Beer In Review: Clearing the Backlog

I'm sorry. I've been remiss in my beer posting (I think that's why Jim doesn't come round anymore). With all that happened in 2008 and my limited time for blogging, writing about beer took a back seat. I kept my notes however. So I'm going to get caught up with this post. And, I plan on writing about beer (and something else to be announced soon) once a month.

Now, that might normally be a problem as my favorite liquor store really hasn't been coming up with anything new that I've been dying to try. Considering that I've done 41 beer reviews, not including the sampling I did at Beer Festivals, that might not come as a surprise. But my wonderful wife got me a subscription to a beer-of-the-month style club for Christmas! While it isn't a true monthly subscription (that's ok), I will be getting a variety 12-pack once every 3 or 4 months (not sure just yet). Fortunately for me (maybe not so much for you readers) it's all going to be porters and stouts, my two favorite styles of beer.

Without further ado, let's review.....

The first one up is a smoked porter from the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company of Pleasantville, NY. It was generously donated to a party we held here by a friend. We didn't get to drink it that night so I got to save it for a proper tasting later on. Three of us split the growler bottle (64 oz) one evening.

It had a reasonable head that was tinted dark. The beer itself was black. Not dark brown. Black. It had a roasted malt aroma, but it wasn't too strong. I expected it to have a strong taste but it didn't. It was a little on the robust side. Obviously, the roasted malt was prominent, but that smoky character and chocolate overtones were there too. The website talks about "licorice and dark fruit" but I didn't taste any. I'm not sure any of us did. What we all noticed was the dry aftertaste. After polishing off the growler we had to switch to water because we all had acute dry mouth.

This was a beer I wanted to like. It's a porter after all. But not all porters work for me. Unfortunately, this is another one of those, though I would say that maybe if the recipe is tweaked it could be better.
* * *At the 2008 Connecticut Craft Brewers Festival, I scored a bottle of Bluepoint's Blueberry Ale to bring home. When the weather warmed up, I decided to give it a shot. Good head on an amber body. Blueberry bouquet. A mild, unassuming beer with a clean finish. The website says that it's brewed with 132 lbs of blueberries. Yummy. This is a fruit flavored beer that isn't fruity. Good for summertime BBQ's. 4.3% ABV.
* * *Another fruit-flavored beer is Spanish Peaks Brewing Company's Honey Raspberry Ale. On the pour, the head starts out decent but soon fades. It has a light amber color but, amazingly enough, no bouquet to speak of. It's light bodied (the website says medium) with a crisp raspberry flavor, but the fruit doesn't overwhelm. Hops are used sparingly. Another good summer beer (though Bluepoint is better), if you can get past the weak head. 4.7% ABV.
* * *Skip this one, Mike. Rather that put out an Oktoberfest beer in the Fall like everyone else, the folks at Smuttynose put out a Pumpkin Ale instead. According to their website, the recipe goes back to colonial times. Brewers were looking for a cheaper domestic replacement for the high cost of imported malt. Squash and "pompions," better known as pumpkins, were tried out with some success.

On the pour, the beer presents a medium head atop a cloudy, apricot colored ale. The bouquet has a spicy, pumpkin character. A fair amount of hops runs hand-in-hand with some kind of spice (nutmeg?) and the pumpkin. The finish is clean, a snip on the tongue. I think this is a good beer. It's different. It certainly won't be confused with "fruity" beers. 5.6% ABV.
* * *Back when I tried out Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Mike raved about the Brooklyn Brewery's Oktoberfest. I got to it this year and it is indeed good.

Faithful to the traditional Marzen style, you'll get that lager aroma when you raise your glass to your lips. An ample head rides atop an amber body. It a full bodied beer with a complex mix of malt and hops that feels balanced. Ok, the hops dominate but the malt doesn't slouch. The website states that they used two types of Hallertauer hops which is as authentic as you can get. The malts are Bavarian too. Anyway, the beer finishes clean. Quite enjoyable. 5.5% ABV.

I bought some of the Sam Adams Oktoberfest too to compare it against Brooklyn. Although my original evaluation of Sammy's version holds up, I feel that Brooklyn is slightly better. I think it's because of the finish.
* * *Last, but not least, is Harpoon's Leviathan Baltic Porter. The Leviathan series is a run of specialty beers that is an "exploration in brewing big beers for adventurous palates." And it is that. There's a good amount of head and it sits on a rich brown body. Holding a pint glass up to the light will reveal faint ruby hues that are typical, but not always present, in the style. As you raise your glass, the roasted malt aroma rises to the surface. It gives your tongue a crisp bite then drowns your tongue in roasted malt with some chocolate to smooth out the rough spots. Hops go along for the ride to make sure your tongue knows who's boss. But the concoction won't kill you like those high hopped IPA's. There's a strong finish, brought to you by the 9.5% ABV, but it's a good finish. I admit my tolerance isn't what it used to be. I had a buzz under way after I finished one of these. If you think you're up to it, I'd recommend going for a swim with one of these, though they come in 4 packs.

And now I'm caught up. :)

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