Malt & Barley Chronicles

Rince Cochon Blonde Ale -- n.v. Roman s.a. (Oudenaarde, Belgium)

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:25:15 -0500

I picked up this big brew (750 ml) at my local grocery store based largely on the strength of its label... I was well familiar with the "pink elephants" of Delirium Tremens, but the happy pink pig was a new one for me.

Characteristics: Slightly cloudy straw gold color, medium weight, plenty of sugar throughout with a little malt body and then a yeasty tang in the finish. 8.5% ABV is hidden in the sugar, no real burn to be found.

Minor Gripes: A touch too sweet -- it could actually use a little hop bitterness to cut the sugar rush.

Bottom Line: As Belgian golden/blonde ales go, this one just doesn't get the job done. I would probably look to La Chouffe or Delirium Tremens or something else next time around.

Rating: 5.5 / 10

Cadillac Mountain Stout -- Bar Harbor Brewing Company (Bar Harbor, ME)

Sun, 22 May 2011 22:48:15 -0500

On the last day of my summer 2010 vacation, I stopped in to the Bar Harbor Brewing shop in the quaint downtown district of Bar Harbor and picked up a six-pack of this brilliant beer named for one of the defining geographical features of Mount Desert Island. Now nine months later, I've busted out the last bottle to see how it fared.

Characteristics: Opaque brown color, medium-to-heavy body, low carbonation and minimal head, strong vanilla flavors throughout the deep roasted malts. Sugary taste is rather moderate considering the depth of the brew. Definitely more on the milk/oatmeal end of the stout spectrum.

Minor Gripes: Bar Harbor doesn't have the greatest distribution connections, so you may have to be in northern New England (or a real specialty shop) to score your own sample.

Bottom Line: Quite simply, the best stout I've ever had. Rich, creamy, complex, smooth, balanced -- from start to finish, regardless of age. A must-try for anyone who's ever thought about stouts.

Rating: 9 / 10

Spring Fling Ale -- Blue Point Brewing Co. (Patchogue, NY)

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:28:11 -0500

Not quite sure what Blue Point is going for this time... it's called a "copper ale" on the label (which made me think "maibock") and yet the malts never showed up. Eek.

Characteristics: Pale orange-yellow color, light body, average carbonation, slight yeasty notes quickly drawn into battle by piney hops.

Minor Gripes: My mega-hop anti-bias is pretty well documented in these parts... this isn't exactly the Troegs Hopback Amber, but the limited biscuit malts here just can't keep up.

Bottom Line: If you're on the east coast and looking for a locavore alternative to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, then the Spring Fling should work just fine. And though I wanted to say that the Otter Creek Copper Ale was superior, it seems they are pretty close (assuming my tastes haven't shifted over 5+ years of occasional reviews).

Rating: 4.75 / 10

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (2010 Edition) (Unibroue, Chambly, PQ, Canada)

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:39:47 -0500

I'm still "cellaring" my 2009 edition (on the refrigerator door), but I had to bring a nice beverage to a friend's dinner a few weeks back and grabbed the new one. Both 2009 and 2010 are Belgian-style dark ales "on lees" -- somewhere in the neighborhood of a dubbel-brun. And of the various brewers working with TJ's, Unibroue is probably the most highly regarded.

Characteristics: Dark brown and opaque, well carbonated with a thick foamy head, medium body; malty sweet with a balanced cinnamon-pepper finish that hides the 9% ABV veeeerrrry well.

Minor Gripes: Very few. As with any good Belgian, you do need to let this one warm up a little for the whole flavor profile to emerge.

Bottom Line: This is an excellent winter ale that shows remarkable restraint in the face of so much nutmeg and coriander in the world. It's getting very late in the season, but if there's a TJ's near you, it's worth searching for a bottle or two.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Transatlantique Kriek -- New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO)

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:40:16 -0500

My favorite fruit is the cherry. And luckily, cherries and beer are often a good match. One of my best experiences last spring was finishing off a pint of slightly sour cherries along with a belgian-style golden ale... "two great tastes that taste great together." This time out, it's a combination of a New Belgium ale mixed down with a Frank Boon Kriek Lambic.

Characteristics: Clear red color; very light body; light head but high carbonation; sour cherry flavors run consistently over a neutral base ale, with a tart finish.

Minor Gripes: Perhaps it's because I had a Flemish Sour Ale earlier in the evening, but I could have used just a touch of sweetness in this one. The thinness also takes away from the experience a little -- I don't want a cough syrup, but this beverage could use a little higher viscosity.

