Old Dominion Spring Buck

Spring Buck Blonde Ale is the latest release from Old Dominion Brewery in Ashburn, VA. Though the bottles of Old Dominion's Spring release tout a new name and design, and the beer a new recipe, the six-pack carrier they are packaged in bears the "Spring Brew" name and logo from previous years. Since the brewery promotes this as a Spring beer, as with the Tröegs Nugget Nectar mentioned previously, I'll go ahead and claim this is an early harbinger of the approaching Spring. The release party for this brew was held at the brewery on January 9, which also is the bottling date stamped on the bottles I picked up today.

The Old Dominion web site describes Spring Buck as a "full-flavored Blonde Ale has a crisp spiced finish with hints of chamomile and orange." Spring Buck pours a bright amber-gold color with a white head that drops rapidly leaving a ring, but little lacing. The beer is very effervescent, with a never-ending stream of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. The aroma is honey, with some faint hints of pepper, clove and banana. There's a slight yeastiness noted as well. The flavor is predominately honey, orange, and a typical Belgian spice flavor palette. The mouthfeel is moderately thick with a creamy feeling, though the visible carbonation isn't felt in the mouth. The aftertaste leaves a lingering but light pepper bite. A Belgian Blond Ale, Old Dominion Spring Buck weighs in at 7.5% ABV.

I totally missed Old Dominion's Winter 2007 release, so I jumped on this one as soon as I saw it. That it showed up in the grocery store so quickly must be a result of Anheuser-Busch becoming the master distributor for Old Dominion in 2007. Old Dominion Spring Buck Blonde Ale is a nice example of the style. There's nothing extreme about it, and given the recent success of Belgian-style beers from the large macro-breweries, this one could be a hit with consumers as well.

Bangkok Boulevard, a Fredericksburg Beer Destination

I've mentioned Bangkok Boulevard in the past, they are one of the hosts of the FABTS gatherings, and a great destination for craft beer in the area. On Saturday afternoon Colleen and I stopped in for a quick beer and a snack while we were our running errands. Bangkok Boulevard sports a beer menu of around 150 bottled beers, including large selections from Belgium, England and Germany. There are a few draft selections as well, but it's the bottle listing that draws beer lovers in. The restaurant also has a large selection of glassware and beers are served in the proper glass. It's apparent the management understands and appreciates craft beer.

As the name suggests this is a Thai restaurant. On this visit we were sticking with appetizers. We ordered the Lamb Ping which is grilled lamb on skewers served with a spicy country style hot sauce, and the Kanom Jeeb, steamed pork and crabmeat dumplings with sweet Thai soy sauce. Sitting at the bar one can view the shelves of bottles on display which is easier than scanning the printed menu in my opinion. Colleen paired the food with a Morland Old Speckled Hen. I had decided on Belhaven Scottish Ale, but our server had pulled out a Monkman's Slaughter Ale while going through the beer cooler and I was intrigued by the name, so I opted for that instead.

Monkman's Slaughter Ale is an Extra Special/Strong Bitter. I've started to be intrigued by English Ales after reading a few Michael Jackson books. The beer pours a copper brown with a thin head. The aroma is sweet malt with some apple fruitiness in the background. The taste is bitter hops over a sweet malt backbone. There’s a distinct tartness to this as well. It was mildly shocking at first but after a few sips I rather liked it. I was curious about the tartness, but after reading the reviews on BeerAdvocate, it seems to be par for this ale. The mouthfeel is thin with slight carbonation. My pint went down easily and quickly.

The appetizers were delicious. In fact we spent some time debating whether to have more, or to go ahead and order more beer and stay for dinner. We've had dinner here in the past and the food is excellent. We didn't stay this time, but we'll be back. If you're looking for good food and an impressive beer selection in Fredericksburg, Bangkok Boulevard is the place to go.

Update: Bangkok Boulevard closed in March 2008.

This Day in History - Canned Beer

On January 24, 1935 the first canned beer was offered for sale. From this article at the History Channel web site:

Canned beer makes its debut on this day in 1935. In partnership with the American Can Company, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company delivered 2,000 cans of Krueger's Finest Beer and Krueger's Cream Ale to faithful Krueger drinkers in Richmond, Virginia. Ninety-one percent of the drinkers approved of the canned beer, driving Krueger to give the green light to further production.

By the late 19th century, cans were instrumental in the mass distribution of foodstuffs, but it wasn't until 1909 that the American Can Company made its first attempt to can beer. This was unsuccessful, and the American Can Company would have to wait for the end of Prohibition in the United States before it tried again. Finally in 1933, after two years of research, American Can developed a can that was pressurized and had a special coating to prevent the fizzy beer from chemically reacting with the tin.

For nearly 70 years, canned beer in America remained the province of the macro-breweries. Then in 2002 Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado became the first U.S. craft brewery to brew and can its own beer. The rest, as they say is history. More and more craft brewers are putting their beer in cans. Other craft breweries offering at least some of their beers in cans include Sly Fox Brewing, Surly Brewing, Ska Brewing and New England Brewing. And craft beer drinkers are realizing the benefits of cans as well. Cans keep the beer fresher longer, they are more economical to transport, and they can be taken places where glass containers often are forbidden, such as beaches and parks. Of course, whenever practical the beer should still be poured into proper glassware for consumption.

For more reading see the complete History Channel article. Lew Bryson's "You Can Can Craft Beer" article has more on the history of canned craft beer.

Update, Jan 25: According to this article in the DCist, all 29 beers offered at The Red Derby in Washington, DC are canned, craft beers included.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

After a few nights in the lower 20's, the time is right for another Baltic-style Porter. Previous cool evenings have found us enjoying Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter and Victory Baltic Thunder. This evening I opted for the Gonzo Imperial Porter from Flying Dog Brewery, recently of Maryland.

The beer pours opaque black with a thick dark tan head. The head slowly fades to leave plenty of lacing on the sides of the glass. A strong aroma of dark chocolate initially hits the nose, followed by coffee and light citrus hops. Do I detect a bit of smokiness as well? The flavors are as complex as the aroma with heavy roasted malts, chocolate and expresso flavors coming through. All this is followed by a kick of citrus hoppiness that hangs on through the finish. This comes from dry hopping with Cascade hops. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, with some sticky sweetness that is not unexpected. At 9.5% ABV, this is one to savor patiently.

Gonzo Imperial Porter is part of the brewery's Canis Major series. I discussed another member of the pack, the Double Dog Pale Ale here. A bottle of their Horn Dog Barley Wine is waiting in my refrigerator, and the brewery plans to add a fourth brew, Kerberos Tripel to the mix this year. If the first two members of this pack are any indication, the next two won't disappoint.

RateBeer Best - 2008

The 2008 RateBeer Best awards have been posted:

As it has been for the last 7 years, RateBeer Best was again the largest beer competition in the world -- over 1.4 million reviews of 76,000 beers from over 8000 brewers worldwide were tallied. A particular emphasis was placed on tastings from the last year's performance. Additionally, brewpubs, bottle shops, restaurants and bars around the world were awarded prizes. Cheers to all the winners and to everyone who keeps the magical world of craft beer growing!

The RateBeer rating scale is based less on strict syle guidelines and more on beer enjoyment. The scoring guidlelines ask the rater to quantify how much they enjoyed all the beer's elements combined as a sensory experience. Was this a standout beer? Were expectations met? Did the beer go well with food? Would they recommend this to a friend? This isn't about how well the beer conformed to its style definition -- it's about a measurement of the rater's own appreciation. While this might irk those used to more strict guidelines, it does make for an interesting and enjoyable rating experience. A beer's scores reflect the fun part of enjoying a beer. And everyone's input counts, so any beer lover can have a say.

From the RateBeer FAQ:

Q. Should I rate a beer to style as a beer judge would?
A. In short, no. While RateBeer encourages its members to learn as much as they can about beer and beer styles, RateBeer uses a Hedonic Scale to judge a beer according to how much it pleases the nose, eyes and tongue.

and ...

This is the way we like our beer. We don't want it to conform to a mold, we want it to challenge us, intrigue us, surprise us, thrill us, dominate us, introduce us to new ideas... Simply put, we recognize great beer regardless of definitions. So please, learn about classic styles, learn about beer history, learn about the great brewers but when you rate put style aside and tell us how GOOD the beer is.

In addition to beer ratings by styles, brewers and geography, the RateBeer results also provide rankings on the best beer bars, brewpubs, retailers and restaurants. So, open up your favorite beer and spend some time to perusing the results, it's an interesting read. And, for you impatient readers, the Best Overall Beer as rated by RateBeer members is Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout.

