Dogfish Head – Sahtea

Dogfish Head is known for their experimental brews, the owner of the brewery even has a show about traveling the world looking for cool ingredients to put in beer, but I’ve only had  a few of them so when I saw this bottle I figured I’d dig a bit deeper.  They’re out of Delaware and are easily one of the biggest names on the east coast for micro brews, the 60 minute IPA is a popular favorite.

The other thing that drew me to this bottle was that it’s brewed with Black Chai Tea.  I was introduced to Chai Tea from my good friend Dean in Australia, it’s perfect because like beer you can add subtle ingredients to brew a complex tea .  It’s 9% alcohol so it packs a decent punch but you can hardly taste it due to the powerful ingredients in the beer.  Here is the explanation they provide on the bottle “Our Sahtea is based on the traditional 9th-century Finnish recipe for Sahti in that we brew it with rye and juniper and heat the wort with wood-fired rocks.  We break with tradition by adding an exotic Black Chai Tea at the end of the boil.”

The color was hazy golden with a medium head, and the aroma was very reminiscent of chai tea with a smokey and cinnamon undertones (think Christmas).  First sips of the beer tasted a bit like cola before it got a chance to open up.  For this reason I suggest drinking it over a span of at least 20 minutes – don’t worry, the 750 ml bottle forces you to space it out.  Once it leveled out the cinnamon flavor really came out, I would rate it a 10/10 on a scale of spiciness.  This was followed by a tea like rooty aftertaste and at the end I tasted hints of orange which I assumed were the juniper berries.  This beer should definitely be sipped and drank slowly almost like a tea and it’s good to share with someone else.  Since I drank it over the course of 20-30 minutes the temperature dropped considerably but it was all part of the experience and the quality didn’t drop off.

I would buy this again in a heartbeat, definitely one of the more enjoyable beers I’ve had in my lifetime and I’d give it a 9.5/10.  I drank it in the summer but – in a winter setting that would go up to a 10/10 without a doubt, perfect Christmas beer.

Pale Moon – Lunch Hour BBQ

I’ve got a grill, I live 5 minutes from my work, and I’ve got beer in my fridge. Sometimes a 2 day weekend just doesn’t hit the spot like it should, and you need to throw a little something extra in there on Tuesday.

For me, that means brawts, hanging with the dogs, and Blue Moon’s take on pale ale. They call it Pale Moon, which is great – such a clever name. They tried to get clever with the brew as well but I found it lackluster. It had a copper-color and wheat like aroma but it lacked volume and character beyond that. The orangepeel notes helped to complement the belgian-style but it’s drowned out by the cascade hops and european malts. It really excited me as soon as I would take a sip but then didn’t follow through with any type of a finish. The label says “perfectly balanced”, but I feel there’s too much going on to let any of those great characteristics stand out.

Despite all that, I can’t complain; I’m writing about beer at Noon on a Tuesday.

Tuesday Night – Beers With David Schlinkert

This guy rules…

Standouts from the night: Anderson Valley – Boont Amber Ale, Paulaner – Hefe-Weizen, San Tan Brewing Company – Hefeweizen, Dogfish Head – Raison D’Etre.

Red Hook – 8 4 1 Expedition (Imperial Brown Ale)

Put “Limited Release” on a bottle and 9 times out of 10 I’ll buy it.  Throw on top of that the fact it’s an Imperial Brown Ale and it’s out of Red Hook Brewery (definitely a soft spot there); I’m spending $14 on a beer.  I guess the story behind the numbers is that they had 8 brewers working in 4 teams to create 1 beer.  I’m all for collaborations, but that sounds like too many cooks in the kitchen or brewers in the brewery…either way it worked out for them.

There’s little to no head and it’s got a hazy brown coloring.  Honey and malt make up the aroma, which is the first thing that hits your taste-buds but then there is a smokey kick that compliments the nutty flavor typical of brown ale’s.  As it warms up the honey aroma really starts to overpower the smokiness but the two compliment each other perfectly throughout the beer.  I didn’t really notice the 9.5% alcohol because of how well it’s blended.  They used cherry wood smoked malts, brown sugar, honey, and aged it in oak barrels (these guys are definitely from the Pacific Northwest).

I hate to write about a beer that you can’t find in stores anymore but it’s definitely worth checking out something of this nature.  I’m “hooked” on the smokey honey mix, and I think any more experiments that come out of Red Hook are worth giving a taste.

Great Divide – Wild Raspberry Ale

I’m not usually a fruit flavored beer guy, but I thought I’d step away from reviewing a pale or IPA for a second and try something different.  Great Divide is a well respected brewery so I figured I’d start there.

The first thing I noticed about this beer was the color, it has a dark ruby red appearance and not too much head.  I’d give it a medium body, super sweet in the beginning and ends up with a dry finish.  That’s also where you notice the raspberry flavor – in the aftertaste.  It was lighter than I expected but that works for a fruit beer, the refreshing nature would probably compliment a salad or something… but for some reason drinking beers and eating salads doesn’t go together for me.

One of the largest takeaways I got from this beer was that biases  can carry over in tasting.  I hope this doesn’t discredit my blog, but I guess I got inside my own head when trying this and didn’t give it the chance it deserves.

