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Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Posted: April 30th, 2009, 1:31am CEST by Al

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Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Beer-a-Day #119

This must be the week for pale European lagers in green bottles. I guess I like to live dangerously.

Pale, pale yellow, with a white head. Alfalfa, burnt toast, and…lightstruck. *sigh* Light but malty. Would be refreshing but for that glaring flaw.

I’m afraid that this is developing into a Pavlovian response; that every time I open a green beer bottle I’m going to smell skunk, whether it’s really there or not.

Maybe I’ll get to Italy someday.

Peroni

Nastro Azzurro (Italian)
Staropramen Premium Lager

Posted: April 29th, 2009, 3:35am CEST by Al

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Staropramen Premium Lager

Beer-a-Day #118

I got a significant number of beer from Europe on my last shopping trip. I’ve plowed through the cans and widgets. Now I’ll do the 35cl bottles.

First up is Staropramen Premium. I’m a little concerned, since it is a light lager, imported, and in a green bottle. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

It’s a clear light gold with a craggy head. It is, sadly, a bit lightstruck. I can detect a little grassiness in there, though. Despite its flaw, it’s got a clean finish and reminds me a bit of melon. If only it had made the journey in better shape. Ah well; another reason to visit Prague, I suppose.

Pivovary Staropramen
Belhaven Scottish Ale

Posted: April 28th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Belhaven Scottish Ale

Beer-a-Day #117

This so-called “Widget Week” concludes with an import from Scotland.

This is the 5.2% ABV version of Belhaven Scottish Ale. It pours a nice deep amber color with a thick off-white head. Smells malty. Creamy big body, oak and sherry notes. This is good.
Greene King Abbot Ale

Posted: April 27th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Greene King Abbot Ale

Beer-a-Day #116

Ah, no widget this time. The can proclaims that this is “brewed longer for a distinctive full flavour” and the website proclaims it is Greene King’s “flagship brand”.

A nice golden color, like a good cream soda. Head is ivory and a finger-and-a-half thick. Piney and grassy. Medium body and a good bit of bitterness, with a flavor that kinda reminds me of burnt biscuits. As I work through it, it’s growing on me.

Abbot Ale
Murphy’s Stout

Posted: April 26th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Murphy’s Stout

Beer-a-Day #115

“Widget Week” continues.

Dark brown with a creamy beige head. Tiny bubbles, of course. Smells a bit like french roast coffee. More coffee roastiness in the flavor and a light body.

Murphy Brewery
Tetley’s English Ale

Posted: April 25th, 2009, 2:52am CEST by Al

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Tetley’s English Ale

Beer-a-Day #114

I guess it’s “Widget Week” here at Hop Talk.

After the cascade I’m left with a golden-colored beer with a cream-colored head and very tiny bubbles. Creamy mouthfeel; maybe a bit of green apples.
Beamish Draught Irish Stout

Posted: April 24th, 2009, 3:36am CEST by Al

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Beamish Draught Irish Stout

Beer-a-Day #113

Oooh, Cascade!

Opaque black. The cream colored head sits on top like it was cut from a razor. Vanilla and chocolate in the aroma. Light and creamy; it’s there and it’s gone.
Stoudts Gold Lager

Posted: April 23rd, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Stoudts Gold Lager

Beer-a-Day #112

Pours clear and the color of pale straw, with a white head that looks an awful lot like a souffle. Has that typical lager “funk” along with some floral notes. Light on the tongue; it’s there, then it’s gone. Would refresh on a hot Maryland Summer day.

Stoudt’s Flag Ship Beers
Smoky Mountain Tuckaleechee Porter

Posted: April 22nd, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Smoky Mountain Tuckaleechee Porter

Beer-a-Day #111

The sixth and last (*sigh*) beer from Smoky Mountain Brewery brought to me by my good friend Ellen.

Very dark brown and nearly opaque in the glass. Not much head, which is a creamy brown color. Roastiness and a lot of chocolate in the aroma. The flavor reverses it, with a bit of chocolate and a lot of roastiness. I like it.

Thanks Ellen!
Smoky Mountain Black Bear Ale

Posted: April 21st, 2009, 1:54am CEST by Al

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Smoky Mountain Black Bear Ale

Beer-a-Day #110

The fifth beer from Smoky Mountain Brewery given by my good friend Ellen. The label proclaims it be an American Brown Ale.

