Ithaca Beer Cold Front

The temperature is over 100 here in NC and I’ve got three bottles of this winter warmer left. The beer laughs at the threat of heat. It might actually be better a little warm.

I’ve previously shared my adoration for Ithaca Beer, one of my favorites from back home in upstate New York. Their apricot wheat is a summertime gem, but a few months back I got my hands on their winter seasonal, Cold Front, just as it was going out of stock. It’s got a 84 on Beer Advocate.

The beer is categorized as a Belgian-amber, which may sound like an odd pairing but is incredibly accurate in how you might expect the beer to turn out. Cold Front mixes the pairing of Belgian candi sweetness with the refreshing aspects of an amber to pull off a hell of a one-two punch.

At about 7 percent ABV, this is a good winter warmer, but you’d never really know it. The alcohol isn’t pronounced in the flavor or smell. The grain bill includes Munich malt and British roasted barley, which says amber, but uses Belgian yeast to give it a wonderful banana ester smell. Eventually, that mixes in with the sweet candi sugar and then earthy fruit notes on the nose, like figs or dates or something that I never actually eat but works great in this fashion.

The taste is where it really shines, which includes the candi sugar and the fresh taste of what I thought of was like wort – a brewing term for unfermented liquid that becomes the beer (after the yeast eat the sugars and poop out the alcohol). All told, it’s just smooth as hell in taste and as it goes down. As far as bottled beers go, it tasted like it was off the tap.

Hit the jump for my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

Sam Adams East-West Kolsch

While pretty straight forward for a “macro” kind of beer, I actually really liked Sam Adams’ East-West Kolsch, which has an 83 on Beer Advocate.

With most of what Sam Adams produces, I’m left with the same kind of response: it’s a good beer, made for a wide audience and could drink more than one. But overall: not incredibly impressed. I don’t fault Sam Adams for this. Their job is to make beers that would be good to everyone and could be had more than one in a sitting. Mission accomplished there. I’m just picky, I suppose.

That’s not to say I didn’t care for the East-West Kolsch. On a whole, I’m usually very cautious with my European-inspired beers. Typically, I don’t care for Americanized versions but really like the beer from the home country. This beer falls somewhere between the two camps. I really liked how this kolsch was ultimately more than just an easy-drinking session-style beer.

There was more complexity on the nose than I expected, with my first impression of fruit, but not exactly knowing what it was. I guess it could’ve been pineapple. Definitely some kind of citrus. Maybe some floral? This is all strange because given the beer style, the overall smell is much more driven by the malt and not the hops.

But the funny thing is, the smell was much more adventurous than the taste. This is where, I suppose, the “macro” production comes into play. The beer is certainly sweet and very crisp. It actually reminds me of a more drinkable Bud Light Platinum. Take that for what you will. Whereas Platinum is very sweet up front and then turns into crappy Bud Light flavor, this keeps a sweetness throughout and, well, isn’t terrible.

All that said, I’d still prefer a kolsch from Germany but this beer will do in a pinch. As with any Sam Adams offering, it’s a quality beer that won’t offend, but shouldn’t blow you away either. It’s perfect if you’re hanging out with others and blowing through one of their seasonal 12-packs.

Hit the jump for my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

Widmer Brothers Kill Devil Brown Ale

Like I said, I’m a fan of beer series.

Widmer Brothers is no exception with their “Brothers Reserve” line of beers, which have included a Cherry Oak Doppelbock (meh), Prickly Pear Braggot (pretty solid) and Barrel Aged Brrrbon (home run), among others. Their Kill Devil brown ale is number six in their series, and could be argued to be at the top of the leaderboard for these seasonal releases. It’s only got eight reviews on Beer Advocate as of today and they fall in at about 3.75 out of 5.

I’d fall higher in that camp and even broke out of my (mostly) vegetarian diet to pair this beer with a bison steak. I figured an earthy, sweet meat would go well with the bite of an imperial brown ale. It’s worth noting that Widmer ages Kill Devil in Puerto Rican rum barrels to gain flavors of ingredients used by Caribbean distillers. I didn’t get any glaringly obvious barrel-aged flavors from this process (oak or vanilla), but it definitely adds to the overall complexity of the beer.

