'Grozet' Scottish Gooseberry Beer - Care Package Beer Three

In the words of Monty Python - and now for something completely different. I might have been a bit apprehensive approaching the opening of my third Care Package beer, Grozet, from Williams Brothers Brewing in Alloa, Scotland, had it not been for having imbibed their flagship, Fraoch, on a number of occasions (best in cask, by the way). Fraoch is the world's benchmark for heather infused beer and assuredly the first to be produced commercially. Like Fraoch, Grozet is a modern interpretation of an historic Scottish ale, this time brewed with Gooseberries, Grozet being Scots for gooseberry. Fraoch and Grozet are part of Williams Brothers' Historic Ales From Scotland line that also includes Alba, brewed with Scots Pine and Spruce sprigs, Ebulum, brewed with Elderberries, and Kelpie, brewed with seaweed; yes, seaweed!

Grozet is brewed with malted barley, gooseberries, hops, boymyrtle, and yeast. (A number of historic ales from the British Isles used Myrica Gale - common name bog myrtle or sweet gale, in place of hops either prior to the arrival of hops from the Continent or due to the expense of hops). It is said to be fermented for a lengthy period at cold temperatures. When poured it is straw to light golden in color with a fruity aroma that I'm assuming is primarily from the gooseberries (I've never had gooseberries myself). It has a very light bodied mouthfeel and is very lightly carbonated. The flavor is unlike any beer I've ever had. Upon first taste I thought it quite harshly bitter although not a hoppy bitterness. However, after the next two or three sips I found it very nice and flavorful. As mentioned, I've never had gooseberries but if I am correct I would say they aren't a far cry from black currant, a flavor a do quite like. As Grozet first hits the tongue the taste is kind of tart but still slightly bitter (not unlike black currant). However, once the initial bitterness settles the beer is pleasantly sweet and slightly malty. It reminds me of some fruit flavored wheat beers I've had in the past but unlike anything I've tasted before.  The initial finish is slightly sweet, tailors off to bittersweet, but leaves a lingering sweetness in the back of the mouth. This is indeed a very unique beer; not one I would drink a lot of at one sitting, but very interesting nonetheless.

Today's William Brothers Brewing Company started in earnest in 1988 when Bruce Williams began brewing Fraoch, or Heather Ale, in the tiny five barrel West Highland Brewery in Taynuilt, Argyll. With the success of the beer more capacity was needed and brewing of Fraoch was contracted to the sadly now gone historic Maclay Thistle Brewery in Alloa, Scotland, long a classic Scottish brewing center. In 1998, with the help of Historic Scotland, Bruce and his brother Scott refurbished for brewing Craigmill, an old mill in Strathaven, just south of East Kilbride. Brewing remained here until 2004 when the company adopted the Williams Brothers name, purchased the New Alloa Brewery in Killiebank, Alloa and moved all production to the new brewery. The Craigmill site was subsequently taken over by Strathaven Ales. After moving to the new brewery, Williams Brothers expanded their range of beers beyond the Historic Ales line to a variety of interesting and excellent beers under the Williams Brothers name. I urge you to seek them out when and if you have the opportunity. You will be glad you did!

FINAL NOTE: The brewery description on the website, ScottishBrewing.com, is incorrect. This will be addressed very soon.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Orkney Brewery's Northern Light - Care Package Beer Two

Finally, I'm finding the time to say something about the second beer in my recent 'care package'. This one is Orkney Brewery's Northern Light. First off, I must say that I've enjoyed all the cask versions of Orkney's beers that I've tried over the years. Prior to this, I think I've only had Red MacGregor in bottle form. One of the things that struck me right away about Orkney beers when I first tried them some years ago is the packaging. Orkney has always had awesome pump clips and bottle labels. But, enough of that, on to the beer itself.

I've had a few other Orkney beers but this is the first time I've tried Northern Light. Visually, it is very light golden, almost straw colored. The bottled version that I had exhibited little to no aroma when poured into a glass. Flavor-wise it has a nice upfront sweetness from the pale malt and a citrusy fruitiness from the hops and the yeast. According to Orkney's website, Northern Light is brewed with 'the very best pale ale malt' along with Hallertauer Hersbrucker, Saaz, and Liberty hop varieties. The beer is classified by the brewery as a Pale Ale but I found the body to be a little thin for a Pale Ale, in my opinion. The finish seemed a bit too dry and bitter with the flavor of the beer itself quickly disappearing.

Overall, I think this would be a great beer for hot weather (something Scotland has very little of) or with spicy food such as a nice Chicken Tikka Masala. It must be said, however, that this is not a beer I would order successively in the pub; Red MacGregor or Dark Island, yes.

The Orkney Brewery was founded in 1998 by Roger White and his wife, Irene, as a retirement project. Their initial brewer was the very talented Rob Hill, now running his own brewery, Highland Brewing Company, also in Orkney. In 2006 the brewery was purchased (along with Atlas Brewery, who I think I read recently is no longer on the go, I could be wrong) by Norman Sinclair, a successful restaurateur, under Sinclair Breweries Ltd. I have to be honest, I think they struggled a little bit after Rob left as the consistency of their beers was not what it had been. I think they've regained this however and now continue to produce highly acclaimed beers.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Roddy Beveridge - A Fallen Comrade

I was all set to write the next post in the 'care package' series focused on Orkney Brewery's Northern Light but when I sat down to write all I could think about was the emails I received recently from various members of the Scottish Craft Brewers and CAMRA's Edinburgh and South East Scotland branch. Whenever I see an email description start with "Sad News" I know something is amiss and the news won't be good at all. I didn't realize until I read it how bad it really was.

Roddy Beveridge

Roddy Beveridge of Edinburgh, Scotland died suddenly and unexpectedly at his home on Friday, 19th November. Roddy was only 43 years of age. Apparently many close to him did not know of his health issues and struggle with diabetes, a horrendous disease that I believe is never treated with the amount of attention it deserves. Roddy's funeral was this morning, Scotland time, at Our Lady of Loretto RC Church in Newbigging, Musselburgh. He will be buried at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Liberton.

At the time of his death Roddy was Head Brewer at Fowler's Ales, a microbrewery attached to the Prestoungrange Gothenburg pub in Prestonpans just east of Edinburgh. He took over brewing duties at the 'Goth in late 2009 bringing back in-house brewed real ales after a down time of some 18 months. Roddy was an avid homebrewer and a previous Vice-President of the Scottish Craft Brewers prior to taking the assignment at the 'Goth. Prior to this he had a "...successful career in management and IT..." according to an article in the East Lothian Courier. I've heard nothing but great things about the real ales Roddy produced at the pub and microbrewery. I could go into more background about the pub as it has a great story as a pub and with its association with John Fowler & Co, a historic brewer in Prestonpans. However, that just doesn't seem appropriate, this information can be gleaned from the embedded links to the pub's website.

