Schell's Stag Series Batch 1

I've found that I really enjoy tasting limited-edition single batch beers. They are typically brewed with the purpose of being bold and/or unique recipes, meant to surprise taste buds. Today is a session with another one of these types of beer: Schell's Stag Series Batch 1.

Schell's brewery has made limited beers before as part of their Snowstorm label. That particular beer is released every winter as a different recipe. Some of them have gone on to great success and became part of their year-round line up, like Firebrick and Schell's Stout. So in the past, we've always had to wait until winter to see what new recipes the brewery will release in bottles. Not anymore, thanks to the Stag Series. Different recipe batches from this series will be released throughout the year. Schell's brewery states that they will be a "collection of innovative and experimental, limited-edition beers."

Stag Series Batch 1 is Barrel Aged Schmaltz's Alt. They took their seasonal Schmaltz's Alt, which is a German altbier, and aged it for six months in French oak, pinot noir wine barrels. There is no ABV on the bottle, but the Schell's website lists it at 5.1%.

I pour from the 22 oz bomber into my imperial pint glass. (I wish I had a proper glass for altbier, but I'm having trouble finding one online that does not have a logo.) A 1-finger light tan head quickly appears and then settles into a thin irregular-shaped patch of foam floating on top. The body is dark brown in color, with a touch of ruby when held up to light.

I smell some brown sugar and maybe some faint spice, but a stronger aroma dominates. That would be an acidic, sour fruit character that reminds me of cherries or raspberries.

The first taste confirms what my nose told me. There is a slight caramel flavor at the start along with a hint of vanilla oakiness. Those quickly transition into the flavor of tart dark cherries. Some light chocolate and a mild bitterness come in at the end, along with a final dry quality that seems to linger.

The body has a medium-light thickness and feels creamy in my mouth. There is a nice crisp finish and some surprising warmth that builds in the back of my throat.

This is a very tasty and unique beer. There are some qualities from the red wine barrels that really stand out, but thankfully they don't erase all traces of the altbier. It's more warming than I expected for a 5.1% beer. Some of that must come from the wine barrels. This is a pretty balanced beer and wine mix that is quite enjoyable. If you like red wine and beer, I highly recommend you try this. Of course, I would recommend you try it anyway because that's what I do.

Weyerbacher Brewing Company

Oops. I thought I had done a good job of keeping up with all the breweries starting distribution to Minnesota this year, but apparently I missed one last week. Weyerbacher Brewing is the latest brewery to start distribution to our state.

Weyerbacher is located in Easton, Pennsylvania and was founded in 1995 by Dan and Sue Weirback. They named the brewery after the original German spelling of their family name. They started their business with the plan to brew some basic craft beers like a pale ale and an ESB. It turned out that their most successful beer in the first few years was a big beer - their Raspberry Imperial Stout. The stout was popular enough that they brewed a barleywine and then a Belgian tripel to test more big beer waters. They were successful, so they decided to dedicate themselves to brewing big, flavorful beers.

They currently produce 5 year-round beers, 4 of which are 8% ABV or stronger. They also brew 10 seasonals. Check out their website for descriptions of these delicious-sounding beers.

Surly Four

Four is the appropriately named 4th anniversary beer from Surly brewing. It is also the first of the anniversary brews that I have purchased. Yep, I missed out on One, Two, and Three. That's my own fault. However, even though I'm late to the party, I'm happy to help celebrate with this anniversary.

This beer is described by Surly as an iced double espresso milk stout. It has been brewed with espresso beans, roasted barley, and milk sugar. It's also been freeze concentrated. In this process, the beer is chilled enough that some of the water turns to ice and is removed. This concentrates the flavors and increases the alcoholic strength of the remaining beer. From my research, this brew is around 10% ABV.

Sorry about my picture for this beer. There are some flash reflections that are normally not present in my photos. I wasn't thinking and made a mistake with my lighting. You'd think I'd have it down by now, wouldn't you? Oh well. Let's get on with the session.

I cut the wax from the top of the 750 ml bottle, pry off the cap, and pour into my snifter. A 2 finger tan head is easily generated and gradually settles into a thin layer. The body is black in color and doesn't seem to let any light pass through.

I take whiff, and like what I smell. There is dark roasted coffee, some fruit, and a slight smokey aroma. I also detect something that's hard to describe; almost like the sweet smell of Whoppers candy. Alcohol is present, but not overpowering.

Complex flavors emerge on my first and second sips. Rich dark chocolate, coffee, subtle fruit, and smoke are all playing on my tongue. It then eases into a moderate bitterness that lingers for a while in the back of my mouth.

The body has a nice heavy viscosity which coats everything. There isn't much carbonation to speak of. A nice alcohol warmth shows itself immediately.

This is a big, bold, flavorful double stout. It has a lot of layers and complexity to the aromas and flavors which last well past after you swallow. It's very tasty, and would be great to share with someone on a cool evening because it would probably help you feel warm and cozy. I'm drinking it in warm, humid weather and it's making me sweat more than I already was. I guess a little moisture was worth it to drink a delicious brew. If you can find some of this, buy it and save it for the fall and/or winter. It should store well, and I know you'll enjoy it.

