Malted Musings

Tasting Notes: Mayflower Brewing Company

2013-06-11T14:11:00.001-07:00

This past Tuesday (at my go-to beer spot, Eli Cannon's Tap Room) I had the opportunity to sample some fairly new beer (with an old school taste) out of Plymouth, Massachusetts- (appropriately enough) Mayflower Brewing Company. As their rep told me, the brewery focuses on clean, traditional "staple" beers. I found this to be largely true-- and refreshing -- as I sampled both their IPA and their Porter.

Mayflower Porter. Courtesy: Me.

First up was the Porter. This beer pours out a super dark chestnut brown and gives off a malty, slightly hoppy (fairly dry) nose. At first taste this beer has a mild hop note that quickly moves to a caramelly malt flavor which settles to a bittersweet hopping. This sits dry and bitter on the palate and gives way to a hint of dry coffee. This beer is medium bodied, starts fairly bitter, but finishes easy with bright malting and balanced deep malts. This is a potent tasting beer, but at %5.2 this beer is easily drinkable and offers an enjoyable brew to crack open and enjoy several of without getting hammered (contrary to many of the other big, huge porters out there).

Mayflower IPA. Courtesy: Me.

Next up was Mayflower's IPA (India Pale Ale). This beer pours out a translucent golden orange and smells slightly sweet and faintly, keenly hoppy. At first sip you get a decent amount of carbonation that progresses quickly to sharper bittering notes. The bitters eventually give way to a slight, dry fruity note that regresses back to a dry bitterness that ends the taste profile with lingering sting of pine. According to the site this beer has 77 IBU. It honestly doesn't taste that bitter to me (maybe I'm jaded), but it is still an exceptionally well balanced IPA. What there really is to note about this IPA is the balanced briskness. Some IPAs are dominated by bitters, some by fruity tones, but this IPA really stands out as a good indicator as to what the IPA style really is. This is a beer that is a solid style without too much flare or crazy profiles. For better or for worse, though I for one enjoyed the solid, simple style of this beer.

All in all Mayflower really exemplifies beer that is simple but solidly formed. It's beer that is very high quality and doesn't try to be something it's not. Definitely worth a buy and (if it starts showing up around here more) it will have a semi-permanent spot in my fridge for sure.

For more info on Mayflower Brewing, check out my post on them here. Then follow me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more spring/summer sneak peeks and other beer ravings!

Mayflower Brewing Company: Traditional Beer for a Modern Audience

2013-06-11T14:10:00.001-07:00

The other day while attending a tasting at Eli Cannon's Tap Room I had the opportunity to sample some Mayflower Brewing Company brew out of Plymouth, Massachusetts. I also had a chance to sit down with the rep who filled me in on this fairly new brewery.

Bottles of Mayflower's lineup. Courtesy: Mayflower Brewing Company.

Paul Goldberg, the Mayflower representative on hand, summed up Mayflower as a brewery strongly focused on a high quality, traditional-tasting beer. The brewery itself came to be when Drew Brosseau retired from the tech industry and found himself thirsty for something to do. After doing some genealogical studies, Drew discovered that he was the 10th great grandson of John Alden: the beer barrel cooper (artisan) on board the Mayflower. Deciding to connect this storied legacy with his love for beer, Drew set out to create a great beer that relied on high quality traditional roots. Paul tells me that Drew is a guy who likes to do things right the first time, and so Drew hired Matt Steinberg (formerly from Offshore Ale Co. and several other prominent Massachusetts breweries, now brewing at a great little beer bar called High Horse, in Amherst). Steinberg is something of a beer celebrity in Massachusetts and so, with his guidance, Mayflower brewing quickly got off the ground with a solid lineup of classic beer styles: porter, pale ale, golden ale, and IPA. Also working with Steinburg from the beginning was Ryan Gwozdz, the current brewer that has been carrying on the solid quality of the traditionally-styled beer.

Kegs and bottles of the good stuff! Courtesy: Mayflower Brewing Company.

Though the beer, as Paul (an experienced beer critic) admits, is nothing too crazy, it is of a very high quality. Rather than focusing on wild new styles, Mayflower has stayed the course by constantly refining it's traditional lineup. Its persistence has paid off as well. Focusing on the "slow-but-steady" approach, Mayflower has spread across much of Massachusetts (into Boston) and now down into Connecticut, all within 6 years. As Paul told me, this comes from Mayflower not wanting to reinvent the wheel. People have been making good beer way back to, well, the time of the pilgrims. The philosophy then is, focus on styles that are still celebrated today, and make each one of those styles a solid, high quality beverage. The goal, says Paul, is to make people want to come from all over the state (or in our case, the regional area) to try beer that is the ultimate expression of a certain beer style.

A delivery truck all trussed up for the 4th of July. Courtesy: Mayflower Brewing Company.

To fill any niches left by the foundation of traditional beers, Mayflower already has four seasonals to, as their website says, celebrate the New England weather. This aspect, combined with their slow-but-steady approach, voiced aversion to price gouging, and a focus on winning over hearts and minds, makes Mayflower beer a company that is centered on being good neighbors and positive members of the community . . . even if you live in Connecticut!

I got to try some of their beer, read all about it here. For a quick summary, their beer really is indicative of each style they go for: well worth hunting down! After reading follow me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more beer info and future events coming down the line!

Summer 2013 Ten Penny Pound: Raffle Prizes and All the Ten Penny You Can Drink

2013-05-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Though I think the title should pique your interest enough, allow me to explain a little more. I recently started playing for the Hartford Wanderers rugby squad, which has thoroughly broadened my beer horizons (in terms of volume at least!). As such, I will share the wealth with you all whenever a good beer time comes rolling along.

An event coming up soon (July 12th) is the Summer 2013 Ten Penny Pound. This event (to be held at The Red Rock Tavern) will feature a rather expansive raffle of high quality liquors (including Jameson Black Barrel Reserve, Milargo Tequila, Malibu Red, and much more - see below) and all the Ten Penny Ale you can drink from 7:30 - 10:30. A ticket for the raffle is $10 which includes admission to the Pound as well! If you want a chance for the liquor, but can't be sure if you're going to be there that's ok; you don't need to be present to win.

The flyer version of events. Click for a closer look.

All in all the event should be a blast. If you've never had a drink with a rugby squad, well, you're sorely missing out. If (for some bizzare reason) that doesn't sound like fun and you just want to sneak in for the beer, The Red Rock is a pretty awesome bar, featuring outdoor dining, great food, pool tables, and TV's to watch the game.

Best of all I currently have tickets in-hand, so if you want admittance to this great summertime event, drop me an email at brian.oleksiw@gmail.com, and I will hook you up with my PayPal information. I hope to see some of you July 12th to support local rugby AND local beer! Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more spring/summer events and beer coverage.

Tasting Notes: Goose Island Vintage Ale and Bourbon County Series

2013-05-29T16:39:00.001-07:00

Arriving at Eli Cannon's Tap Room for a round of GooseIsland tastings, I saw the usual suspects (IPA, 312, and Summertime) along with some of the higher caliber stuff (Bourbon County Stout, Bourbon County Coffee, and Pepe Nero). Having experienced the flagship beers already, I went with two of the big guys: Pepe Nero and Bourbon County Coffee.

Bourbon County Coffee (Courtesy: Me)

First up was the Coffee. This beer pours out an opaque, inky dark chocolate color. The nose coming off of this one is a sharp bittersweet chocolate note with rich hints of coffee. At first sip the beer is warm and sharp, immediately transitioning to a rich, slightly sharp coffee note. From here the taste progresses to a very deep rich chocolate tone that lingers mid taste, until a wave of liquor-tinged coffee notes sweep in with a slight burst of hops. This flavor lingers heavily on the palate, burning slightly. This beer is big: plain and simple. It's around 14% AbV and shows it in the taste! This is a beast of a beer that combines the sharp hopping of an IPA with the super rich, alcohol-tinged body of a beefy Imperial stout. Complex and interesting, this beer isn't super well balanced, but has such a varied profile and body this is one you could get a different note out of every sip. Also, due to its complexity, this is a great beer to transition you into drinking more of the high end beers. A definite sipper, this is a great beer to break out on a cool summer evening.

Pepe Nero

Next was the Pepe Nero, part of Goose Island's vintage ales lineup. This beer pours out a dark chestnut/mahogany, almost black. This beer has a very mild nose to it, vanilla and vague wheaty overtones. At first taste this farmhouse ale is mild, with floral aromatics that give way quickly to the rich, medium body of a Belgian wit. The taste builds from here becoming deep and richly malty, culminating to a sharp wheat note. The taste fades from here, moving to a mild, slightly bitter lingering aftertaste. This beer is solidly medium, despite the super dark coloring. Overall this is a refreshing wit-inspired farmhouse ale whose dark malting creates a very interesting smooth overall body. Refreshing, yet complex, this is a great beer for summer time cookouts when there's a bit of a nip on the breeze.

Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more spring/summer sneak peeks and other beer ravings!

Goose Island: Brewing High Quality Beer With AB's Backing

2013-05-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Eli Cannons hosted the Chicago brewery Goose Island the other day and, after enjoying a few of the higher AbV options, I bumped into Henry Jimenez (the state coordinator with Anheuser-Busch) and had an opportunity to talk about the brand and the beer. The big point I wanted to clear up is one that is commonly held by many beer fans (including myself until fairly recently): that if a brand is bought out by AB (Anheuser-Busch, creators of Budweiser) then that brand must thereby be "sellouts" and not of the same high quality that they were before their corporate takeover.

