A Weyerbacher of a Beer Night 10/28/2009

Eitan: We had some really good beers. We Finally got around to drink some of the Weyerbacher beers that we got at the brewery. I had the Simcoe Double IPA at home the night before. All I have to say is "WOW!" this beer was so hoppy, they definitely were not kidding about the powerful hoppy taste of this beer. I poured from a 12 0z bottle in to one of the glasses I got at Weyerbacher. It had a nice dark amber color. Fast fading head, but leaves some traces on the glass. This beer was very carbonated. It had a sweet fruit smell. It starts of a tad sweet but then you get hit with the hops. It is definitely not a beer for anyone who does not enjoy hops (Greg, I'm looking at you). I like my hoppy beers, but I think I should have some more of the Simcoe to get more out of the extreme hoppy flavor, instead of my taste buds being shocked.

So the first beer of the night was a Southern Tier. I really enjoy their beers so I was eager to try the Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison. It poured a really nice dark golden color. UnfortunatelyI do not remember what sort of head retention it had. It had a unique smell for a saison. Mostly because it had hints of sweet cherry smell. Best described as a cherry laffy taffy. At first it definitely has a spice and yeast flavor to it. However, it leaves a slight cherry after taste. The slight cherry flavor was more pronounced after the beer had a chance to open up in the glass. I am glad that it tasted like a saison with slight cherry flavor and not a water downed beer with artificial cherry syrup flavor.

And then came the Weyerbacher beers. First up was the Autumn Fest. I was excited to start drinking the beers from real glasses and not plastic sample cups. This is such a great beer for the fall, hence the name. It was very light, very easy to drink and a nice subtle sweet flavor. It had a nice amber color and an pretty decent amount of head. This beer is very similar to a nice bready tasting German Oktoberfest beer only slightly sweeter. A perfect light bodied and good tasting beer for this time of the year. (Hey, that last part rhymed, I should be a writer or a poet or something.)

The second Weyerbacher beer was the Heresy. Greg got a larger bottle of this beer for beer night. I believe that they brew this beer some time after January, so this bottle was definitely a bottle from early 2009 and has had some extra time to age. The Heresy is a Russian Imperial Stout (and if you read the article that Marina posted then you'd know that the RIS is apparently not actually a stout). Anyway, it was poured from a bottle in to one of Stan's Brooklyn snifters. A very dark color, I was not expecting anything less than pitch black color. As with most RIS it had a nice hints of coffee, chocolate and some booze (whiskey) aromas. It was slightly bitter, like tasting some unsweetened coffee. But it did have a slight oak taste. The taste from it being oak barrel aged did not over power the taste of the RIS itself. Not the first time I've had this beer, and it wont be the last. I can not wait until the winter so that we can get some bottles direct from Weyerbacher. Until then I can always find some Old Heathen.

NYTimes article... on what i wonder?

was very happy to find this piece of literature!

BEERS OF THE TIMES: Call It Stout, Though It Isn’t


-marina

Beer at Union Hall 10/20/2009

Eitan: Last night I went to Union Hall in Brooklyn to see some bands. Union Hall is actually a pretty cool bar with a pretty nice beer selection, about 10 on draft and 10 bottles. I am not sure if they rotate the beers often or not, but its a pretty cool place.

So I had a glass of the Victory Saison. It was poured from the draft in to a pint glass, I like my Saisons in a tulip glass, I am weird like that. It had a nice clear golden color. It had some what ok head retention. A nice smell of familiar Saison spices. It had some yeast flavors and was a little bit tart. If you add more apple flavor it can easily pass as a hard cider. It is definitely better than that Harpoon Saison I had a few weeks back. I don't recall trying many Saison beers on tap, but the Victory Saison is worth a try, and I would be drinking it again.

This is not a Beer Night Review - 10/18/2009

Eitan: Last night I had the Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor in my new Gouden Carolus glass. The Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor is a Belgian IPA. The beer poured a very nice golden color. It good head retention. It was white and foamy with a lot of it clinging to the glass. It has a nice and sweet and hoppy smell. It had a good hoppy taste with hints of the usual Belgian beer citrus notes and some light sweetness. There was a light taste of the alcohol, after all it is 8.0%. It was pretty light in body with a nice crisp and dry finish.

I will definitely be getting this beer again. I am eager to try some more of the Gouden Beers. Although, I have had one at Fourth Ave Pub before, I just can not remember which one.

Trip to Weyerbacher 10/17/2009

Eitan: So we took a little Beer Night trip to Weyerbacher Brewery on Saturday. We took along our good friend Jay, and our new friend from Bari, Claudio. The trip was a success. It is a relatively short drive from Brooklyn to Easton, PA. This is just compared to the trip Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown. Well, an hour and a half to Easton is not that big of a deal.

