Rogue Brewing Co.'s Dead Guy Ale

I spend a massive amount of time thinking about beer.  I’m always reading beer articles, beer blogs, beer reviews, and beer related tweets.  About a week ago I joined twitter and I’ve been beer tweeting ever since.  My favorite online beer community is Beerit, the beer focused subcategory on Reddit.com.  A lot of the posts on Beerit are to share about what the other readers are drinking and posted pictures of the latest liquor store haul.  Lately, there have been several posts featuring Rogue Brewing Co.’s Dead Guy Ale.  I’d never tried it before, so I was interested in picking up a bottle.

I like this little guy

Rogue Brewing is produced in Newport, Oregon and distributed to 21 different countries.  They operate 2 brewpubs in Oregon and Washington, and they also operate 9 different restaurants in the Western U.S.  Needless to say, Rogue has a large sphere of influence and is an easily accessible craft brew. One of their most famous beers, Dead Guy Ale, is a German style Maibock which is very similar to a traditional Bock with a stronger hop note.  Like many Rogue brews, Dead Guy is fermented using a special yeast strain.  It’s called Pacman Yeast, and it was created by their brewmaster John “more hops” Maier. The lengths these brewers go to, to create something great and original, are just amazing to me.  It’s yet another example of the American craft brewery spirit of experimentation and progression, strengthening the idea that America is now host to the world’s most vibrant beer culture.

Cheers, John!

This specific bomber of Dead Guy poured a strong 2 finger head with about a half finger of retention.  The color was deep amber, with a sort of an orange tint.  The beer left a bit of light lacing.

Dead Guy smelled like rich caramelized grain, browned and sweet.  A bit of light hops in the aroma also.

This beer tasted heavenly.  First, the malt was very sweet with just a slight fresh baked bread note.  Then, hops balanced this beer exceptionally well with a bit of light citrus oil. This is by far one of the best compliments I’ve ever had.  On the swallow, this beer finished crisp, almost like a lager.  It had a lighter body than a Bock with all of the malt taste, and the hops were an awesome addition.

I’d rate Rogue Brewing Co.’s Dead Guy Ale 5 out of 5. I was wondering when I’d find another beer that felt comfortable rating a perfect score on my informal ranking system, and this was definitely the beer.  After about 5 drinks I was speechless, this brew was phenomenal.  Being a Texan, I grew up on Shiner, so I’ve grown to love the Bock beer style.  This beer just gave me another reason.

Rooty Tooty Fresh n' Fruity: Leinkenkugel's Sunset Wheat

Last Wednesday was my last Half Priced Pint night at Obannon’s before school starts next week.  That’s sort of an odd thing to say considering this coming Monday will be my last first day of classes as an undergraduate at Texas A&M (assuming I don’t fail anything).  I don’t mean to get all sentimental on you, but lately I’ve been having all of those “next step towards the rest of your life” feelings.  I’m not much of one to plan things in advance, but being a senior in college makes you change that pretty dang quick.  Right now the only things I’m trying to plan are trips to Texas breweries.

Speaking of...

Next Saturday, September the 3rd^, I’m making the drive to Conroe to tour the Southern Star Brewery.  This lovely little craft brewery is best known for their Bombshell Blonde only found in cans or kegs.  The brewers themselves are a quirky little bunch that brew by the motto “clarity is overrated,” deciding not to filter any of their beers.  It’s gonna be a good time, and in spirit of the tour, my first beer for Wednesday night was a can of Bombshell Blonde.  Just like the Big Sky Trout Slayer I had a few weeks back, I couldn’t really review this beer from the can, so I just happily drank it.  No disciplined critique, just plain ol’ enjoyment. 

My second beer of the night was sort of a throwaway.  I've said this before, I’ll say it again: doing the Obannon’s beer tour means you order all 75 different brews, whether you like it or not.  So, I decided to just try and get some undesirables out of the way.  At the very least, I figured it would make for an interesting review, so I ordered Leinenkugel’s  Sunset Wheat… unofficially dubbed “the fruity pebbles beer.”

Not to be confused with 'Fruity Pebbles bar'

Leinenkugel’s Brewery was founded way back in 1867.  They lasted through prohibition by selling “near beer.”  In 1988, Leinenkugel was purchased by Miller Brewing Co.  That’s right, we can lump Leine’s into that category… the “craft beer brewed by the big 3 category.”  I’ll let you form your own opinion about the subject.  Leine’s Sunset Wheat is a Belgian style witbier, an unfiltered wheat beer.  Specific to this beer is an added top note of blueberry.