I have to say I never really knew Roddy, in person that is, but I sure would have liked to. All of his friends and colleagues that I've had associations with spoke nothing but praise of him. We homebrewers the world over share a common bond and have many similar characteristics that draw us to this great hobby so we all knew Roddy in some small way. That is not to diminish in any way the privileges that those that really knew him and were close to him had. I hope we all remember Roddy for his passion in this art and lift a pint in his honor at every opportunity. My sincere thanks to the members of the local CAMRA branch and the Scottish Craft Brewers for their timely communication of this truly sad event.

Please consider a donation to Diabetes UK as requested by the family. My thoughts and prayers are with Roddy's family.

Rest in peace, Roddy. You will be greatly missed.

Yours Aye!
Neil

(Roddy's picture was shamelessly taken from an article in the East Lothian Toun Crier that was posted on the 'Goth's website. I sincerely hope they won't mind).

The Highly Coveted 'Care Package' and Houston's "Crystal"

One of the great perks about my occupation is the number of acquaintances and friends that I've made in certain parts of the world. Nowhere is this more true than my beloved Scotland where I can honestly say some of my very best friends are from and live. Unfortunately, I don't get to travel there on business any longer simply due to my current role. However, occasionally one or more of my friends and colleagues travels to Austin as was the case recently when Bruce Robertson came here on business a few weeks ago.

Bruce was one of the first people I worked with in Scotland starting roughly twenty years ago and he has become one of my greatest friends. Having Bruce here was almost like being on holiday as he is simply one of the most fun people to hang out with that I have ever met. On many of these trips, my other great friend from Glasgow, Alan McRobb, is always kind enough to provide me with what I call my highly coveted 'care package'. I have extolled my praise of Alan before as he is really the catalyst for this Scottish beer obsession of mine. He introduced me to cask-conditioned ales and taught me many of the things that separate truly great ones from ones that need some help - most of the time due to poor cellaring, not the quality of the beer itself. These care packages include an ever changing mix of Scottish beers, most of which you cannot get anywhere in the United States and I always look forward to receiving them with great anticipation. Bruce was the lucky courier this time. My thanks to them both.

So, what does this mean for the blog? Glad you asked. Starting with this post, I'll provide my comments on each of the beers that I received in this particular care package. They will be separated into successive posts so as not to mix my palate on a given night and to give each beer its own attention. The first of these is the fine bottled beer, Crystal, from Houston Brewery attached to the Fox and Hounds Pub in the small town of the same name in Renfrewshire, Scotland, a short distance from Glasgow. I visited this pub on my last trip to Scotland with none other than the aforementioned Alan McRobb. Ally McCoist happened to be in the pub that evening, apparently a regular, and this was just before he was appointed to Glasgow Rangers coaching staff. I found it somewhat ironic as Alan and I are both Celtic fans but I recognized Ally from his appearances on the sadly gone Setanta Sports network for their coverage of the Scottish Premier League.

Anyway, back to topic. Crystal is Houston Brewery's staple bottled beer. The brewery's classification as a Pale Ale fits well albeit on the strong side with an ABV of 5.0%. Despite the alcohol level, it has a session beer feel to it. It is dark golden in color and has a sweet and slightly fruity aroma with some hints of grassiness from the hops. The beer is medium to light in body and has a really nice malty sweet and fruity flavor, the latter provided primarily by the yeast (in my opinion) and to some degree by the hops. It finishes slightly dry but not overly bitter. I found the flavor of the hops to be quite earthy (my preference in hops) and with good citrus notes. For me, this is a highly drinkable beer with all the things I look for in a beer of this style. I wish I had some more.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Oktoberfestbier and a 400 Pound Monkey

I recently rediscovered Colorado's Left Hand Brewing Company. Their Oktoberfest this year was the reason for this renewal of favoritism of their beer on my part. Each year during the Oktoberfest season (September in Germany and stretching through the month of October in the U.S.) I sample as many Oktoberfest and Oktoberfest/Marzen biers as I can get my hands on, German and American. Having now been to the real Oktoberfest in Munich, I now 'judge' these biers solely on their authenticity to what is actually served at Oktoberfest. Most of the American interpretations and even some of the German imports that are labeled as Oktoberfest or Oktoberfest/Marzen biers are in the darker style than that served in Munich and are thus not authentic Oktoberfestbier to me.

This year there were really only three American Oktoberfest biers that lived up to the scrutiny. They were the aforementioned Left Hand brew as well as Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest and our own Real Ale Brewery's Oktoberfest from a local brewery just west of Austin in the Hill Country town of Blanco, Texas. If I am correct, all of Real Ale's seasonal beers are now formulated by brewer Tim Schwartz, a legend in the Austin micro-brewery scene having brewed at one of Austin's finest brewpubs, The Bitter End, now sadly a distant memory. Tim is brilliant with recipes scanning all styles of beer so it came as little surprise to me that the Oktoberfest would be as good as it is.

However, the subject of this post is not Oktoberfest bier per se but rather Left Hand's 400 Pound Monkey. 'Monkey' is classified by the brewery as an English Style India Pale Ale and is brewed with 2-Row Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Munich Malt and Malted Wheat. It is hopped with Magnum, Boadicea, and Sovereign hop varieties. I have personally come to love Boadicea hops from the UK and use them quite often in my own beers and was elated to see their use in the Monkey. To me the beer has a lovely soft malt palate with plenty of earthy hop flavor without being overwhelming. The finish is soft as well and not overly bitter or dry. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of hop bitterness and flavor in this beer but I really like the balance as the malt and caramel notes come through nicely as well which isn't often the case with an American style IPA. The aroma is of sweet malt and earthy hop with a tinge of alcohol. It is medium bodied and clocks in at 6.8% ABV (Alcohol By Volume).

My only reservation about the beer is the use of Munich Malt as I still struggle a lot with the use of a German malt in any English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish style beer. I know, I know, the use of Munich is very popular but I just can't bring myself to accept or to use it in these style of beers, I just don't think it belongs if sticking to tradition. Even to this day given all the influence America has had on the brewing scene in Great Britain, I have still not seen the use of Munich in their traditional beers styles. Nonetheless, this is a great beer and in my opinion definitely fits the style category, at least as defined by the BJCP.

Colorado is full of great breweries and Left Hand, in my book, is one of the finest. It is getting near impossible to find good examples of any beers from Britain (here used to include England as well as all three Celtic 'nations') in the U.S. It is great that some domestic breweries are producing very worthy versions and 400 Pound Monkey more than fits that description. Well Done!

Yours Aye!
Neil

A Pondering Of Brown Ale

It's that time of year again. Time for all the legitimate and interpretive Oktoberfest biers to hit the shelves and the taps at your favorite watering hole. However, from a seasonal beer point-of-view, the end of summer and beginning of fall brings more than just Oktoberfest biers (although I believe these still dominate in the association of beer to falling temperatures and the arrival of the Munich Oktoberfest, which I was very fortunate to have been able to attend in 2009).

The inspiration (probably more of a catalyst than an inspiration) for this post comes from sitting here enjoying Sierra Nevada's fall seasonal called 'Tumbler'. 'Tumbler' is described on the label as an "Autumn Brown Ale". I have to say this is a beer that is probably going to move into the upper part of my list of favorite beers. When I first tasted it a couple of weeks ago, I thought to myself, "now this is what a Brown Ale should taste like!" I love its smooth palate and flavor highlighted by caramel notes, a slight roasty character and just enough hop bitterness to offset the sweetness of the malts. This is one highly drinkable beer.