The color of iced tea, with an off-white head. Big malty aroma with a bit of roastiness. Medium body with significant malty profile with some roastiness in the finish. Browns aren’t generally my favorite but I like this one.
Smoky Mountain Brewing Mountain Light

Posted: April 20th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Smoky Mountain Brewing Mountain Light

Beer-a-Day #109

This is the fourth Smoky Mountain Brewery beer brought to me by my good friend Ellen. The label proclaims it a “Premium American Lager” and 110 calories.

It is extraordinarily clear and pale. My six-year-old says it looks like apple juice. My nine-year-old says it looks like yellow water. (They are wise beyond their years.) Very little aroma, if any. It’s light and…wet. (Maybe my palate is too used to big high-gravity beers.)
Smoky Mountain Thunder Road Pilsner

Posted: April 19th, 2009, 1:04am CEST by Al

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Smoky Mountain Thunder Road Pilsner

Beer-a-Day #108

This is the third Smoky Mountain Brewery beer brought to me by my good friend Ellen. The label proclaims it a “Classic Bohemian Pilsner”.

Straw-colored; a finger’s worth of white head. A little sulfur in the aroma, but malty. A bit of bite in the taste, but refreshing.
Top beer brands of 2008

Posted: April 18th, 2009, 12:31pm CEST by Al
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Top beer brands of 2008

The Brewers Association recently released the Top 50 Craft Brewing companies and Top 50 Overall Brewing companies by Sales Volume for 2008.

Here’s the Top 20 Overall Brewing companies for 2008. (2007 ranking in parentheses)
1. Anheuser-Busch Inbev (#1 in 2006 as Anheuser-Busch)
2. MillerCoors Brewing Co. (#2 Miller / #3 Coors)
3. Pabst Brewing Co. (4)
4. Boston Beer Co. (5)
5. D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc. (6)
6. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (7)
7. Craft Brewers Alliance (#11 Widmer / #12 Redhook)
8. New Belgium Brewing Co. Inc. (8)
9. High Falls Brewing Co. (9)
10. Spoetzl Brewery (10)
11. Pyramid Breweries Inc. (13)
12. Deschutes Brewery, Inc. (16)
13. Iron City Brewing Co. (17)
14. Minhas Craft Brewery (15)
15. Matt Brewing Co. (14)
16. Boulevard Brewing Co. (18)
17. Full Sail Brewing Co. (19)
18. Magic Hat Brewing Co. (22)
19. Alaskan Brewing Co. (21)
20. Harpoon Brewery (20)
Except for mergers, there was virtually no movement in the Top 10, and very little in numbers 11 through 20.

Interestingly, because of slots opened up by mergers, no breweries dropped off of the list.

(See Brookston Beer Bulletin for annotations on all 50)
Smoky Mountain Brewery Cherokee Red Ale

Posted: April 18th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Smoky Mountain Brewery Cherokee Red Ale

Beer-a-Day #107

This is the second Smoky Mountain Brewery beer brought to me by my good friend Ellen.

Clear amber with two-fingers’ worth of ivory head. Grapefruity aroma from the hops. Malty flavor with a bit of nuttiness.
Smoky Mountain Brewery Velas Helles

Posted: April 17th, 2009, 2:51am CEST by Al

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Smoky Mountain Brewery Velas Helles

Beer-a-Day #106

My good friend Ellen recently travelled down to Alabama to visit her family. Along the way, she made a stop in Tennessee at one of the location for Smoky Mountain Brewery. Even though they’re a brewpub (three actually), they do bottle some of their beers, but they’re not widely distributed.

See, that’s why Ellen’s my good friend. She brought me some.

First up is Velas Helles, which the label proclaims as a “light German style lager”.

Pretty, clear yellow with a white head. Aroma is surprisingly fruity. Raspberries? Light on the tongue; clean finish. That’s rather good. I almost wish it was ninety degrees outside.
Dogfish Head Aprihop

Posted: April 16th, 2009, 2:11am CEST by Al

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Dogfish Head Aprihop

Beer-a-Day #105

Tax day, woo-hoo! Actually, I e-filed in the middle of February and have already received and spent my refund. I feel for the folks who left things to the last minute.

This is the first of several beers that my good friend Ellen got for me.

This is Dogfish Head’s spring seasonal offering. In spite of the fact that they’re fairly local to me and I brewed a clone of this beer, I haven’t had this one in a long time.

It’s the color of iced tea, with an ivory head. Malty aroma with only a bit of apricot. Bitter and sour at the same time. Interesting.

