Spiced Mead - aka Metheglin

My wife and I broke open a bottle of our spiced Mead - just to see how it's doing as it ages. It's a little early for this particular batch. We brewed it in September 2007 and split it into two 2.5 gallon batches. One batch we spiced, the other batch is natural. A spiced Mead is also known as a metheglin. We brewed this one and then spiced it to be ready for Christmas 2008. This is one very smooth metheglin! As you can see it is a beautiful golden color, and very clear. We brewed the 5 gallon batch using the following recipe:

16.5 lbs clover honey

1 cup Demerrara sugar

1 package Wyeast Sweet Mead yeast

We heated 2 gallons of water up so that it was just under boiling - about 180 degrees, and added the honey and sugar. We "cooked" it at this temp for about 15 minutes, then cooled it off in an ice bath. We then poured the must into a fermenter and added the yeast. It sat in the primary for about 2 months, and then we racked it to a secondary. It sat in the secondary until May 5, and then we separated it into two 2.5 gallon batches and spiced 1 batch. We wanted a holiday mead, so we picked some holiday spices. In a nylon hop bag, we put 2 crushed cinnamon sticks, a crushed nutmeg nut, 21 crushed allspice seeds, and a crushed vanilla bean. We pulled the spice bag after about 3 weeks, and then bottled it. It's been bottled since May26, so we couldn't wait any longer and had to try it. This is a very sweet mead (which is how we like it) and has just the right amount of spices. As smooth and tasty as it is now, I can't imagine it could get any better by Christmas - but I know it will. If you have any questions about how we made this, just post a comment, and I will respond. Mead is truly the nectar of the Gods!

Orlando Brewing Pale Ale

Orlando Brewing Partners is a relatively new microbrewery here in Orlando, and their bottled beer is starting to show up at some local stores. I got this one at Whole Foods. The brewery is dedicated to making organic brews, and they're proud of their adherence to the Reinheitsgebot - the German Purity law of 1487. This law required beer to be made from 3 basic ingredients - water, malt and hops. Yeast was not understood at the time, so it was not included in the law. This is a beautifully clear amber ale, and is very mild in flavor. It has very little hop presence. I think the brewers were more concerned about it being organic and pure, than they were about making it interesting. This is not a "bad" beer at all, and would make a good session beer - but it's not an interesting beer. One thing I liked about it was its nice full head, and subsequent lacing on the glass. I have several other beers from this company, including a stout, so I hope their other offerings are more exciting.

Lagunitas Brewing "Censored" Rich Copper Ale

I don't know how to pronounce their name, and I don't "get" the names of their beers, but I really like the Lagunitas Brewing company. Their beer is always flavorful and interesting. And then there's the Frank Zappa thing they have going on some of their labels. Zappa was a musical genius, but I would not expect him to be honored on a beer label. This beer is called "Censored" Rich Copper Ale and copper is the color of the ale when poured. Once again, the head was there, and then almost immediately gone. This is a malty brew with plenty of nice West Coast grapefruity hops. The hops balanced the beer nicely. I have tried a number of beers from this brewery, and have never been disappointed.

Florida Brewing's Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat Ale

Forida Brewing is one of the few microbrewers in this beer wasteland of Florida. I've tried a number of their beers, and they have been ok - nothing to brag about, but quite drinkable. This Raspberry Wheat Ale follows in that tradition. It poured a kinda orange-amber, with no head at all. What's up with that? A wheat beer should have lots of head. As a homebrewer, I know that some brewers add some wheat to their brews, simply for that reason. This was a very fruity wheat with lots of raspberry flavor. The raspberry was more pronounced than in Abita's Purple Haze, but I think the Purple Haze tasted a little more authentic. This was good, with a nice hop finish.

Beck's Premier Light - only 64 calories!!

I don't care for light beers - bottled water is cheaper. But - when I saw that Beck's Premier Light had only 64 calories, I had to see what it was like. Well... it looked like cheap Ginger ale - very pale, no head. It was very well-carbonated. It had almost no flavor. Enough said.

Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter

Portland Maine is the home of Pugsley Brewing, which creates the Sea Dog family of beers. Mr. Pugsley is also the brewmaster at Shipyard. Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter is the first non-wheat beer that I have tried from Sea Dog. As you can see in the photo, it poured a very dark brown with a tan head. The head lasted longer than most of my recent beers. The hazelnut was not overpowering, and the chocolate malt shined through. In an earlier post, I mentioned one of my homebrews that went astray, and it was a hazelnut brown ale. The hazelnut in my brew was overly strong, and gave the beer an unpleasant bitter edge. Now I know what a hazelnut ale should taste like.

Carlsberg Elephant

Carlsberg Elephant is from Copenhagen, Denmark and is classified as a Malt Liquor on the bottle. That's the classification of any imported beer or ale that is higher in alcohol than the standard 4-4.5% abv. It's actually a European Strong Lager and has an alcohol content that's over 7%. It's a smooth beer with lots of malt flavor, and slightly sweet. It poured a deep gold color with a cream-colored head. The head disappeared rather quickly.

Bell's Oberon Ale - American Wheat

This is one of the better American wheat ales that I have tried. It pours a very cloudy golden color with a large fluffy white head. If you're not accustomed to a cloudy wheat beer, this one might surprise you with the amount of "stuff" floating around. It looks down-right chunky. It has a fruity flavor - mostly citrus - and a nice hop presence. This is an excellent summer beer - very refreshing and light.

Hofbrau Munchen Maibock

Hofbrau's Maibock poured a deep orange color with a pale orange head that held up for a while. This was a malty brew, a little on the sweet side, with very little evidence of hops. It went well with my burger.

Gritty McDuff's Original Pub Style Pale Ale

Gritty McDuff's Original Pub Style Pale Ale is brewed in Portland Maine. The Northeast part of the US is a brewing powerhouse, and equals the Northwest in quality and style. This particular ale is very refreshing. It poured a beautiful clear amber, with a decent head that lasted for a short while. It had plenty of pine flavored hop presence. This was my first sample of a brew from Gritty McDuff's, and I will be looking for more varieties in the near future.

Kelpie Seaweed Ale

This ale surprised me. I was expecting a much lighter-colored ale, but this looks like a stout - deep brown to almost black, with ruby highlights. It had a nice fluffy beige head. I don't taste anything seaweed-like. It tastes pretty much like a mild, watery stout - roasty with chocolate malt. It went fine with my chicken. Kelpie Seaweed Ale is from Heather Ale, LLC in Scotland.

Sleeman IPA 46

This IPA is another offering from the Sleeman Brewing assortment I picked up a few weeks ago. Since yesterday was a pizza day, I decided to try the IPA. This is a very subdued IPA, with less hop presence than a Sam Adams Boston Lager. Maybe that's the way they make IPA's in Canada, I don't know. I tried an Alexander Keith's IPA when I was in Newfoundland last year, and it was less hoppy than this one. I know that a traditional English IPA is less hoppy than the American variety, so I guess we just kick things up a notch here in the USA. If you're used to Dogfish Head IPA's or Victory's Hop Devil, or some of the other great American IPA's, this might be found lacking. I still enjoyed it.

Iron City Lager

I saw this beer in the liquor store and recognized it as another beer mentioned by Stephen king in one of his books - this time it's in Christine, which I happen to be reading right now. Iron City is brewed in Pittsburgh, in case you hadn't guessed. It looked like a typical golden lager, and tasted like a typical golden lager. Like the Naragansett, this is old school beer. It was refreshing, and enjoyable, just not very interesting. Went fine with my fish tacos.

