Farmhouse Summer Ale - Flying Fish Brewing Co.

Farmhouse Summer Ale
Farmhouse Ale
Flying Fish Brewing Company
Cherry Hill, NJ

I'm hard at work finding a few seasonal beers I can hang my hat on. So far, I've been pretty successful. The few summer ales I've picked out have impressed me and I might be coming around to the idea of a lighter, crisper, beer than the brown-brews I usually stick with. Not sold yet, but still trying! Today, I'm checking out a really unique "antique beer" that's becoming popular again - the Farmhouse Ale.

I recently took a trip down the street to Cherry Hill, NJ and got a tour of the Flying Fish outfit. Largest of the handful of NJ breweries, Flying Fish is responsible for some really curious beers. Their currently releasing limited run beers for each exit on the New Jersey Turnpike - a novel idea that has yielded a few awesome beers already (I purchased exit 1 and 16 while there, expect them up here someday). These range from an Oyster Stout to a Wild Rice IPA!

Farmhouse Ale fits the bill of "Curious beers" to a T. This style was first brewed in Belgian and French Farmhouses by farmers for sustenance and durability. The history of the drink follows the history of the farmers that made them - too busy to make fancy beers, they made a drink with purpose, and it wasn't a distraction to their daily life or toil, dirt, and manual boring labor! It follows that there isn't a whole lot recorded about these beers. The flavors likely ranged depending on who was brewing it. For years it was considered an endangered beer, but now it is to beer enthusiasts what Leadbelly was to Nirvana fans in '93. It is reborn!

And for good reason. It tastes earthy, a little tart and hops on the way down. It's not as wheat-y to me as the Anchor Steam, but also left out the fruity flavors characteristic of summer brews I can't get on board with. It goes down quick and doesn't fill you up. Summer Ales, I'm realizing, are all about subtlety but this beer has enough of a kick to it make it notable and enjoyable. I'm sure the photo up there doesn't do it justice, but its got a real nice thick wheat-head to it too!

There is what appears to be a really in-depth book about this style of beer available. I read the first few pages, and I think it'll probably end up on my book shelf soon. What a neat history!

--Joe

Work Cited:
flyingfish.com
realbeer.com
http://www.amazon.com/Farmhouse-Ales-Culture-Craftsmanship-Tradition/dp/0937381845#reader_0937381845

Gonzo Imperial Porter - Flying Dog Brewery

Gonzo Imperial Porter
Imperial Porter
Flying Dog Brewery Company
Frederick, Maryland

A quick break from my Summer-ale sessions to tackle a horse of a completely different color. I got a random pack from a liquor store by my house, and I'll be knocking them out over the next few days. Good news for you!

Ah Porters, the dessert of the beer world. Chocolately, heavy, and high in alcohol content, this is a real treat after you've finished whatever you've been doing. Porter was believed to have first been just a combination of the three types of ales served in pubs - pale ale, brown ale, and "stale" ale. Today's Porters are a bit more complex than that, thankfully! It tops my list in beer-types, but I don't think I've ever had more than two in one sitting - these are big flavorful drinks that are not session brews.

Flying Dog is a brewery that closely alligns itself with this beer's namesake - Hunter S. Thompson. The art of their bottles is created by Gonzo artist Ralph Steadman and is definitely a unique part of this brewery's line. Available in 45 states, Flying Dog is likely available wherever you are - and with a bunch of awards under there belt, probably a good pick up!

This beer has a lot of taste and is bold character. It tastes rich - like a chocolate layer cake with raisins, and topped with gooey caramel served in a room full of hop-aroma. It's a great example of how well great Hops can work along with great Malts... this beer has the best of both worlds. With 7.8 ABV, alcohol is a flavor, but it fits in with everything else going on. I couldn't bang these out - I don't know if I'd be able to handle a second after the first, but that's fine by me!

Gonzo Imperial Porter makes me wish it was colder out - I could use a drink like this when there is snow on the ground and no place to go. I don't know much about Hunter S. Thompson or else I'd write about how this beer is just like him, but if it truly does reflect his personality ... that guy was tasty!

--Joe

Work Cited:

http://www.flyingdogales.com/Beer-Specialty-Gonzo.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_%28beer%29
http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=180680

Anchor Summer Beer - Anchor Brewing Company

Anchor Summer Beer
American Wheat Beer
Anchor Brewing Company
San Francisco, CA

As I type this, I'm in my boxers trying to keep cool. An obnoxiously premature July-spell popped up in May, and it's be around 85-90 for a day or two. Here inside my sauna, I've been presented a great opportunity to enjoy a new summer beer in the appropriate context.