Bottom Line: New Belgium deserves big props for pursuing this direction -- melding one of its own brews with a tempermental cherry lambic. A little more weight (and a corresponding touch of sugar), and this entry in the "Lips Of Faith" family would be a grand champion to obliterate Lindemann's Kriek.

Rating: 5 / 10

Unfiltered India Pale Ale -- Long Trail Brewing Co. (Bridgewater Corners, VT)

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:09:32 -0500

WAIT, WAIT, THIS CAN'T BE!!!!

Yes, the Chronicles have finally found an American-made pale ale worth recommending. (Long-time readers may know that the Chronicles have a major aversion to over-hopped ales, particularly those using citrusy hops.) Perhaps the extra yeast, or the fact that it originates in Vermont instead of the West Coast, makes a difference. But I can safely say that Long Trail's Unfiltered IPA has earned a place in my rotation.

Characteristics: Deep gold color, varying from translucent to cloudy (depending on amount of yeast stirred from bottle); medium body, light-to-medium carbonation; tart orange and vanilla flavors at the beginning are moderated by yeast into a grapefruit finish.

Minor Gripes: Since this isn't an English bitter, the hoppy finish is still present and sometimes overwhelming (depending on temperature). And it's unclear (pun intended) whether one is supposed to spin the yeast out of the bottle (like weissbiers) or not. I tried it both ways and preferred the yeasty version.

Bottom Line: Make no mistake, this is an American IPA. But it's a mellow version, eschewing the mega-hop arms race for drinkability and a mellowness that might skew closer to the original IPA (where hops were a preservative, not just an agent for bitterness). And in an age where Sierra Nevada is supposedly on the low end of the IPA spectrum, Long Trail's Unfiltered IPA is nearly unimaginable.

Rating: 6.25 / 10

Disparate interests vs. absurd stereotypes?

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:35:49 -0500

A tech-focused news site offers advice to the English on which beverages to consume while watching the World Cup knockout match between England and Germany. Polite chortling ensues.

Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew -- Kiuchi Brewery (Naka, Ibaraki, Japan)

Mon, 10 May 2010 23:30:00 -0500

I am a ginger fanatic. I also have an interest in creative East Asian beers -- I enjoy sushi and pad thai too much to suffer with pale yellow lagers for the rest of my life. So when I spotted a ginger-brewed beverage in the Hitachino Nest stable, that was pretty much an automatic purchase.

Characteristics: Cloudy reddish-brown color; light-to-moderate carbonation with average head; medium body; mildly sweet opening sets the stage for the ginger to build across a yeasty-biscuit middle for an almost peppery finish. It takes time for the ginger to emerge.

Minor Gripes: Depending on your tolerance for yeast, be careful when pouring since there's a sediment in the bottle. And definitely do not drink this one straight out of the bottle, straight out of the refrigerator... this is probably best consumed from a snifter/tulip glass, approaching room temperature.

Bottom Line: A noble experiment that doesn't quite reach the finish line. I'd like to try this with 50% more ginger in the mash, so that the bite is there at a cooler temperature -- but I also eat pickled ginger without sushi. And I do wonder about quality control in the bottling and labeling at Kiuchi -- the first bottle I tasted was so bland that I may not have gotten the right beverage. (That's happened to me before with Hitachino Nest. I loved the first couple Red Rice Ales I tried -- reddish, medium-bodied experiments on the amber ale theme... but later bottles were thin, cloudy, straw-yellow, and utterly lacking in flavor.)

Rating: 5 / 10

FWD: Coming Soon, To A Music Snob's Fridge Near You

Wed, 05 May 2010 20:23:26 -0500

Courtesy of old friends Maura.com (currently guesting at The Awl) and Dan R.: news of a Moog-styled beer. If I collected bottles or analog synths, this one would most definitely be a keeper. Instead, I will rely on my friends in the Carolinas to hang on to a six-pack for me until I make a southern roadtrip in a few months...

Eibauer Schwarzbier -- Eibau Privatbrauerei I.S.A. (Eibau, Germany)

Tue, 04 May 2010 22:18:28 -0500

I enjoy schwarzbiers (literally, "black beers") -- the malty, slightly sweet cousins to standard pilseners. And though I didn't notice it on my previous visit, Berlin seems to be awash in this particular style. Eibauer (literally and nominatively) hails from Eibau, near the Czech and Polish borders.

