Yards’ Tavern Ale. Supposedly based on a recipe from my alma mater’s namesake, Thomas Jefferson, it is sweet and malty and surprisingly tasty at 80 degrees room temperature. Definitely better than their Tavern Spruce Ale, which is brewed with “spruce essence and molasses, as barley and hops were not readily available at the time.”
Like woolwine, yesterday I drank beer straight out of a bottle while hanging at a firepit, and likewise, the beer was screaming “purchase me!” with its name. It was malty and sweet, almost like a Belgian; 8.5% ABV and 50 IBUs. It was not at all like the last Scotch (or Scottish?) style ale I had, which was from Harpoon. What are the typical characteristics of a Scotch ale?
At a wedding last month, I enjoyed the Harpoon Chocolate Stout–thanks again to the groom for his superb taste in stocking the bar. It’s the first chocolate stout I’ve had that lives up to the name: not too heavy, quite malty, with a strong semi-dark chocolate flavor. I had it during the cocktail hour, but I’m sure it would be fabulous paired with strawberries and angel food cake.
On a recent trip West, I sampled a few beers:
Boulder Beer Hazed and Confused – Hoppy, just hoppy. I didn’t take much more away from it than that.
New Belgium Trippel – Belgian triple with a hint of coriander, which seems to be a popular flavoring for Belgians (quite deservedly)
Walnut Brewery Old Elk Brown Ale – Malty brown ale with a hint of hops and a definite apple flavor.
I think my early indoctrination to Dogfish Head brews has colored my beer tasting. I have trouble appreciating and describing beers that are representative of their type, without the raisin or blueberry or sardine or whatever else wacky notes Dogfish infuses.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Better than I remember, mildly hoppy with a tart, floral quality.
Stockyard Oatmeal Stout. Very pleasant, with none of the bitter afterbite I associate with Sammy Smith’s. Three thumbs up!
Magic Hat Howl Winter Seasonal. It’s a pleasant black lager, medium-bodied (okay, I got that from the Web site but I concur). It lacks any definitive flavors to me, but pleasant none the less.
It is late in the year to be commenting on Oktoberfest beers, but I have just finished the last of the autumn sampler I picked up at Total Wine and More, and the verdict is: I do not particularly care for Oktoberfests. My sample included the Harpoon Oktoberfest, the Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest and a couple others I don’t remember because I didn’t like them.
I was informed at a beer tasting this summer that Oktoberfests, while sometimes done in the U.S. in a dark and heavy style, are meant to be quaffable for people who are spending all day at the actual Oktoberfest. I get the purpose there, and they are by no stretch of the imagination terrible, but I will stick with my Belgians. Oktoberfests lack a certain meatiness I like in my beers, but I do appreciate that they have a fragrant, slight hoppiness that could appeal to many.
Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter. It’s very dark and smooth, hint of coffee flavor, and alternately bitter and sweet depending on whether I’ve just sipped my coffee or taken a bite of my chicken and waffles. Ah, brunch beer.
It is a tremendous beer. I also enjoy it as a “I’m done being sober for the evening” beer.
Does it seem to anyone else that “Porter” is having a resurgence? I had Kona’s Pipeline Porter yesterday, and it was awesome. But I was surprised to see that brewery putting out a seasonal porter and not a stout.
For the record, I am not complaining at all.
I just had Pipeline Porter the other night, and found it a little light for me but with a very nice quality I can’t remember now–was it a slightly bitter mocha quality? I think that might have been it.
Celebrator: my favorite bottled beer. It’s labeled as the Finest Bavarian Double Bock. I’m not so hot on the tasting notes, but my palette says: coffee flavor, just the right sweetness, roasted nose and a definite finish. I love a good finish. … Hmm, rephrase? Nah.
Big bonus: Depicted on the bottle, and hanging around the neck as a plastic charm, is a horned creature I usually refer to as a goat, but which the Internet tells me is a ram. I have one hanging on my rearview mirror.
Edit: I forgot the most important thing: consistency from bottle to bottle.
I think this sets a new bar for sexual innuendo on the blog. Excellent inaugural post.
elitegimp is discussing. 
qtrnca, 
mrbeefy are discussing. 
elitegimp 8:50 pm on May 30, 2010 Permalink |
Good choice on the Old Elk, in my opinion it’s the only decent beer Walnut makes. (A lot of my friends prefer the red, but they’re crazy. Also, “only” might be a little strong, some of their seasonals are decent.) If you’re ever back in Boulder, you should go to the Mountain Sun (1500 block of Pearl) or it’s little sister the Southern Sun (SW corner of Table Mesa and Broadway). They’re best known for their hoppy beers, but they also have an awesome selection of stouts, a fantastic amber, and a couple good wheats. Including a Raspberry wheat, which is pink-ish. Oh, and most of their beers are 6-8% ABV, which is a fun surprise when you try to stand up.
Man, I’m so stoked about getting back to Colorado for 4th o’ July…