Smuttynose - Star Island Single

Its been a while since I picked something based on its label image, but I was caught by surprise when I saw this at my local beer store. A faux mermaid in a red wig holding a goblet of beer? A session ale "brewed with spice"? It was just enough for me to pick up a few for tasting.

This one is a hazy amber orange, and has a strange, plastic like smell. It is something that I suspect is coming from the spices, but its an odd aroma to be drifting up from a brew. Undeterred, I decided to drink it anyway. I was also surprised to notice a bit of sediment in the bottom of my glass, not something I would have expected from a session brew.

The taste is of a gently spiced pale ale. Its almost like an Oktoberfest or a marzen. I like the spices they've used, but I'm honestly not sure if I'd drink this one in the summer or not. It seems a bit different, a bit forced.

Though it is good to have a tasty session brew to help satisfy your craving, this might not be the best choice. Though, if it were in a bar, I'd chose it because it was local and decent.

Sam Adams Imperial White

So after being pleasantly surprised by the Sam Adams Imperial Double Bock, I decided to satisfy my curiosity by grabbing a four pack of Sam Adams Imperial White. I searched around for what would classify something as an imperial white, and couldn't find anything substantial. I did notice, however, that this was a 10+ % ABV brewing which Sam Adams usually reserves only for special occasions (Utopias anyone?).

I poured it into a tulip glass and it was a slightly hazy yellow to amber color, with a respectable amount of head and a very malty wheaty smell. It smells bready and yeasty, almost like a Belgian, which surprised me a lot. I don't know why I was expecting this one to be weak in flavor, but the smell didn't seem to point towards weakness at all.

The taste is surprisingly malty with a lot of wheaty backbone. I like that you can taste the yeast here, and its a pleasant surprise from Sam Adams. I like, too, that as it warms it brings out into the forefront a bit more of its citrusy taste. This one is definitely not something to be served cold. It has almost a spicy component and a slight hint of citrus. 

Very high quality, in my opinion, and I wish I could find this on tap or even in a bottle in some of my favorite restaurants, because this would go very well with a nice dinner (without costing a fortune). The four packs retail around $9.00, which makes each beer a little more than $2.00. A lot cheaper than most specialty beers at a bar and of a good quality, too. I'll be honest, this is a great beer for a dinner party, where you want to have good beer but not spend tons on something Belgian. 

West Coast Adventure - Lost Coast Brewing

Over the next few days, my brother and I snaked our way down the gorgeous and exiting, yet frightening route that is the Pacific Coast Highway. Tsunami Hazard signs, sheer cliffs and lack of guardrails made the trip thrilling - and we found ourselves watching a gorgeous sunset each night over the ocean. I put my feet in the Pacific for the first time - Greg saw his first whale (from shore). 

We crossed into California, hoping to get to Eureka for the night and start out driving through the Redwoods the next morning. Tired and starving (there is little in California north of Eureka besides the gorgeous beaches and huge trees) we pulled into Eureka and looked for "pubs" on my brother's GPS. Seeing the word 'Brewery' on the list made me quite happy - and we navigated our way into the Lost Coast Brewery.

It being, coincidentally, Superbowl Sunday, we looked in the windows to find the place comfortably filled with people staring up at a large tv watching the big game. It being January, the place wasn't packed, however, so we decided to go in.

When we walked in, a giant paper mache and furry spider descended in front our our faces as the door closed. Looking up after laughing I saw that it was rigged to lift as the door opened, and descend to startle the guests. I wonder if hearing the occasional "eep!" is used to notify the staff that someone has arrived. 

The atmosphere of the place was full of funkiness and art seemingly made by the same artist as the door spider (and reminding me of the illustrations on Flying Dog labels) - was placed up high, and the whole thing had a kind of saloon feel. The Superbowl fans collectively cheered or groaned as they watched intently. I was delighted to see that not everyone was routing for the same team, and there was a bit of cross table bantering going on after each play. It felt... fun!

