Great Divide - Oak-aged Yeti and Avery - Ellie's Brown Ale

Last night Lori prepared a dinner of BBQ Ribs and fried potatoes.  Preceding dinner was an appetizer of Texas Torte – a spicy cheese treat.  Following dinner was Chocolate pie – which is unbelievable.  Randy and Chris brought over salad with all the fixings and a raspberry-based terrine.  I had two beers selected for dinner and desert and these were Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale and Great Divide’s Espresso Oak-aged Yeti.  I have had Ellie’s a few times and it a very nice brown ale with an ABV of 5.5% and an IBU of 17.  Ellie’s pours a dark reddish-brown with a nice head and this was literally a perfect pairing with BBQ ribs.  Avery’s website suggests pairing Elile’s with roasted meats with spicy and / or smoky preparations and Ellie’s with BBQ worked very well. 

I knew I would need a different beer with the rich chocolate desert and Imperial Stout is a perfect pairing with chocolate deserts. I am a big fan of Great Divide’s Yeti and there are a few varieties – Yeti, Oak-aged Yeti and Espresso Oak-aged Yeti.  I decided to try the Espresso Oak-aged Yeti (ABV of 9.5%) and this went very well with the rich Chocolate pie.  One can pick up the flavors of coffee, espresso, and chocolate from Yeti that cut through the fat in the pie and balanced the sweetness of the chocolate pie.  I need to send a thank you to Garret Oliver – brewmaster at the Brooklyn Brewery for providing excellent data on beer and food pairings in his book – The Brewmaster’s Table.  It is my reference for pairings and he is spot on.

German food and German beer

The beer tasting group met last night for good drink, good food, and great conversation at Tibor’s home last night.  At our last tasting, we agreed to taste German beers and Chris, Dennis and I each brought two different types of German beer.  I grabbed some fresh Bratwurst at Tony’s Meats in Littleton along with some sauerkraut.  I had purchased Ayinger’s Celebrator and Aecht Schlenkerla’s Weizen Rauchbier for the evening.  Nicole, Tibor’s wife, also cooked spaetzle with bacon and cheese, prepared a wonderful salad, cooked large warm pretzels, and served some nice Troberlone chocolate with sprinkles of cayenne and cinnamon to taste with the chocolate.

I grilled the Brats and then placed them on top of the sauerkraut in a crock pot with some Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen.  Tibor had really decked out the table with classic German steins, glassware, and other items he had collected in Germany during his youth and his trips back over the years to visit his father and family.  Tibor and Nicole have both attended Oktoberfest and have a great knowledge of Germany and German culture.  Tibor started with two Oktoberfest – Marzens of Spaten (5.9% ABV) and Paulaner (5.8%).  These went excellent with Brats & Kraut, mustard, spaetzle, and salad.  I preferred the Paulaner over the Spaten and the pairing was very good. 

Next up was Erdinger Dark Hefeweizen (5.6% ABV) and Aecht Schlenkerla Weizen Rauchbier (4.7% ABV).  The Erdinger Dark Hefeweizen is  classed as a dunkelweizen and was the best beer of the evening.  A Rauchbier is a smoked beer and the Aecht Schlenkerla had a deep smoky aroma and taste and we thought it would have paired excellent with smoked salmon.

Spaten Optimator (7.6% ABV) and Ayinger Celebrator (6.7% ABV) are doppelbocks and these were very nice.  I think Nicole served the pretzels at this time and these were very tasty with the pretzels.

   

We ended the evening with Warsteiner Dunkel (4.9% ABV) and Kostritzer Schwarzbier (4.8% ABV) and these were another great pairing with the Trobolone chocolate with cayenne and cinnamon.  It was great do a little trip to Germany with excellent food and drink and it was a great evening.  I really appreciate Tibor and Nicole hosting and the food Nicole made was excellent – I loved the spaetzle.  One thing I picked up from podcasts from Dr. Bill is that if you pair beer with the regional cuisine you usually will not go wrong as the regional beer and food historically go together.  This is excellent advice as the beer and food of Germany paired excellent with each other.  Next time, we will be meeting in May and we are considering focusing on Hefeweizens and Witbiers. 

Sierra Nevada – Pale Ale & Glissade and Boulevard Nutcracker Ale

I consider Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale the standard bearer for the American Pale Ale style. Sierra Nevada is one of the oldest craft brewers in America and the Pale Ale should be tasted so one knows how the style should look, smell and taste. Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale has an ABV of 5.6% and an IBU of 37. I have had a number of these over the years and I had not had one in awhile and it was great to drink one again. Sierra Nevada describes Pale Ale as “Our most popular beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor. “Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale is a very good beer and it should be used to understand the style and as a comparison with other American Pale Ales.

