Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Yes, another review of a beer from Brooklyn Brewerey. What can I say, they make good beers.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is one of my quintessential Winter beers. As mentioned previously, it's one that I look forward to each Winter. This year's batch made its appearance locally a few weeks ago and we've been waiting for a chance to spend an evening enjoying it.

We poured the beer into Brooklyn Brewery snifters. This one pours midnight black with some ruby-red light making it through only at the edges. The thick cappuccino-colored head slowly fades leaving persistent lacing. This beer looks as good as it tastes. Be sure to allow the beer to warm a bit to enjoy the full range of aromas and flavor. At 10.5% ABV, Black Chocolate Stout should be sipped to be enjoyed fully so there's opportunity to savor the nuances in flavor and aroma as it warms.

The forefront aroma is dark chocolate. The alcohol also comes through in the aroma, and adds to the richness provided to the senses. There's also a slight dark fruit, sherry-like hint detected.

The flavor lives up to the preview given by the aroma. Fine dark chocolate comes through, along with some expresso flavor. There's a bit of a lingering hops at the end. The mouthfeel of this Imperial Stout is very smooth and full of body. Garrett Oliver describes this beer as "the ultimate dessert beer" in his book The Brewmaster's Table. I would have to agree. Although it could be a dessert all by itself, we enjoyed the beer with cream-puffs and chocolate brownies. A fitting celebratory treat for Gaudete Sunday!

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is said to be a good candidate for aging. I've got a bottle from the 2006-2007 bottling left from last year. I plan to save one from this season's release as well, and do the same for the next few years and try them all together. It will be a fun trial, although I can't imagine that the experience of drinking fresh Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout can be improved upon. I'll need to pick up some additional BBCS before it disappears from the shelves for another season.

Brooklyn Lager - A Real American Lager

Brooklyn Lager is Brooklyn Brewery's most popular beer yet I had never tried it. I finally picked up a six pack of Brooklyn's flagship brew the other day. Turns out this is no stereotypical American lager and is quite a treat.

The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick white head. There's plenty of lacing left on the sides of the glass even after the head fades. Immediately noticeable is the floral hop aroma. There's some a caramel malt aroma coming through as well. The taste is clean with a light piney hop at the start, followed by a well-balanced malt backbone. There's a slight bitterness at the end but the malt dominates. Brooklyn Lager is dry-hoped which contributes to the fresh, clean hop aroma and taste. I wasn't expecting the hop presence to be as strong as it was and was pleasantly surprised by this. Brooklyn Lager is a lager with a bit of a Pale Ale personality. Overall, I found this to be a well-done beer that easy to drink and is quite refreshing. The 5.2% ABV would make the beer easily sessionable.

The label states this is "The Pre-Prohibition Beer". If this is what American beer tasted like pre-prohibition, it's even more obvious that the "American Lager" style is not what many people typically think. This is not an extreme beer, but there's nothing lacking in it either. This is one of those beers that we should probably keep on hand.

Could I have a non-frosted mug please?

What is it with restaurants and bars serving beer in frosted mugs? I can almost understand the reasoning if the beverage in question is some broccoli-water flavored macro-brew, especially the ones that need a lime to help kill the taste. Serving the beer extra cold deadens the palate. Perhaps if folks really tasted some of these beers, the restaurants might not sell as many. Or perhaps folks would start insisting on better beer. I want to taste my beer. If the only beers available are ones that need their flavor hidden, I'm not ordering! So often though, even when they are serving something other than Bud-Miller-Coors, the frosted glass is the norm in many restaurants.

Besides masking the flavors, serving beer in a frosted glass causes bits of ice to form in the drink. Along with the water that condensates on the inside of the glass, all this moisture serves only to dilute the beer. Then there's the condensation on the outside of the glass that leaves puddles on the table and also makes the glass slippery and hard to hold. And I certainly don't enjoy having my lips stick to the icy glass rim.

On one occasion recently when I've asked for a non-frosted glass, the waitress came back with the glass and stated "Luckily we had one." Lucky indeed. I used to feel a bit awkward when asking for a non-frosted glass. Now I figure since I'm paying for it, I'll enjoy the beer served at least somewhat properly. Perhaps if more people were less accepting of these iced servings, the restaurants would change. Or at least the servers might ask before pouring.

Flying Dog to Move Operations to Maryland

Flying Dog Brewery of Denver, Colorado announced today that all of their brewing operations would be moving to their facility in Frederick, Maryland. Eric Warner's blog message states this move will take place in January 2008. About 70% of their beer is already produced in Maryland. The state of the art facility in Maryland offers more efficient brewing and bottling, along with greater opportunity for expansion. Flying Dog says that all brewery staff will be offered positions in Maryland, along with a relocation package. Administrative staff will remain in Denver.

