Keeping it local for the 7th Beer on our Xmas Countdown.

Brewery: Two Roads Brewing Co
Style: Biere de Garde
Abv: 7.3%
Website: www.tworoadsbrewing.com
Twitter: @2RoadsBrewing

People ask me all the time about beer.  IPAs, Stouts, Porters, Scotch Ales, Pale Ales, Saisons...

The question is, have you ever heard of a style: Bière de Garde?

Thaaaat's what I thought.  Sit down, let's discuss.

Another style that is under-appreciated in my book is Bière de Garde or as Wikipedia translates, "Beer for Keeping".  Originating from the Northern region of France, this beer was brewed in the Winter and Spring months to avoid any issues with the yeasts in the Summertime.  The beer would be brewed, bottled and "kept" only to be enjoy later that year.

Keeping with the local theme, we head to Stratford, CT  to visit the Two Roads Brewery.  About a year or so ago, they opened their doors to potential contract brewers in addition to crafting beers of their own.  They originally came out with 4 year-round releases that would appeal to the masses.  A pilsner, saison, an ipa and a double ipa.  They've also experimented with a few seasonal releases.  Doppelbock, Maibock, Rye Imperial Stout, Pumpkin Ale, Black Ale, and most recently... the Holiday Ale, which is a Bière de Garde, or as they refer to it... a "Biere de Noel".

I poured this beer in my Oxbox snifter glass.  Amber color with red hues glowed throughout.  White/light tan pillowy, frothy head rested on top.

Sweet malty smells rose out of the glass... there's a very slight hint of caramel.

The taste... pretty on point with what I'm getting on the nose.  More of the malty sweetness comes through.  Notes of honey and biscuit.  Light and toasty as well.

Medium bodied, slight cinnamon on the finish.  It also coats the inside of your mouth a bit, leaving a sweet spicy taste.

This is a very safe beer... wait, let me rephrase... this is a very safe style.  If you're the type of person that doesn't like IPAs or heavy stouts... If you're the kind of person that just wants a Sam Adams Winter Lager and be done with it... then this might be a good beer to try.  It's a very sneaky 7.3%, mild spiciness, a little on the sweeter side, but again, not a barleywine "I'm going to get a cavity" sweet.

I have to be honest though.  Personally... I don't think I'm a big fan of the style.  When I go for a HOLIDAY beer... I want a bold coffee stout, a creamy porter, a hoppy ipa, a spicy winter warmer, or a boozy scotch ale/strong ale.  I want something that is going to make me go - Wow.  This beer... it's good.  But it doesn't make me go - Wow.  but not everyone is like me, either.  I think it's definitely got a place at your holiday table.  You could pair this with a lot of things - I had it with some toffee candies and that seemed to work real well!

You won't find this offering in 6pk... so head to your 22oz bomber aisle.  And you won't break the bank on this either... I bought mine for around $6.

Kicking off the 2nd week... Beer411 Style.  Your dice, KayTee.

No Easy Way to Open Noel

Gouden Carolus Noel
Brouwerij Het Anker
Belgium

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | 10% ABV
@BreweryHetAnker

The first thing that I want to talk about is opening the bottle.
This was a two-man job -- A two man, pair of pliers, screwdriver and hand gripper kind of job.

Halfway through the struggle the cork started to tear, and I thought - we are going to lose a lot of good liquid tonight… but finally she gave way, and then due to our mighty strength, my boyfriend and I continued to speak like Arnold Schwarzenegger during the remainder of the tasting. I am pretty sure we were both perspiring… so if you want to continue to read this post in the voice of the Terminator, feel free…

This is some airtight beer. The brewers obviously know their stuff and how to keep it SUPAH fresh. They’ve been at this game since 1471. (!!!)

Since 1471 the Beguine sisters baked bread, brewed beer, grew vegetables or nursed the ill. That same year, Charles the Bold granted the beguine sisters of Mechelen the permission to brew beer for their private use, completely free of duties and excise taxes. Four years earlier, in 1467 no less than 900 Beguines welcomed Charles the Bold during his visit to Mechelen. For more than three centuries, until 1865, they brewed their beer traditionally. They’ve been perfecting their craft ever since …

The Christmas beer, Goulden Carolus Noel took a 38 year hiatus somewhere in the middle and was restored in 2002. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Three kinds of hops and six different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer.