Its always a cool thing to take a tour of a brewery that makes the beer that you drink. It is nice to meet some of the people who have a hand in making the beers, and learn about some of the history of the brewery, the beers and how some of your favorite beers are made. Also, free tastings, fresh beer for the tap. The portions are very generous. We were able to try all of the beers that they were brewing at the time. I enjoyed all of the beers, but the ones I enjoyed the most were the Winter ale, Blithering Idiot, Merry Monks and the Old Heathen. We all got some bottles of the beers for home [reviews of the beers to come later.] I also got two Weyerbacher glasses for the beer. We have to go back in the winter for when they are brewing Insanity and Heresy. And in the summer for Zotten and for the Zotten glass.

Everyone at Weyerbacher was great, including the nice guy who gave the tour ( he is just there on some Saturday's to help out.) All of the people working there took time out to pour any beer you asked for and answer any questions that you may have. All in all, this was great place to come on a Saturday to learn some things about the beer we drink. I think we should go back to Weyerbacher many times.

While visiting the Brewery, definitely go to Pearly Baker's for Lunch. Try the delicious beer-b-qued pulled pork sandwich, the burger, the onion rings and fries.

P.S. Check out the Crayola Factory and Store. Just look at the fun............

Claudio admiring the Worlds Largest Crayon

Stan is outa there!

Beer Night 10/14/2009

Eitan: After we started watching the USA game I think we should have had beers with high ABV not like the first beer, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Calabaza Blanca. The beer was ok. It did have a nice hazy color when poured in to a glass. It tasted light and tart, and a sort of dry after taste. I'd go with the Ommegang Witte over this one.

The second beer was The Bruery Trade Winds. It had an interesting description of Triple being brewed with rice and Thai Basil. It had a nice hazy/orange color and nice head retention. It was definitely a little lighter then most Triples. I couldn't really pick out the Thai Basil in the aroma, it did however have a corn like smell. It tasted pretty good, a bit sweet and bready. I like this beer much better than the first. And the other Bruery beers we've had were tasty.

I was definitely surprised by the Hoppin' Frog Silk Porter. It had a nice black color, but no head, that may have been because of the glasses and splitting the bottle four ways. It had a good coffee/chocolate aroma. It was very smooth and nice dry coffee taste, very similar to a Milk Stout. I liked the Imperial Stout better, but I would definitely have this again, and try more Hoppin' Frog beers.



Next time there is a USA soccer game or a RB game that falls on a Beer Night we need stronger beers to get us through the game.

Saturday Beer Run and More...... (now with Added Sandwiches and Ice Cream) 10/10/09

Eitan: We took a Saturday beer run to Bierkraft to get some beers for Wednesday. Also, Greg and Stan had a beer with lunch. I forgot what Greg had, but Stan had the Anchor Steam Porter. And that was damn good. I want to get a bottle to try it full, not just a taste. I also got a 750 ml bottle of Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoo, which I am excited to try some time soon.

Also that night had some Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale on draft from The Diamond. I suggest everyone go try some before its all out. Also had a Smuttynose Porter on draft, damn good. I wish Fourth Ave Pub had it more often. I was pretty drunk so I cant really describe the beer to well, but I know that they were good.


P.S. Very delicious sandwiches and ice cream sandwiches were consumed at Bierkraft.

Bier Nakht 10/7/2009

Eitan: Dammit! I dont remember the name of the Saison. It was definitely better than the one we had the other week. I wasnt to crazy about the smell, it had sort of an orange medicine smell to it. It had a nice hazy orange color and pretty good head retention. However, it tasted very good, nice citrus and hoppy taste and a nice hoppy after taste. Aside for the smell I like it better than last weeks Saison. Greg reminded me I have the picture of the bottle on my phone, Turns out its the La Merle Saison.

The second beer we had was the Arcadia Shipwreck Porter. It was ok, we've had much better porters before. It poured a nice dark color, but it smelled sour. I thought it had a light body. It tasted better than it smelled, hints of coffee and chocolate and that whiskey and oak taste. I dont know if i would run to have this one again.

The last beer we had was the Dogfish Head Black and Blue. Best beer of the night. It smelled and tasted better after it opened up for a bit. Nice amber color. The head was ok. It had a sweet fruit smell to it. Not as hoppy as most of the other beers that we've had. A nice light berry taste, mostly blueberry, not nearly as sweet as a framboise and better tasting then other fruit beers I've had.

