Style Profile - Porter

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that Porter is one of my favorite styles of beer. I even named my dog Porter. The Porter style seems to have come into existence in the late 1600's or early 1700's in London. The story goes that it was named after the customers who preferred this dark style of ale - the porters at London's Victoria Station. It was originally brewed using brown malt, which was kilned over wood, giving the resulting ale a smokey flavor. Porter is now brewed with a lot of different grains, adjuncts and flavorings, but it is still basically a dark ale. It is a top-fermented beer, so it's a true ale. There are 3 basic forms of Porter - Brown, Robust and Baltic.

Brown Porter is the lightest of the three varieties, and generally has an alcohol content of 4-6%. Brown Porter is still more popular in England than in the US. It is light brown to dark brown in color and has almost no hop character. It will be light to medium in body. It may have a very light roastiness to it, possibly accompanied by some biscuit or chocolate notes. Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter is a good example of this style.

Robust Porter is a later development, and is Brown Porter's bigger, stronger brother. It's more popular in the US than in England. American brewers are always pushing the limits, and their Robust Porter varieties are a good example. We use everything from Maple syrup to Vanilla to flavor our Robust Porters. A Robust Porter usually is stronger than the brown variety, with an alcohol level of 5-7%. It is also darker, and roastier than it's little brother, with more hop presence. It is usually dark brown to almost black. Black patent malt is one of the ingredients common in this version of Porter. Anchor Brewing makes a good example of a Robust Porter.

The final version of Porter that I will mention is Baltic Porter. A Baltic Porter generally comes from one of the countries bordering the Baltic sea, such as Poland, Latvia, or Lithuania. Of course, there are some American brewers who are copying this version of Porter as well. Baltic Porters seem to have been influenced by Imperial Stouts, since they are bigger and sweeter than Brown or Robust Porters. A Baltic Porter may have a wine-like character, due to its higher alcohol levels - up to 10%. It will have very little hop flavor, and may be heavy in chocolate and sweet malt character. Like the Robust Porter, it is also very dark in color, possibly black with ruby highlights. Zywiec Porter, from Poland, is one of the better known Baltic Porters. Utenos and Aldaris are two other Baltic Porters.

Finally, here is a gratuitous picture of my Dachshund, Porter who hasn't got a clue about the origin of his name.

Shipyard Chamberlain Pale Ale

Shipyard Brewing Co. is based in Portland Maine, and they're a good solid microbrewery. At one time, they had a brewery based in the Orlando International Airport, but they closed it down. I guess the folks travelling through Orlando weren't interested in putting down their Budweiser long enough to try something different. This beer is their APA style, which they have named Chamberlain Pale Ale. It poured a medium amber with a cream-colored inch tall head. This is a basic APA, nothing exotic. I detected some caramel, and a finish that was hoppy enough to be satisfying. It went well with my dinner, without overpowering any of the food. It was worth trying, but I probably won't buy it again. So many beers, so little time!

Sleeman Honey Brown Lager 77

Today, I sampled another one of the four brews in my Sleeman sampler pack, their Honey Brown Lager 77. The 77 indicates the page number on which the recipe for this beer was found, in an old Sleeman family beer recipe book. This is a very mild lager, slightly sweet and malty, with a little showing of some caramel. It's a decent beer, but not a terribly exciting one. It compares favorably to J.W. Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, which is the one that most Americans are familiar with. It poured a crystal clear light brown color, with a small white head that was gone very quickly. It was bottled in a special bottle with the Sleeman logo embossed in the side, and a small neck label. Sleeman is a Canadian brewer, although I believe they have a brewery in the states as well. This could be a good session beer; it's mild and has a reasonably low alcohol level.

Fischer Tradition Amber Ale

Not a bad-looking beer right? Clear medium amber color, big bubbly head? Well, this is the closest I have ever come to a drain-pour. I'm hoping that this was a bad bottle, and this is not what the beer is supposed to taste like. It smelled sour in the glass, and that's how it tasted too. My wife said it smelled like a locker room. Once I got past the sour flavor, it went directly to metallic, like sucking on a rusty nail. Obviously something happened to this bottle during its journey from France to Orlando to make it taste this way. Otherwise, I don't think Fischer would have much of a future. Or history for that matter.

Samuel Adams Brown Ale

This is the third beer in the Samuel Adams Brewmaster's Assortment That I bought a few months ago. This brown ale had a small tan head that didn't last long, but left some lacing on the glass. It was a clear brown color, with the aroma of malt and caramel. The caramel was evident in the flavor as well, along with the nutty flavor that brown ales have. It was balanced by the right amount of hops, making this a very enjoyable ale to go with my lunch. Samuel Adams rarely lets me down.

