Merry Maine-mas! Also, beer ME.

After quick trip home, G and I hightailed it to Maine to celebrate Christmas with his fiance's family. In sum, it was absolutely wonderful, brimming with family flimflam, holiday merriment, entirely too much food (M's lasagna, S's grilled yams, Christmas cookies and chocolates galore), and snow...

SNOW! And lots of it (especially during yesterday's mini-blizzard). Which made me extremely happy, since well, you can take the girl out of the East Coast, but you can't fully take the East Coast out of the girl...

Amidst the awesomosity that was my visit with my brother, M, and her extended family, beyond the totally rad lobster claw headband I got in my stocking, was the beer - oh yes, apparently the other Portland can deliver too. This was very much helped by the fact that D, M's mom, is a hoppy beer fan as well, so many a good IPAs were had over the course of my visit.

First, I tried Gritty McDuff's Christmas Ale, which is a seasonal favorite from the Portland-based brew pub. At 6.2% ABV and 28.5 IBUs (???!?!!), on paper, I should have hated Gritty's Christmas Ale; with IBUs like that, it may as well be beer-flavored water. But somehow, in some way, this brew definitely tickled my fancy. Beer Advocate's description helps me understand why I could like such a low IBU brew: "Our Christmas Ale is a robust E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter) full of holiday cheer. Christmas Ale has a lovely, dark red/amber color and a rich, full-bodied, malty taste with a slightly roasted undertone. We brew our Christmas Ale to an original gravity of 1064 (about 6.2% alcohol by volume) using only the finest English Pale and Crystal Malts, with a touch of Roasted Barley as well. A blend of Clusters, Styrian Goldings, Saaz and Yakima Goldings leaf hops round out this hearty brew." Props to Gritty's!

Speaking of Gritty's, G and I hit up one of its downtown Portland locations yesterday afternoon, enjoying a tasty cup o' chowdah and brewskis. This is where I sampled Maine's Best IPA, which is another concoction from Mr. McDuff. At 6.8% ABV and 60 IBUs, you'd think I'd prefer the state's superlative IPA over the - gasp - Christmas Ale. Well, it turns out that Maine beers really shouldn't be judged by their covers (unless they're blueberry beers - more on this in a moment, oy). Maine's Best IPA was fine and perfectly drinkable, but like many things that are fine, it wasn't anything worth writing home about. Still, it was a great pint to enjoy with G...

...after frolicking a bit in the snow and finishing up some post-Christmas Christmas shopping (50% off ornaments from Stonewall Kitchen, what what), we headed over to the Shipyard Brewing Company. G wasn't sure if there were tastings (or any beer available beyond what could be purchased at the beer shop), but lo and behold, upon arriving, the Shipyard Beer Guy announced that there would be a tasting out back in two minutes. The F-kids for the win.

We were led to a back-bar which featured an assortment of Shipyard brews on tap. The Shipyard Beer Guy walked us through the various beers, ranging from some kind of apple-infused beer that thought it was pretty damn cool (its tap had aviators) to a bourbon-brew that G loved and I hated. The worst: Smashed Blueberry, which tasted like what I imagine one of my oddly smelly childhood Cupcake Dolls would taste like if you melted her down into a beer. The Mint Chocolate Stout also was a really strange concoction, tasting as if beer, mouthwash, and mediocre chocolate had been blended all together. Given the former two ingredients, perhaps Ke$ha would have liked it (aka when she wanted to give brushing her teeth with Jack a break).

Shipyard nevertheless prevailed with three awesome brews, in the following order:
(3) Prelude 
(6.7% ABV, 45 IBUs, more stats here)
As Shipyard's winter seasonal ale, Prelude was pretty solid. It was a little heavier than I typically prefer my beers, and perhaps a bit more caramel-ly than I'd usually go for. Nonetheless, its flavor was complex enough to keep my tastebuds entertained, and if you tend to like darker beers with a bit o' hops included (and you're brimming with Maine pride this winter), this could be your brew.

(2) Black IPA
(6.2% ABV, 60 IBUs, more stats here)
Featuring a Captain Sparrow-esque pirate (with beard dreads topped off with sparking dynamite?) on its label, this beer tries to look pretty hardcore - or hopcore? - and it performs fairly well. It's dark, as suggested by the name, but it also has enough hops to make a hophead like me pretty happy. It's got some other interesting undertones (vanilla? coffee? who knows?), which makes the Black IPA a little more adventurous than your traditional IPA...yarrrr.

