Newport Storm Brewery

Newport, Rhode Island is a pretty sweet place to spend a weekend. For one, it’s home to a series of mansions so opulent that you experience a strange mix of being simultaneously amazed and pissed off when you see them. (Awenger?)

Secondly, someone told us that Newport has the highest number of bars per capita in the United States. Am I going to verify that before I post it? Hell no! This isn’t the Times, buddy! Even if it’s a slight overstatement, there really are a ton of different places to eat and drink. Which works for us, because this blog is called Food Plus Beer.

And thirdly, there’s a brewery there! What’s a visit to an idyllic, coastal New England town without a good brewery tour?

There's beer in those!

We arrived at the brewery around 2 pm, which isn’t an important detail in the least. Upon entering the brewery, you pay 7 bucks, get a Newport Storm glass (which you get to keep), and you’re handed a card with the names of the 4 beers on tap which gets checked off as you drink.

The first was Rhode Island Blueberry – a Kolsch brewed with real blueberries from a local farm. As cool as that is, this beer wasn’t really our style. A bit too light-bodied for our taste and while the smell and taste of blueberry was ever-present, it wasn’t particularly appealing.

Then came their flagship, Hurricane Amber Ale. Another style that Kyle and I don’t really gravitate to, but this was actually fairly impressive. A good hop/malt balance and quite drinkable…an ideal boat beer, let’s put it that way.

Next came their Oktoberfest, which was nice and malty, refreshing, and taught me how to speak German. It was a good Oktoberfest, but in all fairness I’ve been spoiled by the excellent Brooklyn Oktoberfest this year and I’ve found that all others pale in comparison. But the star of the Newport Storm show was the last beer – an unnamed, “Experimental” Belgian beer.

You see, one of the brewery’s cooler gimmicks is their Cyclone series beers, which are one-off, single-batch brews named using the same system as we name hurricanes (i.e. running down the alphabet, alternating genders. Adam, Barbara, Carl, Denise…you get the picture).

The experimental Belgian was just something they were kicking around as a possibility for their next Cyclone beer, which will be a female “S” name (Susan? Sally? Sandra? Sasha?) and it was very impressive. It seemed like a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with a different yeast strain than you’d expect from the style, which added a bit of sweetness and removed some of the esters and “Belgian-ness” that you typically come across Delicious. We’d certainly buy a 6er of it. One more thing of note about the brewery is that it’s also a distillery. Besides being the brewers of Newport Storm, they are the distillers of Thomas Tew rum. So, we got to learn a bit about the rum-making process alongside all the science of brewing that we already knew.

There's rum in these!

All in all, Newport Storm is a nice stop in a town that has plenty of nice stops. Check it out next time you’re in the area, and tell them Food Plus Beer sent you. They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about, but tell them anyway.

Cheers,
Ryan

Tiger Beer

Tiger Beer
Asia Pacific Breweries, Singapore
Pale Lager Lager
5% ABV

You're getting pumped up for a Friday night, rocking out to "Eye of the Tiger". Your body's bouncing, and you're belting the words out at the top of your lungs. But this singing has made your throat dry and you REALLY need a beer. Why not pair this song with a Tiger Beer? Tiger Beer from Asia Pacific Breweries is Singapore's number one beer, and as far as macro-brewed Asian Lagers go, it's definitely one of the better ones that I've tried. Light yellow in color with fine bubbles, the beer is crisp, clean, and goes down smooth. The style is similar to that of a macro American Lager (think Budweiser) but it's got a fuller, more rounded taste. Tiger is dry hopped with a nominal amount of hops that add a little to the flavor.  The most noticeable distinction is a lingering sweetness towards the end. I happened to enjoy this sweet taste as it lets Tiger stand out from the pack and makes it more refreshing.

Would I take this over a Budweiser? I'd say yes, but at $8-9 dollars a six-pack I just don't think the taste justifies the price. Next time you're at an Asian restaurant, by all means order a Tiger. You'll enjoy it and it's likely better than the other options available. Plus, it's totally sessionable. But, if you're going to spend 8+ dollars on a six-pack, skip the macro-brewed lagers altogether.

- Kyle

Tiger Beer Testimonials:

"It grabs you and doesn't let go!" - Claude Balls

"Strong and decidedly untamed flavor!" - Roy Horn (of Siegfried and Roy)

"Chicks love it!" -Tiger Woods

[speechless] - Ethan Alive

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

Extra Stout
7.5% ABV
$9.49 for a 4-pack

Despite accounting for 45% of Guinness sales word wide, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (FES) only made it to the United States within the last year.  This was good news for American beer drinkers as FES is a damn tasty brew.  At 7.5% ABV with loads more hops than the rest of the Guinness line-up, this beer was crafted to survive long journeys and harsh climates, hence the 'Foreign' part.  It pours black as the night with toffee colored mountains of foam on top.  But this is not that fine bubbled, pillowy foam you might expect from a typical Guinness.  FES is carbonated (like most normal beers), not nitrogenated like the standard Guinness Milk Stout.  There's no widget at the bottom of this bottle.

