Ferment Nation Beer Blog

Firestone XV

2012-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

Photo from Firestone's website. Visit them!

Firestone XV

When: New Year's Eve

Served in: Wine Glass

Appearance: Pours a deep ruby red, some haze, tight off white head.

Aroma: big vanilla oak with chocolate and malt.

Taste: Big warming oak with hints of cocolate, finishing with some alcohol heat. No two sips
are alike! Picking up orange peel once, sometimes chocolate. As it warms the orange and fruit
comes out more. The warmth also brings out a roastier, tannic finish.

Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carb, incredibly drinkable at 12%. Noticable alcohol burn, but
but nothing you wouldnt expect. The body is lean enough to keep sipping without thinking
its maple syrup.

Overall: A big, drinkable, complicated beer that can probably use a year to develop and let the oak mellow out.

Chicken Sandwich Paired with Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Aged

2012-01-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

Innis & Gunn's Rum Cask Oak Aged Ale is a unique and exciting brew. I first encountered it at the Philly Craft Beer Festival in early 2011, where it made my top 3 beers of the day. You can check out that review HERE. The exciting part about the beer is its confluence of flavors: The oak cask imparts an earthy, vanilla essence, with dark and sensual spices of Jamaican rum providing an appropriately playful partner for the sweetness.

Here's how you replicate my awesome sandwich: First ingredient is a chicken breast. Cut it down fairly small, then beat the crap out of it with a tenderizer. Next, sprinkle kosher salt and fresh-cracked peppercorn on both sides and finally, grill it to perfection. There.

The roll wasn't the best ever, but here's how you make it sexy-- Cut it open and put some oil-cured olives on one side, and Chimay cheese on the other. Put it under the broiler for a few minutes until the bread is browned and the cheese is melty. Excellent.

Bacon.

Now there's a serious sandwich. Very savory. So how does the Innis & Gunn rum cask ale match up with the food? I have to be honest, it didn't work as well as I thought it would. A week or two ago, I had Chimay cheese on a burger made with onions sauteed in Victory Golden Monkey. The onions had taken on an extra sweetness, and the salty cheese was a perfect foil. Here in my chicken sandwich, the salty bitterness of the olives and the savory Chimay Cheese worked together with the bacon to jazz up the chicken. So perhaps a dry pale ale or smooth IPA would have cut the bold flavors, almost mimicking the neutrality of the chicken.

The rum flavors of the Innis & Gunn are a little too jazzy to cut the cheese (so to speak), and actually compete a little bit with the bold sandwich. Perhaps an imperial stout to complement the bacon and the olives? Or something more Belgian-y to go with the Chimay cheese? Maybe even the original Innis & Gunn oak aged ale... Wanna check out our review of this beer? Read it HERE. Oddly enough, the original I & G review was posted on January 20th, 2010, exactly one year before the writing of this article. Weird, huh? Anyway, a session IPA may be the right call in the end.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer has some food match suggestions on its own site. Check it out HERE. Even though a strong, mature cheese is recommended, I wasn't blown away by the pairing with the Chimay cheese. Maybe I should've added some chutney... I & G also suggests game such as venison or duck, which both have a stronger flavor than chicken. I guess that makes sense, considering the dark spiciness of the rum, which would complement the meat rather than compete with the accessories.

While I enjoyed both the sandwich and the beer, I don't think they were paired perfectly. If you have any serious success stories or epic fails with regards to #craftbeer and food #pairings, please share them with the Ferment Nation. We would love to add YOU to our Citizen Review Cabinet.

Bell's Java Stout

2012-01-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Bell's Java Stout:

Stouts are somewhat my forte (though I do love a good IPA, too) – and I have been dying to try Bell’s Java Stout. I had heard only good things about it, but was afraid I might be let down by this beer. Luckily, I was not!

This beer poured into a tulip without much head, but it had a bold nose full of rich coffee and chocolate notes. At first taste, I was overwhelmed by the powerful, black coffee flavor of this beer. It does not have much mouth feel, but with so much flavor, more thickness would almost be overkill. Overall this was a delightful coffee stout, with much more coffee flavor than for example Tröegs Java Head (you can read the VP's review of Java Head). I would definitely drink this one again.

I also finally broke out my 33 Bottles of Beer notebook, this felt like a good beer to christen it. I found this lovely item when looking for a birthday present for The VP. At only $12 for a pack of three, this one-hundred percent recycled, USA-made product is both a steal and a smart purchase. I look forward to using it to help me remember many beers in the coming months!

Bruery/Elysian/Stone

2012-01-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

Cheers to Andy, a great and productive citizen reviewer from the left hand side of the Ferment Nation!

Stone Brewing/Elysian/Bruery
La Citrueille Celeste

Vessel and date: Shaker glass in November 2011

Appearance : Dark brick brown. Stiff white head from a hard pour into the glass.

Aroma: lemon bordering on cloying, enough spiciness and malty esters to balance it out.

Taste: Lemon and spiciness up front, followed by a touch of hop bitterness. Then the spices drop right off, leaving you with a pleasnt roasty finish. All aspects well balanced, nothing too overpowering.

Mouthfeel: Enough carbonation to make the flavors pop, body isn't so heavy that you can't drink this with a slice of pumpkin pie!

Overall: An excellent non traditional pumpkin beer. The absence of the standard spices are a relief from the deluge of clove and nutmeg. Amazingly balanced and creative; one of the best stone colllabos ever!

Cheers!