Additional information is available in a press release posted on BeerAdvocate.com.
There's also a Rocky Mountain News article here.

FABTS December Meeting

The December meeting of the Fredericksburg Brewing and Tasting Society was held yesterday at Kybecca on Plank Rd. The theme for this month's meeting was "Holiday Beers." There where around 20 members gathered to sample 38 commercial beers and 2 home brews. It was quite an event. There's a partial list of the beers sampled posted on the FABTS web site.

What are "Holiday Beers"? This is a pretty broad category, as evidenced by the number of beers sampled. Also referred to as "Winter Beers" the selection included high hop beers such as Sierra Nevada Celebration or malty "Winter Warmer" styles such as Clipper City Winter Storm. Many of these Winter beers are higher in ABV, for a "warming" effect. In some cases the beers are "Wassail" style offerings and flavored with such spices as cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove. And in some cases the brewer simply relabels a year-round beer for the Holidays. In any event, there's a "Holiday Beer" to suite any taste.

There were too many beers sampled to provide detailed notes on each one. In some cases limited quantities necessitated small samples. I don't try to review a beer unless I have a full "serving" and can evaluate from the pour to the end of the drink. However these tasting events are excellent opportunities to try new beers and find ones you want to search out for further exploration. Besides the perennial favorites such as Sierra Nevada Celebration and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, there were quite a few beers that stood out. I'll post some notes on the ones I especially enjoyed.

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale is a caramel malt flavored drink with just touch of hops. Flying Dog beers are readily available in this area now that they've bought the former Frederick Brewery in Frederick, MD. I've not found Flying dog beers that I've cared much for previously and was pleasantly surprise by this one. At 6.4% ABV this Winter Warmer is easy to enjoy.

Clay Pipe Pursuit Of Happiness Winter Warmer is from another Maryland-based brewer. This 8.25% ABV Winter Warmer has a strong malt backbone that is well-balanced by a nice hoppy kick. Some in attendance suggested that this might be fresh-hopped.

Stoudt's Winter Ale is a Winter release that changes each year. This year's release is brewed with cocoa producing a rich, chocolate malt flavor. I detected a hint of cinnamon a well. Stoudts is a brewer who's beers never disappoint.

Magic Hat is a brewery whose beers I've not previously taken a liking too. However, the Magic Hat Roxy Rolles Winter Amber was quite tasty. The Magic Hat web site says this amber ale is dry-hopped with simco hops. The flavor is malty with a nice sharp hop presence.

Ridgeway Brewing Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout is an English-style stout from the same folks who bring us the "Elf" series of beers. (Bad Elf, Very Bad Elf, Insanely Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf.) This is a deep brown colored beer with coffee notes in both the aroma and taste. Caramel sweetness comes through in the flavor as well. A nice stout at 8% ABV.

Fantôme Spéciale De Noel is one of the few "sour" beers I've tried. This Farmhouse Ale pours dark brown with a fruity aroma. The flavor of sour fruit, mostly cherries, comes through the dark malts. I made a note that I want to try this one again in a larger sample before passing judgement. The tartness does mask the 10% ABV.

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is another ABV monster at 10% ABV. This Belgian Strong Dark Ale has the aroma of dark fruit. Sweet caramel and butterscotch flavors blend with the peppery spices to create a nice beer. The spiciness lingers in the aftertaste. A nice sipping beer.

Delirium Noël is from Brouwerij Huyghe in Belgium, the same folks who bring us the infamous Delirium Tremens. Yet another 10% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale, this one pours a dark red-brown with a sweet aroma of raisons and other dark fruits. Some clove and candy sugar sweetness as well. The flavor matches the aroma with a yeasty, fruity sweetness over the malt, with a dry finish. My notes state to "buy some" although I left the meeting without doing so.

Next up on my list of highlights is Tröegs Mad Elf. I've always been a fan of Tröegs beers and Mad Elf held up that reputation. This 11% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale is flavored with cherries. I wasn't sure what to expect since I'm not a big fruit beer fan. A clear ruby-red pour with a sweet aroma. The taste is well-balanced between malt and spiciness with the sweet cherry flavor peaking through. We also sampled a 1 or 2 year old bottle of Mad Elf that had lost the cherry flavor and was mostly sweet honey flavor.