Put your nose over the beer and deliciously strong smells of coffee, caramel, and roasted barley rise up.  In your mouth the beer is full-bodied and rich with the tastes of everything you've just breathed in.  After the roasted malts comes a deep hop bitterness that lingers long after you stop sipping.  This lingering taste, the 7.5% ABV, and the ability to drink this beer at warmer temperatures allow you to take your time with this one.  FES is like a classic Guinness on steroids.

In a word you could call the overall flavor 'bittersweet'.

Full Sail IPA

Full Sail IPA

6% ABV, 60 IBUs

http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/

Forty-Seven self proclaimed “Fermenters of Godlike Nectar” own the Full Sail Brewing Company out of Hood River, Oregon.  These guys have a four day work week and judging by the description on the box, I’m picturing a bunch of hippie and surfer dudes, half of them with long hair, and the other half with longer beards.  

Full Sail IPA is an English style IPA with light citrus and herbal hops with a solid malt backbone.  The initially bright hops fade fairly quickly and this turns into a well balanced easy drinking IPA.  I’d say it’s average and disappointing after reading the phrase “Godlike Nectar”.  This would serve as a great every day IPA or all-night session beer if the price was right but I wouldn’t recommend seeking this one out with the plethora of other delicious and comparably priced IPAs available on shelves in the highly competitive IPA market.

-Kyle

New England Brewing Company

Woodbridge, CT
www.newenglandbrewing.com

It’s a rainy Saturday, what do you do?  No, it’s not a trick question or a riddle – go drink some beer!  In fact, step up your game a little bit - go drink one from the source.  This simple thought process brought Food Plus Beer to our closest commercial brewery, New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge, CT (just outside New Haven).

New England Brewing Company

Now, we knew that New England Brewing is a Microbrewery, but we didn’t fully understand how micro it is until we pulled up.  It’s a small, unbecoming box of a brick building that produces a mere 2,000 barrels of beer annually.  That’s just over 660 thousand beers – Ryan and I can down that in a night! (If you don’t believe us, buy us the beers and we’ll show you).  Popularity of NEBCO’s brews along with limited supply has forced them distribute only to local areas; they even had to stop distributing in New York.  Rarity is reason #2 to jump on any opportunity to try their beers.

This is the entire brewery.

The first reason is because the beer is incredible!  While at the brewery we were fortunate enough to sample “Gandhi Bot” and “668: Neighbor of the Beast”.  "Gandhi Bot" Double India Pale Ale is amazing.  It’s 8.8% and LOADED with hops.  It’s piney and citrusy with a resinous feel that sticks to your mouth and begs another sip.  All the while you can let your imagination run wild as to why there’s a robotic Gandhi on the can.

“668 Neighbor of the Beast”, a Belgian Strong Pale ale with a light body and both a spicy and fruity character, ranks in at over 9% and is almost equally delicious (I'm a hophead so in my eyes you can't beat the robotic rebel!).  The can features a regular ol’ guy in a wife-beater fetching the mail while a red glow emanates from his neighbor’s house.  We love the can and the beer inside it.

At least we know the Neighbor approves...

And just to clarify things, yes they do can their beer (with the exception of Imperial Stout Trooper).  In fact, they actually still can everything by hand. New England Brewing Company is another fine example that great beer doesn’t have to come in glass bottles.  Go to there for the growler fills, stay a while for the free samples.

These cans will all be filled by hand, one by one.

-Kyle

Dogfish Head Red and White

10% ABV
Malt Liquor

Dogfish Head Red and White can't technically be called a beer since it doesn't have any hops. Dogfish calls it a "Malt Beverage", similar to Colt 45, Steel Reserve, King Cobra, and the countless other types of "High Gravity", cheap and efficient "lets get hammered" juice.

What makes Dogfish Head Red and White different is that that actually try to make it taste good. Red and White is a big Belgian-style Wit that instantly reminded me of a super Blue Moon. It's brewed with coriander and orange peel, just like Blue Moon, and those flavors are the first that hit your tongue. Dogfish also mixes in Pinot Noir juice (yes, from grapes just like wine) and ages a portion of the "beer" in oak Pinot Noir barrels. This addition adds complexity and a noticeably dry, wine-like finish.