Characteristics: Brownish-red color; medium carbonation and head that dissipates fairly quickly; light-to-medium body; consistent flavors of biscuit, malt, yeast, and a little sugar throughout with a little hoppy bite in the finish.

Minor Gripes: Lagers are steady but unexciting (unless hopped within an inch of their lives). In particular, the black lagers follow enough of a formula that distinguishing among them is a challenge.

Bottom Line: Schwarzbiers are a saving grace for those who generally shun yellow lagers and pilseners but find themselves in Germany. Though Kostritzer is my standard reference point, I would certainly choose Eibauer without hesitation.

Rating: 6 / 10

20 Things Worth Knowing About Beer

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:16:49 -0500

The Oatmeal demonstrates how printed infotainment should be done... this time with a handy guide to beer.

(Proper reviews will resume soon, including my Oct. 2009 tasting sessions in Portland, OR and the winter 2010 business trip to Berlin.)

La Folie Sour Brown Ale -- New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO)

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:57:03 -0500

One of my few regrets about living in New York City is the relative scarcity of certain breweries... and New Belgium is prominent on that list. Fat Tire is their best known brew, and 1554 Black Ale is my favorite of their everyday listings. But they've recently launched the "Lips of Faith" series of 22 ounce concoctions that are serious, special beers. And on my maiden voyage to the storied BevMo, I decided to grab two different bottles and then retire to my hotel room for a quiet evening of tasting.

Characteristics: Brown and slightly cloudy with red highlights; light-to-medium body and carbonation; intense sourness from start to finish, in the crab-apple and balsamic vinegar categories, with minimal discernable hops or malt traits.

Minor Gripes: The 22-ounce bottle doesn't always lend itself to a careful pour -- so the yeast that settled in the bottom of the bottle can come rushing out at the end. And there doesn't seem to be any reason for a 6% ABV.

Bottom Line: Sadly, I feel defeated by this beer. I've enjoyed Flanders Sour Ales before, but La Folie seems to ask (and answer) the question of whether it's possible to be too sour. Maybe they could have skipped that last year of fermentation...

Rating: 4.75 / 10

Quick Post: Distilled Geography

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:41:36 -0500

Courtesy of Strange Maps, here's a peek at which beverages are most prominent across Europe.

The closest equivalent I know in the US is the classic "what word do you use to describe a carbonated, sugary beverage" map.

Bourbon County Brand Stout -- Goose Island Beer Co. (Chicago, IL)

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:19:38 -0500

After my excitement at the Innis & Gunn oak-aged ale, I decided to take a flyer on this Goose Island special. It's easily among the densest beers I've ever sampled -- a heavy-duty imperial black ale aged in bourbon barrels. Goose Island first cooked up this beer as its 1000th batch at its original brewpub, with the batch I'm tasting being from their 2008 vintage (two bottles sampled over the past month).

Characteristics: Brownish-black, opaque color; almost no head or carbonation; exceptionally thick body; flavors that range from vanilla to the best burnt caramel ever to a more pedestrian creme brulee to slightly-burnt toast to charcoal-filtered alcohol. (Did you get the idea that there's a major charred element to this one?)

Minor Gripes: I was disappointed at the utter lack of carbonation in my two bottle. Some head, some bubbles would have helped lighten up the body and mouth-feel. A champagne-style bottle with a cork would be far more appropriate, especially since Goose Island claims this one can be aged for up to five years. And I'm not sure that this needs to be a 13% ABV.

Bottom Line: The Bourbon County Stout is not for everyone... imagine that a boilermaker were a shot of Beam dumped into a flat, fully-settled Guinness. But if you like rich, complex, hearty beverages, this one is well worth your time (and the cost -- $7-ish for a 12-ounce bottle).

Rating: 6 / 10

Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter -- Otter Creek Brewing (Middlebury, VT)

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:10:50 -0500

Heavy duty brew from the Wolaver's Organic side of Otter Creek Brewing. Coffee beans used in the brewing process are sourced from the Alta Gracia farm community in the Dominican Republic.

Characteristics: Dark blackish-brown color, nearly opaque; low carbonation and minimal head; thick body that's almost syrupy at times; fairly consistent mix of coffee and chocolate malt flavors, with coffee and slight hoppiness coming out in the finish and vanilla emerging as the beer warms up.

Minor Gripes: None. Amazingly, the beer is consistent across all temperatures.

Bottom Line: This beer is awfully close to the platonic ideal of a coffee stout/porter(*). If you like your iced coffee to be black and thick, this could be your next favorite beer.

Rating: 8 / 10