Yorktoberfest 2011

I'm coming to you "live" from the 1st Annual Yorktoberfest in York, Pennsylvania!  The event is being held at Sovereign Bank Stadium, home of the York Revolution baseball team.  Let me tell you - it is a blast!  There are lots of people here enjoying vendors, music, food, Pennsylvania wines, and best of all, craft beers from the region.  There are brews here from Tröegs, Lancaster Brewing Company, Magic Hat, Shock Top, Stoudt's, Sixpoint, Rogue, Dogfish Head, and Spaten.  I'm aiming to try them all!  As part of the beer pass, I received a free pint glass and access to limitless samples of great craft brew.  If you're in the area, you should stop by - the festivities are going on till 5 today.  If you can't make it today, you can stop back tomorrow between noon and 5.

I was looking for beers from York's own Mudhook and LiquidHero breweries, but to no avail.  Both of these breweries are very new to York, and I think it's very exciting that York is being infused with some beer culture.  But I'm very disappointed that they are not represented here.  Why would the very city's own breweries not be represented?  Regardless, I love that the "craft brew scene" seems to be gaining momentum in South Central PA, just as it is everywhere in the US right now.  I'm hoping that it lasts! (Relevant side note: DRAFT magazine has indicated that there are plans to open 600 brand new craft breweries in the US by 2013!)

This is the first blog post I'm publishing via my smartphone, so please forgive me if there are any issues - I just wanted to post this "live" in order to bring you the breaking beer news here in York, PA.  I'm going to attempt to attach photos. (Edit: After publishing this post, I found that all the pictures were at the top. I've since edited them using my PC so that they are now in-line with the text.)

For more info, check out www.yorktoberfest.com. Prost!

The glass is half full, my friend.

Bocktown - The Place to Beer

This past weekend, my in-laws introduced me to a wonderful restaurant in the Pittsburgh, PA area called Bocktown (apparently affectionately known as B-Town). They claim that they are "The Place to Beer" and tout many such quippy sayings. I have to say, I totally agree with them. I was impressed by their vast beer offerings. (Oh yeah...their menu was pretty good too. I went with the Bocktown 'Burgher.) From their About Us page:

"We love the artisan efforts of America’s craft brewers. We are completely dedicated to bringing you their products. When you visit, you will find a great variety of beer styles on draft, 16 rotating taps ranging from India pale ale, to imperial stout, as well as fruit beer, and other seasonal offerings. We do not ever offer Coors, Bud or Miller on tap. You will also find 400 different better bottle choices including some once a year offerings! We love rare beers, so don’t hesitate to call us to see if we have something you have been searching for." (emphasis mine)

B-Town's Seemingly-Endless Bottle Selection

Here, here - pass the craft beer! I took the liberty of taste-testing three brews before choosing one for a pint. I tried:

1. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin - 8.0% ABV Pumpkin Ale, brewed in Easton, PA
2. East End Hop Harvest - 7.4% ABV American IPA, brewed locally in Pittsburgh, PA - definitely tasted the hops, which I love, as well as a citrus / grapefruit flavor - readers may recall that I am not a grapefruit fan, as related in this post about Sam Adams' Summer Ale; however, East End's brewski was pretty darn good (i.e. the grapefruit flavor wasn't very strong!)
3. Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale - 6.5% ABV American Brown Ale, brewed in Portsmouth, NH - this one hit my mouth hard with an absolute burst of flavor (a real ale!) - it had a burnt sugar / caramel aftertaste, which was delightful (is it appropriate to use the word "delightful" for a beer? hmm...)

(From Left to Right) Weyerbacher, East End, and Smuttynose Samples

For the pint, I chose door beer #1:  Weyerbacher's seasonal Imperial Pumpkin.

Its wonderful pumpkin pie flavor mixed nicely with the caramel, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I was pleasantly surprised that our server had dipped the rim of the pint glass in brown sugar - mmm, mmm good! RateBeer.com rates this beer as a 96 overall, and BeerAdvocate.com rates it as a B+. I give it a solid A. There is no doubt that this delectable pumpkin ale trumps (the only other pumpkin ale I've ever tried) Shipyard Brewing's weakly-flavored Pumpkinhead Ale, which I recently reviewed in this post.

