In Austria, bocks are normally available only around Christmas and Easter. On the day before I left Vienna, I spotted a double bock on the shelf at the grocery store and decided it was my destiny to give it a try. Urbock 23 is a doppelbock made by Schloss Eggenberg and is most well-known for its high alcoholic content of 9.6%ABV. In fact, the label on the back of the bottle describes the brew as "the Cognac of Beers." (Not to be confused with "the Champagne of Beers," which is something else entirely.) The Urbock 23 is surprisingly light and clear in color with a subtle creamy flavor. For a high alcohol content beer, it is incredibly smooth. For this aspect, it earns my highest rating yet, a 4.5. If you're not careful, you could down a a bottle too many and end up wondering where you left your pants. I've always been partial to Belgians, but after the Urbock 23, I'm going to start keeping my eye out for double bocks.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Urbock 23, Schloss Eggenberg, Austria
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Mission, 724 Huntington Ave, Mission Hill, Boston, MA
Pale Ale Guy was already waiting at the bar and we had our pick of seats. I picked a seat with no taps in front of it and sat down to look at the beer menu. Immediately I was surprised. They had a beer selection of over 80 beers broken out by style, a very impressive list for a place that is pretty small to be carrying such a supply of bottled and draught beers. I went with a Flashback Brown from Boulder Brewing and sat back to enjoy.
As I mentioned, the bar wasn’t overly crowded, but I’d have to say the bar service was top notch. The bartender was knowledgeable on all beers served, was able to make suggestions based on my whims for the afternoon, and allowed me some small samples of the draught beers I was thinking about ordering, as well as some samples of things the staff thought I might like. When you have bartenders like this, it makes for an easy afternoon and you can really put down the beer list and let the bartender take care of you. Since moving to Boston, I have found these kinds of interactions with bartenders rare. Typically you have to build a longstanding relationship with a bartender to earn the perks Pale Ale Guy and I were getting, but I have found that in beer bars you are more likely to have these situations, especially if you are willing to take risks, speak somewhat intelligently about beer, and not order some mass market popular beer.
My only negative thoughts about The Mission are, I wish they would list Brewer, ABV and size of beer on their beer menu and the fact our bartender ended their shift without closing out with us and receiving the benefit of our appreciation. Of course once the bartender closed out so did we, as we enforced Vegas rules, when you’re on a hot streak with a dealer, you close out when they do.
In summation, if you are in Boston and looking for a good beer bar, I would definitely suggest you swing by The Mission. They have trivia Sunday nights and seem to be quite busy on weekend nights. The food was good and if I were to rate my experience on the beer scale I'd give it easily a 4.5.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sierra Nevada: Torpedo Extra IPA
Monday, January 25, 2010
Starobrno Altbrünner Gold, Starobrno Brewery, Czech Republic
My latest beer remains something of a mystery. While in Vienna, I attempted to order a local Austrian beer on tap and ended up with the Starobrno Altbrünner Gold. The fact that the brewery's name appears to be missing a vowel should have been a signal that something was amiss. It turns out that the Starobrno Brewery is in the Czech Republic, not in Austria. Since the website is Czech, I have no idea what it says, although I do find the music chipper. According to Google Translate, the Altbrünner Gold is "A beer in the style of the Brno tradition. It's been around for several centuries a symbol of the Moravian brewing. A tasty beer, a light amber color and full, hopfigem taste." Hofpigem? I'd characterize this brew with its 5.0% ABV as a light lager. It was okay but a little on the bland side, so I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
840 Imperial IPA, Stone Coast Brewing, Portland, ME
This one is a bit of a mystery. At my local beer retailer, I noticed the Stone Coast Brewing Co. 840 Imperial IPA. I'd never heard of the brewery, even though they are relatively nearby in Portland, ME.
The beer is decent. Nice color, sort of brown-ish copper. There is a bit of sediment in the bottle, due to the secondary bottle conditioning that Stone Coast uses to raise the beer from an IPA to an IIPA. Tastes good too, with a heavy hop presence initially, followed by a slightly sour malt aftertaste.
Here's the strange part: Stone Coast apparently went out of business in 2008. Happens all the time, right? So why the heck did I find this beer in 2010? I guess that it is possible that another brewery bought the Stone Coast brand and recipes, but I can't find anything about it. I like to think that there is a beer distributor truck with Back to the Future capabilities, or something...
For a 2 year old beer, it was not bad. I have no idea if the apparent aging improved the beer or not, but at least it is a good story.
Rating = 3.0
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Echt Kriekenbier
Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Bad Köstritz, Germany
Thus far, my favortie of the German beers has been the Köstritzer Schwarzbier from the Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei (Köstritzer Black Beer Brewery- "schwarz" means "black" in German and the umlaut was added for toughness), one of the few German breweries known for its dark beers. Despite the appearance, schwarzbier does not taste anything like a stout- it's more like a dark Belgian, in that it looks heavy but tastes lighter than expected and feels refreshing rather than filling. The flavor is roasty and malty but very smooth and not at all overpowering. If you're looking for a German beer that's little fuller than your typical pils or helles, Köstritzer Schwarzbier is an excellent choice. So far, I've only had it on tap but I will try to sample the bottled version as well. 4.8% ABV and a solid 4.0 on the Eileen scale. May the schwarz be with you.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Augustiner Helles, Munich, Germnay
For my first Beer Crusade review, I deemed it appropriate to try one of Munich's most popular beers, the Augustiner Helles, straight from the tap. This light lager ("Hell" in German) is the top-selling variety from the Augustiner-Brau, a brewery in existence since 1328. The helles goes through double fermentation and like all beers from the region, is subject to the Bavarian Purity Law stipulating that the only ingrdients shall be grain, hops, and water. "He who knowingly violates these laws will be summarily fined!"
