Tag: beer

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SPRING BREWS FROM DESCHUTES AND SAMUEL ADAMS … AND AN ODE TO BOSTON LAGER

SPRING BREWS FROM DESCHUTES AND SAMUEL ADAMS … AND AN ODE TO BOSTON LAGER

 

Although winter still has some punch left, this is the time of year when most breweries release their warm weather brews. These spring/summer beers typically sport a lighter, more approachable style. However, for me, their “drinkability” usually comes at the price of flavor interest. While, this style of beer generally isn’t my favorite, I have to admit the new releases from Deschutes and Samuel Adams are certainly “drinkable” and worth a taste.

 

 

Deschutes “River Ale” likely qualifies as a ”session ale,” with its low 4% ABV.

There is a good balance of malt and hop (a relatively modest 28 IBUs).

It opens with malty aromas, accented with a light lemony, hoppy bitterness followed by a similar flavor profile.

 

Samuel Adams “White Lantern” is a Belgian-style white ale, with added tangerine and orange peel, coriander and

Grains of Paradise (this is typical of traditional Belgian ales to have added spices and other flavorings). With a higher but still relatively moderate 5.5% ABV, this unfiltered potion offers citrus, bread, caramel, and lemongrass aromas. The flavor profile is similar but a bit toastier, with a touch of hoppy bitterness, despite the very low 10 IBUs.

 

Sam Adams “Double Agent IPL” is an altogether different creation. Note the “IPL,” as in India Pale Lager. Here we have a successful attempt to combine the hoppiness of an IPA and the subtle maltiness of a lager. Again we’re talking a modest 5.0% ABV but with a somewhat higher 43 IBU.

I liked the white pepper and grapefruit in the nose. I found the palate quite intriguing with a light hoppy bitterness and a hint of citrus built on an oat-like foundation.

 

 

I also want to take this opportunity to ruminate a bit on Samuel Adams Boston Lager. This iconic craft beer, now almost 30 years old, is easy for craft beer lovers to dismiss. Certainly, when it was introduced to American beer drinkers in 1984, it was a breath of fresh air, even a revelation, at least to this flavor starved beer drinking palate. At that time, I think the only other craft beer with which I was familiar was Anchor Steam Beer. Otherwise, my search for character meant trying different imports.

Boston Lager has always seemed to me to taste more like an ale than a lager. Maybe it’s because coming of age in the 1970’s, my experience with lagers was the typical American mass produced beer. Regardless of the proper style definition, Boston Lager’s hoppy character (from high quality Hallertau, Mittelfrueh and Tettnang Noble hops) seems fairly pronounced (even at 30 IBUs) but it is balanced nicely with creamy malts (a two-row pale barley malt blend and Caramel 60).

 

Jim Koch’s first commercial brew exhibits a bit of spicy citrus and pine qualities in the nose. The palate presents with good bite (even though it only provides a modest 4.9 % ABV) balanced with a pleasant creaminess. The beer finishes with citrus and caramel notes.

 

It seems obligatory for many craft beer advocates to downplay beers like Boston Lager that have been around a long time and are produced in relatively large quantities (at least by craft beer standards). Everyone is looking for the next “new thing” or “extreme beer.” And the Boston Beer Company has its fair share of those. But they deserve a lot of credit for maintaining the high quality of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, even as production has increased.

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DESCHUTES’ NEW RELEASES IDEAL FOR THE CHANGING SEASONS

Deschutes Brewery (www.DeschutesBrewery.com), the nearly 25 year-old brewery named after the adjacent Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon has done it again. They’ve released two new seasonal beers just in time for us to enjoy as the weather cools and the holidays approach.

Black Butte Porter debuted 24 years ago as Deschutes’ first and flagship brand. This new release, actually a Reserve double porter (the fifth such vintage of this anniversary beer lives up to its reputation as a bold brew. It opens with heavy coffee aromas, then follows with citrus and hints of spice. In the mouth, that coffee is evident but given intrigue with cocoa and a touch of sweetness in the finish. A slight hop bitterness emerges and lingers in the finish. I was captivated by its creamy, lush and substantial texture. After tasting it, I wasn’t surprised to find these intense, complex flavors and mouthfeel resulting from the use of Theo cocoa nibs, Mission figs, and Deglet dates in the mix.

