December 31, 2010
Well folks, 2010 has come to a close, and it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. There have been some things to celebrate, and some events to mourn. However, New Year’s being a time to look to the future with optimism, our newest Alehead, Herr Humulus Hordeum, has suggested that we take a look at our drinking habits and think about what we can do to improve our beer consumption over the next twelve months. So Aleheads, what will your New Beer’s Resolution(s) be?
No rules to this one, ramble away gents. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | 
Beerford's Conundra | Tagged: 2011, Cellar, German Beer, Homebrewing, New Year's, Resolutions, Warm Beer | 
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Posted by Beerford McBrewin'
December 30, 2010
We’ve all been there. In fact, I’m sure some of us are there right now. The dreaded Hangover – That oh so awful reward for your oh so awesome night of over indulgence. As the resident fake Doctor of the group, I felt compelled to re-post an article I just read on CNN Health regarding Hangover Remedies (Go ahead, click the link, just come right back). Sure, from a medical perspective the only real way to cure a hangover is to avoid drinking too much in the first place, but what fun is that?
While CNN took a logical approach to this list, including my favorite “Remedies” of greasy foods and a half a bottle of Advil, I’m just shocked that they missed the all-time best cure for a hangover. Yes, I’m talking about the time-tested, oft-repeated, toe-curling puke. Seriously, who doesn’t feel better after emptying the night away into the closest repository? I prefer the projectile approach, but if you don’t like the mess I’d suggest just resting your cheek right on that porcelain altar and letting it rip. Or, go the Spaulding Smails route and find the nearest sunroof to lighten your load. You can thank me later.
4 Comments | Brews in the News | Tagged: Hangover, Hangover Cures, Hangover Remedies, Medicine, Science | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
December 29, 2010
An unabashed homer for NYC, Magnus loved to point to Brooklyn Brewery as one of the top ale factories in the nation. And who were we to argue? Brooklyn’s been around since ’94 and produces great offering like the Black OPS (Russian Imperial Stout), Black Chocolate Stout, Sorachi Ace (Saison), and Monster (Barleywine). We discussed Brooklyn at length during our Beers of New York podcast and Brother Barley returned Aleheads.com to Tasting Notes after Magnus’ passing with a heartfelt review of one of his favorites, the Local 2. It is an example of an accessible Belgian Strong Dark Ale, and Magnus was just starting to appreciate the idiosyncrasies of Belgian styles, so the L2 and it’s Belgian Strong Golden sibling the Local 1 were perfect jumping off points into what should have been a longer lifelong love of Belgian Strong Ales. Again, it should be Magnus writing this one- but if wishes and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas. So I cracked a bomber of this to ward off the holiday hangover and enjoyed one of his favorite beers.
There is very little local about the Local 1- Brooklyn spanned the globe and spared no expense for this ambitious prestige selection. Like the city itself, it’s a melting pot of ingredients and influences. Belgian Strong Golden Ales were developed by Moortgat with it’s flagship Duvel in a response to the rising popularity of pale and light-bodied Pilsner lagers throughout Europe. Brooklyn uses German malt and Hops, Mauritian sugar, Belgian yeast, and like Duvel the Local 1 is bottle fermented in awesome looking custom bottles adorned with FDNY inspired iconography. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Ale Factories, Tasting Notes | Tagged: Beer in Belgium, Belgian Strong Golden Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium, Brooklyn Brewery, Duvel Moortgat, Local 1 | Permalink
Posted by Slouch Sixpack
December 29, 2010
I’ve been waiting years to try this beer. Years. I’ve had hundreds of pints of Guinness Draught, just like every other Irishman living in the Boston area, but until last night I had never experienced the other half of the Guinness line. I’m not talking about the stubby little bottles of slightly carbonated, super-bitter Guinness Stout that you usually avoid when you’re reaching for the Draught bottles. I’m talking about the Foreign Extra Stout, the Guinness that’s packed with extra hops and extra booze that was meant to last through the voyage to the Caribbean, Africa, and other ports of yore. The Foreign Extra Stout is a huge product for Guinness, but since WWII (Or prohibition, depending on who you ask) this offering from the lads at St. James Gate has been unavailable in the States. Unless you’ve traveled to Jamaica where it’s practically the national beer, or any other hot, malaria ridden reaches of the world where this Stout is safer than water, chances are that you haven’t experienced what many consider to be the best that Guinness has to offer. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: 3.5 Hops, Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness, Ireland | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
December 28, 2010
Christmas Eve I cruised the aisles of an ale shop near my inlaws’ home in Vineland, NJ. My mission- to secure an alternative to the Dos Equis and Blue Moons that awaited me that evening. As luck would have it, this store had a nice selection of craft beers tucked away in the back, including some bombers coated in a thin layer of dust. Immediately my mindset turned from “I hope I can find something decent” to “I hope I can keep this purchase under 3 figures”. As usual, my thoughts turned to Magnus so I decided to pick up some brews to toast his memory. In a nod to his Scottish heritage, I was delighted to find the Cup O Kyndes (Cup of Kindness), a concept Scotch Ale from the Belgian brewmasters Brewery Ommegang. The beer is a reference the New Year’s anthem Auld Lang Syne by Scottish poet Robert Burns, whom Magnus held in the highest esteem:
For auld lang syne, my jo, For auld lang syne, We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne.