(1) Monkey Fist IPA,
(6.9% ABV, 74 IBUs, more stats here)
With this one, beer ME (get it - beer Maine (ME)?) anytime. Monkey Fist delivers a jaunty punch of hops alongside a nice, tart grapefruit-y base. If you didn't know better, perhaps you'd even think this hopfest originated from the other Portland, of Beer Nirvana country...woohoo, well done Monkey Fist!

It was pretty tough to say goodbye to G and M, but luckily I know I'll see them soon(ish). Hopefully I'll get the chance to see them before the wedding in August 2014, but at least for now, I've got a pretty swell stockpile of memories, laughs, and stories to keep me going until then. Merry Maine-mas and here's to the almost New Year!

Cheers,
N

Heading home to Heady Topper

Heady Topper.

This increasingly sought-after - and widely heralded - brew has caused all kind of brouhaha (or shall I say...brewhaha? HA HA!) for its small hometown of Waterbury, Vermont. After BeerAdvocate rated Heady Topper as the world's best beer (supplanting long-time favorites Pliny the Younger and Elder from Russian River), its popularity has absolutely exploded. The Alchemist Brewery recently closed its retail operations in order to appease its residential neighbors, who have apparently disliked the "rowdy beer lovers" stampeding Waterbury in pursuit of the fairly rare Heady Topper. People have been busted for trying to sell the beer on Craigslist, a move that sounds fairly ridiculous (sure) but perhaps more accurately reflects the pure demand and the lengths people will go for the illustrious Heady Topper.

Guess whose dad somehow got a four-pack of the good stuff from his ski patrol friends - and who kept that four-pack until his daughter came home for the holidays.

In sum, it was pretty spectacular. It was certainly hoppy (it's a double IPA after all), but not in an overly aggressive manner. You can tell that The Alchemist was thoughtful in producing the Heady Topper, deliberately considering how to balance out heavy hops without sacrificing the beer's delightful bitter undertones with too much sugar or additives. It's a bit citrus-y, but not like you're sucking on a lemon - it's just an additional component of the beer that makes tasting it even more fun. 

I think I still prefer Pliny the Elder - it's been too long - and some of the other PNW brewskis that aren't as highly lauded (Stone's Enjoy By series are stellar, and they're "only" ranked 53rd by BeerAdvocate), but it's quite exciting to see an East Coast brewery go head-to-head with reigning West Coast hop champions. Well done The Alchemist, and most importantly, well done Dad.

Cheers!

N

Sister Christian, oh the time has come

Oh. My.

This beer - The Sister Imperial IPA by Fremont Brewing - is the brew equivalent of a Night Ranger concert (plus Foreigner and Journey).* Translation = epic.

I had the great pleasure of my first Sister sampling on Friday night, as K and I met up with M and L at Fremont Brewery after work. The Sister had the delightful hops punch I love - apparently about a billion IBUs - without being heavy at all. There's been a lot of winter ales circulating around these parts, which is fine and dandy, but they're just not quite my jam. The Sister, however - oh my.

*This I've also sampled, one delightful October night in 2011 with MM. If I had to choose between that concert and The Sister Imperial IPA, well, I'd be facing one hell of a pickle.

Is there any chance that Fremont Brewery would fill up my growler with Sister - perhaps as a Christmas miracle? If you'd like, I can even leave out milk and cookies...and I can make some pretty fantastic cookies. What do you think?

Cheers,
N

It's the hop, hoppiest time of the year!

Yep, Merry Christmas 2013. It's gonna be - and it already is - pretty grand.

You know what else is grand? HOPPY BEERS! And lot's of them. Hurrah!

Last Sunday, we had the first meeting of the Hopheads Unite over Beer (HUB) Club. A, MH1, MH2, and K came over and tried almost all of the beers from my November Half Time delivery. In sum, the beers weren't as hoppy as I hoped they would be (granted, the highest IBU count was 82), but the company was stellar and I discovered a few new brews of interest.

Of the nine we tried for HUB Club, we went in the order of ascending IBUs so we wouldn't automatically ruin tasting the lower IBU brews. We skipped a couple so we could ensure that everyone could try one of the highest IBUers (I'll star those, since, well clearly I tried them later). And here go!