Oversight Corrected: Thunder Hole Photo

2012-01-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

Back on October 3, 2011 we published a review of Bar Harbor Thunder Hole Ale. The photos of the beer were taken by yours truly, but the awesome picture of Thunder Hole itself was taken by Greg Hartford of www.AcadiaMagic.com. The photograph has Greg's credits at the bottom, but truth be told: It's pretty small print. I should have exercised more diligence in crediting the picture, and so this is my apology to Greg. The website is very informative, and the photographs are beautiful. I recommend visiting Acadia National park for all of its beauty and majesty, just plan your visit by visiting AcadiaMagic.com first.

Photo by Greg Hartford of AcadiaMagic.com

Without exaggeration, about 99% of the photos published on Ferment Nation are taken by the operators or citizen reviewers of the site. Usually, the "borrowed" photos are credited or linked to the site of origin, but Greg's photo of Thunder Hole slipped through the cracks. I apologize for the oversight, but it has served as a reminder to be more careful. If anyone notices anything that may need to be rectified, please leave a comment or email me: president@fermentnation.com. Thanks and Cheers!

Iron Hill "A Study in Hops"

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's an oldie but a goodie! Fate had brought the subject up recently as I caught up with my old friend Jesse. And Lo! My note sheet from this Iron Hill experiment shows up in a coat pocket. The date: April 2, 2011. I had sample-sized servings of the following:

Base Beer: Irish Red Ale

Medium-bodied red ale brewed without finishing hops. We split it into 10 kegs and added one of the following hop varieties to each keg:

Northern Brewer (Germany). Notes: Mild at first, with a dry punch. Subtle notes. Extremely drinkable.
East Kent Goldings (England). Notes: Totally British. Kinda mild but permeates the brew, especially at the finish. Passive-aggressive.
Saaz (Czech Republic). Notes: Light and slightly zippy. I was waiting for this one...not disappointed. Brings that pilsner drinkable dryness to an Irish Red.
Styrian Goldings (Slovenia). Notes: Mysterious. Well-balanced but hard to describe. I like it. I think.
Nelson Sauvin (New Zealand). Notes: Bright hops, less citrusy than the Citra. Little milder but very tasty.
Sorachi Ace (Japan). Notes: Dry and smooth, touch of citrus, reminds me: Saison-ish. Yards? Most intriguing.
Citra (United States). Notes: Hops are a little brighter, giving a fresh lift to the red ale. Stylish, but I'm looking for a little maltier.
Columbus (United States). Notes: Bitter on the back end, leaving room for the malt. Reminds me of: Yakima Glory (light).
Centennial (United States). Notes: Hops are grungier with a darker, milder grapefruit flavor. I was expecting something more like Centennial IPA from Founders, but this is different.
Amarillo (United States). Notes: Slightly funky, easiest drinking so far, but it's cooling down my Chipotle Wings.

The interesting part of this experiment to my mind is the use of the Irish Red as a base. The malt bill is going to be different from a typical pale ale or IPA, so my assessments of these brews is a bit backwards from my typical tastes in hops. I usually love Citra and Centennial hops,while Sorachi Ace... not so much. But here I found that the foreign hops added the most to the Irish Red. An interesting study indeed...

When first introduced to Iron Hill's beers a few years ago, I was in a very experimental stage and really enjoyed by beers over the top. Iron Hill had reminded me of the Triumph (the Princeton location was the only one I had visited at that point) in that they were drinkable, yeah, but not very bold. I found them to be a bit boring back then. But a visit to Iron Hill North Wales changed my mind: I discovered the Nine of Diamonds Scotch Ale. As you check out this brief, please know that the Iron Hill location was incorrectly identified as Maple Shade, NJ... But never fear! I also reviewed the McMaster Scotch Ale on Cask while I was at Iron Hill, Maple Shade for A Study in Hops on April 2, 2011.

The truth is, I am enjoying Iron Hill's brews more and more each time I go. The Pig Iron Porter is a super-solid porter by just about anyone's standards, but their experiments, seasonals, and collaborations have proved to be more and more interesting while maintaining a manageable level of drinkability. I've met the head brewer of Maple Shade a few times now, and Chris LaPierre has been incredibly accessible and gracious whenever I've bumped into him. I look forward to spending a bit more time at Iron Hill now that my lovely wife included a mug club membership as part of my Christmas present this year (thanks, honey!). Please share your Iron Hill experiences as well as other beer-drinking adventures with the Ferment Nation. Include pictures and we'll share them with our readers. Thanks and Cheers!

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

The following story is a Storify collection of tweets (plus added commentary) that were posted on New Year's Eve 2011. I enjoyed some rare and interesting brews. If you have tried any of these beers and would like to voice your opinions on them, please get in touch. We welcome your holiday celebration recaps as well. Cheers!

So there you have it! We at the Ferment Nation hope you've enjoyed your holiday celebrations this 2011/2012. Thanks to you, good citizens, we've had an awesome 2011. Looking forward to sharing 2012 with you over a few beers. Cheers!

Victory: Something old and something new...

2011-12-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

Victory really knows how to take over the taps at a bar near you. One of my local faves is the Pour House in Haddon Township, NJ. Victory brought a load of cool stuff including Braumeister Pils, and Smokin' Oats Porter, but I really went for some vintage 2009 Old Horizontal Barleywine. I was tempted into grabbing a Ranch S Double IPA as well, and was pleasantly surprised by its dual nature: malty and hoppy at the same time. The aroma of Ranch S is worth investigating all by itself, with a funky, earthy, hoppy goodness that isn't too far off sticking your face into a pile of hops and inhaling deeply. Put some groovy beers together with an old friend who's about as big a beer geek as you are, and it makes for a pleasant evening of catching up on old times as well as discussing what's new...

So thanks for hanging out with my friend Jesse and me. We had a wonderful time chillin' with some Victory brews, old and new. Cheers!

Holiday Greetings with 3 Saranac Beers

2011-12-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's almost Christmas, so of course, we need to throw in some more Christmas and Winter related posts. Here are some thoughts on some seasonal beers.