Our server, Nate, took our order with enthusiasm and seemed to be really enjoying what he did. I had a roast beef sandwich with ranch dressing - a house specialty - and it was to die for! I managed to try a few of their beers while I was there, and between Greg and I we did a lot of passing back and forth.

Harvest Wheat - This one came served with a lemon, and was light, thin and drinkable. It was not as spicy as some other wheat/hefeweizens that I'd tried and was very easy to like. My brother declared that this one was his favorite of the night.

8 Ball Stout - A dark, chocolaty and warm smell. The chocolate and caramel malts were present, though I wished it had been a little thicker in consistency. Still good in my book, though.

Raspberry Brown - A brown ale with a slightly artificial raspberry taste. Not as harmonious as I would have liked to taste, but not terrible at all.

Great White - Hefeweizen Style - not served with a lemon or orange but plenty of cloudy goodness. This one I have actually seen bottled in stores, and I think it would make a terrific summer sipper.

This was a truly fun adventure, and a great social top for us. Despite the outcome of the game, even the people routing for the losers clicked glasses with those cheering for the winners - a polite conciliatory gesture that seemed to sum up the attitude of the night. We felt like locals, and we felt completely at ease. Our stomachs satisfied and our imaginations swirling, we headed in for the night, anticipating like kids before christmas, the redwood journey ahead.

Sam Adams Imperial Series - Double Bock

Some of you may recall my polite yet honest assement of Sam Adams triple bock, which has not taken well to the aging process, and is described by many who have sampled it as "soy sauce like." 

So, understandably, when I saw that one of the new Imperial Series by Sam Adams was a new version of their Double Bock, I hesitated. Their original double bock was woody, with lots of alcohol bite and malt. So why make it imperial at all? But I shrugged and decided that, after all, I'll try anything.

The double bock poured a beautiful rich red brown to black. When held up to the light it was a beautiful rich garnet - gorgeous! The smell was thickly of malt, some astringent alcohol but not as much as its non-imperial predecesor (oddly enough). The smell is great when not totally cold

The taste, too, comes out best when slightly warmed. The taste is smooth and balanced, a bit more so than the non-imperial version, which was sharper. This one has little carbonation, and a very smooth finish. It tasted a bit raisiny and somewhat thick, both were very good things. 

Also in the imperial series are the white and stout, which I haven't yet tried. I'm curious to try an imperial white, becuase I don't think I've ever had one. 

Allagash - Curieux

I put this in my fridge with hopes of making it a review for tomorrow night. I twittered my regrets that I wouldn't be able to try this tonight because of its temperature. I was immediately reminded that this beer tastes wonderful and should be enjoyed not cold, but allowed to warm slightly and let the complexities out. I took their advice to heart and retrieved the bottle from the fridge.

Curieux is described as an ale aged in oak bourbon barrels. I'm a fan of aged beer, and I'm a fan of Allagash, so this had very little potential to dissapoint me.

I poured it out and a fluffy head rose up due to its temperature. It was a light yellow and quite clear (for some reason I expected cloudiness?) The smell was of sweet alcohol and yeast, and in general very inviting. I don't detect the woody smell that sometimes lingers when you age in barrels or throw wood into the mix. 

The taste is almost Belgian in its yeastiness, and there's very little wood here. But there's an undertone of sweetness and tartness, which gets more and more unwrapped as it warms. This one is another example of the level of sophistication that beer is capable of. There are layers of flavors that change with the temperature, and it is a delicious beverage, no doubt. It doesn't have that residual sickening sweetness that some whiskey-barrel aged beers can have, and for me that's a good thing, too.

It is also something I would love to pair with food, though I'm struggling to think what could complement this - maybe scallops? On Allgash's site it suggests desserts or barbeque, but I'm not sure I agree.

The downside to Curieux is that it can be very expensive. At more than $15.00 a bottle, it is more something that you would bring as a gift to a dinner party than something you'd have around all the time. I think that Allagash can be understood for charging the higher price, though, because their quality is high - just be careful that you don't assume it's in the same price range as similarly sized bottles from other brewers, or you might end up with some sticker shock at your local beer store.

