Awesome Beer of the Week: Empty Beer Bottles!

Alright, this is kind of a stupid choice. But I swear, it is warranted:

Awesome Beer of the Week: Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse

There's a heartwarming story behind this Awesome Beer of the Week. As the back of the bottles read,

This brew is the result of the long friendship of Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Schneider brewmaster Hans-Peter Drexler. Garrett had always admired the delicate balance of flavors in Schneider Weisse, while Hans-Peter had long enjoyed the effusive hop character of Brooklyn East India Pale Ale and BLAST! Garrett’s concept for the collaboration was that each brewmaster would brew essentially the same pale, hoppy weissbock in the other’s brewery, but with different hopping to reflect the local hop flavor.

There are, therefore, two versions of this beer. I like the Brooklyn better than the Schneider, though it's impossible to tell whether that's because of the American-style hopping or the German sense of balance – perhaps both. Either way, it's a magnificent beverage, delicious from the first taste and with a particularly long and shifting development of flavors.

At around 8% alcohol, it's too strong to drink carelessly. But the higher alcohol isn't something that you normally see in Hefeweizen-derived beers and the extra kick is a great twist. While beers that are as refreshing as this one tend to make better summer beverages, the sheer tastiness and higher alcohol make it suitable for year-round consumption.


Here's what the Schneider version looks like:





And here's the "Brooklyner:"

Awesome Beer of the Week: Russian River's Damnation

I was about to write that this post is almost a week late, then realized that the election eclipsed the post before what would have been Monday's post... so this is seriously late.

Well, whatever. This week has been hellish and awesome, and so it's only fitting that the Awesome Beer of the Week is Damnation by Russian River Brewing Company.

It's been said that Southern Tier is the East Coast's Russian River, which makes a good deal of sense to my limited experience: RR's Damnation, like ST's Heavy Weisen and Imperial Oatmeal Stout, is an original, balanced, ballsy take on beloved existing flavors. Being an East-Coaster, though, Damnation is the first, and remains the only, beer of theirs I've tried.

I should probably note at this point that Russian River has two beers – Pliny the Elder and Pliny The Younger, both Imperial IPAs – in the top ten of Beer Advocate's "Best of BA". Though that list is heavily biased towards stronger, higher-alcohol, "Imperial" brews, it's still amazing to have two beers in the top ten. There's another brewery with that honor, but it's the Belgian Brouwerij Westvleteren, whose beer is not technically available commercially. As in, you have to personally travel to the Abbey to purchase it and they will only sell you enough for personal use. Predictably, their strongest beer (a Quad) is called the "Holy Grail" of beer-drinking and has the highest rating on the site.

Long story short, Russian River has about the best reputation you can have.




Damnation did not disappoint. The only way I can describe it is to say that it's part Saison, part Tripel, with a dose of something that transcends both. It's certainly Belgian-inspired: though it doesn't quite fit into a single style, it's got the warm banana and yeasty flavor, along with a good dose of citrus. Just, the balance between the warmth and the particularly sour (and sour-smelling) citrus is uncharacteristic and seriously fantastic. You can taste the alcohol but it's still thoroughly easy to drink. All in all, it manages to be refreshing and drinkable without sacrificing complexity or virility.

The crowning blow, though – the real killer – is that it finishes with vanilla's aftertaste. Not a vanilla aftertaste, mind you, though that'd be cool too. I'm talking about that warm, tantalizingly delicious jolt that accompanies a good lick of vanilla ice cream. Truly, it's holy hell. I mean, they can do that?

Awesome Beer of the Week: Unibrou's Fin du Monde

Well, it's about as intense a time as it gets in this country. Forboding symbolism aside, when better to trot out a beer whose name means "End of the World"?

This week's Awesome Beer of the Week is La Fin du Monde by Unibrou of Chambly, Québec (right outside of Montréal). It's a Belgian Tripel at heart. That full, round, citrus/banana flavor is the first and strongest taste – but not the most surprising. Without giving ground, it's joined by a pronounced alcohol and refreshing orange-peel flavor before fading into, of all things, a peppery bite that continues into the aftertaste. Damn good stuff, and its rare to find a beer that hits so many traditional and non-traditional flavors with such triumph. But it is one that could seem a little strong to the uninitiated (both in taste and alcohol content).





Election Eve Bonus: Not sure how far outside of New York City you'll be able to find this, but Sixpoint of Brooklyn, NY released a beer over the summer called Hop Obama. While I'm normally extremely skeptical of beers with artificially popular names, this one turned out to be pretty good.

Awesome Beer of the Week: Oskar Blues's Dale's Pale Ale

Dale's Pale Ale by Oskar Blues is a really straightforward beer. It's simple, it's sweet, it's malty, it's hoppy. There's no pussyfooting around with anything else. And it comes in a can.