Guinness Stout Ice Cream Float

If Miller High Life is the "Champagne of Bottled Beers", then Guinness Draught is the Milkshake of bottled beers. I have not found a beer with a creamier texture than the Guinness bottle or can with the nitrogen filled widget in it. It's just like drinking Guinness from a keg. With that being said, I decided to try something I have been thinking about for a while - a Guinness Stout ice cream float. My family looked at me like I was nuts - ruining perfectly good ice cream by pouring beer (ugh) over it. People do it with coffee all the time, which is just another dark bitter drink, so why not Guinness? So I tried it. It didn't turn out as I expected. It seemed that the two flavors just didn't meld together like I suspected they would. The beer still tasted like Guinness, and the ice cream still tasted like vanilla. Hmm - not bad, just not exciting. So, it's back to the drawing board, looking for a beer-inspired dessert.

Jenlain Blonde - Golden Ale from France

I believe this is the first French beer I have ever had. I'm sure the French can make some good beers, but they seem to be more well-known for their wine. Wine goes better with their reputation too. This is Jenlain Blonde, which poured a nice golden honey color with a big fluffy white head, that disippated rapidly. The brew was very carbonated. It tasted to me like a Belgian blonde ale, but since France and Belgium are so close in proximity, I guess that shouldn't surprise me. I enjoyed my first French beer, but it seemed like a matter of "been there, done that" - when compared to a Belgian.

Lakefront Brewery Fuel Cafe Stout

I got this beer in a variety pack of 8 different beers created by Lakefront Brewery. Fuel Cafe Stout is a stout brewed with coffee. It was originally brewed for the Fuel Cafe, a coffee/sandwich shop in Milwaukee. It poured nearly black, with no discernible head. One thing that surprised me was the yeast sediment I found in the bottom of my glass. Being a homebrewer, it didn't bother me, but I didn't expect it in a commercial brew that wasn't advertised as "bottle-conditioned". One of the problems associated with making beer with coffee is that the oils in the coffee beans tend to kill head production. That was definitely true here. I enjoyed the stout, although I felt it was more like a Robust Porter than a stout. It just wasn't chewy enough to be a stout. The coffee showed through nicely, and it went well with my meatloaf.

Awesome Beer Bread!

Here's a beer bread recipe that is guaranteed to be a hit! I have made this bread with cheap light beer, dark stouts, malt liquor, and even some Mead, and it always turns out moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. This rarely lasts beyond one meal. I like to make it kinda sweet, but you can adjust the amount of sugar to your preference. It would also be good without sugar, with some savory ingredients like cheese or garlic. It's incredibly easy to make, and takes about 5 minutes to get it ready for the oven.

Here's the recipe:
3 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a mixture)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar (more or less, depending on your preference)
12 oz beer, mead, or wine
1/4 cup melted butter.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients, then add beer
Pour into a greased bread pan
Pour melted butter over the top
Bake for an hour, then let cool on a rack.

The bread is very crispy on the outside, dense and moist inside. We've experimented using whole wheat flour, and it turned out great. Darker beers add some interesting variety also. It's even good toasted, if it lasts long enough to cool off. It's difficult to ruin this bread - but here's a warning to fellow homebrwewers - a lousy homebrew will not make a good beer bread. I tried it with one of my less than successful experiments - a sweet stout with a nasty bitter edge - and the bitterness came through. It was the only loaf that didn't get finished.

Spaten Optimator

This seems to be the month of Doppelbocks for me. This one's from Germany, from Spaten. The clear mahogany colored brew was topped by a creamy light brown head. This one is 7.2% abv, compared to the 8.2% found in the Tommyknocker beer I reviewed a short time ago. This one was a bit sweeter than the Tommyknocker, with a bit less of an alcohol bite. This one was just smoother all around, with lots of malt flavor.

Samuel Adams Honey Porter

Finally, a beer with a great big creamy head! In fact, I had to stop pouring to keep it from overflowing the glass. This is another fine beer from Boston Beer Co. - Samuel Adams Honey Porter. This is in the style of a Robust Porter - deep brown, and real roasty. It had a faint scent of honey, but most of the flavor was roasted and chocolate malt. I have never been disappointed by a Samuel Adams brew, and this just continues the trend of great, flavorful beers. This bottle came from a Brewmaster's assortment 6 pack, along with two other varieties.