Next week I don't plan on losing at durak. Too bad I don't have an iPhone to practice on. You're all going down. All the way to the bank!!!!!!!

Greg: Arcadia Shipwreck- I was a fan of this little guy. A fairly strong beer with a curiously sour body, more sour than I would expect from a porter. It came from the whiskey barrels in which the beer was aged and added an interesting twist to this brew. Hidden under the sourness lingered the traditional porter roastiness, somewhat subtle but still there and very enjoyable.

Dogfish Head Black and blue- I was a little hesitant about this brew, berries and all is not something I'm really into. The bottom line however was that it turned out to be a pretty good brew. I definitely tasted the blue berries in this guy. A nice beer for someone who is not crazy about brew because it was on a fruity side yet still holding its ground as a beer and not a pansy wine cooler.

The Saison we had a rather forgettable with some hops thrown in, I will not bother writing about it as I have definitely forgot how it was.

@Eitan, that's right you won't lose in Durak cos we're playing spades, beaotch!

Non beer night post- Weyerbacher Riserva

Weyerbacher Riserva- This is a treat! A strong flavorful brew that has left me very pleased and wishing I had another bottle or two. I poured three glasses of this the first one was crystal clear and the next two already had a nice cloudy tint from the yeast. The nose is one of tart berries. The palate opens up to a nice sour taste thanks to the wild yeast. This reminds me much of the Flemish Reds we've tried and another beer I cannot remember and Am waiting for Stan to tell me what the hell it is. The sour palate quickly shifts to the raspberries with which this beer was created. The complexity here is expanded by the barrel aging process. Strong, one glass has already put a nice buzzed shroud over me. Hopefully we'll be at Weyerbacher soon and I'll snatch up a few more bottles of this bad boy!

Here's my new fav glass filled with this tasty treat:

nuit de bière - 9/30/2009

Eitan: I picked 3 of the 4 beers tonight, and Greg picked out the other one. This week we went to the beer store at whole foods on Bowery and not Bierkraft.

The first beer we had was the St. Somewhere Saison Athene. According to some people the beer smelled like ham. I don't see/smell it being ham. We had the a bottle and poured it in to our glasses. It had a cloudy color and nice head; however, the head faded quickly compared to the other Saison beer that we've had. I thought it had a pretty sweet Saison-esque smell. Like a Saison it had a pretty light body. I thought it tasted ok, i think we've had better ones, but I wouldnt be opposed to having this one again.

The second beer of the night was the Ommegang Biere De Mars. I chose the beer because they do not brew it too often. I was told that it was a Rare Vos but with "...a bit of magical space dust woven in - Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a wild-yeast used in the secondary fermentation." It had a nice dark amber color. It had a large amount of yeast floating around at the bottom of the bottle, and unfortunately Stan got some in his glass. I thought that it had pretty good head retention (but since this is about 12 hrs later I may be a little off). It had sort of sour and yeasty smell. It had a nice sour taste to it. Not as sour as the iris as pointed out by Stan, and agreed by all. It's more expensive than the Rare Vos, but it does have that different wild yeast taste. I would definitely have it again. Most likely if I saw it on tap somewhere. You think Fourth Ave Pub might have it one day?

The third beer was the one Greg chose, Meantime London Porter. It had a nice dark color and a nice size creamy head. It thought that it had a nice fruity and chocolate smell. If i would have to think about it I would say imagine a box of dark chocolate covered cherries, raspberries and orange slices. It felt very light. It had a really good taste, a little bitter with some chocolate, coffee and slight cherry taste. I would have this again. Now I want to try the meantime Coffee Porter.

The final beer of the night was the Hoppin' Frog - B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout. This beer was so dark, looked completely black. Had pretty much no head whats so ever. Very big on the chocolate and molasses smell. A very chocolate and malty taste. It also had a slight taste of the alcohol. It was a good beer and I would have it again.

Greg:

St. Somewhere- This was an interesting Saison. Not a typical one for sure. The consensus on the nose was one of...ham, wtf, idk! The palate was more interesting I found it to be kind of spicy perhaps even mustard-e. Hmmm.

Meantime London Porter- MMMM, Very tasty porter here. Mild roasted and coffee flavors. Smooth all the way through an enjoyable brew when you're not in the mood for something that will kick you in the palate. A solid porter indeed!

BORIS The Crusher- MMM MMM MMM! That's what I'm talking about. A beefed up version of the Meantime. A sweet and strong stout. Similar in body to the Meantime with the mocha/java lots of roast-e-ness but sweeter and heavier. This falls into the sweet and strong category of which I am a big fan. Nice!

It has been a while and I have sadly forgot Biere de Mars so I will not write about it :-\