Without question my favorite lager outside of the Bock family of beers, Schwarzbier, or simply put, "black beer" is a true unsung hero in the world of beer styles. Amongst lovers of dark beers, it’s slowly starting to earn its wings as a fantastic and too often-ignored alternative to porters and stouts. In comparison to those, Schwarzbier is typically less bitter and milder tasting than their stronger, bigger cousins, and lacking the burnt, roasted malt flavor that you would expect from a beer that looks like these. Sneaky stuff, that Schwarzbier.

The History of Schwarzbier

A regional specialty from Southern Thuringen and Northern Franconia in Germany, Schwarzbier is a bottom-fermenting beer and sort of a variant on a Munich Dunkel. It first made itself known in the late 1300’s, and the flagship of the style, called Kostritzer, cemented itself in the mid 1500’s. It’s still produced today, and like many other beer styles, remains an imitated but never duplicated example, and proudly sits in my Top 5.

Schwarzbier Characteristics

The aroma of Schwarzbier is of low to moderate malt, with some aromatic sweetness and roasted malt apparent. It’ll be clean and uncomplicated with some hints of caramel and coffee, but nothing burnt. There might be a low hop aroma as well, since the hops are providing a lot of the bitterness. A true beauty, Schwarzbier is medium to very dark brown in color, with some deep ruby and garnet highlights, but will never be truly black. They’re very clear, with a large tan foam stand that refuses to budge. Flavor-wise, these beers have a light to moderate malt flavor with a clean, neutral character that can ramp up to a rich, sweet intensity. There will be some roastiness, and possibly some bitter chocolate notes, but again be wary of any burnt characteristics. As with the aroma, there will be some light to moderate noble hop flavor. Since it’s a lager, Schwarzbier with have that trademark clean character with a dry aftertaste that will take some time to leave, along with a bit of subtle roasty and residual sweetness. One of the best dark beers for sessioning, these beers have a medium-light mouthfeel, are highly carbonated, and most importantly, smooth.

Schwarzbier Food Pairings

Unlike most other lagers, the roasted malts in Schwarzbier are the backbone of its flavor, and the major proponent for pairing it up with a variety of foods. Steak and burgers and pretty much anything barbecued or roasted are the first thing that should be on your plate with these beers. Right along with the grilling and the roasting comes the blackening – chicken and pork are great choices here, and if it’s fairly spicy that’s fine – Schwarzbier’s high carbonation and delicate sweetness will provide a great counterpoint. Even a simple sandwich at lunchtime would pair very well, especially one with dark bread such as pumpernickel, and on that sandwich some pastrami, ham, or corned beef. These beers aren’t as versatile with cheese as others, but a washed-rind muenster would pair very well. The same goes for desserts, however anything with chocolate is a winner, along with any kind of fruit tart made with raspberries, cherries or strawberries.

As I have said before, I have numerous friends that live and die for beers on the darker side. Believe me, I know when it’s beer:30 it’s pretty damn hard to stray away from the scotch ales, brown ales, porters and stouts you’ve come to love, but next time I suggest you try and seek out one that I have in my Top 5. You may just find your next favorite session beer.

Saranac Black Forest

Sprecher Black Bavarian

Pennichuck Feuerwehrmann Schwarzbier

Kostritzer Schwarzbier

Port Brewing Midnight Sessions

TAGS [ SCHWARZBIER | SCHWARZBIERS | BLACK BEER | BEER REVIEWS | TOP SCHWARZBIERS ]

It may not be Christmastime, but it’s sure looking like it in Buffalo; we’re expected to get at least another six to ten inches of snow before 6pm today. As the flakes piled up on the ground and my car last night, I thought it was the perfect time to enjoy this Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

Kerstmutske Christmas Nightcap was suggested to me by Deron himself, and listed in his Top Christmas Beers post. It poured a deep, dark ruby brown, with a creamy off-white head, which stuck around as long as I had beer in my glass. Its aroma, to me, was of apples, dark cherries and honey-slathered biscuits; very sweet. I could barely contain my excitement in trying it.

Christmas Nightcap has a smooth, medium mouthfeel; a brew you know you have in your mouth. Its carbonation was hundreds of tiny little bubbles, effervescent but not overpowering to take away from its heavier feel. This incredible beer tasted much like raisins with a hint of apples or a dark cider and sweet molasses. Before swallowing, Christmas Nightcap overall, is a sweet brew, but in the finish, there was an enjoyable apple tartness in the aftertaste.

