Here’s the complete list of the 107 flagship beers sorted by their overall BA grades. The breweries all come from my earlier “Expanded GPA” post which ranked 107 of the best breweries in the US based on the overall averages of their brews (an earlier post explains in more detail): Read the rest of this entry »
FLAGSHIPS BY GRADE
February 28, 2010
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Ale Factories, Best/Worst | Tagged: Flagship | 
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Posted by Barley McHops
CAPTURE THE FLAGSHIP
February 28, 2010
Commercial brewing is, first and foremost, a business.
It’s something that members of Alehead Nation (myself included) tend to forget. We bristle at the thought of another boring pale ale or one-note brown ale being released onto the shelves of our local package stores. Why can’t breweries just focus on aggressively hopped double IPAs or dark-as-sin, coffee-infused, oatmeal imperial stouts? Simple…those beers don’t pay the bills. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Barley McHops
ALLAGASH ODYSSEY
February 26, 2010
As there is already plenty of information on this site about the Allagash Brewery in Portland, ME, I don’t think any further detail is necessary. Just to refresh the memories of our devoted folower(s) though, this tasting is in response to the heated debate between myself and Brother Barley over the merits of the Men from Maine. I for one never found them all that appealing, Senor McHops however wanted to make their little corner of Portland a suburb of Bruxelles. Let’s just say my friend thinks Allagash puts out some pretty good Belgian style ales. I first re-tasted one from their regular lineup, the Double, which I quite enjoyed. If people are talking up the virtues of Allagash though, I’m sure it’s not the Double and the often-exalted White they’re referring too. I give you, the oak-aged Odyssey. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: Allagash, Belgian Style, Maine, Northeast, Odyssey | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
BOOZE WARS
February 25, 2010
When the Baron threw down the gauntlet to name some prestige beers, I added the name of a beer I knew very little about, the Schorschbraeu Schorschbock 40. This ridiculous brew was created by the tiny Schorschbraeu brewery in southern Germany and all I really knew about it was that it was an 80-proof beer. Why would you drink an 80-proof beer? For the same reason you’d drink Absinthe…just to say that you did.
Little did I realize that the Schorschbock 40 was just another missile in the escalating and hilarious arms war between Schorschbraeu and the BrewDog brewery in Scotland (I told you the Scottish knew what they were doing!). Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Ale Factories | Tagged: BrewDog, Schorschbrau | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
THE BRUERY RUGBROD
February 25, 2010
In case you ever needed to whip out some quick Danish, Rugbrod means Rye Bread in the native tongue. Is that useful knowledge? Probably not. Would it be better if you learned about a delicious offering from Orange County CA? I would think so.
I don’t generally go on and on about a particular brewery because I figure anything you really need to know you could find out on your own. If there’s something of particular interest to me though, sure, I’ll pass it along. With The Bruery, I’ll simply paraphrase two profound statements from their website. One, they make beer with character and depth using the simplest and purest of ingredients. Two, they make it a point to tell you what’s in their beers. Those two statements sound simple enough, but if a brewery can come out and say that and get their beers right, they make you want to support them. After my first taste of The Bruery, I’m a supporter. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: California, Rugbrod, Rye, The Bruery, West Coast | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
THE WARMTH OF WINTER
February 24, 2010
A heated debate recently arose amongst the Aleheads. Insults were hurled. Bodily harm was threatened. Gwen Ifill was called in to moderate…
As usual, this debate revolved around that most highly controversial of beers…the Harpoon Winter Warmer.
The Winter Warmer is NOT a good beer. I accept this. It is a poorly balanced, one-note offering, and barely tastes like a brew. It has declined in recent years as it is now brewed with liquid spice and not actual spices…supposedly after some customers complained of spice sediment at the bottom of the bottle.* Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | Ale Factories, Best/Worst | Tagged: Harpoon, Winter Warmer | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
THE BEST BELGIAN-STYLE BREWS
February 24, 2010
Great piece in the Times on the best of the Belgian-style brews: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/dining/reviews/24wine.html?hp
The Times tasting crew selected Oro de Calabaza from Jolly Pumpkin as creme de creme of the lot, which I know will draw the ire of at least one Alehead among us… So have at it: did the Times get it right, or was their analysis completely off the reservation?
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Posted by Sudsy von Brüe
HARVIESTOUN OLD ENGINE OIL
February 23, 2010
To be blunt, Scotland isn’t known for its beer.
