Local Beer Review- Low Tide's Beach Blanket Winter Warmer Belgian Quad

Local Beer Review

Beach Blanket Winter Warmer Belgian Quad by Low Tide Brewing Company

I had the pleasure of tasting this beer at the Warehouse Bar and Kitchen on Tuesday, December 13th.  I started out with the 10oz., but after one sip, I knew a 16 oz. would soon be headed in my direction.  Low Tide named this brew perfectly as it wrapped me in rich, dark fruit flavors and spices.  True to Belgian styles, Low Tide's Quad had great texture and aroma.   This beer goes down smooth, so be prepared to handle the 11.5 ABV. 

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A Review in Honor of a Few Bozos Opening a Restaurant

A Review in Honor of a Few Bozos Opening a Restaurant

We’ve been sitting on a few beer reviews for a while now, and, in honor of Edmund’s Oast opening this Friday, we thought we’d break the fast with a review of Evil Twin’s Bozo Beer.  Bozo Beer is a collaboration or at least was inspired by Rich and Scott of The Charleston Beer Exchange/Edmund’s Oast.  In addition, it was brewed at our very own Westbrook Brewing Company. It’s a big @$$ Imperial Stout clocking in at 17.2% ABV.  The label is Jeppe's classic triangular pixelated dude(s)-involved-in-the-brewing-process (and guess who this one features?). The myriad of ingredients/characteristics mentioned on the label is enough to send a chill through a Cicerone’s spine. They include molasses, lactose, chocolate, almond, hazelnut, vanilla bean, cinnamon, oak spiral, chili, marshmallow, muscovado sugar, chestnut, and coffee.

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Review of Westbrook Brewing Dark Helmet Rye Schwarzbier

If there’s one thing Westbrook Brewing does well, it’s building up anticipation for their offerings. A significant portion of their portfolio is seasonal/annual release, and there is no shortage of Westbrookians (yeah, I just made that up) that spend the year waiting for his/her favorite. Dark Helmet is one of those beers. It’s an annual release that locals go nuts for when it’s around.

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Review of Holy City Brewing Barrel Aged Pluff Mud Porter

Holy City is one of the most engaging breweries in Charleston. They are one of the very few places around that help foster our burgeoning homebrewing community by offering ingredients, and they host the biggest homebrew competition in Charleston (possibly in the state). Their brewers and staff are also some of the friendliest and totally cool people you’ll ever meet. It stands to reason, then, that their most ambitious beer to date would be released at a class they co-led with Westbrook to teach us Charlestonians about the ins and outs of barrel aging beer.  I unfortunately didn’t have the time to attend the class, but I went and picked up a growler of the bourbon barrel aged Pluff Mud Porter. Pluff Mud was one of HC’s first and one of their best, and throwing it into bourbon barrels seems like a natural leap.

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Evil Twin Spicy Nachos Beer Review

Evil Twin Spicy Nachos

5.6% abv

            “Spicy Nachos” is apparently the nickname of Westbrook Brewing owner Ed Westbrook, although no one is quite sure what it means.  That’s also his face on the bottle label.  Evil Twin celebrated this moniker by brewing a beer at Westbrook that actually tastes like spicy nachos.  The beer is a pale ale and is brewed with corn and jalapeno peppers, and is available in the Lowcountry on limited release.

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Stone Brewing R&R Coconut IPA Review

Stone Brewing R&R Coconut IPA
7.7% ABV, 90 IBU

Stone’s R&R Coconut IPA is a collaboration beer created by Stone, Rip Current Brewing of San Marcos, CA, and homebrewers Robert Masterson and Ryan Reschen.  It was Masterson and Reschen who invented this unique spin on the classic IPA, with which they won the grand prize at Stone’s homebrewing competition.  The brewmasters at Rip Current and Stone stepped in to help with the mass production, allowing us East Coasters to try one incredibly creative and refreshing barley pop.  

The “R&R” is a double entendre signifying the creators’ names (Robert and Ryan) and the rest-and-relaxation associated with sitting beachside nursing a tropical drink.  The bottle text is full of such imagery (“Open, enjoy, rest, relax and repeat as needed”), and, true to form, the flavor is so tropical-esque it comes dangerously close to requiring a parasol when served.  The whole marketing scheme seems to be aimed at making this the new beach beer, which is interesting, considering that craft beer at the beach is so tricky; it’s tough to enjoy a complex, heavy brew with 100 degrees of sun beating down on you.  That’s why a lot of us will opt for the cheap stuff – it’s light and not filling.  