Sierra Nevada Unfiltered Wheat Beer

Now that Sierra Nevada is one of the 3 largest US owned brewers, I decided to give their Unfiltered Wheat Beer a try. It poured a cloudy golden color, with a big white head. The beer wasn't as cloudy as I was expecting from a wheat beer, so I guess I didn't stir up the yeast very much when I poured it.



One thing I have to say for Sierra Nevada is that they love their West Coast Hops. This was a hoppier wheat than most, for sure. It tasted like Cascades or a similar variety was used. It had the citrus-like flavor of an American Wheat, but the hops definitely added an interesting flair. This is the 3rd Sierra Nevada beer I have tried since starting this blog, and every one of them has been worth the time. Fritz Maytag must know what he's doing out there in California.

Birra Moretti La Rosa Double Bock

Tonight, I tried my first beer from Birra Moretti, called La Rossa. This is an Italian Double Bock, or "doppio malto". This is a far cry from the usual pale lagers I have seen from Italy. As a double bock, it stands up well with the more well-known German Dopplebocks' which I enjoy tremendously. The Late Great Beer Expert Michael Jackson once posed the question "Could Moretti La Rossa be the ultimate pizza beer?" Unfortunately, I didn't have any pizza to test it with, but I think it could be in the running. It's got a lot of malt flavor and a suitably dry finish. I think it could stand up to pizza pretty well, even though it's not an IPA. It poured a deep copper color with a big but short-lived orange head. This was a very pleasant surprise, and may require additional sampling.

Orkney Brewing Dark Island Dark Ale

This ale surprised me, right out of the gate. I wasn't expecting a smoky ale, but that's the first thing I tasted. From using smoked malt in my homebrew, I believe it is peat-smoked malt used in Orkney Brewing's Dark Island Dark Ale. The picture is dark because of a thunderstorm that was going through here, but you can tell that it poured a deep brown, with a small beige head. Aside from the smoke, I also tasted some roasted malt, some toffee, and even some burned fruit. I have tried several beers from Orkney, and I have been impressed every time. This Scottish brewer has a good thing going. Check it out.

Saranac Caramel Porter from F.X. Matt

I was very upset to learn that a fire had damaged the F.X. Matt Brewery in Utica, NY back in May of this year. I have a long history of going to the brewery, so it was like a childhood friend had been injured. Fortunately, the fire was in one of the external buildings, not in the main brewhouse itself. It didn't destroy any of the beer in the fermenting tanks. I'm sure it's put a crimp in their production, but it wasn't fatal.

Tonight, I had a bottle of Saranac Caramel Porter, one of the bottles that my sister brought me this past Christmas. It's part of their winter brew assortment. I love a good porter, so I was looking forward to enjoying this with my dinner. It poured a deep chocolate-brown and had a very respectable fluffy tan head. The name of this beer is very appropriate. There is a lot of caramel flavor in there, almost like they added caramel syrup before bottling. There was also some roasted malt flavor, and some chocolate too.

I'm looking forward to my sister's next trip to Florida, hopefully with the Saranac Summer beer assortment this time. Or maybe some of that Pomegranate wheat I've read about - or the Imperial Stout, or the Double IPA, or.....

Chimay Bleue Belgian Strong Ale

Chimay is probably the most well-known and most popular of all the Belgian breweries that have a presence in the US. Chimay Bleue (Blue) is a Belgian Strong Ale, and has an alcohol level of 9.0%. This ale poured a deep brown, with lots of yeast in the bottle. This is a bottle-conditioned ale, like a lot of Belgian beers. It had a small white head that dissipated pretty rapidly. It's well-carbonated too. The flavor is a little sweet, with a strong wine-like character. It has some alcohol in the finish. I think Belgian beers are an acquired taste, but they're some of the most interesting beers in the world.

Tommyknocker Jack Whacker Wheat Ale

Compared to the Sun Dog I tried a few days ago, this wheat ale is much more authentic. It has an immediate tangy cirtus flavor, and a subtle hop finish. Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub adds some lemongrass at the end of the mash, which accentuates the usual citrus flavor of the wheat. It poured a cloudy orange color with a small white head. This ale was very nice with my turkey sandwich - very refreshing. This is the second beer I have tasted from Tommyknocker, and they have both been very enjoyable. I'll have to look for some more of their beers.