'Tumbler' is brewed with Two Row Pale Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, and what is described by the brewery as "Smoked" malt. The latter really surprises me as I don't detect much of a smoky character. Maybe we've hit on something here - a way to add smoked malt to the grist without it overwhelming the flavor as is the case in so many beers using it (and don't get me started on the topic of using Smoked/Peated Malt in Scottish ales!). It is bittered with Challenger hops and finished with Challenger and Yakima Goldings hops. This may explain part of the reason I like this so much. Challenger is widely used today in all Scottish and English ales and Yakima Goldings is a derivative of perhaps the most widely used English hop, in the truest definition, East Kent Goldings. Both of these are mainstays in my own home brewery.

Now, while I sing the praises of this beer and continue to appreciate the mastery of its balance (balance having become my most sought after attribute of a beer) I ask myself, as I so often do upon first tasting a beer, is this a Brown Ale as advertised? Is it really true to style? In the case of Brown Ale, this innocuous question (or so it may have seemed) turns into a somewhat complex query. Exactly what is a Brown Ale?

Brewing historian, Martyn Cornell, writes in his excellent book, Amber, Gold & Black, that brown ale or brown beer was the top beer style in London at the end of the seventeenth century. However, it's reputation was somewhat dubious and the style all but died out with the rise in popularity of porter and stout, to be followed later followed by pale beers. The brown beer style also traveled to America with the early British settlers and was brewed for some time but, like in the UK, died out for the most part (more on this in a bit).

Cornell tells us that the first 'modern' interpretation of brown ale was formulated and then bottled as Mann's Brown Ale in 1902 (possibly 1899) by Thomas Wells Thorpe of Mann, Crossman & Paulin's Albion Brewery in Whitechapel Road, London. This beer was sweeter due to a low attenuation even though it had an OG of 1.033. The beer style took awhile to grow but eventually many other British brewers had no choice but to follow suit. In the BJCP style guidelines, Mann's beer would be classified as a 'Southern English Brown'.

With little doubt, the most recognized brown ale in America (and many other places in the world) is Newcastle Brown Ale, developed in the northern England city of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne by Newcastle Breweries at the end of the 1920s. Newcastle would be classified as a 'Northern English Brown' beer and is more attenuated, maltier, and stronger than that of Mann's. Another example of the northern style is Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale.

Now, back to America. It is generally accepted that a somewhat new style of brown ale began in the mid- 1980s when former silicon valley techy and homebrewer, Pete Slosberg, developed Pete's Wicked Ale. Pete's new introduction to the US brewing scene was a big hit and the beer won many awards in a very short time. Pete first had the beer brewed under contract in California but it has subsequently been bounced from micro-brewery to micro-brewery at various locations throughout North America. I didn't start developing my appreciation for beer until about the time Pete's was introduced. In my mind, Pete's Wicked Ale sits up there with Samuel Adams Lager, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and Anchor Steam as the elite in those early days of rise of the US micro-brewery scene. I remember tasting my first Pete's Wicked Ale and I was blown away with the depth of flavor. It is still a great beer to this day.

If you want to know more about the history of brown ale, I'd highly recommend getting a copy of Martyn Cornell's book, Amber, Gold & Black. Martyn also has a highly successful and always enlightening blog, Zythophile. Another great and highly detailed source of historical information on English brown ales (and a plethora of other styles) is Ron Pattinson's blog, Shut up about Barclay Perkins.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Save Our Shores - Through Beer!

I'm sure there are few people anywhere in the world with any regular access to the media that aren't aware of the complete cock-up by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. This is perhaps the worst environmental oil disaster to date. And, as if they needed more of a kick in the head, yet again the fine state of Louisiana is forefront in the list of disaster struck coastlines. Well, one fine brewery is doing their part to help.

Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, Louisiana, just north of New Orleans has launched not only a fund raising campaign to help clean up the Gulf shoreline but with this initiative comes one stellar beer. Abita developed the "Save Our Shores" (SOS) campaign to do just that - raise money to help the cleanup effort. They offer a fine T-Shirt and a baseball cap as well as some other small items but most importantly to we beer nuts is their "Save Our Shore - A Charitable Pilsner". Abita donates 75 cents from the sale of every bottle to help in the cleanup of the Gulf shores.

While the beer sells for quite a high price (at least here in Texas), it is worth it - it's a bigger bottle (22 U.S. ounces) and packs a wallop at 7.0%. The Charitable Pilsner is classified by the brewery as an "unfiltered Weizen Pils", a mainly Pilsner style beer with a good addition of Wheat Malt to complement the Pilsner Malt. Unlike most Pilsner beers, it is hopped as well as dry-hopped with Sterling (somewhat similar to Saaz) and German Perle hops. This is not a beer for the faint of heart. As one would expect, the beer is light golden in color with a smooth taste belying the amount of alcohol in the beer. The hop profile comes through but is not overly assertive. This is one fine, big beer. So go and get some and help clean up our shores.

This is not the only beer Abita has produced related to the disasters that have befell Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc all along the Gulf Coast. Abita has produced "Restoration Pale Ale", to celebrate the resilience of the people of Louisiana in restoring their communities. Restoration is brewed with Pale and Lager (Pilsner) Malts, Crystal Malt, and CaraPils. It is hopped and dry-hopped with Cascade hops and fermented with a California style yeast which yields a very clean finish. It is golden in color and has a nice hop finish, again more subtle than overbearing.

I first fell in love with the Abita Brewery after having tried their "Amber" and "Turbo Dog" beers some years ago, both, at least in my mind, modern American classic beers. Whenever I go to New Orleans, outside of the occasion obligatory Hurricane, I always drink Abita Amber wherever it is available. To me, it ranks among the finest beers in the U.S. along side Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and a number of others. They also produce a great Root Beer and one the best Christmas Ales available anywhere. Go and check them out if you haven't already and be sure to get some SOS beer and other items.

Yours Aye!
Neil

A couple old friends, a great new beer, and a great new website

I'm sitting here enjoying one of my favorite beers (the first old friend), Morland's Old Speckled Hen. In my opinion, there is no other beer that tastes like 'Hen, it is a classic. And thankfully, it is still readily available here in Texas which is becoming a UK beer wasteland as fewer and fewer brands and individual beers are constantly disappearing. Old Speckled Hen was first brewed by Morland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. It was named after the company's run-around car, a Featherweight Fabric Saloon (any fan of Top Gear will know what a 'Saloon' is), that was often parked outside the paint shop. It acquired a lot of over-spray and become known as the 'Owld Speckl'd Un' which became Old Speckled Hen when the beer was launched. Lovely!

