Look. I know the general consensus among beer drinkers is that if it has fruit in it, it is strictly a “girl beer.” But if you stick your nose up at beers with berries because they are “beers for sissies,” you’re living a sad, unadventurous life, my friend.
Case in point: Last month, I went to the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association’s Summer on Tap tasting event at Fratello’s in Manchester. One of the participating breweries was Peak Organic out of Portland, Maine, and they were sampling their newest summer brew, Organic Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai. At first, I was sort of put off, since Michelob Ultra has a pomegranate-flavored, low-calorie beer, and well, frankly, it’s awful. And the addition of acai, which is a popular additive to diet drinks because it’s a berry rich in antioxidants, also kind of bugged me out. But I gave Peak’s pomegranate brew a go. And it’s fantastic.
Think Heifenweizen, plus a splash of Pom juice. It’s light and subtly-flavored, and the pomegranate doesn’t upstage the coriander, which gives the beer just a hint of citrus. Unlike some fruit-infused beers I’ve tried, it doesn’t taste like juice mixed with Bud Light. And since it’s organic (and with locally-grown wheat) and has antioxidant-rich berries in it, it’s almost health food! It is a great, flavorful beer that should definitely be enjoyed at many a summer barbecue.
Also at Summer on Tap was Sam Adams. They were offering samples of their Blackberry Witbier, which is one fruit beer that is way too fruity. The sour blackberries really overwhelm the light white ale. To me, it tasted like blackberry Clearly Canadian. However, I think homebrewer and Boston Beer Co. employee Carissa Sweigart did a hell of a job with her Cranberry Wit beer, which was a winner in last year’s Sam Adams’ Long Shot homebrew competition. Whatever Carissa did to keep such a sour fruit as cranberry from destroying that classic light, crisp wit flavor is exactly what Sam Adams needs to do with Blackberry Witbier.
One brewery that does fruit beers right (and that was also at Summer on Tap) is Sea Dog Brewing Co. out of Maine. Most bars around southern New Hampshire carry Sea Dog Blue Paw Wheat Ale, their blueberry-flavored beer, on tap. The best way to drink blueberry beer (including the amazing Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale) is in a Black and Blue, which is combines the blueberry ale with Guinness. Sea Dog also puts out an amazing Apricot Wheat Beer, which is one of my favorite summertime beers. At the grocery and convenient stores, look for sampler 12-packs that have all of Sea Dog’s fruit brews, including their Raspberry Wheat Ale.
So, don’t be a beer snob. Step out of your stout-swigging shoes and into the lighter, fruitier side of beer.
This fall, NH.com is throwing the first ever Wicked Wine and Brew Fest at Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield. It’s being held Saturday, Sept. 12, from 2-7 p.m. and will feature wineries and breweries from New Hampshire and around New England. There will also be food, music and cool vendors to check out, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.
I’m particularly excited about this festival for two reasons: I don’t have to trek down to Boston, where most beer and wine festivals seem to be held, and it’s the start of fall, which means that hopefully there’ll be some fresh autumn-inspired brews and vintages to sample. I know it’s a bit early for pumpkin-flavored ales, but a girl can dream, right?
Other brewers that will be at Mel’s on Sept. 12 are Shipyard Brewing Co., Smuttynose Brewery and Woodstock Inn Brewery (plus more to be announced). And don’t forget about wineries: attending will be Candia Vineyards, Farnum Hill Ciders, Piscassic Pond Winery and Zorvino Vineyards.
As part of The Telegraph’s Marketing and Events Committee, I’m helping to plan, promote and put on this event. I think this is the event I’m most excited to be involved with, especially since I’m a homebrewer and regularly attend New England beer festivals. My favorite so far? Beer Summit’s Winter Jubilee in Boston. Definitely keep your eye out for when tickets go on sale in late fall.
Tickets for Wicked Wine and Brew Fest for adults 21 and older who will be sampling alcohol can be purchased in advance online or at The Telegraph’s office at 17 Executive Drive in Hudson for $20. For a limited time, when you buy tickets online, enter WWB09 at checkout and get $5 off each sampling ticket. The ticket price includes admission and unlimited sampling of beer and wine. And, the best part, the first 1,000 sampling tickets will receive a super-awesome sampling glass with our Wicked Wine and Brew Fest logo on it. Sweet!