Fraoch Heather Ale of Scotland

This beer came from a 4 pack of "Historic Ales from Scotland". It is brewed from malt and Heather flowers. The heather is used in place of hops, making for a very smooth mild-flavored ale. It poured a beautiful honey colored gold, with a small white head. It has a nice malt body, with a floral note to it. It reminds me of a dry mead. If this was a little easier on the wallet, I could see myself drinking this pretty frequently during the warmer months. Here's hoping the other selections in the 4 pack are as impressive as this one.

Tommyknocker Butt Head Doppelbock Lager

Today, I tried my first brew from the Tommyknocker Brewery in Colorado. Butt Head Doppelbock Lager is a malty brew, deep amber in color, with a small white head that disappearred very quickly. The beer poured a little cloudy, due to what looked like chill haze. It was very tasty - very malty, which you know I prefer. It was a little sweet, and had an alcohol finish. According to the brewery, it has an alcohol level of 8.2%, which is significant. I enjoyed my first Tommyknocker sampling, and I look forward to some more in the near future.

Yuengling Original Black & Tan

From "America's Oldest Brewery" comes the "Original" Black & Tan. A Black & Tan is a combination of a dark beer and a light beer in a single glass. The most traditional one is a Bass Ale and Guinness Stout combination. When ordered in a pub, a good black and tan will show up at the table in two layers - dark on the top and light on the bottom. That's pretty difficult to do in a bottle. Yuengling's black and tan is a combo of their Porter and their traditional lager. It's roasty like a Porter, but has a mellower flavor from the light lager. This went nice with my beef stew, but I prefer a real Porter or stout; or a real Black & Tan for that matter. I really like Yuengling's Porter, but it seems impossible to find here in Florida - which is odd since they have a brewery in Tampa.

Orkney Dragonhead Stout

A new wine and ale store opened up here in Clermont, FL, so I had to stop in and see what they had to offer. I was a little concerned that their emphasis on wine would cripple their ale selection, but I was pleasantly surprised. They had a decent selection of domestic microbrews and imports - without a single bottle of Coors, Miller or Anheuser Busch in the store. The best part - they'll sell any of their beers as singles. So I picked up a six-pack of singles plus 1. Orkney's Dragonhead Stout was the odd one because it was the only 16 oz bottle I selected. The Orkney Brewery is on an island off Scotland. This stout is dry and roasty with some coffee and chocolate in evidence. It also has a tangy flavor in the background, very reminiscent of Guinness. I like stouts almost as much as porters, and this one was very good. It poured a nearly black color with a small deep beige head. I also liked Orkney's Skullsplitter ale, which I sampled a year ago.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

In my mind, there is no better beer to go with a real NY style pizza than an IPA. A good IPA is the only beer that can really stand up to a salty, spicy pizza. Pilsners and lagers are more popular, but they get lost in the sauce. Dogfish Head makes some of the best IPA's in the country, if you're a hop-head like me. Next time you have a pizza, try a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA and see if I'm right.

Shipyard Brewing's Prelude Ale

This ale is a leftover from the holidays, and is in the style of a strong ale, or a Winter Warmer. It's a malty spicy brew with a higher level of alcohol. It poured a deep mahogany color with a small cream colored head. I enjoyed the rich malt flavor with hints of chocolate mixed in with the spices. I've had thie beer before when it had a different label, but this label's snowy scene gives a better clue to its style. I enjoyed this one a lot, even if it is nearly summer.

Sleeman's Crean Ale #64

I bought a sampler of Sleeman brews, and this is the first 1 up for review - Cream Ale #64. The story behind the number 64 is that a recipe book was found which contained the original Sleeman family beer recipes, and the number corresponds to the page number that the recipe was found on. There must be a lot of recipes in that book! This is a nice looking beer - a clear golden color with small white head. I found it to be very typical of Canadian beers, and felt that it was more like a golden lager than an ale. It had a nice hop presence, and crisp finish. Unfortunately, there was nothing to make it stand out in a crowd of other Canadian beers. Solid, but kinda boring.

