Wagner Valley Brewery is nestled in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, home to wineries and some of the most beautiful country found close to Buffalo. I had heard some really good things about their brews, especially this 8.5% doppelbock, and since doppelbocks happen to be one of my very favorite styles, I had to get my hands on some.

It poured a mucky, reddish-brown with a thin, quickly dissipating head. Despite how swiftly the head disappeared, this brew’s got legs. The aroma was lovely; molasses, bread and dark fruit (maybe cherries?) were present. Its malty-sweet aroma had my mouth watering for a taste.

When I poured the Sled Dog, it seemed thinner than what the mouthfeel presented upon taste. Full-bodied and smooth, with the perfect amount of carbonation to keep it from being viscous and instead, wholly enjoyable from beginning to end.

The aroma carried through in the flavor, with more focus on the sweet, slightly tart, dark fruit than the bread or molasses. I definitely taste cherries here. My nose did not steer me wrong. There is also a bit of hops in the finish of the sip, adding to the complexity of this doppelbock.

I really enjoyed this brew. I hope that one day I might be able to grab some of the Wagner Valley Sled Dog Trippel Bock too, especially since it’s one of Deron’s favorites.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | DOPPELBOCK | WAGNER VALLEY | FINGER LAKES | SLED DOG ]

A simple beer, and one very suitable for quaffing during the dog days of summer, is English, or Ordinary Bitter. Often times underappreciated and lost in the shuffle with stronger, more aggressive beers, whenever I walk into a bar and see one on draft, or even better, on cask, a large smile crosses my face and I know it’s going to be a good night.

History of English Bitter

English Bitter started out as a draft ale served fresh under no pressure (i.e. only on cask) at cellar temperatures. The intention was to provide a lower-strength draft alternative to English Pale Ale, a beer that was made from malt dried from coke. The term "Pale Ale" was first used in 1703, but "Bitter" became synonymous with it by 1830, and eventually the pub goers referred to Bitter as being a less hoppy, subdued beer than country Pale Ales, Porters, and Milds. Around the start of the 20th century, once brewers understood how to Burtonize their water, they were able to successfully brew pale ales where they employed the use of crystal malts to add a fullness and roundness of palate. Thank God for the Brits.

English Bitter Characteristics

The best examples of Bitter will have some malt aroma, many times having a caramel quality to them. Look for a mild to moderate fruitiness with some hops that will vary from moderate to none. You may detect a bit of diacetyl as well. They’ll have the color of a light yellow to light copper, with good clarity and a low to moderate off-white head. If you’re lucky to get one on cask, there may be very little head due to low carbonation. A medium to high bitterness will immediately be prevalent in this style, with low to high fruity esters and a moderate to low hop flavor - UK varieties will have a earthy, resiny and floral quality, but US varietals can be employed as well. There will be a low to medium maltiness, with some caramel notes and a dry finish. The balance of the beer will be bitter, but not overpowering the malt, hops, and esters. An easy drinking beer due to the light to medium-light body, Bitter will have low carbonation (especially on draft), but some bottled versions will contain a bit more.

English Bitter Food Pairings

An excellent choice to pair with a variety of foods, English Bitter, like English Pale Ale, finds a perfect partner with fish and chips. Delicate fish of any kind will be happy next to a pint of bitter, since a great deal of the British malt varietals are grown close to the ocean. The sweetness of the malt will line right up to the sweetness of any kind of shellfish you can find, amplifying the flavors as opposed to dominating them. Roasted chicken or pork is also a great choice to have with bitter, along with grilled meats, as long as they’re not too spicy. The char and caramelization on the meat will sit perfectly with the caramel flavors in the beer. Another good choice is Thai food, as long as it’s not overwhelmingly hot. If you want to reach for the cheese, the winners here are the milder English cheeses such as Lancashire or Leicester. And for dessert, try English Bitter with some Oatmeal cookies. Seriously.

The main reason English Bitter is one of my favorite styles to session, any time of the year, is the low alcohol and the ridiculous level of drinkability. Low gravity, low alcohol, and low carbonation makes this beer your best friend when you’re looking for a good 4-5 hour stint at the bar, or at a backyard party. Grab a sixer of any of these next time you head out to a gathering in the upcoming weeks. Cheers!

Goose Island Honkers Ale

Brooklyn Bitter

Sierra Nevada Best Bitter

Fuller’s Mr. Harry

Rogue Younger’s Special Bitter

TAGS [ ENGLISH BITTER | ORDINARY BITTER | BEER REVIEWS | ENGLISH BITTER HISTORY | ABOUT ENGLISH BITTER ]

Yesterday I decided brunch at Shango was in order. It’s a New Orleans-style bistro with tasty food (at least I can speak for the brunches - I’ve not tried dinner there) and an even better morning beer list.

