BeerJanglin': Bloggers and Ales

R.I.P.: Magic Hat Roxy Rolles

Herb — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:00:43 +0000

More proof that the folks atMagic Hat are losing their minds. They are “retiring” their best beer — by far — the hoppy amber Roxy Rolles, in favor of a new marzen/Oktoberfest called Hex.

I’m not saying that Hex won’t be a world class beer, but Magic Hat is making a bold statement here, eschewing their more complex and satisfying beers (Roxy, Jinx, even St. Gootz) for lighter fare they know will sell better, such as Wacko and the recently reinstated Blind Faith.

The line has been drawn in the sand, and Magic Hat has decided that they are going to concentrate on increasing their sales of mainstream beers, rather than throwing a bone to us geeks. (I mean, a 12er of Roxy, Fat Angel, St. Gootz and Jinx might have been a nice little fall/winter twelve-pack.)

I have defended Magic Hat to those who are devoutly anti-, but they are making it harder and harder to do so. I might buy a six-pack of Hex, but I can no longer trust their judgment.

The End of History: One Idiot’s Opinion

Herb — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:58:04 +0000

Apparently Scotland’s BrewDog has only been brewing since April 2007, but their unique beers and daft deft marketing has led to a meteoric rise in their profile. They’ve created beers with “attitude,” with names like Hardcore, Chaos Theory and Punk.

In the past week, they have gotten some mainstream attention for their newest concoction, The End of History, a 55% abv beer that is served in a 12 ounce bottle which sticks out of the mouth of a small, deceased (of natural causes, they insist) rodent.

Oh, and each bottle costs more than $700.

There seem to be two camps: 1) those that love the no-holds barred approach of BrewDog, and welcome their innovation and staid refusal to kowtow to the status quo. And 2) those who are unimpressed by the “xtreeeeme!” nature of their beers, and their apparent need for an “abv arms race.”

On one hand, this brewery has done in just three short years what many established breweries haven’t been able to do in a decade or more: that is innovate, invent new product, and distribute widely. (I still can’t get Bell’s Two Hearted Ale or New Belgium’s Fat Tire in Syracuse, but I can get most of the BrewDog beers.)

In fact, whereas just a few short years ago, there were only a handful of beers that broke the 20% barrier for alcohol percentage (by volume), BrewDog has already created three — Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%), Sink the Bismark (41%), and now, The End of History (a whopping 55%, or better, 110-proof).

The question remains, do we need beers like this? I mean they are a neat parlor trick and a gimmick that will get your name in the newspaper. But does it advance beer, and the brewing community? Is this an example of innovation and departing the surly bonds of earth? Or is it going to cause a glut of “extreeeeeeme!” brewers only out to make a quick buck with a clever name and an off-the-charts alcohol percentage? When they say that it’s “the end of history,” do they mean undoing all the yeoman’s work that brewers have put in thus far?

That’s part of what worries me.

Since I am poor, I have not tried any of these BrewDog offerings, but my guess would be that they are much less like beer and a lot more like liquor. They might be fantastic, but I’m guessing that I would have to drink them out of a highball glass instead of a nonic pint glass. And this is another problem I have with it their high-octane offerings.

I have absolutely no interest in liquor.

To me — as I’m sure it is with many of you — beer is half visceral pleasure, half intellectual exercise. I drink beer “in context,” knowing the brewery it came from, identifying style, identifying flavor and aromatic notes. If I was just looking for a quick buzz, I wouldn’t be a craft beer drinker. I would drink Captain and Coke, or Vodka and Red Bull. As one who is enamored not with spirits, but with beer, I’m not piqued intellectually into trying these beers. But that’s just me.

There is another alarming aspect to this, and that is the demeanor of the BrewDog folks. Their marketing director, James Watt, left a somewhat blistering screed on the BeerAdvocate forums, addressed to “the haters,” and “numbered for [readers'] convenience.”

Watt also curiously takes a shot at Americans as a whole, saying “[m]aybe sarcasm and irony does not translate that well on the other side of the Atlantic.” [Sidebar: Europeans better get their heads out of their asses if they think that Americans somehow fail to grasp the concept of irony. It's just a horseshit, cop-out argument, really.]