If you are ever in the Pittsburgh area, you'll definitely want to check out Bocktown. I certainly plan on going back. Prost!

Love the "Summer Love Ale"

In tribute to the passing of summer, this review is about Victory Brewing Company's "Summer Love Ale".  It's the first Victory brew I've ever tried, and I have to say, it was a great start!

A light, white frothy head crowned the hazy golden brew, and a fruit smell wafted from the glass.  I was impressed with the complexity of this 5.2%-ABV ale -- the lemon flavor mixed very well with the hoppy taste which yielded an extremely quaffable beer.  The first sip and each subsequent taste was a delight.  I love tasting the hops in a beer, and the mixture of hops and lemony-fruity-goodness in this particular libation was extremely satisfying.

Based on my limited sampling of other beers, I would compare this ale to Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat or Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin.

Overall, I would rate this beer an "A".  Beeradvocate.com rates it a "B+", and www.ratebeer.com gives it a 91 overall and a 99 for style.  I was a big fan, and even though I love the fall, I now have a reason to look forward to next summer.  Also, can't wait to try some other Victory brews -- any suggestions?


Prost!

Pumpkinhead Ale

This amber-colored, 5.1%-ABV wheat ale offered by Shipyard Brewing Company was an alright seasonal treat.  It had very little head, and the little bit it did have was white and frothy.  I was surprised that there was very little pumpkin smell - the waft that hit my nose was all ale.  After the first taste, it was evident why there was little pumpkin smell - there wasn't much of a pumpkin taste either.  The beer had a subtle spiced flavor with just enough bite to it.  Once the aftertaste kicked in, I did notice a faint cinnamon pumpkin flavor, but still not very strong.

I've never tried any other pumpkin-flavored beers, but I'm curious to compare.  Today, Iron Hill Brewery is releasing their Great Imperial Pumpkin Ale (read more about it on Bil's mybeerbuzz.com blog), so I'm gonna have to head on over to try it out.  Prost!

Super Beer!

What's that in the sky? It's a bird...it's a plane...no, that's just ol' Jim flying high from a mere sip of his Super Beer! I stumbled on an interesting article, which led to a couple of other articles.  It all started when I was reading the May/June 2011 edition of DRAFT.  They featured an article about an independent Scottish brewery called BrewDog.  Founded in 2006, they have apparently become quite popular in a relatively short period of time.  The article states that BrewDog's sales increased by 230% after opening a restaurant / bar in their hometown of Aberdeen, U.K.  What was most interesting, though, was the trilogy of ice-distilled beers that they released, each one setting a new world record for highest alcohol by volume:

1. Tactical Nuclear Penguin, 32% ABV
2. Sink the Bismarck, 41% ABV
3. The End of History, 55% ABV

Just to give you an idea, a typical beer is between 4% and 6% ABV (see my previous blog post, How Does Your Beer Measure Up?).  Wine is usually about 13% ABV, while vodka may be about 40% ABV [3].

If you think BrewDog's names of beers are odd, the packaging is even more eclectic:  the highly-intoxicating The End of History was sold stuffed inside of a squirrel -- well, at least it used to be a squirrel.  I won't post any pictures here, but if you are interested, you can find one posted on the Consumerist's website and on an LA Weekly blog.  According to a Reuters article, only 12 bottles of The End of History were made, and they sold for over $700 per bottle (1/3 liter [1], which is less than 12 ounces).

So I got to wondering if The End of History was still the highest-ABV beer available.  After all, it was released a whole year ago in mid-2010.  It turns out that only a week after BrewDog introduced their limited-time offer, a Dutch brewery announced a new 60%-ABV beer [1], [2].  In a friendly competitive way, the 60%-ABV was given the moniker Start the Future.  The Dutch brewery, 't Koelschip (The Refrigerated Ship), offered 1/3-liter bottles of their 120 proof brew for the competitive price of only $45 [2].

I have not been able to find anything stronger than the purported 60%-ABV beer by 't Koelschip, but that's not to say it doesn't exist.  If you find one or see a news article about a new high-ABV beer, let me know - I'd like to include it here as an update.  I did find a nice image on gizmag.com, which I've posted below.  It shows some of the high-ABV beers that are available from various breweries.  As you can see, ABV increases over time.