So now that we’ve stopped breathing heavy, let’s taste this suckah’

To the glass: Hazy red / amber brown, very small beige head that dissipated quickly. Particles are floating around in the effervescent bubbles.

To the nose: Oak, cranberries, apple, molasses, ‘cigar’ tobacco, and alcohol

To the tongue: Medium bodied mouth-feel with a fizzy start and a chewy finish. Strong boozy champagne flavor, chocolate, red apples. There’s definitely a battle between sweet and tart going on for sure. The finish is dried fruit, raisons and then creeps in the alcohol. It’s a little numbing on the back of the tongue as well. (What are we drinking?)

Initially I didn’t like it. But like any good blogger, I kept drinking it. And like any good craft beer lover, my appreciation grew. I am still glad that split the 16 oz bottle with my BF, I wouldn’t want to drink this all night. I would definitely keep tasting more Belgians though. It’s always good to keep an open mind.

Pairing this would be tough.
My boyfriend said a cigar for sure. I am thinking cheese course; a plate with tart, sharp cheeses, dates, figs and nuts. That would really go well with this pint.

Tony – what’s your take on Belgians?

On the 9th Beer of Xmas, Lagunitas Shows Consistency is Key

POP QUIZ!!!  List the first 5 breweries that come to mind.... Ready? GO!!!

............???

......Come on, what are you waiting for??

Yes, yes, I know you're here to read Beer411 certified suggestions that Katie and I might have for the holiday season, but it's time to see if you've been paying attention.  And no MACRO BREWERIES!!  Now, spill it... whacha got??

Uh-huh...  

Ok, that's a good one.... 

Yup.... 

ok, ok.... 

See!  There you go... you HAVE been paying attention!!

Alright... Every person reading this will probably come up with their own 5 breweries that instantly come to mind.  Popular ones like... Sam Adams.  Dogfish.  Sierra Nevada.  Anchor.  Stone.  Widmer.  Oskar Blues.  Shipyard.  Well, if one of the places you mentioned was LAGUNITAS, then bravo... you HAVE done your homework.  If you didn't, then allow me to introduce you.

Beer411 Readers, Lagunitas... Lagunitas, our Beer411 Readers.

Now that we are all acquainted, let me tell you why you NEED to know these guys out in California.

In the craft beer world, consistency is key.  I'm not saying that you have to conform to what people like to drink all the time whether you like it or not.  NO!! Try all sorts of ingredients in beer, crazy yeast, different malt bills, coriander, belgian sugars, honey, etc.  The CONSISTENCY that I'm referring to is quality.  Simply put:  MAKE. GOOD. BEER.  This is why Lagunitas should be apart of your short list of beers.  Need a hop bomb IPA, try their Hop Stoopid.  Looking for something a little more drinkable?  Fire up their DogTown Pale Ale.  Maybe you need Sumpin WILD like a Belgian IPA, then you need to have a Little Sumpin Sumpin Wild.  They cover a lot of different styles, and they're all pretty top notch.  Their 2013 Winter offering, The Hairy Eyeball Ale... is no different.  Chalk up another win for the peeps at Lagunitas.

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Style: American Strong Ale

Abv: 9.4%

Website: lagunitas.com

My friends Ian and Jim offered up their sophisticated palettes along with my own to determine what we thought of this beer.

As I poured this into my class... I was pleasantly surprised to see how clear this beer poured.  You could see right through the copper color.  Medium carbonation.  Since I gave the beer a slightly aggressive pour, I found myself with about two fingers of light tan/khaki head.

Do you smell that...?  I watched a short video on the Lagunitas website... they claimed that this is one of the maltiest beer in their collection, and boy do you get that on the nose.  Whaffs of toffee, brown sugar, sweetness.  Very inviting.

Flavorcountry... This is delicious. When I saw that this was categorized as a strong ale, I was concerned that the bitterness would be over the top.  Don't get me wrong, I love beers like Stone Arrogant Bastard, but this is a blog for the people, especially during the 12 Beers of Xmas Countdown.   But fear not readers, this Lagunitas offering has a solid malt backbone and hardly any bitterness on the finish.  Think "boozy werther's original".