Homebrewed Brown Ale - Initial Taste Test

Today was brewing day - my wife and I made a batch of mead, which we plan to add apricots to, and then we made a strong Scottish Ale. They're both finished, and the yeast are happily fermenting. Since today was brewing day, I decided to pop the top on the first beer of my last batch - a brown ale. I brewed this batch back in mid-June, and it's been carbonating for about 10 days. Based on my totally unbiased opinion, it's perfect! Slightly sweet with some caramel flavor, a little nutty, and a nice hop finish, balance out the ale. As you can see in the photo, it had a healthy tan head, and poured a deep brown. Here's the recipe I used to make 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Sparkling Amber LME

4 oz Crystal Malt 120L

2 oz Black Patent Malt

1 oz Willamette Hops for bittering

1/4 oz Amarillo Hops for finishing

Danstar Windsor Yeast

Corn Sugar for priming

I steeped the malt grains in a gallon of water on the stove, until they reached 165 degrees, then pulled them out. I then heated the wort to boiling, and added the Willamette hops. After 45 minutes, I added the LME, and 10 minutes later, the Amarillo hops. Total boil time was an hour. I then cooled the wort, and added it to a gallon of water in my fermenter, then topped it off to 2.5 gallons total. In went the yeast, and I let it sit in the fermenter for a couple of weeks before bottling. I primed the bottles with corn sugar, and let it carbonate for 10 days.

I normally let a beer sit in the bottles for 2 full weeks before tasting, but today I couldn't wait. I think the rest will be going in the fridge soon.

Anheuser Busch Sun Dog Amber Wheat Ale

I don't generally drink Anheuser-Busch products, because their "traditional" brews, like Bud, Michelob and Busch give me a splitting headache the next day, even if I drink only one. Their micro-style brews don't have the same effect, thank goodness. If someone handed me a glass of Sun Dog, without telling me it was a wheat, I would have never guessed it was. It doesn't look like a wheat beer, and it doesn't taste much like a wheat beer. It poured a clear amber color, with a 1-inch tall white head. The head was pretty long-lasting. There was a faint hint of citrus, but that is the only clue that there is any wheat to be found. It's a basic middle-of-the-road ale, brewed for the Anheuser-Busch market share. I could drink it on a hot day and find it thirst-quenching, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Blue Marble Organic Pilsner

I bought this bottle of "earth friendly" beer at the local World Market. I guess it's earth friendly because it's organic. This is my second organic brew in about a month, and this one is vastly superior to the last one. This is a Pilsner style, rather than a pale ale. It poured a golden straw color, with a sizeable white head. It's pretty well-carbonated, but not excessively so. The first thing I noticed was the flavor of lemons, and a distinctly bitter finish. This has a healthy dose of Noble hops, as a Pilsner should. At 3.9%, it's pretty modest in its alcohol level. I enjoyed this brew, and I have a better opinion of organic beers now. Blue Marble Brewing is a subsidiary of Butte Creek Brewing.

Cooper's Best Extra Stout - Australia

Cooper's Brewery is in Regency Park, South Australia. This is their "Best Extra Stout". An Extra Stout is in between a regular stout and an Imperial Stout when it comes to alcohol strength. The first Extra Stout was made by Guinness, but othe brewers followed. This is a roasty, chocolaty stout wilth a creamy texture. It looks nearly black in the glass, with a smallish tan head. I think this is a bit dryer than many of the stouts I've tried, and finishes dry as well. I'm a big fan of stouts and porters, and I highly recommend this one.

Eisenbahn Defumada Smoked Lager

Eisenbahn Defumada Smoked Lager is from Cervejaria Sudbrack Ltda. in Blumenau Brazil. The brewery bills itself as "South America's Craft Brewery", and if this beer is any indication, the nick-name is accurate. It poured a beautiful copper color with a large beige head, that lasted longer than most. The first sip tasted of pure smoke, but after getting used to it, I was able to taste the malt too. It has some caramel sweetness mixed in with roasted malt. This is not as smoky as a German Rauchbier, but it's got plenty of smoke character. I really enjoyed this one. I also bought Eisenbahn S.A.P.A. which stands for South American Pale Ale. I hope I enjoy that one as much as I did this one. It's nice to find a Brazilian beer thats not a pale lager.

Tennent's of Scotland - Scotland's Finest Lager

I was pleasantly surprised by this lager from Tennent's of Scotland. I've been a bit shy about trying yet another European Pale Lager. Maybe it's because the UK isn't part of the EU, but this lager was different from my other recent samplings. This beer has much more body than the Estrella I recently tried, and was sweeter and maltier as well. It had enough hop flavor to offset the malt, without being too obvious. I'm really learning to appreciate Scottish beers. This is the first time I've used my Florida State beer mug, a gift from my daughter. It's her Alma Mater, not mine.