This approach seems to be anathema to the otherwise tight-knit brewing community. It also seems to be an ill-advised and poorly-timed chastisement of the very people that BrewDog should be courting: beer geeks. Watt’s manifesto against those who “hate on” the brewery might end up doing more damage than good for growing a loyal fan base.

It would be smart for Watt to keep in mind that unlike the apparently homogeneous Euro breweries that Watt laments, the U.S. has plenty of alternatives. And underestimate the savvy of the craft beer drinker at your own peril, because he will leave your beer on the shelf to buy a (perhaps lesser) beer from a brewery he supports.

This could end up being a very interesting litmus test as to whether this kind of in-yo’-face marketing will fly with the craft brewing world, or whether it will actually turn the tide against BrewDog. (A poll that BeerNews.org conducted stated that only 27% of respondents saw BrewDog more positively after this new campaign.) If it works, will BrewDog’s model bring craft brewing a higher profile? Or will it spawn a litany of copycat breweries with a gimmick and a weak product, a la the craft brewing boom/bust of the 1990s.

Keep your eyes peeled, it’s about to get interesting.

My Top 2%

Herb — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:22:21 +0000

I am on the verge of rating my 800th beer on RateBeer.com (I used to be a BeerAdvocate.com guy, but not anymore.) It takes a special kind of OCD-addled psychotic to actually write down reviews for 800 beers, but that is my modus operandi.

At any rate, in the course of the four-plus years I’ve been doing these ratings, I decided to post my most highly decorated beers according to the calculations that RateBeer uses to …. well, rate beer. I’m surprised at a couple of them (notably the Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic ale, which I don’t remember gushing over so lovingly), but I would say that a couple of them were just perfect for their time and place. For me, it shows the subjective nature of the beer-drinking experience; a great beer might not be so great if in imperfect conditions. That’s why it’s good to keep drinking and keep revisiting when possible.

Anyway, here are my top 15. They are all American, representing California, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New York, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan and Maryland. I’m not saying they are necessarily THE best beers in the world, but I would stake my beer-drinking reputation on any one of ‘em. Cheers!

15. Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale
14. Stoudts Fat Dog Stout
13. Stone Ruination IPA
12. Oskar Blues Gubna Imperial IPA
11. Tröegs Nugget Nectar Ale
10. Mendocino Winter Seasonal Imperial IPA
9. Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout
8. Great Divide Old Ruffian
7. Three Floyds Alpha King
6. Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
5. Founders Red’s Rye PA
4. Ellicottville Pantius Droppus Imperial IPA
3. Flying Dog Double Dog IPA
2. Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale
1. Arcadia Hop Rocket 11th Anniversary Ale

Oskar Blues – Gubna

Herb — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:06:08 +0000

So it turns out that “Gordon” isn’t the most overpriced beer that Oskar Blues has: that honor is now taken by “Gubna,” which might just be the most overpriced beer of all time.

I paid $16.99 plus tax and deposit for a four-pack. That sounds out to just over $4.25 per can. That’s a fine price … if I’m at a bar! But it’s borderline highway robbery for getting it form a store.

Having said that, I don’t want to imply that Gubna is a lesser beer; quite the contrary, it is a fantastic brew.

It appears a deep, cloudy copper orange. The color is great, the head retention is not bad, the Brussels lace is outstanding.

The aroma is borderline perfect. Sweet pine oil bitterness followed by heavy citrus — grapefruit, orange and tangerine. The resins leave a hints of sawdust.

The woody pine and spruce follow into the taste, melding beautifully with the sweet blood oranges and pineapple finish. Starts all East Coast with resins, then West Coast represents with citrus and spices. This combined with the thick, smooth, oily finish is the perfect feel for the flavor.

If only Oskar Blues could find a way to make their beers a little less cost-prohibitive. Of course, I bought it, so who’s the idiot in this situation? You win again, Oskar!

[Update: I forgot to mention, Gubna also gets extra points for putting a slightly obscure reference to Blazing Saddles right on the can. Tip of the cap to you, Oskar.]

