Goose Island Beer Co. - Pere Jacques

I haven't really been having a good day. The weather is changing and I feel tired, run down and distractable. After cooking myself some dinner, I decided to see what beer was left in my fridge to review. I apparently need to go to a bevy soon as I am running out of brews from previous trips.

But, in the corner of my beer fridge behind a blueberry ale quietly sat another Goose Island brewing company brew. This time, Pere Jaques. On the bottle, like their Matilda brew, is a little story to explain the name.

"We were doing these great brewery tours of Belgium. We toured the best breweries, even the Trappist breweries, but we couldn't get into one of them. We were so determined that we kept calling until someone said yes. He was the Abbot and his name was Pere Jacques. He personally gave us a tour of one of the most beautiful breweries I've ever visited, and we finished it all off with a wonderful lunch of roast duck and wild boar, perfectly matched with the brewery's own ales. I'll never forget that day and that beer. We brew Pere Jacques with loads of malt and Belgian yeast for a wonderfully complex, fruity malty ale." Greg Hall, Brewmaster

It pours a dark orange and has a really foamy head (or maybe it was just because I poured it a little sloppily).

It smells like a Belgian... and lives up to its , tasting like a true dubbel should. This is quite unexpectedly delicious coming out of such a small bottle. This one is malty, sweet, alcoholic, warming and complicated. The malt is used well here, not syrupy or heavy but just assertive and up front with its taste. This was a delightful treat for a day just like today.

I can't believe this was made in the United States, because it tastes so warm and complicated. I know that sounds like an insult to American craft breweries but its not. The truth is that true trappist Belgians are in a category of their own, and to have this brew live up to the style even as a homage is quite a feat. If you know someone who can't find or hasn't had Belgian beers, this is one to start them with to gently introduce them to what can become a beer lover's secret addiction - pick this up instead of a hefeweizen claiming to be a "Belgian Style" ale.

Stone IPA

You know you're a beer reviewer when you start to hear whispers in the wind about certain beers. Where a beer's reputation and popularity is something you've noticed without even trying it. So is the case for the Stone Brewing Company's IPA. I've seen this one lurking at friend's places, seen it appear in corner beer stores, and on tap at some of my beer haunts and bars. So, naturally, I had to check it out.

This one pours semi-opaque and orange, a good sign for an IPA in my humble opionion. The smell is fruity and not at all grassy, it has a sweet burbon smell that is probably coming from the alcohol content - where this beer is not shy - at 6.9% ABV.

The taste is strong but smooth - without that banging sharpness some IPAs have as their hallmark. This one is brighter and sweeter than a lot of IPAs I've tried and seems to fit well as a summery beer. This is a good example of a strong, solid IPA that isn't too extreme to be brought to a party or barbecue.

I should probably mention that this one has been in my refrigerator for close to six months, so I may have unintentionally aged it. At least, in the beer universe, a little procrastination when it comes to an IPA isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I would, like the beer lovers around me, encourage you to take notice of this brewery. It seems like it has the right idea when it comes to brewing. And honestly, to see a West Coast beer causing a stir in the East means that there's something to it. Check it out!

There've been incidents and accidents, hints and allegations"

So today is the 1 year anniversary of the creation of this blog. I actually committed to doing this project and have stuck with it. It has been wicked fun so far and I've made a few good friends in the blogosphere. People seem to get a kick out of my honesty, and I promise to keep it that way.

I wanted to tell you a quick funny story about the first review that I ever did for the site, and why it inspired the site's entire creation.

I was at a little place in Durham, NH that specializes in ridiculously hot chicken wings (their vapors are the equivalent of tear gas when you order the 'way hot' versions). There, on tap, I saw Red Hook's Longhammer IPA, that had just been released. I decided to try that instead of the "big four" that are on every tap handle in Durham - Coors, Coors Light, Bud, Bud Light - that were my only other options.

So, I got the beer poured into a plastic cup (classy) and sat down to drink it. I was at first concerned because of its thin, pale color, and distinctly NOT IPA smell. I thought, hey, maybe I'm just not picking it up because of all the hot sauces around. I tasted it and immediately pulled out a pen. "This is, by far, the palest, most tasteless IPA I have ever tried in my life. It has a thin sourness to it which takes away from the flavor, there are no hops whatsoever..." I continued to rant and had completely written off the beer. I didn't do anything with that review as I was just keeping notes for myself at that time.

A few weeks later, I went to the Red Hook Brewpub in Portsmouth, NH. On the wall there were posters describing Longhammer and I thought, there is no way that the beer that I tasted could be described the way they were saying, even if they were trying to put a good spin on it.

So I took a chance, and ordered the beer, hoping that it would taste at least a little better coming straight from the brewery tap.

I was floored by how good it was.

I began to realize that the beer that they had poured me in Durham was NOT Longhammer, but that the tap lines must have been switched. I was trying to review a Bud or Coors and trying to fit it into the description of it being a strong IPA. No wonder I hated it so much! I immediately created the blog so that I could share some of my experiences (good and bad) of tasting beer, and ultimately to be able to describe beer to others who had never gone beyond the big four in their tasting experiences.

Its been a fun ride and I'm looking forward to the next year!

Hats, Hops and Paws? Oh my.

There is something about the change of seasons that gets me going, makes my heart light up. So, in honor of that I'm reviewing three apricot brews for you.