From the tap this brew poured a finger of head that dissipated within a few seconds.  In the darkness of the pub I could see the beer was a cloudy orange color.  When the streetlights outside shown through, the beer looked like more of a yellow orange color.

The beer had a definite fresh scent, with lemony/citrusy notes.  The smell made me less nervous to taste it, because it didn’t smell like a child’s cereal.

The taste sure did though.  The beer was strongly carbonated, and very fruity.  My immediate reaction was, “this beer tastes like crushed up Trix, blended into a Sprite.”  The main flavors were orange, grape, and lemon.  Since it was so fizzy and light, the beer was very refreshing.

Overall, I’d rate Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat 3 out of 5.  I can see why some people would enjoy this beer, but I’m not some people.  This beer really only works for fruit fans or non-beer drinkers (sweet wine lovers maybe), and I’d consider this as a recommendation for them.  For anyone else though, I’d recommend a different wheat: Paulaner Hefeweissebier, the beer I washed Leinenkugel’s down with.

Good stuff

Bear Republic Brewing Co.'s Red Rocket Ale

On Tuesday night I made a devastating, albeit expected, discovery.  The beer selection on the Spec’s website doesn’t match up with the selection in the College Station store.  What a letdown.  You see, the website ‘browse the store’ function is only accurate for the store in downtown Houston.  I’ve spent a lot, and I do mean A LOT, of time planning purchases and checking availability of the brews I desperately want to buy.  So now I’m not sure how many of my planned purchases are actually do-able. 

Back to Tuesday, I went into Spec’s expecting to come out with some Jester King Wytchmaker and some leftover bottles of Real Ale Sisyphus.  Neither of those were in store.  I made two on the fly selections, jokingly telling Mindy that I “had to settle.”  That’s not entirely true; both bottles I picked up were brews I planned on trying, just at a later date.  The two I ended up with were Bear Republic Brewing’s Red Rocket Ale and Rogue Ale Brewing’s Dead Guy (which I will be reviewing soon, promise.)

They look good together

Sometime after dinner I decided to crack open one of the bombers, the Red Rocket.  Bear Republic Brewing is located in California which has just been named the number one state for breweries by ‘The Street'.  It’s a family business that originated as just a small brewpub, now they ship all over.  Another great thing about Bear Republic is that all of their ales are cask or bottle conditioned.  If you don’t remember what that means, it’s when yeast and sugar are added to create secondary fermentation.  The cask, or bottle, is still fermenting and carbonating until you pop it open.  It’s what people mean by real ale.  For more information, go check out CAMRA, the British Campaign for Real Ale.

Respect.

According to Bear Republic, Red Rocket Ale is a “bastardized Scottish Red Ale.”  At first I couldn’t quite wrap my head around that, but I think I get it now.  It’s a reimagining, drawing inspiration and technique from a traditional style and putting a creative spin on it.  This is what craft beer does best.

My bottle of Red Rocket ale was what’s known as a bomber, it was 22oz. (compared to a normal 12oz.)  Due to the size, I only poured about half of the bottle into my mug.  It looked much darker than I expected a very deep ruby color.  The pour produced about a finger and a half of eggnog colored head with solid retention. 

Sorry to say, I couldn’t smell this beer very well.  One of my roommates was baking (delicious) cupcakes and that sort of dominated my senses.  What I did pick up on was sweet malt and just a hint of piney hops.

Once I started to taste the brew, I could affirm what my nose picked up.  The initial note was very sweet caramel malt.  It had a faint hint of roasted flavor; I think that might just be attributed to the richness of the caramel taste.  To balance, there was a finish of piney hops.  The hop bitterness stuck around for a few seconds after the swallow.  The abv of 6.8% had a slight warming quality.  The beer itself was full-bodied, not something I could drink a whole lot of at once, although I was more than happy with finishing the bomber and having another glass.

Don't ask me why Mindy and I put the dog on the table... but we did

Overall I’d give Bear Republic Brewing Co.’s Red Rocket Ale 4.5 out of 5.  After the first taste, I was overwhelmed with the sweetness and I didn’t think I’d enjoy the rest.  However, after a few more sips it became milder and the hops helped to balance.  When I started on the second glass, I was very happy with this brew.  Also, I think I’d enjoy this beer even more on a cooler night, these Texas summers are brutally hot.

