The Down Time.

It's early February and for me the beer scene in stores has been slow. The feverish pace at which new releases come out between August and December has been over for some time. And any leftovers of your favorite holiday beer has been bought up. Some early spring releases will start making their way onto shelves but it's still early for me to begin drinking anything with spring in the name. So aside from discovering beers I've never had before, or a possible beer dinner event, this is the time of year I refer to as the dead zone for beer.

 February is just a miserable month. We are all antsy for warm weathers arrival, and if you're like me, are yearning for a new round of seasonal brews. In this time period there are some things you can do to ensure you don't go haywire and plan a trip to Belgium in order to cure your beer craziness. Most of them are easy to accomplish, others take some planning to ensure they keep you fulfilled.

Right off the bat, brewing your own beer is the obvious hobby that will keep you entertained and also keep new beers rolling in. But if you don't have a kit yet, or are just not a position to do so then I suggest starting a little collection of beers throughout the year and experiment with aging. Even with limited space, aging is easy and will keep your palate entertained. Another task that doesn't require any time like aging is mixing 6 packs at your local liquor store. Don't go in and pick up your regular favorite every time you run to the store. Grab an empty 6 pack container and deliberately pick beers you've never tried before. This is a sure way to spread your interests and discovery a new favorite. Store you go to doesn't sell singles? Find somewhere that does, or suggest to your store that they start.

One of the best ways to keep your beer-thusiasm at a high level is visit local breweries and or brew pubs. One trip to a new place each month with get the dog days of winter over quickly and you'll soon have a summer ale in your hand and cooking on the grill. Lastly, after a solid year of picking up beer to age, the next task is to deplete your beer cellar! This is a great way to entertain your taste buds and it's also a reason to have a small get together with beer tasting being the theme. Every week or two open a bottle of limited or one time releases and share with friends.

It's only 6 weeks until April! Spring and Summer aren't as far away as we think.

12 Beers Reviewed From Vacation

Each year my family has taken a week vacation in the winter up north. Last year was Vermont, this year we chose the neighboring state of New Hampshire. Although Vermont seems to have more of a popular brewery selection, NH still was booming with beer action mostly coming from small brew pubs and less than 100 barrel operations from what I experienced. And even though my interest in visiting Smuttynose placed high on the list of things to do, the smaller operations were what we stuck to.

 In addition to the local brews, I brought along a few bottles to enjoy with the family. In all, we tried about 20 to 30 new beers while in NH. There were thankfully no true flops(or as I call "dumpers"). But some stole the show while other just blended in. In all 12 of the beers stuck out for good reasons and some not so good. Enjoy and try to get your hands on some if you can.

12-Allagash Hugh Malone IPA
Sadly this was a bit of a let down. Although the flavor was nice and full of hops, the carbonation level was too much for me. Pop rocks infused IPA seems like the right way to describe it. But to credit Allagash, this is their only offering I truly was not wowed by thus far. 

11-Smuttynose Star Island Single
Smutty's newer session beer had all the promise of hit since becoming a fan of the lower abv session ales being offered by breweries now. But the flavor seemed to pair with the alcohol volume by being moderate in character. Although it pains me to say so, this was very reminiscent of a Budweiser.

10-Brooklyn Black Ops
I wish we picked up two bottles of this when we had a chance. Too much heat was the culprit of this promise barrel aged stout. The flavors promised by the label were there, but the pungent alcohol burn canceled most of them out. Unlike the previous two selections though, I would like to give this one another chance after a year or so of aging.

9-Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Big name and big flavor. At times the flavor bordered on too big but that may be a result of the 3 1/2 years of aging this bottle went through. Strong dark chocolate flavor and unlike the Black Ops a much smaller alcohol warming sensation that went well with the cold weather. This is one I'm very glad to have another bottle of.

8-Allagash Triple
The base for Allagash's Curieux(which we drank 5 bottles of that week) was delightful to try. You could really pick up the flavors that were much subtle in Curieux before it went through the 8 weeks of barrel aging. Although good, I think the Dubble has a more complex flavor profile. Or I just can't get the idea of this being a young Curieux.