After asking him how he reacts to this line of thinking, Henry looked like he had heard it way too many times before, and answered my question with another question, "Does being owned by AB really change how Goose Island tastes?"

The entrance to the brew pub. Courtesy: Bernt Rostad

He brought up a valid point. Many beer fans will enjoy a beer greatly, but as soon as they hear it's an AB beer, then all of a sudden they'll invent some way that the beer isn't quite as good. Henry went on to give a few concrete examples of how Goose Island's quality has increased since being bought by AB (in March 2011). For starters, some of the production of Goose Island's flagship beers are being brewed in New York in order to take brewing strain off of the main brewery in Chicago. These satellite breweries use the same original recipes created by Goose Island. The added breweries also increase the freshness of the beer as they can be shipped out in a more prompt fashion or (in a second example Henry told me) sit for longer to reach peak fermentation.

This example in question concerns this year's batch of Summertime (the seasonal ale). Due to the increased space for production and shipping, this year's batch had the opportunity to sit for a few extra months before being distributed, thus allowing further fermentation. The result (according to Henry) is a Summertime that has been lauded as the best vintage that Goose Island has ever put out (having a mug of it myself, I had to agree that it was a heck of a tasty beer). Henry went on to say that by having a stronger production arm, Goose Island is free to take up most of the space in their Chicago brewery for new, exciting, experimental beers (such as their highly praised Bourbon County series).

Inside the brewery. Courtesy: Bernt Rostad

Henry went on to say that Goose Island is the only brewery partly owned by AB right now, and (as far as he knows) AB has no future plans to purchase more craft breweries. When asked why, Henry said it wouldn't make sense. AB is known for doing one thing and doing it really well (such as mass producing America's most popular beer, like it or not craft fans!). They are applying the same philosophy to aiding Goose Island: they will be focus-driven to help Goose Island keep developing new and better beers, altogether strengthening the brewery. By doing this AB will center on building up one brewery rather than casting a wide net over several craft breweries.

The main tenet, says Henry, of Goose Island is and always has been quality. The Chicago brewery has historically prided itself on producing beer that is of a (truly) world class quality, regardless of the production run. By sticking to the basics of freshness and a balanced taste, Goose Island will continue to put out beer that they deem a high enough quality for their fanbase, but now they will have vastly expanded production lines. And, theoretically, that should be enough. Despite the grand ideals, there has been vast skepticism and rumblings in the craft beer world about how AB is ruining the brand, running a great craft brewery into the ground, destroying craft beer, etc, etc. Having enjoyed a few Goose Island's of rather high quality on this particular evening, I have to agree with Henry when he told me, "Who cares who it's owned by? Drink the beer for yourself, it's good!"

The tanks from afar. Courtesy: Seth Anderson

As for future beer production, Goose Island has an Oktoberfest and Imperial IPA in the works, as well as a fresh casked round of the Bourbon County line just about ready to go. Further down the road there's a harvest ale in the works, basically a change to the Christmas Ale they've already put out. A lot of people have doubted Goose Island's majority selling (58%) to AB, but I can see the logic of having a ton of extra space and production space. As long as AB continues being hands-off with the recipes (which Henry adamantly told me was true) then I will continue enjoying the delicious and varied styles from Goose Island!

Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more spring/summer sneak peeks and other beer ranting!

Otter Creek Tasting Notes: Copper Ale and Hop Session

2013-05-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

To pair up with this rather beautiful spring we've been having, here's my notes on two solid entries for great spring/early summer beer from Otter Creek tasted, per the usual, at Eli Cannon's Tap Room.

Hop Session. Courtesy: Me.

Hop Session. This beer pours out murky, golden and spritzy, with a bright head. The beer smells bright and clear, with a very potent hope note. The taste profile starts out with a bright hop note that gets cut immediately by warm, toasted malting. This progresses to a slightly dry-fruity profile that maintains the sharp hops throughout. The taste ends with a dulled hop note that is muddled with a semi-sweet fruit and a slightly flat body. This beer overall is medium bodied and is built up by the sharp hopping, but ultimately is balanced out by medium dry fruit notes. This is a bright beer, not too sharp, with well balanced and sweet notes that have a spritzy and dull finish. Well rounded and a great option for those looking to get some bright hopping without overwhelming bitterness. This is slightly different from the other session beers out there, most of which focus either on sharp hopping, or on dense sweetness: this one walks the line between the two.

Copper Ale. Courtesy: Me.

The next beer was the new and improved Copper Ale. This beer pours out a translucent, copper amber with a thick head and dense coloring. The smell I get from this is faint, only vague, sweet malting. At first taste I get a nice carbonated, smooth and bubbly texture without too much malting or hops. In the middle of the taste a faint sweetness rides through the bubbliness and I end up with a slightly muddled, sweet malting before the taste terminates quickly. At the very back end there is a slight sweet and very vauge bitter aftertaste. This beer is medium, and smooth in every sense of the word. The body is built of a light sweetness, and a very mild bitterness. This is a superb staple beer in the fact that it isn't terribly complex, but is very easy to have several of. Definitely not one to write home about in terms of dense flavor, but definitely a strong runner up for a good "fridge beer" to have on hands to match up with many different flavor profiles and moods, due to its pleasing bittersweet flavor.

Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more spring/summer sneak peeks and other beer ranting!

Otter Creek: A 23 Year Tradition Now Housed Under Long Trail

2013-04-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

The other week at my go-to bar, Eli Cannon's Tap Room, I bumped into Otter Creek District Sales Manager Russell Beauregard. Not knowing a terrible amount of information pertaining to the Vermont beer (besides their Copper Ale and Stovepipe Porter), I was psyched to bend his ear about the brand after he had poured out a few batches of samples.

Otter Creek is a beer local to Middlebury, Vermont, and also includes Wolaver's under its branding. The brewery is 23 years old, but just got acquired by Long Trail Brewing Company 5 years ago. This was done to maintain the brand (which had been struggling against the over-flooding of new craft beers to the market). In this way Otter Creek and Wolaver's can maintain as breweries, operating independently under the label of Long Trail. One of the changes that Long Trail brought about was to bring aboard a new Brewmaster: Mike Gerheart. Mike, according to Russ, was the Dogfish Head Experimental Brewmaster: so that should tell you something about the new direction they're taking!

Otter Creek Brewery, this is where the beer is made! (Courtesy: Otter Creek)

By shaking up the branding and increasing variety of the beer, Otter Creek is looking to separate themselves from the crowds of other craft breweries. By the taster of their updated flagship beer (the Copper Ale), I'd say they are off to a good start. The new Copper Ale has less barley, more malting, and is overall fresher and more tightly balanced. According to Russ the new Copper Ale, in blind taste test against Sierra Nevada, came out on top nearly every time. Beyond this they're retired the Spring Bock variety, and instead will produce a new Vermont Lager at sometime this year for their seasonal. Weyerbacher also has a spring/summer seasonal coming down the line, which we will have to wait and see for! In terms of other seasonals, Otter Creek is pushing its Stove Pipe Porter from all-year release to a winter seasonal.

The Vermont Lager! (Courtesy: Otter Creek)

Otter Creek's driving philosophy is "integrity in beer." Mike, their new brewmaster, is really the driving force behind this ideal (according to Russ). Among the changes done already to the beer, Mike focuses on the farm-to-table ideology, and seeks to have as little steps between when the food is planted and when it arrives to the table, or beer glass. This makes the brand, says Russ, intrinsically Vermont. They love the environment just as much as they love good food and beer (which sounds pretty good to me). The result of all this tweaking is that people are getting excited for the Otter Creek brand again. As Russ told me laughing, this isn't your father's Otter Creek (which is literally as well as figuratively true). Russ went on to say that their Wolaver's off-shoot is probably the best beer no one has heard of. He said that Wolaver's is generally respected across the craft beer world for its clean and structured taste, but has trouble in big box stores, as people are afraid of organic.

Whatever the case may be, I've loved every Wolaver's I've gotten my hands on, though I do agree that it is hard to come by sometimes. Check out my tasting notes of Otter Creek's new and improved Copper Ale and their very tasty Hop Session here. Then, follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more beer rants and raves!

Spring Beer From BBC and Sixpoint

2013-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Stopping in at Eli Cannon's Taproom the other night, I figured it was high time I hunted down some of the spring offerings from the craft beer community. As expected with this bizarre weather we've been having, though, as I was searching for beer to celebrate the return of warm, fair weather with, it suddenly began down-pouring outside; lightening flashed as cracks of thunder echoed and a chilly cold breeze blew in through the bar's doorway. But I was motivated! I have to believe that if I believe strongly enough that spring is on the way, then so shall it be. As such, I eschewed the mighty fine looking stouts and porters on draught at Eli Cannon's (those beers are too 'winter'!) and went for the spring-iest beers I could find: the Berkshire Brewing Company's Maibock and the Sixpoint Apollo.

BBC Maibock. Courtesy: Berkshire Brewing Company.