I received an IM the other day from one of my best mates, Alan McRobb, from Glasgow (actually it was Alan that first turned me on to Old Speckled Hen). At first I was a bit annoyed as he was winding me up by rubbing it in that he had recently visited Tennents Bar on Byres Road in Glasgow, one of my favorite pubs and a frequent hangout for me when I lived there for a short time. If I haven't mentioned it here, Alan is the one that got me started on this whole thing. When I first went to Scotland I had no idea what cask-conditioned ale, or real ale, was. On subsequent trips, Alan set me straight and helped to develop my appreciation and taste for some of the world's greatest beers. He taught me about how real ale needs to be properly kept and not to be shy in sending a pint back that was 'off'. I owe it all to him (do the accolades never cease?)! By the way, Tennents is also a place where some local celebs are to be seen on occasion. I met BBC Scotland radio and television personality Tam Cowan here as well as the great sports journalist, Graham Spiers (again, Alan told me who Graham was).

Well, part two of Alan's IM was to tell me about a great new ale from Marstons, the long standing and historic brewery from Burton-On-Trent. The beer is EPA or English Pale Ale. Alan has always been a fan of a 'Burton and he was very impressed with this beer. It is described by Marstons as '...a refreshing lighter blonde ale with subtle citrus flavours and a delicate bitter aftertaste'. It is supposedly modeled after the famous pale ales of Burton-On-Trent, but it does use American Cascade hops along with Styrian Goldings which makes it kind of a hybrid between traditional and modern. Never one to question Alan's tastes, I'd bank on this one and if you are fortunate enough to be in an area where you can get it - do so!

Finally, I got an email through my website, ScottishBrewing.com, from Terry Dicks, Managing Director of a firm that has launched the UK website, Your Round. This is a growing website that links everyone from the brewer to the publican to the drinker for real ale in the UK. Search for your favorite brewery/beer and find out what pubs have it on, or, search your local pub to see what they have on. Many pubs are signing up with webcams. This is a great thing so check it out!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Strangford Lough - New Irish Beer Both In Ireland And In America

Just when I think no one reads this wee beer blog of mine, I'm surprised at receiving an email from a relatively new Irish brewery, Strangford Lough Brewing Company, whose headquarters resides at Killyleagh, County Down. As one might imagine, I was at first a bit skeptical as to whether the offer of free beer from the brewery for the purposes of my simply reviewing was legitimate. Turns out, it was indeed legitimate and a very kind and generous offer.

Strangford Lough Brewing was established in 2004 by two 'marketing and business development professionals' with the aim to become the second most recognized Irish beer in the world. The company distributes the world over but has a special interest in North America. The two beers sent to me, 'St Patrick's Best Ale' and 'Legbiter Ale' are currently available in some 20 states. One somewhat unique business approach the firm has is to seek out licensees who will not only market and distribute their beer but also brew it locally. So, enough of the background, let's get to the beers!


St Patrick's Best Ale

The first of the two samples I tried was 'St Patrick's Best Ale'. The beer pours very clear with a slight amber hue. The aroma, to me, speaks of caramel maltiness with slight notes of lightly toasted colored malt and mostly void of any hop aroma (as I would expect with an Irish ale). At 4.2% ABV this is a enjoyable, easy drinking session ale (OK, maybe just a hair high in ABV for a true session but it certainly drinks likes one). The body is quite light and the flavor is of sweet malt with hints of lightly roasted grain. There is virtually no hop flavor but rather just enough to offset the sweetness of the malt. I have not had the pleasure of trying any of the smaller microbrewery beers from Ireland but I'd have to say this is very much in line with what I would expect. Definitely British in nature and right up my alley.

Legbiter Ale

The second beer is 'Legbiter Ale', named after the Viking King Magnus' sword. More golden in color than St Patrick's Best, 'Legbiter' is also higher in alcohol at 4.8% ABV and more assertively hopped but not overly so. A review from Beer Advocate on the Brewery's website deemed it a hoppy ale and wavered as to whether they believed it was more English or American in influence. From a hoppiness standpoint, there is no doubt it my mind that at least the sample I tried was definitely English in nature. The Brewers' notes on the company's website states that American Cascade and Glacier hops provide a citrus aroma. Personally, I do not detect this and liken the aroma more to sweet maltiness with a very light hint of toasted malt. I'd almost put the aroma more akin to a Bavarian lager such as a Munich Helles or a true Oktoberfestbier (I'll comment on this in a future post as Oktoberfest draws nearer). Don't get me wrong, I'm not likening this beer to a German lager but rather just noting some similarities I detect in the aroma. Legbiter is more full bodied than St Patrick's Best and finishes somewhat dry and definitely more bitter. I can usually detect Cascade flavor right off but here it does not play as dominant a role as it normally does in American or American influenced beers and I applaud the brewer for not going overboard on their use. I have to say though that the malty sweetness and caramel notes still dominate to my palate and makes for a really lovely flavor.

In summary, these are two great new beers from 'over the pond' and both definitely carry a British dominated flavor despite the use of American hops in the case of Legbiter. I look forward to their availability in more states (especially here in Texas) as Irish beers are simply not well represented here in America. I think the current crop of Irish brewers has a lot to offer the world of brewing and Strangford Lough certainly delivers.

My personal thanks to Emma McCarey from Stangford Lough for seeking me out and giving me this fine opportunity to try their beers. You can follow the brewery on Facebook and Twitter.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Distracted but brewing and beer research continues...

Yes, that time of year again for those of us with smaller children - end of school. Why is it seems the last week or so of school is the busiest for the parents but the kids don't really do much of anything to do with school? This is one distraction that has kept me from posting for quite some time.

I've also been quite busy with airing of my most recent appearances on The Brewing Network's "The Jamil Show - Can You Brew It?" as a British brewing correspondent. There have been three programs to date, the first being Black Sheep Brewery's "Riggwelter" dark ale. Had a fabulous time doing a phone interview with Head Brewer Alan Dunn that was then aired on the program. Also really enjoyed my first "live" appearance on the program. Jamil is perhaps the most decorated homebrewer in America and his knowledge of brewing and beer styles is simply quite amazing for someone that does not brew as a profession. I highly encourage you to buy his book, Brewing Classic Styles, whether you are a homebrewer or not.

It is the best book on worldwide beer styles that I've read and, lucky for we homebrewers, is full of award winning recipes. The next two programs were for Fuller's ESB and London Pride. I had no idea how great this assignment would be. Just visiting the historic Fuller's Griffin Brewery in London last fall was exciting enough but sitting in Head Brewer John Keeling's office for well over an hour talking about parti-gyle brewing and Fuller's beers was a privilege and experience that I'm still pinching myself from that it actually did happen. John has been incredibly helpful since the interview as well with follow up questions and I have some great discussion via email with various folks since the shows. My thanks, John! And, thanks so much to Jamil Zainasheff and Justin Crossley at the BrewingNetwork for giving me the opportunity and helpful with technical details, respectively.

Speaking of books on beer styles, for British style beers, there is no better book than Martyn Cornell's "Amber, Gold and Black". Unfortunately, it is not yet available in the US. If you're too impatient to wait, I'd recommend ordering it from my good friend Paul Travis at BeerInnPrint in the UK. And one of Martyn's other books, "Beer The Story of the Pint" is also fabulous.