Cintra Brazilian Beer

I decided to try this beer because we were eating Cuban style grilled chicken, and since I didn't have any Cuban beer, I thought Brazilian would be similar. I have to say that Cintra is very similar to any of the Mexican lagers that are out there, such as Corona or Sol. Very pale, very light, very carbonated. It's a good example of a pale lager, and went fine with my chicken. I just won't brag about it to anyone. This was another one of the varieties I found in World Market's Beers of the World assortment.

Left Hand Brewing's Juju Ginger

When I saw this beer, I just had to try it. I really like beer and I really like ginger, so this was win-win. It poured a nice honey color, with a great big white head. The head evaporated rather quickly, but at least it had one for a little while. This is a very light beer, and would be excellent for the summer. It tasted almost like a wheat, but it's actually a pale ale, flavored with ground ginger root. The ginger was more obvious than I expected, which was a good thing. I liked this a lot, even though my tastes normally tend toward maltier brews.

Camerons Strong Arm Ruby Red Ale

I had high expectations for this Red English Ale, but they quickly dissipated upon pouring it. It poured a somewhat muddy deep amber, and the head was non-existent. The flavor was uninspiring. It had somewhat of a metallic taste to it which was distracting. I thought it compared to a couple of other red ales that I have had that were equally disappointing - such as Murphy's Red. I love Murphy's Stout, but their red is as mediocre as this one. I'm glad I didn't buy a six-pack!

My Dog "Porter"

As I mentioned in my last post, I named my dog "Porter" after the beer, and because he's black and tan. I know that a black and tan is made with stout, but I didn't think Stout was a very good name for a Dachshund. Porter is a beer-lover himself, but it's a very rare treat for him - usually reserved for when I'm bottling my latest creation, and he's cleaning up the drips on the floor (and only if he can beat our other Dachshund to it). Porter's a great dog, and his name is a pretty subtle beer reference, so we don't get any funny looks when we call him. And it's a lot better than calling him Stout.

Rogue Mocha Porter

I'm a big fan of Porters. I even named my dog Porter. Today's review is Oregon Brewing's Rogue Mocha Porter. This is a dark rich Porter in the Robust style. It has a big roasty malt flavor, with chocolate and coffee accents. Although neither of these ingredients are actually used to make this beer, the malt selection creates these flavors in a big way. Hence the Mocha in the name. It poured a deep brown with a small tan head. The mouthfeel was as rich as the flavor. The hops nicely balanced out the brew. Oregon Brewing is another of my favorite microbreweries, and this just added to my favorable opinion.

My Newest Homebrew - Maple Wheat Ale

I started homebrewing using the Mr Beer system several years ago, and I still use their fermenters because they're the perfect size - about 2-1/2 gallons. One of the Mr Beer recipes that always interested me was their Maple Wheat. So, I decided to make my own. I don't use their ingredients anymore, but the inspiration was from them. Here's the recipe:
3.3 lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat Malt Extract
16 Oz Pure Maple Syrup
4 Oz Crystal Malt 10L
4 Oz CaraPils Malt
1/2 Oz Hersbrucker Hops
1/2 Oz Saaz Hops
Wyeast 1010 American Wheat Yeast
I really like using Maple Syrup in my beer. I like the flavor it adds. It also kicks up the horsepower! I cracked open my first bottle of this yesterday, and I'm very pleased. I have to say that the alcohol level is unusual for a wheat beer. It turned out darker than I expected, but had a great big head. It tasted like a wheat beer, but had some alcohol in the finish. The hops were subdued, so I probably should have used a little more. I'm looking forwared to seeing how this ages.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Tonight, I had another good brew from Paulaner. This is a very classic example of a Bavarian Hefe-weizen. Since Hefe means "yeast", it poured a cloudy golden color, with the huge head that is typical of a good Hefe-Weizen. The cloudiness is from the yeast that has not been filtered from the beer. The flavor is fruity, with the essence of bananas and cloves that I have come to expect from a Bavarian style Hefe. These flavors are produced by the yeast. I think this wheat compares very favorably to another favorite Hefe-Weizen. the one produced by Weihenstephan.