As if these and 23 other beers weren't enough, we were now in for a very special treat. Rob A. had brought in 2 bottles of Samichlaus Bier, both 1995 and 1996 vintages! Samichlaus was brewed by Brauerei Hürlimann in Zurich, Switzerland up until 1996 when the recipe was sold to the the Feldschlösschen Brewery. It is currently produced by Schloss Eggenberg of Switzerland. This 14% ABV was once considered the strongest beer in the world and everyone was eagerly awaiting the opening of these bottles. The 1995 vintage was opened first. The beer poured a very dark brown with no head. The malt aroma was very strong. The taste was unexpected. This was a very smooth, sweet, nutty beer. It reminded me of drinking a very smooth sherry. The 1996 was only slight less in flavor to me, although some in attendance though the 1996 vintage to be superior. There were only small samples per person but these were exceptional delights. Thanks to Rob for sharing! For comparison a 2006 bottle was also opened. The flavor on the recent vintage was much less intense. Even though the recipe is supposedly the same, there can be little doubt that subtle differences crept in over the years. I think I will keep my 2006 bottle stored away for a few years at least. We also sampled a Samichlaus Helles, which is being bottled in 2007 for the first time since 1986. The flavor of this was more sweet than the previous beers and not quite as malty.

After the commercial beers were finished we got to try a couple of home brews from two members. The first was a Belgian dubbel style beer from Jim (?). Unfortunately I neglected to take any notes on this one, although I do remember thinking it was good with a nice typical Belgian yeast flavor. My apologies to the brewer for not recording more.

The second home brew, from Dave F. was a "smoked pumpkin ale". Dave used real pumpkin, apple wood, and fuggles and willamette hops. This offering was very well-received. Enough of the pumpkin came through to give some sweetness which worked well with the smokey background. This was a "real" pumpkin beer, not a "spiced pumpkin pie" flavor like so many pumpkin beers. Kudos to both these home brewers for sharing.

The large variety of beer was complimented by an equally impressive array of cheeses, courtesy of James and Angela. This treat was much appreciated. Also thanks go out to our host for this month, Kybecca Wine and Gourmet. Kybecca offers a wide array of craft beers, artisanal cheeses and wine. A grand time was had by all and I look forward to the next meeting on January 12. The theme for January will be Stouts and we'll meet at Bangkok Boulevard. Be sure to watch the FABTS web site for more details. Hope to see you there!

The Session #10: Winter Seasonal Beers

This month's Session is hosted by Ted Duchesne at the Barley Vine blog. The Session is an online project where bloggers "gather" to post on a single theme. The theme this month is Winter Seasonal Beers. Read more on this month's theme here. Ted will be posting a summary of all the Session posts shortly. Beer Haiku Daily has a history of The Session posted as well.

For this Session I chose to go with the "Saranac Twelve Beers of Winter" from The Matt Brewing Company in Utica, New York. This pack contains 6 different beers; Caramel Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Belgian Ale, Scotch Ale, Chocolate Amber, Winter Wassail. The name of this variety pack is a bit misleading since there actually 6 different beers. In past years I believe the Saranac Winter mix did include 12 different beers, so perhaps the marketing is just a carry over. I do think having two each of the beers to try makes more sense.

The first beer we tried was the Chocolate Amber Lager. Right off the bat the name seems to be a contradiction. Chocolate Amber? Anyway, this Munich Dunkel Lager pours a dark chocolate brown, no amber here, with a thick frothy cappuccino-like head. A thin head lasts till the very end. There is negligible aroma, only a slight roasted smell. The taste follows with a slight roasted malt flavor. There's very little hops. The taste is slightly sweet, but nothing that's really "chocolate". At 5.8% this is easy to drink but nothing exceptional. Good with some dark chocolate candy.

The Caramel Porter pours a weak cola-brown color with a thin head. The immediate impression from the aroma is that of sherry. Also a good bit of caramel on the nose. The flavor is caramel, coffee and very sweet. There's plenty of carbonation to tingle the tongue, perhaps a bit too much. This one seems a little thin for a porter. The sweet caramel flavor is different, though a bit sweet. The Caramel Porter checks in at 5.5% ABV.

The Belgian Ale is Saranac's interpretation of a Belgian-style beer. It pours a redish-amber, almost copper color, with a 1/4 inch head that very rapidly drops off. There's lots of carbonation rising from bottom of glass that continues to the end. The aroma, while not strong, is of yeasty bread. The mouth feel is quite crisp with a spicy background. It's slightly bitter and medicinal. Not a bad beer, but not one I’d necessarily do back for. At 5.9% ABV the Belgian Ale is easy to enjoy.

The Winter Wassail is the beer we were most curious to try. The beer pours an attractive red amber color with a rapidly vanishing head, leaving some lacing on the glass. The aroma is spicy, mostly cinnamon, reminiscent of a "pumpkin ale." The mouth feel is sharp, with cinnamon and nutmeg spices. It finishes dry with a slight lingering bitterness. Spiced beers aren’t my favorites, but this one isn’t bad. It was a nice change after a string of uninspiring pumpkin beers this Fall. We enjoyed this 5% ABV beer with some Swedish Ginger Thins.

