An Old Homebrewed Stout in a PET Bottle Surfaces

So here's a stout I brewed, god knows when.  It has to be a year and one half old, a kind of chocolate-cherry number that's been kept in a chilled space winter and summer, but not freezing.  

I love PET bottles for lots of reasons, but this is one-- the preservation of a beer seems way better in these bottle than glass.

It had a giant head, strong earthy aroma, pitch dark color, nicely bitter if balanced flavor, but a kind of thin mouth feel, which could have come from using cherry juice to carbonate the bottle.  It convinced me that I need to either follow recipes closer, or just use way more Maltodex and or Lactose when I use these liquid malt extract products, which I did with this batch, way back in 2012.  Nevertheless, I liked it better than Keegan's Mother's Milk I bought, which I liked very much.

When it's 13 degrees outside on Fat Tuesday, What Can You Do, But Review Heady Topper

It's "allegedly the world’s best beer" according to Fritz Hahn blogging at the Washington Post, citing information he gathered from the soaked masses at Ratebeer.com.  The Alchemist's Heady Topper is one of serveral VT beers featured tonight at a tasting he's covering in DC being blasted out on the tweetz.

Fritz sounds like he's speaking in air quotes when referring to the big data there, almost as if there's a mistrust of the statistical approach to finding great beer. Kind of the way some folks think of "The People's Choice Award", I suppose.  Not exactly a high class Oscar, is it?

According to his biography blurb on the Going Out Guide at The Washed Post, Fritz also writes about everything "from Civil war battles to sailing classes"... so there's that and that.
 
But having been down this fermented river before, I concur with those proud few on Ratebeer.com (and BeerAdvocate.com too, where Heady Toppy is rated #1 out of the top 250 beers), who count themselves lucky where Heady Topper is concerned.  See, http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/top/


It may just be the best hop experience in the world... you know, I mean, with a nod to FFF's epic Zombie Dust in Indiana and this tasty, delicious and amazing Half Acre epic Daisy Cutter in Chicago, or Tall Grass' 8 Bit in Kansas.  There's a lot of great beer in many states out there.

Nonetheless, according to Fritz at the Washed Post, tonight a bar in DC is hosting a VT Beer tasting event, for which it's charging $35 doll hairs to taste beers that are only available in VT... unless you can monkey your ass to VT and bring back the liquid gold for a limted release.  Very hush hush you know.  Just you, me and the readers of The Washington Post's "Going Out Guide" know about it.  You'll find that here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2014/03/04/try-heady-topper-allegedly-the-worlds-best-beer-tonight-in-adams-morgan/


All this prompted hillarious tweeting on the subject of these black market, out-of-state tastings from the yet another best beer in the world (one you literally have to drive the farm to taste)--  Hill Farmstead ‏@HillFarmstead , followed.  

And since it's Fat Tuesday, it put me in the spirit, prompting me to damn the 13 degree day and dig into the snow to make a snow table, then go to the vault to peel off one of my prized cans-- The Alchemist's Heady Topper for a little show and tell.

Fat Tuesday-- the day before, a celebration of all death to the flesh, with lent impending, you know, when we all give up something important to us to show our devotion to God, albeit maybe not as vital for survival as beer.  Although I like to drink these as I take off my boots near the trunk of the car after a few hours X Country skiing, Fat Tuesday is also a good day to drink a beer "to die for", as they say in parts of Brooklyn, cooled in 2 feet of snow.


Heady's froth and aroma were absurd-- as was the drinking temp--  I fully recommend taking your cans into the snow bank to bring down the temp.  I think the aroma chased birds away out there on the deck, mild to sharp cheese, the good stuff, way better than the government offers to celebrate a birth (as the writers on the FX series "Archer" put it last night) or McDonald's puts on burgers.  The hops are the show here, and they are storied and layered in aroma and flavor, so you don't even realize that you are smelling and tasting something that's probly strong enough to melt the paint off your car.

The color, you can see-- hazy golden hues. The flavor, like the aroma, storied and layered, balanaced in bitterness and sweetness, all of which is contrasted as it floats upon the malt like different parts of, say Puccini's Turandot.   It really is something to see... smell, and taste.

At 8% ABV, you'll need to pump the brakes, as I found out after the phone rang and I had to speak in a way others could understand after a pint of it.

Alchemist's Heady Topper is sure worth a trip to VT, especially if you're going up to ski anyway.  It's only really available there, so you'll need to bring it home if you plan on enjoying some in a snowbank in other states.

But if you can get it in DC at a bar looking to capture the beer geek marketz for a fee, I say, what would Frank Underwood to, right?  Use it to wash back a few episodes of House of Cards on Netflix before the phone and cable companies drive it into a forced sale in exchange for cheap bandwidth.