Curieux is one of several beers in the same series by Allagash. Curieux, Oddesy and Musette, and there are other limited edition series that come in the same size and package style. I hope one day to get up to Allgash to sample more of these - because they do a fine job with the ones I've tried. 

Travel Adventure Part 3 - Big Time Brewery, Seattle

On my first full day in Seattle, I arranged to meet a twitter friend at a brewpub in the University area for a drink and a chat. I got there a little too early for our meeting, and ducked in just a few minutes after they opened. The Big Time Brewery was fairly large on the inside, with tables to the right to sit down, a bar and windows to fermenters on the left, and a counter for ordering food. The atmosphere was antiqued, but in a really classy and comforting way. Bottles and old brewery memorabilia covered the walls, and wood paneling and antique lighting fixtures really made it feel like a blast from the past. 

The food menu featured hearty comfort food and starchy bar food - which was exactly what I needed after being a little worse for the wear from last night's Brouwery Cafe adventure. I ordered nachos, and received a heaping plate of them with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. To my delight, the salsa was actually hot!  

I picked a seat next to the large windows that displayed the small brewery, and I poured over the beer list. Like most breweries on the West Coast, the list is full of highly-hopped delights. A few surprised me. In addition to their Scarlet Fire IPA, Atlas Amber Ale, Coal Creek Porter, and Bhagwan's Best IPA, they had weird things like Hop de Mesonage Belgian IPA and an "East Coast Pale Ale" whatever that was. I had no idea what to try first, but I prepared myself for a hit of hops.

I first tried the Atlas Amber ale - a dark rosy copper with a really grassy hop smell. The taste, though, is classic amber ale. It would be a leap from something like the Bud American Ale, but it has a really good color and a tad of appropriate bitterness. Not mild or water like a lot of small breweries I've been to, I was encouraged and wanted to try more.

Norm arrived and we began chatting about brewing, beer, writing, kitchen renovations and whatever else came to mind. He's friendly and genuine and I enjoyed the company, especially when he told me all about his brewing and local beer adventures. 

I followed the Atlas Amber with a Hop De Mensonge Belgian IPA, because I have never heard of nor had any idea what a Belgian IPA was. This one was served in a tulip glass, and had a delightful smell of wheat and citrus. The hops were there, too, but the taste was a lot more Belgian than IPA. I was really intrigued by how the hops brought themselves to the party in such a smooth wheat beer, and it was at the very least an interesting experi

ence.

For a classic IPA, I chose the Scarlet Fire IPA. Described as an "assertive Northwest style IPA" I figured it would be a good introduction to the west coast hop madness that was to come. The Scarlet Fire's color was a beautiful clear reddish orange and the smell was to die for. This one came on strong, too, but finished very cleanly in my mouth. I was expecting to taste hops all the way home, but it delivered its punch then let you walk away without scars. An excellent example of a strong IPA, and well done at that.

The Big Time Brewery has been around since 1988 and is now 21 years old. It has won awards almost every year, including in 2008 when its Scottish Ale won the category at GABF. As I was sitting I also noticed that beyond the beer world that it is a popular place for university students and some colorful locals too. This is the type of brewery that any town should be proud of, and if I had one like this around the corner from me I would be a regular, too. 

My brother came to pick me up and resume the rest of our adventures in Seattle, before departing that night down the Washington Coast. I gave him a sip of the Belgian IPA and he declared it to be "awesome."

And the East Coast Pale Ale? I asked about it and apparently, one of their brewers is from Maine originally. They use different hops, and it is a little milder, and more of an English style IPA. I thought about how small of a world it is considering that I just came from New Hampshire, and my first brewpub features beer being brewed by a Mainer!

Brooklyn - Black Ops

I heard about the coming and going of this beer before I ever saw a bottle of it. A stout aged in bourbon barrels? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this one was released in such a limited quantity its even being listed on E-bay as "rare."