I respect brewers who shape an identity through their beers. I like to know I’m in good hands- Lagunitas make great hop bombs, Oskar Blues serves up big flavors in a cool can, Duck-Rabbit focus on dark beers. But for me, Ommegang takes this to the extreme. Billed as “Belgian Brewing in America” with beers that aren’t “overhopped” (i.e. hopped), they offer great examples of the signature Belgian styles with their Abbey Ale (Dubbel), Perfection (Trippel), Three Philosophers (Quad), and Rare Vos (Belgian Dark Ale). The benefit to this strategy is that when someone mentions “US Belgian beer” I think Brewery Ommegang. On the other hand, if you want your brewery to remain straight-outta-Brussels, you’re limited to 18 styles, many of them obscure and commercially unviable. Thus Ommegang is painted into a corner- take advantage of the plethora of beer styles but dilute your brand, or stay true to your roots but ignore the diversity that makes craft brewing great in the first place. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Ale Factories, Beer Marketing, Tasting Notes | Tagged: Beer, Beer in Belgium, Beer style, Belgium, Brewery Ommegang, Cup O Kindes, Cup of Kindness, Scotch Ale | Permalink
Posted by Slouch Sixpack
December 27, 2010
Slouch Sixpack beat me to the punch in posting the first Cigar City tasting note. Oh, and thanks for giving Mrs. Sixpack credit for sending those two 750 ml bombers your way. Who do you think picked those out???
As Slouch mentioned, Cigar City is a relatively new brewery that has exploded into the US craft scene with innovative high gravity and barrel aged offerings. Except for their Maduro Brown Ale series, pretty much the full line falls between 7.5–12% ABV, so the focus is big beers and big flavors. In homage of Tampa’s cigar producing era prior to the Cuban embargo, a rotating selection of their beers are aged in Spanish Cedar (the Humidor series), in addition they also use oak and sometimes infuse with other ingredients during the barrel aging process.
On a recent trip to visit family, I had the opportunity to visit the Cigar City tasting room, which is conveniently located near the Tampa airport (so it can be the first place you visit after landing and the last place you visit on your way out; book tickets appropriately).
Recently, the Cigar City tasting room was granted final approval from the local government, after a long battle and threats to close its doors. It seems some city council members had concerns about the effect of a brewery on the community.* Driving to the brewery I could see their point. I would really hate to see a top notch, innovative business drive down property values of the sewage treatment facility two blocks away and those wonderful big box stores across the way hawking crap built in China.
*or donations to their re-election campaigns and/or pocketbooks. This is Florida after all. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Ale Factories, Tasting Notes | Tagged: Cigar City | Permalink
Posted by Herr Hordeum
December 27, 2010
For reasons beyond my feeble intellectual capacity to understand, we seem to only be successfully posting LiveChats for every other episode of BrewMasters. While we did conduct a LiveChat for Episode 2, Magnus was slated to be the editor for that one and with his departure, we simply haven’t tackled it yet. As for Episode 4…it premiered while most of us were in New York for Magnus’s memorial service. So essentially we missed a show about one of the worst people on Earth while we were celebrating the life of one of the best.
