A Firkin of Jalapeño Pils

So there I was performing my domestic duties – mixing cocktails, fixing dinner, and whatnot.  When all of a sudden, from the living room, I hear what can only be described as a cross between a cry of anguish and a squeal of delight.


I rushed in to find my husband looking a little . . . well . . . odd.

He looked up at me and said. “Two Roads has a firkin of jalapeño pilsner pouring right now.”

He’s lounging in his comfy pants and I've got dinner on the stove.  And I’m like, “What the duck!  Let’s go!”  I didn't really say “duck”, but I’m trying to keep it clean here.  

He’s like, “Damn, now I have to get dressed again.”

But dressed he got, dinner was put on hold and we headed out the door.

The next thing I know, I’m seated at the bar in the tasting room of Two Roads Brewery with a cold beer in front me.

The firkin was filled with Ol’ Factory Pils (5.0% ABV) that had been infused with jalapeño.   One hot pepper had been soaking in that beer for a week and a half and the result was waiting patiently in front of me.

The aroma was pleasantly peppery and mildly spicy.  Tempting.

The clear golden lager was topped with a thick head of bright white head.  The unusually hoppy pilsner was enhanced by a mild peppery bite of jalapeño.  The brew wasn't too spicy but enough to leave behind a pleasant capsaicin burn that built up with each sip.  It never amounted to a real burn, though.  

The casked jalapeño pils was light, wonderful, and perfectly spicy.  What a fantastic beer!  I could drink it all day and all night long.

Awesomeness in a glass!

Olé!

Texas Exile

Texas Exile is  my first experience with Brash Beer.  Poking around their website they look like a fun bunch.  Wanting to learn more about them I looked further. I discovered that they share the same physical address as Ipswich Ale.  Digging a little deeper it turns out that they are a contract brewer.  Generally this is a turn off for me.  But the fellows at Brash haven't much choice.  For a number of reasons due to the archaic brewing laws in Texas it is very difficult for them to brew their own beer in their home state.  So they brew at Ipswich.

Now I know where the name Texas Exile comes from.  Brash truly is in exile from Texas.

Okay, I'm over it. 

Now what's with the label? A dude on a tricycle and a balloon. Weird. Ah ha!  My research has produced even greater dividends!  This is my theory.  The brewer from Brash is an Englishman who wound up residing in Texas by some convoluted means.  The fellow on the bicycle is a bobby.  He is being treated like a child by the Texas authorities; hence the tricycle, balloon and Texas Ranger holding him back.  Jolly good mockery, that!

Enough tomfoolery. On to the beer.








I like coffee.  Hell, let's be honest, I need coffee.  I like beer, too.  I don't need it but I want it.

It's remarkable how well coffee and beer mesh together.  Dark toasted malts and roasty coffee beans to go together like they were meant to be.  Brash combines the two very well in Texas Exile - an ale brewed with coffee.

Texas Exile (10.50% ABV) pours black as black gets with a gorgeous mocha colored head that forms a thick froth with good retention.

The aroma is like a whiff from a fresh bold cup of coffee with a whisper of smoke.

The flavor is initially bitter black coffee softened by a bit of sweet malt.  While the coffee dominates the palate there are notes of dark chocolate and smoke present, as well.  The finish is an espresso-like bitterness.  It's impressive how well the alcohol is concealed.

The mouth feel is full without being heavy.  It's actually nice and creamy.

Overall: very good.

No Limits Hefeweizen

Just in time for summer, Two Roads Brewery has a released a new beer that is absolutely perfect for the season.

Hefeweizen is a traditional unfiltered wheat beer from Bavaria.  Hefeweizens are light and effervescent which makes them exceptionally drinkable. It's this quaffability that makes them the ultimate brew to refresh oneself during the hot, steamy days of summer.

A name that was under consideration for the new summer ale was "Hefebahn".  It's a name that appropriately pays homage to the style of beer and ties in the Two Roads philosophy of taking "the road less traveled".  Or, the bahn less traveled, as it were.

A road that winds its way through Bavaria that is exceedingly well traveled is the autobahn.  On the autobahns there are no limits.  

That fits Two Roads brewmaster, Phil Markowski's, style of brewing beer; his creativity seems to know no limits.  



It also fits his new beer.  This hefeweizen really puts the pedal to the metal.
No Limits is a fitting name for Two Roads new brew.

No Limits (5% ABV) pours a hazy sunny gold.  A plethora of tiny bubbles rise to the surface to create a thick creamy head.  All that foam grabs the sides of the glass and leaves behind a nice layer of loose lacing.