Not to mention the record drought!

Catch up review no. 2: New Belgium Brewing's 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

I’m playing catch up review again; hopefully this doesn’t become a regular thing.  After missing last week, the first time since June, I spent another Wednesday night at Half Priced Pint Night.  Wednesdays are also brewery glass nights, where if you buy the beer, you get to keep the glass.  Last week’s special glass was a beautiful, gold rimmed, Stella Artois goblet.  Since I hadn’t already ordered Stella for my beer tour, I bought the glass.  I was so amused with that thing; I just kept staring at it and smiling.  Drinking from that glass made me feel like a lush.

I'm suddenly too classy for this bar

My first choice was kind of made for me, but I didn’t know what to order for my second beer of the night.  I was feeling sort of impulsive, and I was also in the rare mood where I wanted something dark.  As I got up to the bar someone was ordering a “1554”.  I’ve had a guy recommend that to me before, so I figured why not get one as well.  1554 Enlightened Black Ale is a Belgian dark ale from New Belgium Brewing, the company most famous for brewing Fat Tire.  I’ve always been a little apprehensive to try 1554 because I’m not a fan of Fat Tire.  Not at all.  I know plenty of people like it, but I’m just not one of them.

It's not Guinness, but you couldn't tell

The brew poured a dark, dark, dark reddish brown.  It wasn’t black as promised by the name, but what did I care, it still looked good.  It had just a bit of brownish white head, but it faded away pretty quickly.  Practically no lacing, but the glass seemed very wet, so I wasn’t really surprised.

I took a good sniff and could smell chocolate.  It was a very comforting smell, one of the most appetizing smells in the world. It made me want to drink the beer, which is exactly what aroma should do.

The most dominating flavor in this beer was of roasted malts.  It was very rich and luscious.  A bit of a dark chocolate taste came through in some sips, and sometimes I could taste nuttiness.  There was absolutely no hop note in this beer, zero.  The roasted malt flavor was so good though, that I didn’t really care, I think hop bitterness might have just complicated it.

The beer had a decent mouthfeel, sort of smooth.  It was a bit drying, but nothing to really complain about.

I’d give New Belgium Brewing’s 1554 Enlightened Black Ale 4 out of 5.  I was pleasantly surprised with this brew, especially considering my distaste for Fat Tire.  I went into the tasting expecting to be let down, but I can safely say I enjoyed it.  It’s good, even something I’d recommend, but it may not be a truly great beer.  I think once it’s colder outside, this would be a brew I’d pick up again, but I won’t be rushing back to order it.

Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

I made a Spec’s run a few days ago after work, on the search for another great brew.  I keep a massive list of beers I’ve yet to try, so I had a pretty good idea of what to look for.  Next up on my list was Lagunitas Brewing Co.’s A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale.  When I got there however, I noticed this month’s beer special; $7.99 for all 6 packs of Left Hand beers.  That’s about $2 off the usual price, so I was stuck with a hard decision.  I decided to table the Left Hand until next time, and I went through with my first choice.

Wait your turn, creepy tiger

Lagunitas is one of the most praised craft breweries in the United States; they’re consistently rated well and often offered as recommendations.  So, needless to say, I was really anticipating trying some out.  I felt like I needed a good base point to start my Lagunitas assessment.  I picked out Lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ because it was a starting point for many other beers they brew today: Sumpin’ Extra, Sumpin’ Wild, and even Sumpin’ Fuzzy (brewed with peaches).

Google says fuzzy beer = Fozzie Bear 

The original Lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is an American style ale, brewed with 50% wheat malt.  Similar brews have been called “the American version of hefe-weisen.”  Lagunitas were looking for something new and creative with this brew, and I think they were happy with the finished product, because it is now on un-limited release. 

When I first popped open the beer I was tempted to just start drinking it, but that’s just me being lazy, so I took the extra 2 seconds to pour it into a pint glass.  The pour produced about a finger and a half of standard white head.  I’d describe the color as orange tinted amber.  The beer was just slightly hazy.

The aroma was mostly just hop zest, but there was a slight fruit note present also.  I admit I always love a strong bouquet from the hops; it reminds me of perfect temperature spring days, instead of 103 degree afternoons.