With that said, you might still be wondering, "did I enjoy it?" I can't say that I loved it. With no hop bitterness to balance it I thought it was a little sweet. The alcohol taste was present with each sip, and I struggled to put it down as it warmed. That's not to say that I didn't like it, but its not exactly my cup of tea mug of ale.  It was definitely worth trying and it shows that you can actually make a high quality malt liquor if you put in the effort.  Try it for the experience.

-Kyle

Oskar Blues Tasting

Oskar Blues out of Colorado is America’s first craft brewery to can their own beer. Why can you say? Well as Oskar will tell you, there are a lot of benefits to cans when compared to bottles. Cans can keep beer fresher as the solid aluminum blocks out all light (that makes beer skunky) and keep it just as fresh and carbonated as glass. Aluminum is easier to recycle. The cans are lighter and smaller making them easier and cheaper to ship. Also, due to their size they’re easier to stuff in a cooler and carry along, wherever it is that you go, no need to pack a bottle opener.

Enough about the vessel, how about the beer?

Mamas Little Yella Pils

It’s light, clean, crisp and refreshing taste make this a good session beer. It’s Oskar Blues’ least alcoholic offering at 5.5%. Free of adjuncts like rice, this beer has a more full flavor. I’m not the biggest fan, but again, I’m not a pilsner fan.

G’Knight Imperial Red (a.k.a. Gordon)

“If you knew the man behind this tribute, this ale needs no explanation. If you didn’t we’re sorry” reads this can. And as we were told by the sales rep for Oskar Blues, this beer was dedicated to a Vietnam vet named Gordon Knight who tragically died in a 2002 helicopter crash while fighting wild fires. BAD ASS! Friends and brewers at Oskar Blues have truly honored him with an equally bad ass brew. Dark red in color with a creamy off-white head. Sweet smells of toffee, caramel, and malty goodness hover above this beer. Gooey, sticky hops run throughout with a little bit of fruitiness. And call me crazy, but I thought it tasted a little bit like marshmellows. G’Knight is really an amazing beer that gives no hints of its massive 8.7% ABV.

Dale's Pale Ale

Oskar Blues first offering is still a hit and responsible for over half of the breweries sales. Coming off of G’Knight it feels thin and watery to the mouth but the flavor is not missed. It’s full of bright and bitter hops. Grassy and orangey flavors in abundance. This clean and refreshing beer is well balanced and a great example of American pale ales.

Old Chub Scottish Ale

Old Chub is a big (8%) and dark Scottish ale. It’s rich, smokey, and malty. Chub smells and tastes of bitter chocolate, roasted malts, and a little caramel. I would love to put this in my next chili. Chubby Chili? It’s gonna happen. Another fine example of craft beer from Oskar Blues.

Ten Fidy Imperial Stout

This critically acclaimed beer, appearing in the top 100 beers on ratebeer.com, does not fall short of expectations. Motor oil is the first thought that comes to mind. Its soooo thick, soooo black, and oh so delicious! So thick you could chew on it! Ten Fidy tastes like oatmeal drizzled with chocolate and caramel served with a mug of coffee. I could drink this for breakfast it wasn’t 10.5%! And, despite the valuation it’s even more than 21 times better than Fidy Cent. This mammoth of a beer grabs you and doesn’t let go.


Oskar Blues’ is the little can that could. They will strip you of all your biases and prove that beer this good can come from can.

-Kyle

Philly Craft Beer Fest - 2011

Going to a craft beer festival is a lot like going to Six Flags: You’re giddy with excitement, there are long lines of people everywhere, and you might throw up afterwards.

With that in mind, Food Plus Beer took its talents to Philadelphia for the 5th annual Craft Beer Fest at the Navy Yard. Boasting “50+ breweries and 100+ beers,” the PCBF was held in a huge brick building right on the Delaware River, surrounded by enormous retired Navy battleships that we unfortunately weren’t allowed to climb around on.

Let’s re-live the festival together, shall we?

12:30: We arrive at the festival, just as it’s beginning, only to find that the line to get in the door is 12 miles long (approximation). We’re pissed. Doors were supposed to open at 12! How did they screw this up?! We are never getting in.

1:00: We get in. The length of the line may have been slightly overstated.

I may or may not start wearing pretzel necklaces everywhere I go.

We make our way directly to the Victory booth, where we’re faced with the choice between Yakima Glory and Headwaters Pale Ale. We choose both. Thankfully, no one behind us has a problem with us double-dipping. Gotta love beer fests!

This photo captions itself.


