April 8th Coborn's Tasting

Be sure to swing by the Hastings Coborn's Liquor tomorrow, April 8th. I know you're planning to pick up some beverages for one of our warmest weekends of spring thus far, so you might as well do it while there's a beer tasting in the store. I'll be pouring samples of:

• Brau Brothers Sheep Head Ale
• Furthermore Fatty Boombalatty
• Odell Cutthroat Porter
• Schell's Pils
• Summit Maibock
• Wittekerke

I'll be there from 4:30 - 8:30pm. Come try some tasty beers. You know you want to...

Schell's Stag Series Batch 3 - Rauchbier

Last week, I decided to get caught up on the Schell's Stag Series. I had a bottle of Batch 2 that had been sitting in my fridge for awhile, and I recently purchased some of Batch 3. That was my cue to get these sessions done, which I did. If you read my post from last week, you'll know how much I enjoyed the Wild Rice Farmhouse Ale. Now, it's time to have a session with Batch 3, a rauchbier.

What's a rauchbier? Well, translated from German to English, it literally means "smoke beer." It is a very old lager style that uses 100% smoked malt. Typically, all of the malt is smoked over beechwood, but Schell's added their own personal twist:

"This Rauchbier is our interpretation of a traditional Franconian Rauchbier (smoke beer). Rauchbiers date back to the early 1500’s when green malt was dried over open fires. The smoke from the fire was picked up in the grain and the smoky flavor carried over into the beer.

Our version of this ancient style was brewed using a blend of malts smoked over beech wood and cherry wood to create a twist on the traditional style. The remainder of the malt bill is made up of Dark Munich, Caramunich, and a touch of black malt. Tettnang and Sterling hops are used for a balanced bitterness."

This is definitely the kind of specialty brew you would expect from a German heritage brewery like Schell's. The stats listed on their website indicate that this beer is between 6-7% ABV. I wonder what would cause them to give a range instead of a specific percentage. If any of you know, I'd be happy to hear from you.

I pour the 12 ounce bottle into my mug. A 2-finger light tan head springs up quickly before it shrinks to a thin, even layer. The body is quite clear and the color brings dark maple syrup to mind.

Let's confirm that this is a rauchbier. Yep. There's a powerful wood smoke aroma with maybe just a hint of a bready undertone. It smells like my coat does after sitting around a bonfire for the evening.

Surprisingly, smoke is not the first thing I taste. First, there is a bit of sweet caramel, and then comes the smoke. Big time smoke. It makes me think of bacon and smoked brisket. A nice earthy bitterness does its best to battle some of the smokiness, but the smoke wins and hangs around long past the finish.

The pleasant medium viscosity slides easily down my throat. Mild carbonation on my tongue isn't all that noticeable, probably due to the strong flavor profile. There is no lacing at all on my glass.

I've had some of the imported rauchbiers from Germany, and this version from Schell's can definitely hold its own against any of those beers. The wonderfully full smoke aroma and flavor will suit any of your favorite grilled foods perfectly, not to mention smoked meats and cheeses. I was just recently snacking on some delicious cheese summer sausage (with actual cheddar chunks in the sausage), and I felt compelled to open a bottle of Batch 3 to go with it. Wow, that was a tasty combination.

Schell's Stag Series Batch 2 - Wild Rice Farmhouse Ale

In my last beer session, I noted that I've fallen behind on a couple brews I had been saving for sessions. Well, I decided to play a little catch-up this week by hitting 2 sessions in one sitting. Ambitious? Nah, I love drinkin' tasty beer. But you already knew that...

Anyway, I figured I should get my session done with Schell's Stag Series Batch 2. (While I was at it, I did an additional session with Stag Series Batch 3. You'll see that one early next week.) This poor Batch 2 bottle has been patiently waiting around for me. Its family disappeared from my fridge long ago. Now, I've finally gotten to this, the final bottle, and I'm quite excited.

Schell's Stag Series Batch 2 is their Wild Rice Farmhouse Ale. That's right, they added the Minnesota state grain to this recipe! I'm a huge fan of the saison/farmhouse ale style, so I was naturally quite happy when I first read about this beer.