North Coast Brewing's Red Seal Ale

North Coast Brewing is located in Fort Bragg, CA. This is the second beer I've tried from them, and it is excellent. Red Seal Ale poured a red-orange color, with a 1-inch tall head. It tasted of sweet malt and caramel, with a piney hop finish. The mouthfeel was smooth and rich. This would be a good session beer, since the alcohol level is reasonable at 5.5%. I don't see a lot of choices from North Coast here in Florida, but I'll be on the lookout for them.

Weihenstephaner Vitus - Weizenbock

Today, I had a beer from one of my favorite German Brewers. Weihenstephan claims to be the oldest brewery in the world, with continuous brewing since the year 1040. Weihenstephan Vitus is a weizenbock, which is a maltier, higher alcohol version of their Hefeweizen. This beer had a fruity, citrusy background, with the typical banana/clove flavors of the Bavarian weizen yeast. In fact, if you're a homebrewer, you can buy the Weihenstephan strain of yeast from Wyeast - it's number 3068.

At 7.7% alcohol, Vitus is significantly stronger than Weihenstephan's standard wheat brew. This beer is obviously maltier, with a heavier mouthfeel as well. It poured a deep golden color, with a huge white head that lasted forever. I got the glass as a promotion from the local liquor store, by buying 4 bottles of Weihenstephan. It's my favorite glass, and today I was able to turn the glass around and display the logo for my photo. It's the perfect glass for drinking a wheat beer with a nice full head.

Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA

Today was pizza day at lunch time, so I grabbed one of my preferred pizza beers to go along with it. An IPA is one of the few beers that doesn't get overwhelmed by the salty, spicy pizza. Flying Dog has a good IPA, called Snake Dog. It poured a medium amber color, with a 1 inch tall white head, that left plenty of lacing on the glass. There was lots of sweet malt flavor, balanced by a heaping helping of grapefruit-flavored Columbus hops from the West Coast. Snake Dog is a much tastier beer than their Tire Biter Golden Ale, but maybe I'm just biased.

Left Hand Brewing's Sawtooth Ale

Here's another offering from Left Hand Brewing of Longmont, CO. It's their Sawtooth Ale, which the brewer describes as an ESB. When I poured this beer, the head filled the glass, and I had to wait a long time for it to subside enough to pour some more in. The photo shows the beer when only about 2/3 of the bottle has been poured. I've had this happen with a few of my homebrews, but usually I have the opposite situation with commercial beers - no head at all. So, I patiently waited, sipped some of the head to try to make some room, and finally got the beer poured. It's a nice pale amber, a little cloudy because it must be bottle conditioned. There was a fair amount of yeast residue in the bottle. This is a very flavorful beer, full of hops and malt. This is an American style ESB, since it's made with Cascade hops, along with English Fuggles. It has a slighty metallic taste in the finish. This was more obvious when I was sipping at the head only. Left Hand Brewing is another strong brewer, and this is a good example of their craft.

Estrella Galicia Premium Lager

Here's another selection from World Market's "Beers of the World" assortment. This one's from Spain from a brewery called Hijos de Rivera and is called Estrella Galicia. This is the first beer I have ever tasted from Spain. It's a pale lager, and it poured a light golden color, with a big fluffy white head. The head had pretty good staying power, and nice lacing. This beer could easily get lost amongst all the other European pale lagers. It doesn't have any specific feature that can set it apart. As with so many beers of this type, it is non-offensive, but ultimately forgettable. I'm becoming more and more prejudiced about these pale lagers.

Stone Mill Organic Pale Ale - Certified Organic!

I'm not very impressed when I hear that a food item is "certified organic". For the most part, I can't tell the difference. So the exclamation point in the title of this post is a bit facetious. This beer is from the Green Valley Brewing Co., in Merrimack, NH. Coincidentally, Anheuser-Busch has a brewery in Merrimack as well. A little Google time found that there is indeed a connection, and that A-B felt that they needed a new name for their organic brew. Stone Mill Pale Ale is a very average pale ale. It has a little bit of malt sweetness, a little bit of hop flavor, and very little else to recommend it. I know that the brewers of Budweiser can do better than this, because I've had a couple of their other microbrew style beers, and they've been more interesting than this one. If you're looking for a basic, average, uninspiring pale ale, this is for you. I think I'd prefer a Sierra Nevada - even if it isn't "certified organic".