Saranac Vanilla Stout

I am pretty sure I have had Saranac Pumpkin Ale while ago, and maybe their Octoberfest once, so I am not well-versed in this brewery, but I do love stouts and consider myself a good judge of them. Good lacing on the tulip glass I am drinking it out of, which is nice. I am having it at my work's holiday luncheon. I definitely want to try more of this when it has a chance to warm up, but I can already smell and taste vanilla tones to this beer.

This is interesting. It doesn't have the bitter roasty tones of a more robust stout. It reminds me of winter and Christmas and the holidays because of the vanilla taste, and I like that, because I do not always associate the cinammon and other warm spices with winter warmers. Nice smell, nice lacing. Not my first choice as a stout because I prefer the roasted toasted flavors of stouts, but this is quite nice. At 4.8% abv, it is pretty weak as far as beers go, but it makes it more of an easy-drinking beer. The fact that Saranac gets some nice vanilla flavor out of this beer without making it boozy is nice. Will I drink a whole six pack? Maybe not, but I would definitely come back to this beer again.

Lake Effect Lager and Chocolate Lager:

Lagers are not my favorite style of beer, so these two beers didn't make a lasting impression on me. I think the Lake Effect Lager worked better, because it was just a lager. The chocolate lager seemed to be "reaching" for something it did not quite achieve. I also had Saranac's Big Moose Ale, and as I remember that was pretty good, too.

I think I need to buy this multi-pack of Seasonal Saranac beers and drink more than one each, and do a proper review. If anything, it will give me a chance to have another Vanilla Stout, which I very much enjoyed.

Want to learn more about Saranac's "12 Beers of Winter"? Check out their website.

2011-12-22T06:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, Citizens! Here is a lazy-ass post from last year. Consider it the Ghost of Christmas Post. Catch up with us over the next week or so and we will have some festive things for your reading pleasure. Cheers!

Here it is--your Ferment Nation Christmas 2010 Beer Roundup!

Check out these three Christmas beers this Yuletide. Make yours the merriest, yes the merriest, and the happiest, yes the happiest. Drink Safely and don't forget to leave Santa a wee nip of something strong to take the edge off!

Corsendonk Christmas Ale:

This Belgian dark ale comes in a great gift pack (six beers and a glass) for the holiday season. It is very even-tempered as a dark ale and quite tasty. The aroma is just wonderful and complex with hints of dried fruits and some exotic spicing. [Read the Full Review]

Nøgne Ø / Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales / Stone Brewing Co.Special Holiday Ale:

Bearing gifts, they traverse afar... I'm not very familiar with Nøgne Øas a brewery but I'm about to become really interested in this brewery from Grimstad, Norway. This 2009 version of the special collaboration between Kjetil Jikiun and the other two wisemen (Ron Jeffries from Jolly Pumpkin and Mitch Steele from Stone) is worth its weight in rare herbs and glinting riches. This Special Holiday Alepours so dark reddish brown that it is almost black, topped with a generous foamy tan head. [Read the full review]

Anchor Holiday Ale 2009:

Eleven months I wait for this brew to hit the shelves. As soon as the pumpkin ales have all shown their fall finery in liquor stores around town I begin to peek around for the first winter brews. Anchor Brewing offers one of the most solid and stalwart lines of brews and the "Our Special Ale" stands out among these. Every year the recipe is different (and so is the tree pictured on the label) so it's a holiday surprise every time. [Read the full review]

Bahoukas Antique Mall

2011-12-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaarrrrggghhh... This handsome fella greets visitors to the Bahoukas Antique Mall in Havre de Grace, MD. After swashing buckles all day (or is it buckling swashes?), I suppose he might treat himself to a cup o' grog at the local tavern. Looting and plundering seems to have been good to him, judging by the treasure trove of beer memorabilia up in the attic. The BrewMania MuZeum's wall advertisement on Rte 40 caught my wife Rachel's attention on the way home from Thanksgiving in Silver Spring. She indulged my need to stop in and check out the stuff, and we were both impressed by the sheer volume. Owners Barbara and George Wagner were incredibly friendly and accommodating, allowing us to browse and take tons of pictures. They even let our pup Molly inside (thank goodness she didn't pee anywhere!) while we strolled around. You can find them on the web at www.bahoukas.com and also on Facebook!

Not only does Bahoukas have lots of cool beer memorabilia, but it is a really great antique store in its own right. The downstairs portion contains tons of books, toys, tools, jewelry, and pretty much anything you can think of. There is no way to photograph every article, but here is a quick look around at the downstairs:

But of course, you know why I really stopped into Bahoukas Antique Mall... The beer stuff! Again, it's hard to get every item, but the following slideshow should give you good enough reason to stop by. There's a ton of stuff from Anheuser-Busch, Rolling Rock, Coors, Genny... these may seem like boring macros to most Ferment Nation readers, but remember that they were the craft beers of their days. Marketing their products relied heavily on giving crap away to bars and customers, so you'll notice entire displays of certain breweries. But these collections come from far and wide, so Cheers to George and Barbara for digging up some of the rarities on display. Check them out:

And so there you have it. El Presidente's trip to Bahoukas Antique Mall. Please check them out, won't you? Havre de Grace is a cool little town, and if you get a chance to visit Barbara and George, please do it. They are super nice and have a rockin' store. But don't try shoplifting anything... That pirate has his eye on you.

Get it? Eye on you! 'Cuz he only has one eye. You know, the patch. He's a pirate. With a patch...

One eye.