From Schell's website:

"The second release in the Stag Series is August Schell's interpretation of a traditional Belgian Farmhouse Ale. This Farmhouse Ale exhibits an earthy/nutty character due to the generous use of Minnesota Wild Rice, the State Grain of Minnesota.

The Wild Rice is combined with 2-Row, Munich, Vienna, and a touch of Rye malt to create a complementary backbone to the unique fermentation characteristics of the yeast. Dry and thirst quenching, this Farmhouse Ale is hopped with Goldings."

It weighs in with a very appropriate 7% ABV.

I pour the 12-ounce bottle into my tulip glass. A 3-finger eggshell white head builds quickly before settling into a sticky, creamy film which lays neatly atop the liquid. The body is quite clear and the hue is a lovely orange-gold blend.

This is very aromatic. I don't even have to get it close to my nose to start detecting the nuances. Many sweet smells are present including honey, maple syrup, and cotton candy. Then, scents of lemon, fresh cut grass, and some herbal spice are followed by just a hint of alcohol.

Mmm, tasty stuff. A brief moment of honey sweetness mixes with Brazil nuts and a spicy zing before transitioning into a prominent lemon tartness. This is all finished off by an earthy, metallic bitterness that is "just right."

The medium-light mouthfeel sticks more than expected, while a pleasant warmth accumulates with each sip. There is some very light lacing on my glass as the beer level falls.

Awesome. Sweet, fruity, spicy, tart, bitter, and warming. This is a beautifully complex and unique ale from Schell's, a brewery that typically excels at German styles, especially lagers. I loved Schell's before this beer, and now I love this brewery even more (if that's possible). After my first taste of Batch 2 when it was released, I went out and immediately purchased a full case. Yep, I liked it just a little bit. Too bad they don't make this year-round...

March 26th Coborn's Tasting

This Saturday, March 26th, I'll be sharing the beer love with samples of these 6 tasty brews:

• Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot
• Maredsous 8
• New Holland Dragon's Milk
• Schell's Stag Series #3 - Rauchbier
• Southern Tier Unearthly IPA
• Urthel Hop-it

Be sure to stop by the Hastings Coborn's Liquor somewhere in the 3 - 7pm range for some delicious sips of beery goodness. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have and/or help you pick something special off the shelf. I hope to see you there!

Brau Brothers Hundred Yard Dash

While looking through my fridge recently, I came across a few beers that I've been neglecting. I had good intentions of saving them for my next beer session, but for one reason or another I never got around to them. I plan to get to them over the next couple weeks (hopefully).

I decided to start with the oldest of the "forgotten" beers: Brau Brothers Hundred Yard Dash. This was a brand new offering from the brewery last fall and is a fresh hop ale.

What's a fresh hop ale? Also known as wet hop ale, these beers are made with hops very soon (sometimes immediately) after they are harvested from the bines. As some of you may already know, hops are usually dried to help preserve them for longer periods of time. Taking the moisture out of them prevents rotting, molding, and other spoilage. However, drying the hops also slightly lessens some of their aromas and flavors. A fresh hop (or wet hop, because it hasn't been dried) has the highest potential for adding those great tastes and smells to your beer.

So why did Brau Bros name this brew Hundred Yard Dash? Well, if a brewer wants to maximize the benefits of using fresh hops, they have to be added as soon as possible after picking. The Brau brewery actually has its own hop garden, which is about 100 yards away from the brew kettle. See, the pieces are all coming together...

Fresh hop ales (or any highly hopped beer, for that matter) should be drank while they're still relatively, well, fresh. The wonderful nuances that hops add will fade slowly from the beer over time. I consumed the other 5 beers from this 6-pack not long after I purchased it, and I loved it. I knew I needed to save the last bottle for a session. I do feel like I let it sit in the fridge too long, but let's see how this last bottle will fair after many months of being pushed aside.

I pour the 12 ounce bottle into my imperial pint glass. A 1 1/2 finger cream-colored head is easily generated before settling into a thin, sticky layer. The body is somewhere between gold and copper in color with just a slight haze.

It's hard to recognize much malt aroma. Maybe there's just hints of caramel and biscuits? The scent of piney, grassy, herbal hops dominate the nose, as they should.