Overall... I would easily buy this beer again.  At a hefty 9.4%, it's a great beer to buy and split with a few friends.  It'll get you warmed up on a frosty evening and THEN you can move onto your usual Sam Winter Lager or Harpoon Winter Warmer.  Yes, we all know the usual winter offerings, so switch it up a bit and impress your friends.  Lagunitas has great distribution on the East Coast so perhaps they've been at your local packy all along and you've simply just overlooked them.

Pairings, pairings, pairings... We had a great time with this beer as we labored over a game of Settlers of Canan.  However, if you fail to have this game nearby... then dive into this beer with some candied walnuts or perhaps some chestnuts roasting on an open fire.  If you don't have either of those, simply look for a dessert that isn't overly sweet... let Lagunitas do the work.

Pour me another, Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top

Evil Twin Brewing
Imperial Biscotti Break Natale Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top
Denmark (and Brooklyn, NY)

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial Stout |11.50% ABV

eviltwin.dk
@EvilTwinBrewing

About Evil Twin Brewing
The brewer, a Dane who recently relocated to Brooklyn, Jarnit-Bjergsø, clearly enjoys what he does and how he does it. Evil Twin beers are currently exploding all over the U.S. and beyond, being brewed everywhere from South Carolina and Scotland to Holland and Fanø, an island off the southwestern shore of Denmark. Last year he brewed about 20 different beers. Warning: love what you are drinking? Better stock up. It’s the reputation of Jarnit-Bjergsø and his dynamic and creative mind, that regardless of how well received those 20 beers are, he is unlikely reproduce many of them the same way. He likes to keep things fresh.

I had heard good things about his recipes and brilliance so I was excited to see a 22 oz. big boy of this brew staring me in the face at the store. The guy who rang me up also raved about it, so despite the price tag being $16, I knew I made a good choice. Research is priceless after all! Also, I never met a stout I didn’t like.

The pour: This brew pours dark black like soot; no light what so ever is coming through. A thin brown foam forms on top with light lacing on the sides of the glass.

The nose: Immediately wafts of almond followed by dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla bean, cherry cola and oak.

The taste: full bodied mouth-feel, coats your tongue from front to back. Lots of chocolate and espresso right away, really tasty – sweet, roasted malts, then a vanilla biscotti, hazelnut pop. The finish is the cherry on top all the way, which gets a little more sour as you continue to drink, but it’s not overwhelming. A really nice balance of spice, flavor and alcohol here – careful this is an 11% abv brew!

Pairings: This might be my inner Italian talking, or maybe just obvious due to the name, but I am thinking Italian cookies all the way, especially anything with an almond, amoretti or anise flavor; biscotti (obviously), pignoli cookies, pizzelles, cannoli -- For dinner? I am thinking roast beef, steak, or maybe a cocoa rubbed pork loin.

I am getting hungry …
Buon Natale!

On the 11th Beer of Xmas, my #CTBeer CANnection

They say your tastes change every 7 years.  This is obviously referring to food.  Well, I'm under the impression that beer follows a similar pattern.  Although, I don't think it takes a whole 7 years for you to turn the corner on a particular beer or beer style.  For example, my friend Jim used to despise IPAs.  Yuck.  Now, I find him telling ME about the latest and greatest Double or even TRIPLE IPAs that have landed on the shelves.  I find that I'm going through a similar experience with sour beers.  A year or so ago, I was introduced to sours.  They tasted like someone took a handful of Cry Babies (do they even make those anymore!?), blended them up, and poured them in a glass.  But now?  I ALMOST find myself gravitating to the next sour that hits the market.  Believe me, I still have a long way to go, but it's interesting how what you once overlooked, are now what you seek out.

I LOVE IPAs.  My cousin Katie will be the first one to tell you that.  Dogfish 60, 90, 120... Lagunitas Hop Stoopid... Green Flash Palette Wrecker... bring on the hops.  But like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, your tastes change.  Don't get me wrong, I still love me some IPA... but I almost find myself moving towards new styles.  And after I had the Back East Porter about a month ago, I can honestly say that this beer has opened my eyes AND my tastebuds to this particular style.  So just this once, put aside the IPAs, the heavy stouts, the boozy strong ales... and cozy up with my Winter Season go-to.

