Beer Review – Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale

A while ago, I had stopped at Roger Wilco to pick up a mixed six and grabbed a Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale as one of the six. Sadly, over the ensuing months, the beer fridge has seen its fair share of Gogurts and yogurts and half pint water bottles tossed about , so the Old Man Winter much like the old man in the house had been cast aside and neglected. During a restock, I found the Old Man and rescued it. I had initially bought the Old Man as I enjoy winter ales and we have enjoyed the Harvest Ale, the Imperial Pumking and the 2XIPA. Now, that it is mid-Spring it may be a bit out of season but I find myself with a few minutes to myself and right now I don’t care.

Here is what Southern Tier has to say about their Old Man Winter Ale:

Our winter offering is here to quell your shivers and get you through the coldest of nights. A rich marriage of hops and barley to cast light upon the evening and melt your mind out of the snowdrifts. Old Man Winter’s earthy hue and thickness lace around the glass, inviting you to linger in its warmth and share the spirits of the season with your friends and family. A deceptively strong brew, its best to sit and ponder with this old man, sip by sip.

I found the Old Man to be…

• Appearance: A copper color with a nice tan foam.
• Aroma: A big blast of sweet malt followed with a fragrant hoppy and somewhat piney scent.
• Taste: Fizzy, a little chewy and somewhat doughy with a spicy middle and nice hit of hoppy finish.
• ABV: 7%

There is a lot going on with this one. Not bad but maybe a little out of balance. I found the flavors to follow one another rather than blend with one another. Malty upfront and then spicy (allspice, nutmeg) and then a hoppy finish. It was good but not great.

Beer Review – Narragansett Porter

A while back, I met G-Lo for lunch and on the way back to the train, I heard the siren’s call and found myself in the Foodery. Along with a number of sours (to further my education), I picked up a beer that I was fairly certain I would like, the Narragansett Porter. I am a big fan of the style and find that it is great by itself or as a complement to a meal. Anyway, the beer comes from the Naragansett Brewing Company. ‘Gansett was founded in  Cranston, RI in 1888. After a variety of ownership changes, the beginning and end of Prohibition and then several more ownership changes, Narragansett, in 2005, was purchased by a group of Rhode Island investors. Today, production is contract brewed by the Genesee Brewing Co. The lager and light beers are brewed by in Rochester, NY while the bock and porter are craft-brewed in Providence, RI and Pawcatuck, CT.

Here is what Narragansett has to say about their Porter:

Beer Review – Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast

With the Superbowl on the TV and friends and family over until at least halftime, I had to provide some liquid refreshments. For my brother, a six pack of Labatt’s would do. However, for some of the craftier members of the viewing audience, I selected two bombers from Mikkeller: the Invasion IPA and the Beer Hop Breakfast. Sadly, the Invasion IPA went down a little too fast for notes but I was able to keep my wits about me long enough to put together a few notes on the Beer Hop Breakfast. G-LO and I had split a bomber of the Mikkeller Draft Bear and I just had to go back for more when I saw the two bottles over at Roger Wilco.

Mikkeller is my new favorite brewer as they are a gypsy brewer and don’t actually have any facilities of their own and borrow capacity from brewers in Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the United States. I love that it is possible to operate a brewery without any actual plant. All you need are some great recipes and a relationship with a brewery with excess capacity, and you too could be in the beer business. The Beer Hop Breakfast is brewed at Amager Bryghus, a Danish microbrewer known for their Hr. Frederiksen (a Russian Imperial Stout), their Rugporter (an American Porter) and their Sundby Stout (an American Stout).

Here is what Mikkeller has to say about the Beer Hop Breakfast (at least I think this is what Mikkeller says as the Google translator has taken the Danish to English):

Beer Review – Williams Brothers Brewing Company Kelpie Seaweed Ale & Alba Scots Pine Ale

My better half gave me a sampler of the historic ales from Scotland. This sampler pack is from Williams Brothers Brewing Company, a Scottish brewer that began “operations” in 1988 using a single recipe and space at a 5 barrel brewery. Today, Williams Brothers is the sole remaining brewer in Alloa, Scotland and has a line-up of 24 beers. A part of this line-up consists of the 4 bottles from the sampler. Made with such fine additives as elderberries, heather, kelp and pine, I wasn’t quite sure whether to thank her or quietly dispose of the sampler in the recycle bin. Not one to waste a beer, I chose the former and placed the bottles in the mini-fridge until such time as I had worked up enough nerve to give them a try. At New Year’s Eve, I gave the Fraoch Heather Ale and the Ebulum – Elderberry black ale a try. Now, it was time to break down and give the Seaweed Ale a try. While I am all for experimentation in the fermentation process, I have to admit that the use of seaweed had a bit worried. In an attempt to assuage my fears, I consulted the Williams Bros. website.