It's also totally delicious. Despite all cultural indications to the contrary, it's probably better for beers to be in cans: beer is sensitive to both light and air, and bottles (though brown is better than green) let in more of both.

So here's to Dale, whoever he is. Seems he's on to something.

Awesome Beer of the Week: Brauerei Heller-Trum's Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

Alright, first, about that name...

Brauerei Heller-Trum is a German brewery in Bamberg, Bavaria attached to the Schlenkerla brewpub. Aecht just means "authentic" or "original," so they're claiming the history that goes along with the brewpub and its beers – and since Schlenkerla has been in operation since 1405 in some sense or another, that's a claim worth making. Marzen is one of three different variations on the Rauchbier style.

Now, about Rauchbiers. Clear the decks for this one: if beer is an acquired taste, Rauchbiers are a compelled one. Chances are, you either like them or you don't, and many people don't. To put the situation succinctly, Rauchbier means "Smoked Beer." As one of my friends described them, they taste like "liquid smoked bacon," and this kept him from even considering a whole pint of Victory's concoction. Still, as with any unusual food or beverage, it's easy to confuse dislike and surprise, and this beer has a lot more than mere uniqueness going for it.

As a vegetarian for more than ten years now, I'm not sure I'm qualified to judge the meaty qualities, but at the very least the description isn't out of touch: Schlenkerla Marzen is certainly smoky, though not overpoweringly so, with a wooded, not-quite-chocolatey quality. The surprising and wonderful thing is, it's also extremely refreshing: light, palate-cleansing and as smooth as water – everything that's great about Pilsners without the skunkiness that for some reason I can't stand. I'd go so far as to say that aside from the unusual taste, this is about as drinkable as beer gets. Something everyone should try at least once, and it could end up being one of your favorite styles.

As you might expect, given this description, the beer is a deep but clear reddish brown.

Awesome Beer of the Week: De Dolle Oerbier

Since we had an American version of a traditional Belgian style last week, it's only fair to make this week's Awesome Beer of the Week a somewhat experimental Belgian beer: the Oerbier by De Dolle.

It's a kicker. If anything, Oerbier tastes stronger than it's 9%+ alcohol, and comes on with an explosive, flowing richness of both taste and feel. Lots of malty sweetness, some nutty flavor and vanilla all strike immediately on the first taste, and the strength of the combination is delicious enough to be startling. Oddly, there's also something fruity or wine-like about it, which is accentuated by the high alcohol.

Apparently Oerbier means "Original Beer." According to their website, "The little person on the glasses is the Oerbier man, a simple creature who holds a brewers fork in his right hand, symbolizing the work and science, but looking to the other side, the result of all this, the glass of (Oer)beer."

De Dolle Brouwers, by the way, means "The Mad Brewers."

Awesome Beer of the Week: the Allagash Tripel Reserve

Since there should be happier things to talk about today than pornography and unjust imprisonment, it's time to review another Awesome Beer of the Week. This time, it's one of the beers that got me into beer as beer, as well as one of the best examples of how Americans can brew delicious interpretations of traditionally European styles: the Allagash Tripel Reserve.

Allagash is one of the only breweries in the United States to exclusively brew versions of, and variations on, beers from the long history of Belgian styles (the Tripel, developed in the '30s to get around alcohol restrictions on distilled beverages, is one of the newest Trappist/Abbey ales). Now, a lot of people talk about Ommegang as though it's the definitive U.S. Belgian-style brewery. That's fine – I've got nothing, in particular, against Ommegang.

Just, let's be clear: it's really all about Allagash.

First of all, there's nothing about Ommegang's usual lineup that's in the same league as the Tripel, which has a fullness, a round mellow wholeness, that well represents the hallmark of Belgian style ales. Alcohol, honey, and just a bit of that awesome banana-y taste give way to a very slightly bitter citrus element. It's also a beer that sticks with you in a positive way for a long while, as its honey after-aftertaste has lasted me nearly an hour.

Also worthy of note is the Allagash Fluxus, which deserves an essay in and of itself. Released annually (starting in '07), the idea is to brew an entirely original beer once a year, and sell it under the same name. The '07 was a "Rye Beer spiced with Yarrow," while the '08 was a "Double White Beer spiced with Ginger," and both are delicious and unbelievably original.


PS: It sounds pretentious and stupid, but the type of glass you drink from does make a difference with this sort of beer. While this is always true, to a certain extent, Belgian breweries usually go so far as to produce glassware specific to their beer, designed to be the ideal glass. But short of that ridiculousness, a short, wide-mouthed glass will serve you well with this beer – like a wine glass that doesn't narrow at the top.