Saranac Scotch Ale from F.X. Matt

Growing up as a kid in upstate NY, my family made numerous visits to the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, NY - home of Utica Club beer. It was a fun tour, and my sisters and I always got some great root beer at the end of the tour, while my parents enjoyed samples of the stronger stuff. So, I have a soft spot for Saranac. Unfortunately, I have to rely on my sister to bring me some, since it isn't available here in Florida. This bottle came from their Christmas seasonal mix, along with 5 other Saranac brews. I really like malty brews, and Scottish Ales are a favorite. This one did not disappoint me. This was a maltier, smokier, sweeter and hoppier variation of the style than the Belhaven I reviewed a short time ago. Chalk it up to the American brewer to make a beer with more of everything. In this case, more IS more. I liked the Belhaven, but I like this one even more. Maybe it's not as "true to style", but that's fine with me. As you can see in the photo, it poured a very nice amber color with a nice beige head that lasted a long time. There is nothing better than a great beer and a great burger, and I had both tonight!

Urpin Dunkel - Slovakia

Tonight I tried a dunkel from Pivovar Urpin in Slovakia. This was a pleasant surprise. It looked more like a brown ale than a dunkel, with a tan-colored head. It had notes of chocolate, toffee, and also some coffee. It was slightly sweet, and at 4.6% alcohol, it could easily be a session beer.

The Famous Narragansett Beer

I saw this at my local beer store - Knightly Spirits for those of you familiar with Orlando, FL - and I recognized it from the writings of my favorite author, Stephen King. King mentions it in a few of his books, including It and The Stand. The price was right too - a buck for a 16 oz can. So, it was a no-brainer. As you can see in the picture, it has a great big fluffy white head, and a typical golden macrobrew color. This is old-school beer - reminds me of my high school years (way back when the drinking age in NY was 18. I was only slightly illegal). This is not unlike Schlitz, Schaefer, Piels, Pabst, or any of those other inexpensive brews from the 70's. It tasted of corn, and grass, with a little bit of hops thrown in. This would be a good lawnmower beer. It went fine with my pasta. Nothing offensive, but nothing to write home about either.

Belhaven Scottish Ale

Tonight, I sampled another beer from World Market's "Beers of the World" selection. Belhaven's Ale is a good example of a Scottish Ale, with a nice malty backbone, and touch of smokiness from Peat smoked malt. It poured a beautiful amber gold, with a creamy head that lasted longer than most. I like malty beers, and this was right up my alley. I made a Scottish Ale of my own about a year ago, which was one of my favorite homebrews. Belhaven also makes a great Wee Heavy - sweeter, more malty, and with more alcohol than this one.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute Imperial IPA

At $8.00 for a 12 oz bottle, Dogfish Head's 120 Minute Imperial IPA is a rare treat - at least in this house. Dogfish Head is one of my favorite breweries, which is why I splurged on this bottle over a year ago, saving it for a special occasion. It poured a beautiful honey color, with a small white head. I don't think I would describe this as a typical IPA. It's hoppy, to be sure, but it's very sweet, with an alcohol content somewhere upwards of 15%. I found it to be somewhat syruppy, and is certainly over the top. This is a beer for after dinner, an aperetif, or nightcap. It is definitely designed to be enjoyed all by itself, with no other distractions like food. In my book, Dogfish Head can do no wrong, but I do think I prefer the 90 Minute IPA over this one. The 60 Minute is excellent also!

Samuel Adams White Ale at Mimi's Cafe

Tonight I enjoyed a nice meal at Mimi's Cafe, and a Samuel Adams White Ale on draft. Their White Ale is their Spring offering from the Seasonal collection. I always prefer draft beer when I can get it, so this was a treat. The beer is an American version of the Belgian Witbier and was cloudy like a wit. It had a nice citrusy flavor, and was a little spicy. It's very similar to Blue Moon's White ale. It went well with my Chicken Cordon Blue, which was also delicious. It was good with my wife's dinner too - an excellent pot roast. Check out Mimi's!