Victory Baltic Thunder

Baltic Thunder is the newest release from Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA. The official release of this beer was January 5th so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to get hold of some in Fredericksburg so quickly. I do enjoy a good Baltic Porter and have been looking forward to trying this new one from Victory. Its release had been much anticipated on beer forums and blogs. The Baltic Thunder recipe is derived from Perkuno's Hammer from the now defunct Heavyweight Brewing. I never had the opportunity to taste Perkuno's Hammer but it seemed to have an almost mythical reputation and was well-received at BeerAdvocate and RateBeer.

Of course, it's always exciting to try a new beer release. Victory beers have never disappointed and this was no exception. From the 22 oz. bottle, Baltic Thunder pours a mahogany-brown color that is translucent at the edges. A large bubbled, beige head forms and then fades to a thin ring. The aroma is of chocolate and molasses and is somewhat reserved. The taste is chocolate and roasted malt with some lingering sweetness and molasses. The mouthfeel is light and pleasant, though a bit thinner than I had expected. At 8.5% ABV, the alcohol level is well-masked. I didn't detect any alcohol burn.

Baltic Thunder is a blend of several brewing batches that were lagered for different periods of time. You can find more of the story here and here. I suspect the long lagering contributed to the smoothness and drinkability. This is certainly a very smooth beer without any bitterness. Due to the frequent, pre-release association with Perkuno's Hammer, I suspect some enthusiasts may be expecting something different. I'm sure my expectations were influenced, despite never having tried the original. My impression from reading reviews of Perkuno's Hammer is that is was likely more robust, with a more roasted, less sweet flavor.

I understand that Baltic Thunder will be a year-round release from Victory. The smoothness and drinkability should appeal to a wide range of drinkers. I can predict that we'll be enjoying it again.

Tröegs Nugget Nectar, the Slide Into Spring

Yes, we're only a month into Winter, and we had 3 inches of snow yesterday, but Tröegs Nugget Nectar hit my favorite beer store today. I tend to associate this particular nectar with Spring. Matt let us know this afternoon that it was in stock, and I stopped by for my first batch a short while later.

I was going to try and write my impression of this hoppy brew, but it turns out Lew Bryson over at the Seen Through a Glass blog had just posted his impression:

Mostly, it's hoppier than blazes. It's like grapefruit pith, it's piney, it's...okay, it's got a kind of cat's piss smell that's weirdly appealing. I can't believe I'm going to leave that in, but I am, because it's true. The amazing thing about this beer -- one amazing thing about this beer is how the bitterness doesn't hook into your tongue and linger forever: it's like wasabi, it hits WHAM and you stagger a bit, and it's gone. Which means it's time for another swallow, another mouth-squeezing taste, a blast of lupulin freshness -- hmmm, the cat's piss is gone -- and that's the other amazing thing about this beer: it's bitter, it's jam-packed with flavor, it's ... gone. Way too drinkable, which ain't a bad thing, just something you have to keep your eye on.

Well, that pretty much sums it up. I won't even try to top such eloquence. Read the entire post here. Then, stop reading about it, and go pick some up for yourself!

This would need to be served extremely cold

A-B takes Clamato Cheladas national is the news over at the RealBeer.com blog:

Anheuser-Busch has taken its Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada national.

The name Chelada is a shortened form of the Spanish word michelada which loosely translates to “my cold beer.”

A-B successfully tested the products in several markets, following the heals of the spectacular success of Miller Chill. The drinks blend Bud and Bud Light with Clamato Tomato Cocktail, made by Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB).

A press release suggests, “best enjoy Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada, gently rotate the chilled can once before pouring. Then, serve cold, or pour over ice, into a traditional goblet-style glass and garnish with a slice of lime or celery stalk. Salting the rim of the glass or adding a dash of hot sauce to the beer allows adults to further customize Chelada. The beers also pair well with traditional Latino dishes such as ceviche, chicken enchiladas and tamales.”

BA's are impressed by neither Budweiser Chelada nor Bud Light Chelada. I'm not a wholesale Anheuser-Busch basher, I'm thankful when I can get a Redhook when all the other selections are "lite" beers, but this is too weird. (Although it obviously sells.)

Update: I came acrosss this post by Lew Bryson. Lew tasted the Bud Light Chelada and had this to say: "Not the kind of thing I'd have often, at all, but with a brunch, or the right meal, or for an early beer (or instead of a Bloody Mary if I wanted something lighter), yeah, this would be okay."

Hmm, I think it's the clam juice I'm having trouble with. In a white sauce over pasta, sure, but in beer?