I started with the BBC Maibock. This beer pours out a dark amber tone with a light, bright head on top. The smell is sweet, very light malting, and a hint of citrus. This beer tastes light at first with a sweet slight malting. The flavor from here moves quickly to a more medium malting that has a hint of bitterness which mingles with the citric taste to give a pleasing warm sweetness that doesn't overwhelm the palate. The taste profile finishes with a smooth, sweet & rich malting that rides out with a slight bitterness and hint of spices. This is a light to medium beer that has a great balance of sweetness, malting, and bitterness that builds to make a great German-inspired beer (which is reminiscent of a lighter farmhouse style) that lingers on the palate with sharp hoppy citrus and smooth, slightly spicy malting. This beer is sweet and has a great light-ish body which lends itself to warm weather, but enough of that biting Noble hops tone to create a beer that's great for all kinds of spring weather (whether warm, cold, or thunder-storming).

Sixpoint Apollo. Courtesy: Me.

Next up in my spring beer sampling was the Sixpoint Apollo. This beer pours out a translucent, golden amber color. This beer has a great nose to it: dense wheaty, spicy (cloves), and the smell of potent warm malts (Belgian style). At first sip this beer has a smooth, easy body that quickly builds to a dense, burnt wheat malting that then reaches a point with sharp, Belgian spiciness. This flavor lingers and then draws out with that spicy tang on the back of the palate. Throughout the entire sip this beer is tinged with great body-building carbonation. Overall this beer is light, but spicy! It is a great mix of Belgian-style malting and distant spices that make this summer seasonal great even in the cold spring we've been having. Sixpoint makes beer with very creative, well-merged taste profiles, and this beer is no different. Wheaty, yet smooth, sweet, yet spicy, this is a multi-faceted beer that should have something for anyone this upcoming warm season!

Be sure to check out Sixpoint's website for a cool video about Apollo, and check out the BBC site for info on the brand and seasonal entries. Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more spring beer points of view, coming soon!

Spring Beer Speculation and Blog Status Update

2013-03-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

First off, rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated! I haven't fallen into a deep beer-induced depression based on this ridiculous freezing weather we've been having: I've just been moving. As it turns out: moving is kinda tough sometimes. But the gears were greased with plenty of pizza, beer, and spirits, so at the end of the day I'm settled comfortably with enough space (wife permitting) to throw in a kegerator one of these days.

This blog post serves as a two part update. First up: speculation on spring beers. As is the trend, spring beer has been on the market from the macro guys --and some of the bigger craft breweries-- for some time now. Sam Adams has offered up their Alpine Spring (which is essentially a bitter hefeweizen) that actually serves as a pretty good bridge between cold winter months and the not-so-warm spring we've been having. Blue Moon also put their Valencia Grove on the market awhile back to serve as their spring offering. The Valencia is decidedly too sweet for me and maintains that syrupy malting flavor that usually goes hand-in-hand with extract (or syrup) sweeteners. Be that as it may, these styles are the direction that I see most beer going to in the spring.

So what's my speculation? Honestly I imagine a lot of breweries to go the above way; go with something slightly sweet & bitter (maybe unfiltered) that gives sweetness with a bite. Nothing wrong with that and (truth be told) many breweries have been experimenting with throwing different kind of fruit profiles in their spring brews, which is always fun. What I'd like to see for spring, though, is something that takes a completely different direction: why not a lighter styled ESB? Maintain some sweet malting, but leave the profile fairly flat with maybe just a hint of sweeter fruits or malting on the back end. Or, add some spice! I had the Chipoltle Chocolate Truffle Stout from Thomas Hooker awhile back, and it got me thinking: why aren't there more spicy beers? I think spice would have a great place in spring beer, maybe aim for something like a Bloody Mary? Think a medium bodied beer with some sort of dense citrus overtones and then a kick of hot-spiciness on the back end! Ok so that may not be the most approachable, but I think it could still bridge the gap between cold weather (with the spice) and warmer weather (with dense citrusy notes). Given the fact that many CT breweries are spreading their wings and trying new styles, I'm sure that some spring beers will come out that serve to surprise me.

As a second quick point: as said above, my month-long absence was brought about by a move. Now that it's done I should hopefully be back to a blog-a-week update schedule (hopefully, but hey you never know). During my absence I was building in-roads with the beer community though! And by that I mean I started playing with the Hartford Wanderers Rugby Club. A good bunch of lads, I fully expect my, uh, "subject knowledge" of beer to go nowhere but up as I spend more time scrumming, rucking, and generally trying to push people over into mud pits.

If you're looking for something to do tonight (or want to get connected with your local rugby club) head over to Penny Pound at the Red Rock Tavern. From 7 - 10 PM it's $10 for all you can drink Ten Penny(or until the tap runs out). There's also going to be a 50/50 raffle and Wanderers bumper stickers. Also, you can cross "drinking with a rugby club" off you bucket list! Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more beer ramblings and malted musings.

The Glory of Cheap Beer: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the "Swill"

2013-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

It all came upon me suddenly, but I guess in hindsight it's been the culmination of experience that really planted the realization in my head. The time was last week, around dinner time. It was late (for me), and my wife and I were enjoying some decidedly "ok" Chinese takeout for a latish diner- as we were busy running around filing paperwork for a house closing for the entire early evening.

We sat down to catch up on Breaking Bad, cheap plastic take-out bowls uncovered, steaming in front of us on the coffee table. It had been a hell of a day so I opened to fridge hunting for beer. I had some Chimay, Weyerbacher Tiny, and Reinaert Wild Ale (a Belgian I'd received as a birthday gift). I thought a minute, reached for a brew (I don't remember which) and then stopped short when I saw what lined the entire other door of my fridge- Narragansett and Genesee as far as the eye could see. It was left over beer from my birthday present. I had bought it to have some "cheap" beer for those who didn't bring their own beverages and (surprise) ended up with a ton of it left over.

A representation of my meal. It's amazing how similar Chinese food looks no matter where you get it! (Courtesy: Christopher H.)

I grudgingly grabbed a Genesee, turned on the TV, sat down, took a bite of my chow ho fun, sipped at my green-canned swill, and that's when something shocking happened. A feeling of perfect peace, as if all was right in the world, swept through my entire being, carried on the tepid waves of the pale lightweight beer. It was great. It was magical. In that movement the Genesee not only complimented my food, but it summed up my mood, ended the day on a good note, and made everything feel . . . well . . . awesome.

I guess all that is to say that I'm the worst beer blogger in the world. Before you agree, let me explain. I have a hard time "rating" beer, for reasons my anecdote illustrated above. Genesee and Naragansett are far from the "score" of the Belgians and small batch craft beers I have next to them in my fridge. And yet, in one moment, I enjoyed a cheap ($14 for a 30 rack, so $.47 a can?) beer far more than I ever would of your highest scoring limited release IPA or $50 Belgian sour. And I guess that's the crux of my beer philosophy (and no I'm not calling it my 'beer-osophy' that's lame): how the hell can I "rate" a beer when everyone is going to enjoy a certain style during a certain time in different ways?

Can't we all just get along? (Courtesy: My fridge)

Call me neurotic, but the philosophical ramifications of demanding that people drink a certain beer, and then mocking their "poor" choice in beer seem far too vast for some schlub whose only qualification is that he drinks a fair amount of beer (me) to decide! It's the easiest thing in the world to be snobby. See someone drinking a bud? Idiot! Someone says that Molson is their favorite beer? Plebeian A buddy invites you to tour their favorite brewery, Sam Adams? You're no friend of mine! Hey I know, I've been there, turned my nose up, and all it really did was give me a false air of superiority and a more expensive tab at the end of the night.

Now this isn't to say that I'm going to be drinking nothing but Bud Light from now on: I stand by the fact that some beer is superior tasting than other beer. I also know that some people just plain don't like certain breweries, whether the breweries be "high" end or "low." The whole point of this is to say that there's no reason to discriminate against other beer drinkers and to explain my point-of-view on beer a bit more. I'm even back tracking on what I said before: there's no reason for me to educate people on their "poor beer choice." People like the beer they like. If someone wants to know more, than I'm more than willing to open up my personal stores and run down all the craft styles I know to help someone out. But if someone is happy with the beer they're drinking . . . well isn't being happy the whole point of drinking beer?

I suppose my thoughts on "sharing only when someone is actually interested in my opinion" is the same in regards to my personal faith and religion, but that's touching on topics way too deep for a beer blog! Anyway I hope this post find everyone thawing out and getting ready for Spring: rain, spring seasonals, and actually enjoying time outside the house! Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more beer ramblings and malted musings.

Tasting Notes: Two Winter Beers From Harpoon

2013-02-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

At my go-to beer place, Eli Cannon's Taproom in Middletown CT, I had two great winter beers: just in time to (hopefully) usher out this season of chilliness and way too much snow! As I posted before, Harpoon is rolling their Leviathan series back into the main Harpoon line. Because of that, Harpoon has since been putting out a variety of larger beers in efforts to bolster the Harpoon name and keep it as a brand that transcends beyond just their IPA.