The day of the event you can also purchase tickets for $20. We’ll also be selling tickets for designated drivers and ages 20 and younger for $5. Children 5 and younger are admitted for free.
Though a wine and brew festival isn’t exactly the event most people would bring their children to, this one is being held at Mel’s Funway Park, which has mini golf, battling cages and an arcade, so there’s plenty to do besides imbibe.
Every years hordes of homebrewers take a long shot to become a sure shot by entering Samuel Adams home brew contest.
Long shot story made short: the competition starts out regionally and escalates through several rounds of tasting where winners are finally picked. The winners then go on to compete against top brews made by Samuel Adams employees. The top three winners are picked and are eventually mass produced for a six pack that hits store shelves in the spring.
I was fortunate enough to get my first taste of one of this year’s winners, the Traditional Bock, through a sample more than a month ago, but even though it was made available in April, I was unable to find the six pack in stores in this area until last week.
This years winners are the before mentioned Traditional Bock made by Alex Drobshoff of California. He is joined by a Double IPA made by another Californian Mike McDole and a Cranberry Wit made by Samuel Adams Employee Carissa Sweigart.
I didn’t get the chance to try the IPA before one of my friends swilled it down, but the other two are definitely beers worth buying.
The bock is dark, sweet and the perfect pairing for deserts or a more hearty meal. The second time I tried it, I decided to eat desert first and I wasn’t disappointed.
From the bottle: “Alex’s brew is a bright copper German inspired bock with a complex, full bodied mouthfeel. Hints of rich plum and cherry aroma paired with its toasty malt flavor make this the perfect beer to linger over on a cool evening.”
I agree.
Most of the time, when fruit meets dark beer, I feel disappointed. But this beer, while fruity, still kept a dark richness.
The Cranberry Wit also held true to form. I’m partial to wit beers, especially in the summer. While the cranberry was more of an afterthought than a stronger taste, this beer is still a great match for hot summer days.
So hit the stores and grab a six pack before they disappear. They are only available for a limited time.
When I first tasted Samuel Adams Imperial Stout , I thought I had not lived. That was until I tried it with bleu cheese. Then I knew. Part of the brewery’s new Imperial Series, the stout is not for the meek.
Dark as a Himalayan night sky and just as dense, this beer is prodigious in character and taste. Just pour it and see. A caramel-tinted foam atop the beers diesel opaqueness brings to mind an espresso, suitably, as coffee forms one of the layers of flavor. Chocolate is another, licorice a third. Try tasting each one independent of one another.
A good dose of hops lends earthy character and aroma, with a silky caramel maltiness rounding out the flavors. But for all its intensity, it goes down smooth and easy. But be careful; at 9.2 percent alcohol, it could possibly be too smooth and easy.
OK, that’s the beer. Here’s the beer with a good Danish bleu cheese. There’s salty sharpness, there’s subtle smokiness, there’s creamy smoothness from beer and cheese. If there’s more of both, there’s heaven.
Fortunately the area’s well stocked with the dark stuff. Market Basket and Hannaford have it, and so do Jasper’s on Temple Street in downtown Nashua and The Liquor Shop on Middlesex Road in Tyngsborough, Mass. Prepare to pay $10 or a little higher for four 12-ounce bottles.
Not because it’s bad but because it packs a punch.
The fruity and refreshing taste would never lead you to believe that the beer comes in at a whopping 10.3 percent alcohol.
I think Sam Adams puts it best saying, “This is not just a more intense version of our spring seasonal Samuel Adams White Ale. Imperial White is a new recipe that stands on it own merits. In fact, it is more of a wine substitute than just another refreshing witbier. This is a beer that should be sipped and savored and you’ll be amazed at the flavors you’ll discover as the beer warms and opens up.”
As I said, it’s fruity but it doesn’t taste like your typical white beer. Yes, it’s fruity but it’s much more bitter and full bodied than most other white beers.
The spicy notes mean the beer could easily stand in for your favorite glass of wine when eating a hearty steak or a spicy meal. Yet the fruity finish also means it is an excellent pairing for desserts and cheeses or you can just drink it on it’s own for refreshment during the hot summer months.
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.