Also, on the homebrew front, I mentioned during the Riggwelter show that the whole reason why I started homebrewing some 13 years ago was in an effort to clone Caledonian Brewery's "Deuchars IPA". I cannot state how many different batches of this I've tried over the years constantly varying the recipe to try to get closer to the original. I figured other than moving to Scotland (which I would still do in a heartbeat if I could get a worthwhile job there), this is the only way I would get anything similar to this great beer as it is not available in the States. Well, an attentive listener from Glasgow, Geoff Traill, gave me a recipe he came up with. On brewing day after having already started I discovered I didn't have the hop variety I thought I had and I had to substitute. However, as I'm drinking this brew now, it is the closest I've ever come and I predict the next one will be really close. Thanks Geoff! This, my friends, is the beauty of homebrewing. I can't say enough about it as a hobby - and think of the fruits of your labor!

I've also regained momentum on my book on Scottish brewing history. Still a long way to go but I'm rolling again and finding some great historical insights. I'm just finishing up a chapter on monastic brewing in Scotland and ready to start medieval brewing. The best is yet to come.

Yours Aye!
Neil

Beer and Brewing in Michigan.

If you've followed any of my previous escapades before I made the decision to make this solely a beer blog, you will know about two of my best friends, Chad and Anthony Lerma. In fact, here we are on our recent trip to London and Munich, this being is Munich. Anthony is Chad's dad and they are both from Detroit, Michigan, Chad being an alum of Michigan State (a rival of my beloved Purdue Boilermakers). I grew up in northeast Indiana not far from the Michigan border but that was long before the beer bug hit me. Thankfully, now, Anthony is always kind enough to bring some "care packages" (beer) from Michigan when he can when he visits Chad here in Austin, Texas. In the latest 'package', I got to try two new beers as well as an old friend, one of the finest beers on the planet (more on that in a bit).

The first beer I tried was Atwater Block Brewery's "Michigan Lager". Atwater Block is in Detroit, was founded in 1997, and inhabits a warehouse dating from 1919 in Detroit's historic Rivertown district. This is the first Atwater Block beer I have tried. My honest impression was a bit mixed but probably only because of my preconceived notion of what a beer labeled "lager" should taste like. The beer was a golden-colored, quite fruity tasting beer with a huge head and medium body. It had some subtle sweet maltiness but that was overwhelmed by the fruity flavors. Now, I have no idea what the grist of this beer is but if I were to guess, I'd say it more belongs in the Kristal Hefe-Weizen category. It had a pronounced flavor of a high percentage of wheat and tasted much more like a 'hefe' than a Bavarian or northern Germany styled lager. I'm not saying it was a bad beer, just not what I expected given the moniker.

The next one was Michigan Brewing Company's "Pale Ale".I've had some of their beers before and, in fact, I'm drinking their "High Seas India Pale Ale" at the time of writing. First, a comment on the IPA. This is a beer I quite enjoy, but it is pretty far from a true IPA, in my opinion. It reminds me a lot more of Rogue's "Dead Guy Ale" and has that same amber color and a considerable percentage, I'm guessing, of Munich Malt. The brewery's description is that it is "assertively" hopped but I think even that is a bit far as I taste a whole lot more malty sweetness than any hop bitterness or flavor. Again, I really like this beer but I personally wouldn't call it an IPA, I think it is a great example of an American Amber and highly drinkable in quantity. Now, the "Pale Ale". I found this one a quite nice tasting beer but offering nothing really memorable. It has a decent hop bitterness and finishes quite fruity and dry.  My notes actually say "...good plain old Pale Ale", and I think that sums it up.

It wouldn't be proper to end a discussion of Michigan Brewing Company without mentioning one of Austin's sorely missed breweries, Celis Brewery. Renowned Belgian Master Brewer, Pierre Celis, came to Austin in the early 1990s and brought the flavors of Belgian style beer to America. The brewery seemed to thrive when it was privately owned and offered great tours. Their "Celis White" was very well known and sought after being not a far cry from "Hoegaarden", also the name of the town where Pierre spent the better part of his brewing life. Somewhere along the way, like so many other micro-breweries of the time, Celis sold the brewery to Miller Brewing. That was the death bell for the brewery. Within a year or so, Miller closed the brewery, Pierre having gone back to Belgium. Pierre loved Austin and I think his daughter still lives here although I can't confirm that. A few years ago, Pierre came back to Austin to work with Blanco's Real Ale Brewery (no connection to cask-conditioned ales). Real Ale's current Head Brewer, Tim Schwartz (more on Tim and Real Ale in a future post), is obsessed with Belgian style beers and collaborated with Pierre at the brewery. At the time it was announced that Real Ale would be producing Celis style beers co-developed with Pierre but that has never materialized. So, what's that got to do with Michigan Brewing Company? Well, not so long ago, they  purchased all the former Celis Brewery's equipment as well as the rights to brew and sell Celis beers. They now do so in conjunction with their own lineup. I think this was a great and bold move just showing what fore-thinking folks run MBC.

Finally, the kicker to this particular beer tasting, was old friend "Two Hearted Ale" from Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell's Brewery, formerly known as Kalamazoo Brewing Company, was founded by Larry Bell as a homebrew shop in 1983. It moved on to brewing its own beer for sale and sold its first beer in 1985. It is now a substantial regional micro-brewery and turns out some of America's finest (and most dangerous) beers. Larry gave a hilarious appearance in movie about American micro-breweries but I cannot recall the name of the movie. Anyway, back to "Two Hearted Ale". This is one of the finest beers I've had and in my top, whatever number, of great beers.It's also a big favorite of Chad's and Anthony's as well as my old friend Skip Keltner who lives in Fishers, Indiana (outside Indianapolis, just too bad he is a Hoosiers fan). It has a very upfront spiciness from the hops and finishes very dry. It has an orange and other citrus fruit aromas and a medium body. It has a great balance of sweet maltiness and hop bitterness with a tendency toward the hops but a very fruity flavor.

Now, an explanation for the comment about "most dangerous". Larry is one of these guys that has this knack of hiding the alcohol level of his beers. They are all so very drinkable, you never realize that they are quite potent. "Two Hearted Ale", for instance, I would put in the 'fridge for everyday drinking but it has an original gravity of 1.064 equating to an alcohol-by-volume of 7.0%. Very potent indeed but the worst thing is that you have no idea. All but Bell's most extreme beers drink like session beers but kick like a mule! From what I gathered from his movie appearance, I'd say that's a lot like the man himself.

Finally, Michigan has a bunch of micro-breweries for its population and a great brewing community. Anthony has brought me great beers from others such a Kuhnhenn Brewing Company, Dragonmead, and Founders Brewing Company. There is also the Michigan Brewers Guild that I think is just such a cool idea (I think Vermont has one as well). If you're ever in Michigan, be sure to hit the 'Guild's website before you go and seek out some great Michigan beer!

Yours Aye!
Neil

Irish Red Ale - Really A Beer Style?

It's March. In Austin, that means Spring Break, South-By-Southwest Film and Music Festival, and as most places in the US, St Patrick's Day. All over America, massive quantities of beer, primarily Guinness, will be quaffed during all kinds of gatherings from back-yard parties to huge festivals in celebration of the legendary Irish Saint. St Patrick's Day really is an American invention but with solid roots based deeply in the large number of Irish immigrants that have come here.