We decided it would dishonor our friend’s memory not to continue traditions that he loved so dearly. And there were few things he enjoyed more in the past few months than mocking that douchiest of douchebags…Mr. Sam Calagione.* Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | LiveChat | Tagged: Ancient Ale, Brew Masters, Discovery Channel, Dogfish Head, Egypt, Episode 5, Sam Calagione, Ta Henket | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 25, 2010
NOTES: Draft @ J. Clyde in Birmingham
STYLE: Winter Warmer
ABV: 5.5%
APPEARANCE: Extremely dark chestnut…nearly black.
HEAD: Wispy, tan head that melts faster than snow in Alabama.
LACING: Sticky, sparkling lace.
NOSE: If you want to experience the “right” way to do a Winter Warmer, look no further than the closest bottle of Anchor Christmas Ale (also called, “Our Special Ale”). The nose is dark-roasted, very nutty malt with a hint of pine needles and a bracing dash of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. It doesn’t smell like a spice rack exploded in the beer…it’s just a hint o’ the holidays in a wonderfully rich, dark ale. Mmm…
TASTE: Sweet caramel malts, vanilla, and fresh-baked dark bread up front, a touch of hop bitterness and fruitiness in the middle, and refreshing, almost “cooling” (think licorice and ginger) spice in the finish. Very complex, but never overpowering or cloying.
DRINKABILITY: Around the holidays? This is as drinkable as it gets. In the dog days of summer? Yeah, not so much. Such is life as a Winter Warmer.
RATING: 3.5 Hops for one of the best in an oft-maligned style. Anchor changes the recipe for the Christmas Ale every year and while some are better than others, I’ve never had a bad one. I certainly can’t remember every specific characteristic from each year’s version, but I think the 2009 might be my favorite. Delicious, complex, and full of holiday cheer. A perfect Winter Warmer.
1 Comment | Tasting Notes | Tagged: 2009, Anchor, Christmas Ale, J. Clyde, Our Special Ale, Winter Warmer | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 24, 2010
Slouch Sixpack’s brother, Herr Humulus Hordeum will shortly be joining our august group to begin adding his own beerly thoughts to this illustrious site. When his significant other, Lady Jayhawk, heard of this development, she decided to jump on board as well and sent us a tale of a recent, and quite odd, beer-related experience. Read the rest of this entry »
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4 Comments | WTF | Tagged: Evander, Lady Jayhawk, Pilsner, Tampa | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 23, 2010
A
s dear Magnus chose to name himself on the Aleheads site after the Orkney Brewery’s SkullSplitter Wee Heavy/Scotch Ale, we thought it might be appropriate for all of us to try to dig up a bottle or three and do a group tasting note on this particular beverage. It seemed easiest to do this in Conundrum form so everyone could contribute their impressions, and so Beerford’s Conundra returns to the site this week thusly: Give us your tasting impressions of Orkney’s SkullSplitter. Read the rest of this entry »
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2 Comments | Beerford's Conundra | Tagged: Magnus, Orkney Brewery, Scotch Ale, Skullsplitter, Wee Heavy | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 22, 2010
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me – Beer. I’ll admit, I was just going to post my favorite Christmas song of all time, Bob & Doug McKenzie’s 12 Beers of Christmas, but I got all wrapped up in the giving spirit and felt compelled to create my own list of brews. Some of them make sense, some of them don’t, but who cares? It’s Christmas! Get crazy with your bad self. Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments | WTF | Tagged: 12 Days of Christmas, Ballast Point, Christmas, Cigar City, Deschutes, Founders, Goose Island, Holiday Cheer, Left Hand, Lost Abbey, Mendocino, Terrapin, The Bruery, Three Floyds, Victory | Permalink
Posted by Ripped Van Drinkale
December 21, 2010
The Pretty Things Ale Project is not your typical brewery. It’s really not even a brewery. Pretty Things is basically just a guy with some happy helpers.