This beer was pretty tasty.  The first sip brought some wheaty malt flavor, a split second later there was a tangerine fruit note, and then just after that came a strong spice from the hops.  Both the tangerine flavors and the oily hops bring a strong zest to this brew, although it’s not overpowering.

This beer felt alright in the mouth, it was definitely oily, which let the flavor stick around for a bit after the swallow.  This was a pretty addicting beer; because it tasted so good, I just kept having more, and before I knew it the glass was empty.  I’m gonna warn you now, Lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is misleading.  You don’t really taste the 7.5% abv, so if you drink it as fast as I did, you feel a little goofy afterwards.

Overall I’d give Lagunitas Brewing’s A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale a 4.5 out of 5.  This was absolutely an enjoyable brew and I’m very excited now to try more things from this brewery.  The hard thing now is making another tough decision at Spec’s.  Do I buy that one, or this one, or maybe…

Oh no, no no no no no. 20,000 students can be wrong indeed

History Lesson: Pilsner Urquell

On Saturday night, Mindy and I made some pulled pork in the crockpot.  It was fantastic.  About an hour before it was finished, I went to the fridge and was faced with the options for beer pairing, which is a deceptively complex task.  There are a few basic rules to follow when pairing beer with food: match strength with strength, create flavor harmonies (like nutty beer with nutty cheese), or play off of traditional contrasts (like hop bitterness balancing sweetness or fat richness).   I eventually decided on a beer my dad “used to drink a lot of,” Pilsner Urquell.  This beer has a very interesting story, I feel it’s time for another history lesson…

Like something out of a fairy tale

In 1842 Bohemia, in the town of Pilsen (or Plzen), residents were growing unhappy with their usual dark brews.  Elsewhere, the pale ale was growing in popularity.  The town hired Bavarian brewmaster Josef Groll to create a new brew for them, and they also invested money into a new mechanized brewery.  After a bit of laboring and discovery, a new brew was created, something original, the first golden lager.  This new brew was called Pilsener, named after the town of its creation.  After a few translations, the brew became known as Pilsner (the german name).  At the time, Czech beer was known only by the name of the town it came from.  Many breweries began selling variations of the Pilsener beer, riding the wave of popularity, but they weren’t truly Pilsener brews because they were not brewed in Pilsen.  In order to protect the name, in the late 1800s new marketing laws were drafted requiring the source and brand name to be put in the beer’s title. Thus the brand Pilsner Urquell was created, in Czechoslovakia it’s known as Plzensky Prazdroj.  Both Urquell and Prazdroj loosely translate to “original source” in their respective languages.  This beer, now brewed and bottled by the worldwide entity SABMiller, is a living piece history.  So, next time you drink a cold-fermented golden lager of any sort, you’ll know where the idea came from.  Pretty neat huh?

Henry Winkler is a huge history buff

Getting into the tasting, this beer poured about 2 fingers worth of head that dissipated fairly quickly.  I’d describe the color like a golden apple cider.  This beer didn’t really lace, there were a few spots that had patches, but nothing exciting.

This beer smelled very zesty from the hops, it was definitely the strongest note in the aroma.  This can no doubt be attributed to the Saaz variety of hops, well known for strong aroma and zesty qualities.

In the first taste, the barley malt made a big appearance.  It was very sweet and grainy on the front end.  After a second, you get more Saaz hops to maintain a very fine balance between sweet and bitter.  There is also a faint mineral taste, this is most likely caused by the famously soft water in Pilsen used to make this brew.

The beer has a mild finish, very easy to drink.  It’s not the hoppiest pilsner on the market, that’s for sure.

Overall, I’d give Pilsner Urquell 3.5 out of 5.  It definitely gets points for being the first ever Pilsener beer, however being the first doesn’t necessarily mean being the best.  There are other craft brewers that have copied the style of the Czech pilsner and created a more delightful brew.  At the very least, I’d recommend it based on its historical merit.  Knowledge of the past lets us appreciate the present, like watching cartoons of our childhood lets us realize that cartoons today suck.

With the exception of Adventure Time

College Station's local flavor: New Republic Brewing's Bellows Amber Ale

Tonight, a few friends and I had the pleasure of attending an open house at the New Republic Brewery, College Station’s first ever microbrewery.  I had been looking forward to this for weeks in advance.  The first time I heard of this new brewery was almost immediately after I got back from Queensland, Australia.  A brewery in College Station was almost too good to be true, so I did a little googling and found just what I was looking for.  Although this brewery supplies their prototype brews to a few local places, including Obannon’s, I decided to wait and sample the brew fresh from the source.