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

The first sip of this ale sent me back to the kitchen, to examine the label on the bottle. Wow - 12 % alcohol. Dogfish Head has released a new high gravity ale, called Palo Santo Marron. The unique thing about this ale is that it was fermented in barrels made from exotic Palo Santo wood, which Sam Calagione got from Paraguay. Just looking at it in the glass tells you that it's a rich flavorful ale. It poured a deep brown, with black cherry colored highlights. The small head was also brown, and did not last long. This tasted like a port wine, with some vanilla coming through. The label referred to this beer as a brown ale, but this is more of an after-dinner beer, and could be a winter-warmer if it was winter. It definitely warmed me up inside. Dogfish Head must be committed to this beer, since they built a number of 10,000 gallon fermenting tanks to make it. Sam's new ale is a winner with me, although I'll drink it for dessert next time, instead of with pasta.

Foster's Lager at Outback

My family and I decided to do Sunday lunch at Outback, to try out some new menu items they were advertising. Since it also involved a $5.00 coupon, it made my decision to eat out easier. As luck would have it, they were in the middle of a 2 for 1 draft beer special too. Their beer choices went from mundane Coors, Bud Light and Miller all the way to the truly exotic - Foster's Lager (said with tongue firmly implanted in cheek). I've never been a huge fan of Foster's, but I felt like a beer, and I prefer draft when it's available. Well, I don't know if it was the food, or eating out, but the Foster's was a lot better than I remembered it. It was ice cold, which helped. It was very refreshing, and had a hoppier edge than I remembered. And their Bloomin' Burger was good too!

The Shipyard Brown Ale

I'm preparing to bottle a brown ale that I just finished fermenting, so I decided to compare my brown to a commercial brown. While it's not really a fair comparison, given that my homemade brew is not carbonated yet, I thought it would give me an idea what it will be like. My last brown ale was a quasi-disaster because of some artificial hazelnut flavoring I added. My new batch is pure, no artificial colors or flavors added. But I digress. Back to the Shipyard brown: It poured a crystal clear brown color, with a 1 inch tan head that was gone very quickly. It smelled of sweet malt and brown sugar, and the taste had hints of chocolate and caramel. The finish was hoppier and more bitter than I expected - a nice surprise. Shipyard is another fine microbrewery in the Northeast quadrant of the US.

Hacker Pschorr Weisse

Hacker-Pschorr is an established Munich, Germany brewery that makes a variety of different wheat beers. This one is simply called "Weisse", with the subtitle "Traditional Wheat". Since my wife and son both took several years of German in high school, I have learned that in the German language, when two vowels are together, the first one is silent. So the word "Weisse" rhymes with ice, rather than rhyming with geese. This was a revelation to me! I can at least sound intelligent when talking about German beers. This wheat beer is different from the traditional Bavarian Wheat beers I have tried, such as Weihenstephan, or Paulaner Hefe-Weizen. This does not have the pronounced banana/clove flavors of the Bavarian Hefe's. This has a smooth fruity flavor, almost like a sorbet. It poured a cloudy orange/amber color, with a huge fluffy head. I like my beer to have a head, so wheat beers rarely disappoint. Another refreshing beer for the summer!

Redhook Copper Hook Spring Ale

Whenever I read the words "Spring Ale" or "Summer Ale", I immediately think "Wheat Beer". Such is not the case with Redhook's Copper Hook Spring Ale. This is a very mild amber ale, light enough to be a thirst-quenching warmer-weather brew. It poured a light amber color, with a small white head, that dissipated pretty quickly. It has a lightly malty, slightly sweet character, with a little bit of citrus flavor and aroma. There are just enough hops to offset the sweet malt. This would be a good session beer, since it is also reasonably low in the alcohol department, at just 4.1%. Redhook seems to be a pretty solid microbrewery, although I can't rate it as a great microbrewery. Dogfish Head, Rogue, and Lagunitas don't have to sweat it.

Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale

Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale is part of the "Historic Ales of Scotland" assortment I picked up a while back at Whole Foods. The 4 brews in the assortment were made by Heather Ales in Scotland. Black pretty well describes this ale, as you can see in the photo. When held up to the light, there were some ruby undertones to the beer. It had a small beige head that evaporated very quickly. The beer had a roasty flavor, and a soft creamy mouthfeel. I could smell the fruitiness of the elderberries more than I could taste them. This is another fine ale from Heather Ales. So far, the assortment is two for two - both of the bottles I have tried have been very enjoyable.