Dark Spruce Ale - looks good, but....

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had a couple of disappointing homebrews in a row, before I got back on track with my Holiday and Rye ales. This is one of the troublemakers. It's definitely a nice looking brew - almost black with a creamy brown head. It also has a nice body. The problem is in the spruce. Spruce is not a prominent type of tree here in Florida, so when I decided to try a spruce ale, I had to go with an extract. That's where I went astray. There were no instructions on how much to add, so I put in a couple of drops per bottle, thinking it was a reasonable amount. Wrong. The overwhelming smell and taste of spruce extract overpowers what would have been a nice dark ale. It's malty, and roasty, but the spruce comes in STRONG. My father-in-law usually enjoys my homebrews, but he won't drink this one. Fortunately, I brew in small batches, so there aren't too many left - even though I'm the only one who'll drink it. My other less-than-desirable recipe also involved an extract, so I'm swearing off of them. From now on, only natural flavorings and ingredients for me.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

This is one of the more popular American Pale Ales, and for good reason. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale poured a nice golden amber color with a decent white head that left some nice lacing on the glass. It had a strong hop profile, noticeably grapefruity Cascade hops were very obvious. In fact, this had more hop presence than the Long Hammer IPA I reviewed a while back. Being somewhat of a hop head, that suited me just fine. I've had this brew before, but I didn't remember it, so it was a pleasant surprise to come back to. I wonder if the other Sierra Nevada selections are as good....

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen is a nice malty brew from Germany. It pours a nice amber color with a white head that rapidly diminished. It has enough noble hope character to balance the malt, and is a very enjoyable beer. I could drink a few of these! It's very slightly sweet. This is my first beer from Paulaner, and it was excellent. A Marzen is so-named because it is brewed in March, and lagered for 6 months, in time for Oktoberfest. Because it is a beer designed for autumn, it has a darker color and more malty flavor and body.

A Robust Porter from Anchor Brewing

I'm familiar with Anchor Steam beer, but this is the first time I have tried their Porter. This is in the robust style, and is very roasty - nearly a Stout. It poured almost black, with a thick, caramel colored head. When viewed in the light, it is a rich mahogany color. I am very impressed with Anchor's Porter - one of the best I have ever had. This might even warrant a six-pack one day! If you're a Porter aficionado, this one is definitely worth trying.

Brooklyn Brown Ale

This is the first beer I have tried from the Brooklyn Brewery, which oddly enough, was brewed in Utica, NY. I assume this is a contract brew being brewed by F.X. Matt - home of the Saranac line of brews. It poured a nice deep brown, with a cream colored head. The head lasted a good long time. Usually, if the head still appears in my photo, then you can be sure it lasted a while - at least as long as it took for me to fumble around with the camera! This was a nice chocolaty brew, with a very mild hop presence. The folks in Utica did a good job on this one.

Tona Cerveza - Nicaraguan Lager

Frequently, I try to match my beer selection with my dinner choice, and tonight was Mexican. Other than a Corona Light, I had no Mexican beers, so I decided that this Nicaraguan Lager was the closest thing. It's called Tona Cerveza and I got it in a "Beers of the World" assortment at World Market. This is a very good imitation of a Mexican beer, and it went fine with my fajitas. As with most beers of this type, it was nothing exciting. It's your basic light lager. It had little hop flavor, and almost no head. The color was a nice golden yellow. No better, no worse than the typical Mexican lager.