Recently, this got me to thinking. No, not about Guinness, but that other Irish beer 'style' - Irish Red Ale. I began to recall all the fine beers I have had in my travels to the UK and parts of Asia that maintain at least a semblance of British influence and to ask myself, is there really such a thing as Irish Red Ale?

Being the brewing historian that I am, the first thing that I expect for a beer type to be considered a style is some historical basis. I had my suspicions as to the answer but to be sure, I consulted one of Britain's most knowledgeable brewing historians, Martyn Cornell, to see if he knew of any such basis for this alleged style. As I suspected, Martyn replied that, no, there is no historical basis for Irish Red Ale, not in Ireland anyway.

So, is this really a beer style? If you consult the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guide, the one by which all legitimate homebrewing competition styles are judged in the US, yes, "Irish Red Ale" is a style lumped in with Category 9 - Scottish and Irish Ale. Briefly, according to the BJCP's description, Irish Red Ale has "... moderate caramel malt flavor and sweetness..." and "...finishes with a light taste of roasted grain...". The "red" in the name comes from "...most examples have a deep reddish hue...", usually from a small quantity of Roasted Barley. Among the commercial examples from Ireland cited by the BJCP are Kilkenny Irish Beer, O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red (lager), and Caffrey’s Irish Ale. I've had Kilkenny on many occasions and always enjoy it but I've never considered it "red". Smithwick's is made by Guinness and although I like it a bit, also I've never really considered it "red". I've also had Murphy's but not the Beamish version, only Beamish Stout. O'Hara's is a relatively new introduction to the Irish brewing scene, brewed by the Carlow Brewing Company, more on them in a minute. However, I've had my fair share of Caffrey's on tap overseas and it is far from anything I would term "red", it is pretty pale and creamy not unlike draft Boddington's. Not sure why they included this one. Other US micro-brewed beers of this 'style' are also listed. However, the one missing and most synonymous with the style to most Americans is George Killian's Irish Red, a lager. I suspect this was left out due to the fact that it was conceived of and is brewed by Coors.

So, from a purely historical perspective I say, "no", Irish Red Ale is not a beer style. From the perspective of the Irish brewers that brew beers called "red", do they really think of it as an Irish style? I doubt it. But the fact remains that, not unlike St Patrick's Day itself, Americans do consider this a style. And, I must say, many of the ones carrying this moniker I have really enjoyed. After all, it is not a far shout from a Scottish ale, sharing the reddish hue and frequently a touch of Roasted Barley. With this in mind, I picked up a few examples to sample again and to comment on. Three that I picked up on this occasion were Harpoon Brewery's Celtic Ale, Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale, and the aforementioned O'hara's Irish Red.

Harpoon's Celtic Ale I really enjoyed and to my mind really represents what we think of as Irish Red Ale. Highly drinkable with caramel notes and a slight finish of roastiness, it is a beer one could easily drink a lot of at one sitting (although the ABV is a bit high for this at 5.4%). It is smooth, not heavy and brilliantly clear but maintaining that reddish hue. This is a great beer.

Next is the one actually brewed in Ireland, O'hara's Irish Red. This is a relatively new beer to these shores but both this one and O'hara's Stout are excellent. The Irish Red has an ABV of 4.3% and is described as "A full bodied Irish red with a traditional hop flavour to balance a sweet malt finish". This one is uniquely different from any American interpretation I have ever had and, honestly, better than any of them. Distinctly British is flavor, it really tastes authentic if indeed such a style was truly considered as such in Britain. More roasty than I would have predicted almost to the point of having a smoky aftertaste. Still a lovely silky mouthfeel and nice caramel flavor.

Finally, Boulevard Brewery's Irish Ale. I love Boulevard beers. They have been one of favorite US microbreweries ever since I received my first gift of a six pack of their Wheat beer some fifteen-plus years ago as a token for watching their cat while my friends, Scott and Sue Biederwolf, were out of town. As I recall, that was one of the incredibly few - and the worst that I can remember - ice storms we've had here in Austin since I moved here over twenty years ago. Only recently have we been able to buy their beer here in Austin and it has been a wonderful addition to the selection. One of the best things is - and pretty much unique in this country - all (I believe all anyway) Boulevard bottled beers are bottle-conditioned, the closest thing you'll find to true cask ale. More on this in a future post. To me, Irish Ale is pretty full-bodied and has more residual sweetness than other examples of the 'style'. As with all the Boulevard beers, it has a really smooth and creamy mouth-feel. It finishes with only the slightest hint of roastiness. Like Harpoon, this one needs care with an ABV of 5.8%.

So, there you have it, my take on Irish Red Ale and a few examples just in time for St Patrick's Day. As the old Irish Blessing says:

     "May the road rise up to meet you.
      May the wind always be at your back.
      May the sun shine warm upon your face,
      and rains fall soft upon your fields.
      And until we meet again,
      May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone, no matter where in the world you are.

Yours Aye!
Neil

I Really Miss Young's

As I sit here early on a Friday evening sipping a pint of Wells' Bombardier I can't help but lament the loss of a variety of Young's (of London) beers on the shelves in my locality. Obviously, I like Bombardier. It is a wonderful, classic English bitter. But why does it make me think of Young's? Well...

We used to have a regular supply of bottled Young's Ram Rod, Winter Warmer, Dirty Dick's, and the fabulous bottle-conditioned Special London Ale. Today, however, only Double Chocolate Stout adorns the beer section of the local supermarkets and beer mega-marts. It all seemed to end sometime in 2007. I don't know if this is how it is in other locations in the US, but it certainly is here. So, what might have happened?

Merger! That's what. A little background. In 2004, Young's Brewery in London began a "review" of their brewing operations at the historic Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, South London. Humphrey Langridge first started brewing at the site in 1581 with Young's acquiring the brewery in 1831. After a 2 1/2 year period of review, the decision was made in May of 2006 to sell the Ram Brewery site as it was deemed too outdated and too cramped to warrant further improvement or expansion. In addition to this decision, Young's entered into a partnership with Charles Wells of Bedford creating Wells & Young's Brewing Company Limited. The brewing of Young's beers was then transferred to Wells' Eagle Brewery thus ending over 400 years of brewing at the historic site in London. Additionally, it left only Fullers as the only major sized quality beer producer in the city. The new firm is partitioned with Wells having a 60% stake and Young's the other 40%. Brewing of Young's beers has been transferred and seems to have been successful but it doesn't remove the sense of loss of the once great London brewery.

So, shortly after this merger I noticed a surge of Wells' Bombardier and Banana Bread beers on the shelves with the Young's beers disappearing literally over night. I do not know reason for this. International beer importing, distribution and sales in the US - and especially in Texas - is difficult and strange in its structure. I will never understand it. Even Guinness' Pub Draft cans were not allowed into Texas until the company created a special can for the Texas market. Antiquated prohibition-era nonsense but somehow still in place.

I can only hope that the scene will change back again one day. I'm thrilled that Bombardier showed up here and has stayed but, I really miss Young's beers.

Yours Aye!
Neil

China - A Real Beer Wasteland?