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Beer Bloggers Conference is an amazing event that brings beer bloggers together from across the nation and around the world. I have had the good fortune to meet some amazing pioneers in the beer blogging world, and that includes the characters from Seacoast Beverage Lab and 2BeerGuys. They have collaborated on the Beer Advent Calendar, which brings you 31 bloggers blogging all through December and helps true craft beer enthusiasts warm up those chilly December nights (and days) that lead up to the new year. Check out the calendar and the sites listed below, but don't forget to read my personal review of Flying Fish's winter offering. Cheers!

Seacoast Beverage Lab and 2beerguys present:

Beer Advent Calendar

When @2beerguys and I went to Portland for the 2011 Beer Bloggers conference, we were amazed by the amount of camaraderie between all of the bloggers, east coast and west coast.

To give thanks and to give back all of the 2beerguys (Sean, Amber, Ryan, Jen and Ian) and I decided to host a collaborative Beer Advent Calendar. Each day you will read a review of a beer written by bloggers you may or may not know. Our goal was to have 31 different bloggers writing a review of a different beer, totaling 31 for the month.

The concept of the Advent Calendar is religious and only lasts 25 days, we understand that. But to have fun with the idea we are extending the calendar to the full 31 days and having no religious ties to it. Just think of it as a fun way to celebrate beer and beer bloggers during the holidays. Check back here every day for a new post from a different blogger. Cheers!

@FermentNation

Beer Advent Calendar – Day 14: Flying Fish Grand Cru presented by FermentNation
To celebrate the Holiday Season, 2Beerguys.com and Seacoastbeveragelab.com have teamed up with beer bloggers around the country to host the first annual beer bloggers advent calendar. This is the season of sharing and we intend to share our love of beer with you. 31Bloggers Blogging – click herefor the running list of beers/bloggers.

Blogger: Owen McCuen from Fermentnation
Website: http://fermentnation.blogspot.com/

Beer: Flying Fish Grand Cru
Brewery: Flying Fish Brewing Company.
Website: http://www.flyingfish.com/

Commercial Description:
This Belgian-style strong golden ale showcases a variety of the ingredients and brewing methods that help differentiate Flying Fish beers. The Grand Cru is fermented at a higher temperature than our other beers adding an undercurrent of fruitiness and clove (although there is no fruit or spice in the beer). Very lightly filtered, the Grand Cru exhibits complex mouthfeel, strong malt flavors, a spicy hop presence and a soothing alcohol warmth, followed by a clean, dry finish. It is excellent with food as well as served by itself.

Details:

Style: Belgian-style Golden Ale
ABV: 7.2%
Malts:: Two-row pale, Cara-Pils, white wheat, Demerera sugar
Hops:: Magnum, Styrian Golding
Yeast:: Belgian Abbey Style
Formats:: 12 oz. bottles,1/2 kegs, 1/6 kegs, cask-conditioned
Availability:: October 1 to February 1
Food pairings: Richer dishes, meats, cheeses, stews, smoked foods. As an after-dinner drink.

Why I chose Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve:
New Jersey loves its craft beer. We import tons of intriguing brews from all around the country, and across the globe, but it’s always nice to be “home for the holidays” and enjoy a craft beer that’s brewed in your backyard. Flying Fish goes great with food. Period. The winter seasonal Grand Cru Winter Reserve is complex yet subtle, and brings warming holiday cheer to the table with serious drinkability, making it a perfect accessory for your festive meal.
Flying Fish has a very drinkable stable of session brews that are peppered with some more adventurous seasonals and their renowned Exit Series (which uses imagination and local flavor to highlight the Jersey Turnpike as a cultural tap room for those with a little Jersey pride!), so I decided to celebrate a local brewery this holiday season.

…And a partridge in a pear glaze… Roasted game fowl, crispy and savory skin with a sweet fruit glaze sounds like a dynamite food pairing for this golden seasonal from Flying Fish Brewing Company in New Jersey. Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve is a bottle-conditioned Belgian style Ale that appears in the colder months of the year. We all know that Winter is a wonderful time of the year to drink beer. It’s pretty much up there with Spring, Summer, and Fall.
But what makes a beer specific to the winter? Typically, the warming spices that appear in cold-weather food and beverage recipes will show up in Winter seasonals and holiday brews. You’ll see ales spiced with cinnamon, clove, allspice, and possibly dried fruit like figs or berries… Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve doesn’t have any spicing beyond the zippy hop presence and a bit of sweetness from the Belgian yeast, but the magic of brewing unleashes some fruity notes and a bit of clove in this bottle-conditioned ale. It kinda reminds me of a Belgian tripel…light. The 6.9% abv falls right in line with this description (Flying Fish’s website and many of the online reviews provide a 7.2% abv for the FF Grand Cru, but I’m looking at the bottle, and the label on the neck is telling me that it’s 6.9%. Not that big a deal, but worth noting.).
So, let’s follow up on the original question by applying it to the specific beer at hand: What makes Flying Fish Grand Cru a Winter Reserve? I contend that the celebratory attributes of this brew make it a really nice addition to a holiday meal. The color is a hazy gold, like straw. It glows a bit, possibly foreshadowing the alcohol warmth that spreads like holiday cheer when you get about halfway through your glass. The carbonation is fairly mellow, which allows the yeast to shine through more than the hops. The complexity shouldn’t be overlooked here, though it is subtle. Cara-pils malt and Styrian Golding hops give this Grand Cru a clean European session brew flavor — The richness appears early, but the finish is fairly dry. But with an abv hovering around 7%, things could get pretty festive in short order.