The Stats (12 oz serving):
Alc. 5.2% | IBUs 30 | 192 Calories,
Malt: Pale, Carapils, Chocolate,
Crystal, Wheat

Hops: Cascade, Bravo, Tettnang

And for the 25th year, Deschutes has produced “Jubelale,” a spicy, malty, hoppy winter seasonal. Jubelale was the very first beer to ever be bottled by Deschutes. This version evokes the season with strong aromas of chocolate and warming chocolate notes. Touches of citrus are joined by heady scents of spice. Pouring the beer through its creamy head, those chocolate and coffee elements are evident. A touch of bitterness lifts the profile, while it finishes with creamy smoothness. And I like the citrusy hops that linger in the aftertaste.

The Stats (12 oz serving):
Alc. 6.7% | IBUs 60 | 192 Calories,
Malt: Pale, Carapils, Chocolate,
Crystal, Wheat

Hops: Cascade, Bravo, Tettnang

Also of note is the 2012 label displaying artwork created by Bend, Oregon artist Kaycee Anseth Townsend. Through a complex collage process comprised entirely from pieces of Jubelale labels from years past, she has created a fitting tribute to the season.

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GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THIRTY YEARS OF GREAT AMERICAN CRAFT BEER

The 30th Great American Beer Festival (GABF), held a few weeks ago at the Colorado Convention Center, stands as a testament to the intrinsic appeal of craft brewed beer … and to the vision and hard work of the people at the Brewers Association (which organizes it) and to the craft brewers that have proliferated across the country over these years.

While most everything else in the American economy is contracting, it seems the craft beer world just keeps expanding. Attendance, volunteers, and the number of breweries, beers on the floor, beers in the competition, categories judged (83), beer styles (134) and judges all increased! The GABF remains the largest commercial beer competition in the world, with 3,930 beers, an 11 percent increase over last year, submitted from 526 breweries for 248 medals.

Colorado brewers brought home 44 medals, second only to California. Salute the following breweries:

  • Amicas, Salida
  • Backcountry, Frisco
  • Blue Moon, Denver
  • Boulder Beer Co., Boulder
  • Bull & Bush, Denver
  • C.B. & Potts, Ft. Collins and Westminster
  • Colorado Boy, Ridgway, CO
  • Copper Kettle, Denver
  • Coors, Golden
  • Crabtree, Greeley
  • Del Norte, Denver
  • Denver Beer Co., Denver
  • Dostal Alley, Central City
  • Dry Dock, Aurora
  • Durango, Durango
  • Equinox, Ft. Collins
  • Funkwerks, Ft. Collins
  • Glenwood Canyon, Glenwood Springs
  • Grimm Brothers, Loveland
  • Mountain Sun, Boulder
  • New Belgium, Fort Collins
  • Odell”s, Ft. Collins
  • Oskar Blues, Longmont
  • Rock Bottom, Westminster
  • SandLot, Denver
  • Ska, Durango
  • Strange Brewing Co., Denver
  • Upslope, Boulder
  • Wynkoop, Denver

It was particularly fun beer to try a “new” beer style this year: pumpkin beer! Obviously tailored for fall, these earthy, deeply flavored beers were most interesting. And Colorado did extremely well in the category with Upslope won gold and Bull & Bush won bronze.

I was glad to see the festival continued its emphasis on matching beer with food. This was prominently on display in the more intimate Farm-to-Table Pavilion where chefs created dishes using Colorado products to pair with selected beers from around the country. Even some of the Colorado farmers and ranchers were there to talk about their products.

As a “wine guy,” I’m well versed in the affinity between wine and food. So, I have been pleased to see craft brewers in recent years put more effort into making beers that are best drunk with food. The Farm-to-Table Pavilion presented a fine opportunity to discover how much local foods rendered by skilled chefs have in common with craft beer from small and independent breweries. This innovative event is destined to become a perennial highlight of the GABF.

Also impressive was that the festival continued its efforts to remain on the cutting edge of sustainability initiatives. In partnership with ZeroHero (a Colorado company that works across the country reducing the impact of major events and festivals through zero-waste management, alternative energy and education), the Colorado Convention Center, Centerplate Catering, Governors Energy Office, Colorado Carbon Fund, A1 Organics, and Renewable Choice Energy, the GABF worked to reduce its carbon footprint and come as close to a zero-waste event as possible.

Here are some of the programs implemented at the festival:

  • At least 85% of the waste to be diverted away from the landfill
  • Most disposable items were recyclable or compostable
  • All glass and plastic bottles, cans, paper and cardboard to be recycled
  • Use of styrofoam at food outlets in the event was banned
  • Bulk condiments used at concession areas
  • All compost processed by local company
  • Carbon production offset by purchasing wind credits
  • House lights kept at 50% during the show

Great beer, good food, and helping the environment, what more could we ask?