Last week I had the privilege to take my third business trip to mainland China. As like the last trip I flew to Shanghai and then on to Suzhou, about two hours by car inland from Shanghai. As with anywhere I travel, I always seek out the best beer I can find. Since I have a passion for British beer I always seek out the western pubs. I was only in Shanghai for one night so I had to make the most of it.

I dragged my work colleagues with me and after some unplanned wandering around due to having veered right when we should have stayed straight away, we gave up and went in to the first western looking pub we could find. I can't recall the name, unfortunately, but we ordered some appetizers and a round of Kilkenny, an Irish beer made by Guinness that is not available in the US. After asking for directions, we headed for the British Bulldog Pub, now just known as Bulldog, I believe. Guinness here for us and I swear even in China it is better tasting than in the US. I'm almost convinced it is watered down in the US. Although I didn't order any, I was very surprised to see bottled beer from Brooklyn Brewery, Rogue Ales and one other that I cannot recall. I am a big fan of beer from both of these breweries but not on this night.

It was then on to O'Malley's Irish Pub, one that I had visited on my last trip over and my favorite place to hang out. I discovered the place last time not really for the beer but because I was looking for a pub showing the rugby. The pub is run by a guy named Tam from Edinburgh and he turned me on to a great shop in Shanghai to get rugby tops very cheap. Here it was more Guinness for most of us, Carlsberg for some. For this trip, that was it. There is, incidentally, a bar across the road from O'Malley's that last trip was a brewpub called The Castle. It is now closed but it appears it is to reopen very soon as a Hofbrauhaus. Also, there are three locations of Paulaner Munchen owned restaurants with locally brewed bier. These are all worth a visit and the German food as well as the beer are great, almost like being in Munich.

I spent the work week in Suzhou, almost a veritable real beer wasteland. For most of the time it was Tsing Tao Chinese beer or, if we were lucky, Carlsberg. There are a few places that have other beers but not many and most are in a questionable area of the city. I won't mention these places but if you'd like to know just drop me an email. Instead, I'd like to mention the pub I adopted as my local, if you can call two visits in six days a local. The pub is quite a distance from where I was staying, hence, the infrequency of further visits. Anyway, the pub is called Garbo's (named for Greta Garbo, the beautiful and famous Hollywood actress who was born in Sweden) in the Suzhou Industrial Park. It is owned and ran by a very colorful and quite friendly guy from Sweden named Lars. It is also probably the only place in Suzhou to get a pint of Murphy's Irish Stout and it sure tasted good! Lars also keeps liquors you likely won't find anywhere else in the city. If you're ever in Suzhou, I'd highly recommend you seek out Garbo's and say "hello" to Lars for me. Suzhou also has a Hofbrauhaus but other than that there's little going from a western style pub/bar perspective. What surprises me most is that there are almost none anywhere near the major hotels - perhaps this is a business opportunity? Suzhou is in the midst of building a subway system that is due to open in 2011. This should be a real boon to this great city.

In closing, this post is a bit delayed for a couple of reasons. First, blogspot websites are blocked in China unless you can find a way through the firewall. I could have done this through my work VPN but this is against company SOP so I avoided it. Also, even though I'm not feeling the jetlag like I have on previous trips to Asia, I'm not yet 100% either so I've been dragging my feet. In summary, I really enjoyed the Guinness and the Murphy's and although I don't think Tsing Tao is necessarily a bad beer, I have a new appreciation for Carlsberg, but only due to the circumstances.

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog - The Final Round (for now)

Down to my last two BrewDog beers (for now). And, for something completely different, or so I thought.

"Dogma" is a strong amber colored ale brewed with Scottish heather honey, poppy seed, kola nut and guarana. According to BrewDog's website the grist is Maris Otter, Caramalt, Roasted Barley, Dark Crystal Malt and Munich Malt. The hops are Bramling Cross (one of my favorites) and Amarillo (probably my least favorite hop). Not knowing what to think of all this stuff (I've never had kola nut nor guarana, to my knowledge) I kept an open mind as I took my first sip. The beer has only a very slight aroma suggesting to me that the amount of Amarillo, at least as a late copper hop, must be slight as this is a very dominant hop with a very strong grapefruit flavor and aroma and I don't get a lot of its character in the beer. I was initially intrigued to see how all these flavors melded but I have to be honest, this is not a beer for me. Although the initial nose and flavor suggest a pleasant amber ale, the finish is harshly bitter and dry and continues to linger. I really don't care for the flavor at all and I struggle to put it down to any one thing. To me, any essence of sweet heather honey is lost in the bitterness of, I think, overused hops and roasted malts and likewise it clouds any nutty flavor from the kola. But, not every beer from every brewer pleases everyone so I'll give them credit for trying something a bit different. It just doesn't work for me.

In an earlier post I mentioned BrewDog's joint brew with Stone Brewing Company in California. They have since gone on to do at least one other but the one available to me is "bashah". From the description on the label, "The Black Belgian Style Double India Pale Ale", I'm already thinking that again, this one is not for me. I think I've mentioned previously, while I appreciate Belgian style beers, I personally do not like them - at least not the ones I have tried. Yes, yes, I know I'm going against the grain (no pun intended) as Belgians are all the rage but they just aren't for me. But, on to "bashah".

"bashah" has an aroma of darkly roasted malts with the black color to match and is totally opaque. I have had a few black lagers, even a few black IPAs but I can't recall having anything mixing black, Belgian and IPA - Double, Extreme, Imperial or not. Even on the first sip I knew this was also, sadly, not one for me. I just don't like the flavor of Belgian yeasts and I can't get past it. I slightly taste the roasted malts, get the finish of bitter dark roasted grains and hops, but overwhelmingly for me is the dominance of the Belgian yeast. If the yeast is not what makes this Belgian then I have definitely lost my mind and my taste buds as well. If it weren't for this (the Belgian notes), I think I would actually like it quite a bit. Much like BrewDog's "Hardcore IPA", which, at this point I would have to say is my favorite BrewDog brew, I think the hopping is not overdone and the roasted malt definitely comes through in the aftertaste thus justifying the "Black". Again, not for me but I really applaud them both for the collaboration and the imagination to try something totally different.

Parting Thoughts:
A number of Scottish brewers have tried American inspired beers, some to great success, some not so great. However, none have followed the lead of the Colonies as greatly as BrewDog. Now, I'm not going to knock any Scottish brewing interest that is brewing with integrity and with a goal to brew the best beer they can. However, BrewDog, to me, is a completely American, not Scottish - or British - influenced brewery. I've heard differing views of this approach, nearly all from very reputable sources in the U.K. and there are people on both sides. In my opinion, BrewDog will go over very well in America. For me, however, BrewDog represents a difficult dichotomy. On the one hand, I appreciate that few breweries in the U.K. are doing brews such as these and that in and of itself brings variety and, possibly, excitement to the British brewing scene. However, I personally am a traditionalist, something the guys at BrewDog don't think highly of. I disagree with them that most British beer - if we confine ourselves to cask conditioned, or real, ale - is bland and boring. My recent visit to London screams to the contrary. However, BrewDog is a young and exciting brewing enterprise that is making waves on both sides of the pond and for this, I have no issue with their approach. If you're a traditionalist like me, give them a break and the benefit of the doubt and embrace their enthusiasm and guts, even if you're not totally sold on their approach. If you're really into their beers, please support them to the fullest. Either way, their success to date speaks for itself and, if I were a betting man, I'd say the odds are highly stacked in their favor for greater things to come!