Of the Christmas ales I’ve tasted, this makes the most sense to me for the season; it’s not as citrusy as some of the others and in my mind, citrus makes more sense in the summer months (of course, that’s just me). I would most definitely enjoy slowly sipping this very drinkable (even at 7.4% ABV) Belgian Strong Dark Ale again, and can’t thank Deron enough for recommending it.

TAGS [ BELGIAN ALE | KERSTMUTSKE | CHRISTMAS NIGHTCAP | BELGIAN STRONG DARK ALE | BEER REVIEW | CHRISTMAS BEERS | WINTER WARMERS ]

Ommegang’s Hennepin, aged or not, is an incredible Belgian-style saison (farmhouse ale)… so good it made it on Deron’s top 5 for the style. After enjoying both a fresh bottle and my cave-aged one, I can see why.

According to the fine folks at Ommegang, no other American brewery has utilized cave-aging in over a century, at least as far as they know.

Typically enjoyed in the summer, saisons are citrusy, spicy and if brewed well, quite complex. Ommegang’s is certainly a lovely representation of the style. The cave-aged Hennepin I picked up on my brewery trip was cellared in Howe Caverns at a depth of 156 feet. The Howe Caverns are a perfect place to age good beer because of the constant, static humidity and temperature of 52°F, all year round. This particular bottle was aged deep down below the earth for a year, from January 2008 through December 2008. It was like no other saison I’ve ever tasted.

The Hennepin, which I enjoyed at about 62°F, poured a magnificent, slightly cloudy gold-orange. The color of the cave-aged brew was much deeper than that of the fresh Hennepin, which is better described as a lighter straw color. It’s long lasting head was thick, billowy white, like a cloud. There was quite a bit of settlement in the bottom of my glass as well… I could hardly wait to slurp it up.

The nose of the aged Hennepin was far more complex, too. I detected a lot of orange and something sweet… clover honey is the best way I can describe it (HUGE honey fan). Upon sipping, the first thing I noticed was a bite of warm spice on the tip of my tongue, followed by deep-seated flavors of banana and orange. The heavenly spice that first tingled on my tongue stuck around for the entire sip, too - really lovely.

The feel of this brew in your mouth is positively incredible, too. The smooth, medium-heavy body of the cave-aged bottle seriously trumped (for me) the lighter, crisper, more carbonated feel of the fresh bottle. Of course, it is winter and I tend to go for a smoother brew, especially this time of year, so really with mouthfeel, it depends on what you like. But for me, the smoother, heavier feel of the cave-aged was positively perfect.

Both versions of Hennepin are delightful and an absolutely drinkable 7.7% ABV brew. The cave-aged bottle though, stole the show for me. I recommend it to anyone who makes his/her way to the brewery for their free tour and tasting. It doesn’t disappoint.

TAGS [ OMMEGANG | HENNEPIN | SAISON | FARMHOUSE ALE | BEER REVIEW | SAISON REVIEW | HENNEPIN REVIEW | CAVE-AGED HENNEPIN | CAVE-AGED OMMEGANG ]

Eric, our tour guide

What a fantastic weekend trip. I met a fellow beer nerd in Cooperstown, NY to visit Brewery Ommegang, a Belgian-style brewery in my very own state. It was smaller than either of us expected but no less impressive. We loved it so much, we stopped by again the next day just to pick up a few more souvenirs (Cave-Aged Hennepin review to come).

Our tour guide, Eric, ran us through the brewing process and explained how our beloved Ommegang brews end up in both kegs and bottles. One thing I found extremely interesting is the difference in how they carbonate kegs vs. bottles of beer. Kegs of Ommegang brews are force-carbonated, while the vessels you find at your local beer store are bottle-conditioned. After each beer is bottled and capped, it’s stacked in a room that’s 80° or so. As Eric explained, this is a temperature that is just uncomfortable enough to make the yeast wake up from its cold slumber. For about 2 weeks, the irritated yeast, now up and hungry from hibernation, eats the sugars in the beer which creates the carbonation, giving the beer that crisp lovely feel we all know and love. So, instead of force-carbonating like they do with kegs, they utilize the yeast within the bottled beers. Fantastic!

The tour at Ommegang is free, as well as the tasting of each of their fine brews… at the tasting this weekend, we first enjoyed Witte, their Witbier (aka Belgian White). As many of you may know from reading my past posts, I’m not usually a fan of light, filtered wheat beers. Although it wasn’t my favorite of all we tried, I must say… I can see myself choosing it on a hot summer day. It really is that good. High carbonation, spicy and heavily laiden with the taste of a sweet, juicy orange, it’s a perfect choice for Summer. Do me a favor though, if you imbibe in this… FORGET THE ORANGE SLICE. You don’t need it. Thank you.