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Westbrook Brewing Gose Review

Gose (pronounced “GOES-uh”) is a German style sour whitbier brewed with coriander and salt.  First brewed in the early 16^th century, its popularity waned and it almost went extinct after World War II (apparently that can happen if no one bothers to write down the recipe).  Today gose is alive and kicking in the Lowcountry thanks to the always creative and historically appreciative minds over at Westbrook. 

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews- Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale!

Oskar Blues Brewery- Dale's Pale Ale Beer Review

Taken from Oskar Blues website, "In 1997, owner Dale Katechis opened up the tiny restaurant, Oskar Blues Cajun Grill, in Lyons, Colorado, population 1400. Two years later, in 1999, Dale felt it was time to revamp his passion for home brewing by turning the restaurant into a brewpub. What started out at a small side project turned into a huge success. Customers were diggin’ the beer, and wanted more. In 2002, Dale decided it was time to start packaging his beer."

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My Opinion Of The Westbrook Wine Barrel Tripels!

I previously reviewed Westbrook's Wine Barrel Tripel aged in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels.  It was definitely a beer I enjoyed thoroughly!  See the review here.  Since my football team (NY Giants) was in the Super Bowl, I had to go all out and enjoy the big game with some quality craft beer.  Part of the beer lineup for the day included Westbrook's other two Wine Barrel Tripels (The one aged in Malbec barrels and the other aged in Pinot Noir barrels).  This would give me the full experience of tasting all three of Westbrook's Wine Barrel Aged Tripels!  Great idea right!  I enjoyed all three and would definitely recommend them to anyone.  In order, here's how I rank them:

1) Westbrook Wine Barrel Tripel aged in Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Barrels
2) Westbrook Wine Barrel Tripel aged in Malbec Wine Barrels
3) Westbrook Wine Barrel Tripel aged in Pinot Noir Wine Barrels

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Westbrook Wine Barrel Tripel Beer Review

Westbrook Brewing Company-Wine Barrel Tripel

For my birthday, I received a 750 ml bottle of Westbrook's Wine Barrel Tripel.  They actually have 3 different barrel aged versions available currently.  These are their first barrel aged beers to be released, so I have been waiting patiently to get my hands on them.  Each of the beers were aged for 9 months in different types of wine barrels.   The barrels were: 2008 Whetstone Bella Vigna Pinot Noir, Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tiger Mount Malbec.  They are all 8.5% Abv.  I had a bottle of the Tripel aged in the Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon and I enjoyed it immensely!

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews- New York

Keegan Ales- Mother's Milk Stout Beer Review

Taken from their website:

"Keegan Ales was founded in early 2003 when Tommy Keegan learned about an empty building in Kingston that nobody would buy because there was a defunct brewery stuck in it! (Although the building was built in the early 1800′s, the building was most recently home to the Woodstock Brewing Company.)  After months of cleaning and rebuilding, Keegan Ales brewed its first batch of beers on August 1, 2003(Tommy’s mom’s birthday) and set out hand-selling beer to local bars and restaurants early September. The first kegs of Old Capital, Hurricane Kitty and Mother’s Milk went to competition at Hunter Mountain that month. Mother’s Milk took home a gold medal and Old Capital was honored with People’s Choice: Best of Show.  Keegan Ales has gone on to win many more awards and recognitions, including Best Brewery in The Hudson Valley (2009), Best Brewery in New York State (2009) and Best Craft-Brewed Beer in New York State (2009).  Early in 2010, The New York Times declared Mother’s Milk one of the top ten stouts in North America and Keegan Ales has also been awarded 2010 Small Business of the Year by The Ulster Chamber of Commerce and The Ulster County Development Corporation."

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My Own Personal Allagash Brewing Tasting!!!

Thanks to Les Addis from Allagash Brewing, I was able to have my own personal Allagash Brewing tasting.   I was able to try 3 different Allagash Beers: Fluxus 2011, Curieux, and Four.  I enjoyed all three and have reviewed each of them separately.

Beer 1: Allagash Four

Taken from their website: "We brew this beer with four malts, four sugars, four hop varieties and we ferment it four times, using four different yeast strains. The complexity of the brewing process is matched by the complexity of this unique beer. Flavors of raisin, candied fruit and plum express themselves throughout."