As I arrived at the brewery, I felt a little lost.  The brewery is tucked into the corner of some other generic prefab tin buildings; I couldn’t distinguish one from the other.  I knew though, once I saw everyone standing in line, that I made it.  I saw my friends, made a couple greetings and jumped into the line like everyone else.  While waiting, one of the company’s founders, Dean, introduced himself.  At the time, I couldn’t think of anything interesting to say because I was still so happy to be there.  I hadn’t been to a brewery since 2006 when I went to the Coor’s brewery.  Even though the production scale isn’t the same, my enthusiasm for the experience was equal if not stronger.  The brewery was very small, as to be expected from a start up.  The tasting took place standing around their bags of malt, and some of their fermenting tanks.  This really aided to the feeling of being a part of the brewery’s foundation. 

Once I reached the front of the line, I was faced with a choice. I could either take my 2 free tastings in 3oz. size or I could purchase a New Republic ‘nonick’ style pint glass and get my tastings in pint size.

The obvious choice

I bought the glass and started to enjoy my first tasting.  I first went with their newly created summer brew, known only as The Domestic.  This beer was very refreshing; it had a clean, crisp taste.  I’d like to try this beer in a more structured setting, where I’m not as distracted, maybe then I could do the review justice. The second brew I sampled was the New Republic mainstay, their Bellows Amber Ale.

The beer was slow drawn from their own keg-erator style tap, leaving just a short finger’s worth of brown-tinged head.  The color of the beer itself was dark amber. This beer appeared very thick, which could be a negative as most would agree that non-wheat beers should be presented with clarity.  However, this brew was considerably darker in hue than most ambers and the darker the beer, the less light can be expected to pass through it.

This beer had a fine aroma of malt.  Bellows Amber is comprised of 70% Vienna malt and a 30% mixture of Munich and Crystal malts.  The Vienna is just a standard base malt, imparting a textbook malt flavor and amber color.  The Munich and Crystal malts are where the toasted flavors come in, Crystal malt especially delivers a caramel flavor that comes though strong in first inhale.

The beer is flavored a lot like it smells, with a heavy sweet malt front end.  There was also a licorice note that I picked up on.  On the back end of the swallow, the hops come into play.  You get a nice piney bite, with a subtle citrus note. The beer ends clean, leading you into the next sip, and makes you miss it when you’re finished.

Overall, I’d give New Republic Brewing Co.’s Bellows Amber Ale 4 out of 5.  I really enjoyed the sweet malt flavor; I could definitely see myself enjoying this on a cool October evening.  All I could ask from this beer is just a little more of a bitter hop edge, to balance the sweetness.  This is a great starter brew for this brewery and it’s going to be really exciting to watch them grow!

Keep an eye out for this one

Rolling Rock Extra Pale

Yep, Rolling Rock. This was one of the singles I bought along with the Sierra Nevada. I’ve always been interested in trying this beer.  It's been around a long time, it’s a really easy beer to find in stores, and some bars carry it also.  The first time I remember wondering what it tasted like was last summer.  I was stuck in College Station for the break (much like this year) and was living in a friend’s house.  Like many college houses, there was a shelf over the kitchen lined with empty bottles of beer, and among them was Rolling Rock.  Not until last week however, did I have the impulse to buy one. 

Impulse buying is a disease I carry

Rolling Rock originated in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; it was first produced in 1939.  In 2006, Anheuser Busch purchased the brewery and it’s now made in St. Louis.  So, although Rolling Rock may look like a neat microbrew, it’s not. If you’re the sort that won’t drink an InBev or MillerCoors brand, you probably already knew that.  Rolling Rock’s current advertising tagline is “Born Small Town.”  Well, they’re big city now. Another thing to note about this beer is the “33” they put on every bottle.  It’s supposedly a mystery as to what the number stands for.  Personally, I think it’s a mystery that anyone cares.

Did someone say, "number" and "mystery"?

Rolling Rock is an American Adjunct Lager, and what that means is when making the malt, grains other than barley are added to thin out the beer and add another protein source.  The most consumed beers in America are brewed this way, Bud is brewed with rice, and Miller is brewed with corn. Rolling Rock is brewed with both.

Not much to say.