1:10 – 2:50: We spend the next hour and forty minutes more or less drinking anything and everything that appealed to us. Some highlights:

-The aforementioned Victory Headwaters Pale Ale: Awesome, crisp, straightforward IPA that is the definition of a summer session beer.
Fegley’s Hopsolutely: Monstrous 11.5% 100 IBU Triple-Hopped IPA. Yowza.
Triumph Jewish Rye: Actually tastes unnervingly like Rye bread. Goes best with pastrami and Russian dressing.
Arcadia IPA and 21st Amendment IPA: Pleasant surprises from breweries we’d never heard of.
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter – Roasty and bitter. Very smooth.
Ithaca Flower Power IPA: Had it before, of course, but even in a room full of awesome beer, it stands out.

You're not going to believe this, but this isn't the real Samuel Adams.


2:55: It occurs to me that I need to pee. A lot. Upon seeing the mangled mess that is the line to the port-o-potties, my bladder decides to crank up the pain. I am miserable. I’m jumping around like an extra from Flashdance at this point. I’m seriously considering peeing on the ground next to the port-o-potty at the end of the line, continuing to fire away as I’m dragged off in handcuffs for indecent exposure.

3:05: I finally reach the front of the line and achieve urinary Nirvana. I now have a little less than an hour to power through the remaining breweries before our session ends.

3:30: I mya bee getting a little bit intocixatecd.

Approximation of what the beerfest looked like at this point.


3:40: There is a basketball hoop in the corner of the building. I play basketball twice a week. I take a shot – airball. I blame this on a combination of my inebriation and the fact that the hoop was clearly not regulation height (Kyle will verify this). Although, I must say, charging drunk people to take a jumper on a 12-foot hoop is a brilliant marketing strategy (not that I paid. I am above the law).

3:45: Facing the home stretch, we begin drinking like Lindsay Lohan behind the wheel, and we encounter a few more standouts:

Weyerbacher Merry Monks – Belgiany goodness.
Blue Point Barleywine – We got to try this because the Blue Point representative was hitting on our girlfriends.
Ballast Point Big Eye IPA – Super fresh, hoppy and excellent.

And then, all of a sudden, it was over. One by one, the breweries stopped pouring samples, and we flooded the few booths that were still going until there were no more. It was time to file out of the building and into the streets of Philadelphia to cause trouble.

This was only our second brew fest, and you can bet we’ll be going to more in the future. The Philly brew fest was an awesome time. We got to try a bunch of new beers, enjoy some old favorites, and best of all, nobody barfed. Party!

Until next time,
Ryan

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum - Best Beer Ever?

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

Imperial/Double IPA
10.4% ABV, 100 IBU

Choosing favorites is risky business, but halfway through my first glass of this stuff, I had a revelation.

I can proudly say that this is my favorite beer.

Weighing in at 10.4% with 100 IBUs (International Bittering Units), this behemoth of a beer packs a mighty punch.  It's exactly the flavor profile I love -  bright, cheery hop aromas of zesty grapefruit up front.  Smooth, mildly sweet malts, balanced with hop bitterness and incredible fruity and citrusy hop flavors.  A bit of alcohol warmth, but no bite. I'm telling you, this thing was perfect. It's everything I've ever dreamed of. And that's when my revelation continued.

As hop-infused and alcohol doused brain neurons fired joyously, I realized how wonderful it is to be a beer drinker. You see, wine is almost entirely dependent on the crop, which depends on the weather conditions and a multitude of other things out of our control.  Beer is all about chemistry and ratios of ingredients, so when a brewer stumbles upon a magical combination, they can replicate it.  And as long as there's a market for it, that brew will be available next year, and years after. Stars don't need to align to make a beer delicious, so prices remain reasonable. A great wine can cost THOUSANDS of dollars, but I can buy 24oz of the best beer I'VE ever had (Ryan agrees) for a mere $7.99. Oh, the joys of being a beer drinker. Also, we're substantially less douchey.

So that's it. Hoptimum is an incredible alcoholic masterpiece. If you're lucky enough to find a store that still has some, buy it all and thank us later.

-Kyle

WARNING: Do not plan on drinking any smaller beers after this, they'll all shy away by comparison

Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale

We all appreciate the fine people of Belgium for giving us the Belgian Waffle (sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar FTW), and French Fries (invented in Belgium…stolen by the smelly French). But just as much as the two aforementioned foodstuffs, the Belgians are known for making beer. One such beer is the Belgian Pale Ale.

Belgian Pale Ales are typically less bitter than the American and English style pale ales and India pale ales that you may be familiar with. They generally use more subtle hop types and quantities so that the character of the beer is focused on sweet toasty malts. Being Belgian, they are brewed with Belgian yeast varieties that leave a white yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle of this unfiltered beer. The beer should be poured into a glass slowly so that the yeast stays in the bottle (about the bottom half inch of bottle). Despite this recommendation, there’s no harm in drinking the sediment. In fact, it's actually good for you because it is high in vitamin B (which helps in hangover prevention!), but it would leave your glass very cloudy and alter the taste slightly.