Glissade is a Golden Bock with an ABV of 6.4% and an IBU of 42. This one pours a golden yellow with a nice head and has nice malt sweetness with a balanced bitterness on the finish. This is a drinkable beer and Sierra Nevada describes Glissade as “With restrained sweetness, we emphasize subtle malt flavor, balanced against delicate aromas of spicy and floral European hops. This complex balance helps Glissade slide across the palate—bracing us against the last cold nights of winter, while its bright golden color turns our thoughts toward spring.” Sierra Nevada is one of my favorite brewers. They brew consistently good beer and they continue to try new recipes and styles. They took a gold at GABF this year with the 30th Anniversary Black Barleywine and I look forward to sampling this in the near future.

I did not know much of Boulevard and I think I had not tried any of the beer from this Kansas City brewer. Nutcracker Ale is a winter seasonal with an ABV of 5.8% and an IBU of 38. This is a tasty seasonal ale that pours a reddish-brown with a nice head. This has sweet caramel tastes with balanced bitterness from spicy and floral hops. Boulevard describes Nutcracker Ale as “Boulevard’s holiday gift for real beer lovers. This hearty, warming brew is a classic winter ale, deep amber in color, with hints of molasses balanced by the “spiciness” of freshly harvested Chinook hops.” The brewer added brown sugar and dark sugar, but it is not too sweet. This would go great with deserts and strong meat dishes. I look forward to sampling more from Boulevard.

Stone – 10.10.10 Vertical Epic

When I think of sampling a product from Stone, I think – get ready for the hops and big beers.  I really like the big hoppy beers that Stone makes and I literally like everything I have tasted from Stone.  The next time I am in SoCal, I will stop by the bistro and enjoy some of the excellent beer and excellent food.  Stone has produced 9 beers in the Vertical Epic series starting with 02.02.02 through the current version of 10.10.10.  The final two will be released on 11.11.11 and 12.12.12.  I have cellared a few bottles of 10.10.10 for a vertical tasting with the other years.  10.10.10 was not what I expected from Stone and the closest comparison I could come up with is Midas Touch from Dogfish Head.  Stone describes 10.10.10 as an “Ale brewed with Muscat, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon grapes and chamomile.”  The Vertical Epic series is “As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics and twists & turns as the adventure unfolds. These bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy them in a "vertical" tasting. Each one unique to it's year of release. Each with its own "twist & turn" in the plotline. Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year's edition.”  10.10.10 is a really nice beer and almost reminds me of Champaign based on the pour and initial aroma.  The taste is sweet and you can detect the use of grapes and it is an incredibly complex beer.  I plan to do future vertical tastings culminating in Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic.  I really appreciate the work that Stone has done and the Vertical Epic series is a great example of how great Craft Brewers continue to try new things and push the envelope.

Samuel Adams – Noble Pils and Latitude 48 IPA

Samuel Adams beers are actually produced by the Boston Beer Co., which is one of the biggest craft brewers in America.  The Homebrewer’s Association changed the definition of a craft brewer by increasing the number of barrels produced so the Boston Beer Co. would not lose the classification of craft brewer. 

Samuel Adam’s Latitude 48 IPA has 6% ABV and pours nice golden amber with two finger head that fits perfectly in a shaker pint glass.  The website describes Latitude 48 IPA as “Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48^th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere.  The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character.  The beer is dry hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe®*, and East Kent Goldings hops for a powerful citrus and earthy aroma.  The hop character is balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.”  This is not a bad beer, not my favorite IPA, as I prefer the hoppier West Coast styles.

Nobel Pils has a 4.9% ABV and pours gold with a nice billowy head in a Pilsner glass.  The name comes from the use of the 5 Noble hops (Hallertau, Mittelfrueh, Tettnang Tettnanger, Spalt Spalter, Saaz, and Hersbrucker Noble hops) used to brew this lager.  The website description of Noble Pils is “Noble Pils is brewed with all 5 Noble hops for a distinct hop character and fresh taste.  Deep golden in color with a citrusy hop aroma, Samuel Adams Noble Pils is a traditional Bohemian Pilsner.  The honeyed malt character from traditional Bohemian malt is balanced by delicate yet pronounced citrus, floral, and piney notes from the Noble hops.”  This is a good Pilsner, but again, my preference is from Colorado with Avery’s Joe’s Pilsner, Left Hand's Polestar Pilsner, and Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yellow Pils.

I appreciate what the Boston Beer Co. has done for craft beer, but I am not a big fan of Samuel Adams beers.  I know Boston Beer Co. is the biggest craft brewer in America, but there is just something in the taste that does not resonate with my palette (yeast, water, hops??)  I think their specialty beers are the best and I recently tried New World Tripel, which is excellent.

