Special Edition Beers .... Allagash Musette & Ithaca Beer Company "Ten"

I thought that since it's summer and more importantly beer drinking weather I'd keep the momentum going by reviewing a few more beers. The following beers are edition beers of which their production is limited and closely monitored. Each bottle is numbered by someone at the brewery indicating it is indeed a special edition beer. Most beers that go through this process are experimental beers created by the brew master with extra care. In the beer world this is the equivalent to a private reserve.

Maine can be an unforgiving place. The weather and the terrain are arduous at times, which makes perfect sense why Allagash Brewing Company concentrates on complex Belgian style beers. Allagash Musette (retail $16 for a 750mL bottle) is surely a unique beer. The beer is supposed to resemble a scotch ale but none that I have ever tasted. The flavor profile is contributed to the fact that Allagash barrel ages this brew. Half of the final batch is fermented in stainless steel while the other half is fermented and aged in used oak bourbon barrels. Each of the batches are dated and numbered. As you can see in the photo attached my bottle was bottled in August 2006 and was one of 419 cases (Musette is packed in 6 packs). The website suggests drinking this beer at about 55 degrees and I would agree with that suggestion. I originally made the mistake of drinking this beer at about 45 degrees and there was a distinct flavor difference from when I made it to the bottom of the bottle. Allagash Mussette is muddy and light brown offering aromas of nut, brown sugar, coffee, and caramel. This full-bodied ale is smooth upfront with a long mocha tinged slightly off dry finish. I wouldn't suggest throwing back a six pack of this stuff. At 10% ABV this Belgian brew will surely sneak up on you. I suggest pairing this beer with quiche Lorraine and broccoli florettes in Bearnaise. Allagash offers alot of great beers and I'm sure I'll revisit this brewery again, but, until then if you're looking for some information on their beers or are planning a visit to their Portland brewery check out this link:www.allagash.com/.

Every now and then I go someplace and when I return home I wish I had seen one last thing. Recently I was checking out some wineries near Ithaca, New York, (that review will be posted soon) and at the time never thought to check out the Ithaca Brewing Company while I was in the area. Trust me my wife would have been ecstatic considering one of her favorite beers is the Ithaca Apricot Wheat. The good news is that Ithaca is only about a three hour drive from Buffalo. The bad news is that for those out of state readers it is only available in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, New Jersey and Connecticut. "Ten" is a Double Red Ale from the Exclusior series of beers from the Ithaca Beer Company. This small batch beer celebrates the ten years of operation for the brewery. Much like the Musette, 50 degrees is an optimal serving temp for this opaque brick hued beer. The nose on this gem offered walnuts, hops, cocoa, and fig. On the palate this beer was full-bodied and slightly off-dry with complex flavors on the mid-palate leading to a malty and creamy tinged finish with a nice lingering burst of hoppiness on the outro. This beer will creep up on you as well with a whopping ABV of 10.1%. In my wife's words, "This beer is strong". Ithaca Brewing Company uses only small batches on this unfiltered hand-packaged bottle fermented beer. It truly is a special beer because each bottle is unique. Unlike their mass produced brother en there may be some slight inconsistency from bottle to bottle. I would pair this beer with barbecue ribs and butter poached brussel sprouts. For more information on this up and coming brewery please visit:www.ithacabeer.com.

As always, I would love to hear what you've been drinking and some of your thoughts on new and inter sting products. Thanks again for taking the time to read this blog and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Beer... Pietra Amber & Saison Dupont

I love wine. There is just something about the inconsistencies from vintage to vintage that really intrigues me. The whole idea that sun exposure, weather patterns, soil contents and rain indexes can all make or break a specific vintage and leave alot to the anticipation of the first taste of the vintage.

While I have a great passion for wine (and if you are a regular reader of this blog so do you) it's become clear that its more basic cousin, Beer, is growing more popular with the wine community. Let's face it; beer is usually cheaper than wine, is as all natural and organic as wine and with the increasing popularity of craft and imported beer is has become as accessible to the consumer who just can't make up their mind on styles.

As craft beer lists and food and beer pairings have begun popping up in many fine dining establishments across the country I've decided to begin reviewing some craft beers that I haven't tried before.

The first beer that caught my eye while scanning the beer shelves at Wegmans was the Vielle Provision Saison Dupont by Brasserie Dupont. This light summer ale has been brewed in Tourpes Belgium uninterrupted since 1844 and within the last 20 years has begun making artisan cheeses and bread. Initially the beer brewed in this family owned farmhouse brewery was intended for consumption throughout the winter months by the field workers. Brasserie Dupont uniquely and subtly (on the cork) vintage dates their bottle conditioned ales. Saison Dupont retailing at around $12 for a 750mL bottle would cellar nicely for a moderate amount of time. Tons of yeasty sediment, or "mud" as I like to refer to it, is evident in the bottle so it's important to pour slowly as not to disturb the precious starter yeast on the bottom of the bottle. This beer had a great head especially when poured into an appropriate Belgian goblet. Saison Dupont was light amber in color and exhibited a floral nose reminiscent of a Belgian white ale with a light citrus and hoppy undertone. While light and semi-crisp in upfront it finishes nicely with a long creamy and lightly spiced chai essence. I would pair this great summery ale with a turkey and brei pannini and blue Idaho potato chips.