Description: Belgian Style Quadruple
ABV: 10%
Profile: Mahogany, Complex, Candied, Malty
Serving Temperature: 40°-50°F
Availability: Year Round
Awards: Bronze at GABF 2007

Tasting Notes
Appearance: Reddish orange colored with decent head and some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt smell.  Picking up some pretty fruity undertones such as bananas, cherries, and raisins.                              
Taste: Lots of dark fruits.  Taste how it smells.  Nice and malty.
Mouthfeel: Nice and smooth.  Light to medium bodies with a bit of creaminess.
Overall: Very drinkable Belgian Quad.  I want more!
Grade: A-

Beer 2: Allagash Fluxus 2011

Taken from their website: "This year's Fluxus was brewed with Belgian pilsen malt, light munich, malted wheat and a variety of aromatic and colored malts. It was hopped using only Alsatian Brewers Gold . It was then fermented with our house yeast at a lower than typical temperature, resulting in a more subdued ester profile than expressed in our other house yeast beers. Primary fermentation was followed by a cold maturation or "garding" period of six weeks. The resulting beer is a medium amber colored ale with a smooth lager quality. The aroma presents a complex earthiness and toasted grains, balanced by a fruity candied grape character. The full body highlights a rounded maltiness accentuated by both nutty notes, and spicy hop flavors. The finish is remarkably dry with a wine-like character and light tannins."


Description: French-Style Farmhouse Ale (Biere de Garde)
ABV: 8%
Profile: Amber, Malty, Dry
Serving Temperature: 40°-50°F
Availability: Limited Annual Release

Tasting Notes
Appearance: Brown with reddish tint.  Non-transparent with a thick nice head.  Great head retention.
Aroma: Sweet fruity malt aroma with some toastiness present.  Little hop aroma.
Flavor:  Very complex malty flavor.  Caramel and toffee, plus dark fruit.  Low hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a touch of creaminess.  Moderate carbonation.
Overall: A strong, flavorful farmhouse ale.  Very tasty with complex maltiness.  Many flavors lingering on the tongue.
Grade: A-

Beer 3: Allagash Curieux

Taken from their website: "Allagash Curieux was the first foray into barrel aging. Curieux is made by aging our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam bourbon barrels for eight weeks in our cold cellars. The aged beer is then blended back with a portion of fresh Tripel. The resulting beer is soft with coconut and vanilla notes, with hints of bourbon."


Description: Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Ale
ABV: 11%
Profile: Dark Golden, Smooth, Bourbon, Vanilla
Serving Temperature: 40°-50°F
Availability: Year Round
Awards: Bronze World Beer Cup 2007

Tasting Notes
Appearance: Golden yellow with a huge head at first pour.  Reduced to a thin ring quickly.
Aroma:  Nice woody alcohol smell, with bourbon and vanilla.  Little bit of spiciness too.
Flavor: Love the bourbon flavor.  Not too much, not too little.  Picking up the oak notes a bit and some vanilla. Some fruitiness and spiciness in there too.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation and medium mouthfeel.
Overall:  Brilliant! I am in love with this beer. This was my favorite of the three.  Great barrel aged  flavors.
Grade: A+

To summarize, I really liked all three of these beers.  My favorite though was the Allagash Curieux.  I look forward to picking up a bottle sometime soon and saving it for a special occasion.  After drinking these Allagash beers and the ones at the New Belgium/Allagash Beer Dinner back in August, Allagash Brewing has definitely moved up my list of favorite breweries.  I have definitely been impressed by the seven beers I have tasted on these two separate occasions.

Lastly, thanks again Les Addis for introducing me to these fantastic Allagash brews.  I am jealous of your occupation by the way!

Cheers!

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews-North Carolina

Carolina Beer Company- Cottonwood Pumpkin Spiced Ale Review

Taken from their website:

"Carolina Beer & Beverage has announced the sale of their beer division to Foothills Brewing, based in Winston-Salem. This sale includes the company's equipment, trademarks and brands. Among the dozen beer brands being acquired by Foothills Brewing are those within the highly popular Carolina Blonde and Cottonwood Ales lines."

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews-Oregon!

Caldera Brewing Company- India Pale Ale Beer Review

Taken from their website:

"Caldera Brewing Company was incorporated March 12, 1996. The first brew was July 4, 1997 and the first keg sold was August 28, 1997. Caldera self-distributed its products for the first six years. In November 2003, Caldera partnered up with Gold River Distributing in Southern Oregon and Mt. Hood Beverage Company in the Eugene and Portland markets to expand its business.  For the first eight years, Caldera was draught only until June 2005 when the Pale Ale was put into cans. Caldera is the first microbrewery in the State of Oregon to brew and can its own beer. "

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50 states/50 Beer Reviews-Maine

Peak Organic Brewing Company- Pale Ale Beer Review

Taken from their website:

"Peak is a small craft brewing company dedicated to making delicious, handcrafted ales using only the finest artisanal ingredients. With roots in home brewing back in the 90s, brewer Jon Cadoux set about combining his love for beer with an ethic for sustainability. Whenever possible, he would go out and find ingredients from local organic farmers for his homebrews.  It was a defining day when Jon discovered that you don’t need to sacrifice flavor for sustainability, but that better ingredients actually made the beer more delicious."