This one was set aside for me, and I cracked a huge smile when I saw it. The black logo with dark silver lettering has a sophistication and element of mystery. 

The label copy says :

"Brooklyn Black Ops does not exist. However, if it did exist, it would be a robust stout concocted by the Brooklyn brewing team under cover of secrecy and hidden from everyone else at the brewery. Supposedly, "Black Ops" was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented with Champagne yeast, creating big chocolate and coffee flavors with a rich underpinning of vanilla-like oak notes. They say there are only 1000 cases. We have no idea what they’re talking about."

I uncorked it and took a deep smell from the top of the bottle. What made it to my nose nearly knocked me over. Alcohol, raisins, malts - it smelled delicious, inviting, dark, and most of all strong. As I poured it out of the bottle, it dribbled and flowed like motor oil, but sprung up a big foamy chocolate milk head. As I sipped the head off a little to get down to the beer, I reveled in the chocolate, vanilla malts. 

The taste of this one is exquisite. Oaky and sweet from the refermentation and champagne yeast, strongly alcoholic yet... balanced. That sounds impossible, and I'm actually surprised that this didn't knock me over as much as I thought it would. I assumed it would have a nasty bite, but again, I'm impressed by the smoothness of this stout. It has a very nice warming quality about it, too. It finishes with a beautiful bit of sediment from the refermentation, which is a tasty sweet note at the end. 

A win, if you can find it. (don't forget to check e-bay...)

Allagsh - Four

"Four hops, four malts, fermented four times," says the label. "Sounds delicious," says the Beer Babe.

Allagash is one of those breweries that started out brewing things that no one else in the area was brewing. Picking wit biers ad Belgians in a session-beer and ale-driven area was risky, but they came out of the gate producing quality brews which have spread due to their quality, taste and audacity. Not "extreme" like Dogfish Head, nor certifiably insane like Weyerbacher, Allgash seems to have distinguished itself by being refined.

This beer seems to be no exception. It is technically a quad (since it is fermented four times) and would be in the Belgian style since they're using Belgian yeasts.

A gold trimmed black paper label, a real cork held on by gold wire give you the impression that this beer isn't a casual backyard barbecue brew. I poured it into a tulip glass and admired its mahogany color and slight cloudiness. Its smell? The yeasty, wheaty smell of a great quad. It has a sweetness and a tiny bit of of that sour scent that comes from the yeast I think.

The taste is quite good, especially if you don't drink it ice cold. It has this kind of warmth that comes from having so much in the brew. The malts and hops and yeast all just come together for a slightly sweet, slightly tart quad. If you like the taste  of Belgian beers, here's one from Maine that is not something you should pass by.

Travel Adventure Part 2 - Brouwer's Cafe, Seattle

After an uneventful flight (despite it being long and boring) I landed in Seattle at about 9:00 pm. I received a tip from a few people that I should go to Brouwer's cafe, because they have lots of great beer on tap and food to boot. My brother's jeep, dusty from driving through Idaho and Washington earlier in the day, pulled up to the curb and we headed out into the Seattle night.

It was a fairly warm night and the city was lit up beautifully, I could see its twinkling glow from the plane, under a crescent moon. Armed with my brother's laptop GPS setup, we clumsily snaked our way through Seattle to get to Brouwers. We made it there around 10pm - tired, starving and ready for a beer. We walked up to the black building from the wrong side, and walked in. The interior of this place was really neat. A line of tap handles, too long to be photographed in one picture, lined the back of the bar, behind them were windows displaying all the bottles also available, in addition to their taps. The tables were out of solid wood, and wrought iron accented a staircase and upper balcony area. The lighting was warm but subdued, giving the interior the appearance of a castle, tavern, or Gothic mansion. Very cool.

Dazed and tired from the flight, I almost couldn't take in everything Brouwer's had to offer, and I was also saddened to find out that they weren't serving food this late. So I had to pick my brews wisely, and head home earlier than I wanted. I chose a Pliny the Elder, because I had until that day, never been able to find it.