7-White Birch Nyx
One of the first NH exclusives we tried up there. Nyx is a Black IPA that seemed a little thick and flirted with being mistaken as a stout to an unknowing consumer. Deep roasted malt flavor and a thick body made it a heavy beer but the flavor profile was tremendous. Roasty, malty, hoppy. Upset we didn't grab some to take home.

6-The Lost Abbey Devotion
My introduction to the insanity that is The Lost Abbey. Tons of hype around this brewery upon its New Jersey distribution in January. Devotion seemed to promise an IPA based on the label but th ops were somewhat subtle. Th flavor otherwise though was enjoyable. Smooth body, high drink ability, and a nice lower abv made it something you can enjoy in quantity without being annihilated by the end of he night. A good intro to this brewery.

5-Southern Tier Cuvée Series One
Picked this boxed bottle up in the summer and have held it since. Originally made in 2008, Cuvée had lots to promise with its description. Big bourbon flavor, smooth body, and subtle hints of all types of wonderful. Vanilla, caramel, burnt sugar, and many other nuances that made this a favorite of everyone's.

4-The Flying Goose Isle of Pines Barleywine 2009
Hello local brew pub magic. A three year aged Barleywine that was slightly lower in alcohol(around 9%) but huge on flavor. We also tried the 2011 variation of this beer while at the brewery, but the 2 years aging won everyone over hands down. So much flavor we had to pick up a growler, which was gone with in a day. If we ever go back to the area, The Flying Goose will definitely be one of our stops.

As previously posted, here are the top 3. Hopefully my memory serves me well.

3-Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind"
No wonder this IPA is rated so high on Beeradvocate, a nearly perfect IPA in very sense. Huge hop flavor that hits hard but then nicely fads that includes outstanding deniability, medium abv, and wonderful aroma. I'm partial to IPA's to begin with but this one has to be one of the best I've tried if not ever, then for quite some time. Glad it's a year round offering and not a 1 and done beer.

2-Squam Brewing Rattlesnake Rye-P.A.
Another NH exclusive beer that comes from a very small production brewery. And I do mean small, with just a 55 barrel capacity. Not being a huge fan of rye beers this one may have turned me. Highly drinkable, smooth carbonation level and a wonderful balanced flavor with all the flavors of the rye and hops jumping out at you but mingling with each other as well. I got smart towards the end of vacation and picked up 2 bottles of this to bring home in addition to their No Wake Wheat, which I've yet to try.

1-Firestone Walker 15
Without question the number 1 beer we tried. This beer is just sick. A blend of 8 different beers that goes through all types of aging made 15 the overwhelming favorite. I say things like "like nothing I've ever tried before" often when describing beers to others. But this truley is unique. Working with a winery, Firestone seems to have taken the perfect quality from each of their 8 beer and put them into to this one. Every sip revealed something different. One sip gives you bourbon, the next a subtle hop hit, then a cool funky leather type flavor, and finally a lucious coconut flavor.

Like always, new beers create new experiences and exposure to the great things that craft brewers are doing. This was not a let down in any way. Cheers!

Very Quick Run Down of Beers Tried On Vacation

My trip to New Hampshire is complete. Although all the thoughts about each beer we tried haven't been collected yet I'm certain about the top 3 we tried up there. We visiting a brew pub, and also got to try 3 beers from NH breweries that aren't available in Jersey. Even though we didn't get to try any offerings from Throwback Brewery, the trip was certainly a success. Here is a quick run down of the top three. A more detailed review of them all will follow. 

#3, Smuttynose IPA. Has a simple name, so I'll just say it was simply delicious. Huge IPA fan and this hit all the marks for me. 

#2, Squam Brewing Rattlesnake Rye-P-A. Another hoppy beer that was excellent. Rattlesnake Rye was one of the 19 New Hampshire available only beers we tried but for me it was heads above the rest as far as flavor and drinkability. 

#1, Firestone Walker 15th Anniversary. To the people who voted in my poll and made this the winner, thank you. What an amazing beer. This was not just mine, but everyone's favorite. So yummy. I can't begin to describe the complexity to this one. 