Czernobog. (Courtesy: Harpoon Brewery)

First up is the Harpoon Czernobog, which is part of the Leviathan lineup. This beer pours out extremely dark brown, almost a rich black color. At first smell it's hard to get a nose off, but there are eventual hints of sweet, bitter malting. The taste is what you would expect from a densely colored beer with a hard-to-pronounce Eastern-European name: it starts of with a dark, smooth chocolate tone that then rides a malty burst into a medium bitterness. From here the beer slowly transitions to a smooth, dark chocolate taste that ends up being silky on the palate: causing the taste to cling heavily with rich, heavy chocolate overtones. This Imperial Stout is heavy, duh, but has a surprising amount of medium, bright hopping that helps to create a very silky-smooth body which sits with a sweet bitterness on the back of the throat. This is a very flavorful beer that benefits from well-balanced notes to become a very rich and palatable stout.

El Triunfo. (Courtesy: Harpoon Brewery)

Next up is the El Triunfo Coffee Porter. This 100 Barrel Series beer's name (according to Harpoon) is taken from the Chiapas region of Mexico where the beans that were used to make the beer were harvested. When poured in the glass, this beer is a dark chestnut color, with a mild pale head that sits heavy and fluffy. At first smell there is a strong nose of sweet, mild coffee. Upon sipping this, the first taste I get is a sweet, highly malted note that immediately goes to a creamy-coffee consistency and balances out to a more subdued sweetness. The semi-sweet coffee flavor is throughout, but the taste profile gradually breaks down to a smooth, smoky semi-sweetness (as opposed to over-bearing coffee). This smoothness lingers with hints of smoke and light coffee playing on the palate. This beer is medium, and smoothly creamy. Stadning at around 6% abv, this porter is moderate (in terms of density), very drinkable, and not too overwhelmingly filled with coffee notes. Combining these elements make a beer that is flavorful, interesting, and altogether refreshing, even though it's a fairly rich porter.

Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more upcoming beer events, and tasting notes for the last few winter beers out there!

Harpoon Brewery "Retires" Leviathan Line and Opens Boston Beer Hall

2013-02-11T13:17:00.001-08:00

I got a quick Harpoon Brewery update the other day at a tasting at Eli Cannon's Taproom in Middletown CT. Now before you blow your stack about no more Leviathan (which has been an exceptionally solid "big beer" line in my mind), just know that the Leviathan styles will live on, just branded a bit differently. The Leviathan tidbit and news about a new Boston beer hall for Harpoon were the news of note that I gleaned from Harpoon rep Roger Wilson.

The first item of concern for many of you is probably the whole business with the Leviathan series. To allay your fears though: don't worry; Leviathan will remain as a brewing variety, it'll just now be rolled under the Harpoon label itself. In other words instead of seeing "Leviathan Red Squared" on a label, it will look more along the lines of "Harpoon Red Squared." The reason for the change is that Harpoon wants to bring more hype to the Leviathan brand and it is easier to do that if it is directly connected to the Harpoon label itself. As Wilson puts it, there is a lot of higher end beer on the market right now, and CT is a state that (believe it or not) generally demands high quality beer. To better accommodate this want (or need, depending on your love of beer) Harpoon will put out Leviathan under it's label to increase brand recognition and make it stand out better. To help its prominence in stores Harpoon will also begin putting out the Leviathan series in a 22 oz bottle. This will make the beers more readily striking on the shelf. The next Leviathan coming out, Wilson tells me, is a dense farmhouse style that should be making the rounds in a few months (just in time to segue to spring).

Next up is Harpoon's new beer hall. This takes the place of offices that Harpoon blew out and replaced with brand new seating and production facilities. Up until opening the new facility, Harpoon was turning away at least a hundred people per weekend. With the new beer hall they can accommodate 300 people in addition to the people who come to the brewery tour. The hall itself is modeled after the "old world" style: boasting long tables, beer, pretzels, full view of the city (thanks to plate glass all around), and no TVs at all. The point of this beer hall, as Wilson explains it, is to hang out, drink some beer, and have a good time in the style of a beer garden. Besides a great place to chill out and have a few drinks, the new beer hall will also fill up any Harpoon growlers that you purchase there.

Though Harpoon is centered a state or two north of us, the quality of their beer, and the general "coolness" of their new beer hall makes it a very appealing place for a day or weekend trip. Once we dig out from the 4 or 5 feet of snow we have, that is. Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay tuned for tasting notes on the Harpoon beer that was at the tasting and more news from the CT beer scene!

Eli Cannon's Taproom and Thomas Hooker Brew Some Excellence

2013-02-05T13:06:00.001-08:00

When patrons come into Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown, CT, on the 12th they will find, among the already impressive list of beer available, Eli Cannon's 19th Anniversary Ale (tentatively called "EC9teen"). While it may be obvious that a major beer bar should have its own house-beer, what may be surprising (indeed, even impressive) is that this beer was brewed by none other than Eli Cannon's bar manager JD Crandall, with a whole crew of Eli's employees, at the famous Thomas Hooker Brewing Company.

Pre-heating the tanks. That's where beer is gonna be! (All pictures courtesy of Eli Cannon's Tap Room)

Although JD regularly carries Hooker's beer in the bar, this is his first joint-brewing operation with local favorite. For the anniversary beer last year JD essentially made the recipe and established the framework for the Eli Cannon's Anniversary beer himself, but the beer itself was made off site by a different brewery. This year, however, JD wanted to get hands on and personally brew the entire batch himself at a local brewery. After some back and forth with the brewery reps, Hooker was eager to help the Eli Cannon's crew brew up a batch of beer to celebrate the bar's 19th anniversary.

Lugging bags of malts. Who said making beer is easy?

JD assures me that this was the real deal: no touristy brewery tour here! After settling on a final product and setting a date, JD took a bunch of Eli Cannon's staff over to the Hooker brewery and essentially brewed the entire batch themselves. Watched over Steve Andrews (one of the brewers at Hooker), JD and company set out the arduous (yet extremely rewarding) task of making a full production run of beer. They dealt with palates of malts and pounds of hops. They raked out the mash (basically the beer ingredients all slammed together in a gooey mass) with huge rakes. They checked all the readings, measured sugars, and tested gravity levels many, many times as they kept a close eye on the beer. The event took the entire day when all was said and done, but they received the real brew-house experience: all of the hard labor and careful measurements were actually done by the hands of the Eli Cannon's staffers.

There's the grains! Think: the base of the beer.

Thomas Hooker was extremely accommodating, JD says. They wanted the Eli Cannon's crew to not only have a good time, but to have a authentic brewing experience. This wasn't a process where they let them just drop in a bag or two of hops, or get to take a look at some of the equipment: Hooker's guys just provided oversight as JD and company did all the work. Though JD has been a home-brewer for many years, he has never had the chance to be fully involved in constructing a batch of production beer like this. The entire process was very intricate and, because they went through the entire ordeal, the Eli Cannon's crew now has a much greater appreciation for what goes into making beer. JD says that he is glad that the team can see what goes into beer: Eli's is one of the biggest beer bars in the state and this will provide the staff of Eli's a deeper understanding of the beer they sell.

Hops!

This puts JD in an interesting position as he now is committed to buying the entire run of beer that they made. He is fine with this though, saying that they put the stamp of Eli Cannon's on the beer. "We got our fingerprints all over this," JD said with a smile. The staff made all of the beer themselves so it is something that they (the staff) can take pride in, and this should make selling the beer an enjoyable experience.

Checking the sugar level.

Hooker made sure that all the ingredients were ready to go for EC9teen, even going as far as ordering out some of the components that were harder to get. As for the style, JD is took his cues from session beers, aiming for the overall style of the American Pale Ale (at around 5.1%). It is going to use British malting, striving to remain on the light and sweet side. They will include wheat in the recipe to give it the slight feel of a hefeweizen and to build up head retention. Standing at only around 40 IBUs, this beer isn't going to be super bitter, but it does have a little bit of a tang to it. There will be notes of citrus and fruity hops, but overall EC9teen will be a dry, sweet beer that should be highly drinkable.

Mash. Gross looking, but that's where beer comes from!

Looking into the future, JD is starting an internship with Relic Brewing Company, and is looking forward to getting more production beer out into the market. Between Relic and new brewery Two Roads, JD says that he will be looking for ways to contract out his beer or to find some other way to get his vision for beer out into the CT beer scene.

Adding hops.

As far as Eli Cannon's news goes, today Relic is having its first birthday party. This is a great time for anyone to come on down and experience one of the rising stars in CT beer. The 12th will be Eli Cannon's Mardi Gras party, featuring (among other things) JD's EC9teen. Then on the 20th there will be the New York Tap Attack with will feature a few great New York breweries along with some aged stouts, barley wines, and a cask of Blue Point Toxic Sludge that has been dry hopped and aged on bourbon oak cubes (!). JD is also hinting at some very special surprises to come out of the NY Tap Attack, so that's one you don't want to miss.

Raking out spent grain.

Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay tuned for tasting notes on craft beer and more news from the CT beer scene!

Tasting Notes: Back East Brewing Company

2013-01-31T11:04:00.002-08:00

Today's tasting notes come from Back East Brewing Company, a fairly new brewery open in CT. Despite their newness to the trade, their beer styles are all solid with a focus on quality control and a freshness of ingredients Although both those points are arguably marketing buzzwords, in the case of Back East you can taste how every beer is fresh and routinely delicious. My tasting, as usual, happened at Eli Cannon's Tap Room in Middletown CT. Their Back East Brewing Co. night the other week featured the Misty Mountain IPA, Winterfest, Back East Ale, and the Imperial Stout. I decided to give the Winterfest, IPA, and stout a go-around.