Harpoon Brewing Company out of Massachusetts has recently released a new seasonal variety, "Belgian Pale Ale". This beer is brewed and conditioned using the same recipe as their standard Harpoon IPA, except it is fermented with Belgian Golden Ale yeast. That sounds like a minor difference, but actually, different yeast varieties define the character of a beer more than anything else. It's like changing the singer of a band (think Rage Against The Machine vs Audioslave). Blue Moon is one example of a beer that is fermented with a Belgian yeast. The Belgian yeast variety used by Harpoon gives this brew a slight natural spiciness and fruitiness that reminds me of bananas.

I thought this beer was pretty good, but as expected, it tastes very different from the Harpoon IPA you're familiar with. It maintains some of its floral hop aroma but this is integrated with a sweeter, fruitier smell. In general it seems more mellow than their IPA and a good deal sweeter, with more of an emphasis on the malts. Unfortunately there's nothing that makes this beer pop. It seems to be an attempt to please all, rather than make a truly superb beer. That’s not to say it’s a bad beer – I found it enjoyable and I do recommend you try it. And if you're really curious as to what a different yeast can do to a beer, try it side-by-side with a Harpoon IPA.

In short, Harpoon's Belgian Pale Ale is good enough, but doesn't knock your socks off. The waffles, however, were outstanding.

-Kyle

Vortex of Stupidity: Beer Advertising Gimmickry

If you’re like me and you watch excessive amounts of ESPN, you’ve undoubtedly seen a new marketing campaign for Miller Lite, advertising the new “Vortex Bottle.” Whoa! Sounds technical! Scientific even! What is it?

Well, the vortex bottle is a bottle with a grooved neck, so when you pour the beer, it sort of spirals around in circles before entering either A. your mouth or B. your pint glass. You know, all the better to unlock that classic triple hops brewed Pilsner taste.


The flavor is spiraling out of control!!!!!

In the commercial, an appraisal expert working at a generic Antiques Roadshow ripoff show notices a man drinking from a Vortex bottle. He inquires about said bottle, and is so enthralled by its majesty, that he drops the priceless family heirloom he is holding in order to go grab a Miller Lite from the lobby. Had I been there, I may have been inspired to grab a Civil War-era musket and stage an impromptu re-enactment of the Battle of Little Bighorn. Especially the part where George A. Custer and Crazy Horse team up to murder a douchey appraisal expert, reconcile their differences while laughing over his bloodied corpse, and open the first Waffle House. But I digress.

The point is, I’m a little irritated that Miller Lite thinks I’m a complete and total moron.
First of all, selling Miller Lite on taste with “Taste Greatness” is a mistake. No one who hasn’t scalded off all their taste buds with a hot curling iron believes that Miller Lite is the best-tasting beer on the market.

What’s the justification? It’s “Triple Hops Brewed.” Since the majority of the U.S. populace knows nothing or next to nothing about beer, “Triple Hops Brewed” sounds impressive. That must mean they use 3 times the hops that their competitors do, right? That’s the sneaky thing about advertising - They’re not saying that Bud Light, Coors Light, Sam Adams, Heineken, etc. aren’t THBed (just invented an acronym), just that Miller Lite IS. But you’re left with that perception. Well, if you’re an idiot. Because whatever effect this THBing process has, you sure can’t taste it. Just because you add an infintesimal amount of hops three separate times, that doesn’t make your beer hoppy. Or good. But that’s the magic of gimmickry.

Look, Miller Lite serves a purpose in the beer world. It’s cheap. Its blandness makes it impossible to hate, but just as impossible to love. I don’t have a real problem with it, and I even drink it sometimes. But via its advertising, Miller Lite is a piece of bologna trying to masquerade itself as a T-Bone steak. Just be yourself, Miller Lite. Be funny. Talk about having a good time. But don’t try to convince me you’re Stone or Dogfish Head, k?

And that brings me right back to the beginning, the Vortex bottle. Am I supposed to believe that swirling watered-down pee beer around in a circle is going to bring out a hitherto undiscovered plethora of flavor? Or that the Coors vented wide mouth can is going to take me on a magical journey to the Rocky Mountains? What’s next? The Bud Light Flavor Rhombus? The Milwaukee’s Best bottle with a corked top? I’ve got a better idea; take all that money that you’re throwing into R&D, and make a better beer. Because good beer doesn’t need to course itself through a Krazy straw to taste great. (See: Nevada, Sierra).