By the way, talking of DC, according to Beeradvocate.com-- there's another extraordinary beer event taking place inside the beltway today, March 4th that should be of interest to beer geeks within driving distance, and backed by another storied, out of state brewery that is not in VT or Maryland: Bell's.

So, I'll just leave this here:

Tuesday - March 04, 2014 @ 04:00PM / Ends: Tuesday - March 04, 2014 @ Midnight
Beer & Food Event
Birch & Barley / ChurchKey, Washington, District of Columbia
carl@birchandbarley.com  (202) 567-2576

 ChurchKey
TUESDAY MARCH 4TH AT 4 PM
POSTPONED FROM MONDAY MARCH 3RD DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
4 PM

Bell's HopSlam Cask Tapping + BBCK's Final HopSlam Kegs & Cases!

Let’s get right to the details: this Monday, we will tap the one and only Cask of Hopslam to hit the DC market this season. We’re tapping it right at 4pm and once it’s gone, it’s gone until 2015…so come early!

In addition to the Cask version, we’ll also have our final Hopslam keg of 2014 as well as our final bottles of Hopslam.

There is no admission for this event, and all Hopslam on Cask & Draft will be priced individually by the glass and in 4 oz. taster pours!

The Bell's Hopslam Beer List:
Hopslam (Cask)
Hopslam (Draft)
Hopslam (Bottles)

More: http://www.churchkeydc.com/

Craig Makes Sour Beer with a Kit

 

Craig gets a Sour beer kit and goes to town.

Sugar Hill Golden Ale, Lagunitas Sucks, Victory's Hop Ranch IPA, and a Peekskill's Wake Up Call Pale Ale

Sugar Hill's Golden Ale at Harlem Ale House is a thin, clear ale with a fast froth that drinks like a mega brand but with twice the alcohol.  Beeradvocate.com rates it "okay" around 77, and I think it's a little better than that.  This beer makes me think brand needs it's own brewery and about 4 more signature beers at this point.  On the other hand, the surroundings at the Harlem Ale House sure are-- great giant HD TVs for sports, good attentive bar service and plenty of room.  The menu is a bit pricey for bar foods, but it's not a fast food burger hub and it's the trend. 

Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale

I also had one of these Lagunitas Sucks at Harlem Ale House, and it was nice, complex, and dark, with aromatic hops, and abiding froth and a spicey pine character that was hard to parse.  It has its minions and fans at BA, which rates it a 97.

It's a nice balanced ordeal, with a strong alcohol vertabrae, not unlike a T. Rex tip towing through a flowery Petaluma neighborhood.  It's hard not to appreciate this beer, but I'm wondering if it was not a bit over aged, given the spicey character.

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Victory Hop Ranch IPA

Here's a great big, bold, clear, gold beautiful IPA for Hop heads to get fix the condition.   Really nice, well balanced, lacey, abiding froth, smelling tart and citric.  Very aromatic. Mosaic hops shine in aroma and the sharp piney taste.

I had this this beer at Friend of a Farmer off Union Square, which has plenty of glazed food that calls for something this high robust to wash back the lipid parade.

I have no problem picking up a 6 pack of this to have on hand for random pizza, burgers, wings or pork and beef based BBQs. Victory's Hop Ranch rocks a 95 from their fans at Beeradvocate.com.  Ratebeer.com's audience is even more happy with the outcome at 99%.  Neither cheezey or skunked up, I can say it's hard to oversell this beer if you like your hops just right.

 

 

Peekskill Brewery's new Wake Up Call Pale Ale

Peekskill Brewery's new Wake Up Call Pale Ale is another of it's line of epic mixtures, using Galaxy Hops and Guatemalan Coffee Beans from Coffee Labs Roasters.  This may be one of the best coffee based beers I've had, so you can set any and all of your Java stouts right next to this one.  At this point, Ratebeer has one rating, but 12 drinkers at Beeradvocate give it a 91 between them and I agree. With it's thick froth, hopped yet nutty aroma and light, balanced beautiful long lasting coffee flavor, Wake Up Call should soon be taking medals and victory laps at a beer competition near you.

Homebrewed Wheat Apple Cider with Nottingham Yeast

I see where AB's Shocktop makes a Honeycrisp Wheat Cider, which I have not tried.  I'm not too happy with the Shocktop brand because it had the qualities of a soda when last (first) I tried it one Saturday in fall 3 years ago, or maybe more of a wine cooler.

But I plan to grab one and contrast it with little project I've been working on. 

Beeradvocate reviews of the Shocktop Wheat come in weak (73), and suggest that it's a sweat sensation that they are selling.

Hard Wheat Apple Cider, using Nottingham yeast is about the best hard cider I've ever made.  It's dry, for starters, which is my pref.   If I were to sweeten it back, I suppose it would be more in line with Shocktop, but I imagine milk sugar would need to be the route with this Notty yeast, as it would make ethanol of the plans of mice and men to sweeten the brew. 