This beer pours a very thin, half finger of head.  The color is best described as a pale gold.  It’s as if you took a common light beer, and watered it down a bit, which is exactly what I could expect from a beer labeled as an Extra Pale. This beer has a weak aroma; the two recognizable smells are corn and a hint of metal.  This beer has an even weaker taste.  Simply, it tasted and felt like mineral water.  If you were to blind taste test this and a bottle of Topo Chico, I probably couldn’t tell the difference.  Since it’s so bland and carbonated, this beer is amazingly drinkable (just like mineral water).  In fact, when I read that this beer has an abv of 4.5% I was astonished.  This beer is a macrobrew, through and through.

I’d rank Rolling Rock 2 out of 5.  I wouldn’t ever make fun of anyone for drinking it, but I wouldn’t purchase this beer again.  This is a brew that begs the question, why bother?  I understand the need for a buffalo-wing session thirst quencher, but Rolling Rock is slightly more expensive than its competition and it achieves the same final effect. If you want to drink something light, refreshing, and cheap reach for a High Life instead.

It's the Champagne of Beer

IPA History Lesson: Sierra Nevada Brewing's Torpedo Extra IPA

Recently, I picked up a few random singles from the grocery store.  There are quite a few common microbrews and famous foreign beers I’ve yet to try, so I figured why not grab some for the fridge?  I wasn’t expecting to be impressed; I’m just interested in trying all that’s out there.  One brewery that’s rapidly growing in popularity is Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.  They’re one of the largest craft brewing companies, you can find their beers in stores nationwide, and chances are you’ve tried their Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  It’s relatively inexpensive and a nice gateway into craft brews.  Until yesterday, I hadn’t tried anything from Sierra Nevada so I bought a bottle of their Torpedo Extra IPA.

Before I get into the review, I’m gonna’ drop some British brew history on you.  In about 1780 there was a brewer named Hodgson who started making beer for export to India, which at the time was full of British soldiers and traders.  This beer was a very hoppy, amber colored October style beer that kept well on the 6 month journey down.  Somehow, Hodgson upset the East India Trading Company so he was forced to stop exporting.  Around the same time, brewers in Burton-on-Trent were experimenting with a brew suitable for export like Hodgson’s.  Although they originally made strong porters, which was the popular style of that time, their hard water was actually better suited for this new pale ale.  This style, aggressively hopped to maintain freshness on the long journey, was somehow discovered domestically. People really enjoyed it; India Pale Ale became the fashionable brew in Britain.

And so it began...

So now you know, the IPA came from Britain and not India.  Most IPAs out on the market are a new American style, a revamped version of the old English IPA.  Many microbreweries produce their own variety of the brew, some breweries also produce an Imperial (or Double) IPA which is normally twice as strong as the American version. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA is an American IPA dedicated to the process of dry-hopping.  They weren't satisfied with their old hopping techniques so, like many other breweries, they crafted their own machine to get it right.  They call it the Hop Torpedo, which lends its name to the brew it helped create.

Hop Art

To get the full effect of this brew I poured it into a large rimmed British dimpled pint, the odd dimpled shape allows for better light refraction and really brings out a richness in the amber color.  The pour yielded a finger and a half of lumpy white head that left patchy bands of lace.  I’d say the color was darker than I expected, closer to a light brown.  Aroma-wise, this beer smelled exactly like I thought it would: citrus and pine notes, both of which are textbook hop scents.  After the first drink, I felt like someone put a hop cone in my mouth.  The hop flavor was so overwhelming it took about 5 sips to begin to taste anything else.  On the very back end, you can taste clean malt and a bit of grapefruit.  The aftertaste was crippling bitter, those hop oils just stick to your tongue.  At one point I also caught a bit of a plastic taste.  I found myself wanting a palate cleanser. 

I’d rate Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA 3 out of 5, it had a desirable hop flavor but it was completely unbalanced.  Torpedo is made with some average strength malt, but it’s overloaded with some powerful hops.  In my opinion, you can’t have strength in one without the other.  If you’re a desperate hop-head searching for a strong bitter brew, there are plenty I’d recommend first that deliver a better overall experience.