1) Snapperhead IPA, Butternuts Beer and Ale

(6.8% ABV, IBUs unknown, more stats here)

Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of this "IPA" (or more aptly: water beer with a dash of hops). Notes indicate "IPA Bud Light" and "good for drinking games." Oh well, you can't win them all.

2) Southampton IPA, Southampton Publick House

(6.5%, 40 IBUs, more stats here)

Well, just in case we weren't sure before: it's confirmed. I don't like low IBU IPAs. They're kind of silly, like MC Hammer Pants.  Notes say "slightly hoppier than [Snapperhead] but still fairly watery."

3) Hopside Down, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

(6.7%, 50 IBUs, more stats here)

As the first brew I recognized in the line-up, this Oregon biddy was an interesting one. Notes reveal that it was "again light, but tickles the tongue with some fun hops." There was a bit of a woody aftertaste, perhaps pine. It wasn't my favorite, but at least it was more interesting...and as MH1 so eloquently quoted, "[I'm] sensing a pine tree in my mouth."

4) Big Daddy IPA, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

(6.5% ABV, 55 IBUs, more stats here)

Oh Big Daddy. You'll always have a fond place in my heart, as I seemed to get you whenever I went to Mojo Bicycle Cafe (a favorite neighborhood haunt near my old place in SF that had EPIC chicken and avocado sandwiches...and don't get me started on their pop-up burger nights. Hmmm). Maybe it was being in SF (and thus I was viewing everything with a hop-tinted glasses), but I thought I remembered Big Daddy being...bigger. Or perhaps they served Double Daddy instead, and I'm simply remembering it all wrong. One fun note: "vanilla aftertaste?" Intriguing.

5) Southern Hops'pitality, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co.

(6% ABV, 60 IBUs, more stats here)

So I had high hop(es) for this one. The witty name. The pretty bottle. Unfortunately, the cover misrepresented this book, as it had a distinct bad white wine taste. Like bad cheap white wine - oy. MH1 was a bit more kind, indicating that she thought it "wasn't bad enough to send back, but maybe you'd kind of want to." That my friends, is hospitality.

6) Back in Black, 21st Amendment Brewery

(6.8% ABV, 65 IBUs, more stats here)

"Coffee-y, darker, cozy, and lovely" - and MH2 took the can home as a souvenir. This is when I started to get excited, as we were officially out of the < 65 IBU realm...

7) Centennial IPA, Founders Brewing Co.

(7.2% ABV, 65 IBUs, more stats here) 

...ok, maybe I needed to wait a beat more. This beer was fine and "easy to drink, but [it wasn't] anything to write home about."

8) Lake Placid IPA, Lake Placid Craft Brewing Co.

(6.8% ABV, 67 IBUs, more stats here)

The red Adirondack chair. Childhood memories of visiting Lake Placid with the family and going to eat at the Black Bear Restaurant. Trying to race my brother down a paved hill on roller blades, falling hard, and ultimately bruising my tailbone - which then made watching James and the Giant Peach that night really uncomfortable. Anyway. This IPA was smooth, but as A observed, there was "a bit of a bitter aftertaste."

9) Avery IPA, Avery Brewing Co.*

(6.5% ABV, 69 IBUs, more stats here)

Just go for the Dugana instead. It's far better and more enjoyable. The Sixgill used to carry it, and I believe Wallingford's fabulous Bottleworks may now.

10) Islander IPA, Coronado Brewing Co.*

(7% ABV, 75 IBUs, more stats here)

Again, there are just better options from Coronado. Idiot IPA, Hoppy Daze...in sum, opt out if you're an actual hophead.

11) Timber Beast, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co.

(9% ABV, 80 IBUs, more stats here)

FINALLY! A brew suitable for a hops beast. Notes exclaim "YES!! Delightful!" The HUB Club's unofficial winner! (well, ha, at least for me - others may think differently)

12) Hop Notch, Uinta Brewing Co.*

(7.3%, 82 IBUs, more stats here)

OH MY. Hopfreakingtastic. I need to find more of this wonderment. Oh wait, Uinta has a wonderful little beer search engine...Murphy's Pub, I'll see you soon!

And of course, now that I've finally finished writing about the November Half Time beers, the December ones are on their way. What a bummer...ha.

Cheers!
N