This next beer I tried is a bit of a gem. I picked this 750mL bottle up in a small store in Austintown, Ohio not too long ago for about $8. What caught my eye about it wasn't the label or the price. Simply put this is a Chestnut beer from Corsica, France. For those of you who are geographically challenged, Corsica is an island south of France and West of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is most famously known as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. More interestingly in 1584 one of the governors of the island ordered all farmers and landowners to plant four trees yearly of which included a Chestnut tree. These creative islanders use their surplus chestnuts to flavor their beer. While Corsica also has a relatively large wine production (for the size of the island) their beer is very interesting indeed. Pietra is not your everyday amber ale. This amber is unfiltered with tons of sediment and what I like to refer to as "floaters" throughout the body of the beer. Amber in color, the nose on this great beer offers mocha, chocolate and nutmeg. Pietra is light, smooth and refreshing with nutty tones (I'd imagine with the Chestnuts and all) but not as overwhelming as a nut brown. The finish offers a lightly hopped yet mellow veneer. Truly a unique beer. A slow pour is definitely recommended to keep the sediment to a minimum. Pair this beer with a grilled lamb kebob and long grain rice. While this is available in the U.S. I have yet to find a store that carries it in New York.

Thanks again for reading my ongoing online tasting notes. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them or if there is something you feel I should be reviewing I'd appreciate the direction. Until next time remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Beer Taste Feb. 8th 2007

Hello everybody. The beer taste for this weeks Thursday Night Flight Nite went pretty well however there were a few contributing factors that were working against us. Because of the limited parking due to the Taste of the Valley promotion (Not to mention the 35 person union meeting in the banquet hall) and the lack of advertisement on my part, I feel that the turnout was moderate at best. I did see a few new faces and I hope everybody enjoyed themselves. Chef Tim King put together some handmade soft pretzels, potato chips, tortilla chips, and a Blackout Stout cheese dipping sauce. But, enough about the schematics of the taste, let's get to the beer!

First we started with Victory Whirlwind Wit Ale. This Belgian Wit is a seasonal selection from the Pennsylvania brewery. While they are better known for their hoppier beers (one of my favorites being the Hopdevil), the Whirlwind proved to be elegantly full flavored yet very easy drinking with only 5% ABV. This is the type of beer I would definitely grab on a hot Summer day. I suppose that is why Victory releases this beer in the the Spring to gear up for Summertime. Light and cloudy in color, both spicy and subtle on the palate, with just the slightest hint of citrus on the finish. This softly fermented ale has a gentle nose and a rounded refreshing tongue. It's a great interpretation of the classic, Belgian 'white beer' style. Try pairing this beer with a quiche lorraine or a blackened whitefish with saffron rice. For more information about Victory and their beers go to: www.victorybeer.com

We followed the witbier with a Bavarian interpretation of a wheat-based beer. For this selection we poured Ayinger (Dunkle) Ur-Weisse from the Brauerei Aying (pronounced eye-ing). Athough residing in Bavaria (the land of beer and mega-breweries), Aying takes a microbrew approach at their beermaking crafting award winning beers from locally-grown barley and wheat. Amber in color, semi-dry in palate, very fruity, and a long clean finish. This is a complex beer with suggestions of pear, apple, and clove with a hint of smoke in the finish. Light and refreshing with a full complexity of flavors this beer could be drank year round in any occasion. The 17-ounce bottle provides ample beer for those who only care for one serving. This is a great food beer adding extra sustinance to any meal. I suggest pairing this beer with Polish sausage and saurkraut or barbecued salmon with herb roasted baby red potatoes.

The third beer covered at the taste is a widely known Belgian golden ale called Duvel. Duvel is one of the larger mainsteam producers of beer in Belgium yet its quality never shifts. While Duvel is a newer brewery in the
grand scheme of European breweries (Founded in 1923) it's precision brewing methods hold up to many of the elder European staples including the Trappist style beers. Duvel gets it's gentle flavor and golden color from the pale barley and light kilning used in the malting process. Yeast sediment is not uncommon in this bottle of this beer. To ensure everybody drinks their beers in the most ideal way Duvel has included pouring and serving suggestions on the back of the bottle (imagine Budweiser or Miller trying to pull off something like that). If the directions are followed it's quite easy to pull off a picture perfect Duvel pour and still leave some much coveted starter for those of us who are homebrewers. This beer is a slightly hazy golden color with a spicy and aromatic smell. A very complex and tasty brew with tones of apple and almond, with a slight hint of hoppy notes and a distinct spiciness in the finish. Even at 8.5% ABV this goes down very easily. Try pairing up this beer with a citrus glazed roasted French hen and blanched asparagus or a beer battered cod fish fry with potato salad. Duvel aslo offers a pretty cool flash based website at: www.duvelusa.com