The first is the classic - a Magic Hat #9
Magic Hat makes some classy stuff, and if you've got it in a bottle, like me, you get to read their witty little sayings under neath the caps. This one said : Wine me, Dine me, #9 me. A nice light beer with a very distinct sweet and apricoty smell. It is pale and yellow but has a lot of flavor. It isn't overwhelmingly sweet, but definitely has an apricot finish and scent through all of it. This is a classic in the bars near me, but you have to watch what you pair it with. It is light and great for a hot day, and doesn't fill you up or weigh you down. Apricot can be a finicky flavor, and its nice to have something that complements it. I had one today with a spinach-avacado salad with poppyseed dressing and it was fabulous. I cheated a little, though, because the bottle of poppyseed dressing says it would taste great with apricots. Hehe.

Number two is a little more local - Sea Dog Brewing Company's Apricot Wheat Beer
This beer pours darker than the Magic Hat, and has an apricot smell that's a little bit darker or more complicated somehow. It isn't light and breezy but smells a bit more... mature? On tasting the sweetness that I expected was trumped a little by almost a savory end of the apricots and wheat interacting. It's a bit drier too, and not quite as refreshing. But I think that this one would go over better with a meal. It's also a summer beer but hits a little heavier, has a little bit more complexity of flavor. This one is a have-it-with-dinner apricot beer, instead of a have-it-outside in summer beer. I like it, it still conveys that kind of summery taste without being overly sweet.

And onto number three - Dogfish Head's Aprihop
Now, Dogfish Head's brewing usually puts into mind the most extreme version of whatever beer style they take on. But, like the wheat beer, this is a different style brewed with apricot flavors. The smell is far less apricot-like than its previous fruity brethren, though it is there and you can pick it out if you're aware or expecting it. The taste is hoppy and sweet, sharp and fades fast. But it's also the least sweet of the three, but has a stronger flavor overall. As part of the aftertaste there's a little bit of metallic taste that hangs on, but as I got down a little further in the glass that disappeared. This one is tricky too, and a bit stronger than last year's version if I remember. The Dogfish head crew have I think, missed the mark a little on letting the apricot have center stage, but haven't missed in terms of making this beer such an enjoyable drink.

So, that about wraps it up for these spring apricot dreams. If anyone knows of more apricot brews that are out there, send me a review or your two cents. Just thought it would be fun to do a field survey of springy drinks on this beautiful spring day.

P.S. I have now added the word "hoppy" into my spell check, because I have grown weary of it reminding me that it isn't really a world.

Dogfish Head - 90 Minute IPA

We, as humans, would like to think that we'll never forget an amazing experience, a cherished friendship, or what it feels like to be truly home. But, as humans, we do forget these things once and a while. This is why it's good to visit far away places, catch up with long-lost friends, and to remember why you loved them so much. This is the exact reason why I occasionally revisit my favorite beers - there is often a layer of excitement mixed with familiarity that is impossible to remember as vividly as when I took my first sip.

This is also why I'm reviewing Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA. Two summers ago, I tasted this brew for the first time and was floored. I had never had anything that even remotely resembled it, I loved how different it was from the 60 Minute IPA, and IPAs have intreigued me ever since.

A ninety minute is something that anyone who is a fan of IPAs, or anyone who has never had a good IPA should try for the sake of knowing the standard. So, this is the review of a classic, but I don't mind refreshing my memory every now and then.

It pours a dark mahogany color, smells sharp and deliciously hoppy, the sweetness of the alcohol permeating the vapors. The head on this one is also nice and thick, and has its own distinct smell. The first sip of this one brought back memories, and excited my tongue. It has a sharp by pleasant taste, very tart hops that bite at the tongue, but followed by the smooth blanket of alcohol. I believe that this brew comes in at 9% ABV but tastes like its a bit more. I can't get over how complicated it tastes and feels in my mouth, how sweet it is and how it plays with my taste buds. Most strong IPAs just overwhelm you with hops flavor, and they can taste a bit like grass or some kind of veggie at their worst, and can also be very overpowering in one note, much like an overzealous trumpet player playing one loud note over everyone else in the band. But not so with the 90 minute - a smooth blend of tastes that complement, build on and add layers onto each other.

If you like IPAs, try this. If you don't like IPAs, try this. If you have never had an IPA, try the 60 minute IPA, then taste this immediately after. Its a fun one.

One of these days I'll get some money or time together to take a trip down to the Dogfish Head Brewery. Their motto is "off centered ales for off centered people." Well, consider me off center after this one, because I now have fonder memories of this classic from Dogfish Head to stay in my head hopefully until I can make it down to Delaware, or until the next friend buys me a 90 minute.

Arcadia Ales - Big Dick's Olde Ale

This one, I'm not going to lie, I bought entirely for its name.

I relished in the number of puns that I would be able to make while tasting it. The beer babe is apparently not above the occasional penis joke.

"Would you pour the Big Dick into a glass please?"

"Mmn, this is some fine Big Dick."

So, now that I've gotten that out of my system... onto the actual review.

This beer, according to the label is both 8% ABV and a "Liquid Tribute to Richard the Lion Hearted" I couldn't find any additional information on their website about it, and about who it is they have dressed in armor on the bottle. I did think it was an interesting take for a brewing company in Michigan to be taking on only British Style Ales - even brewing them in authentic British Equipment.

This one pours an oak brown color, but surprisingly opaque with big bubbles like cola. The smell is malty and syrupy, the taste follows suit. It's both sweet and somehow smoky It is an ale that reminds me slightly of the raisin-like Raison D'Etre by Dogfish Head. Predictably this has plenty of sediment and yeast. Its an interesting one that hit me pretty quickly with the alcohol content (my spell check is very angry with my buzzed typing) and it is another ale that has the characteristc warming that would go with a hearty winter meal. You could reserve this one on your shelf for a long English winter.