Here is what Williams Brothers has to say about the Kelpie Seaweed Ale:

Prior to the 1850′s Scottish coastal alehouses brewed with malted barley, grown in fields fertilised by seaweed. This environment gave the barley a very specific flavour which we recreate by the inclusion of fresh seaweed in the mash tun. A rich dark chocolate ale, which has the aroma of a fresh Scottish sea breeze and a distinctive malty texture.

I found the Kelpie to be:

• Appearance: Mahogany with light foam.
• Aroma: Roasted malt, chocolate, a little coffee, roasted nuts and dried fruit.
• Taste: A little thin, a little flat with a fair amount of sweetness and a slight acrid, coffee flavor in the finish.
• ABV: 4.4%

This looked and smelled like a beautiful beer. Unfortunately, it lost a little something in the bottle. I found it too be just okay and not all that remarkable.

The last bottle was the Alba Scots Pine Ale. I suspected this would be more like a Belgian Ale with the obvious pine flavors and a lot of hops and after a quick consultation with the Williams Brothers site (they call it a “Tripel”), I was pretty sure I was correct.

Here is what Williams Brothers has to say about the Alba:

A traditional Highland recipe, popular in Northern Scotland until the end of the 19th Century. This “triple” style ale is spiced with sprigs of spruce and pine, harvested in the spring and brewed with only a small token handful of hops . Break out the goblets and pour with abandon. Rich, tawny and best enjoyed at Room temperature.

I found the Alba to be:

• Appearance: Cloudy, orange (like orange blossom honey) with a quickly dissipating foam.
• Aroma: Sweet malt, citrus and pine.
• Taste: Sweet and a little syrupy with a very citrusy (apricot nectar) flavor and a slightly tart, soft hoppy finish.
• ABV: 7.5%

This was undeniably the best of the four that I sampled. I would probably rank them Alba, Fraoch, Ebulum and Kelpie. The Alba tasted like a traditional tripel and had all of the flavor that one would expect from a good Belgian beer. Once again, I must thank my better half for her unique purchase as it provided me with an opportunity to try four distinctive beers.

Whiskey Review – Jameson Crested Ten

Last Fall, I was lucky enough to travel to the old sod over Jersey Week. A part of my spoils was a bottle of Jameson’s Crested Ten. This is sort of tweener, somewhere between the original Jameson and the more refined 12 but at a price point that is a lot closer to the original Jameson than it is to the 12. After I had made my selections at the Duty Free Shop in Dublin, the clerk commented on what a value the Crested Ten was. A quick look at the Celtic Whiskey shop reveals that the” brand was launched in 1963 and is Jameson’s oldest bottled brand. Not 10 years old as the name suggests, it is a fuller, richer, spicy, sherried version of the regular Jameson with the majority of the blend being 7-8 years with approximately 60% of the blend being pot still and 40% grain. Full-bodied with soft, delicate sherry undertones, toasted wood, perfectly balanced with fruit, spices and chocolate.” They go a step further and include a quote from Jim Murray’s A Taste of Irish Whiskey:

A whiskey of great finesse which is balanced beautifully between sweet and dry, light notes and heavy ones. Like all great Irish whiskeys, for the most satisfying results, this should not be sipped but taken by the mouthful and swallowed slowly.

I found the Crested Ten to be:

• Appearance: Golden honey with good legs
• Aroma: Toffee, heather and faint hint of mint tea.
• Taste: Spicy on the tongue (peppery) with a nice balance of sweetness (toffee, vanilla and mint) and a velvety smooth, warming finish.
• ABV: 40%

Lately, I have found that bottles at 40% ABV have become almost too soft and lack that oomph that is clearly discernible from something bottled at 43% – 46%. My complaint has been that what the spirit may have developed in smoothness it lost in an almost watered down quality. This was certainly not the case with the Crested Ten. Truth be told, I am a huge fan of all things Jameson; from the Original, to the Gold, to the 12 and the 18 to Red Breast and Midleton; just put it through their quality checks and put John’s signature on the bottle and I am sold. And, the Crested Ten did not disappoint. My only gripe, the bottle was only a 700ml. So, now I must savor what is left and keep it from the fellows. This will not make an appearance at Dregs Night.

Beer Review – Boaks Monster Mash

Briefly abandoning my love of the mixed six, I went out and picked up a couple of six packs (a number of sharing opportunities were on the horizon) from Kress Liquors. One of those six packs was the Boaks Monster Mash. I was intrigued for two reasons. First, I had the opportunity to try Boaks at last year’s Brewer’s Plate. At that time, I was treated to a sample in three stages of aging from Brian Boaks, former homebrewer turned microbrewer. It was a unique and eye-opening experience. The second reason involved the style of the Monster Mash. I love a good Russian Imperial Stout or RIS (not to be confused with a R.O.U.S. or Rodent of Unusual Size which is obviously something completely different). Boaks has four other beers in their line-up:  The Abbey Brown Ale, the Double BW (Belgian Wheat), Two Blind Monks (a Belgian Dubbel) and Wooden Beanie (an aged version of the Abbey Brown Ale mixed with vanilla beans and aged in Jack Daniels barrels).