Awesome Beer of the Week: the Dogfish Head IPAs

This week's Awesome Beer of the Week is, in fact, at least three separate beers: The Dogfish Head IPAs (India Pale Ales).

They may seem like obvious choices, given the growth of Dogfish Head over the last few years and the popularity of their 60 Minute IPA in particular, but there's a lot to be said for both the beer and the company that brews it. Founded in 1995 by Sam Calagione after a stint in New York beer bars while supposedly getting a Masters in English from Columbia, Dogfish has become universally recognized and usually revered among East Coast beer drinkers for an experimental style that tends to produce masterpieces and undrinkables by turns. Yet despite this popularity – and an expansion into liquor production and the restaurant business – their brewery has remained relatively small: in addition to being just the 25th largest Craft Brewing company (and not even on the list of larger beer companies), a friend who visited their brewery over the summer informs me that they fulfill considerably less than half of their keg orders.

With the Raison D'Etre and Midas Touch Golden Elixer holding down the extreme side of the continual releases, the IPAs are Dogfish Head's bread and butter. The 60 Minute IPA serves as their flagship beer, while being one of their more accessible brews (along with the Indian Brown, Shelter Pale and Lawnmower Light). Depending on how you look at it, there are at least three, probably four, and possibly way more Dogfish IPAs. It breaks down like this:

•The 60 Minute, weighing in at 6% alcohol with a noticeable hoppy bitterness, is a solid and drinkable IPA. Nothing to complain about, and always cool to see in a store or bar that doesn't cater to beer drinkers.
•The 90 Minute is a slightly stronger 9% with an additional sweet flavor, both of which serve to balance the hops. My favorite of the three, the 90 Minute hits a balance between sweet, bitter and alcohol that makes the beer a complex enough pleasure that it's considerably more than just a better version of the 60 Minute.
•The 120 Minute takes things to an entirely different level, reaching an alcohol content of 18-21%, with a strong sweet character and thicker body. Honestly, it's both too strong and too sweet for me to love (in contrast to most users of Beer Advocate, I tend to prefer lower alcohol beers), and has little of the taste or feel of a normal IPA. But it is an extraordinary beer: though one of the most alcoholic in the world, I was under the impression that it was 12% when I first drank it and was not violently disabused of the notion by its taste. Probably not worth the price more than once or twice, but if you're curious then it's worth every penny.

Above all, however, is the Burton Baton. Last released in limited quantity in February, it can be difficult to find and pricey when you do. But as a mix of the 90 Minute IPA and an English Strong Ale, aged in French Oak for several months, it hits a spot the other three can only dream about. I haven't had enough of it to answer the question for sure, but this is without question one of my favorite beers, and possibly my favorite ever. I can only pray that they'll bring it out again next year.



It's also worth noting that you can send any of these beers (though usually the 60 or 90) through Randal The Enamel Animal, an "Organoleptic Hops Transducer" invented by the folks at Dogfish to add an extra Hops flavor to the beer on-site. Which is to say, they pump the beer through a several-foot cylinder filled with hops right before giving it to you, which adds both a hops flavor and a certain extra crackle to the feel of the drink. Nor does the additive have to be just hops, of course: my favorite beer bar hosted a Randall event over the summer with six separate Randalls, all with different flavors. My favorite by far was the mint – but the mix of mint and hops was pretty fantastic as well.

I'm also probably obligated to mention that Dogfish Head's place in my heart is partly due to its proximity to Lewes, DE, home of my childhood summers – in fact, their website currently features a photo of the Lewes Harbor. As such, it's been pretty cool to see them grow in popularity over the years.

What a Week! (But Awesome Beer: Southern Tier Pumking)

I'd like to reiterate Jonesy's ambivalence about the weekend. Three cheers to wb for kicking ass, and pulling through a truly scary situation with dignity and confidence. Here's knocking on wood and sending all best wishes for a speedy recovery.


On a lighter note, this graphic does a pretty good job of illustrating the finances and lifestyles of our candidates:



In case you can't read it, the only car the Obamas own is a hybrid. In the interest of fairness, though, it's worth noting that the McCains also own a hybrid. And they own three fully electric pseudo-cars!


Anyway, in keeping with today's "Week" and "Monday" themes, I think it's high time we designate Monday the Official Train of Thought Awesome Beer of the Week Day, an opportunity to reap and share the knowledge gained during the weekend.

This week's beer is the Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale by Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, NY. Rich sugar, cinnamon and an unmistakable pumpkin flavor mingle to create a substance that is, in all important respects, liquid pumpkin pie. The best part is actually the smell: Thanksgiving in a glass. Though they can be difficult to find outside the northeast, the Pumking and other Southern Tier brews (perhaps most notably the Crème Brûlée Imperial Milk Stout) provide a unique experience that expands the already tremendous breadth and depth of beer.