A Pint Half Full

It's September which means Fall is here (who cares if it's still 90 degrees outside, September means FALL!!!)  and along with that comes your Octoberfest and Pumpkin beers.  The Sam Adams Octoberfest was released last week and DFH Punkin Ale released today.  Be on the lookout for these two offerings as well as the other seasonals.

I partook in the Sam Adams Octoberfest last week at my fantasy football draft out of a bottle.  I think it'd taste better in a glass but it did have an odd taste to it.  It had a bit of the natural pumpkin flavor with a rush of sweet malt at the front of the drink and then just kind of faded.  I was a bit disappointed with it but will have to reserve judgement until I have it in a glass.  I'd say it's a little better than last year's however.

I was fortunate to attend the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale release party at the Fairfax, VA branch of the DFH Alehouse and had some fresh Punkin Ale by the pint.  I must say that it is more subtle and balanced in its flavor profile than last year's; balancing the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars very well whereas last year's was a bit more on the sweet side.  Definitely pick up a 4-pack if you find it and like pumpkin beers.  Enjoy!

Summer is well underway, along with barbecues, pool parties, beach parties, and all the "summer" edition brews that accompany these occasions.  Typically light in alcohol content, crisp, and refreshing, summer styles are made for long summer days and nights, hanging out with friends.   Seems like the first summer beers come out mid-May and circulate until around August timeframe.  Believe it or not, beyond the normal mass produced fodder you'll find from A-B, Miller, and Coors, smaller breweries like Bell's or Magic Hat release some stuff especially for the summer too.  This year, I sampled a few summer beers from some other breweries and I can say that though they are better balanced and cleaner tasting, they are not all that great either!  But I'm going to rank the ones I did try so here are the 5 beers I've tried so far:

5.  Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale - Syrupy like when you mix honey with water.  That's all I could taste and could not get over in this beer.  Yuck.

4.  Samuel Adams Summer Ale - They equated summer beer with citrus.  Way too much lemon zest that made this almost sour and too tangy for me.  The tang hangs around and left this film in my mouth that's not good for the summer obviously.  Still sticking to the Boston Lager.

3.  Sierra Nevada Summerfest - Clear, clean taste but minimal flavor.  Notes of grassy, piney hops if you really look for it.  Very effervescent which helps the refreshment factor but overall a little bland!  A little yeasty in the aftertaste.  Harmless fun.

2.  Bell's Oberon - Nice light medium body and hints of orange sweetness.  Some peppery notes.  Thirst quenching.  Not bad and fits into the summer style well.

1.  Magic Hat Wacko - Best of the bunch.  Seriously, it's berry colored.  The taste had hint of cherries which I loved rather than the typical citrus hints.  Nice malt backbone and would be pleasant on any summer day.

Try picking some of these up and let me know what you think.

I was browsing around my Netflix streaming library and saw the movie "Beer Wars" available for streaming.  I thought perhaps this movie was like "Beerfest", a comedy about a beer olympic competition.  Far from it, "Beer Wars" is a documentary about the beer industry in America, attempting to explain why the "Big Three" beer companies dominate the market and how difficult it is for smaller breweries to gain marketshare and bring their products to the masses.  The documentary pretty much demonizes the Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors companies and makes you want to never buy or drink their products again.  It highlights Dogfish Head Brewing as an up and coming brewery trying to make its mark on the beer world and contrasts the passion of one man to the profit-scheming of corporations.   The director, Anat Baron, is pretty annoying as the narrator (see Michael Moore), admits that she is allergic to alcohol, and was the CEO of Mike's Hard Lemonade prior to making this movie (which knocked her credibility down a bit for me - that stuff is weak!).  However, it's a decent documentary, creating this David vs Goliath story and portraying the craft beer world with love and passion.  I did not like the extreme bias against and repeated hatred for the larger brewing companies (we get it!) and the following of one story line which seemed to contradict the agenda the movie was trying to promote.  Read on for more of my thoughts.