Well, how about continued growth in the craft beer industry. According to the Brewers Association, the craft beer industry in 2010 achieved growth rates of 11% by volume and 12% by dollars. And by August 2011, there were 1829 breweries operating, the most in 100 years, with at least 760 more in planning.

Let’s all raise a glass … or two!

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WORTHY NEW SEASONAL BEER FROM DESCHUTES

Once in a while, this wine guy gets an opportunity to sample new craft beer releases. I’m happy to have one now to recommend: Red Chair NWPA (Northwest Pale Ale), the new seasonal beer from Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon.

Deschutes says Red Chair (6.2% ABV) is named after the oldest operating lift at Mt. Bachelor. They call it their debut Northwest Pale Ale, though not unlike the last year’s Red Chair IPA. I never tasted the IPA; so, I’ll take their word for it.

This one sits in the glass with a copper color and a loosely foamy head. As I sniff, I pick up hints of citrus, bread, caramel, and herbal lemongrass. Sipping reveals more toast and citrus. Dry, bitter hops emerge but don’t overpower. A malty counterpoint asserts itself then gives way to more hops in the finish.

I relate to it as a cross between an IPA and an American pale ale. It is medium bodied and well balanced, with a hoppy personality moderated by malty qualities. I’m told Red Chair began as an experimental beer to test new hops and hopping techniques. Additionally, seven European and domestic malts are key to the formula. The success of the experiment shows in the final product.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised Red Chair cleaned house the World Beer Awards. The brew will be available from January until April in six- and twelve-packs and on draft throughout the 16 states where Deschutes beer is distributed.

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Sam Adams Promotes Food and Beer Pairing and “Extreme Beer”

I know the subtitle to this website is “ Wine, Food, Travel” but even wine journalists don’t live by wine alone. I, for one, love beer, too. And I even like to write about it whenever I can. Hence, this month’s posting is all about beer.

Food and Beer Pairing
It’s become arguably the biggest trend in beer (at least craft beer) to promote serious beer and food matching – and I don’t mean wings and burgers. Food and beer matching ideas are cropping up all over the craft beer industry, with the most notable example being the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver this past October. There were pairing demos in the Beer & Food Pavilion and they even had available a beer and food matching chart that list 28 styles of beer along with suggested foods. For more info, check out www.beertown.org.

But the Boston Beer Company, maker of Sam Adams, and specifically Jim Koch, the company’s founder, has been in the forefront of this movement. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as Koch and Sam Adams have been beer innovators since the company’s founding in 1984.now Koch and his company are pushing for beer lovers and would be beer lovers to think about beer (at least some of the time) the way wine drinkers think about wine – as a natural accompaniment to food.

Koch even has promoted this idea in the heart of wine drinker territory – the Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen. In recent years, Koch has hosted lunches at the Classic with food prepared by culinary luminaries, such as chefs Todd English and David Burke.

Sam Adams also has promoted beer and food pairing at the GABF this year. At a dinner at Rioja restaurant in Denver’s Larimer Square drove the point home. How about appetizers including apple beignet, foie gras Napoleon, cinnamon range gastrique and seared duck breast washed down with Sam Adams Winter Lager? Or an entrée of beef filet, seared scallops and caramelized onion with Sam Adams Boston Lager? Dessert, a hazelnut brown butter tart, was accompanied by Sam Adams Cram Stout.

Even for a wine journalist like me, the beer and food pairings seemed every bit as natural as they were revealing.

Extreme Beer?
That’s what Jim Koch calls it. I mentioned above that he and his company are beer innovators. Beginning with Triple Bock in 1994, Koch has really pushed the envelope of complexity and alcohol. The Triple Bock came in at 17.5% alcohol. In 2000, Sam Adams released Millennium Ale at 21%. Then came Utopias MMII in 2002 at 25%. In 2003, and again in 2005 Utopias was released at 25% alcohol. Now the just released 2007 edition of Utopias weighs in at 27% alcohol!

What is amazing about this brew, though, even more that the alcohol itself, is that the alcoholic heat virtually disappears behind the seamlessness of its rich texture and complex flavors of caramel, maple syrup and butter pecan. At $120 a bottle, Utopias certainly is the most expensive beer ever but this brew also can take its place among the finest after dinner drinks, whether Cognac, Sherry or Port.