Dogfish Head Aprihop
Dominion Spring Buck

Posted: April 15th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Dominion Spring Buck

Beer-a-Day #104

This is new. So new, that it’s not even mentioned on the Old Dominion Brewing website. The label describes it as a Blonde Ale and as a “malt beverage brewed with honey, chamomile and orange peels”.

Pale, hazy yellow with a white head. Plenty of carbonation; it reminds me of ginger ale. Citrus and honey in the aroma. Light and fizzy; it reminds me again of ginger ale, but not quite as sweet. With 7.8% ABV it has a good kick.
Technical difficulties

Posted: April 14th, 2009, 8:02pm CEST by Al

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Technical difficulties

We’re suffering some technical difficulties here at Hop Talk HQ. Please bear with us while we get back on track.
Mountaineer Brewing Stout

Posted: April 14th, 2009, 12:59am CEST by Al

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Mountaineer Brewing Stout

Beer-a-Day #103

Mahogany with a thin, medium-brown head. I would describe the aroma as “warm”, with plenty of chocolaty undertones. Dry, roasty finish.

Mountaineer Brewing Company product line
Barons ESB

Posted: April 13th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Barons ESB

Beer-a-Day #102

Extra Special Bitter is my “go-to” style. After being disappointed by a few bottles from England that didn’t survive the trip, I’ve looked in the other direction for one from Australia.

Golden color; a little hazy. Not much head. Slight aroma, with a bit of citrus from the hops. Medium body, with a bit of a burnt-toast flavor in the finish

Barons Brewing
Sea Dog Brewing Apricot Wheat Beer

Posted: April 12th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Sea Dog Brewing Apricot Wheat Beer

Beer-a-Day #101

Pale, clear yellow with an off-white head. Lots of apricot in the aroma, and not much else. A little too much apricot in the flavor for me. I might be more disposed toward it if it were the middle of August, though.

Sea Dog Brewing Company
Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Posted: April 11th, 2009, 1:42am CEST by Al

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Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Beer-a-Day #100

Huzzah! Triple digits!

I didn’t put much (read: any) thought into what I should have for beer number one hundred, but this seems like a good choice. Says the label: “Viscous. Chocolatey. Roasty.” Those sound good. Actually, they’re three adjectives that could be assigned to me from time to time.

(Enough blathering. Open the bottle.)

Not as black as some other beers I’ve had lately, but pretty darn opaque in the glass, with a creamy medium brown head. Primarily chocolate in the aroma. Big roasty flavor (just like they promised) with a good hop bite. I find it hard to believe that it’s only 6% ABV.

A good choice to hit the century mark, if I do say so myself.

Harviestoun Brewery
Mendocino Bock Beer

Posted: April 10th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Mendocino Bock Beer

Beer-a-Day #99

This is Mendocino’s Spring Seasonal offering, which they introduced last year. This particular bottle was brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Beautiful clear golden color. Head dissipates quickly. Aroma is so light it’s nearly undetectable. Big, malty, lip-smacking goodness.

Mendocino Bock Beer - Spring Seasonal
Old Speckled Hen

Posted: April 9th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

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Old Speckled Hen

Beer-a-Day #98

Taking another chance on an import. And one in a clear glass bottle.

Nice golden color.

*sigh*

And it’s a bit lightstruck. There’s probably a nice little beer under there, but I can’t get past the skunkiness.

Oh well.

Old Speckled Hen

Update: At Max’s suggestion (see the comments) I got a widgetized (canned) version of Old Speckled Hen. It’s pretty good. Not skunked, that’s for sure.
Beer Wars LIVE (press release)

Posted: April 8th, 2009, 5:59am CEST by Al
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Beer Wars LIVE (press release)

Thursday, April 16 — ONE NIGHT ONLY

Live from Los Angeles, an evening dedicated to celebrating the world of craft beer and the American entrepreneurial spirit.

With over 95 million beer drinkers, beer is an American icon and is interwoven into our culture, yet the real story of these independent brewers has never been told. Beer Wars introduces the who’s who in beer while following the journey of small, independent brewers who are challenging the corporate behemoths. The evening will feature the world premiere of the groundbreaking documentary Beer Wars, followed by a spirited LIVE discussion with brewers and experts from the film. Using clips and never before seen footage to spice things up, this inspirational event will cap a movement 25 years in the making at a time when everyone is looking for proof that the American Dream is alive and well.