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog Round Two

OK, BrewDog (remember, that radical brewery from Fraserburgh, Scoland?) tasting number two. In a big departure from the 'twisted merciless stout' of a couple of days ago, today it is two more BrewDog beers (assuming I make it through the first one), both on the hoppy side.

The first beer, "Hardcore IPA", is described by BrewDog as an "explicit imperial ale". I'm not sure what is "explicit" about it but it would seem it fits the Imperial style, as defined by the BJCP Style Guidelines, due to its alcohol level. With idealistic (only) ties to Russian Imperial Stouts, British Stouts brewed originally for the Baltic region with higher gravities, this Imperial style is mostly an American invention with terms like "Double" and "Extreme" IPA all being used interchangeably.

With a starting gravity of 1.085 and an ABV of 9.0% this is a big beer, but it sure doesn't taste like it. What I mean by that is normally, with beers of such high gravity, the taste of alcohol is quite dominant. Here, it is very subdued for this gravity and if I hadn't read the label I would have guessed more like upper 5% to 6% ABV, if that. Don't get me wrong, this is no gulper, it is quite a full beer and but very well balanced, I think. Despite having a quoted bitterness of 150 IBU using Simcoe, Chinook, Amarillo, and Warrior hops, due to the higher content of Maris Otter malt the hops don't over dominate. Plenty of citrusy flavor, no doubt, but I think pretty well done with the malty sweetness coming through quiet well in palate and aroma. It is not quite as malty as many of the American "Double" or "Extreme" IPAs in the way of colored malts as I think BrewDog only uses Pale Ale malt. This, I like! Too many American versions use Munich Malt or similar German or Belgian colored malts and I'm just not a big fan of this in Pales or IPAs. The hops are American through and through though, no doubt about that one but again, they are not overdone. I have used all these hops and it does take skill to keep them in check as they all like to grab their bit of the spotlight (all very assertive if used in very big quantities). All in all, I'm really pleased with this one.

Next is BrewDog's "Punk IPA", described as a "post modern classic pale ale". Well, I wouldn't call this one a straight Pale Ale, it is definitely an IPA, but it is quickly becoming a classic. It has a starting gravity of 1.052, 6% ABV and is brewed with Chinook, Ahtanum, and Nelson Sauvin hops, the latter a New Zealand hop, one I had never heard of. Again, I think this one is brewed solely with Maris Otter malt, synonymous with traditional IPAs. With a quoted IBU of 65, I find this one a lot hoppier in flavor than the "Hardcore". It is also a bit more pale in color, beautiful color in fact. The aroma, bitterness and flavor of the hops dominate. It finishes pretty dry but not overly so. Lots of citrus flavor from the hops with floral and grassy notes in the aroma. Yes, this one gets a real Thumbs Up from me!

Closing note. Although it is my intention to up the frequency of posts this year and to try and keep them focused on beer, I do not intend to turn this into a beer rating or review blog. There are plenty of them out there already. And anyway, here's my feeling on this ilk. Craft beer is a very complex beverage and everyone's tastes are different. I simply don't believe in beer rating scales primarily due to this subjectivity in the human palate. When I feel like it, I will describe new beers I try - especially if they are Scottish! - but by and large (for a really interesting take on the origin of this phrase read this), I merely mean to bring them to your attention and hope that you have the opportunity to try them and assess them for yourself.

Yours Aye!
Neil

BrewDog And A Tale Of Two Stouts

This is the first in a series of posts about BrewDog beers. Yes, finally BrewDog beers are available in my area. I can't help but think that this is due to BrewDog's recent association and collaboration with Stone Brewing Company in California but I don't know nor do I care. I'm just glad I've finally been able to sample some of their beers to see for myself what all the fuss is all about.

However, this particular post is not solely about one of the BrewDog beers but also about a much more local (to me) recently introduced Stout from Southern Star Brewing Company, a great new brewery here in Texas.

If you haven't heard of BrewDog, I'm very surprised. They are a relatively new brewery in Fraserburgh, Scotland in Scotland's northeast not far from Aberdeen. James Watt and Martin Dickie, the founders of BrewDog, have been making a lot of noise in Britain of recent getting themselves a lot of press for some of their more radical ideas and products. To say that they are an unconventional British brewery - Scottish or not - would be an incredible understatement. They are a whole lot more like an American micro than a British one, without doubt.

Anyway, enough of that. I bought a few samples of different BrewDog beers at my local beer mega-mart (Thanks for the term, Alton) and will be giving my impressions in the next few posts.

First up, only because I'm more in the mood for it today, is "Rip Tide", described by BrewDog as a "twisted merciless stout". Well, it rings in at 8.0% ABV so maybe that has something to do with the "merciless" but frankly, I think it is incredibly smooth and enjoyable and so flavorful that it masks the ABV level. As I like all of my ales, it is not heavily carbonated, pretty much perfectly I would say. Although very dark and roasty, it has a very smooth silky texture with more chocolate and slight toffee notes than a number of other stouts that are more in the Dry Irish category. This is a brilliant, highly drinkable stout with what I'd say is medium body. It has a wonderful aroma of roasted malts with almost espresso notes. This Stout is a winner and I'll be picking up more of this one, for sure.

Now, a different kind of Stout. Southern Star's "Buried Hatchet Stout" is indeed quite different. If you've not had any Southern Star beers, they are all packaged solely in cans. I'm not stating this as a negative and indeed, it is a positive, especially here in Texas. Their beers are perfect for the lake, camping, whatever and wherever you can't take glass and the beer does not suffer in any way proving once again that great beer can come in cans. I digress...

The label of Buried Hatchet says it is "...brewed with a large quantity of brown malt reminiscent of a traditional pre-Industrial Revolution malt profile". Without doubt, the Brown Malt lends a very different flavor to the beer and, in my opinion, helps to separate this stout from other "American Stouts" which Southern Star classifies this beer as. They use a bit of Rolled Oats in this beer so it has a really nice creamy head. The aroma is of the Brown Malt, much like Dark Chocolate, rather than the typical Roasted Barley or Black Malt smell. This is also a very "stout" beer clocking in at 8.5% ABV. The Brown Malt lends a very roasted nut flavor like a more heavily roasted Nut Brown Ale. It is medium bodied with a very burnt-roasty element both in initial flavor and in finish, the latter of which is quite dry. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was not around in the "Pre-Industrial" era, but from what I know of classic London Porters, Scottish and English Brown Stouts and Double Brown Stouts, I think this beer would fit in perfectly. Maybe I should send some to Ron Pattinson for some further verification? I encourage you to try it if you are a lover of Porter and Stout style beers. Well done again, Southern Star, another winner!

What's to come? I have 3 more BrewDog beers in the 'fridge so more on the way...

Yours Aye!
Neil