Living in New Jersey grants me pretty easy access to Flying Fish products. Most of the 6-pack-bottled brews in their line, including seasonal offerings, are available in local stores and appear on tap in my favorite watering holes. Their Exit Series brews tend to be more experimental and higher in alcohol, while the standard line goes for more of a sessionable approach; Grand Cru straddles the line. Bigger and bolder than most of their brews, it stands out as a seasonal release and is fairly sought after when it appears. Truthfully, I look forward most of all to finding it on hand-pumped cask. I am kind of a sucker for cask brews in general, but this one is truly intriguing. Flying Fish Grand Cru could really shine if it mellows just a bit and the hop presence is given a chance to reappear at the finish– not up front like a pilsner, but all the way at the end, like an English IPA. Fezziwig would be proud to serve up pints of Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve, especially if they were hand-pumped from a cask.

About Ferment Nation:
Give us your ales, your stouts, your Belgian tripels… Nothing gives us more joy than beer. Finally there is a safe harbor for all beer lovers to come and celebrate this magical beverage. This blog is a living, breathing document, subject to ammendment at any time. Grow with us. Be part of something. Become a citizen of the Ferment Nation!
Allow me to establish the constitution: Beers will be reviewed according to four categories, each with the potential for scoring one whole flag. The total of the four scores can reach a possible 4.0 flags. The categories will be as follows:

Representation. That is, how does this beer compare to others like it?
Drinkability. Would you (or could you) drink more than one?
Style Points. Is it different? Over-the-top? Luxurious?
Personal Preference. Executive decision

http://fermentnation.blogspot.com/

About Flying Fish Brewing Company:
Flying Fish Brewing Company is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, approximately seven miles east of Philadelphia. In a state that once boasted 50 breweries, it is the first microbrewery in Southern New Jersey and the first new brewery built in that part of the state in more than half a century. From its opening in late 1996, Flying Fish has tripled its capacity and become the largest of the approximately 20 craft breweries in the state.
Head brewer Casey Hughes now produces four full-time styles, as well as a variety of seasonal beers.
The key word to describe all Flying Fish beers is “balance.” The beers are full-flavored, yet highly drinkable. Flavors harmonize, not fight for individual attention. Hopping is generous, but to style. Seeing beer as equal to, if not superior to, wine, Flying Fish beers are designed to complement food. Because of this effort, one can walk into any fine restaurant in the Philadelphia region and be pretty sure of finding a Flying Fish beer available.http://www.flyingfish.com/

Categories: Advent, Flying Fish
Tags: Advent Calendar, Flying Fish Grand Cru

2011-12-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

This Just In:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 13, 2011

Hunterdon Distributors

PO Box 811

Phillipsburg, NJ 08865

Contact: Nancy Maddaloni, Communications Director

Phone: 908-454-7445

Email: nancy@hunterdonbrewing.com

Website: www.hunterdonbrewing.com

Hunterdon Welcomes Port Brewing & The Lost Abbey

to New Jersey

Phillipsburg, NJ – December 13, 2011 – The New Year will bring a wave of excitement to beer enthusiasts in New Jersey. Hunterdon Distributors is pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement to distribute the highly acclaimed beers of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. In addition to an assortment of their most well-known beers, the inaugural launch will feature a special draft-only release brewed exclusively for the New Jersey market. Official release parties have already been scheduled for the first week of 2012.

Based in San Diego and founded in 2006, Port Brewing Company is comprised of two of the most highly regarded labels in the country: Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. The Port Brewing line includes more aggressive and assertively hopped American & West coast-style beers, while The Lost Abbey concentrates on a unique collection of barrel-aged and Belgian-style ales. Led by Tomme Arthur, one of the nations’s most well-respected craft brewers, both breweries have found their way to the top of the craft beer charts with dozens of medals and media accolades to speak of over the last five years. Port Brewing was awarded both “Small Brewery of the Year” and “Small Brewer of the Year” at the 2007 Great American Beer

Festival and “Champion Brewery” and “Champion Brewmaster” in the Small Brewery category at the

2008 World Beer Cup. All of their products have received near-perfect ratings on both Ratebeer.com and

Beer Advocate.

With distribution in only eight US markets, products from both Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey have become some of the most sought-after in the industry. The company has always taken a conservative approach to expansion while putting more emphasis on providing a unique and well crafted product. When the time came to open a new market on the East Coast, they felt New Jersey was a perfect fit. As stated by Tomme Arthur: “Hunterdon's reputation precedes it. A lot of our good friends in the brewing industry have their beer represented by Hunterdon and have nothing but good things to say about the company.”

Hunterdon Distributors is proud to be adding Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey to its already impressive product offering in the state of New Jersey. Please visit Hunterdon’s website at www.hunterdonbrewing.com as details regarding the official release parties will be posted soon.

###

About Hunterdon Distributors

Hunterdon was founded in 1996 and has grown steadily over the years into a company with sixty-five full- time employees. Hunterdon has raised the bar for craft beverage availability and selection in the state by providing the most diverse and sought-after portfolio the market has to offer. The company currently represents over fifty domestic craft brands, hundreds of imports and a unique line of micro-distilled spirits, sakes, ciders and meads. Owners Mike Short and Dave Masterson continue to focus on bringing quality products to the New Jersey consumer.

Kermit Rocks

2011-12-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

In case our readers don't know, El Presidente (that's me, Owen McCuen) is a voice actor with an ear for cartoons and stuff. Not so long ago, a friend commented on my rendition of Rainbow Connection, "Wow, you do a really good Kermit the Frog." My response was, "Thanks! I've been practicing for about thirty years." If you'd like to hear Kermit and a host of other characters, check out my website. Click HERE.

Okay, enough shameless self-promotion--Let's talk Muppets. I was born in 1974. Sesame Street was in full swing and The Muppet Show was about to come to life, with a pilot in 1975 and the show proper appearing from 1976 until 1981. The original Muppet Movie opened in 1979, followed by The Great Muppet Caper in 1981 and The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984, so my childhood was completely informed by Jim Henson's dream. Henson reached kids and grown ups alike with Frank Oz by his side. Oz is a genius puppeteer who also brought us Yoda, in case you forgot...