Brewery: Back East Brewery (Bloomfield, CT)
Style: Porter
Abv: 6.0%
Website: http://backeastbrewing.com/

I'm not sure how wide the distribution runs on this tasty guy, but if you are in CT, you shouldn't have too much of a problem finding it.  A 6 pack of cans will run you about $8-9.  Very affordable.  Local.  And who doesn't love to support the little guy.

On the pour:  Dark brown shading, with a good amount of carbonation.  If you poured this next to a Coke I don't know if you'd be able to tell the difference.  Lots of bubbles.  Tan, pillowy head - even with my fancy Sam Adams glass, I barely had enough room to pour the entire can.

On the nose:  More Cola notes. Mild hints of bakers chocolate with a little bit of vanilla sweetness.

The Taste: A nice sweetness comes out at first.  Not overly Milk Stout sweet, though.  Very balanced.  I'm also getting a smooth roasty, malty mouthfeel.  There's even a bit of hop bitterness on the end.

Finish: It's not all that heavy which I like about this beer.  Stouts have their place, but the light, drinkability of this Porter is inviting.  I'm not saying it's "thin" - it's very, drinkable.  In the great debate of Stouts versus Porters, most people will say that Porters tend to be the lighter one of the two.

I know the spice of Katie's Winter Warmer was fighting with the chocolate chip cookies she was eating, but think those WOULD go well with this.  ACTUALLY... Scratch that.  I'd like to see how this beer plays with a spicy chili.  One of my FAVORITE local spots, Smokin With Chris, makes a crazy good chili.  I'd love to see how those flavors interact with each other.  Spicy, sweet, malty... an interesting combination indeed.

Also worth noting... this beer was a 2012 GIBF Gold Medal Winner!!

Hopping into the Holiday Season with Hoppin’ Frog’s Christmas Ale

Happy holidays everyone! We hope you are all enjoying the winter season, wrapping up Hanukah or trimming the tree … oh and of course making those super fun resolution lists ☺

Beer411’s highly anticipated countdown – “The 12 Beers of Christmas” kicks off now! It’s our annual lineup of back-to-back posts to lead craft brew lovers through the month of December, helping you to navigate the seasonal beer aisle, broaden your selection of winter cheer and as always, guide you to drink good beer!

Our first pick: Hoppin’ Frog Christmas Ale
Why was it chosen? Because (a) I had never heard of Hoppin’ Frog brewery and (b) it has an adorable looking Kermit on the bottle wearing a Santa hat.

Hoppin’ Frog, Akron, Ohio
Winter Warmer

ABV: 8.6%
 | IBU: 12

hoppinfrog.com
@hoppinfrog

About the brewery:
Hoppin’ Frog Brewery is a small, hands-on brewery in Akron, Ohio that has been in business for seven years. It’s the brainchild of owner and established brewmaster Fred Karm, who has designed and produced 21 award-winning beers. The brewery now distributes its suds in 18 states and 15 foreign countries.

Hoppin’ Frog describes this pint as:
The essence of Christmas is captured in this very bottle you are holding. Perfectly blended spices compliment Frosted Frog’s rich malt flavors, creating the ultimate Christmas experience. Celebrate the holidays as you savor this very special seasonal offering.

The Review:
The pour – is dark amber and hazy. You can’t see your hand on the other side of the glass. A short tan head forms on top.

The nose – remember those gingerbread houses you used to make as a kid? This is it. It’s like I stuck my head inside one - sweet, sharp cinnamon spices, vanilla, sugar, and burnt caramel … maybe a little pine?

The taste – medium mouth feel, a little sticky. The initial taste is sweet -- like a pumpkin ale --- with vanilla, molasses and caramel, then comes the winter spice, the clove, a little pepper and toasty malts. The finish has a powerful ginger/peppermint boozy punch (oh that’s where the 8.6% ABV is hiding). At first it was hard to put my finger on what it was.

This is a great sipping beer and true to its description, it is just like Christmas in a glass. I split this bomber with a friend and was glad I did. It would have been too much of a good thing.