I wanted to get this blog entry in as we are going through round 2 of the end of the world, I mean, zombieland, I mean, a snow storm.  The snow started Friday afternoon-evening and continued straight through Saturday.  I mean it snowed for about 24 hours straight.  Friday morning I went out to the grocery stores and everyone was preparing for 2012 (Mayan-style) or something, not realizing that the snow would be over by Sunday.  More importantly, the snow happened on Super Bowl Weekend, foiling any plans I may have had to go gorge myself on junk food and beer while watching football with friends.  Instead, my wife and I had to gorge and drink with each other. 

I had bought some Otter Creek Copper Ale from Trader Joe's, and we finished up the Brewmaster's Collection from Sam Adams, including the Scotch Ale, Boston Ale, and Cream Stout.  All of these were unique with one not meeting expectations.  Read on for more deets...

Purchased from:
Still working off those gifts...

ABV%:
5.3%

Color:
Hazy yellow, golden wheat color.  Decent frothy head.

Aroma:
Lemons and citrus hops.  Tangy.

Taste:
Somewhat thin and watery.  Slight citrusy hop taste at the front, finishes smooth and especially dry.  Definite taste of the zing from lemons.  Light flavors all around.

Overall:
I've come to believe that the Boston Beer Company can be genius at times and at other times, utterly fail.  The Boston Lager still stands on its own as one of my favorite beers.  The flavor is consistent, balanced, and full providing you a hops fix with a nice maltiness.  It's just solid.  The Sam Adams Coastal Wheat is one of those "other times" unfortunately, when they step away from their forte and try something new. 

I must preface by saying I'm not a big Hefeweizen, wheat beer guy and I don't drink it much.  The Coastal Wheat is brewed in this style.  A wheat beer must be brewed with at least 60%-70% wheat malt rather than barley malt.  This gives these beers a more fruity, spicy flavor and impart a golden hazy color.  Sam Adams has gotten the color down here but the rest of the beer doesn't stand up for itself.  They had to add a bunch of lemon zest to the brew.  You smell and taste the tartness of the lemons that it overpowers anything the beer had to offer.  Which isn't to say the beer itself had much to offer.  It's kind of fizzy and soda water-y.  Really low hop bitterness and without any natural flavors from the wheat malt detected.  I suppose it was refreshing and crisp, but at the cost of any substantial flavor whatsoever.

2/5

Purchased from:
Gift!

ABV%:
5.2%

Type:
Pilsner

Color:
Clear golden color

Aroma:
Grassy, piney, fresh

Taste:
Tastes of pine with a bright hop flavor, bitterness clears making way to a yeasty, clean, dry finish.  Light bodied.

Overall:
This came in the Sam Adams Brewmaster Collection and this is one of the beers in the case that really intrigued me.  The Sam Adams Noble Pils is the only pilsner-style lager from Boston Beer that I've had and was excited since I like the style.  A pilsner lager should have a nice hop distinction, have a clean, dry finish with minimal malt sweetness.  Interestingly, there was a bit of yeast taste in the finish as well.  This kept it tasting light rather than heavy.

Boston Beer has brewed this one with all 5 'Noble' hops which definitely brings the hop aroma and taste to the forefront.  It may sound like the Noble Pils was super strong but actually, that's the thing about the pilsner, it is not overwhelming or in your face like an IPA; this was well balanced but definitely with a focus on hop presence.  It's too bad this is only offered as a "seasonal" from Sam Adams.  I'd pick this up any time of the year.

3.75/5

Note: This is part 6 in a series documenting the countries of Epcot Center and the beers they serve.

Next stop on our trip around the world was my personal favorite country, the United States of America.  The moment I walked into the town square, I felt a sense of national pride.  With a brick walkway and red,white and blue flags draped everywhere, America at Epcot is designed to mimic Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  There is a large "town square" where you can watch a drum and fife corps perform some of America's "greatest hits" - songs you don't know the name of but have heard when you learned about the revolutionary war in 6th grade.

No trip to America would be complete without junk food and beer.