I won't give up on you guys just yet

Hitting a roadblock: Rahr & Son's Gravel Road

Obannon’s just received a new seasonal brew, Gravel Road, from the fine folks at Rahr & Son’s Brewery in Fort Worth, TX.  Gravel Road is only going to be available from July to August, so I figured if I didn’t try it now, I might not get another chance until 2012.  I’ve had 3 beers from Rhar & Son’s so far.  The first one I tried was their Summertime Wheat, which I wasn’t a big fan of, spice note was way too strong.  The second I tried, their most popular brew Ugly Pug Black Lager, was actually pretty good, I'd say it was the best Schwarzbier I've had.  This brewery has been a big hit or a real miss for me, so I didn’t really know what to expect from Gravel Road, I was hoping for a smooth ride.

Doesn't look very smooth, looks painful

This beer is an unusual style of brown ale called a sticke altbier.  ‘Alt’ is German for old, as in old beer, not alternative beer.  They didn’t create ‘alternative beer’ for the hipsters.  It’s considered old due to a longer conditioning time.  The word ‘sticke’ indicates that this is a stronger variation of altbier, and stronger it is with an abv of 7.25%.  I wish I had known Gravel Road was an altbier beforehand, because I most likely wouldn’t have ordered it, I wasn’t in the mood for something so heavy.

Gravel Road pours a dark, ruby brown color with a eggshell white head.  That reddish tinge in the color is from the CaraRed malt used as part of the mash.  This beer left no lacing, although I’m not sure if that was from the beer or from the glass (condensation can ruin any lacing which might occur).

This beer had a toasty, woody smell.  The real star here was the malt.  It was hard to pick up on anything else but I think I might have smelled raisin.

After my first taste I was pretty much finished with this beer.  The only thing I could taste was the toasted malt flavors, and maybe a hint of sweetness.  I found out later that this beer was made with Munich malt, which is kilned to a dark color and produces an amber-brown brew, but I’m convinced that this batch was kilned too long.  The malt tasted burnt, plain and simple.  It was also slightly bitter, but it wasn’t a hop bitterness, it was like a char bitterness.  This beer left a bad aftertaste, and my mouth felt like a desert.

Bottomline: I’m giving Rahr & Son’s Gravel Road 2.5 out of 5.  This beer gets a 50% because it’s an interesting type of brew, and it could have just been a bad bottle.  I seriously doubt I’ll ever have this again, unless it’s free and given to me.  I’m hoping for big things from the Rahr brewery, but they might need some work filling in the potholes.

Because no one like changing a popped tire

Dazed and Confused: Delirium Tremens

I made a few random picks this Sunday at Obannon’s, I’d say it went alright, which is the best I could have hoped for.  I’ve been doing a massive load of research on what I want to try next at home, but I’ve spent a lot less time figuring out what I wanted to order next at the pub, so last night I accidently bought a beer in a can.

I have nothing against beer in a can.  Contrary to what people tell you, the can doesn’t change the flavor of the beer.  Cans are sprayed with a flavorless coating which makes sure the metal never comes in contact with the brew.  The only metal you might taste is from putting your lips to the rim to drink it.  Besides, a keg is essentially just a large pressurized can without the pop-top.  If you’re really against cans I guess you should stop ordering beers on tap.  Stick to the bottle or wait for those new-fangled glass kegs they’re making (note the sarcasm).

My problem with ordering the beer in the can was the bartender, whom I’d never seen there before, didn’t think to offer me a glass.  I’m not enough of a beer snob that I can’t enjoy a beer without pouring it into a glass; however, it makes it pretty damn hard to write a review for a beer you can’t really see or smell.  Since the trivia was about to start and the place was busy, I waddled myself back over my table and drank my beer.  I didn’t put much effort (read: any effort) into reviewing Big Sky Brewing Co’s Montana Trout Slayer, my only after thoughts are that it tasted good and I’d like to try it again.  That’s the sum of what I remember.

The review that never was

The second beer I ordered, I could somewhat review in between pub quiz rounds.  I ordered Delirium Tremens from the Belgian brewery Brouwerij Huyghe. After I ordered, the same lady bartender from earlier let me know “it’s a little on the expensive side.”  Doing the beer tour, I don’t really have a choice, because eventually I will have to buy and try all 75 brands.  So I took a chance and agreed to the purchase.

Tremens is strong pale ale that comes in an oddly decorated bottle as you can see.  After the strange hallucinogenic label, you’d expect the beer to be more mystic.  The beer poured a strong 3 finger head, but I’d attribute that to the bartender practically splashing it into the glass.  I’d describe the color as a pale amber, like the kind of amber mosquitos get trapped in.  Too distracted to note the lacing.