Using a lot less wheat on this batch made a big difference.  My early error was to use way too much maleted Wheat exact, which imparted an off, vinegar flavor out of the pale.  

Ultimately, it made a nice apple vinegar. 

The flavor is tart, bubbly and bright with a fuller, not malty per se, but more weighty, with way more citrus flavor than hard cider alone.  It's ende up with an appealing champaign quality.

This blend is exactly what I was hoping would come of it-- to the bottling machine batman!


Next I'm going to try a few batches using various other yeast strains to see if it changes the flavor profile much. Stay tuned.

Half Acre Beer Company, Chicago

This small garage that could, near Lincoln Square in Chicago is Half Acre Beer Company, where those cans of highly hopped, Daisy Cutter IPA are born. 

Daisy Cutter rates about 99 on the interwebz social sites such as Ratebeer.com, but what's more is the rest of their lineup isn't at all hit or miss, as are so many other producers.  

You'll find it on Ratebeer.com here: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/half-acre-daisy-cutter/102472/#.UttYkbRyIn8.blogger

Consistently excellent is no small thing, however small or grand their space. 

To take the drama and drum roll out of it, I can say that I tried 3 and they were all outstanding and something to rave about, while Daisy Cutter was over the top.  If you're a hop head, and don't know by now, Daisy Cutter should stand tall in your fridge next to or between Zombie Dust and Heady Topper like three beer assassins or first responders, patiently waiting to coat your tongue and wipe out any residual off flavors from bad brew, beer mishaps or even hot wings.  

I


The tap room is small and comfortable and the staff attentive and professional.  The staff is great at the store too, which is bright, clean and fun.



They don't serve food, but the menu welcomes you to order in the area and bring your own in. 


This place just may be my favorite brewery. 





  

Half Acre's PONY Pilsner is bright, bold, bitter, with noble hops amped way up past 10 on the Marshall, this is not spinal tap.  It's clear and frothy, with a distinctive aroma.  You won't find many German beers, using German hops turned up this high, and it works to great effect.  

The lacing is very impressive, if you are obsessive about the way proteins paint your class. 

Gossamer and Alpenglow are both extraordinary beers as well. 

Gossamer Golden Ale is clear, crisp, bold, and bready in aroma and taste without being chewy.  It's ABV is comfortable at 4.2%

This beer would be nice to wash down about any meal. 

Alpenglow Winter Dark Ale-- the coffeest coffee stout that's not stout, ever.  It's a bright, bold, bitter black-amber, with an ABV of 5%  

I love this beer. 

Half Acre's Beer menu.

Here's where Half Acre gets down to it in the back room. 

It's a Steven's Point St. Benedict's Winter

In my experience, Steven's Point makes great, very under rated beer.  And this brown St. Benedict Winter "English Strong Ale" is no exception. St. Benedict is credited as a leading figure promoting monastic life, which is kind of the way people live in colder places in winter like this.  

And maybe it bears mentioning that he died in Monte Casino, Italy, a mountain abbey, where over 54,000 American solders died beating back the German Axis Rats, who lost 20,000 troops during World War 2. 

If you type it into the magic Google machine you'll find the unsober masses at Beeradvocate.com rate the beer an 80, whereas, the Bros-- 90, no small difference of opinion. 

The beer's won 3 medals at World Beer Championships. 

I'm inclined to back the Bros on this one. 

St. Benedict on tap has a dark appearance, a nice  frothy head, but one that doesn't remain long, and no discernible aroma.   

The taste is chocolate that's well balanced against the heat from the alcohol, like a nice spicy dry brandy.... served cold.   

Mouth feel: it has a thin and dry body with a warm finish.  It's 6.2%  ABV, so not necessarily a gulping ale as I'd define one, like say your low ABV stouts, however easy it is to mistake the look of St. Benedict for one.  Some may disagree on this point, as this kind of thin, less malty, less caloric feeling or flavor is exactly what makes for gulping for some folks, however illusory (the calories, that is).  Ethanol has calories, in addition to the other way other ways it impacts the body. 

The dryness is tongue numbing, like and injecting of by the dentist. 

The Point lists the ale as noble, "cluster" hops, but you won't notice them much, but enough to bitter the malts to avoid sweetness.  The malts include: 2 row, 6 row Pilsen, roasted, aromatic, and 2 row chocolate.  

The Point's done another bang up job on this ale, even if the reviews at Ratebeer.com rates at less than half Fuller's version, and Beeradvocate.com is less glowing than seems right.  

Here's St. Benedict's tap handle, where he looks kind of wide eyed and stunned by the way the alcohol crept up on him too.  Even during Cold Winter months when it's available, contemplation has its limits, at least in public settings, where you'll find him on tap. So go slow kids.