My Latest Homebrew - Rye Amber Ale

Today I enjoyed my most recent completed homebrew - a Rye Amber ale. I had purchased some rye malt, with the idea of trying it, so here's the result. After being in the fermenter for a month, carbonating in the bottle for two weeks, and a week in the fridge, my father-in-law and I tasted my newest creation. Another success! After a pair of unfortunate experiments with flavorings and extracts, I have now had two in a row that are great. I'll save my disappointing recipes for a future post. This ale poured a beautiful amber color, with a nice creamy head. The mouthfeel is as creamy as the head. The rye added a unique flavor that I don't know how to describe. The ale has a spicy character to it, which may be the rye, or may be the yeast. The hops come through nicely, without being overbearing. My only concern is that it is a little fruitier than I expected, probably due to the temps we have here in Florida. Damn this Florida weather! I've found that the fruitiness mellows out as it ages, so it will probably be perfect as I drink the last bottle. This will be a nice light flavored ale for the spring and summer, if it lasts that long! Here's the recipe I created:
3.3 lbs Briess Amber LME
6 Oz 50l Crystal Malt
5 Oz Biscuit Malt
5 Oz Rye Malt
1/2 Oz East Kent Goldings boiled for an hour
1/2 Oz Styrian Goldings boiled for 10 Minutes
Fermentis Safbrew T-58 Yeast
Corn Sugar for carbonation

Abita Purple Haze - Raspberry Wheat

Abita's "Purple Haze" Raspberry Wheat beer is not purple. There's a slight reddish tint to the golden color, but definitely not purple. It is hazy, however, like most wheat beers. This was a very thirst-quenching smooth American style wheat beer, with a very subtle taste of raspberries. This would make a great summer beer. The raspberry flavor tasted natural, not imitation, which was a nice surprise. I can definitely recommend this beer for people who enjoy wheat beers.

Mead - a Honey of a Wine

Many brew historians consider Mead to be the oldest alcoholic beverage. Mead in its' simplest form is just honey, water, and yeast. Add some raspberries or cherries, and you have a mead variation called melomel. This melomel is flavored with raspberries, which give it a nice flavor, and that beautiful rosy color. Mead is a brew that is not for the impatient. As it ages, it continues to change and improve. You can age mead for 1, 10 or 100 years. This particular brew is only about 6 months old, but is already clearing nicely and starting to mellow. If it lasts long enough, I am sure it will be wonderful in another year. If you have any questions about making Mead, just add a comment and I'll do my best to answer them. If you're already brewing beer, Mead is an obvious addition to your repertoire.

"You've Been Warned"

Today's beer review is from the Pennsylvania Brewing Co. It's their "Penndemonium", which I purchased in a 22 oz bottle. This beer is in the style of a Heller Bock, a light colored version of a bock beer. It is surprisingly strong at 8%, hence the reason for the warning on the bottle. It is also much more malty than I would have expected from a beer of this color. I like this beer! It has a mild hop character, just enough to balance the malt. My only complaint is the 22 oz bottle, because I feel like I can only drink it on Saturdays. I'll be watching for other offerings from Pennsylvania Brewing. I'm impressed with this one. I hope their other brews are as good.

Homebrew Spicy Holiday Ale - Definitely a Winter Warmer

Today I'm presenting one of my favorite homebrews. It was an experiment in creating a high alcohol beer that tastes great. I think it was a great success! I brew in small 2.5 gallon batches, so I can have more variety to drink. My Winter Warmer turned out spicy, and malty, and just a little sweet. This is a great beer for after dinner, when you're not going to drive anywhere. Here's the recipe for 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Golden Light Liquid Malt Extract

16 Oz Pure Maple Syrup (Not that bogus stuff)

8 Oz Special B Malt

4 Oz Gambrinus Honey Malt

8 Oz Extra Light DME

8 Oz Dried Pitted Dates

1/2 Oz Dried Sweet Orange Peel

1/2 Oz Cinnamon

1/2 Oz Crushed Cardamom

1 Oz Liberty Hops for bittering

3/4 Oz Willamette Hops for Flavoring

Fermentis Safbrew T-58 Yeast

This brew came out with a nice creamy head, as you can see in the photo. I steeped the grains until they hit 170 degrees, then pulled the grains and started the boil. When the wort started boiling, I added the Liberty hops, the malt extracts, and the dates. 45 minutes later, I added the Willamettes, and the spices, and boiled for another 15 minutes. This brew was ACTIVE in the fermenter for 3 weeks! I have no idea what the abv is, but it's pretty strong. Oh yeah, almost forgot - I primed it with Maple syrup for carbonating in the bottle. In my book, this was a winner!