Tremens is supposedly famous for the estery, or fruity aroma it produces.  Against the hype, I wasn’t really impressed.  I did pick up on some; I couldn’t dissect the individual fruits, except for orange peel.  Also noteworthy was a hint of spice like sage.

Ales develop fruit accents, it’s natural.  Delirium Tremens is a prime example of that.  The taste wasn’t much of a departure from the smell.  There was a great compliment from the fruit and spice.  Orange and pear, mixing with sage and white pepper.  On the swallow, the alcohol warms your throat.  Tremens has an abv of 8.25% and it’s pretty obvious.  This beer leaves your mouth dry after you're finished, your breath doesn’t smell very good either.

I’d give Delirium Tremens 3.5 out of 5, it’s fine but it’s not fantastic.  Many people rank this beer high, and maybe I expected too much out of it.  That’s the true problem with tasting and grading beer: taste is subjective, and it’s hard to disregard other's opinions and begin a tasting unbiased.  If you like ales, particularly Belgians like Duvel, you’d probably want to try Tremens for yourself.  If you don’t like stronger alcohol beers, leave this one on the shelf, it looks better there anyway.

That one's pretty, but can I try it in red?

Catch up review time: Allagash Brewing Co.'s Allagash White

This weekend was a very good weekend for beer, as well as just a good weekend overall.  On Friday night I had the pleasure of trying Allagash White, and enjoyed plenty of Shiner Bock at a party.  On Saturday I tried Caffe Capri in Bryan for the first time, with an amazing dish of baked penne with pepperoni, and had fun running around the Northgate District for my friend Ty’s 21st birthday celebration.  Finally yesterday, I had my favorite Chinese food restaurant Chef Cao’s with a clean Tsingtao, and then failed miserably at Obannon’s pub quiz but had a good time doing it.  After such an eventful weekend, I’m stuck playing catch-up review.  So first up is my late Friday night review of Allagash White, from Maine’s Allagash Brewing Co.

A dull building, but looks can be deceiving

Allagash White is a witbier, unfiltered ale usually made from wheat, and commonly brewed with orange peel and spices like coriander.  The most common witbier is probably Blue Moon, and the textbook example of a witbier is most likely Hoegaarden.  Many wheat beers have specific pouring instructions for their brews, and Allagash is no different.  “Pour half the bottle, swirl to agitate the yeast, and pour the remainder of the bottle.” By including the yeast in the bottle, the beer continues to condition, after leaving the brewery.  Leaving the yeast in the beer also contributes heavily to aroma and flavor.  Some people will choose to serve a wedge of lemon, or orange with their witbier.  The only problem with this is the acidity will destroy the head, and it can overpower some flavors and aromas.  However, it’s not my place to say whether or not it’s wrong to serve that way, it’s completely the drinker’s preference.

The testing table in action

In order to get the most out this brew, I followed the bottle instructions for the pour, the proper way to pour any witbier or hefe-weisen.  What resulted were a cloudy yellow body and a thick 2 finger white head.  It did also leave some patches of lace throughout, which crystallized into little foamy snowflakes almost.

This beer smelled very good.  There was a strong lemon oil scent, like smelling the rind of a lemon after you juice it.  Also in the aroma was subtle fresh tilled dirt, a non-descript spice note, and a tiny hint of yeast.

On the first taste, I already enjoyed everything this beer had going for it.  The spice note was initially dominant, primarily coriander and clove.  The second notable flavors to shine were the fruit rind flavors, lemon for sure, a bit of orange peel, and maybe a little apricot as well.  As it finished you could definitely tell you were drinking wheat, and as you finished the beer the yeast taste became stronger.  That might be a red flag for some, but I like it; yeast is good for you.  This beer was extremely complex and interesting.  It had a delightful mouthfeel: velvety, warming, and rich.  There was practically no bitterness present at all.

Overall, I really enjoyed this beer.  I’d give it 4.5 out of 5.  There’s something keeping me from rating this beer a perfect score, but I can’t quite decide what.  It may be the price (roughly $10 for a 4 pack), or it may just be that wheat beers aren’t my style of choice.  I will say this though, if you enjoy brews like Blue Moon (owned by MillerCoors) and want to step out into the world of microbrewing, you’d be doing yourself a favor by trying Allagash White.  It’s pretty bold for a casual drinker, but it’s beers like this that truly make someone appreciate the art of craft brewing.

Pictured: the exact opposite of craft brewing.