The Scottish drink a shit-ton of brew and have some phenomenal breweries. But the truth is, the land of St. Andrew simply isn’t seen as a contender in the “Which Country Produces the Best Beer” debate. To me, that’s unfair. Edinburgh was once one of the premier brewing cities on Earth. The Scotch Ale, particularly the Wee Heavy version, is considered a prestige style (in line with Russian Imperial Stouts and Double IPAs). Mild, malty Scottish Ales are amongst the most sessiony of session beers. The herbed Gruit style is starting to see some traction in the American brewing industry. And the “Shilling Designation” (which used to mean charging lower or higher prices depending on the alcohol content and quality of the brew) has made a bit of a comeback of late (note the Odell and Columbus 90 Shilling Ales in the US). Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Ale Factories, Tasting Notes | Tagged: Harviestoun, Old Engine Oil, Scotch, Scotland | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
PRESTIGE POURS & THE HOLY GRAIL OF ALE
February 23, 2010
A fellow attorney recently lamented: “I just want to know which is the most expensive and prestigious beer I can purchase so that I may imbibe it in the half hour between getting off work and collapsing in bed.”
Fun question. What are the rarest, most coveted, and/or most outrageously priced beers available (or, as the case may be, unavailable) to the drinking public? Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Best/Worst | Permalink
Posted by Sudsy von Brüe
THE JOY OF HOI
February 21, 2010
Nice piece in the Times Travel section this week on Vietnamese brews: http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/travel/21explorer.html?ref=travel
When I visited Vietnam in 2008, I quaffed my fair share of bia hoi and sat on many a tiny plastic chair with the locals. One of my favorite Vietnam memories, though, was walking through Hoi An, a small, ancient town in central Vietnam, after dark. Mrs. Brue and I had just enjoyed an outstanding meal on the banks of the mighty Thu Bon River and were weaving through town on our way back toward China Beach. There are virtually no cars in Hoi An, nor electrical lighting or pavement, which culminates in a truly amazing feeling of what the place must have been like to live in South East Asia centuries ago. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Brews in the News | Permalink
Posted by Sudsy von Brüe
A BRIEF SESSION ON SESSION BEERS
February 19, 2010
We don’t have much on the site yet under the “Beer 101” category, so I figure I’ll throw in some info to wet your whistles. At Aleheads, we spend a great deal of time discussing the more robust end of the beer spectrum, whether it’s talking about the principles of Double IPA’s or the cellaring techniques for Imperial Stouts. Big hops, big flavors, and big alcohol is what usually gets us excited and willing to spend time away from our family and friends to discuss such topics at length. After all, the more time you spend talking about beer the less your family and (Uninitiated) friends want to spend around you. The truth hurts sometimes, but we push on. Today I’d like to take a step back and look at a concept that everyone knows about, but maybe doesn’t know why. Let’s look at the “Session Beer”, shall we? Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Beer 101 | Tagged: Session Beers | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
SMUTTYNOSE GRAVITATION
February 19, 2010
Smuttynose Brewery, out of Portsmouth, NH, produces some of the finest Ales in all of New England. Founded by the same guys that started Portsmouth Brewery (Yup, the same Portsmouth that makes Kate the Great), Smutty is the quintessential ale house for year-round comfort in my area. Their standards are, well, pretty standard. A very well done brown ale, a nice porter, and a simple but well crafted IPA. Where they really shine though is in their Big Beer Series, an area where they can put together some great ideas and put their own spin on some more difficult styles. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Tasting Notes | Tagged: Gravitation, New Hampshire, Northeast, Quadruple, Smuttynose | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
LONG TRAIL DOUBLE BAG ALE
February 19, 2010
I’ll be doing a follow up post on the wonderful concept of “Session Beers” later on, but figured a tasting note was in order first. For those that don’t know, a session beer is one of those brews that can keep you going for a few hours at a bar or in front of a TV (During some sort of session, if you will). Think Anchor Steam, rather, think 5 Anchor Steams, and you’ll understand what a session beer is.
