Category Archives: NY

Joe Sixpack’s brews of the year

Posted on December 28, 2007 by | Comments Off on Joe Sixpack’s brews of the year

Joe Sixpack from the Philadelphia Daily News sums up his 6 favorite beers of the year.

1. Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon (Norway): An imperial stout with 16 percent alcohol (at $25 a bottle), this baby set the pace for a new wave of Scandinavian beers.

2. Goose Island Matilda (Illinois): A surprisingly authentic Orval Trappist ale knockoff.

3. Stoudt’s Smooth Hoperator (Downingtown): Maybe the best new Pennsylvania beer since Yards reformulated its Philadelphia Pale Ale: a hybrid, hoppy double bock.

4. Avery/Russian River Collaboration Not Litigation (Colorado/California): Two small brewers with the same brand name (Salvation) mixed their suds and produced a singularly outstanding Belgian-style strong ale.

5. Dogfish Head Red & White (Milton, Del.): Huge, fruity layers of flavor in a Belgian-style white beer that’s been doused with pinot noir juice and aged in wine barrels.

6. Schneider & Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse (Germany/New York): Another collaboration, this one matching yeasty Bavarian wheat goodness with assertive American hops. *

Comments Off on Joe Sixpack’s brews of the year

Posted in Avery, CO, DE, Dodfish Head, Goose Island, Russian River Brewing Company, Schneider & Brooklyner, Stoudt, Yards

Tagged , , , ,

Would you pay $30 a beer

Posted on November 21, 2007 by | Comments Off on Would you pay $30 a beer

The San Jose Mercury News is running a story on beers that are going up market. John Alderete is opening Mayfield Brewing Co. in Palo Alto.

One is a pale beer that began its life as a traditional India Pale Ale but has been fermenting, first in a French oak barrel that formerly held zinfandel, now in an American oak cabernet barrel. When he puts it into corked, Champagne-style bottles just before Christmas, he expects it to be over the top: 10 percent alcohol by volume (a strength approaching that of table wine, which averages 12 percent), with notes of wine and oak and vanilla. Alderete wants it to be a beer to savor slowly, perhaps after dinner with chocolates or a cigar.

The other two beers in barrels are equally unusual: a 13 percent imperial stout that will be aged six months in a port wine barrel and a German amber aging in a French oak cabernet barrel. The amber is about 5 percent alcohol, the same as your basic Budweiser, but in a different world of flavor and intensity. Bud, for example, is aged less than 30 days in stainless steel on a layer of beechwood chips. Bud, like most beers, is meant to be consumed fresh. Alderete’s beers and others like them are the opposite. Aging blends the flavors and the beers mature just like good wine.

Those beer sound like they would be interesting to taste. On of my favorite more expensive beers is Brooklyn Breweries Local 1.

Comments Off on Would you pay $30 a beer

Posted in Brooklyn, Mayfield, NY

Winter Beer

Posted on November 14, 2007 by | 1 comment

If you like strong winter beers then The Washington post has some suggestions for you. The Author had a chance to sample the following large selection of beers,  Anchor Brewing’s Co Our Special Ale, Sierra Nevada’s Celebration Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co’s Winter Storm, Old Dominion Brewing Co’s Dominion Winter Brew, Wild Goose Brewery’s Snow Goose, Fordham’s Scotch Ale, Brooklyn’s Winter Ale, Michelob’s Celebrate Chocolate and Michelob Celebrate’s Cherry and finally Mad Elf Ale from Troegs Brewing Co. I wonder how long it took the author to sample all those beers.

1 Comment

Posted in Anchor, Beer, Brooklyn, Clipper City, Fordham, Michelob, Old Dominion, Sierra Nevada, Troegs, Wild Goose

Expensive Beer

Posted on November 12, 2007 by | Comments Off on Expensive Beer

The Philadelphia Daily News’ article this week is on expensive beer.

The most expensive sixpack in America

Samuel Adams Utopias (Massachusetts), $140 for 24 oz. ($5.83 per ounce).
Lost Abbey Cable Car (California), $30 for 750 ml ($1.18 per ounce).
Russian River Supplication (California), $14 for 375 ml ($1.10 per ounce).
Avery Mephistopheles (Colorado), $12 for 12 oz. ($1 per ounce).
Church Brew Works Quadzilla (Pittsburgh), $20 for 22 oz. (91 cents per ounce).
Allagash Interlude (Maine), $19 for 750 ml (75 cents per ounce).

6 great high-end bargains

Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA (Royersford), $5 for 22 oz. (23 cents per ounce.
Southampton Imperial Porter (Long Island), $5 for 22 oz. (23 cents per ounce).
Rogue Chocolate Stout (Oregon), $5.50 for 22 oz. (25 cents per ounce).
Ommegang Abbey Ale (New York), $8 for 750 ml (31 cents per ounce).
Weyerbacher Heresy (Easton), $7 for 22 oz. (32 cents per ounce).
Stone Vertical Epic (California), $8 for 22 oz. (36 cents per ounce).