Children's programming has used puppets forever, and programs like Captain Kangaroo, Captain Noah's Magical Ark, The Candy Apple News Company, Fraggle Rock, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and others like them brought fabric to life and gave these puppets personalities. They became friends that kids looked forward to interacting with, even if only by watching them and laughing at their antics.

But no single character has ever become so real to me as Kermit the Frog. I have laughed and cried with Kermit, and he's pretty much my hero.

Why is Kermit the Frog more human than many of the people I've met? Maybe it's his creator's energy that comes through. Kermit and Henson are big dreamers. I know that Jim Henson is no longer physically present, but his dreams are imprinted upon history. The shows and films will live forever because the dream is not simply to entertain. For me, Jim Henson's dream seems to be to teach people (kids in particular)... HOW to dream. If you believe in yourself hard enough, others will begin to believe in you as well. And when your self-confidence wanes and you begin to doubt yourself, your true friends will be there to pick you up.

Kermit does the truly human work of developing meaningful relationships with his friends. Many crazy Muppet characters have wild personalities, but we frequently remember them by their relationship to Kermit. Sesame Street's characters do this wonderfully (again, Henson and Oz), but Kermit's role as the chief dreamer and host of The Muppet Show puts him in the unique position of juggling these personalities and organizing them into the controlled chaos that makes The Muppet Show so gloriously corny and entertaining.

So Kermit becomes the unlikely leader of this rag-tag crew! He's not a type A personality, but he is surrounded by lots of kooks trying to hog up the stage. With Fozzie and his jokes, Lew Zealand's boomerang fish, Gonzo's cannon antics, and countless others trying to grab a bit of limelight, Kermit has to tame these loonies and produce a decent show. Meanwhile, Statler and Waldorf are raining down insults, Crazy Harry is trying to blow everything up, and Sam the Olympic Eagle is squelching everyone's creativity. Link Hogthrob's ego is no joke, by the way. Oh, and who is more pushy and bossy than Miss Piggy? With all of these alpha Muppets, Kermit should be overwhelmed, right? But he is the reluctant leader. When things go awry, who do they all run to? Kermit.

Kermit loves. He cares. People trust him because they know that he just wants everything to be okay. Kermit lives for his friends, who become his family. And when the family succeeds, Kermit himself will share the joy. This is why the other Muppets love him and trust him. They know that the world is a big, scary place but Kermit's skinny green arms can provide a hug that gives people a safe place to dream those big dreams.

Kermit has been my friend since I was a kid. The new Muppet film The Muppets made me laugh out loud because of the inside jokes that only Muppet fans would get. I cried, too. I think I will review the film after I watch it again. You can check out the trailer for yourself:

But since I consider him a friend, how about having a beer with him? That would be awesome!! Gerard Walen from Road Trips for Beer wrote an article about the subject, and it is well worth checking out! His assessments of the Muppets and their brews of choice are so dead on that Gerard must certainly be a rabid Muppet fan to know their personalities so well. Read Road Trips for Beer's Muppet article HERE.

I would love to hang out with Kermit. In fact, I've tried to live my life like he does. WWKD? Kermit sees some of the circumstances in his life that could be bummers, but he makes the most of them. His color, for example. If you think that the song Green hasn't helped children all around the world realize that being different can be beautiful, you are dead wrong. And if you feel like crying, just check out Big Bird's tribute to Kermit at Jim Henson's funeral:

Okay, that was mean. I shouldn'ta oughta done that. But it just goes to show how important Jim Henson's vision really was and is to everyone who shares it. The emotion in Carroll Spinney's voice is just as moving as the words he sings. And I hope it isn't lost on the readers of Ferment Nation. If it is, then I'm afraid your cold, dead hearts are pumping ice water through your dirty veins.

I have very fond memories of watching The Muppet Show with my parents when I was a kid. I couldn't ask for better parents (Love you, mom!!). So, to tie this all together and make it really personal, I'll tell you a little about someone else I wish I could have a beer with: my dad. He passed away on September 10, 2007. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and miss him. My dad was a football coach for darn near his whole life, beginning when he was just a teenager, and many of the kids he coached have gone on to become coaches themselves... And their players will grow up to be coaches as well, and so his legacy survives. Dad had a special place in his heart for those kids on the sidelines who couldn't play for one reason or another. He affectionately called them his, "sick, lame, lazy, and crazy," but they NEVER felt like they were excluded from the team because everyone has something to contribute. Similarly, yet on a larger scale, Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog have touched the lives of countless millions, including those people who needed to be taught that it was okay to dream, and necessary to believe in yourself. Why? Because everyone has something to contribute.

When I die, I'm figuring I will find some kind of heavenly afterlife (hope they have beer). And when I get there, I won't be on the sidelines. I won't even be in the stands. No, I'll be on the field, playing the game the best I know how-- the way my dad taught me and the way Kermit taught me. Winning team? You guessed it...The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

Dark Horse Pekulator

2011-12-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock: A coffee dopplebock. You can taste the coffee. It definitely has a different mouthfeel compared to coffee stouts and porters. I think I may have to consult with El Presidente as to what the main aspects of a doppelbock are. Double-headed demon on the label, which is cool, but no abv %, which is uncool, Dark Horse. It is tasty out of the bottle. No glass pouring this time. I toyed with the idea of doing a full-on review, but I think a Citizen Review will suffice. Maybe I will come back to this beer again. Overall, enjoyable.

Check out more from DARK HORSE BREWING COMPANY here!

Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend

2011-11-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

So how was everybody's holiday? We at the Ferment Nation hope that all of our good citizens enjoyed the company of family, friends, pets, and beer. Oh, and food, too. We also hope that the good fortune that our family enjoys can make its way into the rest of the world. We were lucky enough to share this holiday with good folks. Here are some of El Presidente's adventures in craft beer over the extended holiday weekend. Cheers!

Thanks for reading our blog! Please remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and stay tuned for more exciting adventures. Love you.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T04:44:00.000-08:00

Hello Citizens,

From everyone here at the Ferment Nation, we would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! It's easy to get bogged down with the stresses that accompany holidays, especially if times are tough. But if you have the ability to step back from the chaos and "zone out" or "zen out," then you can remember what you truly have. Get into the spirit of Thanksgiving that should never be lost, and take a minute to realize that we could be a lot worse off.

If you're reading this blog, you are fortunate enough to have the creature comforts that allow you to be connected to the internet; You are probably sharing Thanksgiving Day with someone you love (or at least someone you can tolerate); You are probably enjoying a craft beer with your meal; So think for a moment about every random event that brought you safe and sound to the dinner table. Then, to follow along with one of my favorite Native American sayings from the Arapaho, "Before eating, always take a little time to thank the food."

Then, after dinner, take some time to read last year's Thanksgiving Day post! You might even want to recollect Thanksgiving Day recommendations from 2009...

Finally, you may want to hear which side dishes Little Richard recommends for your special meal:

So if you drink some awesome craft beer this Thanksgiving, or taste an amazing food pairing, give us a shout and we'll say thank you to you by sharing your info and reviews on our site. Thank you most of all for reading the Ferment Nation. Cheers!

Tommyknocker @TKBrew Imperial Nut Brown Ale

2011-11-19T06:40:00.001-08:00

Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale:

Direct from the bottle, this beer smells like a dark ale or stout. It has a rich malty smell, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has a bitterness like a Samuel Smith beer, which is a compliment to Tommyknocker.

You can taste the alcohol, but it is not overpowering, which is nice considering it is 9% abv. Right out of the fridge, this beer lacks some complex tastes, so I wanted to let it warm up a bit. As for coloring, a very deep, dark, and rich brown, very dark at its center, letting just enough light into the beer by the pint glass's edge.

After I let it warm up a but, you get some of the more complex tastes I was looking for. In one way, I was hoping and searching for a very deep, vibrant maple syrup taste, but I had to come to my senses. This is not called Maple Syrup Ale. In fact, if Tommyknocker had tried to come up with some witty play on words and maple trees, like Uncle Jemima or something, I would not like this beer at all, because I would feel it was too gimmicky.

I had a similar dislike of Troegs' Java Head Stout, which I have reviewed (click HERE to read). They called it Java Head and the bottle label art featured a Death's Head made out of coffee beans, and it was very disappointing, in part because of the lack of coffee taste, but also because I thought Troegs was above such marketing ploys. Tommyknocker writes on the label, "Brewed with pure maples syrup," which in mind is truth in advertising and accurate labeling. So, the fact that I can taste some of the earthy sweetness and aroma that goes along with nuts and trees and maple syrup from Tommyknocker's Imperial Nut Brown Ale combined with its Imperial kick, makes this a satisfying beer.

My BIG Weekend

2011-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hello Citizens,
This post is a long time coming... Sorry about the delay but I've had a crazy week. If you're jonesing for Ferment Nation news, keep yourself informed by following us on Twitter @FermentNation. But finally, here is a Storified collection of tweets regarding the beers I had this past weekend. Thanks to my buddy Nick for sharing them with me, otherwise I'd be dead right now.

Hopefully, as previously indicated, I'll have some nice brews to review soon. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving with my wife's family down in Maryland. I hope to bring some Victory Dark Intrigue with me...

Founders CBS

2011-11-07T05:57:00.000-08:00

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout is as vast as the Canadian wilderness. It is an imperial stout (imperial enough, I'd say, at 10.6% abv) that is brewed with imported chocolate and coffee. It is aged in bourbon barrels that have also aged maple syrup from Founders home state of Michigan. Complex? You bet.

The initial aromas and flavors that I detected were the bourbon and the coffee. The maple syrup seems to mellow the bourbon's bite just enough to give it the illusion of a Canadian blended whiskey like Crown Royal. The depth of the brew becomes more evident as it opens up and warms just a touch. The chocolate and maple syrup flavors begin to emerge, bringing out CBS's more breakfasty characteristics.

By the time your glass is empty, you hesitate to put it down because you can't help but keep sniffing the aromas that linger. Everything comes together in a warming and fortifying breakfast drink. Well, I guess it's good for breakfast if you're in Canada. Some fellow drinkers suggested that it would be a suitable companion for a crispy slab of scrapple. If you're not from the Philadelphia region, you may have a bit of difficulty imagining this pairing, so I'll elaborate: Scrapple is a spicy, mealy, sausagey paste that's sliced in a loaf-like fashion. Many people enjoy it with maple syrup, but I prefer to dip it in some yolk from an over-easy egg that's trying to escape to the shelter of my home fries. Mmmm...scrapple...and CBS...

Here's my tweet from the CBS tapping event at the Pour House on Halloween Night:

Hope you get a chance to sample this rare and delicious treat from Founders Brewing. If you get your hands on some, please weigh in with a pic and a review. We're happy to share it with our Citizens. Cheers!

Keegan Ales Brewpub

2011-11-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

Visit their website HERE

Straight away from the parking area, I knew Keegan Ales was not your typical brew pub. The space was covered with huge mural-type images. After further investigation later, I discovered they were actually huge paste ups part of short-term fundraising art display by Andy Milford, a local artist. When I stepped inside, the walls were decorated with pop-art Stormtroopers, and uniquely beautiful photography from the same local artist.