Next was Rare Vos, which I’ve had before and enjoy very much. See my review from a party at Dave’s here. After that, we got to try the Ommegang Abbey Ale. Pete has a lovely review of that here.

Following the Abbey Ale was a taste of fresh-brewed Hennepin, Ommegang’s Saison (farmhouse ale), against a tasting of the cave-aged version of the same. That review is to come. Stay tuned.

My tour partner-in-crime, chillin’ in the gift shop

What’s in store for Brewery Ommegang? Listen up beer lovers - this is big. They’re brewing their very first Pale Ale, set to arrive in Spring. I know I’m excited - "beverage-bucket-pumped, even" (for the Lizard). I was equally excited to learn from Eric that the kids at Ommegang are KegWorks fans - we sent them a care package full of fun stuff, including wares from our IITYWIMWYBMAD? line (of course, I was sporting a t-shirt just for the occasion). I’m not gonna lie - it made my day to know that they know of and dig us. They seemed almost excited to meet a KegWorks employee as I was to tour their brewery. Freaking rad.

So, coming soon (most likely tomorrow) is my review of the cave-aged Hennepin - keep an eye out. And if you get a chance to head anywhere in the vicinity of Cooperstown, NY, make sure to swing by and say “Hi” to the great folks at Ommegang.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER REVIEWS | OMMEGANG | BREWERY OMMEGANG | HENNEPIN | SAISON | ABBEY ALE | WITTE | RARE VOS | CRAFT BEER ]

Over this past weekend I attended my very first Beer Advocate event, proudly bringing my beer nerd status to a whole new level.

"Hoppy Daze" was a truly enchanting evening, with ten hop-heavy brews on draft. The drinking commenced at Monty’s Krown (another great place to add to my list of good beer bars in Rochester, NY) at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. In an effort to make sure I was in decent shape for the rest of my evening plans, I foolishly waited until after 6 o’clock to arrive.

Much to my dismay, the cask of Troegs Nugget Nectar was already kicked when I arrived. (Lesson #1: Arrive early and deal with the consequences later.) My first sip of the Molyan’s IPA cured my initial disappointment. Hoppy Daze indeed. With a deep golden hue and an enticing floral bouquet, it seems innocent enough but as soon as it hits your tongue, you know that they’re not messing around. Two hop varieties in the Dry Hopping make it refreshing, full-bodied and intense all at the same time. Now that I’m looking back, I wish I’d tried their Hopsickle Triple IPA as well. Alas, there were so many good beers and so little time.

I moved on to a Great Divide Hercules Double IPA next. With an "A" rating on Beer Advocate (yeah, that’s right – I’m nerdy enough to have done my homework prior to the event), I knew it’d be good. I picked up on hints of citrus and peach and it poured with a thick white head and rich amber-ish color. It seemed a little bit heavier than some of the other IPAs and although the hoppiness is irrefutable, the bitter finish is well balanced by an initial malt-dominated flavor.

Next was the Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA, which was much different than any other IPA I’ve ever had. It was really well balanced and the jasmine was so pronounced I kind of felt like I was drinking tea-beer. The hoppiness was still evident but it really didn’t dominate like you’d expect from an IPA. This was actually my favorite beer of the evening.

Thankfully, I’d had a head start on the list. I’m no stranger to the Dogfish Head 60 Minute and 90 Minute IPA and I’d also had the Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale prior to the event. I had a few sips of a friend’s Green Flash and tried a sample of the Roosterfish Hop Warrior, so all in all it was a pretty productive night.

Can’t wait for the next event!

TAGS [ BEER ADVOCATE | HOPPY DAZE | BEER TASTING | BEER EVENTS | BEER REVIEWS | IPA REVIEWS ]

Basically the base beer responsible for spawning most of the other English styles, English Brown Ale is without question one of my favorite beers for sessioning. With its signature being lightly roasted and caramelized malts, and low to moderate alcohol content, this beer was originally designed to serve the masses and it still serves that purpose today.

What is English Brown Ale?

English Brown Ale got its start in the late 1600’s, when it was referred to then as Mild Ale. That term refers to the lack of hop bitterness, for example "less hoppy" than a pale ale and not quite as strong. The mildness also referred to the fact that the beer was young, and hadn’t yet developed the moderate sourness that aged batches had.