It may take me a few days but I'll get most of these beers reviewed. Thankfully, there was only one dumper of the whole bunch. All in all, it was a huge success for beer! 

Lessons Learned by a First Time Homebrewer.

After receiving a home brew kit from my wife for Christmas, I got right to work making my first batch. Even though we have a very stocked up kitchen as far as pots, pans, and gadgets are concerned, beer making is a whole new demon when it comes to what equipment is required. Having brewing specific equipment is as important to a brewer as having the right knives and spatula are to a chef. Sure you can wing, as I did on my first attempt, but before the next batch you probably should go to a supply store to pick up some new

 First thing On the list, A grain bag. Similar to what a tea bag does to tea the grain bag essentially takes using a strainer out of the equation. And when you have a small strainer like we do, it's difficult and messy as hell to strain your grains!

 After that, a new thermometer. Although my kit came with one, the clip on variation was much easier to use. Adjusting the height and placement of the thermometer was obtained once and you didn't have to worry about it again with the clip on. Where the long clip less stick type one would float on top, sink to the bottom, or move around too much making it another task to take care of.

 Third, a funnel. This was a must unlike the thermometer which we could have dealt with. The kit we got didn't come with anything to help you easily pour your beer into the fermenter. My first attempt was done using some creativity as we had no funnel on hand, and no stores were open since it was Christmas day. We took a 1 liter plastic bottle of water, poured the water into cups( don't want to be wasteful with our water now) and then cut the bottle in half making a crappy but usable funnel. It actually worked quite well considering what it was. But we picked up an 8 ince diameter one for the next time.

 Another key item we got was a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot allowing us to make a double batch in order to submerge brewing equipment. Our first batch of sanitizer sat in a 1 gallon mixing bowl so any time you moved it, it dripped everywhere making it even messier. The 5 gallon HD bucket was inexpensive and just made it easier as well.

 Those were our first upgrades in equipment. They made making our second batch go much smoother and more enjoyable as well. We weren't as stressed since we were now working with the right tools. And even though we got more tools than the kit came with, we now would like to get even more after our first bottling run, which was another "make it as you go" adventure due to the lack of proper equipment.

Happy brewing!
Cheers!

I Brew Beer, Does That Make My House a Brewery?

Activating the yeast in our first home brew.

While bottling my first attempt at home brewing my wife and I took a sip and got a glimpse of what will be in two more weeks. Tastes like we made some pretty good beer on our first attempt. We got another batch going today after stopping by Love2Brew in North Brunswick, NJ to get supplies Friday.  Thanks to the guys there, they were extremely helpful and even let us try some of their own brew! The next beer we made holds much promise based on the aroma it filled the house with. So if a normal guy ends up making a batch or two of really good beer, does that warrant him naming his beer or even throwing a label on it for kicks?

In no way does my beer hold as much promise as say an Allagash White or Founder's CBS, but should it just be presented to someone as "this is the beer I brewed". Probably not, but there is a sense of going a little over the edge being self pretentious. So here is the solution. If the beer we make ends up being out of this world, we are going to enter it into a small contest in the area. If the beer even gets an honorable mention, then the house will be named a brewery.

Any name suggestion?

Closing out the 2011, my top 10 favorite new beers of the year.

What a great year of beer drinking 2011 has been! Started it off in Vermont where Long Trail, Otter Creek , and Wolaver's are right around the corner. Then went to two beer tasting festivals, four beer and food pairing dinners, and found two local pubs that feature craft beer from all around the local area. one of which has over 60 brews on tap!!!  Maloney's in Matawan, NJ and Hailey's Harp & Pub in Metuchen, NJ (smaller tap run, but good irish pub food to compliment the beer).

Even though my fridge was stocked with many of the normal seasonal I look forward to ever year, my beer exposure was at its best in this year. Easily trying 50-75 new beers this year, it's been hard to keep track of how each one exactly tasted. I tried keeping up to date on my beer advocate account with reviews, and even kept notes on napkins in pubs while sipping on something new. But some fell through the cracks. But, I can recall with certain accuracy which beers made me stop and go "damn, this is amazing!" then taking another sip and saying "holy S**T!, how I have never had this before!".

