NashuaTelegraph.com: After Hours

Getting wild

Deidre | 04 March, 2008 22:03 | (286)

On Friday, I headed over to the Wine Society in Tyngsborough for its Wild & Wacky brews tasting. We tasted a dozen different beers, which were from faraway locations such as Belgium, Germany and Japan, and ones closer to home, such as Colorado, Delaware and even Pennichuck in Milford.

Some of these beers were, by far, the strongest ones I've ever tasted.

For a $5 event, this was a fantastic deal. Not only did I get to taste a bunch of beers that, for the most part, I'd never heard of, but you can even apply that $5 toward a purchase. And it's not like you're going to leave without buying something, which makes the event FREE.

So what did I bring home? I bought five of the 12 we tasted:

- Fraoch (Williams Bros. Brewing Co., Scotland). A castle-shaped four pack of 11.2 fl oz bottles was $12.99. This was one of the lighter ones, at 5% alcohol. It's brewed with heather, flowers and Scottish malt. It tasted slightly more like a wine, and it was one of the beers I tasted that I could drink more regularly than the others.

Fraoch

- Hitachino Nest Beer, Ginger Brew (Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan). A 24.3 fl oz bottle cost $7.99, and it's 7% alcohol. This was another lighter one that I liked. Other tasters could detect the ginger in the ale, but I couldn't. It was still one of the more likable beers. Plus, I thought the bottle design was cute! (Side note: If you want to find out more about Japanese beers, the Wine Society is doing a tasting of ales and sake later this month. Check out Feast's Events calendar for more details.)

Hitachino

- The Reverend, Belgian-style Quadrupel Ale (Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, Colo.). This bottle is 1 pint, 6 fl oz, and cost $8.99. This is where my double-digit alcohol purchases began, with this one containing 10% alcohol. It's brewed with imported Belgian malted barley, dark Belgian candy sugar, Syrian Goldings hops and authentic Belgian yeast.

Reverend

- Jewbelation Eleven, 11th Anniversary Ale (Shmaltz Brewing Co., Saratoga Springs, N.Y.). This 1 pint, 6 fl oz, bottle cost $5.50 and contains 11% alcohol. I have to admit that I bought this beer for the humor factor -- after all, this He'Brew beer says it's "The Chosen One." It's a limited edition, brewed with 11 malts and 11 hops. There's even fun facts on the bottle about the number 11. Our server said he preferred the 10th anniversary, but I'm unable to compare. I still liked it!

Jewbilation

- Raison D'Extra (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Del.). This 12 fl oz bottle was $8.99, and at 18% alcohol, it was one of the last few we tasted, all of them from this brewery. It's brewed with malt, brown sugar and raisins, and according to its Web site, it's on "hiatus" from being made. It surprised me that I liked something made from raisins, but it was another beer that had more of a wine feel.

Raison

One beer I didn't like at all was a smoky German beer, which I can't recall the name of, because, well, it was long and in German. It was the smokiest of the few smoky brews we tried, but it honestly just tasted like a fireplace.

One beer we didn't get to taste that they had hoped to have was the Sam Adams Utopia. This is supposed to be the strongest beer in the world -- with 25 PERCENT ALCOHOL. But when they got their hands on one of these bottles, someone came into the store and bought it. A spur-of-the-moment $200 buy. Maybe next time!

[Reply]

I have to admit that the only beer I poured down the sink on purpose was a German smoked beer. That was so many years ago and I cannot remember the name. Mine tasted like a charcoal infused sauerkraut that had been left in the July sun for five days.

The Fraoch Heather Ale is pretty good. Scottish beers, in general, are better developed that English ones except the ciders and IPA's.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery seems to make nothing but great beer. My favorite is the 90-Minute IPA with a strong hoppy flavor (for all the hop-heads out there) which comes in a 9% alcohol. Their Midas Touch beer is their homage to the origin of beer as found in the molecular structure of remnants found in the drinking gourds of the reported tomb of King Midas. I have not yet tried their Raison D'Extra. However, tomorrow you will find me at The Barley Pub in Dover as they now have this elixir on tap.

Speaking of the locally brewed oferings of Pennichuck Brewing I love their Big-O Octoberfest. I had a taste in Concord late last year and wow, it was beautiful. (Although not as beautiful as my wife who was sitting next to me. Inn case she reads this despite her dislike of dark and hoppy beers) It is a dark larger with fruity and caramel tones and a subtle hop flavor.

One day I too will taste the elusive and expensive Utopias. Your choice of beer selections for review is impressive. I will seek out the Jewbelation Eleven just for the name factor. Keep on drinking.

Posted by: Seacoast Swiller | March 04, 2008, 23:48

Thanks! [Reply]

Thanks for your comment! I would have bought one of the Pennichuck ones we tasted, but since the store was in Mass., we couldn't buy it there. I think the one I liked was the Bagpiper's Scottish Ale.

Posted by: Deidre | March 05, 2008, 16:36

Kudos [Reply]

This is by far the best posting on this blog. Comprehensive, information-packed, intelligent... The rest of them seem just like people who like to drink but don't know anything about what they're writing. Hope to see more posts from you.

Posted by: Real Aficianado | March 15, 2008, 15:57

[Reply]

Thanks for writing! I can't say I'm any type of expert, but I'm willing to taste and find out! All of the bloggers here have things we like, so we all can bring different things to the table., each reaching a different audience. Keep reading. :)

Posted by: Deidre | March 16, 2008, 13:39