The aroma is sweet and wheaty with hints of banana and clove.

The mouthfeel is remarkable.  It's the first thing I noticed when I took my first sip.  It is light and cool with loads of tingly bubbles.  I could drink a lot of a beer that goes down so easy.  Mmm, so dangerous in such a wonderful way.  Thank goodness for the very sessionable ABV!

The flavor is slightly sweet and pleasantly wheaty. I especially like the fact that the wheat is somewhat understated.  That makes room for the essence of clove and banana and - what's that? - a whisper of bubblegum to come forth.  The finish is clean with nary a trace of bitterness.  

Oh my!  Deliciousness!

Two Roads has made a bold, flavorful hefeweizen that is light and wonderful.  Well done!

Overall: excellent!

Prost!

Grab A Beer

Sah'tea

Sahti is an old style Finnish beer traditionally home brewed.  It is fermented using baking yeast (as opposed to ale yeast) and juniper berries.  It is then filtered through juniper twigs.  The end product is a distinctive cloudy brew that is yeasty and has a banana-like flavor profile.

Sah'tea is Dogfish Head's take on this brew.  

The wort for Sah'tea is caramelized over white-hot river rocks, and the beer is fermented with a German weizen yeast. In addition to juniper berries foraged from the Finnish countryside, Sah'tea is flavored with black chai tea.

I haven't met a Dogfish Head beer I haven't liked.  Until now.  It's not that the beer was bad, because it wasn't.  It's just that it wasn't, well, my cup of tea.  I don't like chai tea. I guess don't like beer brew with chai tea either.  My husband liked it though.  He likes chai tea, so there you go! 
 





Sah'tea (9.00% ABV) pours a clear pale gold with copious quantities of floaties even with a moderate pour.  If you don't like sediment in your beer, then this one will totally turn you off.  The head starts off pretty robust then dwindles to a lingering layer of bubbles.

The aroma is loaded with spices.  It's very reminiscent of chai tea and pumpkin pie. Psst . . . I don't like pumpkin pie either.

The taste is much like the aroma.  Sah'tea is richly flavorful.  It is spicy and grainy.  As much as I wanted to like it, I just didn't.   

The mouthfeel is medium with low carbonation.  The alcohol is well concealed flavorwise but it can be felt.

Overall it's a good beer.  Probably even a great beer.  I just didn't enjoy it.  But hubby gives it a good rating and that's good enough for me!

Kippis!

American Craft Beer Week at Plan B

One of the best places I can think of to celebrate American Craft Beer Week is Plan B Burger Bar.  The "B" in Plan B stands for more than just burger - and their burgers kick ass - they have a fantastic bourbon menu and an amazing selection of craft beer.  

They're wait staff is also great, too.  We were served by Damien and his trainee side-kick Emily.  Damien was amusing, attentive and knowledgeable and Emily was doing her darndest to keep up with him and learn the ropes.

Since it is also Connecticut Beer Week I decided to start out with a local brew.






Hop Meadow IPA (6.4% ABV) by Hooker Beer.  Served in a shaker pint, it was a hazy amber with the remnants of a thick head.  The lacing on this brew is incredible! Layer after layer clings to the glass to the very last sip.  The mildly hoppy aroma belies the bigger hop presence.  There is a decent amount of malt to balance out the bitterness, but the sharpness of the hops pull through to the finish leaving a lingering bitterness.  A hop lovers beer, for sure.  The mouth feel is creamy with very little carbonation.   Over all: very good.






Matilda (7.0% ABV) is from the vintage line of beers by Goose Island and can be aged up to 5 years.  Served in a shaker pint, it was a hazy amber with a thick foam over the top that left behind moderate lacing.  The aroma is fruity with a grainy presence. The taste is overall fairly sweet and fruity.  It is also very heavy on the rye. The mouthfeel was medium with lively carbonation.  The finish was dry with a subtle bitterness.  Overall: good.






Lest you think we were drinking on an empty stomach we had an order of hot wings to carry us over to our burgers.  Plan B's wings are big, meaty and very tasty. Personally, I think they could be hotter, but that's me.









Midas Touch (9.00% ABV) is from the line of ancient ales by Dogfish Head.  This was my favorite beer of the evening.  It was served in a pint bottle with an accompanying weissen style glass.  It is a clear pale gold with a thin head and loads of bubbles.  The aroma is fruity, sweet, and a little spicy.  It is described as both sweet and dry, I can totally go along with that.  There is the sweetness of honey and grapes and also the crispness of a chardonney.  Very tasty.  I am totally buying a six-pack of these bad boys!  Overall: very good.