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews-Ohio

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company-  Siberian Night Imperial Stout Beer Review

Taken from their website:

"Each of our beers is meticulously hand crafted in small batches using the finest ingredients. High quality malted barley is the source of the beer's sweetness and body. Select American and European hops are used to balance the malt sweetness, and at times to add special flavors and aromas to the beer.  Our carefully selected ingredients, along with our specially designed recipes and brewing processes, give Thirsty Dog beers unique flavor profiles that are hard to find in today's mass-market "one size fits all" society."

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews- Delaware

Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales- Burton Baton Oak Aged Imperial IPA Beer Review

Taken from their website:

"The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when we opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the state's first brewpub opened in the resort beach community of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The plan was to bring original beer, original food, and original music to the area.  Our very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which essentially was three little kegs with propane burners underneath. Brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant proved to be more than a full time job. When the doors to the pub first opened, we brewed three times a day, five days a week! The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes. We quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when we started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers!  With the popularity of the pub growing, it was quickly apparent that the 12–gallon brewery would not keep up with demand. We built a new brewery and underwent a thirty-fold expansion of the brew house!  We began bottling our Shelter Pale Ale in 1996 and just 1 year later we expanded again – this time we separated the packaging operation from the restaurant, and kept on brewing! By 1999, we were up to five year–round bottled brands in about a dozen states.  We outgrew our distributing brewery in a couple years and in the summer of 2002; we moved our entire production brewery up the road to Milton, Delaware into a 100,000 square foot converted cannery. Around the same time (just to keep thing interesting), we built a distillery on the second floor of our Rehoboth Beach brewpub, so we could make vodka, rum and gin."

The Dogfish Head portfolio is too big to list here.  Click here to see it!

Burton Baton is a blended beer that Dogfish Head has been brewing for the past couple of years.  They first brew two batches of beer: An English-Style Old Ale and an Imperial IPA.  After fermenting separately, the two are transferred and blended in a large oak tank and sits on the wood for about a month.  This beer is brewed and released three times per year. 

Tasting Notes

Appearance:  Pours a hazy reddish copper color with a big off white thin head.  The head slowly thins     and your left with a thin head that sticks around for the duration.

Smell:   Intense piney and fruity hop aroma coupled with a nice malty sweetness, as well as a hint of oak.  Very nice!

Taste:  Delicious and complex.  Piney and Fruity hop to start then the sweet malt is enough to balance it out.  Oak flavor is there, but not overpowering.  Just right.  

   

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.  Has a creaminess to it!

Overall:  Nicely balanced beer with many different flavors to enjoy.  Gets better and better as it warms up.  Can't believe it's 10%!!!  I want another!

Grade: A-

Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Stats: Alcohol by Volume 10.0%

International Bittering Units: 70

Previous 50 States/50 Beer Reviews:

California- Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

Georgia- Terrapin Hopsecutioner

Idaho- Grand Teton Sweet Grass APA

Michigan- Bell's Brewery Hop Slam Ale

South Carolina-  Palmetto Brewing Extra Pale IPA

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews- California

Ballast Point Brewing Company- Sculpin IPA Beer Review

Ballast Point Brewing started with two homebrewers (Jack White and Yuseff Cherney) in the the back room of a homebrewing supply store called "Home Brew Mart."  Eventually Ballast Point had outgrown its back room location and needed to move in order to keep up with the growing demand.   Now they can brew up to 120,000 gallons of delicious beer at their brewery in San Diego, California.  

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50 States/50 Beer Reviews- Georgia!

Terrapin Beer Company- Hopsecutioner IPA Beer Review

"Terrapin Beer Company was born when two brewers met while working together at a microbrewery in Atlanta. Looking around at what other breweries in the SE were doing, Spike and John felt they could make a contribution. Realizing that anyone could make just another pale ale, brown ale or stout, Spike and John set their sights on crafting beers unlike any that were currently available in the SE."