Panelists include:
- Sam Calagione – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder
- Rhonda Kallman – Founder of New Century Brewing Company and co-founder of Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams)
- Greg Koch – Stone Brewing Company founder
- Charlie Papazian – Brewers Association president
- Maureen Ogle – Beer historian and author of “Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer”
- Todd Alstrom – Beer Advocate founder
Playing in 440 movie theatres nationwide on Thursday, April 16th, Beer Wars LIVE will begin a conversation about the future of beer in America.

Purchase tickets for the LIVE event on April 16th at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/8pm PT (tape delayed) at www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/details/Beer_Wars.html
For more information, visit www.beerwarsmovie.com
Weyerbacher Hops Infusion

Posted: April 8th, 2009, 1:37am CEST by Al

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Weyerbacher Hops Infusion

Beer-a-Day #97

This is the last Weyerbacher for a while.

Pretty amber color with a good sized head. Nice spicy hops aroma. Woody hop bit in the finish. Good stuff.

Weyerbacher Hops Infusion India Pale Ale
Schaefer Moog music

Posted: April 7th, 2009, 6:17pm CEST by Al

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Schaefer Moog music

Here’s a cool Schaefer commercial from the 1970s featuring a Moog synthesizer and Edd Kalehoff, composer of The Price Is Right theme music.

[www.youtube.com]

(via Boing Boing)
Vermont number one in breweries per capita

Posted: April 7th, 2009, 4:32am CEST by Al
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Vermont number one in breweries per capita

The Brewers Association recently released another teaser around 2008 Craft Brewer production. Vermont holds the distinction of having more breweries per person than any other state.

Brewers Association: Breweries per Capita 2008 (PDF)

Here’s a glimpse of the top ten:
1. Vermont
2. Montana
3. Oregon
4. Maine
5. Colorado
6. Alaska
7. Wyoming
8. Washington
9. Delaware
10. Wisconsin
Neither my native state of New Jersey nor my adopted state of Maryland made it into the top 30, but at least I don’t live in Mississippi, which has one brewery and just a hair under 3 million people.
Weyerbacher Merry Monks

Posted: April 7th, 2009, 2:56am CEST by Al

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Weyerbacher Merry Monks

Beer-a-Day #96

I’m running out of Weyerbacher beers. This is a Belgian-style Tripel.

Light amber with plenty of haze, and a bunch of stuff floating in it (I hope from the bottle-conditioning). Lots of bubblegum and bananas from the yeast. No, something’s off. Too bad, I really wanted to like this. I guess I’ll have to try again.

Weyerbacher Merry Monks’
Beer-a-Day Project: March recap

Posted: April 6th, 2009, 6:38pm CEST by Al
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Beer-a-Day Project: March recap

Three months down, nine to go.
January recap
February recap
Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout

Posted: April 6th, 2009, 1:24am CEST by Al

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Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout

Beer-a-Day #95

I’ve had this before, but it’s been quite a while, and I’ve never written about it, so…

Color of used motor oil, with a head that looks like a chocolate milkshake and a nice cascade. Chocolate, coffee, and toffee notes in the aroma. More coffee and chocolate in the flavor, with some nice roastiness and bitterness.

I seem to recall that the last time I had this I didn’t like it, but my palate must be evolving, because I rather like this now.

Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout
Session #26: Stone Smoked Porter

Posted: April 5th, 2009, 11:02am CEST by Ron

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Session #26: Stone Smoked Porter

Session #26 is Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em, hosted by Lew Bryson.

There may be more smoked beers than are dreamed of in your philosophy, Horatio; it’s not just rauchbier lagers from Franconia. Within the last year, I’ve had a strange smoked wheat beer, light and tart, that local brewers insisted was a re-creation of a Polish grodziski beer; a lichtenhainer, another light smoked wheat beer; several smoked porters; the odd Schlenkerla unsmoked helles that tastes pretty damned smokey; and, yeah, several types of smoked lagers. You’ve got three weeks, is what I’m saying: go find a smoked beer.

If you follow my writings on Hop-Talk at all, you know about me and porters; but, I promise not to go off on the porter style. I will treat this brew as a specialty brew and nothing more. I will comment on my enjoyment of drinking smoke flavoring which I am going to hate.

wait for it…..

I loved this. I am surprised by how great this beer is, but not by who made it. After all, Stone tells us outright that they don’t make beer that everyone will like, rather, they make beer that only some will absolutely LOVE; otherwise they are just on the road to mediocrity.