Old Yankee Ale (5.00% ABV) is an old ale by Cottrell Brewing - also a Connecticut brewery.  Served in a shaker pint, is a hazy reddish gold with a big poof of white foam.  The aroma? Decidedly odd.  I thought it smelled like lettuce, I kid you not. The taste was better than the smell although somewhat light in flavor.  Juicy fruits and malt prevail with an underlying grapefruit and resinous hops to balance out the sweetness.  The finish is sweet but mildly bitter.  The mouth feel was light with good carbonation.  A good beer but nothing special.  Overall: good.








For dinner I got burger special - Hawaiian Crush: Beef patty with grilled pineapple, sesame aioli, ham streak, fried egg, teriyaki honey glaze & jack cheese.  I was somewhat dubious about this burger but it was intriguing enough to try.  It was awesome! I was pleasantly surprised at how well all the components worked together. A very tasty burger!  Hubby got the pretzel burger; his favorite. 

Censored (6.75% ABV) is a copper ale by Lagunitas.  You cannot go wrong with a Lagunatas beer.   It was served in a pint bottle with an accompanying weissen style glass.  It pours a deep copper color with a bubbly head.  The aroma is sweet, malty and spicy.  Enticing! The flavor is malty with the tang of cloves and other spices.  There's a nice bite of hops that brings everything together nicely.  The finish is smooth.  A very nice drinkable ale, not too sweet and not too hoppy, just right.  Overall: very good.






Bigfoot (9.6% ABV) by Sierra Nevada well deserves it name.  This beer is categorized as a barleywine, which is why I saved it for last.  Served in a chalice it is a deep copper color. I expected something rich, sweet and malty.  The aroma is huge, malty and hoppy; very much like an imperial IPA.  The taste?  Like a really big big imperial IPA.  Grapefruity hops, very bitter.  Some caramel malt but very understated. The alcohol can be tasted as well as felt, but that's not unexpected.   This is unlike any barlerywine I've ever had and I have a hard time classifying it as such.  I thought it was odd for a barleywine but great as a double IPA.  It's meant to be aged so I plan to get a couple bottles and aged them and see how the brew changes with time.  Over: very good.





But wait!  There's more!  A visit to Plan B wouldn't be complete without a finger or three of bourbon.  And they have a mighty fine selection.  I asked for a finger of 14 year old vintage from Jefferson's; a small batch bourbon distiller in Kentucky, a craft distiller as it were.  Not so unfortunately, they were out of the 14 year old bourbon.  What they had was a 21 year old vintage - Jefferson's Presidential Select (47% ABV).  Not realizing it was $18 for that nip of bourbon, I went for it.  That may seem like a lot of money for so little, and it is, but considering an extremely limited edition bottle is $120 I guess that's not so bad.  This bourbon is nothing short of remarkable.  Smooth and flavorful.  The aroma is rich with notes of vanilla, caramel, toffee. The flavor is very much the same; very deep, rich, and nuanced.  If you like bourbon then you must try this if you can.

White Birch Belgian Style Pale Ale

White Birch Brewing is a small brewery in Hookset, New Hampshire.   They brew in small batches and are currently running on a 7 barrel system.

I totally appreciate a real hand crafted brew.  I've heard good things about the brewery and I picked up this bottle when I was vacationing in the White Mountains. 

Belgian Style Pale Ale (6.5% ABV) is one of White Birch's flagship brews and is available year round.

It pours a hazy dark honey gold with a bright white fluffy head that grabs the glass and leaves behind some nice lacing.  Be careful with the pour or that head will get out of control.  Not that that ever happens to me.  Nope, not me.

The aroma is pearific with lots of caramel malt and floral hops to back it up.

The pear definitely comes through and compliments the caramel flavors of the malt. The hops are both aromatic and flavorful.  They add spiciness and floral notes along with a decent amount of bitterness.  The Belgian yeast makes for an interesting bready layer of flavor that brings everything together into a nice tasty little package.  The finish is a bit of lingering malty sweetness with the overlaying bittering effect of resinous hops.

The mouthfeel is medium to full and very carbonated.  The bubbles are lively and lend to the drinkability of this very tasty brew.

I like this beer a lot.  I look forward to trying other White Birch beers.  

Overall: very good.