I found the Augustiner Helles to be light, mild, and inherently drinkable, which is a good thing considering it is typically served in one liter glass mugs. Its ABV is 5.2%, so a few too many mugs of Helles could earn you a visit to one of Oktoberfest's famed vomit troughs. I tend to prefer darker, more flavorful beers but something about drinking a giant mug of beer at 11:30am while surrounded by German men eating sausages scored the Augustiner Helles an extra half point in my book for a 3.5 rating.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Red Racer IPA, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Black Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
After Beer Crusade noted the lack of stout reviews, I decided to address the problem head on. Honestly, I'm glad that I did.
The Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is one of the best stouts that I've ever had. And they are quite serious about the blackness - this beer is totally dark, with no light coming through. This one pours into the glass like a cup of syrup. There is a very light aroma of bitter chocolate along with a whiff of alcohol.
The taste is terrific! Mildly bitter from the roasted malts, the flavor is mostly chocolate and coffee. There is a bit of heat from the alcohol, but not too bad. Brooklyn's website suggests that this beer would go well with chocolate desserts, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to try that combination. With an ABV of 10.1%, this beer is probably best described as "potent".
Rating = 4.0
Officially, this is an Imperial Stout, which is basically a stout with high ABV and strong malt flavors. This one fits the style very nicely.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Brooklyn: Brown Ale
Big Announcement Number 2
Now for the Big Announcement Number 2, formerly Big Announcement Number 1 before it was scooped by Eileen. You all may recall a little tournament in May 2008 called the Major Beers Sweet 16 Tournament (see links here and here). Well for 2010 we wanted to do something a little different, we’re talking a Beer World Cup. The 2010 Beer World Cup will pit 16 beers across several continents against each other for World Domination. Now we still are in the planning stages, but there will be some simple guidelines in place, like beers will have to be in similar styles and representative of that particular country. Of course as we know more we will pass along the details. Apparently Belgium is an early favorite. Please offer any beer suggestions you may have, as of right now, we are limiting the styles to lager/pale ale.
So keep an eye out for more information!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Big Announcement Number 1
O.K. yes Big Announcement Number 1, means that there will be Big Announcement Number 2 soon, but here goes, Beer Crusade has signed up it's first Foreign Beer Correspondent. Trusted drinker Eileen over at Divine Comedy of Errors has agreed to sample some wares on her 2 week European tour (you can read about her trip here) and send us in some reviews. It's a tough job, but we think she's up to the task. So please join us in welcoming Eileen to the Crusade.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Hefe-Weizen, Paulaner Brewing Co., Munich, Germany
Hefeweizen are unfiltered wheat beers, pouring the Paulaner into my glass I immediately noticed how cloudy the orange brown liquid was. This coloring was offset by a foamy rich head. I found the floral bouquet to be quite distracting and enhanced by the effervescence of the brew before me. The beer has a light banana wheat taste with a honeyish tinge. The beer finishes very dry and I find it to be unquenching. The 5.5% ABV is adequate.
I give the Paulaner a 3.0, pretty generous I might add as these beers are not my cup of tea.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Frye's Leap IPA, Sebago Brewing Co., Gorham, ME
We've reviewed Sebago Brewing Co. products on this site before, and last time they pulled in a middle-of-the-road 3.0. Apparently that was the high point.
The Frye's Leap IPA is apparently the flagship beer at Sebago. Normally, with an IPA, you'd expect a hit of hop aroma. Not in this beer. All of the hops are concentrated in the flavor, making it a bit bitter, though there are interesting flavors of citrus and sort-of pine. There is a lot of residue in the bottle, much like a homebrew, leading to a cloudy visual presentation. The ABV of 5.7% is not bad, but nothing special.
Let's just say, if you brewed this beer at home in a Mr. Beer kit, you'd be quite happy. And I don't mean that to be a compliment...
With a name like "Frye's Leap", you'd think that the label would have a cool story about jumping off of a rock into Sebago Lake. Maybe they could even talk about how that jump came to be known as Frye's Leap. The boys in Sebago's marketing department apparently disagree. I feel lucky that we even get a picture on the label.
Rating = 2.0
I knew that it was a bad sign when the most prominent thing on their website is a picture of the food at their restaurants, like chicken ceasar salad or a nice reuben.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sigh....Jumping the gun
Due to some mis-labeling of the Dogfish Head Red & White from Nov 24th, it has just come to my attention that today's post was my 100th review, not last week's Harpoon Winter Warmer. Oh well.
West Coast IPA, Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA
Taking the trip in Way Back machine here. In October 2007, I decided to take a trip to Coronado Island in San Diego. I had a free hotel room, courtesy of the wife, and great friends in the area so it was a no-brainer. On this trip I decided to try as many local brews as possible. My gracious co-hosts Erin and Ryan took me to a wonderful bar called the Yard House. So many beers on tap, and one of them was the West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Co. Why do you care about this? Well for one, my wife, Erin, Ryan, and the Yard House are all awesome. And two, this trip started the Beer Crusade. After getting back I emailed reviews of all the brews I tried and people convinced me I should start the blog, the rest they say is history. Of course, I procrastinated several months after the visit, let;s just say I needed months of convincing to start this thing.
The West Coast IPA uses several hops which combine to make a bitter, yet well balanced entry into the land of IPAs. Despite the confluence of hops, the beer does not come off as too hoppy, much in the same way it's 7% ABV is not too alcoholly in taste. The beer is caramel in coloring and pours with generous head. If you like your IPAs on the bitter side, but not too bitter, the West Coast IPA is for you. One final note on the Green Flash Brewery, on their employment page they suggest that they always can use some help on bottling days, for some reason this always made me think I could start my own brewery.
The West Coast IPA gets a 3.5.