A first whiff of Kill Devil is exactly what you may expect from a brown ale – biscuity and some caramel, which gives it some sweetness. There are most definitely notes of brown sugar and licorice, which, after checking out the Widmer Brothers’ site, tells me that’s what they’re going for. So high five to them for nailing it.

When it comes to the taste of this beer, thank you sir, may I have another? The sweetness that you’re able to find in the smell most definitely carries over into the taste and has just a bit of a sting going down, which I assume is the molasses. I’d never had a beer brewed with molasses before (while I’m actually planning to homebrew one myself) and I really liked it. It reminded me of the same kind of flavor you find from Belgian candi sugars – something you obviously find in Belgian beers. The molasses was definitely sweet, but it was “blackstrap” molasses, which adds some bitterness to it. I didn’t get any hop bitterness from this beer (30 IBUs) so the bitter molasses is a wonderful addition. Honestly, it’s a perfect ingredient for brewing, if you ask me.

While Kill Devil sits at 9.5 percent ABV, the bite of the alcohol is very well hidden behind all the other flavors of the beer. As it warms, it becomes a bit more pronounced, but then it’s left to combat with an increasing sweetness.

*I should note that while I use the word “sweet” often in this post, Kill Devil isn’t some sugary concoction that’s going to give you a rush. It’s all incredibly well balanced to produce a beer that drinks smooth and leaves you wanting more.*

Hit the jump for my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

New Holland Brewing Rye Hatter

I love concept beers, especially when they come in a series. Think Dogfish Head’s Ancient Ales or Mikkeller’s single-hop IPAs, a personal favorite. That’s why I was excited to see, for the first time, New Holland’s Hatter Family series at my local beer store. I had never seen them before, but loved the idea of a line of different IPAs. My store was carrying Farmhouse Hatter (farmhouse IPA), Black Hatter (black IPA) and Rye Hatter (rye IPA). I chose the rye version – as it seemed perfect for the hot spell we were getting in North Carolina. It’s got an 85 on Beer Advocate.

Aside from using rye and barley malt, I couldn’t easily find specifics about the ingredients to this beer. It’s dry hopped, so that at least gives it a lot of great pine and citrus hop smell. It got me very excited for what was in store, which in the end kind of let me down.

While the nose of the beer was wonderful, the flavor just tasted like a dry hopped pale ale – kind of a bland, nonoffensive overall taste that the smell of the beer easily outshines. It’s dry as hell, which left some tartness on my tongue and was kind of a buzzkill as the beer went down. There was definite bitterness, but no pleasant bite to the beer. At just over 6 percent ABV and with no standout hop flavor, that makes sense. Really, it just left me longing for a killer American double IPA that would kick my ass.

At first I thought all this made the beer refreshing given the time of year and what kind of IPA you’d want in the summer, but then I was just disappointed. The beer has the bitterness of an IPA without overall body of flavor and a killer smell. Very weird. Silver lining: the label is really cool. So, there’s that.

Hit the jump for my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

Leffe Blonde

For being such “newbie” in this whole beer nerd thing, Friend Of The Program David Gonos has some pretty great taste. He recently mentioned in a guest blog about his admiration for Leffe Blonde, which just so happened appeared in my fridge not long after. What a pleasant turn of events, considering the beer’s got an 82 on Beer Advocate.

I’ve always liked Belgian beers, but less so Americanized versions. So, it’s always nice to get a taste of the real thing, especially when it doesn’t disappoint.

What I liked most about Leffe Blond was how great it was in its simplicity. It’s not trying to be anything fancy or complicated, just a straight Belgian pale abbey ale. It’s got strong banana esters that are easily the most pronounced part of the smell and taste. There’s also some yeasty malt character in the smell (bread-like, I suppose), but it’s all straight forward.

Ah, but then the taste. The smell doesn’t do it justice. It’s sweet (malt?), there’s banana and a little taste of grape on the finish. It’s so smooth it could easily be a drink-all-day kind of beer. At 6.6 percent ABV, it’s not exactly a session beer, though.