Typically I start most days off with coffee, strong and black. To that end, I thought a rich, bitter imperial stout would be the best way to begin, beer-wise. I scanned the beer list, which differs from that online, and found just what I was looking for; Victory Storm King Imperial Stout. As soon as I took a whiff, I knew I had chosen well.

Victory Storm King’s aroma was one of roasted, bitter coffee, baker’s chocolate and a hint of smoke. There was also a scent of pine, presumably from the hops. It poured deep, thick black in the glass with a finger and a half of rich, tan-colored head.

Its flavor followed suit, dominated by the bitter cocoa and heavily roasted coffee, along with that piney hop flavor, which balanced out the thickness and chocolate-coffee bitter character of the stout. The alcohol was well-hidden too, which was great at 9.1% ABV. Storm King’s medium body was lighter than I expected and well carbonated, keeping it rather drinkable, instead of cloying.

Truly, it was a great pick to start my Sunday morning and a brew I’d have again, any time of the day.

Cheers!

TAGS [ VICTORY | STORM KING | IMPERIAL STOUT | CRAFT BEER ]

The small town of Cooperstown, New York is home to the highly regarded Ommegang Brewery. When I told my friends of a weekend getaway to Cooperstown, the Baseball Hall of Fame is typically what they expected I was going for. But in a town historically known for baseball, it’s the beer that might be the area’s best-kept secret. Tucked away in the rolling green hills of Upstate New York, the Ommegang Brewery grounds are the site for the annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Beer Festival.

The immediate draw to BCTC (what the veterans call "Belgium Comes To Cooperstown") is the showcase of the best Belgian style beers from all across the U.S. and around the world. Being the fan that I am of Belgian brews, and beer in general, I jumped on the opportunity to go when it was presented to me. This was to be my first BCTC and first true beer festival. My anticipation was high going into the weekend.

Turns out I was wrong! I eventually figured out that the highlight of the weekend wasn’t what I’d anticipated at all. I know this might seem shocking but it wasn’t the beer. I have to say that I’d consider the extremely high quality "beer culture" the thing that made my first experience with Belgium Comes to Cooperstown so memorable. From what I’ve gathered, there are a few components to "beer culture" and you can measure its quality at events like these by the beer, the people, and the atmosphere.

The Beer

Who am I kidding? As much as I love the people and the place, the brew is king. Speaking of "kings," feel free to leave your 30-pack of Bud Light at home (for your own safety.) With 39 breweries and distributors on site, I experienced some of the highest quality beers I’ve ever had on tap and there was plenty to choose from. Depending on the crew that you’re with, chances are there will be a healthy selection of beers to choose from before, during, and after the scheduled tastings, too. To be honest I think I drank more before the actual tasting began than I did while it was going on. Specialty homebrews litter the camping areas and most patrons aren’t shy about sharing.

The People

That leads me into my next component. The fellow beer lovers that I had the pleasure of "tasting" with made my experience so much more than I’d expected. Our particular pack was a riot. All BCTC vets with an extreme passion for beer, copious amounts of water for rinsing glasses (not consumption), BBQ grills, and arguably the best camping area at the festival. Even though I was a rookie, after a few minutes of my groveling they welcomed me to the fold and sincerely spoiled me rotten.

The crowd in general ties into this particular component as well. It was a more unique crowd than I really expected. Men AND women (see visual evidence below), old and young, home brewers and brew masters, beer reps and bar regulars, all sharing a passion for true craft brew. I encountered plenty of characters along the way. Clad with orange oversized cowboy hats, fitted beer goggles, and even a draft beer dispensing pick-up truck. That last one was pure genius.

The Atmosphere

That brings me to final, but possibly the most important, beer culture component. Atmosphere. I can’t say enough about what a bang up job Ommegang does with this festival. First of all, the brewery has a fairy tale like quality to it. It looks like a medieval farmhouse, set back in the forest, surrounded by open fields. If Mother Goose were a beer geek, she’d be at Ommegang. The environment was perfect. Because of the location and limited number of tickets available, BCTC really has an exclusive feel to it. I honestly felt privileged to be there.

The entire weekend begins Friday night with a VIP dinner. Dinner includes a delicious 5-course meal complete with the best brews from Ommegang, Duvel, A’Chouffe, and Maredsous.