The History of English Brown Ale

The term, and style, of English Brown Ale evolved from Mild in the 1800’s, but then died out as brewers started to shy away from using 100% brown malt as a base. Pale malt was cheaper because of its higher yield, and that was used as a base for all beers, including Porter and Stout. The Mann brewery was responsible for bringing traditional brown ale back at the end of the 19th century, with a beer of the same name, while Whitbread and the ever popular Newcastle shortly followed suit. At this point, and leading up to today, this beer style is split between Southern English Brown and Northern English Brown. The Southern English Brown style is darker, sweeter, and lower in alcohol than their Northern cousins; unfortunately, outside of the UK, very few commercial examples exist, with Manns commanding over 90% of their market share in Britain. Northern English Browns are much more prevalent, are drier and more hop-oriented, and display a nuttier character than a caramel one.

English Brown Ale Characteristics

Since I’m sort of covering 2 styles here, I’ll just list the general attributes of English Brown Ale you’ll be experiencing. Their aroma is light and malty-sweet with a nutty, caramel, or toffee-like character, along with some dark fruity esters and a light hops lingering around. They’re dark amber to reddish brown in color (although some can be almost black), but they all should be clear with a low to moderate white to light tan head. This style has a caramel-like malty sweetness with a relatively dry and malty finish, with hints of biscuits, dark fruit, and even coffee. Bitterness is medium to low, with hop flavor low but evident, depending on what you’re drinking. Their mouthfeel is medium-light to medium with moderate carbonation and a smooth texture.

English Brown Ale Food Pairings

Meats of almost any kind are terrific with English Brown Ale. Cured meat, red meats, short ribs, pork, steak, sausage, and even salmon (especially smoked) are great with this style. The caramelized malts shake hands with the caramelization on the meat for a great pairing, so don’t be shy to fire up that grill or get out the roasting pan. The sweeter examples of this style are terrific with seafood and all kinds of game, and it also serves as a great base for chili, beef stew, or even minestrone. Cheeses are another win with English Brown Ale, especially Gorgonzola, Stilton, Gouda, or a crumbly Cheshire. Desserts aren’t the best to place on the table with this beer, but you can’t go wrong with possibly a slice of almond or maple-walnut cake, or a slab of pecan pie.

Another style that I stated before as one of my favorite session beers, English Brown Ales are a perfect example for turning onto some friends I know you have that live and die for macro lager. It is a legendary crossover beer, and also one for having 3 or 4 of at your local bar where you can still drive home and not feel as though you’re taking your life into your own hands. Wychwood Hobgoblin, one of my top 5 and one of my favorite beers of all time, was one that I had at my wedding… I cherish it that much. I hope soon you will too!

Wychwood Hobgoblin

Avery Ellie’s Brown

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog

Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale

Bell’s Best Brown

Cheers!

TAGS [ ENGLISH BROWN ALES | BROWN ALE | BROWN ALE REVIEWS | CRAFT BEER | BEST ENGLISH BROWN ALE | BEER REVIEWS ]

After Deron had suggested I try the Brooklyn Winter Ale, the first Scottish Ale that I’ve had (knowingly), I decided I wanted to jump on another one of his favorites of the style, Old Chub. He described it as the "best beer ever out of a can, except for maybe Genny Bock." Since I value Deron’s opinion so much, I simply had to try it for myself.

Better yet, I didn’t even have to pop by the store to pick it up! My rad cousin was coming by for help with his website, and as a gesture of thanks, he brought over a 6-pack. Did I mention how rad my cousin is?

Oskar Blues Old Chub weighs in at a sneaky 8% ABV. I say sneaky because it’s so drinkable, you don’t realize how high the alcohol content is, unlike some motor-oil-tasting brews. It pours a deep, dark reddish-brown, almost black, with about a ¾-inch tan, creamy head that dissipated rather quickly. Its aroma is a sweet one, with fragrances of toasty malt, bread and molasses coming through… an aroma that increased in sweetness as the beer came closer to room temperature.

I could barely contain myself before taking my first sip, but I did allow it to warm up for about 20 minutes before doing so. Once I did, I was inundated with all the malty sweetness I had expected, but not in an overly mouth-puckering, syrupy way. Flavors of toasted brown sugar and smoky dates were present with very little notice of hops. It offered a medium-heavy mouthfeel with extremely light carbonation… silky smooth on the tongue. Most definitely a great choice for a cool or cold night.

As I said above, Old Chub is incredibly drinkable—so easy to drink I can even go so far as to say sessionable—which was rather surprising for a beer with 8% alcohol. But if you do end up enjoying the Old Chub as a session beer, be forewarned that it will catch up with you, without you even realizing it.

I will be sure to enjoy this again and I urge anyone who loves a malty brew to try some too. Who knew something this good could come out of a can?

TAGS [ OLD CHUB | OSKAR BLUES | SCOTTISH ALE | OLD CHUB BEER REVIEW | BEER REVIEWS ]