builds to a warm, slightly burnt taste that is evened out with a nice blend of hoppiness and malts. This note finishes with a balanced slightly sour/bitter note. Also discernable on the tail end is a bright starchiness of wheat. This lager is a light to medium bodied beer that I think is a little heavy on the slightly sour note from time to time. This is the only note that doesn't fit (ever so slightly) in the otherwise perfect balance of the beer. The mildness and very slight burst of hops in the middle keep this lager interesting, however, and separate it into a higher class than most low-quality lagers that you find kicking around.

Oktoberfest (Courtesy: Me)

The Blue Point Oktoberfest was up next. This pours out a barely translucent, deep amber color with a smell of deep malts obvious yet distant. The taste follows suit of most Oktoberfest brews with a light, bright initial note that moves to a high hoppy burst that is light and not very bitter. The beer finishes quickly with a fading malt starch that terminates with a lingering starchy smoothness. This medium bodied beer is very bright and clean. I am used to more of a sweet note in my Oktoberfest beers (although originally, apparently, the style was a dry beer) but I appreciate how refreshing and clean the beer remains through the initial to the aftertaste.

Blueberry Ale (Courtesy: Me)

In one fermenting tank for their summer beer: "Blueberry Ale," Blue Point added 732 pounds of blueberries. Robinson told me that this gave the beer a really strong blueberry scent, but did not give it the heavy malty sugariness that you get from a flavor extract. This proves that fruit can be in beer, and Robinson said that he always gets annoyed when people snub a fruit beer before even trying it. As he reminds me, brewing with fruit is one of the oldest brew styles there is. When I got my glass of "Blueberry Ale," it smelled (sure enough) heavily of rich blueberries with a slight hint of sweet malts. It pours out with the trademark appearance of a golden ale: a pale golden transparent shade. The taste begins with an immediate burst of sweet malts. This is then cut by a sour hop that balances out the taste and moves the flavor note along to a malty smoothness. This all ends with a little kick of hops to round out the beer's flavor. This is a light-bodied beer with bright fruit notes that smell great but don't dominate the taste. The whole taste itself is evened out with balanced malting. Overall a very refreshing beer.

Hoptical Illusion (Courtesy: Me)

The last beer in the lineup for the night was Blue Point's "Hoptical Illusion." This poured a rich translucent golden color and smelled of deep floral hops. The initial taste is a sharp floral hop stab that grows to a bitter mid note, and ends up with a smooth floral flavor. The beer is medium, brightly flavored, and filled with great sharp hops. The coolest thing about this particular beer is that it reaches very high, bright hop notes without becoming super bitter or overly malty (like some big IBU beers tend to). Instead it has a deep, dense hop flavor that is clean and refreshing and leaves the palate ready for more.

My favorite beer of the tasting was probably tied between the Toasted Lager and the Hoptical Illusion. The Toasted Lager is the type of beer you could enjoy a dozen of and feel great, and the hop profile in the Hoptical Illusion is one of the most unique I've ever had. For more malted musings during the week, be sure to add me on Twitter @Malted_Musings. Also try and make it out to Eli Cannon's this Tuesday for the Boulder Brewing (a great brewery from Colorado) tasting. We will see you there!