The next morning patrons start buzzing early and the unofficial tasting begins. One by one everyone takes turns unleashing their latest home brew creation or rare craft brew from their coolers. Each contributor seems to try to one up the beer before with something even better. As an innocent bystander, I quickly realized the beauty of such a system. While I don’t remember everything I tasted, there was a homebrewed Saison brewed with 7 pounds of honey and a bottle of New Glarus Red Cherry Ale that blew me away. Kudos to those who brought them.

The official tasting began at 3 and ran until 7. The schedule gave me more than enough time to enjoy a plethora of Dubbels, Tripels, Quadrupels, Sours, and Saisons and also indulge in the fruits of the Belgian waffle stand. The operation is so well run that the crowd was never an issue. People are there to enjoy great beer, not fight over girls. As a recent college grad, this amazed me. The lack of congestion made walking around a breeze and allowed for maximum tasting. The most difficult part of my day was deciding what to try next, and with certain brewers pouring beers made especially for BCTC it was hard to choose.

Perhaps the most interesting table was the vertical tasting of Ommegang Three Philosophers. This included samples of the famous Three Philosophers Quadrupel aged from the years 2004-2009. They were all delicious, but I had a soft spot for 2005. After the tasting concluded, patrons returned to their campsites and let the corks and bottle tops fly. We just picked up where we’d left off that morning. The night concluded with a late night showing of Caddyshack and a bonfire to put an exclamation point on an exciting day. The fact that they let people camp out on the grounds makes the event that much more unique.

Tips for Next Year

I couldn’t have asked for more. I hope you understand now what I mean by "beer culture" because this event truly showcases it the best. Before I conclude I not only encourage you to experience Belgium Comes to Cooperstown yourself, but I’d like to offer a few tips for potential rookies.

1. Bring a growler.

2. Bring a dish to pass.

3. Get a VIP pass.

4. Don’t forget your business cards.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BCTC | BELGIUM COMES TO COOPERSTOWN | BREWERY OMMEGANG | BEER FESTIVAL | BEER FESTS ]

Forgive my naïveté, but I’ve seldom heard of much in the way of stouts from Japan, so when I happened upon this, I had to give it a try. Ise Kadoya Stout is an English-style stout with an ABV of 5% and an out-of-control head that just won’t quit.

It pours a deep, dark brown—near black, but not quite— with that billowing, creamy, tan-colored head I mentioned above. Its aroma was of fresh, roasted coffee. If someone had wafted this under my nose in the morning, I would’ve mistaken it for a fresh pot, no lie. There was also a tiny touch of chocolate at the end of each sip.

The hint of sweetness I noticed in the aroma is not present at all in the flavor. This stout is straight-up bitter, roasty coffee, but not bitter in an undrinkable way, just in an English-style stout sort of way, if you catch my drift. The brew isn’t as creamy as I expected from the pour either; rather, it’s medium-light with a fair amount of medium-bubbled, tingly carbonation. Easy to down, this would make a pretty good session beer. The bitterness and carbonation keep it refreshing and its moderate ABV keeps you from feeling too much too quickly.

Jay noted that it’s well blended and tastes good, but it’s pretty much a general example of an English stout, and I have to agree; nothing distinguishable about Ise Kadoya, in regards to other stouts. However, for only having been brewed with 3 ingredients, those being water, barley malt and hops, it IS quite delicious in its simplicity.

All in all, I wouldn’t go off searching for this in faraway lands, but I wouldn’t turn it down if offered to me.

TAGS [ STOUTS | JAPANESE STOUT | ISE KADOYA | BEER REVIEWS ]

I wasn’t able to make it to Belgium Comes to Cooperstown this year but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t celebrating in my own way, at home. Enter Ommengang Tripel Perfection, a limited edition [read: brewed once] golden tripel ale brewed with spices.

Deron, I thought of you as I enjoyed this, being the tripel fan that you are.

This 8.9% tripel poured the color of golden sunlight with a two-finger creamy head that dissipated to a half-finger quickly, then stuck around for the rest of the glass. Aroma featured sweet, roasted pineapple and banana, backed by a light floral quality and a hint of nutmeg. Tantalizing.

The beginning of my sip mimicked the nose with the pineapple, but then white grape, sweet honey and a healthy heaping of yeast were present as well, followed by very discernible banana and nutmeg in the finish. It starts sweet, hits a lovely tartness in the middle and sides of my tongue and smoothes out into that banana at the end. Really nice. Jay described his experience of the fruit in the palate as being best likened to dried apricot and unripened banana. I can see that.

The body of Ommegang Tripel Perfection is a medium but closer to medium-light than medium-heavy, with tingly, small-bubbled carbonation that I know would fill me up like a balloon if I had too many. The alcohol that I noticed a bit in the nose was hidden well on the palate, making Tripel Perfection rather drinkable. Jay noted, too that "it leaves a lingering aftertaste, like an out-of-town guest." Well put (not to mention funny), in my opinion.