Clocking in at just over 7% ABV, Vermont’s Long Trail Double Bag isn’t what most would consider a session beer. After all, you knock down 4 or 5 of these malty concoctions and that session might not last too long. That said, the lightness, smoothness, and overall quaffability of this Altbier put it into the category of beers that you want one after another over a prolonged period of time. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Tasting Notes | Tagged: Altbier, Double Bag Ale, Long Trail, Northeast, Vermont | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
GOOD PEOPLE AMERICAN BROWN
February 17, 2010
Good People is a nice, little story in Alabama. It’s a solid micro-brewery with strong ratings on BeerAdvocate and a small, but devoted following in the Yellowhammer state. Founded in 2007, the brewery’s timing was impeccable. ‘Bama used to have notoriously antiquated laws pertaining to beer. It was formerly illegal to sell beer at 6% ABV or higher which essentially made most of the best beers in the world impossible to obtain in the state. Thanks to a grassroots campaign called Free the Hops, this issue was brought forward to the state legislature. Of course, nothing is that easy in Alabama and it took years for the campaign to gain traction. In one particularly famous incident, a less-than-brilliant state legislator was quoted as saying “What’s wrong with the beer we got? It drank pretty good, don’t it?” Yes, he seriously said that. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Ale Factories, Tasting Notes | Tagged: Brown Ale, Good People, session beer | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
EXPANDED GPAs
February 16, 2010
The greatly expanded, Aleheads GPA list: Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Ale Factories | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
GPAs REVISITED
February 16, 2010
I’ll admit that determining a cumulative GPA for a brewery isn’t a particularly informative statistic. First, the overall number is based on the highly subjective beer ratings on BeerAdvocate. Second, different breweries tend to focus on different styles, so if you like the aggressive hop offerings of one brewery more than the sour, subtle Belgian-style offerings of another, what difference does a GPA make? However, as I put together my list, I realized that these rankings provided at least one very useful service. They showed the overall quality and consistency of a brewery. Magic Hat was last on my original list of 46 breweries. They make some wonderful beers, but also some very questionable ones. I wouldn’t blindly select a sixer of Magic Hat from a package store…I’d carefully pick one that I knew was strong. On the flipside, Russian River was tops on my first list and I would eagerly grab any bottle with their label on it. Whatever the style, I would know that beer would be excellent. To me, that’s the value of the GPAs. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Barley McHops
BROOKLYN BLACK CHOCOLATE STOUT
February 15, 2010
There’s snow on the ground down here…not too surprising for a February evening in New England or Colorado, or for folks in my former home of DC (which apparently has 72 feet of snow right now). But it’s fairly rare for my sleepy corner of the Deep South. People have forgotten how to drive, schools have closed, and old people are stocking up on canned goods (they don’t seem to realize that the snow will have melted by tomorrow afternoon). It’s the kind of weather that makes you stay inside with a blanket wrapped around you, your favorite dog or wife in one arm, and your other hand holding snugly to a glass of dark beer. In short, it’s Russian Imperial Stout weather. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: Brooklyn, Russian Imperial Stout | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
GREAT DIVIDE CHOCOLATE OAK AGED YETI – IMPERIAL STOUT
February 14, 2010
It’s Valentine’s Day, so on this holiest of holy days, we commemorate the day that Jesus invented chocolate, flowers, and greeting cards. While I certainly ate my fair share of chocolate today, I don’t think anyone wants to hear me describe the heavenly bitterness of dark Mexican chocolate or the unparalleled creaminess of an Icelandic truffle. Sure, I love me some good chocolate, but what I love even more is a good beer. If there ever was a day to throw good sense out the window, that day might as well be today. Great Divide out of Denver produces some truly spectacular beers, and their Yeti Imperial Stout has to be one of the best examples of the style in the country. What happens when the Yeti is aged in oak barrels and laced with cocoa nibs? Well, let’s check it out. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: Chocolate, Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Colorado, Denver, Great Divide, Imperial Stout, Mountain | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
2009 OLD STOCK ALE
February 13, 2010
I selected North Coast Brewing as my top brewery in the Southwest bracket (aka: The California Bracket), so it’s no surprise that I tend to enjoy all of their offerings. While the Brother Thelonius would be my hands-down favorite from the brewery, I also love their “Old” triumvirate (Old Rasputin, Old #38, and Old Stock Ale). Of those three, the Old Stock is the one I’ve sampled the least so I decided to remedy that with a tasting note.
I poured the Old Stock from a 12-ounce bottle that I had let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before pouring (into a flared GuldenDraak goblet…I need to expand my beerware collection). The appearance is gorgeous…a luxurious, cloudy, toffee/caramel color with a dense cream-colored head (that sadly doesn’t last as long as you’d like). It looks exactly how you want an old ale to look…like it’s been sitting in a dusty cask in the basement of some ivy-covered, British pub. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Tasting Notes | Tagged: North Coast, Old Ale | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
LONG TRAIL IMPERIAL PORTER
February 12, 2010
I’ve always been a fan of Long Trail, although I feel that they play second/third fiddle to Magic Hat and Otter Creek when it comes to Vermont’s best. I was excited to finally find a bottle from their Brewmaster Series and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with the results.
Very dark pour from a 22, nice carbonation and a tightly woven tan head atop the glass. Roasted coffee nose, slightly floral, exactly what you want in your porter. Dark chocolate and a ton of bitterness are the first things that hit your lips. After that, a nice punch of alcohol from the 8.3% ABV that warms the belly from start to finish. Really clean brew with a perfect malt to hops ratio, one does not overpower the other.
If you can find it, pick this guy up immediately. I’ll rate this Imperial Porter 3.5 hops and will now start my search for their newly released Coffee Stout. One note – make sure you let this one warm up a bit or you’ll miss out on a near-perfect example of the style.
2 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: Imperial Porter, Long Trail, Northeast, Porter, Vermont | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