Wheat beers are a strange breed of brew. Almost every wheat beer I've ever experienced has been a version of a German Wheat beer, which typically are flowery tasting, like Hoegaarden. According to the Hoegaarden site, actual dried orange peels and coriander are used in the brewing process to give it the flavor explosion that has typically turned me off. Substituting hops in favor of malts, in my opinion, leaves a lot of room to experiment with the flavor of the beer - but why fix that which is not broken?

Ah San Francisco, home of the 49ers, Golden Gate Bridge, and the incredible car chase from "Bullit." I've never made it to the West Coast, but Anchor Brewing would be on my list of stops if I ever do. Anchor Steam didn't wow me at first sip, but after reading about the company, I'm intrigued. They have been around since forever ago and have a real appreciation for the tradition and craft of beer making. All eight brews in their line start with a malt-mash.

This particular drink claims to be the FIRST American Wheat Beer in Modern times. Having been first brewed and Bottled in the summer of 1984, it is a recipe that is just about as young as I am.

Leaving the flowers out, Anchor Brewing has created a summer drink that speaks to ME! It's light, clean tasting, and crisp. The initial taste is full, with just a hint of citrus and honey. A little tart on the way down, the aftertaste is earthy and almost ... biscuit-y? It it lacks in strength it makes up for in freshness.

I could kill a 6'er of these happily and easily. First off, its really hot here, and the beer is cold. But more importantly it doesn't really upset my tastes. The flavor is so agreeable and understated that you could kick back a few with out noticing how many are going down. Probably in my top five wheat beers I've had, which isn't really saying much. But still!

--Joe

(As per request)
Work Cited:
anchorbrewing.com
hoegaarden.com

Aprihop - Dogfish Head

Aprihop
India Pale Ale (f. Apricots)
Dogfish Head
Milton, DE

2 posts in 2 days! 2 seasonal brews! And a 2nd post on Dogfish Head! What a coincidence. The double entendre in the name of this beer - A brew made with real apricots, and released around April. It's a warm weather drink for sure.

Apricots have been used in all sorts of styles and fashions since before anyone could ever remember. Some estimates say Apricots reach further back than 3000BC! Alexander the Great brought them to Greece, Egyptians dried them and turned them into sweet drinks, and Dogfish Head puts them in beer. While I might not see eye-to-eye with the apricot, its fair to say that I can respect all of its wonderful accomplishments.

I don't think I have ever eaten an apricot before, outside of one that I mistaken pulled out of a bag of trail mix while hiking in 7th grade. Popping what I thought was an oddly shaped huge cashew into my mouth left a gross impression that kept me away from Apricots for a while. (Full disclosure - I though it was a dead larva.) I've always had a hard time picking out fruit at a grocery and since I'm too afraid to ask for help, I have stayed away from fruits that aren't apples and bananas.

In my mind, beer with fruit has a negative connotation - Corona and Blue Moon never did it for me. It seems like a bad excuse to make a boring beer more interesting - like a guy who wears novelty t-shirts to parties. I'd rather just have a good tasting beer.

If I can point to a single beer that defies that notion, its this. Aprihop is surprisingly fun! The bitterness and sweetness play off each other really well. The smell and first taste is almost all hops - business as usual for Dogfish Head. But as the taste lingers, the fruitiness starts to take over. The aftertaste leaves me with what I can only equate to sweet Banana Breath. The flavor sticks around for a while, and it's so good that I don't think of my unfortunate past! This is a classic case where more is better - a concept that DfH has down. Hops and 'Cots are pushed to the max in this brew.

Something I'm starting to learn about seasonal brews - I don't think they have staying power for me. Its probably best this is served in a 4-pack. I don't know if I could spend a long night with this beer, but it is a real treat to throw into the mix!

Summerfest - Sierra Nevada

Summerfest
Pilsner-style Lager
Sierra Nevada
Chico, CA

Sorry for the delay folks, but I've been out and about in search of more beer to try and tell you about. I've stocked up the fridge, and I'm going to hopefully get to a few over the next few days. Right now, we've got a heaping helping of in-your-face seasonal action.

Sierra Nevada is another one of my favorites. I think their Porter is one of the best beers available on the planet, and their Pale Ale has become a stand by in my fridge. I'm glad to see it is showing up on more and more beer lists in bars and pubs around me that typically only have your standard Bud/Coors/Miller faire.

Pilsners are brewed and fermented in cold temperatures. It's a crisp tasting, clear, and straw-colored. There isn't all that much difference between a Pilsner and "American Lager" - except what ingredients are used (Rice like in Bud).

Its probably fair to guess that most people started out on a variety of Pils - stuff you sneaked from the nearest adult's fridge. This particular drink reminds me a lot of my first beer - it tastes like what I thought all beer tastes like.

A seasonal beer calls for a seasonal anaolgy:

On a perfect summer day, there isn't a whole lot going on. It's hot and you don't want to move around much. You'll mow the lawn, because you have to, and you'll smell like grass for a while. Then you'll call up some friends, who are also not doing much, meet up by a pool, and do nothing together until it gets dark. And that's just fine. That pretty much sums up what I think of this beer.

This particular drink stays true to its namesake. The taste is subtle, a little flowery and spicy, but nothing crazy. It's all about the after taste here, hoppy and like a summer evening - full of reflection on a day that rolled by just slow enough. Nothing outstanding, but nothing awful. At 5% ABV, I could kick back a few of these and watch the day go by with no problem.

In a word it's... nice.

Not a fan of the style, it's not very bold tasting, and I can see why this isn't a Fall beer. Good for a BBQ, and keeping cool in the heat. I don't love it, but I like it enough.

Palo Santo Marron - Dogfish Head

Palo Santo Marron
Brown Ale
Dogfish Head
Milton, DE

I don't live far from DE so fortunately for me, I have an opportunity to try out a lot, if not all, of Dogfish Head. Dogfish Head is the reason I started actually tasting beer, not just drinking to get crazy. It still makes me crazy sometimes, and at 12% ABV, Palo Santo Marron gets me feeling warm after the first few sips.

Palo Santo (Spanish for "holy wood") is a type of wood that according to the tale on the bottle, comes from Paraguay. It is one of the hardest woods available on the planet. Outside of brewing in Milton, its also used for cricket bails, police clubs, mortar and pestles and even as an insulator for wiring in the San Francisco Street car system (Thanks wikipedia!). It also is a fragrant wood which adds to the complex flavor of this ale.

I credit my understanding of what I'd call "Malt Beverages" to my college experience. They were what you got when you were partying econo - cheap, big, high in alcohol, and awful to taste. The classification of a "Malt Beverage" is really just an indication of high alcohol content usually created by adding an ingredient to the brewing process to boost ABV. As I'm sure you can imagine, Dogfish Head did not create their own 40 guzzler with this.

I should probably talk about the taste, but I'm finding that describing beer flavors can be boring. It is more similar to the Scotch Ale I had recently than it is to a lager, so I don't want to sound too redundant. It comes in strong, and like the bottle says there is definitely vanilla and caramel going on. It leaves a little tart and a little smokey and maybe even salty, like a good Port wine. If you drink it too fast, besides having a lot of fun, you might also get a sticky ring around your mouth.

Dogfish Head wants you to know about this beer, and in order to do so, they posted a really incredible series of youtube video's where they describe it a lot better than I ever could (though I was still set on trying!) Find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWNo2oKNmTU


--Joe

Dirty Bastard - Founders Brewing

Dirty Bastard
Scotch Style Ale
Founders Brewing
Grand Rapids Michigan

Scotch Ale's, much like the folks that drink them, are not to be messed with. This has serious taste, and packs a wallop at 8.5% ABV. Scotch Ales by nature are potent, a trait which has more to do with history than process. Back when your granddad was a kid, Scotch Ale was a beer that needed to keep well.

The alcoholic drink we know as "Scotch," by definition, is created using no grain other than barley. It follows then that Scotch Ales are given the title due to flavor, presenting themselves barley-y over hoppy. 1800's Scotland was not conducive to growing hops, so barley played a stronger role in flavor.

The packaging is unique - lets face it, its nice to live in a world where you can go out in public and buy something that so freely uses the word "Bastard". Under the script "Dirty Bastard" there's a Scotsman grinnin' something fierce! I got a six pack for around $11 - affordable for the legs this beer gives you. Don't confuse this with Stone's Arrogant Bastard, (a beer I also love, and sometime soon I'll tell you all about it) as they have very different tastes.

Founders was started by two college kids in the 90's who decided to put down the skate board and Sonic Youth albums and get busy. They've done well for themselves, and now I can find their beer in Jersey. Way to go guys! (http://www.foundersbrewing.com/foundersnew/beer/)

This beer is a lot of fun - like a smokey carnival. It's got a red-brown tint to it, and its very, very sweet - burnt caramel for lack of a more innovative description. There is a lurking hoppy taste to this that doesn't disrupt. I don't know if you have ever had a beer and said you were upset by how hoppy a Scotch Ale tasted, but I don't think you run that risk here. If you aren't expecting it, the first sip or two will make you think about what you are drinking. Alcohol isn't a prominent flavor, and but kind of plays with the other sensations in your mouth. The after taste is enjoyable and not surprisingly similar to a swig of JB, but with out the burning or regret. If you've ever had an extended evening with a bottle of scotch, you know what I mean. If you haven't - DON'T!

This is like a tub of Ben and Jerry's - filling, textural, and delicious. Also, it's great beer for sharing with friends - just twelve ounces of this stuff goes a long way. But the trip is worth it.

--Joe