Until next time,
Ryan aka “The Vortex.”

Balashi Pilsener Beer - Aruba

Bon Bini (that’s “Welcome” in the Aruban language Papiamento) to Food Plus Beer international addition! I’m blogging here from the island paradise of Aruba! What would a vacation be without beer?


Balashi is Aruba’s only brewery. They only make one type of beer, a pilsener that comes in both regular and light varieties. It’s yellow, light, crisp and refreshing and it tastes nearly identical to Heineken. After all, Aruba was founded by the Dutch. I decided to try a Balashi and a Heineken side by side, and did notice some slight discrepancies. Balashi was more carbonated, a bit crisper, and had a mild skunky taste that you might expect from similar green-bottle lager beers (especially Grolsch). Heineken went down just a little smoother.

Balashi also comes in 11oz cans – don’t ask me why, I haven’t been able to figure it out. But every beer here comes in a different sized container, even those that you’re familiar with in the US. The can also reads “brewed with Aruba’s pristine water…” across the top. You may be screaming “Don’t drink the water!” but don’t worry, Aruba’s water is actually great. It’s great because they don’t have any. All of the (drinking) water on the island comes from a massive desalination plant that purifies it right from the ocean.


The bottom line is that Balashi is good for what it is. It’s one ounce short of regular beer, and wouldn’t make the cut anywhere but here, but it’s exactly what you need to combat the scorching sun. It’s an island beer that’s good enough “as is” without a fruit topping. Just fill a cooler with ice and toss in Balashi until you can barely zipper it shut. Sit back, relax, soak in the sun, the steel drums, and 2 or 3 or 10 Balashis – no shirt, no shoes, and no citrus wedge required.

-Kyle

Sam Adams Noble Pils

Tasters at Beer Lover Choice, an event hosted by Samuel Adams, voted for the Noble Pils brew in such overwhelming numbers that the brewers at Sam Adams decided to make it their new Spring Seasonal beer. You’ve heard from the commercial, or could maybe assume from its name that this new spring offering is hopped with a blend of all 5 Noble Hop varieties.

It’s golden in color and is an average 5.2% ABV. My first thoughts were simple, I really liked it. It has a light body with no overwhelming flavors. The hops lend a nice herbal, earthy character (which I guess translates to, "It kind of tastes a little grassy" but not in a bad way). Also, although not sweet, it does have some honey flavors.

In general, it is a pretty subdued and refreshing brew that would best be enjoyed while lounging in the beautiful spring sun. I enjoyed it much more than the old White Ale Spring Seasonal, but it still is released too early and is already being replaced by Summer Ale even though we’re less than a week into the spring season. No matter how much I think about it, I cannot understand why Sam Adams has us drinking Winter Ale in October, a Spring Seasonal in January, and Summer Ale in March. Is it a Miss Cleo predicting the future? A play on consumer impatience? Or is it a rogue groundhog deciding when seasons begin and end?

Either way, drink up while you still can!

-Kyle

Guinness vs. Murphy's

Full of St. Patrick's Day spirit we decided to compare Guinness Draught to Murphy's Irish Stout. Both beers are in the Dry Stout variety pouring a beautiful chocolate milk color that's mesmerizing to watch as it settles to a near black with a rich creamy head. That's because both of these beers contain nitrogen as well as a low level of carbonation. The characteristic smooth taste is also a result of the nitrogen.

Guinness, as we all know, tastes of sweet roasted malt, toffee, coffee, cocoa and iron followed by a briefly bitter finish. I think it's delicious and many consider it the Irish Stout by which to judge all others. We put Murphy's to the test. It's very similar to Guinness but both of us found it to improve on everything we liked about Guinness. It was richer, creamier, smoother and tastier. Unfortunately we're sad to say it's owned by Heineken.

Guinness vs. Murphy's?

Murphy's Wins.

-Kyle

Valentine's Day Beers

I'm sure all of you will agree that Valentine’s Day is not your favorite holiday. You might be disgusted by how much of a commercialized, lame, hallmark holiday it truly is. If you have a special someone, you're expected to provide flowers, chocolates, gifts and dinner. You're supposed to be romantic. You're supposed to fight for a table at the fancy restaurant on its busiest night of the year. You're supposed to buy dozens of roses at outrageously inflated prices and mediocre chocolates in a heart-shaped box. All of this just to say, “I love you”. Wouldn't any of this be significantly more meaningful on any other day? Wouldn't that increase your message tenfold?

Anyway, I can't change the world in a paragraph. You still have to go through the motions (sorry). But, think outside the box of chocolates, try something new and exciting instead of the same old boring holiday traditions. I bet beer isn't the first thing on your list as a romantic drink to share with your significant other. You're probably thinking champagne or wine. But why not beer? Check out these beers that may be good for your date.