This is all a very shorthand way of saying that I really liked this beer. I’d imagine that it may be a bit too “beery” for drinkers looking for generic, macrobrew flavor, but it’s also so easy that I could see it being accepted by anyone. Trial and error, I suppose.

Hit the jump for my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

JW Lees Harvest Ale (sherry cask aged)

Well this was a wonderful find. The local beer store had a sale on select craft beers this weekend and there just so happened to be a selection of JW Lees‘ various Harvest ales, including one I haven’t had before – the barrel-aged version in sherry casks. The beer (overall) scores a 90 on Beer Advocate, but that encompasses all of the vintages.

A bottle like this deserved to be treated like a wine, essentially, so I paired it with a dinner consisting of tilapia covered with ratatouille, a sweet potato and corn. For the meat eaters out there, I’d highly recommend this beer or its companion versions with a rare/medium rare steak.

The smell of this beer was pretty easy and straight forward – there was the oak of the barrels and almost a wine finish. The star of the show is the flavors.

In order of flavors, I found notes of:

• Sweetness (malt?)
• Molasses
• Oak
• Fig/date
• Caramel
• Chocolate

On a whole, the tasting experience was pretty great. It started sweet, then went to an earthy bitterness, then finished with such an amazing chocolate warmness.

Sediment from the bottle

It was the chocolate at the end that was amazing, which was probably assisted by the amount of sediment that had accrued in the bottle over time. There was a lot and it was chunky. However, the complexity of beer was outstanding. Between the number of flavors and ABV (11.5 percent) it’s one of the most drinkable barleywines I’ve had. It has the same kind of kick on each aftertaste/finish, but nothing that’s going to bowl you over as you sip it. Did on 9.3-ounce bottle get my drunk? No. Did it give me a good kick to the teeth? A bit.

These bottles are a bit pricey but worth the experience. For an easier drink, keep it cold and drink fast. For a full experience, let it warm for 15-20 minutes and then enjoy.

Hit the jump for “Rate That Beer” notes.

Fantasy football, beer and grunting

Today I’m just a slab of steak and explosion away from my Manliest Post Ever upon a return trip to Friend Of The Program David Gonos’ website.

My task? A fantasy football/beer mashup or sorts, pairing beers with players. Get a taste of what Aaron Rodgers offers below then click through to find out what you need to drink to properly party with Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, the rowdiest Patriot of them all.

Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam

“Oh, I love pumpkin!”

“Yeah, babe, this will be awesome.”

Such was the interaction between an overly tanned, out-of-place 20-something fraternity/sorority couple standing in front of me as I inched my way through a line to the Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales table at World Beer Festival-Raleigh.

“No,” I replied with more indignation than should be included in a single word. “That’s just the name of the brewery.”

Disappointment abounded with Babe. Awesome Guy didn’t seem to much care. I feigned an apology.

Either way, I was excited for my first experience with Jolly Pumpkin then and I was equally excited for my second tasting with a bottle of their Weizen Bam Farmhouse Wheat, which I had all to myself. It’s got a 91 on Beer Advocate. Generally speaking, it earns that number, too.

What I think benefits Weizen Bam the most is the complexity of the aroma and flavor. Jolly Pumpkin ages all their beers in barrels with wild yeast (read: “bacteria”) which gives them a wonderful, light, sour character. With the Weizen Bam, it was only unfortunate that this doesn’t truly come through until you’ve let the beer warm quite a bit.

With a deep whiff, sour cherry is most definitely the most distinguishable smell, although it’s nothing off-putting. It’s the perfect amount, especially for someone who may not (yet) care for sour beers. That’s because it mixes well with notes of grass and tropical fruit – mostly banana. You may have to search for those because you recognize the cherry so easily, but they’re there.

It’s much of the same with the beer’s taste, which doesn’t really start rocking until its sat out at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so. A 25-ounce bottle actually works out well for one person because at 4.5 percent ABV, it’s not going to knock you off your feet and you benefit from letting the bottle sit as you sip your first serving from a glass. Win-win.

The beer has a good, balanced body. The mouthfeel is light, but filling. It’s got some weight to it. Taken cold, it’s more refreshing than anything. Taken warm, it’s got all the flavors of the smell, plus some spiciness to it. Jolly Pumpkin notes it as clove and nutmeg. Makes sense.