Pliny the Elder is like a mythical beer to me. People have offered to trade me for it, but I rarely have anything of comparable value. Its hoppy, an IPA, and rated an A+ on Beer Advocate (though I rely more on people's recommendations than grades or numbers most of the time).

The bottle arrived and it was poured into a glass. Orange, thick and packed with aroma this hit my nose before I got it near the glass. Very hoppy, with that citrus twinge that really strong IPAs can give. The taste was of a terrifically balanced IPA with stronger hop flavors than a lot of stuff I've tried as of late. If it didn't have the malts in it that it does, it would be undrinkably strong. I caught up with and laughed with my brother about beer (who had a Piraat for the first time there) and wished, deep in my heart, that this place existed in Boston, so I would have a half of a chance of making my way through the insane beer list. 

My airline fatigue caught up with me and I soon found myself in my brother's Jeep, headed to the hotel, looking up as we drove past the Space Needle, smiling.

Rogue - Captain Sig's Deadliest Ale

I don't watch a ton of television, but when I do, I linger on TLC, Food Network, Discovery and other channels that occasionally teach me things. (Though I'm a huge closet fan of Project Runway, don't tell anyone!)

One of the shows I do enjoy is The Deadliest Catch about the crazy dangerous job of fishing for king crab in Alaska. So, when I saw one of the boat captains, Sig Hansen, on a label under the word Rogue I got pretty excited. The label features a picture of Sig himself, with his boat the Northwestern in the background. 

The beer pours a cloudy copper, which I should have expected but didn't. I thought it might be lighter, more "common man" ale, but this seems to be something interesting pouring out of this bottle. I can smell a nice citrus hop make its way to my nose. It doesn't quite have the level of hop aroma as a strong IPA, but its definitely not weak.

The taste could be characterized as a hoppy red ale. Just a little bit of malt comes out in the end, making this really pleasant to drink. The hops take center stage but finish up nicely. All in all this isn't something that leaps out at me as being radically different than most other beers, but it does have a good hop flavor that people bored with American ales will dig a lot. According to Rogue it was also meant to be paired with seafood, specifically shellfish like crab (yummy). Not having the budget for king crab, I can't verify that the pairing is as devine as promised, but it is worth trying.

Upon reading the label I was also delighted to discover that a portion of the proceeds from the brew will be given to the Fisherman's Fund, a non-profit foundation established by the Hansen families that benefits various Northwest charities. So, if you're planning a sea food dinner, need a beer to pair with your crab cakes, and want to do some good in the process, then this brew's for you.

Dogfish Head - World Wide Stout

Though the availability of Dogfish Head beer is pretty good up in the northeast, I've always had trouble getting a hold of some of the rarer beers. I missed out on Theobroma, and I have been unable to get my hands on some World Wide Stout in the last two releases. I thought I was close this year, but the place I was hooked up with supposedly got shafted by their distributor and never got the cases of it they were supposed to. I was saddened that I'd be missing out on the beer once again. But on a recent visit to some friends in Chelmsford, MA, it was staring at me on a shelf at a local beer/liquor store. 

This one pours an opaque thick black with a thin chocolate milk colored head. It smells like molasses, vanilla, malt. It doesn't have the stingy alcohol smell but instead a subtle bourbon-ish undertone. And honestly, if I didn't smell alcohol at all, I'd be concerned, considering on average this beer comes in at more than 18%abv. (Not one to be chugged, for sure.)

The taste of this is heavy, but delicious. It is one of those fabulous things that is hard to describe as it dances around the tongue. The malts have done their job to make this thick and roasty, without any bitterness at all. Somewhat sweet, the malts work really well to make this as smooth as silk. There is no sting from the alcohol, just a bit of warmth to remind you its there. 