Mmmm. Still tasty, even after sitting for awhile. A touch of honey and caramel briefly appear before the hops blow them away. The hop flavor matches well with the aroma, only stronger and with added spice and citrus. Then a big, bruising bitterness finishes it all off and makes me want to take my next drink.

The medium viscosity liquid has a lovely stickiness that coats the mouth well and doesn't let go. There is some nice lacing present on the glass as the beer level lowers.

Wow. Like I said earlier, this style of beer is meant to be drunk fresh, but even after 5+ months in my fridge the lupulin in this brew is still dominating all. I enjoyed this when I drank it fresh, and I still enjoy it now. If Brau Brothers does this beer again next fall (which I hope they do), you'll have to try it. It's a big, floral, delicious ale that will make IPA drinkers happy.

Finnegans Pint-a-thon!

Carl from Finnegans recently sent me an email about their annual Pint-a-thon:

FINNEGANS is the only beer company in the world that donates 100 percent of its profits to charity and is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a month-long “Pint-A-Thon.”

What is a Pint-A-Thon? It’s FINNEGANS’ challenge to the ambitious do-gooders of Minnesota to walk, jog, skip, saunter, or otherwise travel to their favorite FINNEGANS-friendly pubs, restaurants and liquor stores during the month of March, all in support of the Emergency Foodshelf Network, FINNEGANS’ charity of choice in Minnesota for 2011.

Participating in this year’s Pint-A-Thon is easy. Here’s how:

• Purchase a Pint-A-Thon Training Kit, complete with limited edition T-shirt, headband, wristbands, water bottle, race number and temporary shamrock tattoos.
• Attend or plan a pub crawl in your neighborhood sporting your new FINNEGANS gear. Pint-A-Thoners can participate anywhere FINNEGANS Irish Amber is sold.
• Submit a photo to ireland@finnegans.org of you and your merry band of lads and lasses, including the name of the FINNEGANS-friendly pub you visited, and you will be entered to win a five-day trip to Ireland. To avoid Irish guilt, please, only one entry per person, per day.

Rather than spreading donations across multiple causes as FINNEGANS has successfully done in the past (to the tune of over $168,000 since 2003), they have created the new Priority Partner Program to focus giving efforts on one critical community issue per year. This year, hunger is the issue of choice.

Want to track how much good you’re doing? Participants can gauge their Pint-A-Thon results using this bit of Irish ingenuity:

• One six pack/pitcher = up to 1 meal
• One 12 pack = up to 2 meals
• One case = up to 4 meals

So celebrate this St. Patrick's day with a good local Irish-themed beer while you support a good cause!

March 12th Tasting at Hidden Greens Golf Course

Do you like quality craft beer and golf? Are you available on March 12th from 11am - 3pm? If you answered "yes" to both questions, you should plan to attend the "Guys and Gals Spring Swing" event at Hidden Greens Golf Course. Click this link to get more details on the whole event.

I'll be there, pouring samples of 12 tasty beers:

• Schell's Pils - A wonderful example of a true Bavarian-style pilsner.
• Wittekerke - This traditional witbier is brewed with orange peel and coriander.
• Rodenbach Grand Cru - A Flanders Red ale that may just surprise you with its sour note.
• Two Brothers Cane and Ebel - I knew I had to put this rye beer in the lineup.
• Ommegang Hennepin - The Belgian style brewery from Cooperstown, NY has won many people over with this saison.
• Paulaner Salvator - Want old? Want tradition? Want awesomeness? Try this staple German doppelbock.
• Maredsous Brune - A true Belgian dubbel from a great Belgian brewer.
• Karmeliet Tripel - This refreshing and delicious tripel is made with wheat, oats, and barley.
• Founders Dirty Bastard - A rich, thick scotch ale with a hint of smokiness.
• Victory Storm King - This big chewy imperial stout is loud and in-your-face with hops.
• Southern Tier Unearthly IPA - You like IPAs? Then you gotta try this amped-up example.
• New Holland Dragon's Milk - This big strong ale is aged in oak barrels.

The event is free, but Hidden Greens will be thankful for your donations to Tee it Up for the Troops, Inc. at the door. As usual, I'll be happy to talk beer with anyone who's willing.