No, this isn’t a pumpkin beer – but they did, ironically, finally start making one last year. Will I spend another $12 on this one? Probably not. Will I spend $12 on a different brew? Probably. It’s well spent.

Hit the jump for some quick notes from my “Rate That Beer” sheet.

We made a friend! or: Guest post on Knee Deep Ryedentity Crisis and Stone IPA

Surely I can’t drink all the beers by myself? Now I’ve got some help from Friend Of The Program David Gonos. He was kind enough to take a few beer recommendations and report back. It’s all a matter of setting him on the path of righteousness – and he’s already learned a lot from doing some homework at Beer Advocate! Good man.

David headed over to his local Total Wine, so let’s grab a pint and get social. On with the fireworks … This Is Why He‘s Drunk:

Here are my analyses of two of the beers that Bryan assigned me. This first beer was tasted before I learned what to look for, how to taste it and how to describe it. I learned it recently and I can only hope I learn more as I try to become a better amateur beer expert!

Knee Deep Ryedentity Crisis
Knee Deep Brewing Company, Lincoln, California

This was the very first beer I drank as part of my “assignment.” It’s a mild, fruity beer that actually reminded me a little bit of Leffe Blond from Belgium – my favorite beer ever. Heck, even their website is classy!

An American craft beer that tastes like a beer I drank from Belgium!?! Identity crisis indeed!!!

A couple years ago, I traveled to Germany to visit Erik and Rachel, two friends from back-in-the-day. Erik was stationed there in the army and he introduced me to several beers while I was there. But a trip to Belgium with Rachel one day turned me on to Leffe Blonde – which means I like this new beer aplenty!

This Ryedentity Crisis is absolutely fantastic – and I fear it will be the best of the bunch. Eating this along with some warm, fresh crusty bread and butter would be perfect. It has a nice, soft, sweet taste that goes down well as a pre- or post-dinner treat.

(Note: I can NOT believe that I compared it to a Belgium beer, and then read that it is a saison (French for “season”), which is a beer generally associated with Belgium. This is like making a guess for a pie in Trivial Pursuit and nailing it!)

This Amateur Beer Expert Says: If warm buttered bread isn’t doing it for you, then consider drinking it with a huge bowlful of mussels cooked with garlic, butter and white wine?

This second beer was tasted after I did some reading and discovered what I’m trying to taste.

Great Divide 18th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

A barrel-aged double IPA you say? Why yes, I would like to try that. While I haven’t ventured deep into the selection of Great Divide, I can attest to the quality of Colorado brews. Great Divide’s 18th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA caught my eye for these reasons. It’s got an 85 on Beer Advocate.

I was surprised at the relative lack of good carbonation/head from the beer, but that didn’t stop the smell. There are lots of hops here, for sure, but blocked by something else. My initial impression is that it’s definitely from the barrel aging, but I can’t easily find what kind of barrel used for the aging process, as Great Divide only mentions “French and American oak” in their official info. The malt could definitely play into that, but again, no easily discernible information. In a grand, overall description, it does smell like a double IPA aged in wood. You get a whiff of hops and then the strong alcohol from the barrel. I just wish I could get some more specifics. The amount of hops must be pretty high to break through to this degree. I’d actually love to try a version of this that wasn’t aged. Hop-bomb galore.

On my first sip I really liked how the hop flavor takes away from the usual heavy alcohol-driven barrel bite. Like the smell, it’s easy to get “French and American oak” flavor, but the hops do a good job at knocking it out. It’s as if the amount of hops should make the beer sweet (hop-bomb galore) but then the barrel flavor takes over. As the beer warms, it made it harder for me to drink it. After a while the barrel just takes over any semblance of hops. It had been a while since my last barrel-aged beer, but this was probably a good reentry – at least for the first half of the bottle.

Overall, I think Great Divide does a really good job finding balance with this beer, considering the two extremes – the hopiness of a double IPA and the alcohol flavor of the barrel aging process. I feel like most of the time I’ll get one or the other, but at least initially, this is an ideal split between the two.