A Visit to Dunedin Brewery

Dunedin is a small town on the West coast of Florida, with a beautiful state park and beach, a Scottish heritage, and a great little brewery. My wife wanted to go to the beach, so we decided to include a brewery tour as part of the day. I guess I can't really call it a tour, because when we walked in the front door, I think we were able to see the entire brewery from the entrance. I had heard of the Dunedin Brewery because I had seen some of their beers at the local Whole Foods Market, packaged in 16 oz bottles, in 4 packs. I tried a couple of their beers, and decided I should pay them a visit. The brewery was really quiet, and we got there at lunch time, so we sat down at the bar and started a conversation with the bartender. The brewery is owned by a couple of guys who started it as a hobby, and it's not their full time job. We had some lunch, and tried their world-famous fish tacos. We tried a couple of their beers, which were excellent. One in particular stands out - their Apricot Wheat, which became the inspiration for my wife and I to brew our own Apricot brews. I also tried their Beach Tale Brown Ale, which was a lightly sweet malty beer, that was also very enjoyable. I was a little disappointed, because the brewery is not currently bottling beer for distribution, they only sell it at the brewery bar. So any hopes of bringing back some beer were dashed. Oh well, it was a great place to stop for lunch, and the beach was relaxing too.

Saranac Belgian Style Ale from FX Matt

Here's another brew from my Saranac assortment pack. It's their Belgian Style Ale. Saranac is brewed by the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, NY. It poured a medium amber color, with a small white head that disappeared in minutes. It's a well-carbonated brew, like a lot of Belgians, but I would hesitate to say that this has a lot in common with Belgian brews. It's a good beer, with a nice dry finish, but I don't think Chimay has anything to worry about. I grew up in Upstate NY and we got to the FX Matt Brewery at least once each summer, so I have a lot of fond memories of the place. This was looong before Saranac was ever even thought of. Back then it was Utica Club and Maximus Super they were offering. The brewery offers a tour that is better than most, simply due to the history of the place. At the end of the tour, you're taken to their 1888 Tavern where you can sample their beers in a setting that looks like it's from the late 19th century. If you ever find yourself in Utica NY or its environs, check out the brewery.

Brew Your Own Magazine

I received my July-August copy of Brew Your Own magazine a few days ago - an event I always look forward to. They always have some interesting technical articles on making beer, along with a bunch of recipes. One of the columns I like a lot is "The Replicator" in which readers write in about a beer they have discovered, and would like to re-create. The Replicator does the research on how the beer is made, and then reports the recipe for cloning said libation. This month, they have an article about brewing Melomels, or fruit meads, which is very appropriate in this household. My wife and I bought some fresh apricots at our local farmer's market, so she can create an apricot melomel, and I'll be working on an apricot wheat beer. They also have recipes for cloning some Belgian style beers made here in America, such as Ommegang Witte and Allagash Tripel. I've made a few beers using the recipes from Brew Your Own, including a clone of Celis White that turned out delicous. My only complaint about the magazine is that it's only published 8 times a year. I'd like it if they would publish one every month. If you're a homebrewer, this magazine can come in very handy.

Terrapin Beer Company Rye Pale Ale

Terrapin Beer Company is based in Athens, Georgia, and this is the first beer I have tried from them. Since I recently brewed my own version of a Rye Pale Ale, I was compelled to give this a taste. Besides, the label was irresistible. The color was a medium amber, with a nice head that left plenty of lace on the glass. I was very impressed with this ale, it was malty and had a healthy dose of citrusy Cascade and Amarillo hops. It wasn't as hoppy as an IPA, but it was close. Terrapin has a beer they can be proud of, and I hope to find more of their varieties soon. I do have to say that my own Rye pale ale was not as hoppy as this one, but could definitely hold its own in a comparison.

Boston Beer Co's Samuel Adams Scotch Ale

I have a new favorite Scotch Ale, and it's from Samuel Adams. This is by far the richest, maltiest, and smokiest Scotch Ale I have tasted to date. The Boston Beer Co. simply knows how to make excellent beer. You can tell from the picture that this is a rich ale, from the deep amber color and the full tan-colored head. The head lasted a long time, and left lacing all the way from the top to the bottom. When I can brew a beer that tastes just like this one, I know I have become a successful homebrewer. Check it out!

