OK, with Tom Brady recovering from a second surgery and the rest of the New England Patriots losing games left, right and forwards, you could probably find 101 reasons not to go to Gillette Stadium this fall. But don’t fume, because what’s on tap there is good. So good that even the most disappointed fans may still want in.
Patriot Homebrew IPA is what it says it is, a homebrew, but given a little corporate help from The Boston Beer Company, which makes Samuel Adams beers. Brewer Adam Walsh, of Massachusetts, entered his beer in the company’s Patriot Homebrew Contest and took the prize – not just $2,000, but the opportunity to see his beer poured for thousands at Gillette all season long. And what won was pure gold.
OK, mahogany, really, with a cherry red tinge in the light. Dark and rich, it’s hard to imagine a better color for a New England autumn. As an IPA, or India Pale Ale, it is wildly hoppy, but unlike a lot of IPAs, this one has a good balance. There is a lot of sweetish malt here to round off the flavor, so the bitterness has doesn’t just hover in the front of your mouth with nowhere to go. Plus a fragrant, slightly fruity nose invites sip after sip. And if the Pats don’t break their mediocre streak, it might invite beer after beer, too.
Sam Adams Patriot Homebrew IPA is available at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for the 2008-09 football season.
If you’re (a geek) like some of us, watching a political debate can be as much of a kick as some people get from their Sunday afternoon NFL. And as we romp into the final stretch of the presidential campaign, it’s time to start thinking about Friday night debate-watching libations. I vote (pun intended) for Participation Lager. Magic Hat has unveiled this election-season treat to “bring democracy back to its roots” by taking it to “the neighborhood taverns where America was born. It’s here that the Magic Hat staff intends to reach out to unregistered citizens of all starts and stripes and get each and every one excited about pouring some political action of a personal kind into the ballot box.” Fun, though one hopes enthused beer drinkers take at least part of the message metaphorically (or is it just me for whom that last bit painted an odd mental picture?). Magic Hat is partnered up with HeadCount.org to encourage and facilitate voter registration. I found the beer big, spicy and crisp — perfect for autumn and the perfect accompaniment for an October debate in front of a roaring fire… I’m looking forward to sharing a couple of twelve packs among an equal mix of Republican and Democrat friends and see well lubricated conversation ensue. And all kidding aside, hats off to Magic Hat for killing two birds with one stone – encouraging civic participation and making a darn tasty beer!
In my search to find new tasty beers, I’ve been heading to the Strange Brew in Manchester a lot lately.
I can’t think of another bar in the area that has the selection of the Strange Brew. In fact, any place that has a beer menu is OK in my book. (I actually feel I need to take one of these menus with me so I can make it into my checklist. Wouldn’t it be fabulous to try every beer available?) I have yet to make a bad choice with my beer selection.
In recent outings there, the first beer I got on tap was Dogfish Head. It’s on tap in the 60-minute IPA version. I had had another variety of Dogfish Head at a beer tasting back in February at the Wine Society. This is one of Dogfish Head’s brews that I could drink on a more regular basis, not just at a tasting. I had a few more, but then the Strange Brew ran out. (Anyone know if it’s back yet?)
Another week, I went local with the Smuttynose IPA. A few others at the table raved about it, and I had to agree that it was another IPA that I would order again.
I’ve also ordered Stella Artois. Sure, it’s something I can order at lots of places. But it’s a nice, easy-to-drink beer.
On another recommendation, I ordered a Purple Haze. At first glance, the drink itself looks a little hazy, and while I wasn’t as crazy about the taste of it as opposed to some of the other beers, I wouldn’t mind going back to it once in a while. I’m not quite sure I tasted the raspberries, but it might have been too subtle for my taste.
Last week, everyone was in an Oktoberfest mood, so we went with Harpoon’s version of it. I ended up having a few of these — a perfect way to welcome fall.
With the Strange Brew’s fantastic beer selection (the Web site seems to be missing quite a few on the list), there’s so much to try. And if you come by the table where my friends and I are sitting, you might get made fun of if you show up with your Bud Light. Really? You can have that anywhere. The Strange Brew is like one big beer tasting — find out what you like and don’t like, and then narrow it down to a few favorites.
So what’s your favorite bar with a great brew selection? What rivals the Strange Brew in New Hampshire? New England? I’m up for a field trip this fall!