So here they are. The top 10. These are the beers that stuck out. The ones I may have tried randomly on a Wednesday in February but can recall exactly how it tasted to this day. Seek these guys out. You will be amazed with their flavor!


In as close to possible chronological order;

Ottercreek Black IPA, Middlebury, Vermont.

Fittingly I had this on tap in Vermont so it was nice and fresh. At the time it was O.C.'s winter seasonal although it's now available all year round. But you're lucky if you can find it on the shelf as it sells out quickly and is carried by a limited number of stores.

Climax Nut Brown Ale, Roselle Park, New Jersey

This is as local as I can get. Climax is brewed around 15 minutes from me and although I've had other offering by them, this year was the first time enjoying Nut Brown Ale. Up until this year, Climax was only sold in 64oz. growlers, but now you can find it in 6 packs. Only negavite is the growlers are being fazed out. Grab one if you see it to use at your nearest growler fill location after you drink the beer.

Riverhorse Farmhouse Saison, Lambertville, New Jersey

Farmhouse Saison was a very limited release from this NJ brewery. Part of their Brewer's Reserve series, it only came in kegs or their variety pack. We enjoyed both, once at the brewery itself, the other in bottles. It's placing on this list reflects the tap variation. This beer was everything a Saison should be. Look for it next year if they brew it.

Allagash White, Portland, Maine

And so an obsession begins. White was the first offering I tried from Allagash, a now favorite brewery of both my wife and I. A great summer beer that's brewed all year round this beer became our stand by for the remainder of the summer after all the summer seasonal brews became sold out.

Weyerbacher Verboten, Easton, Pennsylvania

Enjoyed this tasty all year round brew at a beer dinner featuring Weyerbacher. This brewery has been a favorite of mine for some time but aside from a few of their offerings, we never ventured into Verboten land. Mistake. Verboten is an enjoyable beer that can sit in the basement for years to be aged or enjoyed fresh. This offering is bottle conditioned.

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe Ipa, Easton Pennsylvania

Another one of Weyerbacher's offerings we tried for the first time at the beer dinner we attended. I default to IPAs when there isn't much else to choose from in a bar so this was right up my alley. But The D.S. IPA also did something I never imagined possible, it turned my wife on to IPAs and got her palate more comfortable with hops! A great beer by itself, but even better when enjoyed with food. Take note of how it cleanses your palate after each sip.

Triumph Brewing Company of New Hope's Oatmeal Cookie Stout, New Hope, Pennsylvania

I love Triumph. Their beer is always good, always fresh, and always pairs well with their food. This was the first time having this stout and thankfully got to enjoy it on tap (the only other offering by triumph is growler or 750ml bombers). Rich and smooth and perfect for a fall day. Hope I see this on the tap list again one day.

Allagash Curioux, Portland Maine

"It's the best beer I've ever had". My wife has said this numerous times when we talk about Curieux to someone. This beer did so much for me. It turned me on to barrel aged beer. Before trying it I had been semi skeptical, but now it makes sense to spend $20 on a bottle of beer. At first, we thought this offering was a one time only brew, but thankfully it's year round. There's always one on hand in my house for when we have people over.

Fengleys Brewworks Devious Pumpkin, Allentown, Pennsylvania

I like pumpkin ales. It's a yearly habit for me to rush around buying 6 packs of all my favorite pumpkin offerings from breweries I support. I also like local products. So how Devious Pumpkin had not been enjoyed by my wife and I to this point baffles me. Rich in flavor, body, and ABV, we loved this beer. Next year we will be buying more than a single bottle though.

Honorable mention,
Carton Brewing Company Boat Beer, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

So happy to be seeing more breweries opening around this state. Carton is a welcome edition. Their Boat Beer is as perfect as you can get for a session beer. Rich in flavor, but low in ABV you can keep on drinking this one until the game is over and not have to worry about a hangover the next day. The only negative is keg and growler fill only.

There you have it, 11 beers that highlighted my year. Looking forward to 2012 and another full year of beer discovery. First stop, New Hampshire for a family vacation.

Happy New Year to all! Cheers!