First up is the Winterfest.

Courtesy of Back East Brewing Co. (I REALLY need to fix my phone cam!)

This beer pours out a translucent reddish brown color with hints of amber, and smells faintly of high hoppy notes. This beer starts out clean with a sharp, floral hop note that gradually rises to the rich, sweet taste of currants (or dried fruit). This then moves to a very bright citrus note which lingers sharply with a stab of sharp, floral and bitter hops. This then moves to the back of the palate and sits there sweetly and brightly before ending evenly with a slight sour tone. This is a bright, sharp, semi-sweet medium bodied beer. The great thing about it is that you get tons of flavor you'd expect from a winter beer (currants, sharp floral bitterness) but at 5% abv its a beer that is refreshing and not overly dominant.

Next up is the Misty Mountain IPA.

Courtesy: Untapped.

This beer pours out golden transparent with a light, bright head. It smells bright, sweet, and sits very light on the nose. At first sip this beer is bright and sweet (much like its nose). From here the flavor moves to a semi-sweet and sour hopping that cuts abruptly to a drawn out, lingering bitterness that is slightly mild. This beer is slightly bitter (not as big as many IPAs out there), but still retains a sharpness to it that is offset by the lingering sweet & sour lingering aftertaste. Altogether this is a medium bodied beer that is a great example of the American IPA style. It may not have crazy amounts of bitterness, or be mixed with wild flavor profiles, but it is a very solid indicator of what makes a good craft IPA.

The last I had was the Back East Imperial Stout.

Courtesy: Untapped.

This beer pours out a super dark chestnut color, almost black. This beer smells clean, with hints of warm coffee. At first taste I get hit with a dense malty bitterness. This moves to a semi-sweet chocolate note that is also tinged on the back end with more of that dense bitter tone. From here a dominant coffee taste floats to the top, only for the whole flavor profile to settle in to a warm, dry bitterness. This sharp and dry taste lingers and slowly fades out with a dry coffee bitterness lingering on the palate. This is a very big, heavy beer with overbearing bitterness and coffee overtones that dominate the senses. It sits heavily on the palate, grabbing your taste buds and not letting go until long after the final sip of this delicious, thick beer. Important to note about this beer though is that it is very clean. All of the tastes stand on their own, and there is no muddling of multiple flavors. This is a fantastic, big, warm winter beer, and I encourage everyone to run out and try to find themselves a bottle!

Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay tuned for tasting notes and more exciting news from the craft beer world!

Tasting Notes: Two Beers from Narragansett That AREN'T Lager

2013-01-30T16:32:00.003-08:00

First off: sorry for the canned (haha) images of beer for the next few Tasting Notes features. My phone is on its last legs, and I'm not really about lugging a camera to Eli Cannon's Tap Room to specifically take pictures of my beer, so until I get my phone upgraded we are riding on people who have taken REALLY good pictures of their beer!

These notes are from the on-tap Narragansett night at Eli Cannon's a few weeks back. I started off with the Narragansett Porter.

Narragansett Porter (Courtesy: The Barley Blog)

This beer pours out a dark, dark chestnut, almost black. It smells lightly of sweet malts. At first taste this beer starts off light and sweetly malty, but quickly moves to a strong, bittersweet note that then transitions nicely to a smoky bitterness that lingers and slowly fades to a dry, clingy bitter hopping. This beer is medium bodied and surprisingly bitter, but terminates with a lingering sweetness that mingles well with smoky overtones. This beer is much heavier than their flagship lager and also has some interesting bittersweet notes that bring some interest and build body. All in all a nice, easy drinking anytime beer that fits well for the winter months.

Next up was the Narragansett IPA. This is a limited release from 'Gansett, but I hope to see more of it in the future.

Narragansett IPA (Courtesy: The Barley Blog)

This beer pours out a deep amber gold, barely translucent. It smells very slightly of sweet bittering notes. This beer starts mild, but builds to a pointed bitter note. This bitter note very quickly moves to a floral/grapefruit bitter note that lingers with a citrusy overtone. This tone sits very heavily on the palate in the traditional way of the IPA. Overall this is a medium bodied beer due to the bitters. It has a potent bitterness to it, but it is balanced with a citric sweet note that mingles with the heavy hopping and creates a long-burning IPA that simmers with a pleasant bite on the palate for a long time. This is an interesting departure from traditional 'Gansett beer, but one that is very well balanced, interesting, and biting enough to bring some heat into the winter.

The last beer I had was was the Narragansett Cream Ale.

Narragansett Cream Ale (Courtesy Boston.com)

This beer pours out a murky golden color that is barely translucent. It smells light and barely malty. At first sip this beer has lighter maltings that move gently to a slightly sour floral sweetness. This lingers sweetly until ending richly sweet with a very slight sour tone on the back end. This is a light to medium beer that is sweet and very refreshing. The malts build up a slight body that keeps the brew interesting. Overall this is a very accessible cream ale. Easy to drink a few of these and definitely one you'll want to snap up for summer. Not really the best winter beer, but a solid offering that will be a hit once the weather warms up.

Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook to stay tuned for more winter beer notes and beer ramblings coming your way!

The Famous Narragansett: Proving They're More Than Just a Big Can!

2013-01-21T12:07:00.003-08:00

The Narragansett Brewing Company is one of those breweries that many of us have fairly fond memories of. These memories (probably) revolve around tall boy cans full of "decent" beer being served at summer BBQs and on the beach. In other words: its the type of beer you watch the game with, not sample at a gallery opening. However when I talked with CT Regional Sales Manager Sean McQuade at Eli Cannon's Tap Room the other week, he made it very clear that Narragansett is aiming to be more than just a casual beer. In fact, Narragansett would like nothing better than to have the casual market cornered, while being able to party with the intense craft beer boys. And, from the sounds of it, this may very well be an attainable aspiration.

Courtesy: Narragansett Beer.

It's no secret (especially if you're reading this blog) that craft beer is big business these days. As the economy goes down, people would rather spend their hard-earned money on GOOD beer to enjoy a night in with, than wasting money on swill (even though swill beer does have its time and place). Narragansett, according to McQuade, is very much aware of this trend and wants to throw its hat in the ring as well- that is break out of the "causal" mold in which they find themselves. They started the last couple of years with their seasonal Summer Ale and Octoberfest styles (which, admittedly are fairly tame). Despite this mellow entry, McQuade says that Narragansett is spreading fairly quickly into craft beer bars, and slowly segueing to bigger beer styles as well. Part of the reason for this is that cans have started to gain traction among brewers (which I think is awesome). Narragansett, being the grandfather of canned beer, is (by that logic) around a good 100 or so years ahead of the trend!

The next beer styles that McQuade is excited about includes an Imperial Bohemian Pilsner (clocked at roughly 8.5% abv), more summer styles (a great idea, I think, for the brand), and a bock. The general brewing philosophy behind all of this is to have good beer at a good price. By having beer for all tastes, Narragansett can focus on their strong standing in the market and slowly spread out with more creative recipes. Narragansett has won awards for basically their whole flagship line up, so their brewing method and market placement are strong. Going along with this, Narragansett is one of the oldest beers in America, having been founded in 1890, which further cements them as mainstays of New England beer.

Courtesy: Narragansett Beer.

Because they're so old, Narragansett has a great mythos and history to the brand. Back in prohibition days Narragansett got by because they got their porter (still brewed and available today) labeled for "medicinal use"! From the early days of the brand, McQuade says, Narragansett has been focused on everyone who likes beer. As their motto says, "Made on Honor, Sold on Merit." In other words, they love beer and won't bother brewing it unless it's good. In my opinion this mentality is reflected in the way that after 120 years Narragansett is still a craft brewery and hasn't gone the macro- route. This shows an adherence to their brewing pride and a passion for remaining in complete control of their product.

So the next time you're about to slag Narragansett as a joke beer hold your tongue- they've been around for a long time and are currently brewing cans of the heavy stuff that may just be able to hold their own with the young craft whippersnappers of today! Check out my tasting notes for the 'Gansett beer here. Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay tuned for info on upcoming Eli Cannon's events, and much more beer news!

Tasting Notes: Olde Burnside - Time-Tested Local Beer With a Winter Kick

2013-01-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

Olde Burnside Brewing Company, often times erroneously referred to as "Ten Penny Brewery," is the local beer company that is most commonly known for their rock-solid Ten Penny and Dirty Penny ales. What many may not know, however, is that they routinely brew a full line of limited-release beer that compliments whatever season it happens to be. As we are smack in the middle of winter (albeit a mild one), I had the pleasure of trying two of their winter beers on tap at the always excellent Eli Cannon's Tap House in Middletown, CT.

The first I had was the Stone of Destiny. This "Imperial Black & Tan" pours out a barely translucent, deep chocolate brown and smells slightly of malts and fresh coffee. At first the beer has a very bright, fresh malting note with hints of toffee and coffee. This moves quickly to a deeper, slightly-sweet malty note, which then segues to more of a high-spicy hoppiness which only lasts a minute. After this the taste profile smooths out to a spiced-toffee tone with a malty vanilla tinge that lingers out with a mild stab of alcohol. This beer is solidly medium-bodied and has an almost plum-like taste that pushes the thick flavor profile along and ends with a potent alcohol note at the end. This beer is very hearty (and at 12% why wouldn't it be?), expertly balanced, spicy, and settles with a wonderful sour fruitiness on the back end. All in all a great dessert or any-time drinking beer that will warm you up and feeling jolly no matter what the weather is like outside!