A colleague forwarded this link to me recently. It’s about a new book by food writer Robin Goldstein, called “The Wine Trials.” 500 people tasted more than 6,000 glasses of wine in a blind test. Now that’s a party.
The book takes the ingenious angle of picking wines according to how they taste, not according to price. Apparently, the best stuff doesn’t necessarily have to live on the top shelf at the state liquor store.
The book could be an eye opener for the assumption that the best wines must cost more than $100. Not so, according to Goldstein. As an example, she says that a bottle of Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut (cost- $9.99) scored higher than Dom Perignon, at $150. Intriguing. Boxed wines are included as good deals as well.
The research gives hope to those who simply can’t justify spending a paycheck on a bottle of wine. Some that cost $5 could be just as satisfying.
Also, the study Goldstein did showed that when the price was revealed before tasting, people tended to favor the more expensive bottle over the cheaper one. Could be a useful read. Here’s the link. You can pre-order it from Amazon.com for $14.95.
I took a trip to Belgium several years back, and was astounded to find the country has such a huge variety of Belgian beers. Obviously, at the time, I was new to the wide world of European beers. It started on the plane ride over, when they offered us Stella Artoise, which is like the Bud of Europe, you can find it anywhere.
It sounded exotic to me until it was offered to me every time I ate at a restaurant in Belgium. It’s not a bad beer, it’s just that when there are so many options, you don’t want to waste your time drinking the same thing. The walls of the bars in Belgium were covered in signs for the country’s different beers, and a wide selection was always offered, at restaurants as well.
I think I tried as many different ones as I could. There’s something for everyone. You could write several books about the variety of Belgian beers, so this blog certainly can’t do the discussion justice.
Although the trip was short, those experiences helped me get started on European and other foreign beers. What I like is that each Belgian beer has its own matching glass-how cool is that? They have various and sundry logos on them. They have huge beer stores where you can stock up on your favorite drink, while picking up the matching glasses that are usually placed right next to it, for ease of convenience. I bought the glass for Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit, which has a picture of an Adam and Eve-type-couple hanging out in a garden.
Another beer that I tried recently was from my local convenience store, “Smiley’s” in downtown Dover. Don’t let the outside appearance fool you- the store has a lot more than Bud. There’s a nice selection of Belgian, British, and German beers; ones with funky labels, and ones that are oversized. I chose a Belgian ale (of course) called Leffe Blonde. It comes in four different varieties, the blonde, Brown, Triple, and Radieuse/Vieille Cuvée. I’ve only tried the Blonde one so far.
You’re supposed to drink many beers a certain way- pour some in a glass, then roll the bottle around, on its side, on the table, then pour in the rest to get a good head. I usually just drink it from the bottle. This one was very refreshing. It tasted light like an ale, but had a nice spiciness to it, like it had coriander and fruity overtones to it. It also had a crisp finish. Very drinkable.
I have to also recommend a really nice wine– Walnut Crest 2006 Pinot Grigio. I had heard that this was a good deal and a good wine for the money. I was very excited about it and was not disappointed. It was smooth, not too fruity, but had a bit of bite at the end.
It’s the kind of wine you could continue to drink all day, if alcohol content was not a factor.
According to Walnut Crest’s Web site, the grapes come from the Provincia Pavia region of Italy. It’s described as having hints of pear and lemon flavor, and some vanilla, but I didn’t taste the vanilla. The Web site also says that it can be enjoyed with seafood, light pastas or as an aperitif. But to me it seems rounded enough to be used for a lot of different occasions. It retails for around $7.
Everyone has a favorite, and co-worker Andrew Wolfe (you may recognize him from the Off Track blog) has a number of them to share with readers:
As with so many aspects of modern life, beer has gotten more complicated for the past few decades, and that’s mostly for the better. Some varieties have also gotten a whole lot stronger.
The alcohol content of run-of-the-swill American lagers tends to fall somewhere in the 4 to 5 percent range, and most imports and microbrews don’t reach far beyond that. Increasingly, however, ale enthusiasts can find brews that will sneak up behind you, kneel down and knock you on your can if you try to slurp them down like cold lager on a hot day. The alcohol content in these stronger styles ranges from a persuasive 7% to a whomping 18%, invariably with a flavor to match.
Here’s some favorite fortes, available at local specialty stores, such as Jasper’s or the Hollis Village Market, and occasionally your local market.
* Barleywine ales seem to vary more than most styles. The one thing they all seem to have in common is a strong flavor (nothing like wine, but tending toward sweet) and high alcohol content.