Purchased from:
Giant Supermarket

ABV%:
5.8%

Type:
Lager

Color:
Deep brown which poured a relatively thick head

Aroma:
Mainly brown sugar malt, a bit of floral hops with a tinge of cinnamon

Taste:
Full bodied, sweet, a little spicy from the cinnamon ending with a little bit of hop bitters and warming alcohol

Overall:
After my disappointment in the Sam Adams Octoberfest, I went into the Winter Lager with lowered expectations. In previous years batches, I remembered tasting alot more spices in the mix but this year's is much more mild.   It is easy to drink and has more malt taste as it is quite sweet.  The cinnamon is prevalent to add a spicy, icy-hotness.  This is balanced with a bit of hop bitterness to counteract the sweet backbone.  The alcohol content along with the warming spices and sweetness make this a pleasant drink during the cold months ahead.  A quality, solid offering from Sam Adams once again.
 
3.5/5

So you've seen the commercials, talking about how Boston Brewing Company has created a highly technical, seemingly well thought-out design for a beer glass.  Different than your typical pint glass or tall mug, this glass purports to "elevate the craft beer drinking experience" and that they have "create[d] a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory drinking experience".  They've optimized it for drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager but the concept, to me, probably applies to most beers.  Here are the ways in which the glass hopes to accomplish delivering a superior taste, color and aroma when you drink your brew (this is from the manual they sent with the glasses).

1. Bead inside the rim to create turbulence and release taste and aroma as beer enters the mouth - I thought there would be actual beading around the rim of the glass but this is actually a raised lip.  
2. Narrowing the glass at the top retains hop aroma and head
3. Rounded shape collects aromas
4. Laser etching at the bottom creates bubbles for constant aroma release
5. Outward lip delivers beer to front of the tongue where sweetness (malt) is tasted
6. Thinner walls and rounded shape help maintain proper beer temperature longer

Apparently they've been out for a while but I finally got my hands on a set and was able to compare with the regular pint glass.  So - does this glass live up to the expectations?  Does their research and technical knowledge of beer enhance the drinking experience?  Do each of those 6 technical aspects do what they are supposed to?  In a nutshell, the glass didn't blow me away with its flavor boosting power, but compared to a regular glass, it definitely brings out the flavors of the beer consistently as you drink and overall works well.  They are a little expensive but I would recommend buying some if you can find them on sale or if you are getting serious about your drink.  Read on for details...

Purchased from: 
Whole Foods, Fair Lakes

ABV: 
5.4%

Type: 
Lager

Color: 
Beautiful dark amber color.

Smell:
 Sweet malt on the bottom and flowery bouquet with some alcohol fragrance.

Taste:
 Malty initial which fades fast. Hops take over and linger to the end but the blend of sweet and bitter remain.

Overall:
 So my Renaissance Festival experience wasn't too far off with this beer. The Sam Adams Octoberfest is a pleasant beer resulting in a sweet, dry flavor with slight bitterness. Due to the use of Noble hops, it does have a different, less harsh bite than other beer and the use of the 5 different malts makes the beer overall pretty sweet tasting.  As seen from a lack of a thick head, the Octoberfest is actually very light and once the flavor fades, it leaves a clean mouthfeel. However, the beer doesn't taste robust enough and rather, tastes "thin". In the end, the beer is pretty smooth and drinkable but I would have liked a little more complexity to the flavor. Unfortunate because I really wanted to like this beer.

2.5/5

Ah Labor Day weekend. Had a good time this weekend relaxing and having fun with some friends - and of course, drinking a few beers! First up was the Maryland Renaissance Festival (Renny Fest). You get all the campiness that you'd expect: turkey legs, miscellaneous meats on stakes/sticks/lances, fat guys posing as knights in shining armor, and impossible carnival games (those crossbows do NOT shoot straight). In addition to exceeding the expectations for festival cliches, the Renny Fest offered a decent selection of beer. On tap was Sam Adams Octoberfest and Cream Stout, Killians, Coors Light, and Hardcore Cider. I was excited about the 2 SA offerings and mainly sampled those during my afternoon in the mediaeval times.

Sunday, the merriment continued as my wife and I went back to Rustico for the second time. This restaurant has a HUGE beer selection with about 15 beers on tap and a whole book of bottles. Food is better than the usual new american and their woodfired pizzas are quite good with a tasty dough. They sort their beer by flavor (crisp, hoppy, roast...). I was in the mood for something hoppy and crisp after the cream stouts I had on Saturday and tried the Southern Tier Harvest Ale and Dale's Pale Ale. Both delicious with pizza and fries.

Impressions of all beers after the link.