BrewDog – Dogma

This beer ended up in my fridge although I never purchased it, but after a couple weeks I decided the original owner wasn’t coming back and I went to work on it.  BrewDog is based out of Scotland and was started by two guys fed up with the microbrew situation in the UK.  They’ve made quite a name for themselves and this is one of their more popular experiments.

What’s nice is the diversity of ingredients they added to Dogma to make it interesting, on the bottle it notes honey, kola nut, poppy seed and guarana.  The honey stands out the most, and gives it a nice sweetness.  I couldn’t discern many of the other flavors (I’m not huge into kola nuts or guarana) but they tasted great assuming they were in there.  I would liken it to a belgian ale because of the spice, but it’s so much more than that.

Aroma comes in strong with citrus and honey blossom, there is a rather thick mouthfeel and the color is a copper amber.  At 7.8% alcohol it packs quite  punch, but isn’t noticeable when drinking it.  I highly recommend this as a beer for any situation, but most importantly if you’re looking to try something with  unique ingredients.

Longhammer IPA

Plenty of branding going on in this picture for Red Hook, a great Seattle based brewery.

There isn’t a lot that I would write about this beer, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  IPA’s are usually known for their content which is probably why I’ve reviewed so many in the past.  This beer is lacking in that aspect, I can honestly say it’s the lightest IPA I’ve ever had.

Here’s why you should buy it:
It’s the perfect stepping stone into hoppy beers.

You’ll notice in the picture the coloring resembles a pilsner: clear, light gold, and crisp looking.  That’s how it goes down too, you still get a great floral aroma but it’s a really smooth ride which is perfect for the summer when you don’t want something to weigh you down but want to enjoy something complex while taking in the weather.

Rating: 6.5/10

Hitachino Nest – White Ale

I’ve never really thought of Japan as a big name on the brewing scene. Sure I’ve done Saki Bombers before, but those beers never stood out to me in any way (maybe because of the manner I’m drinking them).

Hitachino Nest is not your average Japanese Brewery. They’ve been around since the 1950′s and fit the qualities of most micro-breweries in America, but you’ll still pay a pretty penny for these bottles since they’re not common imports. Although I’ve only had the white ale, it’s something to write about. It sticks closely to belgian tradition – be ready for the familiar flavors of orange peel, coriander and nutmeg. Overly tingly mouthfeel and a dry finish with a mild haziness to match. It’s refreshing but still has a medium to light body. What set this brew apart however was that the spiciness had a ginger quality to it and I got hints of Jasmine as well.

This beer is the my choice beverage to enjoy in Arizona right now, the orange tree’s are blossoming and the weather is perfect for sitting outside all hours of the day. I give it an 8.75 out of 10.

Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

I sampled this beer when I started this blog and didn’t think it was worth reviewing, but my second experience was much more satisfying. It comes out of Southern California by one of the larger names on the scene Stone Brewing Co.

I didn’t know how to classify it before but now I’d say it reminds me the most of a Nut Brown. There are subtle notes of coffee flavors from the malts and an even more subtle hop presence which gives a bittering mouthfeel. This mouthfeel is the only setback for me, the aftertaste lingered longer than I would have liked, but this encouraged me to leave less time between sips (not a bad thing). The “Oaked” label in the name really shows its presence in the aroma: it smells like an amazing outdoor grilling festival, and I was craving sauerkraut or grilled onions every time I took a whiff. It has beautiful brown-amber coloring as well, and a medium head.

7/10 (but my standards are higher than they used to be)

Fridge Logic

I haven’t posted in a while and that’s because a lot has been going on in my life, the past two weeks I’ve been moving into my new house and it’s taking up a lot of spare time. One of the best parts about having my own place though is deciding what beer to put in the fridge.

Stocking an abode with proper beverages is a nice touch, it automatically makes you a good host when you can offer different beer choices to a guest. I have been acquiring pint glasses from brew pubs I attended as well, so I have something nice to pour into.

I put a decent amount of thought into what beers would be showcased in my fridge and I think I have a pretty good setup. 12 beers at a time, because any more than that can be overwhelming and give off the wrong impression. I have select brews outside of this that I’m tasting at the time, or maybe that a friend has brought over, but there are three types of beers I like to always have on hand: Light Beer, Microbrews, and Premiums.

Any variation of these will be fine, but I’ve chosen: Miller Lite, Mirror Pond – Pale Ale by Deschutes, and Heinekin.

I like for my light beer to be domestic; America has become the master of low calorie/low carb beer, which may or may not be a good thing. These beers suit people on diets, blue collar workers who’ve finished up a job on your house or a game of flip cup. I’m not a fan of Miller, but it was passed down from the previous homeowner (thanks Anna).

Microbreweries are there for adventurous visitors to your house who no matter what their tastes are looking for an experience. I chose Mirror Pond because it’s a nice benchmark Pale Ale (it was also 9.99 for a dozen.) These beers should be Ale’s in order to add some body to your selections.

For the premium beer I like to choose something known worldwide, and imported. Heinekin, Stella Artois, Amstel Light, even Corona would be a good choice here. Giving these beers as an option makes a large impression on your visitor since these are usually the most costly.

The most important thing however, is that you give your guests a choice.