It does not taste smokey, yet the hint is there. It is complex, strong, and a fine dark ale. I congratulate Stone for hitting the porter style on the head. This is a dark beer, strong, with roasted flavors abound but none overpowering the beer on the whole.

Stone claims only malted barley, hops yeast and water, so some of the barley may have been smoked, but they certainly did it to the perfect degree. I don’t feel like I am drinking ashes.

Stone suggests serving with chocolate or even with a good PB&J. (they recommend sourdough, all natural peanut butter, and blackberry preserves) I had mine with some smoked Swiss cheese… it really goes with anything.

Only 5.9% ABV and my wife loved it too - bonus!

I will pay the premium for this beer and give a 4.5 on the unofficial Hop-Talk rating.
Weyerbacher QUAD

Posted: April 5th, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

Beer-a-Day #94

Well, I might as well stick to Weyerbacher for a bit longer. They’re not too far away, being just up in Easton, Pennsylvania (home of Crayola Crayons!).

The Weyerbacher folks suggest cellaring it for 12 months or more. I’m not that patient.

Orangeish, with haze. Aroma is overwhelmingly of bananas and bubblegum. Sweet, and there’s some heat from the 11.8% alcohol-by-volume. Something to savor, and I can see where this could mellow nicely over time.

Weyerbacher QUAD
Session #26: Weyerbacher Fireside Ale

Posted: April 3rd, 2009, 6:00pm CEST by Al

This edition of The Session is sponsored the Lew Bryson at Seen Through a Glass.

Announcing Session #26: Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

There may be more smoked beers than are dreamed of in your philosophy, Horatio; it’s not just rauchbier lagers from Franconia. Within the last year, I’ve had a strange smoked wheat beer, light and tart, that local brewers insisted was a re-creation of a Polish grodziski beer; a lichtenhainer, another light smoked wheat beer; several smoked porters; the odd Schlenkerla unsmoked helles that tastes pretty damned smokey; and, yeah, several types of smoked lagers. You’ve got three weeks, is what I’m saying: go find a smoked beer.

Smoked beer. Not my favorite. Smoked anything generally doesn’t make it onto my hit parade. What the hell? How bad could it be?

I hied myself over to my favorite beer retailer. There’s the Stone Smoked Porter. Ron’s doing that one, so I’ll skip it. Rogue has one. In a bomber, though. Do I want to make that kind of commitment?

Ah, here we go: Weyerbacher Fireside Ale. “An Intriguing Dark Ale with a Touch of Smokiness”. Sounds like just the thing.

7.5% ABV. Sounds like the kind of thing one should enjoy sitting next to a fire.

It’s brown; the color of coffee, with a tan, craggy head. I get maltiness and maybe just a hint of smoke in the aroma. Malty, nutty, and just a trace of smoke in the flavor. Moderate bitterness in the finish I think this would go well with a nice sharp cheese. (I think I have some cheddar in the house. Off to search.)

It’s not something I think I’d make my regular, but it’s not too bad.

This is also Beer-a-Day #93.

Weyerbacher Fireside Ale
Mackeson Triple Stout

Posted: April 3rd, 2009, 12:16am CEST by Al

Beer-a-Day #92

This particular bottle was contract brewed in Cincinnati, not brewed in the Caribbean by Carib Brewing. It’s certain is wasn’t imported from Britain. Either way it’s something I’ve not had before.

Black like tar, with red highlights and a head that looks like a chocolate milkshake. Thick, sweet aroma; reminds me of the frosting on a carrot cake. Sweet, nutty, smooth. It’s different, I’ll give it that. It might be too sweet for me.

Mackeson
Saranac Pomegranate Wheat

Posted: April 2nd, 2009, 12:00am CEST by Al

Beer-a-Day #91

Today is my fourteenth wedding anniversary. While I don’t think of myself as Hades nor my wife as Persephone, it seems appropriate to have something a bit out of the mainstream today.

It looks like hazy cream soda. Fruity aroma. The fruit is not overpowering, but I don’t know if it really improves the beer. The wheat beer base seems a bit flat. Not bad, but not something I’d go out of my way to get.

Saranac Pomegranate Wheat
Saranac Brown Ale

Posted: April 1st, 2009, 12:30am CEST by Al

Beer-a-Day #90

Medium brown with plenty of head. Nice malty aroma. A bit of nuttiness in the flavor. Browns generally aren’t my favorite style, but this is pretty good; I’d have it again.

Saranac Brown Ale