Dann Paquette has been brewing beer for almost 20 years, and from the looks of their marketing and any articles you can dredge up, he seems to be a pretty unique dude. The mustachioed brewmaster treks from Somerville, MA (where I successfully found lodging and unsuccessfully dodged criminals, for almost 9 years) all the way down to the shores of Buzzard’s Bay in Westport, MA to brew Pretty Things. His trademark? Pushing our understanding of traditional beer styles.
Three of Dann’s beers have graced my fridge recently, and I loved two of them. First, let’s talk about the good. The Jack D’Or is an American style saison. For someone who’s just developing a taste for Belgian yeast funk, I found this beer to be extremely accessible. And Saint Botolph’s Town is easily the best English brown ale I’ve ever tasted. But don’t just take my word for it. The Baron has already expounded upon these tremendous offerings. He gives 4 hops for both, and who am I to argue? (I’m nobody to argue. That’s who.) Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Ale Factories, Tasting Notes | Tagged: 2.5 Hops, Pretty Things, Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project | Permalink
Posted by Mashtun Copperpot
December 20, 2010
Had to take a moment to post a thank you to faithful reader and Birmingham Beer Maven John E. for including me in an epic stout tasting last night. John and his compatriots graciously invited me to our favorite local watering hole to sample an absolute murderer’s row of the deepest, darkest brews on Earth. Plenty of 4 Hop Tasting Notes will be gracing these pages in the near future, but for now I just wanted to share the bottle list with our readers so they could appreciate John E. & Company’s munificence.*
*I promised John’s ginger friend that I would use this space to retract any defamatory statements that I had made in earlier posts regarding her people. This particular ginger is as lovely, personable and charming as can be. As such, I heartily rescind any previous slanderous statements I made towards ginger-folk. That being said, I have my doubts as to how pure-bred a ginger she actually is. I think she’s only half-ginger at best. Read the rest of this entry »
16 Comments | WTF | Tagged: Imperial Stout, J. Clyde, Russian Imperial Stout, Stout | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 19, 2010
So life happens and I haven’t had the opportunity to tell you how our Bodega experience ended up. If you recall (which, of course you don’t), the Commander and I had ditched our wives and children somewhere in central Ohio, and proceeded to visit Bodega in Columbus for happy hour. After sampling the Goose Island Minx and the Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, we had time for one, maybe two more beers.
We scoured the menu, and I arrived at Left Hand’s Twin Sisters Double IPA. It had been tantalizing me since I got there, so I had to try one (despite the Commander’s protests). Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Alehouses, Tasting Notes | Tagged: 2 Hops, 3.5 Hops, Baltic Porter, Great Divide, Imperial IPA, Left Hand | Permalink
Posted by Mashtun Copperpot
December 18, 2010
While I spent last weekend trying to come to terms with the unthinkably early passing of dear friend and beloved Alehead Sir Magnus Skullsplitter by attending his memorial services and “Scottish Wake” (think 4-hour Belhaven Wee Heavy chug-off culminating in a 2-hour oratory session by friends and family so poignant, it made Old Yeller look like Jackass 3) in NYC, the alewife and spawn were fulfilling prior familial obligations with the Sixpack clan in Tampa, FL. The Sunshine State is known for sandy beaches, college football, and electioneering, but world-class craft beers? Not so much. That is beginning to change with the rise of Cigar City Brewing. With Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout sitting #33 on BA’s prestigious “Top Beers on Planet Earth”, five selections in their trending “Top Buzz Beers” list, and the best blog moniker in the industry (Cigar City Brewing- The Trials and Tribulations of Opening (And Operating) a Brewery in Florida Or: How To Open (and run) a Craft Brewery in 7000 Easy Missteps……..) this Tampa ale factory is red-hot and hard to find outside of Florida. Luckily, the Alewife was able to sneak a couple of bottles past the TSA goons on her return flight, and I was the beneficiary of two Cigar City offerings. The first of those is the Humidor Series India Pale Ale. This beer is their flagship Jai Alai IPA barrel-aged in Spanish cedar (the same wood used to keep stogies at constant humidity) then bottle conditioned. Apparently cedar planks aint just for salmon grilling anymore.
Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | Ale Factories, Tasting Notes | Tagged: 3.5 Hops, Beer Review, Cedar Aging, Cigar City, Florida, India Pale Ale, Tampa | Permalink
Posted by Slouch Sixpack
December 15, 2010
My first real visitor after moving to DC almost 7 years ago was, of course, Magnus Skullsplitter. He was always my pioneer when it came to houseguests. He would come to my new apartment/condo/home before anyone else and test the futon, the shower, the local bars and restaurants, etc. He would “take one for the team” as it were, and through him, you could learn what creature comforts needed to be improved for future guests, and what bars and restaurants should be avoided. For instance, Wifey and I decided to keep the place clean by providing slippers for all of our guests to wear around the house. Magnus happily wore a pair of red, cheap, IKEA slippers throughout the weekend. They looked ridiculous, and I suspect it was annoying having to take his shoes on and off every time he entered and left. But he did so without complaint and after he returned home, Wifey and I decided that the “no shoes” rules was inane and we never enforced it again.
When Magnus arrived in DC that first time, we decided to head out for a beer (shocking!). I had heard rumor of a legendary beer bar in the West End called the Brickskeller, but with the time constraints placed on me by starting grad school and furnishing my apartment, I hadn’t gotten around to visiting it at that point. With Magnus in town, I decided it was high time to check it out. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Alehouses | Tagged: Beer Bars, Brickskeller, DC, Magnus | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 13, 2010
We’re taking some tentative baby steps back into the blogosphere after the passing of our fellow Alehead, dear friend, and all-around best person ever, Magnus Skullsplitter.
This site was important to Magnus for a lot of reasons. First, he really liked beer. That was fairly obvious when friends starting sharing hundreds of pictures of him from over the years and he had a beer in his hand in essentially every one. Second, he really liked staying connected with his friends, no matter how far-flung they were. The Aleheads are all over the map…Oregon, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, etc. Magnus was in NYC and didn’t get to see the rest of us that often. This site was an excuse for us to send insanely long e-mail chains back and forth to each other every day. It was an excuse for us to have “Podcasts” which were essentially just two-hour bullshit sessions that we tried to fruitlessly cull down to 45 minutes of beer-related material. It was an excuse for us to mercilessly mock Sam Calagione. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Tasting Notes | Tagged: 3.5 Hops, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Brooklyn, Local 2, Magnus | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 9, 2010
A friend pointed out yesterday that Magnus would have been embarrassed by Tuesday’s post extolling his virtues. He always preferred that the attention was centered on his friends, not himself. He would have seen that post, squirmed a little, and then would have sent me an angry e-mail asking me why we weren’t talking about beer. Of course, he wouldn’t actually have been angry because in the dozen plus years I knew him, I don’t think I ever saw him angry. Exasperated perhaps…that’s a fairly common condition amongst our peers…but angry? Never.
We’re not ready to stop talking about him though. Not by a long shot. He’ll remain the center of attention for a little while longer here. I’m not sure how much of an honor it is to be written about on an obscure beer blog, but this is all I’ve got, so I’m going to keep that flame burning. In his honor, today we’re tackling a Top Ten beer list…Magnus-Style. Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments | Best/Worst | Tagged: Best, Magnus, Top Ten | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
December 7, 2010
Of course it was his heart.
Of course it was. What else could it be?
His heart was bigger than the rest of ours. Purer. Capable of more warmth, generosity, and unbridled optimism than the rest of ours. He gave his heart to everyone. He gave more than seemed possible. And then that massive, beautiful heart faltered…and it stopped. And now, he’s gone. Read the rest of this entry »
14 Comments | WTF | Tagged: Magnus | Permalink
Posted by Barley McHops
Well folks, 2010 has come to a close, and it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. There have been some things to celebrate, and some events to mourn. However, New Year’s being a time to look to the future with optimism, our newest Alehead, Herr Humulus Hordeum, has suggested that we take a look at our drinking habits and think about what we can do to improve our beer consumption over the next twelve months. So Aleheads, what will your New Beer’s Resolution(s) be?