Food Pairings:
Shockingly, I would stay away from chocolate – it really clashed with the chocolate chip cookies I was trying to enjoy with this beer. I would suggest pumpkin pie, butternut squash soup, ginger snap cookies or anything in this flavor range.

I hope to see more Hoppin’ Frog in my future. It was a great pick.
Cheers everyone! Alright Toenee, I kick it to you - what's on tap?

Practicing What You Preach

There are a lot of beer reviews out there.

And MOST of them cover the main characteristics of a beer which are:

• Pour
• Aroma
• Taste
• Mouthfeel
• Finish

And like those points, most reviews conclude with some type of food pairing of sorts:

"I would love to have this beer with a grilled chicken sandwich... or I would like to have this beer with some apple pie."  

And that's where the review ends.  Move onto a new beer and a new review.  But the question is... did you REALLY pair that beer up or do you just THINK it would go good with that type of food?  You took the time to review the beer, why not go the extra mile and pair it with the food you THINK might go well??  I hate to admit it, but I'm guilty of said crime.  I always like to imagine what certain beers might go good with certain foods, but RARELY do I actually go through with the pairing.  Well, after I read a great post by Ashleigh and Kristie of Two Girls, One Beer I decided that enough was enough.

In their post, they threw out some suggestions on what beer styles go with various parts of your Thanksgiving meal.  What goes with turkey, apps, dessert, etc.  So I wrote down a few ideas... hit up the local packy the day before Thanksgiving and made it happen.  I'm not going to go into crazy detail with each course, but hopefully you'll take way just enough so that the next time you're planning out a meal, you think about your beverage as well.

With appetizers:

I wanted to kick things off with a light, refreshing beer.  One of the most well known Belgian Saisons is Saison Dupont.  At 6.5%, it's highly carbonated, has cider-like characteristics, apple, fruity, sweet, biscuity.  Awakens the palette so to speak.  We had various meats and cheeses laid out that worked very well with this.

The Meal:

I brought two options to the table as we took our seats.  First was Relic Brewing's Duality, a Belgian Dubbel, also at 6.5%.  Don't let the color of this beer fool you.  It was a little dark, but actually drank very light.  The Belgian yeasts that were used gave this beer just the slight tartness to it.  Mild fruity esters.  The subtle sweetness matched PERFECTLY with the salty brine that my sister used for the turkey.  Come to think of it, there were a lot of salty things on my plate btw the stuffing, gravy, kale... from the beer to food and food to beer, this worked great.

The other option was Slumbrew's Attic & Eaves (7.5%).  Brown Ale in style, and the heaviest one on the day thus far, played well with my mashed potatoes and squash.  Not gonna lie, I was definitely slowing down at this point in my meal.  Whatever room I had left in my stomach was filling up with malty goodness.  Slight coffee notes also made a great ending to my thanksgiving meal.

Dessert:

Lastly, after the food had settled and there was JUST enough room for dessert... I broke out the obvious choice, Mayflower Brewing's Thanksgiving Ale.  It doesn't get more fitting than that... and it also came recommended from Ashleigh and Kristie.  Clocking in at 8.0%, this English Strong Ale was EXACTLY what I needed.  Boozy, sweet, carmel, toffee notes... This was delicious when I paired it with Apple Pie.  My tastebuds were having party and everyone was having a great time.

Also, not pictured, I brought up some of my homebrewed Pumpkin Ale that I made a few months ago that I call Capt Jack's Pumpkin Ale (named after my godson).  This tasty offering checked in at 7.3% and was brewed with pureed pumpkin and butternut squash.  I also added some Vanilla infused Bulleit Bourbon that my friend Adi so graciously let me use.  The sweetness of this beer (and again the obvious choice) was great with my mom's coconut chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

So here's my challenge to you all... do a little research BEFORE you sit down to your meal.  Rather than think of what MIGHT go well... think of what WILL go well... then go out and make that pairing happen!!  Again thanks to Ashleigh and Kristie for the inspiration behind this post.

********COMING NEXT WEEK*******

As tradition holds true, my cousin Katie and I will be bringing back the BEER411 - 12 BEERS OF CHRISTMAS!!!  Tune in next Monday as Katie kicks things off.

Tis the season!!