Photo courtesy of http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-strongest-beers/15256/

I suppose it should go without saying, but this isn't the kind of beer that you chug or otherwise drink "normally".  This is the kind that you "enjoy" -- in a small glass.  BrewDog even goes so far as to place a quasi-serious disclaimer on their website for the Tactical Nuclear Penguin:  "This is an extremely strong beer, it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whiskey, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost."

Need to be rescued from a boring night?  Never fear -- Super Beer is here!  Prost!

Sources:
[1] http://consumerist.com/2010/07/high-alcohol-content-beer-war-continues-with-60-abv-brew.html
[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/07/29/us-dutch-beer-odd-idUSTRE66S3SR20100729
[3] http://www.pricecuts.us/abv/encyclopedia.htm

Smoked Beer: Good or Gross?

A while back, I thought I'd try what's called a smoked beer (or in German, Rauchbier).  I didn't know what to expect, but after some preliminary research, it sounded like it would taste like some kind of meat.  Granted, I prefer my beer to taste like beer, but I was intrigued!  So in the name of learning, I took the plunge.


In addition to trying a new type of beer, I had read about food pairings in a DRAFT magazine article, so I decided to try cheese with the beer.  During a trip to a Giant Eagle Market District, I picked up a cave-aged Gruyere, which was listed as a pairing recommendation for smoked beers.  I also bought Aecht Schlenkerla's Rauchbier Märzen, which is an import from Bamberg, Germany.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen -- imported from Bamberg, Germany

Märzen is a type of lager that has its origins in Bavaria.  Originally, it was a beer that was brewed in March and laid down in caves or cellars before the summer weather rendered brewing impossible. Stocks would be drawn upon during the summer and finally exhausted in October. [1]

Post-Pouring, Pre-Partaking

Now for my tasting notes.  The almost-black beer had a frothy off-white crown.  The aroma that met my nose was a wonderful bacon or smoked sausage, which literally made my mouth water.  Surprisingly, the first sip that met my tongue was less meat and more lager.  As the crisp flavor began its descent, the aftertaste was reminiscent of that first smell of bacon, this time with a hint of wood.  I was impressed that while the brew had a definite meat flavor, it was still very much a lager.


After a few more sips, I tried pairing it with the Gruyere and found that they indeed mixed well together.  The blend of beer and cheese made for a sensational burst of flavor in my mouth with the Rauchbier fizzing around the cheese.  The cheese enhanced the flavor of the smoked meat but in a refreshing way.

Bottle Cap from the Rauchbier

All in all, I was glad for the chance to expand the horizon on my journey to learn more about beer.  If you've never tried a smoked beer before, it's definitely worthwhile to experience the flavor at least once.  However, I would recommend picking up a single bottle to try.  While I would partake of a smoked beer again, it's not on my "must drink again soon" list.  So many beers, so little time...


Prost!


References:
[1] http://www.beerhunter.com/styles/marzen.html

Summer Brews - featuring Leinenkugel's

Looking for some good "summer brews"? Leinenkugel's has a summer sampler case with four different flavors:

1. Classic Amber
2. Sunset Wheat
3. Honey Weiss
4. Summer Shandy

While they are all tasty, the "most unique flavor" award goes to Summer Shandy.  Why?  It's got lemonade in it!  Thanks to it being a wheat beer, the Shandy has a low bitterness factor (IBU = 13.5).  Combine that with the lemonade, and man!  Talk about a doubly-refreshing beer!

As far as other brands go, I always recommend Tröegs. They have a good, thirst-quenching beer formally called Sunshine Pils, but commonly and affectionately known as Sunny Pils.

As far as other types of beers go, you can't go wrong with a wheat beer (often combined with a fruit flavor), Belgian, weiss or witbier (white), or any "brisk" lager (mmm, Yuengling!).

There are a number of other "summer brews" that I hope to try before the season is out, including: Magic Hat's Wacko, Lancaster Brew Company's Strawberry Wheat, and Dogfish Head's Festina Peche.  Let me know if you've tried any of these or if you have other suggestions!

Cheers to beers!