Keeping with the Belgian theme the next beer presented was Westmalle Triple. Brewed by the Trappist Monks in the monestary Westmalle (one of six monestaries that still brew beer and thus can label their beer Trappist) just outside of Antwerp, this tripel is hazy gold color with a slightly greenish hue.The aromas are of sweet, toasty malt, citrusy, earthy yeast. A smooth, well-carbonated entry leads to a sweet, tart, medium-to-full bodied beer with tangy malt and full flavored clean finish. Both the nose and palte are not overbearing peaking out at a 9% ABV. Compared to the dubble the triple is more elegant and refined not to mention easier to drink and pair with food. This beer is crisp, highly drinkable, and a classic representation of the abbey trippel style. Try pairing this Trappist ale with a crown rib roast with potatoes and carrots or a roasted shallot pate with seasoned crustini.

Next was the most unique beer of the taste from Rogue Brewery. Imperial Pilsner, part of the Morimoto Signature Series, was selected by internationally acclaimed Chef Masaharu Morimoto from Iron Chef. The Iron Chef chose only all natural ingredients for his signature pilsner. Imperial Pilsner is golden in color with a dry hop floral aroma, upfront mellow soft fruit flavors, and intense hop bitterness supported by a big malty backbone peaking out at a huge 8.8% ABV. Unlike the common pilsner the Morimoto finishes with less of a bitey finish that Czech pilsner drinkers look for. This was a great representation of a Japanese interpretation of the timeless easy drinking classic style. Morimoto series (Soba and Black Obi Soba also available) all come in painted swing-top ceramic 750ml bottles that would be a excellent addition to any beer bottle collection. Try this with an Chiashi bowl and some miso soup or a diced green apple, walnut, and avacado salad drizzled lightly with ranch dressing. For more information on Rogue and their products refer to: www.rogue.com

Next, and perhaps my favorite this week, was Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA. Anderson Valley IPA is as hoppy as they come and not for the light hearted. This ale has a delicious citrus aroma, and an intense hoppy bite. Amber in color and deeply structured herbal flavors make this IPA is a hop lover's dream. Did I mention it was hoppy at all? Immense flavors and a nose you could smell across the room make this beer a sipper. The brewery itself has somewhat of a interesting draw, hosting an 18-hole disc golf course and horse drawn delivery carts. The fun loving attitude of the brewmaster Ken Allen is clearly evident in this beer right down to the little unique messages under each bottle cap. Try matching this beer up with a blue cheese rubbed filet or a hearty beef stew. Check out the fun website that even includes a dictionary of Boontling, an old english slang language: www.avbc.com

Heading in the darker direction, we tasted Samuel Smiths Russian Imperial Stout. Russian imperial stout was originally brewed in Great Britain to satisfy the Czarist courts, who were great connoisseurs of Champagne, caviar and the art of the table. Because it was transported across the freezing Baltic, Russian imperial stout was brewed with a high level of alcohol (a hefty 7% ABV). All Samuel Smith beers are vegan products, registered with The Vegan Society. Rich, flavorful, deep chocolate color, scented and roasted barley nose. The deep mocha color suggests a nice complexity of malt, hops, alcohol and yeast. The palate has notes of smoke, licorice, chocolate and a wonderful balance and harmony. Pair this beer with a peppercorn crusted ribeye or NY sytle cheesecake topped with cherries. A stout similar to this was used in the cheese sauce prepared for the taste.

To finish we poured Lindeman's Framboise (Raspberry). Lindeman's makes several fruit based beers; Pomme (apple), Cassis (black currant), Kriek (cherry), and peche (peach) with the raspberry being the most common. These beers experience wild fermentation which is a process that uses natural yeast found in the air. Framboise is ruby red in color with a light effervescence. The nose hints at tones of raspberry, cherry, and cranberry. This is a fruit forward beer, with intense red fruit flavors and a hint of chocolate in the slightly tart finish. A beer with this kind of fruit intensity and deep complexity make it easy for a wine drinker to switch to beer. Easily matched with any chocolate dessert I would almost venture into making salad dressings and sauces from the reduction of this product. This beer goes great with rosemary rubbed lamb chops and green beans or save it for dessert with a triple layer chocolate mousse cake.

Thanks for staying with me through this review and I hope you found it interesting and helpful. Most of the future posts won't be this long because I usually only present five wines in a taste. If there is anything I can do to make this blog more enjoyable or you simply want to comment on things that I have written please post your thoughts. See you all on Thursday and remember to keep an open mind and an open eye.

Just a reminder that this Saturday at the Avalon Inn in Howland the Children's Hospital Fundraising Wine Taste is going on. Both John Webster and I have volunteered to be guest pourers for the event. Tickets are $50 but I can assure the food and wine are worth way more than that, not to mention it's for a good cause. So come on out and enjoy some quality wine and food.