Lindemans Framboise (2.5% ABV)
This Belgian Lambic doesn’t even taste like beer. It’s light, fruity, and incredibly sweet. It’s highly carbonated and might remind you of champagne without the dry taste or even soda! I’ve had both the peach and raspberry varieties, and both were delicious. This low alcohol beer goes down real easy. Serve in a Flute.

Magic Hat Feast of Fools (7.5% ABV)Chocolate Raspberry Stout

The raspberry aroma hits you immediately - it smells amazing! But then the taste is slightly disappointing because it can’t live up to that great smell. The sweet raspberry taste is most noticeable, followed by roasted malts and a touch of dark chocolate. It’s very light for a stout with a somewhat thin feel, unlike that thick taste you might be accustomed to with a stout.

Southern Tier Crème Brulee Stout (10%)

This is dessert in a glass! The aroma is wonderful, and it tastes almost equally as good. It truly does taste like Crème Brulee with sweet vanilla and burnt sugar flavors. This beer is great for a dessert but you wouldn’t want to drink it all night. Serve in a snifter.

All of the above beers are sold in large bottles perfect for sharing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,
FPB

3 IPAs reviewed

India Pale Ales are my favorite style of beer. In the 1700's Britain had many soldiers and colonists living in India. These poor souls were left without any of their good homeland ale! Malts and other raw ingredients spoiled during their journey sailing around Africa and up to the spice land. As a result India Pale Ale was born. It was a slightly higher alcohol beer brewed with lots of hops to help it survive its voyage in oak barrels on rocky seas.

Modern American IPAs are generally copper in color and well hopped, in the medium-high alcohol range.

Sierra Nevada Estate Brewers Harvest Ale (6.7% ABV)
All of the ingredients used to brew this beer were grown in Sierra Nevada's private estate. I really enjoyed this beer. It was well balanced and smooth. An easy drinking IPA without any overwhelming flavors and a faint aroma. It's one of the better Sierra IPA varieties but for over $10 a 24oz bottle it's a bit pricey for what it offers.

Ithaca Flower Power IPA (8% ABV)
You might remember me mentioning this in my favorite beers list - each sip just reaffirms that idea. You probably imagine someone with bare feet and hemp pants drinking this because of the name, but once you catch that hop smell you'll understand. Flower power is super dry-hopped with a very floral smelling hop variety. The hop blast is very present with a lingering bitterness and notes of citrusy grapefruit. All in all I find it to be it to be a very flavorful IPA.

Southern Tier Unearthly IPA (11%)
Bang! Pow! WHOMP! If a comic character were drinking this that would be the little bubbles popping out of his mouth. This delicious imperial IPA is loaded with hops from front to back. It has a wonderful citrus hop aroma, strong bitterness and a hint of sweet caramel. It's hard to tell that it is 11% ABV from the taste.

NY Craft Beer Week + Stone

So I went to craft beer week in NYC and I went to one of the Stone kick-off events in CT and I have to say these meet the brewer events aren't as exciting as I thought they would be. Don't get me wrong, I had more than my share of great beers, but I don't really know exactly what I expected.

On Saturday I went to NYC with some friends. Took the train from Stamford into Grand Central and then a short walk overto Gingermans on 36th. Gingerman's in NYC is an awesome place. With 70 beers on tap and 3 casks you don't even need to look at their bottle selection. They had The Onion for free in print, and a sign in the from that read Meet the Brewers of Harpoon and Magic Hat from 5 - 7. What a great suprise. I just heard this was a good bar and that we could get some good beers here, meeting some brewers was a bonus.

The beers were about $6.50 each, but they came in 22oz glasses (its called an imperial pint) so the price wasn't so bad, especially since wewere ordering some really big beers. I got a Harpoon Harpoon IPA Chinook Dry Hopped, Bear Republic Racer 5, and tasted everone elses. Both beers were spectacularly hopped and delicious, but I have to give the edge to Racer 5. It was my favorite beer of the night and I highly recommend it if you can find it. We waited there until 6 but there were no brewers to be seen - who would have thought that brewers would be punctual? Anyway, we all left with a good buzz so we were happy.

Next up was Rattle N' Hum on 33rd St., having the brewers of Troegs, Elysian, and Ithaca. I like Ithaca - their Flower Power IPA is one of my favorite beers. But this bar was way too packed, and people didn't seem to be into the beer scene. There was a big Washington Huskies sign outside (wrong type of Huskies as far as I'm concerned) and it appears countless fans assembled here to watch them play USC.