It also leaves kind of a sticky feeling in your mouth after you've swallowed, a thin coating of the wonderfulness of this beer left on the palate after every sip. Not a bad thing, but an interesting quality. (I have a feeling if you kissed someone after taking a sip of this, they'd be able to sample the goodness of it from your lips)

This has made its way on the list as being one of the more memorable things I've tried as of late. I only wish I could get my hands on it more often. I've been told, as well, that this is one that ages well, with lots of potential after a year or two. I have to other bottles of this, one I'll most likely consume, and the other might find its way to my closet, which houses a few select beers to age (including my recently purchased Kate the Great from the Portsmouth Brewery). 

Get it if you can, and enjoy it thoroughly if you do. 

Travel Adventure Part 1 : Boston Beer Works, Logan Airport

This post is part one of a new Wednesday series that will chronicle my west coast beer adventures. Current location: Logan Airport, Boston, MA

I've never had beer before flying, but I'm in for a lot of firsts this trip, and I have a lot of time to kill. There's at least an hour until pre-boarding begins for my flight to Seattle to join my brother on his epic road trip, so I give in.

The brewpub is one of the chain of Boston/Salem Beer Works, and I went to the one in Salem last year and throughly enjoyed their watermelon beer. The bar was small, tucked away in the terminal and was trimmed with stainless steel.

I had trouble, initially, in getting the bartender's attention. But I soon eyed te tap handle for the stout, which was pouring out an opaque black with a creamy light brown head. "The stout!" I said, over the din of bored airport travelers, "and an order of fried pickles." I thought back to the Strangebrew tavern in Manchester where I first encountered their vinegary goodness but in the midst of my daydream I was politely informed that they were out. I revised my order to a salad, though I wasn't sure if that would be filling enough for a six hour flight.

My beer arrived, spilling a little brown goodness over the tiny cocktail napkin on which it rested. The beer didn't have a very strong smell, only hints of how dark it is. The creamy head was smooth and delicate. The taste was not as robust as I'd hoped, but was not bad either. It remind me of kind of a fortified version of a brown ale.

Though the atmosphere was a mix of the hectic and tired, looking across the aisle at the Starbucks made me feel better about choosing Beer Works as my pre-flight stop. The coffee junkies stood with stereotyped accuracy - the suits and sweaters, people in their 30s looking mildly concerned about life in general. In here? There was talk of football, weather, stocks, business plans, family drama, party stories. The people with beer seemed to have found a temporary haven from the frantic moods which are all too common in a place that is notorious for its stress giving qualities - a busy city airport. But, by the time only a delicate lace remained in my glass, I was feeling a bit laid back, too.

Harpoon - Catamount Maple Wheat (signature series #26)

Though not born in New England, I'm forever ruined when it comes to maple syrup. Since I've had maple syrup fresh from the boil at my good friend's farm, I can never go back to the "fake" stuff. So, suffice it to say I LOVE anything maple. (Doubt me? Check out my review of the Peak Maple Oat Ale...) So, when I saw that the next Harpoon Signature Series was maple beer, I got really excited.

Like all of the 100 barrel series, these are available in limited release, and in the large bottles only. This one is described as a "crisp wheat ale that is warming and delicious." It contains real Vermont Maple Syrup - definitely a good thing. And I always appreciate brewers trying to use local ingredients.

It pours an orange/copper that's fairly clear with a foamy tan head. The smell on this one is mostly wheat, not a lot of maple in the scent. I was happy to see that it was the color a wheat beer should be, and I eagerly took my first sips. 

The taste? A nice warming wheat flavor with thin malt undertones. The maple in this is subtle - and comes in at the very end. The maple flavor is not adding sweetness, however, and its almost like the taste that happens when you mix maple syrup with something savory (like bacon). Just a little tad of something interesting. 

It is very drinkable and I found myself at the bottom of my glass sooner than I might have thought. It isn't heavy, but is very tasty. It also lacks the "wheaties" overkill that some wheat beers have. In general, though, it's not a home run. The flavor is subtle, and I think that people going in expecting maple may feel a little slighted. That being said, it's a very easy to drink brew, and I applaud their efforts here.