Here is what Boaks has to say about the Monster Mash:

Beer Review – Harpoon Chocolate Stout

Photo courtesy of Harpoon Brewery

Having recently had Harpoon’s Leviathan Baltic Porter, I went in search of another Harpoon as I filled a mixed six of stout and winter warmers over at Roger Wilco’s Voorhees location. I found a bottle of their Chocolate Stout that sounded like it would be right in my wheelhouse. For those who don’t know Harpoon, they are one of the first craft brewers in New England and date all the back to 1986. That’s over 25 years of production which to craft brewing is like the Stone Age. They have plants in Boston and Windsor, VT and staying true to their craft beer roots are still operated under the watchful eye of founders Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary. Harpoon has six year-round beers (the Harpoon IPA is their best seller), four seasonals, the 100 Barrel Series, the Leviathan Series and some limited releases (like the Chocolate Stout). As of April 2012, Harpoon was the 8th largest craft brewer in the US and the 3rd biggest on the East Coast behind the Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams) at No. 1 and the Matt Brewing Company (Saranac) at No. 6.

Here is what Harpoon has to say about their Chocolate Stout:

Beer Review – Ichtegem’s Grand Cru

To further my education on sours, I have followed G-Lo’s lead and picked up the Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale, the Cuvée des Jacobins Flemish Sour Ale, the Duchesse De Bourgogne Flemish Red Ale and the Rodenbach Original. Some of this education has been met with great success (The Duchesse and the Rodenbach) and some has been met with a mixed review (The Monk’s was a little to cherry and the Jacobins was too tart for me). Recently, after meeting G-Lo for lunch, I stopped in the Foodery and found a bottle of Ichtegem’s Grand Cru and thought I would further my education. The Ichtegem’s Grand Cru is brewed by the Belgian brewer, Brouwerij Strubbe located in Ichtegem, Belgium. The brewer falls under the umbrella of brands within the B. United International portfolio.

While the first line on the label suggested that this was a Flemish Red Ale, I was intrigued by the Oud Bruin label at the bottom. A quick check at Beer Advocate confirmed that this was not the same as a Flemish or Flanders Red Ale but a different style.  Here is what Beer Advocate has to say about this style:

Oud Bruins, not restricted to, but concentrated in Flanders, are light to medium-bodied, deep copper to brown in colour. They are extremely varied, characterized by a slight vinegar or lactic sourness and spiciness to smooth and sweet. A fruity-estery character is apparent with no hop flavor or aroma. Low to medium bitterness. Very small quantities of diacetyl are acceptable. Roasted malt character in aroma and flavor is acceptable, at low levels. Oak-like or woody characters may be pleasantly integrated into overall palate. Typically old and new Brown ales are blended, like Lambics.

Here is what B. United International has to say about the Grand Cru:

Beer Review – Innis & Gunn Rum Cask

Recently, after meeting G-LO for lunch, I stopped in The Foodery and put together a mixed six. One of the bottles was Innis & Gunn’s Rum Cask. I selected the bottle as a result of the beautiful amber color that beckoned through the clear glass. It didn’t hurt that I was looking for something that I hadn’t had and I am a fan of Scotch Ales. Innis & Gunn is renowned for their oak aging process and went from using American oak barrels to maturing their beers in former whiskey and rum casks. This has taken good beer and imparted the characteristics of the oak, whiskey or rum barrels to elevate their beers to something special. The Rum cask is a Scotch Ale that is aged in recycled rum casks for 57 days. This beer was awarded a bronze medal at the 2011 International Beer Challenge. Other well regarded beers are the Irish Whisky Cask (a stout aged in Irish whiskey barrels for 60 days) which took the Gold Medal at the 2012 International Beer Challenge and the Winter Treacle Porter (a porter aged in oak for 39 days) that took the Silver at the 2012 World Beer Championships.

Here is what Innis & Gunn has to say about the Rum Cask:

Whisky Review – Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask No. 48.26 and Cask No. 125.51

As I start most of these posts, a couple of weeks ago, G-LO received the following four whisky samples from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America:

• Cask No. 3.184 aka “Arabesques of ash and high kicks of coal”
• Cask No. 48.26 aka “In a wild garden, late summer”
• Cask No. 125.51 aka “Perfumed sweetness and zesty fruits”
• Cask No. G9.1 aka “Sweet and sour mélange”

With this shipment (the December Outturn), G-LO chose Cask No. 3.184 and Cask No. G9.1 (you can see his review here). That left me with Cask No. 48.26 and Cask No. 125.51.  Truth be told, I knew from past experience that the 125.51 was from Glenmorangie. As I really do enjoy the distiller, I began with Cask No. 155.51. But first, the tasting notes from the Society for Cask No. 125.51: