396. de Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere and 12: Huckleberry Wheat

And the decadence continues. The Brooklyn Flea is right around the corner from Adam and Jenn’s place. After perusing the spoils of basements from all over the greater NYC area, we dined on lobster rolls, wood-fired pizzas, and buffalo jerky. Jenn also went with the grilled cheese. Oh, and I can’t forget the porchetta sandwich. Must remember that.

After our self-inflicted food comas, we retired a while to recuperate. And since I had brought along several deuce-deuces of my fine homebrew products to sample (after all, who doesn’t travel with beer?), we decided to pull out the Huckleberry Honey Wheat beer I brewed a little over 2 ½ years ago. Ah, aged beer. It’s been over a year since I sampled any of this batch, and that year has been very very good to this beer. Let’s just say that I’m sad this beer is on the verge of extinction. Crisp, tart, dry, and the oxidation that has developed works well with the huckleberry flavors. I need to remember to score myself some more of that huckleberry honey next time I am out west. Scoring pounds of fresh huckleberries is gonna a tad more difficult...

12: Huckleberry Honey Wheat
Mini-mash:
8 oz. Rahr 2-row Pale
4 oz. Durst wheat
8 oz. Dingeman’s Biscuit
8 oz. Weyerman Pale
8 oz. Maris Otter

Mashed @ 150° F for 45 minutes
Sparged with 1 gallon of 170° F water

Added fluid to brew kettle, brought to a boil (60 minute) and added:
4 lbs. Alexander Wheat Malt
2 ¼ lbs. Huckleberry Honey
8 oz. Belgian candy
1 oz. German Hallertau pellet

w/10 min. to go:
1 oz. German Hallertau pellet
1 tsp. Irish Moss

Cooled wort, racked to bucket, and pitched Wyeast 3942 Belgian Wheat

Brewed: 9/28/2007
Secondary w/fruit: 10/6/2007; added 3 lbs. frozen and crushed huckleberries
Secondary: 10/26/07; @ 1.009
Bottled: 11/04/2007

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.008

Saison d’Erpe-Mere...

So if all of this wasn’t enough, we headed off to Prime Meats in Brooklyn for dinner. Nothing like a dozen oysters, steak tartare, and a wild mushroom risotto. Plus, they had de Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere on tap. That’ll round out dinner just about perfect. Dee-licious. Oh, and Brouwerij de Glazen Toren is in Erpe-Mere, Belgium. Belgium is to saison like beer is to tasty. Saison d’Erpe-Mere has a spicy bubble-gum ester nose. While it was delicious across the board, I recall the nose. That, and I’m still not taking notes. Suck it up and deal.

From the Brouwerij de Glazen Toren website: “Bitter in the nose like citrus, dry and sweet bitter in the mouth, long gradually spreading bitter aftertaste.”

ABV: 6.9%

The wild kingdom took a hit today, what with all the various creatures we ate. Alas, my hedonistic run is about to be closed.

And where o’ where is the fish-ball man? My visit to Clinton Hill is not complete without your delicious repast, oh fish-ball man...

(7/31/2010)

395. Ommegang Zuur and Brooklyn Kats

Today’s wandering tour of New York with Adam included a stop at the New Museum to see the Brion Gysin: Dream Machine exhibition (which was phenomenal), lunch at Katz’s Delicatessen, a quick matinee of Exit Through the Gift Shop, meeting up with Jenn, Stephen, and Stacy at d.b.a. for some beer sampling, and finally dinner at a restaurant whose name currently escapes me. So much culture, so little time...

We had our first beer of the day at Katz’s Delicatessen; listed as Katz’s Ale, it is made by Brooklyn Brewing. So pretty much a good call right of the bat. While the server didn’t know exactly what kind of beer it was, the easy money bet would be an American Brown. Whatever it was, it went perfect with the hot pastrami sandwich.

Adam in the background...

After a brief respite to take in Exit Through the Gift Shop—which, might I add, is a fantastic film—we wandered over to d.b.a. to meet up with Jenn as well as Stephen and Stacy, some more graduate school friends who have ended up in the greater NYC area. While I sampled the Pretty Things Baby Tree, and it was delicious, a quad on a warm afternoon doesn’t sit so well. Plus, the Ommegang Zuur was hard to resist—I mean, come on. Ommegang AND sour? Hot-diggety dog. I also got to try the Blaugies Saison D’Epeautre again, this time on tap, but I didn’t want to rub it in.

Ah, the big board.

I couldn’t find any descriptions of Brooklyn Katz’s Ale on the website, although I did find these pearls of wisdom from a drunk and surly Adam Goldfarb.

From Stan Hieronymus’s Brew Like a Monk website: “The Brewery Ommegang sour beer mentioned in the previous post now has a name: Ommegang Zuur. Larry Bennett, the minister of propaganda, provides some details about the beer brewed in collaboration with Liefmans in Belgium: ‘It’s a blended Flemish Sour brown. It’s a blend of two Liefmans beers: Oud Bruin, which is open fermented and then aged 6-8 months, and Liefmans Cuvee Brut, a new, fairly dry, kriek-style beer coming from Liefmans. The Cuvee Brut begins with Oud Bruin, then sits on cherries and is aged for a year. It’s then blended with more Oud Bruin and Goudenband.’”

Go Banksy!

(7/30/2010)

394. Sixpoint Righteous Rye and Sweet Action

A nice mellow vacation would fit the bill

So I’ll just be chillin’ in good ol’ Clinton Hill...

Tonight’s escapades include something of a mini Sixpoint marathon. Adam took me down to the Brooklyn Public House for dinner, and lo and behold: lots ’o Sixpoint on tap. Color me served. With beer. Both were delicious. But I’m still not taking notes. You’ll have to beg better than that, my pretties. I did find all y’all some nice descriptions from the internet, however.

From an interview with Shane Welch: “Righteous Ale – a unique style all its own. This beer is made with a significant proportion or rye malt, which lends a distinct sharpness. I ferment it with a blend of yeast – the Belgian Dubbel yeast and our IPA yeast – which adds an extra dimension of complexity. A small contribution of chocolate rye lends a distinct nuttiness. The second beer by Sixpoint to receive a cult following. 8.4% ABV, 64 IBU.”

From the same interview: “Sweet Action – a hard one to describe, simply because it doesn’t fit into any particular style. It’s made with Pilsner and Pale Malts, but is hopped with only noble hops. It’s fermented with a Belgian yeast that provides a dry spiciness. Look for a unique orange taste underneath it all. 6.9% ABV, 33 IBU.”

The ABV listings are all over the map for these two beers, so I’ll leave it at that. Plus, Sixpoint is soon to be launching a Mad Scientists Series. Word!

(7/29/2010)

393. St. Feuillien/Green Flash Bière de L’Amitié

Ah, the collabo. Seems like everyone is doing it nowadays. Which is a good thing—spread that beer knowledge and share that beer experience. And with Green Flash willing to head east and cross the pond to Belgium to visit St. Feuillien, the world just got a whole lot more interesting. Because while the domestic collabo is good, the international collabo is all things to all people. And yes, you can quote me on that. We’ve previously tried beer from both breweries: from St. Feuillien we’ve tried the Saison and the Belgian Abbey Ale, while with Green Flash we’ve had Hop Head Red Ale.

Bière de L’Amitié pours a lightly hazy bright gold—we can see through it, but there is some slight cloudiness. The head is white and mousse-y, and laces the glass rather well. The nose has bubblegum (Bazooka Joe, to be specific) and creaminess, along with spicy phenols that are lightly clove-like and spicy. Which is just a fancy way of saying that it smells very Belgian. Bière de L’Amitié starts slightly sweet in a candy-like way with some juicy flavor coupled with fruity esters and spicy phenol flavors across the back of the tongue. The middle dries out on the palate, and has a fair amount of bitterness, especially in relation to the drop in sweetness. There is a slight touch of alcohol warmth in the turn to the finish that sits on the tongue, further drying out the beer on the palate, although the beer does finish a slight creaminess in both the flavor and mouthfeel. As well, there is a bit of lingering dryness and bitterness on the tongue after the creamy finish passes, leaving a pleasant and lightly fruity taste. The carbonation is bright and effervescent, helping to dry out the beer, while the body is pretty light—while there is some alcohol warmth, the body is far lighter than your normal 9.5% ABV beer. In fact, while the label refers to this as a “blond Belgian collaboration ale,” it does have some saison characteristics to it, specifically with the dry body and mouthfeel coupled with some of the aromatics. The complexity and nuance of this beer made for a great drinking experience—Bière de L’Amitié is a study in subtlety and enjoyment. I wish we could find some more of this so that we could both enjoy more of it in the short run, and throw a couple of bottles in the basement to see how it ages. It should go without saying (although I’m still gonna say it) that this beer is a Top 10 best contender for the year. So delicious.

From the bottle: “St. Feuillien’s centuries old brewing traditions combine with Green Flash Brewing Company’s cutting edge brewing techniques to form our first collaboration brew: Bière de L’Amitié (Friendship Brew). A blond Belgian collaboration ale, brewed with St. Feuillien’s traditional yeast and spices. For a modern twist, we add rye malt, wheat malt, and American Amarillo hops. At the crossroads of collaboration, we dry-hopped the brew for more zest. It’s old-world Belgian Abbey-style meets new-world American craft brewing—and a friendship is formed.”

From the Green Flash website: “During a recent twelve day Great Belgium Beer Tour, brewer’s from Green Flash Brewing Co. of San Diego County, California and Brasserie St. Feuillien of Le Roeulx, Belgium teamed up to produce the first-ever collaboration ale between American and Belgian family-owned breweries. The beer will be called Bière De L’Amitié, or Friendship Brew, and will be released in the United States in June 2010.”

ABV: 9.5%
Brew Date: March 9, 2010

(7/28/2010)

392. Sixpoint Signal

Since I like to pretend I’m a jet-setting trendsetter, this Tuesday found me flying to Brooklyn (well La Guardia, actually) to harass my friends Adam and Jenn. While Brooklyn means many things to many people, to me it spells good food and good drink. And not necessarily in that order. Adam and my initial wanderings post-airport pickup led us to some afternoon barhopping, including a stop at the Pacific Standard, a delightful bar with a stellar line-up of options (see also here). My choice was Sixpoint Signal from Sixpoint Craft Ales, which is located in Brooklyn, NY (don’t worry, there’ll be more from them soon). As for my notes on the beer, I didn’t take any. Let’s just say the beer was good. I did steal one of the bar menus, so I’ve included their description of the beer below. Sorry, but it’s called a vacation for a reason.

From the Pacific Standard bar menu: “Signal, a very-limited edition beer that was brewed in honor of New York City’s official Good Beer Month, and debuted at the Meatopia BBQ, is a light, fruity beer that’s good summer drinking, with just a faint note of smoke that helps it to go with barbecued meats. Get it while you can, because it won’t be around much longer. ABV unknown, probably low.”

I found this variously listed as an APA and an American IPA. Anyone want to help out here?

(7/27/2010)

391. Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ IPA

Ah, the dog days of summer. And nothing cures the woes of summer heat like a scrumptious IPA—a Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ IPA. We found this on tap at South Park Tavern. Will miracles ever end? Not as long as South Park is serving beer, I tell you. Previously on what we’re drinking, we’ve sampled Wilco Tango Foxtrot, New Dogtown, Little Sumpin’ Extra Ale, IPA, as well as the awesomeness that is (or was) El Chupalupalo from Lagunitas. That makes six. Don’t let it go to your head.