A Tale of Two Wheat Beers

Today, I want to talk about two distinctly different wheat beers. The first is from Blue Moon Brewing, which is a branch of Coors. Blue Moon's Rising Moon Spring Ale is a member of their Seasonal Collection, and it's flavored with the zest and leaves of Kieffer limes. It poured a light amber color with a huge head. This is the kind of head a wheat beer should have! It's very refreshing, and I could taste the lime flavors from the additional ingredients. This is a very nice American Style wheat beer, great for the warmer months.

The second beer is from Belgium, and it's a traditional Belgian Witbier. It's Hoegaarden, and many folks consider it the best Belgian Wit available. This is the first time I have tried it, and it's excellent. The Belgians have their own special yeasts that impart a truly unique flavor. This one is also citrusy, and a little spicy. Witbier's are usually brewed with orange peel and coriander, and I believe that's true with this one.


Whether you pick the American, or the Belgian, you can't go wrong. Both are refreshing thirst-quenching beers for these warmer months.

Sleeman Original Dark 50 Amber Ale

Sleeman's Original Dark 50 is actually an amber ale, and it's a pretty basic one at that. So far, that has been the theme of the Sleeman variety pack I bought a couple of months ago. This is a very drinkable amber ale, but it's nothing special. I've taken some grief about American beer from Canadian friends, but American microbrews have moved light years ahead of anything that I have tasted from Canada in recent years. The tides have turned - we no longer have to be embarassed by our lack of real flavorful beers, especially when compared to something like this.

Orlando Brewing Blackwater Dry Porter

Tonight, I tried another brew from Orlando Brewing Partners - their Blackwater Dry Porter. This beer is almost black, with a small tan colored head. The first thing I noticed about this beer was the rich creamy mouthfeel. This is a dry Porter, just as it's described. It has a lot of coffee flavor from the roasted malts. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Orlando Brewing follows the German Reinheitsgebot, so this beer is made from malt, water, hops and yeast only. I'm impressed with this Porter, much more so than the Pale Ale I tried a while back. Some day, I need to get downtown to the brewery, to see what it's all about. In the mean time, I may just need to sample this beer again.

Marathon - The Greek Lager Beer

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked this beer up. It's the first Greek beer I've had, but it is a very typical European lager - not much different from Heineken, Peroni, or Beck's. It's made by the Athenian Brewery, which is owned by Heineken. It has a slightly spicy flavor, almost minty, then finishes with a typical noble hop character. It poured a golden yellow color with a short-lived white head. Nothing exciting here.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Big Red Ale

Here's another brew from Lagunitas - Lucky 13. They bill it as a "Mondo Big Red Ale", and at 8.5% alcohol, I guess that's a fitting description. It poured a beautiful ruby red color, with a frothy white head. There's a lot of malt in this. It was a little sweet, with lots of west coast hop flavor. My only problem with these high gravity beers in 22 oz bottles is that I feel I need to share! I'm too old to enjoy getting drunk. Now I drink 'cause I like the taste of beer - and this is a good one. Lagunitas comes through again.

Sierra Nevada ESB (Early Spring Beer)

When I see "ESB", I normally think of Extra Special Bitter - the "normal" translation of that acronym. So, I was a little reluctant to buy this when I saw "ESB" translated as Early Spring Beer - but at the time, this was the only beer at the supermarket that I hadn't tried yet. My concern was unfounded. This really is an Extra Special Bitter; or at least Sierra Nevada's Americanized version of one. It uses Maris Otter, a British malt, as well as some British and American hops. This is a very tasty brew. It has a nice malt flavor, and a hop finish that I have come to expect from Sierra Nevada. It's labeled with the year 2008, so I don't know if this will become a standard offering. Get some while you can!

Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock

This is another beer I picked up from our local Wine and Ale specialty store. I really like this store, so I hope they stay in business! This heller bock was brewed by Einbecker in Germany. It poured a medium amber color, with a 3/4 inch white head, that left some lacing on the glass. The beer is pretty sweet, with caramel notes. It has enough hops to balance the sweetness, and has some alcohol in the finish. It is at 6.5 % alcohol. This is a fine example of a heller bock or Maibock.

Widmer Hefeweizen

Widmer Hefeweizen is an American wheat beer. I don't think I would call it a hefeweizen. Although it's made from wheat malt, and it has the yeast in the bottle, it just doesn't have the flavor of a true Bavarian hefeweizen. This is a good refreshing beer for the summer, with the fruity, citrusy flavor I would expect from an American wheat, but it doesn't taste like a hefe.