Harpoon makes an excellent variety, light and sparkling, with all sorts of what I suspect might be floral notes. I wouldn’t know from floral notes, though; I’m a beer drinker.Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale is my favorite in the genre, better even than their standard Barleywine, which is just a bit too syrupy for me. The Milford-based Pennichuck Brewery’s Pompier Barleywine continues their firefighter theme, and actually tastes strongly of barley. It’s mighty and good, but it comes in really big bottles, with a price tag to match.
* Belgian Triple is strong ale for people who don’t like heavy, dark ales. They pack a punch, but the flavor tends to be light and fruity. I’ve yet to find a bad one, but my favorites, Brooklyn Brewery’s Number One and Victory Brewing Company’s Golden Monkey aren’t available in New Hampshire.
* Guiness is good for you, as their slogan said, but that’s because it’s weak. Imperial stout lives up to all the implications of its name, and Smuttynose makes what I think is both the best and cheapest around. It’s hearty and straightforward, with no extra fancy flavors. Pennichuck brewery also makes a very fine imp. stout, with strong coffee and chocolate flavors if you like that sort of thing.
* India Pale Ale tends to be just a tad strong, and some brewers up the ante. For the more potent versions, it’s tough to top Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA… unless maybe with Stone Ale’s Ruination Ale, the most biter beer I’ve ever imbibed. Hardcore hopheads will love it, and Stone’s painted labels, depicting demons, make for the coolest bottles in the business. Smuttynose makes a good “Big A” IPA, too.
Other honorable mentions:
*Stone Ale’s Arrogant Bastard Ale: a bit like an old English Ale, but ever so much more so, to the point where it’s in a class by itself. We are not worthy.
*Dog Fish Head Immort Ale: this deadly potent (11%) ale has a smoky, peat sort of flavor that might appeal to Scotch or Lapsang Souchong drinkers. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, actually.
*Dogfish Head Raison d’ Etre: hard to describe, because it’s unlike any beer you’ve ever tasted. Imagine a cross between cinnamon raison toast and a mellow, brown ale.
Get your pen and pencil out. Here’s a few sure bets for you beer folk.
I’ve tried these in the last few weeks and really enjoyed them. They are all different, so what you pick depends on your mood.
Fuller ESB: English Ale with notes of caramel and toffee. Great finish. I’m not a dark beer fan but I was hooked after the first few sips. Drink out of a glass for the best flavor.
Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy: Another beer from the Wisconsin brewery. I’ve blogged about some of their other offerings recently, but since then this has appeared on the market. This very lemony beer would taste best on one of those hot July days. You could definitely knock back more than you should without much effort.
Sam Adams White Ale: I haven’t seen this on the shelves as of late. It looks as if it is getting replaced by their Summer Ale, but if you can find it, this is worth a try. I’m always looking for a good witbier and this one has strong notes of orange and coriander, just the way I like it. You just can’t beat a good unfiltered wheat ale.
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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
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!
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, visions of Guinness are in most die-hard drinkers’ dreams. But what about it’s black and tan counterpart?
Bass has come up with a marketing tool just in time for the Irish holiday to make sure you don’t forget about them on this day.
The brolly is designed to pour the perfect glass of black and tan and with a little practice, I found it was much easier than using a warped spoon. (I know this pour isn’t perfect, but see how nicely separated the beers are.)
Then I started wondering what else I could make using Bass. Traditionally, Guinness gets all the glory. A quick search at drinkmixer.com turns up 58 recipes with Guinness while only three recipes had Bass in them (and two of those recipes also had Guinness in them). I decided to try the brown Betty punch (below) although I was a little weary of the contents, especially the warm beer part.
I enlisted the help of my roommate Sarah. The ingredients of the punch are more her style, especially the use of spices.
Needless to say, the drink wasn’t a hit with either one of us. I couldn’t really taste anything for the first few sips and after that it went downhill. Sarah said it had too much alcohol from the start, probably the result of the brandy, and even tried chilling the drink to see if it would make a difference. It didn’t.
At least it was worth the experiment, and I’m thinking that if you are a big brandy drinker, it might be worth a try.
If you’re a fan of Bass, two other drinks that might be worth trying, and can be found on the menu at Strange Brew in Manchester, are the radler, which is half ale or larger and half Sprite, or the snakebite, which is half ale or lager and half cider.
If anyone knows of any other good recipes using Bass feel free to post them below.