Little Sumpin’ IPA came served in a blank pint glass, the kind no one covets. It was a clear gold with a white thin head. The nose was a mix of caramel malt sweetness and resin, pine, and citrus hop aromas. Or, in more basic terms, it smelled yummy. The front started with sweet caramel flavor, moving quickly into both hoppiness, with resin, pine and citrus dominating (Simcoe?), and hop bitterness as well. After the hop flavor assault, the finish was mainly made up of lingering bitterness, specifically of the kind left by a bad break up—there was no brief taste of sweetness to offer a mild palliative, just straight rancorous bitterness. Little Sumpin’ IPA had a medium body and a creamy sweet mouthfeel (well, until the finish). The caramel-y and hoppy flavors make this beer a classic example of an American IPA and a delicious beer in general. I want my summer back, dammit!

(7/26/2010)

390. Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #32 Pott’s Landbier

More Harpoon and more 100 Barrel Series. We’re chalking up Harpoon beers like we were writing up one of those big boards that hang in restaurants—you know, the ones where everything is written in chalk? Anyway, this is beer number nine from Harpoon, the most recent in a long line of beers including including 100 Barrel Series #31 Single Hop ESB, 100 Barrel Series #30 Island Creek Oyster Stout, 100 Barrel Series #28 Glacier ’09 Wet Hop, 100 Barrel Series #27 Helles Blond Bock, Octoberfest, Leviathan Saison Royale, 100 Barrel Series #24 Glacier ’08 Wet Hop and their IPA.

Pott’s Landbier (as opposed to the reciprocal Pott’s Fieldbier) pours a clear amber with light tiny bubbles in the glass and a creamy ivory head. The nose is grainy and fruity with possibly some melanoidin—it is very reminiscent of an Oktoberfest beer, which it may be, although it doesn’t say anything about that in the bottle (well, unless “amber-hued lager” equals Oktoberfest—either that, or a bock). Flavors start lightly sweet and grainy, with caramel and biscuit malt flavors dancing lightly in the background. The middle has less sweetness and more biscuit than the front with some fruitiness and bitterness that runs on into the finish, which is characterized by a light graininess and bitterness, couple with a touch of creaminess and some classic German-esque lager flavor (we’d call it patented German lager flavor, but the patent rights have expired). The body is medium with a grainy and dry mouthfeel—it is slightly tacky on the palate, although there is a fair amount of a residual malt component to it. Carbonation is light, but brighter on the palate in the final third, creating a crispness in the finish. Pott’s Landbier is marked by the malt characteristics; while the label notes the “spicy hop character,” this strikes us as much more malty that hoppy—there is a bit of bitterness, but no real spiciness, at least nothing more than a regular German-style lager would have. Which is, by proxy, pretty minimal. Nonetheless, Pott’s Landbier is a smooth, easy drinking beer.

From the bottle: “A collaboration with our friends at Pott’s Braueri in Oelde, Germany, this amber-hued lager has a smooth body and spicy hop character.”

From the Harpoon website: “This beer, the 32nd in the series, has was inspired by our friend Joerg Pott of Pott’s Brauerei in Oelde, Germany. Pott’s master brewer, Peter Wienstroer, collaborated with Harpoon’s Todd Charboneau to brew this beer. The origins of this beer go back to 2003 when a group of German brewers, including Rainer and Joerg Pott of Pott’s Brauerei, took a tour of American breweries that included Harpoon. A few years later in 2007 Joerg joined the Harpoon staff for the summer months to learn more about American craft beer. During Joerg’s 3-month tenure at Harpoon, the idea of brewing a beer together was mentioned often, but the timing never quite seemed to work out–until now. Pott’s Landbier, or ‘country beer,’ is a traditional session lager with a decidedly malty backbone made up of a blend of German and North American malts. The smooth malt character is tempered by the German bittering hop Magnum, which lends a clean, crisp balance. This beer is finished with more German hops for a spicy herbal palate and aroma. Fermented with Pott’s proprietary lager yeast–and imbued with over 240 years of German brewing tradition–this is just the beer to quench your summer thirst.”

ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 30
OG: 12° P

Brewed: 5/18/10

Bottled: 6/14/10

(7/25/2010)