Maloney's St. Bernardus Beer Dinner Review.

Mix great food with outstanding beer and you get a Maloney's Beer Dinner. Every time my wife and I go here we yearn to live closer to it, currently it's about a 30 minute drive for us to get there. Although that's still close, a 30 minute drive wouldn't allow you to leave your car there and walk home like I would've had to do if i was driving tonight! I've mentioned it before, but so you know, they have over 70 taps. Hence our wanting to live closer.

This dinner featured St. Bernardus. A belgian brewery that until tonight we never tried more than their Christmas Ale. Being devoted to mostly local breweries, hopping the pond isn't something we normally do. Well that needs to be rethought after trying the run of beer we had tonight. Each beer was fantastic for it's own individual reason. This brewery obviously offers a wide diversity of beer that excites your palate each sip.

Like the American Ales Dinner, this one also featured four courses paired with four brews. Each course was delicious and showed off the talent of the kitchen staff. The pairings were also well done. Standing alone, both the food and the beer were great. But when paired together, flavors not present in the food before a sip would later pop out at you and the same with the beer.

Although my memory is pretty good, I sadly didn't keep any notes during the tasting. Add to that the fact that we shared an Allagash Curieux before hand on an empty stomach, and memory clouds.

Check out this menu;

****Classic Pate de Maison- traditional pork and duck liver pate with Cumberland sauce and crostini, paired with Christmas Ale (Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 10%)

****Meghan’s Holiday Salad- autumn greens tossed with shaved fennel, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, and an orange-tarragon vinagrette, topped with a crumbled Feta cheese, paired with Witbier (Wheat beer, 5.5%)

****Rack of Lamb with a white cheddar-chive potato cake and thyme-scented fresh baby spinach in a natural lamb jous, paired with Abt 12 (Quad, 10%)

****Sticky Toffee Cake and vanilla bean ice cream, paired with Prior 8 (Dubbel, 8%)

Wow right? Right off the bat the Christmas Ale hit hard and delivered the mood for the evening. The thicker consistency and dark fruit flavors paired extremely well with the pate. Having already tasted this offering of beer I was really able to focus on the pate, which I've never had before. The pate was rich, and very filling. Just what I needed since there was already a beer and a half in me already! The two sauces on the plate complimented both the pate and the beer so well I could have just eaten that the whole night. 

Although a salad for a second course seems very light, this one hit the spot. With the pate being so filling, the salad fit perfectly in there and also gave the Witbier a chance to shine as a wonderful session beer. It's light body and low ABV smoothed out the spike of 10%ABV from the previous Christmas Ale. Witbier is comparable to many white beers. Citrusy, crisp and refreshing. It's a perfect beer for summer, but can also be enjoyed all year. The random cranberry and piece of crumbled feta in the salad bought the flavor of the beer to a whole other level exposing more depth  than a normal white ale. 

Third course is where the mistake happens. Not by the kitchen or any of the staff, but by me. The lamb looked delicious. Both my wife and I have tried lamb over and over and just can not get past the flavor. But according to my wife, who tried a bite from our friend, it was very good. We subbed in a chicken dish that was served in a type of cream mustard sauce along with the same sides as the lamb. Don't take it the wrong way, the chicken was very good, but the lamb just looked so picturesque. The Abt. 12 was a another great brew. To me Abt. 12 shared many characteristics with the Christmas Ale but with an earthier finish and slightly less dark fruit flavor. 

The dessert bought on the Prior 8. Another high ABV beer with great flavor. And the toffee cake went perfectly with it. Both complimented each other so well it amazed us. Although by now, the high alcohol and continual flavor punches had worn away the majority of my palate, I could still tell that flavors were being positively affected by both the beer and the food towards one another other. This dessert far surpassed others we've had during beer dinners here. Everything was balanced out so well and it helped to finish off the dinner wonderfully. 

Although the beer was amazing for this dinner it was certainly was not the highlight. The chef and his staff stole the show on this one. The food was a hit right across the board. No course lacked in flavor or stuck out as not pairing well. Each one had depth in flavor and was paired well with the equally flavorful beer. Cheers Maloney's and thank you for a fun night!