I dont really like fighting my way to the bar especially with other untested brew pubs in the city, so we moved on. The end game was a show on Bleecker St. so we ventured to the Blind Tiger for their respectable 30 taps. Here I tried another great beer, a green flash IPA (I told you I like IPAs). This bar was crammed, but it had a cozy feel with a fireplace and the menu written on a chalkboard. Not to mention the fact that although their draught offering was less than half the size of the gingerman it was very well selected.

After drinking some beer there, we grabbed some burritos and that was it for the beer and food. Tasty, intoxicating, and fun - can't go too wrong with that.




Every bar we went to in NY had some Stone Brewing Company beers on tap, but I held off knowing I was going to a kick-off event in CT in which I would try some Stone beers. I went to Monster B's where there were 7 Stone draughts available for the event. These were DELICIOUS, I'm so glad they made it here. I had the Ruination IPA, a smoked porter and an Arrogant Bastard Ale. The Ruination and the Arrogant Bastard were both great. The smoked porter was tasty, but a little weak. I would recommend Otter Creeks Stovepipe Porter instead.

Again I ran into the same story. Apparently beer people just aren't very punctual. They were only 30 minutes late this time, but unfortunately no brewers were here. Just sales guys. I got some bumper stickers and probably could have milked them for a free beer if mine wasn't already full, but all I really ended up with was a breif conversation.

All in all I guess I thought these events would be more organized. I expected a more formal brewer presentation, maybe with a Q and A with some sort of giveaway - I don't really know. All it really was, was the brewers were drinking at the bar as If you and I were, except that if you wanted you could walk over to their table and strike up a good conversation about your favorite brew. In the end, I still had some great beers everywhere I went, and I still had a great time. I just expected something different at a scheduled meet the brewer event. It was more like just running into someone you knew at the bar.

-Kyle

Oktoberfest

With over six million people attending Oktoberfest in Munich every year, it is the world's largest fair. The first Oktoberfest took place in 1810 and traditionally takes place during the sixteen days leading up to and including the first Sunday in October. This year's Oktoberfest will occur from Sep. 20th - Oct. 5th.

This festival is all about eating vast amounts of food and drinking tons of beer. Here are some fun stats from last year's event:

6 million visitors

Things consumed:
6.6 million liters of beer
460,000 chicken pieces
117,000 sausauge pairs
104 oxen

Items found:
680 identity cards and passports
410 wallets
360 keys
265 spectacles
280 mobile phones
80 cameras
4 wedding rings
1 set of diving goggles
1 set of angel's wings
1 superman costume
0 false teeth (for the first time since records began…)

As you can see, people get silly. There’s even a special name for people who get way too silly – "Bierleichen" which is German for “beer corpses”.

Unfortunately, most of us are stuck here in America just reading about it. But the good news is since the first of September Oktoberfest style beers (aka Märzen) have started to appear on shelves in liquor stores. These beers are usually in the 5-6% ABV range, dark copper in color with a full-bodied taste of toasty malts. Not much of a hop profile.

-Kyle

We decided to sample some of the Oktoberfests BevMax in Stamford had to offer:

From the left: Brooklyn, Blue Point, Hofbrau, Samuel Adams

Sam Adams Octoberfest, being the only Octoberfest I'd ever had, was a natural place to start. Good beer, but a little malty. At least that's what Kyle says. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

You see, Kyle is the beer guy of the two of us. He brews, (I just said Hebrew) and I wouldn't be surprised if he read beer publications. I love beer, but my critiquing could probably use a little work. I'm the color guy. I'm here to make you laugh gregariously and forget about how painful and empty your sad, depressing life is. Kyle's Dan Schulmann, and I'm Dick Vitale. Okay, baby?

Phew. What a load off my chest. Now I can talk about my thoughts without feeling the need to get too technical about things. Because a lot of you probably don't know what the hell he's talking about, either. Love you, Kyle. Let's have beer lessons soon.

Anywho, what I noticed about Sam Adams' Octoberfest was that its aftertaste contained a slight essence of funk.

Brooklyn's Oktoberfest, however, had a very similar taste, with a smoother finish. No funk. Crisper than Crispin Glover.

Blue Point's offering was good, but not really as interesting as the previous two. I mean, even Sammie's funk is something worth mentioning. Blue Point's was just kind of unremarkable.

Hofbrau was really good, but definitely felt out of place. It was such a departure from the other three that it would be irresponsible of me to include in in the judging. Hence, I disqualified it on the basis of "apples and oranges." It would be like comparing 3 colas and a Sprite.

So, in the end, the Brooklyn takes home the gold medal, and my love affair with this brewery marches on.

-Ryan