The next beer I had was Father Christmas Highland Ale. Although the Christmas season is passed, this is a beer that would be well-worth hunting down to try. This beer pours out an opaque, medium brown with a fizzy head on top. The nose on this one is filled with bubbly, light spicing. At first this beer sips with a very bright, light note that's filled with dull-fruit and sweet & rich spicing overtones. From here the beer moves to a heavier spicing note that then shifts to a more bitter note. This segues very fast to a Belgian-style hopping note (filled with dull-fruit and semi-sweet tones) that settles to a long, muddled semi-bitter fruit taste which finally settles easy on the palate. This medium-bodied beer is absolutely filed with spicing that is complimented with that muddled fruit/dull-hop tone. This is a great warm up beer that features mixed flavor notes (fruit, bitters, and soft alcohol tones) that will slowly warm you without bowling you over with lots of thick alcohol tones. As said above it may be hard finding this still, but at 9% it's a great candidate to find, buy, and hang onto for next Christmas.

Next week I'll be talking about craft news from Narragansett brewery (yes, Gansett DOES make real craft beer). Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook to stay tuned for more winter beer notes and beer ramblings coming your way!

Tasting Notes: Thomas Hooker's Big Beers

2013-01-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It's been a nice Holiday break for me, but now I'm back with some great bigger-styled beers from Thomas Hooker Brewing Company that I had a few weeks back at Eli Cannon's Tap Room.

Hooker Imperial Porter

First up is the Hooker Imperial Porter. This beer pours out an opaque, very deep chestnut color. It smells of coffee and caramel with just a hint of chocolate. At first taste I get a medium, sweet chocolatey sweetness that's tinged with caramel and a deep maltiness. This ends with a medium bittersweet dark chocolate which sits heavily on the palate This beer is medium to heavy that starts sweet and mild, and ends heavier with a lingering dark sweetness. This beer starts out sweet and malty, but it pulls together well by relying on a sweet and bitter chocolate note and hearty aftertaste. A great any-time beer for cold weather!

Nor'Easter

Next I had Hooker's Nor'Easter. This is a 6% spiced beer. It pours out a transparent red gold with a lively head. I couldn't discern much of a scent off of this one, besides a vague sweetness. This beer tastes spicy, with a distant dull-berry taste that gives way to a bright, blunted citric note. This cuts out quickly and leaves me with that dull, slightly sour taste on the back of my pallatte. This is a more traditional "easy-drinking" Hooker style beer, but it's been kicked-up with spicy/sour notes. It still is a fairly easy-drinking medium-bodied beer that's light enough to enjoy many glasses of, but the spicing makes it a beer that will warm you right up.

Chipotle Chocolate Truffle Stout

The last beer I had was a special one: the Chipotle Chocolate Truffle Stout. This beer pours out a deep black brown color and has a deep, dark smell of chocolate. This beer starts off with a deep, dark chocolate tone with a lighter body, that quickly switches to a spicy, peppery flavor note that then stretches into a lingering spicy burn. This burn lingers all the way through the taste and then sits smoldering on your tongue This stout is light to medium, with a burning, smoky spicy flavor (think Sriracha sauce). It is very tasty, but also legitimately spicy: the chocolate notes balance out the spice and visa versa, leaving your taste buds to dance a sweet, fiery tango!

If you think that Thomas Hooker is all just summer beer: you're wrong. But it's ok, check out these beers and be grateful that CT has a brewery putting out a variety of great winter beers to bring fire to your bones this winter season! I did a post on Hooker's new beer styles here. Check it out and then follow me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more tasting notes and news from the beer world!

Thomas Hooker Brewing Co: Iconic CT Brewery With Big Plans

2012-12-18T15:31:00.001-08:00

When most Connecticut residents think of Thomas Hooker Brewery Company, they probably think of their flagship beer: Hooker Blonde Ale. This stellar lower ABV brew has sweet taste, low clinginess on the palate, and is just an overall fantastic summer/gateway beer. However, Hooker isn't content with being regarded as just a gateway beer (especially since their Liberator Dopplebock just won gold in the Great International Beer Fest in Providence, RI). Over a few pints at Eli Cannon's Taproom I've recently discussed Thomas Hooker's plans to unleash a pantheon of super-high quality beers onto the CT market in the close future.

This rapid expansion is spurned on by a newer tasting room and some major brewery upgrades that Hooker put in. The new tasting room has been open for around 6 months now and features two full bars with eight total taps. The Visitor Center is upfront and boasts around 12k square feet which can play host to a variety of events and celebrations. Hooker is also preparing four 50-barrel tanks, which will increase their production yield by 14,000 bottles (roughly).

What do all these extra bottles of beer mean? It means that Hooker has a lot more freedom to pursue unique, higher-end beers and to expand the brand's already impressive lineup with more complex and creative beer. One that will be ready fairly soon is a cross-over with some CT vineyards. Hooker brewer Stephen Andrews told me that they aged a saison in Chardonay barrels to pipe in some vanilla and oakiness. This will be an intense beer that should have a great body to fortify you in the dead of the winter, and should be available sometime in the next month.

Andrews and Corporate Culture Director Lisa Bielawski continued to say that Hooker has always focused on providing "something for everyone." To expand this idea, Hooker wants to reach beyond the initial styles they brewed and start providing complex beers for the high-end crowd (a nice way of saying beer nerds, like me!), or for anyone who wants to try something a little more out of the ordinary.

Many collaboration ideas that Hooker have are with a variety of CT businesses, not just other breweries. Andrews let me know that the Munson's Truffle Chocolate Stout and the the upcoming CT Winery Saison are just the beginning. As Bielawski put it, Hooker is focused on celebrating all things CT through its beer. They have no real plans to produce beer far beyond CT and would rather spend most of their time focusing on their home state. This philosophy has served them well: even with the recent tasting room and vat expansion, Hooker is bursting at the seams! If you want to check out their wares themselves, stop by the 1st and 3rd Friday (5-8) and Saturday (12-5) of the month. As Bielawski put it, it's always a fun time and they've been consistently packed for years now.

Other beers that are coming to CT in 2012 include Old Marley Barely Wine, a low ABV session-style IPA, and a double chocolate stout. My advice? Keep your eye on Hooker and get ready for some super-high quality beers coming your way soon! Also, follow me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more tasting notes and news from the beer world!

Tasting Notes: Two Hearty Beers and a Randall from Dog Fish Head

2012-12-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

In my continuing search for great winter beer, I have come across a few fine selections from Dogfish Head during their tasting night at Eli Cannon's Tap Room. As usual, Eli's had an impressive array of Dogfish Head available, including Palo Santo Marron, Fort, Bitches Brew, Indian Brown Ale, 90 Minute IPA, 60 Minute IPA, Chicory Stout, and Chicory Stout on the Randall. Being intrigued by the towering contraption on the edge of the bar, I went with the Randall first.

The Randall.

The Randall is essentially a flavor infuser that Dogfish Head have brewed up. If you're curious about it's construction and tech specs, check out its site here. In a nutshell the Randall pushes beer through a few chambers to pipe in flavor and a more mellow texture than your average draught beer. JD (Eli's Bar Manager) had the Randall set up with Chicory Stout running through vanilla bean, coffee beans, and Werther's Originals candy. The beer pours out relatively highly carbonated, which makes the head vanish quickly. The color is a deep brown/black and the beer itself smells sweetly of light coffee. At first sip I get the sweet coffee carbonation that renders it an almost soft-drink texture. From here the beer develops a sweet, light coffee taste that builds to slightly-strong coffee bitterness, and then quickly falls down to a slight caramely sweetness. I'm left with a lingering dull pang of bittersweetness on the palate. This was a light-medium beer that had the consistency of a carbonated coffee beverage, but a much more balanced sweet taste. Interesting, complex, and easy drinking to boot!

Indian Brown Ale

The next beer I had was my first step into the "winter beer" section: the Indian Brown Ale. This beer pours out dark brown, opaque shade. It smells sweet and lightly malted, but overall doesn't give off much of a nose. At first sip the sharp hops kick in first. This gives way quickly to a lighter, sweeter note. From here the beer sinks to a dense, molassesy sweetness that ends up with a dull sweeter note that's tinged with a bitter hint of coffee. This is a medium beer that has very bright bitters that are evenly balanced out with dense sweetness of the "brown ale" style. It avoids being too sweet and instead has a great murky denseness to it that is punctuated by sharp, bright stabs of hoppy bitterness.

Fort

The last beer I had for my winter round up was the huge Fort. This beer measures out around 17% abv (!) and pours out a translucent reddish amber. The nose on this beer is pungent: very rich, high notes of sugary citric sweetness. At first sip you get walloped with that high sweet, sugary stab that is then mitigated almost instantly with a sharp note of alcohol. This dry, sharp alcohol note progresses midway through the taste. From here a citric (apple/pear) note sneaks in the taste profile and then dominates the back end. The beer ends on this sharp/sweet taste with dry warm hints that sit slightly sour with the note of mulled cider or wine. This beer is definitely a big one. It comes off as medium due to it's lightweight look, but Fort has a hell of a kick! It's really more of a barelywine than an ale: very sweet with prickly alcoholic notes that leave a pleasant dull tang on your tongue.