My first impression of the Scotch Ale was that of an average beer, but as I sipped and the beer warmed, this one grew on me. It pours a copper-brown with a very thin head. The malty aroma is faintly sweet. Slightly sweet malt flavor. There’s also a hint of smoke in the flavor. I enjoyed this one with some baked ham at dinner and the smoky ham flavor went well with the drink. This is is highest ABV of the six beers at 6% ABV.

And finally the Oatmeal Stout. This one pours a very dark black color with a thin, long lasting head. There's a simple aroma of roasted malt. The flavor begins with a light roasted malt. As the beer warms the sweetness of dark chocolate comes out. The stout finishes dry with some lingering bitterness. I found this to be a pretty good, not exceptional, oatmeal stout. At a mere 4.3% ABV this is the lowest of the group and it would be easy to have several.

I've had a few Saranac beers in the past and I was anxious to see how these special releases fared. The Saranac beers didn't disappoint. Overall these are decent beers, easy to drink and not given to the extreme flavors and high alcohol so popular these days. Several of the selections seemed to be a bit high in carbonation, but were all quite drinkable. My pick for the best of the bunch was surprisingly the Winter Wassail. This spiced English Ale was different than most of the beers I've been enjoying this season. Both the Scotch Ale and the Oatmeal Stout were enjoyable as well. Matt Brewing has put together a good group of beers that should appeal to a wide range of beer drinkers. I'll certainly look for the 2008 version of the Beers of Winter.

I enjoy trying brewers' mixed packs as it's an easy way to try a bunch of different beers from one brewer and this month's Session gave me an excuse to do just that. Thanks Ted.

Update: Ted has posted a roundup of Session #10 here.

St. Nicholas, Patron Saint of Brewing

December 6 is the Feast day of St. Nicholas, one of several Patron Saints of Brewing. St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, was a wealthy and generous man. His generosity towards others led to him being the inspiration for the tradition of Santa Claus and gift giving. It's not entirely clear why Nicholas was chosen as a Patron Saint of brewing. Tradition states that Nicholas was having a beer at an inn where the inn keeper had murdered three boys and packed their bodies in a barrel of brine. Nicholas was offered some salted meat with his beer. Due to a local shortage of food, Nicholas became suspicious, found the bodies, and brought the boys back to life. He died on December 6, 345 A.D. or 352 A.D.

Inspired by this feast day, is Samichlaus Bier. Samichlaus is an 14% ABV doppelbock that at one time was billed as the world's strongest beer. The name means "Santa Claus" in the Swiss-German dialect of Zürich. Brewed only on December 6 of each year, the beer is aged for almost a year and released in time for the following year's feast day. Samichlaus was originally brewed by Brauerei Hürlimann, and later by Feldschlösschen Brewery. It is currently produced by Schloss Eggenberg of Switzerland.

Even if you can't get your hands on Samichlaus Bier, raise a pint to St. Nicholas today for his generosity and the traditions of giving he inspired.

A Beer for the First Snow - Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale

We had our first snow fall of the season today. Nothing substantial, the ground covering didn't last the day, but it looked pretty none-the-less. In addition, the temperature is expected to be in the low 20's tonight. Seemed an apropos time to try out the Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale I picked up last week.

On two trips to the Denver area, I've driven past the brewpub in Idaho Springs but haven't been able to stop in. As a geology major I've always been fascinated by mines, and the brewery plays off of the mining history of the area. A "tommyknocker" is a Welsh mythical creature that knocks on the mine walls to warn miners of an impeding collapse. We've only recently been able to get Tommyknocker beers locally so I was certainly interested in trying some out.

I wasn't sure what to expect from an imperial brown ale. Imperial seems to be the new "buzz word" among brewers. The Imperial Nut Brown Ale was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Tommyknocker Brewery. It's described as "a bigger, bolder version" of their Maple Nut Brown Ale. I've had the Maple Nut Brown in the past and enjoyed the sweet maple syrup flavor.

I poured the beer into one of the new Sam Adams Boston Lager glasses. The beer pours dark brown, with some crimson showing through at the edges. A thick, light brown head rapidly dissipates. The aroma is malt, nuttiness, with maple coming through as it warms. The flavor is roasted malt, brown sugar, maple syrup. The taste isn't excessively sweet. The alcohol warmth comes through at the end. The maple syrup flavor isn’t as strong as I remember in the Maple Nut Brown Ale. This is a very drinkable beer, though it is high ABV at 9.8%. This was a good choice for this cold evening and I'll surely enjoy this Imperial Nut Brown Ale again.

BTW, as a followup to this post about the Sam Adams glasses, I've been using these glasses almost exclusively and have been enjoying them. The glasses feel very comfortable in the hand and make excellent all around beer glasses.