The Motherlode: Dieu du Ciel – Route des Epices

Herb — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 02:35:18 +0000

Dieu du Ciel means “Oh my Gawd!” in French, and the Muntreal, Quebec, brewery of the same name certainly gives several reasons to evoke their name in vain.

The first was the sticker shock of the price of their beers. And the second was the flavor of one in particular.

I purchased a twelve-ounce bottle (someone help me with the metric equivalent) of their Route des Epices (translated as “Spice Route”) for $4.19 at the Beverage Den and Smoke Shop in Bennington, VT, a beverage store best known for putting beer and porn magazines right next to each other for my convenience. I hadn’t heard of the brewery, the beer, or Canada at this point — and I didn’t have my Droid, and it’s RateBeer.com app at the time — so I was flying blind, spending so much on a single bottle. But I figured if it costs that much, it’s gotta be good, right?

Well it pours an ordinary clear orange color, with decent amounts of carbonation, leaving a decent head and lace. Certainly nothing wrong with it, but nothing all that extraordinary either.

The aroma, however, let me know this was going to be different. The first thing I could smell is the roasted rye malts. They are burnt and lovely, and dovetail beautifully with the woody hop aroma therein. Oak and pine come through, but are sweet and not bitter. The malts are grainy and gritty and dark, and I love it.

I’ve never tasted habanero in a beer before, but I definitely sensed it here. And if it wasn’t habanero, it was some kind of a peppery spice. (The label says peppercorns.) It has the same burn on the way down as curry or Indian food, but not in an over-the-top sense. It fit perfectly with the burnt malts, which carried some of the rye characteristics, but also gave off hints of chocolate and walnuts, and more resembled a porter malt. (There was a bit of an astringent/battery aftertaste to it, but it doesn’t ruin the experience.)

I found this to be a very intriguing beer, and one that lingers on the palate long after you take the last sip. Get on it.

Stafford Convenience Store: Salt City’s Best Kept Secret

Herb — Sun, 09 May 2010 02:37:55 +0000

While it may not quite be THE most amazing beer store in the greater Syracuse region — Party Source, Brilbecks and Galeville Grocery still have the top three slots locked down, with Wegmans gaining — there is a surprisingly good beer-gettin’ locale on Stafford Street in Eastwood: Stafford Convenience Store.

As you can see in this poorly photographed evidence, the selection is better than your average gas station or convenience store.

The guys behind the counter are friendly (one even gave me some swag once!) and say that they are open to suggestions on what beers to get. Their selection of IPAs is surprisingly good.

It might not quite be a “destination” beer store (yet!), but if you happen to be on the north side and don’t want to go downtown, or Liverpool or Tip Hill, this is the place to grab an armful and be on your merry way.

Make a stop at Stafford, and tell em Beerjanglin’ sent ya!

The Motherlode: Founders Red Rye P.A.

Herb — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:53:38 +0000

As I type this, my palate is basking in the afterglow of one of the better beers I have had in a while: Founders Red Rye P.A. I first had this concoction at the great Moe’s Tavern in Lee, MA, about a month or so ago.
Founders is one of those breweries that we can’t get where I live, and so it was imperative that I try every possible beer they had. I remember this one being my favorite. Sooo, when I got the chance to order some beer by mail, I made sure this was on the list.

So what the hell’s so great about it? Welll, first of all, it pours a beautifully cloudy red-orange, with tiny black bubbles floating up from the bottom. The head is white, foamy and thick, and it takes its coat off to stay a while. The lace is spotty, but decent: the fact that it has any lace at all is a welcome change from the recent beers I’ve had.

The aroma is a perfect blend of spicy and sweet, with the hops and malt each taking a turn. The first whiff is amber malts, with some of that rye/pumpernickel, which adds a spiciness that I didn’t expect. The hops come in as citrus first, sweetening the air above the glass, but then some mild pine oil comes in. The malt then takes another turn. It alternates beautifully between the two elements, and I’d have to say it’s one of the most balanced aromas I can think of.

The flavor … oh baby that flavor. Again, the balance is crucial, like two strong personalities. The hop is spicy because of the woods, but the malt is spicy too because of the rye. The citrus adds a nice sweetness as well, but then the roasted amber-like malts come in to balance that. Just when you think it’s gonna zig, it zags. It is the perfect checks-and-balances beer. Add some creamy thickness and a lingering, effervescent aftertaste and you have something you could drink all night, even though it’s 6.6% and you probably shouldn’t.