Altogether the Indian Brown Ale and Fort are great cold weather beers. The Indian Brown Ale is a good transition brew; it bridges the gap between the fall temperatures and warms you up with sweet notes that segue you into a cooler temperate. The Fort on the other hand is a straight up monster. Its a beast that's perfect for sipping on a cold fall/winter evening as you sit reflecting on warmer days ahead. A good warm-up beer for sure, but just don't get carried away by the sweetness or you may find yourself pitched into an unplanned-for long winter's nap!

Stay tuned to me on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook for more tasting notes and news from the beer world!

Tasting Notes: Three Big Ones From Smuttynose Brewing Co.

2012-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

Just in time for late fall/early winter, I have tasting notes on three big (ish) beers from Smuttynose Brewing Company that are packed with taste, yet drink nice and smooth.

I had these three on draught at Eli Cannon's in Middletown during their Smuttynose Brewing Co. night last Tuesday. The choice was rather daunting, they had the following beers on: Big A IPA, Robust Porter, Homunculus, Winter, Old Brown Dog, Summer Weizen, Finestkind IPA, Herbaceous, and Zinneke. I ended up going with the Herbaceous, Zinneke, and the standard Old Brown Dog.

Herbaceous. (Courtesy: Me)

Herbaceous pours out an opaque, deep chestnut brown color, with a light head on top. It smells light and hoppy with a slight clove scent. The taste is initially quite light with sweet carbonation. This gives way to a sweet mid-taste that is then filled with bright, floral notes with an underlying earthiness to the tone. The beer then finishes slightly bitter and very dry: altogether even. This beer starts lighter, but grows very quickly to a hefty medium body. There is a nice sweetness throughout that works with the bitterness to balance out this interesting brew. The name is very fitting as there is a lot of herbal tone to this beer that strikes me as an-almost IPA that has very interesting floral tasting notes that compliment its bitterness nicely.

Zinneke. (Courtesy: Me)

The Zinneke was up next, and this one was the favorite of the batch. This is a Belgian Stout, half of which is aged in bourbon barrels and then combined to form a very lush, flavorful beer. It pours out an extremely dark reddish brown that's barely translucent with a lively dark brown head. It smells richly of dark coffee, a hint of bitterness, all with a tinge of slightly sweet hops. The taste begins light, sweet, and bright with a hint of bright Belgian hops (sweet, not bitter). This moves to a heavy dark coffee taste that sits on the back of the throat and lingers with a sparkling combination of bitters and bright, floral/sweet bittering. The entire beer finishes bittersweet with a lingering, clingy dark mollasses flavor. Even though the flavors are deep, this beer does not seem gooey on the pallate, it (as with the other Smuttynose beers) finishes nice and neutral and leaves you ready for another sip. This is a medium beer with intensely bright Belgian hopping that is mitigated by dark coffee biterness and deep woody tones. All of this makes for an interesting combination that brings together the easy-drinking brightness of a Belgian pale ale and the punch of a heavy porter. A great combination that will segue you neatly from late fall into the chilly winter.

Assorted Smuttynose taps. (Courtesy: Me)

The last beer I tried was one of Smuttynose Brewing Co.'s top seller: Old Brown Dog. This beer pours out a dark brown (obviously) medium opaque, with a very lively head that took a few minutes to settle down. This beer smells sweet, mild, and light. At first taste this beer is light and mild (much like the scent) and subtly sweet that moves to a medium sweet maltiness. This sweet oakiness continues for a little while and then finishes slightly sweet and very dry with a hint of dry, light citrus (almost grapefruity). This beer is a light to medium smooth, superbly balanced brown ale with a soft dry finish that demands another round! Despite its delicate sweetness, this beer has a hefty underlying oaky body that lends to its 6.7% ABV.

All three beers were interesting in their own way, but the one thing they shared was an easy, dry finish that left you wanting more of the brew. The Herbaceous is great for a hop head looking for a slightly bitter beer that goes in a new direction, the Zinneke is a great all-purpose chilly weather beer, and Old Brown Dog is a great autumn brew that is hefty enough to last the winter, but light enough to drink in the summer.

Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay current with more tastings coming your way!

Eli Cannon's Christmas Tree Lighting Bigger and Better Than Ever

2012-12-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Eli Cannon's Tap Room yearly Christmas tree lighting ended up being bigger, better, and brighter than ever this year. New bar manager JD Crandall added more lights and more trees to the display and lit up the far North end of Middletown with a blast of holiday cheer. Going from one tree to four, and adding an overture of rockin' Christmas music made this year's lighting a true Holiday spectacle.

The potato flakes, er, snow fell jauntily on the cheerful crowd. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

So many decorations were added to the display this year that the Eli Cannons had to add-on and reinforce the current platform to accommodate the hefty weight of newly-added holiday cheer. The other difference to this yearly tradition centered around the fact that NoRA Cupcakes was actually fully-open for business and supplied all the cookies and cocoa to the gathered mob in front of the bar.

Beside these changes the tree-lighting ran as usual. Santa arrived in merry splendor atop a wagon drawn by two great horses. He circled around the intersection, escorted by the Middletown police force, and disembarked in front of the bar with enthusiastic fanfare. After Santa shook the hands of several ecstatic children (and a few equally excited adults), he positioned himself in front of the bar with Phil Ouellette (Eli Cannon's owner), Middletown mayor Dan Drew, and other prominent members of the Middletown community. Oullette took the microphone (well actually a bullhorn) and gave a short speech. He thanked all the volunteers and employees of Eli Cannons, the Middletown government and Chamber of Commerce (citing the Chamber as the driving force behind helping this event get so much bigger and better over the years), and the police department. Ouellette continued to say that this event is special because it gives back to the children of the bar's clientele, and also gives a safe, fun, and free event to the families and children of Middletown's North End. Mayor Dan Drew had a few words to say as well- he thanked the owners of Eli Cannon's and expressed his appreciation for all Eli Cannon's strives to do for the Middletown community.

Santa's Arrival. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

After the speeches, the crowd counted down, Santa flipped the master light switch, and with a roaring round of applause the front of Eli Cannon's Tap Room exploded to life with cheery lighting, merry Christmas trees, and the happy sounds of rock n' roll Holiday music coming through the loudspeakers. The crowd oo'd and ahh'd, and then was bathed with potato flakes snowing down from the roof (it sounds gross, but it was actually quite festive in the moment)! After all was said and done Santa crossed the street (once again flanked by Middletown's finest) to hold court in NoRA Cupcakes, and bestow gifts and good cheer to the kids who had been waiting for him eagerly all year.

Santa and his entourage making their way across Main Street. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

I touched base with JD Crandall (the new bar manager) before the tree lighting, and his sentiments were in line with what Oullette later went on to say. Crandall started by saying that the philosophy that permeates all Eli Cannon's does is, "It's not about us, it's about all of us."

That is to say the aspect of community involvement is very central to the way that Eli's operates. For this event Eli Cannon's was holding a raffle (the grand prize of which was a trip to the Red Hook brewery!) where all you had to do is bring an unopened toy in to be entered. Crandall continued by saying that Eli Cannons is firm in what it believes in; from top management to the everyday "solider" working the bar floor, everyone is on the same page. This support, says Crandall, is very rare to see in a busy business environment, but it's this support that makes Eli Cannon's the strong Middletown landmark that it is today.

A towering trophy of tasty treats over at NoRA Cupcakes. (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

Crandall finished by saying that Eli Cannon's takes care of its own as well as it tries to take care of everyone else. Case in point- two years ago Crandall was parking cars for the Christmas Tree Lighting event. Now, after a lot of hard work, Crandall is the bar manager making sure that the very same event runs smoothly.

Eli Cannon's is a very unique small business, as it opens its doors for unique, exciting events all the time. It's not just a bar that sits behind tinted windows and a dull facade- its a place that focuses on community involvement and people in town (and beyond) getting together, and having good beer and good times!

The display, still lit and playing music all December! (Courtesy: Jere Adametz)

I have to thank Jere Adametz for letting me use his great pictures, check out all of the awesome pictures from the event here. To stay up-to-date on all things CT beer related, follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay current with all the beer happenings you could ask for! I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday, and I look forward making some good winter beer suggestions for your Christmas and Holiday parties real soon!

Craft Beer as Tribalism: A Conversation With Smuttynose Brewing Company's Joe Grotto

2012-12-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday Eli Cannon's Taproom in Middletown, CT holds beer tastings where beer brands are poured and represented by the actual people responsible for their production! Last week I had the pleasure of talking to Joe Grotto, the Area Sales Manager for Smuttynose Brewing Company.

Smutty Nose Brewing Company is a leading craft brewery located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The philosophy behind their beer has always been to brew a well-balanced, clean beer. This isn't to say that they brew weak beer or focus on "easy-drinkability" (although drinkablity does naturally follow a good, clean beer); for instance their "flagship" (or at least one of their top-sellers) is Old Brown Dog Ale, which is clean, dry, a little sweet, and an impressive 6.7%!