Vacation - Seattle and Pacific NW Beers

My wife and I went to Seattle over the weekend of 19^th and 20^th for a wedding and I had the opportunity to try to tasty beers.  The three highlights were Pike Brewing Co.’s Old Bawdy Barleywine, Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Double Black IPA, and Deschutes Black Butte Porter. 

During the flight, I started the vacation with a Blue Moon Belgian White (5.4% ABV).  On Thursday evening we attended the rehearsal dinner at Ray’s Boathouse and I had a Maritime Imperial Pale Ale (7.5% ABV), Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (5.0% ABV & 40 IBU), Widmer Heffeweizen (4.9% ABV & 30 IBU) and Deschutes Black Butte Porter (5.2% ABV & 30 IBU).  We later went out to Bel Mar in Ballard and I had a Firestone Walker Double Barrel Pale Ale (5.0% ABV).  These were all tasty beers and the standout was Black Butte Porter with desert – an excellent pairing.

On Friday, we met one of Lori’s previous co-workers at Cutter’s and I had Maritime Jolly Roger Christmas Ale and a Mac& Jack’s African Amber that paired nicely with a lunch of fish and chips. Later, I went to the local QFC and picked up Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Double Black IPA (8.5% ABV & 70 IBU).  I had this at the Friday evening party and it is excellent.  If you want to try a Cascadian / Black IPA this is a great one to try, if you can find it.

On Saturday, I tried the Pike Old Bawdy 2008 (10% ABV & 90 IBU) in the afternoon and this is a great beer that I enjoyed.  Later that evening, we met up with George & Mary Lou, and Michael at Wilde Rover in Kirkland for some good Irish food & drink and billiards.  I had a Guinness Stout (4.2% ABV), Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale (4.5% ABV) with a dinner of corned beef and cabbage, New Castle Brown Ale (4.7% ABV), and Kilkenny Irish Red Ale (4.3% ABV).  We had an excellent time and George and I actually won a few matches of pool.  At dinner, I gave George a bottle of Avery Hog Heaven and Michael a bottle of Avery The Reverend.  George replied that he tried and really liked Hog Heaven.

On Sunday, we meet Ben (one of Lori’s former students) at Cutters and I had a NW flight of Manny’s Pale Ale (5.5% ABV & 37 IBU), Diamond Knot Winter Warmer (7.7% ABV & 60 IBU) and Elysian Bifrost (7.5% ABV & 55 IBU).  Flights are a great way to sample different beers and these were approximately 4 – 5 oz. servings for the price of a normal pint.  At the reception that evening I tried Widmer Broken Halo IPA (6.0% ABV & 45 IBU) that was excellent with dinner.

On Monday, Lori and I went to my favorite lunch spot in Bellevue, the King and I.  I ordered Phad Thai Tofu and enjoyed a Pyramid Heffeweizen (5.2% ABV & 18 IBU).  I love Phad Thai and this is one spot to get great Thai food.  That evening, we met friends at Paulo’s in Kent and I had a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (5.0% ABV & 40 IBU) with ravioli in a walnut cream sauce and this was excellent.

We returned to Denver on Tuesday and I took Lori, Jonathan and Donna (Lori’s mom) to NoNo’s and I had an Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager (4.2% ABV & 13 IBU) and a Bridgeport Ropewalk Amber (5.6% ABV) with a dinner of Cajun meatloaf.  This was a nice pairing and it is too bad this beer is no longer being brewed at Bridgeport.

The trip to Seattle was excellent and it was great to see old friends and enjoy good food and drink.  There are some excellent beers in Seattle and the Pacific NW and I was able to do a quick tour of Pike Brewing Co.  If you are in Seattle downtown, stop by Pike – they have a great selection and you can obtain many “goodies” to go. 

Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot 2011

An American-style Barleywine has large quantities of malt and hops in comparison to English-style Barleywine.  I enjoy the larger beers with malt-emphasis and with hop-emphasis and Barleywine is a great mixture of both – this is a style that is one of my favorites.  Sierra Nevada produces an annual Barley Wine at the first part of the year named Bigfoot.  Bigfoot has an ABV of 9.6% and an IBU of 90.  This one pours a cloudy dark reddish tan with a nice head that takes some time to recede.  I like to allow Barley Wine to warm as this style should be enjoyed at 50 – 55 degrees.  This would be a great beer to cellar and I plan to purchase some more for storage.  The aroma is excellent and filled with malt sweetness – candy like.  Taste is excellent with caramel / toffee and a chocolate undertone, then finishing with a nice balanced bitterness from the hops.  It is a bit hot from the alcohol and hops and I known this will be even better after a couple of years of cellaring.  This is a nice one and I understand why Bigfoot has won a number of awards.