Belhaven Wee Heavy

My preference for malty brews was satisfied by Belhaven Brewery's Wee Heavy. Belhaven is a Scottish brewery, and they make a number of great ales. A Wee Heavy is a stronger version of a Scotch Ale - this one is 6.5% alcohol. The ale is a nice mahogany color, with a creamy tan head. The head lasted a while, and left nice lacing on the glass. This beer has a nutty, roasty, malty flavor, with a slight alcohol finish.

La Chouffe Spiced Golden Ale - from Belgium

Belgian brewers are the cowboys of the brewing universe. Where the Germans are proud of their brewing heritage and their Reinheitsgebot, the Belgians believe in "Anything Goes". They experiment with sugars, spices, and whatever else pops into their head. La Chouffe Spiced Golden Ale is an example of that. It is 8.2% alcohol, probably from added sugars, and has a decidedly peppery taste. It is very carbonated and had a decent sized head when first poured. Speaking of pouring, I did a pathetic job of it with this beer. Not thinking about it being bottle conditioned, my glass was full of floating debris. The particles don't bother me, as long as I don't have to chew it. The alcohol showed itself in the finish. This beer had a much more distinctive flavor than the French Jenlain that I reviewed a week or so ago.

Sackets Harbor Brewing Co - War of 1812 Amber Ale

This is the first beer I have had from the Sackets Harbor Brewing Co, and I am impressed. It's a smooth malty brew with a good hop presence. It reminds me of an English bitter. This beer came from the new wine and ale store here in Clermont, FL. They have a great selection of beers that I have never heard of. That's the kind of beer store I look for.

Mr. Beer Homebrewed IPA - taste test

A couple of months ago, I was in CVS Pharmacy, and saw that they had a closeout bargain-basement price on their Mr Beer Premium kits. Since they were 1/3 of the usual price, I bought all they had - 3 for the price of 1. I only wanted the fermenters, since I had both of my current fermenters tied up with beer and mead. Mr Beer's cans of mix are kinda small, so I decided to use all 3 of them in 1 batch of beer. I'm an admitted hop-head, so I decided to brew my own version of a Mr Beer India Pale Ale. These ales, also known as IPA's, were originally created with higher alcohol and additional hopping to help preserve them when they were being shipped from England to India, back when India was a colony of Britain. I took all 3 cans of West Coast Pale Ale mix, and added 1 bag of booster. Here's the procedure I used:
I put 1 gallon of water in a pot and dissolved the bag of booster. I then brought it to a boil and added 1 ounce of Columbus hops. I boiled the hops for 45 minutes, then added the 3 cans of West Coast Pale Ale mix. Ten minutes later, I added 1/2 oz of Centennial hops, which I boiled for 5 more minutes. I then cooled it in an ice bath and added the wort to a gallon of cold water that I had poured into the fermenter. I topped the fermenter off to the 8.5 liter mark and added 2 packages of Mr Beer yeast. I had planned on using all 3, but one of them was leaking, so I decided it would be a bad idea to use it. I left it in the fermenter for 3 weeks, primed and bottled using corn sugar, and then left it to carbonate for 2 weeks.
Today was the 2 week mark, so I threw 1 in the fridge this morning, anxious to give it a taste. It is good! Many people who first use Mr Beer, mention a tangy flavor that they notice. This beer does not have that. I was a little concerned about using the booster and Mr Beer yeast, but my concern was unfounded. This is a very hoppy brew, with a little sweetness, and a slight hint of alcohol in the finish. I don't know what the alcohol percentage is, but it is enough to get a buzz after 16 oz. I am lousy at brewing lighter colored beers, but this one turned out lighter than I expected. This was a very worthwhile experiment!

Konig Ludwig Weissbier

This Bavarian Hefeweizen, or Weissbier was brewed at the Konig Ludwig Schlossbrauerei in Kaltenberg, Bavaria, Germany. Bavarian Weissbiers are unique in character, due to the yeast that they use. It gives the beer a flavor of banana and cloves, which is very distinctive. This beer poured with a huge head, that lasted a good long time. That glass in the photo is a 22 oz glass, with less than 10 oz of beer in it. I had to wait for the head to subside to get the rest of the beer in the glass. This is a very light and refreshing beer, which is typical of wheat beers. It is also cloudy due to the yeast in the bottle. This is a very true-to-style Bavarian Hefeweizen.

Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

The Flying Dog Brewery was originally based in Colorado, but it appears to be a Maryland brewery now. This golden ale was crystal clear, with a small white head. There's not a lot to write about here, it's a pretty basic light ale. It would be a good lawnmower beer. I think the best part about this beer is the Ralph Steadman artwork on the label.