"Terrapin introduced its first beer, the Rye Pale Ale in April of 2002. Six months later while only available on draft in Athens, Terrapin’s sole offering won the American Pale Ale Gold Medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival.  Only six months old, Terrapin had arrived in style!"

I am pretty impressed by Terrapin's different offerings.  They have four year round beers: Rye Pale Ale, Golden Ale, Hop Karma Brown IPA, and Hopsecutioner IPA.  They offer the following seasonals: Sunray Wheat, Pumpkin Fest, Moo-Hoo.  Their Monster Beer lineup includes: Rye Squared, Wake 'N' Bake, Big Hoppy Monster, Gamma Ray, and Monk's Revenge.   

Today's beer that I am reviewing is their Hopsecutioner IPA.   Taken from the website "this killer IPA earns its name by using six different types of hops while still remaining an aggressive well balanced beer."

Tasting Notes

Appearance:   Poured a golden orange color with an inch or so of creamy head.   Head stuck around for awhile, though it didn't take me too long to down this one. 

Smell:   Toasty malty taste, with a bit of caramel.  Hops are pretty inviting from the first smell.  Picking up resiny, piney, and citrus hops.  

Taste: Well balanced up front with the toasty, mildy sweet malt flavor and spicy and citrusy hop flavor.  Good amount of bitterness, not too overpowering.  More citrus hops at the end. 

   

Mouthfeel:  Medium bodied beer with a nice flavor that coats the tongue!

Overall:  Very satisfying IPA.  Love the malt flavor, and feel that although I wouldn't mind more hops, there is just enough to satisfy a hop head like myself.  Will definitely be having more of this in the near future!

Grade: B+

Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Stats: Alcohol by Volume 7.2%

International Bittering Units: 78

Malts: 2 Row Pale Malt, Munich, Pale Crystal 24L, Victory

Hops: Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade (dry hop)

Awards: Gold Medal at the 2010 Atlantic City Beer Festival in the India Pale Ale Category

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50 States/50 Beers- Idaho!

Grand Teton Brewing Company-Sweetgrass American Pale Ale Beer Review

Grand Teton Brewing Company is the original brewery of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, located in Victor, Idaho.  They have been brewing handcrafted beers at the base of the Tetons since 1988.   This beer is a hard to find beer in the South, that is unless you live in South Carolina.  Thankfully for us South Carolinians, Advintage Distributing stocks Grand Teton's beers at some of our favorite beer stores.   The only other state their beers can be found on the East Coast is Massachusetts.   One more reason why I love living in Charleston! Here are some local places I have seen Grand Teton's beers: Charleston Beer Exchange, Coleman Public House, Magnolia's Restaurant, Total Wine & More.

Today's beer that I am reviewing is their Sweetgrass American Pale Ale.  Taken from the Grand Teton Brewing website: "Sweetgrass APA is a Pale Ale of distinction! 2009 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal winner in the American Pale Ale category, this crisp and fragrant beer is hopped and dry-hopped with plenty of Amarillos and Cascades." Other beers in their portfolio include: Teton Ale, Bitch Creek ESB, Old Faithful Ale, Howling Wolf Weisse Bier, Pursuit of Hoppiness Imperial Red Ale, Black Cauldron Imperial Stout and Lost Continent Double IPA The Grand Saison, Persephone Imperial Pils.

Tasting Notes

Appearance:   Poured a copperish amber color with a thick, creamy head.   Beautiful lacing with a head retention that wouldn't quit.

Smell:   Citrusy, piney and slight grassy hop aroma.  Plenty of hops in this one.  Slight sweet malt aroma as well.  Loving the aroma and hoping the beer tastes as good as it smells.

Taste:   Getting the hops up front. Pine notes and grass in the middle.  Nice citrus finish.  Hops linger, but not aggressive.  Malt flavor is a mild sweet one.  Very nice!

Mouthfeel:  Medium bodied beer.  Carbonation is adequate.  Slick on the tongue.

Overall:  One of the better American Pale Ale's out there in my opinion.  As a lover of hops, I thought this had just the right amount for an APA.   Very flavorful and well balanced. Very drinkable, would love to have another 2 or 3.

Grade: A-
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle
Stats: Alcohol by Volume 6%
International Bittering Units: 60
Awards: 2009 - Gold Medal, American Pale Ale (Great American Beer Festival)
Malts: Idaho 2-Row Brewers, German Vienna & CaraAmber
Hops: Columbus, Galena, Amarillo, Simcoe & Cascade, Dry hopped with Cascade


      

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