[ad]

Comments Off on Expensive Beer

Posted in Allagash Brewing Company, Avery, Beer, CA, Church Brew Works, CO, Lost Abbey, MA, ME, NY, OR, PA, Rogue, Russian River Brewing Company, Sam Adams, Sly Fox, Southampton Ales, Stone, weyerbacher

Posted on November 1, 2007 by | Comments Off on

Wine Magazine has a good article about US Brewers taking on the challenge of brewing Belgian wheat beers and winning. I have tried Allagash White and Brooklyn Local 1 and can recommend them. I need to keep an eye out for Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Xtra Gold American Tripel Ale, Dogfish Head Festina Pêche, Samuel Adams White Ale, Southampton Ales & Lagers Double White Ale and Unibroue’s Ephémére

Comments Off on

Posted in Allagash Brewing Company, Beer, Brooklyn, DE, Dodfish Head, ME, Sam Adams, Southampton Ales, Unibroue

SPBW 4th Annual Real Ale Festival

Posted on October 29, 2007 by | Comments Off on SPBW 4th Annual Real Ale Festival

This years Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood Real Ale Festival was a great success. Over 400 tickets were sold, with additional tickets being sold at the door at The Wharf Rat. With over 30 Cask beers and unlimited sampling, everybody left happy. I was one of the volunteers inside pouring beer so I didn’t get a chance to sample everything but here is my list

Du Claw Bad Moon Porter
Victory Hop Devil (This was one of the most popular inside) +++
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout
Oliver Mad Monk (One of my favorites had a new sweet taste) ++
Oliver Dark Mild
Victory Donneybrook Stout (Another favorite at the table)
Gales Prize Old Ale (This was just an amazing barley wine beer) ++++
Troegs Hop Back Amber +++
Brooklyn Bright Golding (7.5% another fruity tasting beer) ++
Gordon Biersch Schwarbier (4.3%)
Rock Bottom Oatmeal Dry Stout with Vanilla (Arlington)
Brewers Alley I.P.A (I left with a growler of this, 5-5.4%) +++
Clipper City Loosse Cannon (very hoppy)
Brewers Art Le Cannard
Franklin’s I.P.A.
Brewers Art Beacon Ale (mmmmmm) ++++
Yards Extra Special Ale (6%)

Comments Off on SPBW 4th Annual Real Ale Festival

Posted in Beer, Brewer's Art, Brooklyn, CapCity Baltimore, Clipper City, DuClaw, Franklins, Gordon Biersch Tysons, MD, Oliver, Rock Bottom Ballston, SPBW, Troegs, Victory, Yards

Smithsonian National Zoo + Beer = Brew at the Zoo

Posted on August 26, 2007 by | Comments Off on Smithsonian National Zoo + Beer = Brew at the Zoo

The Smithsonian runs a fund raising event every year called the Brew at the Zoo. I got a last minute ticket for this years event. They had beer from over 20 microbreweries, and served hors d’oeuvres from area restaurants. The price of the ticket included a Beer Glass, Food, and all the beer samples you can drink.

As you can see there was a large turn out from the local brewers

Capitol City Brewing Company, The District Chophouse and Brewery, Wild Goose Brewery, Clipper City Brewing Company, Great American Restuarants, Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, Hook & Ladder Brewing Company, Shenandoah Brewing Company, Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant, Fordham Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Old Dominion Brewery, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Cristal, Cusqueña, Aguila, Boston Beer Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Harpoon Brewery, Brewery Ommegang, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Paleewong Trading Company, Anchor Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Brewery, EX. Matt Brewing Company, Abita Brewing Company, Allagash Brewing Company, Victory Brewing Company, Rogue Ales, North Coast Brewing Company, Belekus Imports, Premium Distributors, Captial Eagle, Inc., and Global Brewers Guild.

I didn’t have as many beers as some of the people I was there with but my personal beer list was

Clipper City’s Loose Cannon

Ommegang’s Hennepin

Brasserie Lefèbvre SA’s Blanche De Bruxelles

Brouwerij Riva SA’s Lucifer

North Coast’s Red Seal

Cusquena

Dog Fish Head’s 60 minute

Clipper City’s Oxford Raspberry

Sweet Water’s American Pale Ale Thanks Nick for the end of night fill my glass beyond the sample line.

Comments Off on Smithsonian National Zoo + Beer = Brew at the Zoo

Posted in Beer, Clipper City, DC, Dodfish Head, North Coast, Ommegang, SweetWater Sterling