I would have to say this ranks right up there among my favorite hoppy beers. Unlike so many IPAs, which fetishize the hops and forget all else, it’s the malt backbone that makes this one stand out.

Herb — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:35:09 +0000

Twenty things worth knowing about beer, courtesy of TheOatmeal.com.

The Motherlode: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Herb — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:31:59 +0000

Due to the hopelessly arcane three-tier beer distribution system, there are thousands of incredible breweries that are not available to me in the Central New York region. Founders, Russian River, Three Floyd’s, New Belgium, New Glarus, Pyramid, Alesmith, Cigar City, Hair of the Dog, Surly, 21st Amendment … the list of beers to which I have no access literally goes on and on.

So when the forces of the free market are superseded by the thuggish influence of stringent state laws and special interests, you do what you gotta do. In this case, that includes taking the search online. To the internets!

For a ~~very reasonable~~ price, I split a large sum of unavailable beer with my erstwhile fellow blogger Javen. One of the beers that I decided we must have was Two Hearted Ale, an IPA from Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI.

For fans of Stone’s Ruination, this one is a welcome (and likely cheaper) alternative, if you can find it near you. It pours a hazy, sunny yellow color. A nice white head, with a cloudy body reminiscent of a Belgian white.

The aroma is mostly hops at first: full of sweet citrus and flowery perfume. Lime and lemon come in with some agitation. There are some biscuity malts, but they fade into the background.

The first sip is interesting in that toasted pale malts emerge first, and the sweet hops fade into the background. The hops take on an orange peel and coriander quality. It’s very sweet, and although the hops have clearly softened up a tad, I would dare say this might qualify as a “gateway IPA.” The creamy thickness adds a nice, needed texture to keep it from being too acidic.

If this beer holds this well after being a couple weeks past its prime, I can’t imagine how it would be fresh. And since the big meanies perpetuating the three-tier system are still keeping it from me, I may never know.

The Motherlode: Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot

Herb — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:51:50 +0000

I have been very lucky lately, as I have been on a helluva good run of beers going down my gullet. Of course, that helps when you do a tiny bit of research and learn to trust the breweries you know and love.

First let’s get this out of the way: Lagunitas’s Wilco Tango Foxtrot has nothing to do with Wilco the band, at least as far as I know. Sorry hipsters, there will be no Tweedy’s Best summer twelve-pack. The beer is quasi-military code for the acronym du jour, “W.T.F.” (Technically, it should be Whisky-Tango-Foxtrot, but I’m pretty sure Lagunitas would have all sorts of issues putting the word “Whisky” on their bottle.) If you don’t know what “W.T.F.” means, then how did you get onto the internet in the first place?

In this case, the always-current Lagunitas folks are referring to the recent economic downturn and hopeful recovery, as in “WTF happened to my 401k??” (Lagunitas has some of the best copy around on their labels, and are usually at least worth a read in the beer store, even if you’re not gonna buy it.)

So when the 2010 NFL Draft rolled around, I thought to myself, “WTF, why not try one.” So I poured this ruby-red concoction into a nonic pint glass, and noticed a massive white head, which was probably caused by approximately fifty million bubbles slowly making their way upward and onward.

Tangerine, citrus and flowery perfume hops abound in the nose, which was a shocker since the label had trumpeted its “double malts” so proudly. Still, no complaints here. These lofty aromas are grounded in a roasted amber malt, which is coupled with a rye bread aroma. The balance is top-notch.

A surprisingly burnt stout-like malt is the first taste, followed appropriately by a hop reminiscent of tangerine and blood oranges. The malt dominates first, and then the sweetness comes in at the swallow. The flavors are rather simple, but rather delicious. Add this to a slick, oily texture and you have yourself a sipper for the rest of the evening.

The malts definitely don’t disappoint, but never sacrifices a sweet, unobtrusive hop. It’s one of the more drinkable beers I’ve had in a while in terms of sheer enjoyment. Feels like it might be a little out of season, but that doesn’t make it any less terrific.