June 2007 Archives
I've read plenty about and seen plenty of Dogfish Head's brews, as they seem to be the most highly-regarded local brewery here in the Washington, DC area. I've stayed away for the most part, however, since I'm not a huge fan of American pale ales... and I'm not sure that this particular experience will change my approach in the future.
Characteristics: Dark, nearly opaque brown color, medium-to-heavy body with light carbonation and minimal head, opens with an alcohol burn and hoppy bite that morphs into a porter/coffee taste, and ends on the burnt side of malt with a very dry effect.
(Not So) Minor Gripes: First, there's no need for this beer to be 7.2% ABV. Depending on the temperature, the alcohol taste can overpower everything else going on with this beer. Second, the dry finish is disconcerting and difficult -- it's almost like there's silica gel somewhere in the mix.
Bottom Line: Although this is a novel take on the venerable brown ale, it just doesn't work for me thanks to the overloaded alcohol content and domineering hop profile. It's too bad, since I want to support local breweries like Dogfish Head, but I figure there are plenty of others who will pick up the slack for me.
Rating: 3.75 / 10
So, last fall I reviewed and briefly discussed the Budvar/Czechvar saga. The worldwide battle continues, this time in the European Union's trademark court. To summarize the excellent IPKat commentary, the fight this time was over Budvar's contention that it had exclusive rights in its name as an "appellation of origin" rather than as a true trademark (since Anheuser Busch was smart enough not to try registering BUDWEISER for beer as a Community Trademark). The court rejected Budvar's case, but left the door open for them to bring the same claims in a friendlier forum like a French provincial court.
In related news, there's now a running scorecard for the various AB / Budvar fights around the globe. Seriously, why can't these crazy kids sit down and work it out over a couple pints?
Woodchuck may be the most common US-based cider, but it's often disappointing. I'm not a fan of sweet ciders, and the standard Woodchuck is cloying and difficult to finish. Even the Granny Smith cider doesn't quite cut it -- it's too pale and runs a little sweet in the end. But I've finally found a Woodchuck that breaks through the sweetness, the 802 (named for the telephone area code in Vermont).
Characteristics: Dark amber color, light body and carbonation, strong rounded apple flavor with sharp tangy notes, a dry middle and finish, and a citric acid aftertaste on the tongue.
Minor Gripes: The citric acid can get a tad overbearing if one waits too long between sips or swigs. Luckily, that's not normally a problem...
Bottom Line: This is the first domestic cider I've tried that truly challenges the English / Irish ciders that make it stateside. While I may not be a true cider aficionado (cf. this lovely article from Time Out London that savages Magners/Bulmers), I think the 802 would stand up to some of the specialty ciders and look forward to someday confirming (or disproving) this theory.
Rating: 7 / 10