Belgian beer experts

At the beginning of May, I did a breakdown of the Saison beer style. Apparently it attracted a little attention, because I received an email from Wendy Littlefield of Vanberg & DeWulf. She was en route to Belgium to visit Brasserie Dupont, the brewer of Saison Dupont. You see, the Vanberg & DeWulf company is the importer of that beer, among many other tasty Belgian brews. She thanked me for educating people about Belgian beer styles and Saisons in particular. I thought that was pretty exciting. Thanks for the email, Wendy! Check out these links for Vanberg & Dewulf's website and blog.

Schell's Maifest

I often enjoy drinking Schell's year-round offerings. They are well-made, high quality beers that I can always depend on. Their seasonal offerings aren't any different, except for the fact that I can only get them at certain times of the year. In fact, I think my own anticipation of each seasonal causes me to enjoy them even more than their other beers.

There are currently 7 seasonals produced by Schell's, and not one of them is a bad beer. With the exception of Snowstorm (because it is a different recipe every year), I look most forward to the spring release of Maifest.

Maifest is a German maibock style lager. In Germany, maibocks are traditionally tapped in May to celebrate the start of spring. They are typically a rich, strong lager and Schell's interpretation is no exception. This beer weighs in at a healthy 7.2% ABV. I'm ready to pry off the cap and start the session!

I pour the Maifest into my flute glass. A 1/4 inch white head is generated, but falls somewhat quickly into a small thin patch and a ring around the edge of the glass. The body is orangish gold and clear. There are not many visible bubbles rising to the top.

The aroma is not very strong. There is a bready sweet smell with a hint of honey. Faint herbal notes are also present.

The taste is a much stronger version of the aroma. There is sweet and rich toasted grain, with maybe just a bit of honey. A gentle bitterness comes on gradually and leads into a dry finish. Alcohol is detectable, but appropriate and not overpowering.

The medium weight of the body coats the tongue slightly, but is cleaned away by surprisingly prickly carbonation and alcoholic dryness. It is crisp and easy to swallow with a small warming effect that builds.

This is a very tasty and highly drinkable maibock. It has been very popular at my Coborn's tastings. The rich malt dominates, but is washed away by the bitter and dry qualities. In my opinion, this makes it drink like a session beer even though it's not. I can see this beer being flavorful and refreshing if you drink it cold on a warm spring/summer day. Just don't drink too many, because the ABV might knock you on your butt. This beer is in liquor stores right now, but it won't be long until the next Schell's seasonal takes over. Go get some to try before it's gone!

Beer Tasting tomorrow

Come and celebrate Craft Beer Week with me tomorrow at the Coborn's Liquor in Hastings. I will be pouring samples of tasty brew from 3 - 7pm. The line-up is finalized, and here is what we'll be tasting:

• Summit Hefe Weizen
• Ommegang Witte
• Bell's Oberon
• New Belgium Mighty Arrow
• Schell's Maifest
• Ommegang Hennepin

Be sure to stop by Coborn's tomorrow and taste some quality brews. As always, I'll be happy to answer any questions, give recommendations, and just talk about beer. I hope to see you there!

Beer dinner at home

I had planned on attending the New Belgium beer dinner at the Hastings Green Mill yesterday. However, when I found out that it was cancelled I told my wife about an idea I had: We should have our own beer dinner right at home. She agreed and seemed excited about the idea. I know I was. I decided that it would be fun to have 5 courses for the meal, and a beer with each.

While I was at work yesterday, my wife baked a loaf of beer bread for our appetizer course. Before she mixed the batter, she called to ask which beer to use. I thought about it and had her use some Odell IPA. When I got home, the house was filled with the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread. That made me even more excited about making this dinner than I already was.

I changed out of my work clothes and quickly headed over to Coborn's. The liquor store has a "build your own" six-pack section, and I thought it would be the best way to go for beer. Before I had left the house, my wife told me she was going to bake some Tastefully Simple Polka Dot Bars for dessert. They have a cookie dough type batter with butterscotch and chocolate chips. Because I already knew 2 of the courses, I would have to match 2 beers to them. For the other 3 courses, I decided to pick the beer first and match foods to those brews. I made my six-pack in the liquor store, and then I headed over to the grocery side to get the food for the remaining courses. Here is what we ended up having, in order:

1. Tastefully Simple Wheat Beer Bread Mix (made with Odell IPA) and sun-dried tomato dip served with Bell's Oberon.
2. Coborn's Deli honey mustard pasta salad served with Ommegang Hennepin.
3. Coborn's Deli mango habanero boneless wings served with New Belgium Ranger.
4. My own creation. I flattened 4 cubed pork steaks, seasoned them with Famous Dave's Rib Rub and sprinkled shredded parmesan on top. Then I rolled them into logs and wrapped them in thick-cut bacon. I grilled them to tasty perfection and served with Warsteiner Premium Dunkel.
5. Tastefully Simple Polka Dot Bars served with Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

Wow, everything tasted good! My wife and I think that 4 of the 5 food and beer pairings turned out perfect. The flavors worked beautifully together. The only problem I had was the pairing for the main course. I knew that I wanted to grill the main course, and I would've preferred a scotch ale or smoked beer for the pairing. However, I limited myself to the "build your own" selection, which didn't have those styles. I thought I could make the Dunkel work with smokey, salty grilled food, but it tasted different than I had remembered. It was a little too sweet to pair well with the pork and bacon. Oh well, 4 out of 5 isn't bad.

I highly recommend trying something like this for yourself. It was a very rewarding experience and a tasty one at that!