Honestly, from my experience, this is a great representation of a Belgian Tripel and I recommend you pick some up if you happen upon it. I’d love to hear what Deron says about it too.

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | BELGIAN TRIPEL | OMMEGANG ]

This past weekend was the 8th annual Belgium Comes To Cooperstown Beer Festival held at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY, not only one of the best beer events in the Northeast, but in the entire country. A gathering of beer aficionados pretty much unlike any other, this year the powers that be that organize the event, the importers and distributors that make the beer available to us, and most importantly the brewers that create these delicious specimens, seemed to yet again raise the measuring stick for how it’s really supposed to be done when it comes to appreciating craft beer.

This was the third year for our "contingent" for going, which included 2 fellow KegWorkers, and an unbelievable time was had by all. I think for me, what made it extra special is according to veterans that have been coming since 2003, this was the first time it didn’t actually rain for a period of time from noon Friday to everyone’s departure on Sunday. Lots of beer festivals are outdoor events in the summer months, but what makes this one unique is that participants have the opportunity to camp on the beautiful, serene grounds of the brewery which used to be a former hop farm. The result is one huge party, a tent city, a community of fellowship and camaraderie among beer geeks unlike anything else I experience all year. Obviously people attend this event for the tasting of hundreds of beers that drip creativity, with multiple one-off brews created specifically for the event as well as classic examples that are the benchmarks for what Belgian beers are all about. But I, as well as many others, look forward to seeing people from around the region that I have made friends with over the past three years, and that is what makes this gathering so very unique.

Clearly it’s easy to lose track of all the beers one has at this event, but I wanted to share a few of my personal highlights that really struck a chord, four of which were sampled at the tasting, and 2 which were brought by friends:

Stillwater Stateside Saison – Overall, the biggest surprise of the festival for me were the grocery list of beers that this undiscovered gem of a brewer from Baltimore offered. One of the girls pouring their beers was nice enough to serve me the entire flight of 8-10 beers they had, in her order of preference. Everything I had was very well done, and I hope to see their beers make it to the Upstate New York Region soon; they currently have distribution in New York City. Read more about them at the Stillwater Ales Blog.

Keegan Ales Four Philosophers – Tripel is one of my favorite styles; I don’t care if one is released by Trailer Park Brewing Company, if it exists, I have to try it. The fine folks at Keegan Ales, whom already are an A+ in my book, provided this dynamite barrel-aged Tripel, with a name created obviously as a nod to Ommegang’s own Three Philosophers.

White Birch Brewing Barrel Aged Tripel - Looky here, another Tripel! Until this weekend, I only knew White Birch by name, and while their entire line they offered was great, this was something special. Thanks to Jim for the full pour of this nectar.

Ommegang Cup O Kyndness Belgian Style Scotch Ale - Not yet available commercially until September, but on tap at the festival, this beer is as good as you will expect it to be. Scotch ale is one of my favorite styles outside of all things Belgian and English, and I love it when breweries focusing on Belgian styles take on a Scotch ale. Rich, balanced, and malty, it will easily find a place in my fridge as well as my cellar once it hits the shelves.

Alesmith Decadence 10th Anniversary Ale - Out of all the treats Murph brought back from a recent trip to San Diego, this was the second bottle of Decadence that we had (the other being the 2009 Weizenbock) and it was a grand slam. It redefined for me how an Old Ale is done properly. Retired by the brewery and no longer made, it will obviously be tough to find, but if you see any bottles in any stores, grab it and run.

Williamantic Brewing Company Flower Infusion – Jim brought many a beer that made me sit down and take notice, but this one almost stopped time for me. A Cuvee De Fleurs style farmhouse ale, it is brewed with European malts, wildflower honey, hopped with Marynka, and infused with Lavender, Calendula, Chamomile, Rose Buds, and Hibiscus. Couldn’t they have come up with something a bit more original?

So, in a sea of an overdose of everything that’s good, these beers were special, and surprising. I always say to people, like the Great American Beer Festival, TAPNY, and the Beer Advocate Festivals in Boston, this is one event that every fan of craft beer MUST attend at least once, to see what it’s all about. In the past, tickets have gone on sale for the event April 1st, and they’re gone in the blink of an eye. Do yourself a favor and pencil this one in for next year – I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Cheers!

Photo credit: Sarah Ryder

TAGS [ BELGIUM COMES TO COOPERSTOWN | OMMEGANG | BEER FEST | BEER EVENTS ]