The Old Brown Dog herself! (Courtesy: Smuttynose Brewing Co.)

Even though it is a bigger beer, says Grotto, the Old Brown Dog is very drinkable as it is well balanced and focuses on a cleanliness of taste, not just a big, brutish brew. Even their bigger IPA is brisk and lively, but evens off nicely with fruity hop notes that counter-act the bitterness and ground the beer to an even, clean aftertaste.

One of my first questions was regarding the Smuttynose logo, which prominently features an image of a harbor seal. When asked about this, Grotto nodded, grinned and replied that's because the pictured seals are everywhere near the brewery. Close by to Portsmouth are the Isles of Shoals. This collection of islands serve as inspiration for much that goes into Smuttynose's beer. One reference to the Isles are these seals who call the Isles of Shoals home, and whose likeness adorn every bottle. Another reference is the name of the brewery: Smuttynose is actually the name of one of the Isles. Grotto explains that this personal, local connection is very important to the brewery. The dog on the Old Brown Dog's label is Olive, the owner's dog! Most of the other labels also feature people who work at the brewery or are extended family members. This keeps the beer closely connected to its home no matter how far it may roam beyond New Hampshire.

The logo! (Courtesy: Smuttynose Brewing Company)

As Smuttynose is a small business, it has the opportunity to help out any causes or charities that are near and dear to its employee's hearts. Grotto, for instance, plays in a heavy metal band and has played for charity events, and had Smuttynose sponsor a variety of giving outreaches that he has taken part in. Some employees are runners or cyclists, and Smuttynose has sponsored marathons and other such events in turn. This leads to another key Smuttynose philosophy- which is to embrace the fact that craft beer has many tribes. As Grotto explains it, beer brings people of like-minds together, and those like-minded people use beer at an adhesive for their group. Whether its sports fans drinking light beer and watching the game, grease-monkeys working on a garage project and then kicking back with a cold one, musicians drinking after the gig, or beer nerds hanging out at their favorite beer bar: beer brings people together in meaningful ways. It's this tribalism that Smuttynose embraces, according to Grotto, and that's why Smuttynose focuses on community connection and embracing their employees' different interests and passions.

Smuttynose was founded in 1994 and has since spread to 19 states. Though this is impressive, Grotto says that Smuttynose has no real desire to move beyond the east coast. Local is good, says Grotto, and that's kind of the whole reasoning behind Smuttynose. Local beer keeps costs down and keeps beer fresher. That being said they are moving to a huge new brewery soon, which will enable them to put out even more limited releases and seasonals at a very affordable price point!

For reference, a real (cute) harbor seal. (Courtesy: Wikipedia.org)

Smuttynose is multiple-award winning and has been featured in the New York Times and even in Wine Enthusiast. I find their philosophies are very appealing to me, as I too love local outreach and find the whole "beer tribe" idea a fascinating new way to look at the communities that surround craft beer. If you want more information on Smuttynose check out their website, or check out their blog here for more information on their big new Hampton brewery. Also, be looking forward to the next Eli Cannon's pouring event: Dogfish Head! JD (the bar manager) has some tasty ideas in store that involve Dogsfish Head's Chicory Stout, coffee, vanilla bean, and Werther's Originals. Stop in Tuesday at 7 to experience it all for yourselves! Be sure to follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay current with all the beer happenings you could ask for.

Exciting Winter Season Events at Eli Cannon's Tap Room

2012-11-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

In my continuing efforts to get all of you out and about, and enjoying great beer and fun, I've touched base with Eli Cannon's Tap Room (in Middletown CT) to see what this great beer bar has in the cards for the winter season. As expected- they did not disappoint me; and have a few great events coming up that every beer lover should make an effort to attend.

First are the Tuesday Night Tastings. These are nights when Eli Cannons features a certain brewery on their taps, and hosts a brand representative to talk about what makes that brand's beer great. These run pretty much every Tuesday, and the one coming up next is the great New Hampshire brewery: Smutty Nose. For this event JD Crandall (the bar manager) will devout a few lines to Smutty Nose and have someone on hand to fill you in on all the ins and outs of what goes into the Smutty Nose beer. The Tuesday Night Tastings are a great way to try new and interesting beers, and generally learn a lot about what goes into making the beer that you enjoy so very much.

These tastings will be leading up to Eli Cannon's End of the World Party. This event (to take place around the end of December, I'll let you know!) is going to be a festival to pad out bets in case the Mayans were right. And even if that's doubtful, do you really need an excuse for a beer blowout at Eli Cannon's? Crandall was a bit tight-lipped about this one, but he says it will be a great time, which is all I need to hear. Stay tuned to my blog and keep your Fridays open for this one!

Coming a bit down the road in February are two more events that have me excited. The first is a collaboration with Blue Point, Brooklyn, and Six Point breweries to take over the taps at Eli Cannon's. Tentatively called "The New York Tap Attack," this event will give 4 lines to each company and feature some of the best beer on the east coast.

Then, taking place on February 5, Crandall is doing a collaboration with the Plainville-based Relic Brewing Co. For this one Crandall is once again keeping the nitty-gritty secret for now, but he does say that they're going to open up four draught lines to the project, and feature a cask! The last cask that Relic did was fantastic, so this is another one for you beer fans to "red letter" (especially if you've never had cask-drawn beer before).

As usual I will keep you updated with any local events headed your way, to ensure that you don't spend all winter barricaded in your house, sipping beer and staring blearily at the TV! Follow me on on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook and stay current with all the beer happenings you could ask for.

Bikes and Beers 2012 Rides Into the History Books (And New Haven)

2012-11-05T17:10:00.001-08:00

Bikes and Beers, an event quickly gaining popularity in Connecticut, has been one of the many great successes of the Connecticut Beer Trail in 2012. And so, to close out the year on Bikes and Beers, this last ride had to be big, loud, and tons of fun. By partnering with the Devil's Gear in New Haven, CT Beer Trail worked together to put on a Halloween cycling event that featured almost 100 costumed riders taking to the streets of New Haven.

This event is a routine one for Devil's Gear, but larger in scope thanks to it being their Halloween ride, and thanks to their partnership with the CT Beer Trail. Calling it "Critical Mass" (a national idea or movement, not really an organization), Devil's Gear hosts this type of ride every last Friday of the month starting at 5:30 PM on the New Haven green (and yes, it runs all year). However, CT Beer Trail's involvement and promises of a craft-beer-driven after party definitely got me, and I'm assuming at least a handful of others, very interested in this ride.

The ride itself gathered on the New Haven green at 5:30 PM. As time ticked on, more and more costumed riders showed up: ghouls; clowns; famous athletes; rock stars; and all manner of bedazzled maniacs lined up and milled about with obvious excitement in the air. Eventually, at around 6ish, we rolled out in a long, undulating line of almost 100 cyclists. The vibe was great. There was no pushing, no vying for position, and no fear as we worked our way through New Haven. All the riders were doing this Critical Mass ride, well, just for the fun of it. It's not really a competition, and so the focus was on cyclists networking with each other, while making a visual statement to everyone in the city that: yes; people do ride bikes here.

One of the many costumed psychos. Look at that jer . . . oh wait.
(Me: Courtesy of CT Beer Trail)

As we made our way through the 6ish mile route, red and blue lights began to flash around us and we heard the roar of a Harley moving to overtake us: somewhere along the way we picked up the escort of a motorcycle cop! This emboldened the riders even more and we made our hearty way along the meandering route until at last we ended up at our destination: O'Tooles. As we disembarked, I got the chance to talk to Matt Feiner, the founder of The Devil's Gear. According to him this particular event (Critical Mass) has been going off on the last Friday of every month for just about 10 years now. The ride is always pretty well attended, says Feiner, and the vibe is always generally relaxed.

Feiner told me that there are Critical Mass rides in other states, but many of them seem to end up getting needlessly competitive After starting this event Feiner has been extremely happy with it and has no plans to modify things- saying there's no need to change something that doesn't need changing.

After the chat I ended up back at the bar, enjoying price-reduced New England Brewing beer on draft (thanks to the event) and generally spent the evening chatting and relaxing with great beer. Along the way I bumped into Scott Vignola, the founder of a brand new homebrew shop that's just opened up in New Haven. Vignola has a background in small business and is man fascinated with the way that beer has been creating communities and bringing people together for hundreds of years. At the time of publishing this they have had their grand opening already, and it is a great boon to any home-brewer in the area to have a man like Vignola setting up shop. He is dedicated to not only brewing great beer, but also creating a stronger community in New Haven. If you have even an inkling to get into home-brewing, check out his shop.

At the end of the night everyone had good beer and enjoyed themselves while doing it. Critical Mass is a great movement for New Haven, and it comes highly recommended for anyone: be you a newbie commuter getting road under your tires the first time; or hardcore pedal head. Bikes and Beers still stands as one of my personal favorite events as it brings together good people, fosters great times, and even makes you feel ok about drinking beer as at least you've had a ride before hand!

To keep up with all future events, keep your eyes on my blog (on Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook) and the CT Beer Trail. If you want to know about home brewing and live around New Haven, check out the Luck and Levity site here (Vignola's shop). Lastly, if you're looking to get rolling around New Haven but don't know where to start (or just want to connect with other bicycle fanatics), then check out The Devil's Gear bike shop here.