The food was pretty typical, but tasty, pub fare. You could either order at a small counter in the back, or at the bar, and it was brought to you when ready. I had the grilled cheese with tomato, which was served with a nice scoop of fresh homemade potato salad. The seating is primarily large picnic tables, and the floor is littered with peanut shells from the complementary peanuts. Back by the order counter was a good sized stage for live music. At the rear of the stage were two large windows where you could look into the brewing area for Keegan Ales.

Speaking of brewing, let's get down to the important stuff - the beer. The selection was small with only five beers on tap, but nicely diverse. The beers included Old Capital - a typical Blond ale, Hurricane Kitty - a nicely balanced, not overly hoppy, amber colored IPA, Mother's Milk - a pleasantly creamy milk stout, and an Autumn seasonal I did not have the chance to try. I have had Mother's Milk bottled previously, and found it quite comparable on tap, the only real difference being a slighter more carbonation. As a milk stout it holds its own nicely. While it is not quite a creamy or smooth as Left Hand's Milk Stout, it has better flavor and body than Lancaster Brewing Company's Milk Stout.

But my staple beer for the evening was the Joe Mama's Milk Stout. Self described as the "Big Brother" to their Mother's Milk, it is worth taking note of this very tasty coffee stout. Added brown sugar in the brewing process, and the addition of cold coffee extract from a local roaster, make this a beer have a big coffee flavor, and a higher ABV than it tastes like. It was very drinkable, and I continued to enjoy it as it warmed up. My only complaint? There were no bottles available to take home to share!

So if you happen to be up in the Kingston, NY area, make sure to check out Keegan Ales -- you will enjoy the visit.

#Halloween Beer Post: Great Lakes Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale

2011-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings, Citizens! It is that time of year again when the veil that separates our world from the great beyond is at its most thin, and spectres and ghouls walk the earth, and craft beer is enjoyed with Asian cuisine. What? Well, at least the last part is true. I first saw Great Lakes Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale at a Wegman's weeks ago, and I knew I wanted to try it, so the weekend before Halloween seemed to be the perfect time.

I have to admit that for some time I have not been all too pleased with red ales. I think it may have something to do with the bad taste of Killian's Irish Red, but needless to say I was pleasantly surprised by this ale, but in retrospect, I suppose I shouldn't have been. If you have read any of our other Great Lakes reviews on The Ferment Nation, you know that they get rave reviews here. This imperial red ale has a nice floral hoppy nose, and it has some kick to it at 8.0% abv. It was crisp and tasty, and I would like to see it in a six pack. I wanted to try this beer so bad, that I don't even remember how much the four pack cost me, but I liked it a lot.

And this imperial red ale goes nicely with food, too. It was a dark and stormy Saturday, but good beer and food brightens up any day. Citizen Elizabeth* and I enjoyed some Szechuan style Terrifying Tofu and Hellfire Hot and Sour soup, and Nosferatu, the beer with bite, held up to the spicy and tasty food quite nicely with a solid hoppy flavor with some body to it. Citizen Elizabeth liked its "nice warmth, and its not overly but tasty hoppiness, and that great red color. What a great beer to review on Halloween!" I think what I like best is that for a lesser brewing company, producing a "Nosferatu" red ale would be a gimmick to drum up sales, but this, like every other Great Lakes beer I have had, is a really solid, tasty beer.

If you have had this beer, tell us what you think -- leave a comment or e-mail me directly at vp@fermentnation.com. In the meantime, check out our other Great Lakes reviews.

Have fun, be safe, and I will leave you with a gem of modern animated non sequitur humor from Spongebob Squarepants. Enjoy.

Happy Halloween!

*Be on the look-out for a full brewpub review by Citizen Elizabeth to be posted soon.

Victory Dark Intrigue

2011-10-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Citizens,
Victory has announced the arrival of Dark Intrigue 2011: Storm King aged in bourbon barrels from Jim Beam and Heaven Hill-- can't really go wrong with that, now can we? Bottles (and even a case, if you're so inclined) will be available at the Downingtown brew pub on Dark Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011. There are details to consider, however. Why not read Victory's own blog post and see for yourself what those details might consist of? Thanks to Karen for making this news known to El Presidente. I might even be able to make it out for the event... Will you be there?

Dark Intrigue Release: Nov. 23

Dark Intrigue Release: Nov. 23

2011-10-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Dark Intrigue Release: Nov. 23

San Luis

2011-10-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

This Mexican-style lager has a light aroma, if any. The color is just as light, yellow but not golden. Looks refreshing, which might just work with the chicken and potatoes I have lined up for dinner.

I'm not exactly sure what to make of this beer. It's pretty good, but not great. I can't really make out the malts or the hops, and overall it seems to lack a little character. The lightness doesn't carry with it a dryness that would clean up the finish.

I'm pretty sure that this brew made its way to New Jersey by way of Boulder, CO at the #BBC10 Beer Bloggers Conference last year. I confess my sins... Sometimes I hang onto beers way too long, especially the larger format beers that I figure I'll be sharing with someone. A Mexican-style lager probably isn't the best choice for aging, so I sincerely believe that a brand spanking new bottle or draft of San Luis Valley Valle Especial is probably way more deliciouser than the one I dug up out of my beer fridge in the basement. Everyone has a beer fridge, right? Well perhaps I should have enjoyed this beer earlier. Then I would have enjoyed it more. So check the date. If it's fresh, I would suggest buying one if you enjoy a light lager. Overall, though, with plenty of those to choose from, I'm not in a terrible rush to try the San Luis Valley Valle Especial again. Not a bad beer by any stretch, just not in my wheelhouse.