Posts Tagged ‘Delaware’

After a rather crazed Labor Day weekend (wherein the Cha Cha Hut made its official commercial debut), we decided to journey to Oliver’s Discount Beverage in Albany to restock a quickly dwindling cellar. I once stated the selection here is much smaller than Half Time in Poughkeepsie, but what is there is truly amazing. I always find a ton of interesting new brews when dropping into Oliver’s So much so, I can’t remember the last time we made the trip to Half Time. Plus – the Oliver’s staff seem to be really excited to be selling something other than the endless stream of BMC we see going out the door.

Bombers
Southern Tier Imperial Pumking Ale
Southern Tier Imperial Mokah (chocolate & coffee stout)
Southern Tier Imperial Cherry Saison
Southern Tier Imperial Heavy Weizen
Dogfish Head Fort (brewed with pureed raspberries)
The Bruery Black Orchard
Brown’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Porter
He’Brew Rejewvenator Harvest Ale
Avery Fifteen Anniversary Ale
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation Ale
Red Hook DB Double Black Stout with Coffee

40 oz.
People’s Pint Tap & Die Malt Liquor

6 Pack
Wolaver’s Certified Organic Will Stevens’ Pumpkin Ale
Brown’s Oatmeal Stout
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
Atwater Block Brewery Vanilla Java Porter
Boulder Beer Mojo IPA

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Belgian wit

Mrs. Ohabeer has this obsession with beers made with fruit. Not necessarily “fruit beers” but those where fruit is mentioned on the label. She is also a big Belgian fanatic attracted by the spiciness. So, it is no real surprise when Dogfish Head released Red & White – a Belgian wit made with coriander, orange peel and Pinot Noir juice – that a bottle would end up in the OAB cellar.

Let me say – as a brewer – I am impressed by the process Dogfish used for this beer. After fermentation, part of the batch was aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels and another part in oak staves. Then, these were blended together for the release. It’s more in a long line of brewing wackiness that continues to make me respect Dogfish for what they are doing even if I’m not a fan of a lot of their beers.

The Red & White pours a copper gold with little head. We decided to serve this in a wine glass to get the most out of the pinot aroma. It’s a dense beer with a great deal of “floaties” – I’m guessing the orange peel and coriander as it did not come through as yeasty. The aroma is definitely grape. Not as grapey as the Midas Touch, but certainly a nice wine tone with a light undertone of maltiness.

The taste is not really what I would call a “beer”. Not sure what to call it, but “beer” is not the label. The bottle calls it a “malt beverage brewed with orange peel, coriander and Pinot Noir juice”. I made a reference to malt beverage = Zima and Mrs. Ohabeer felt that was uncalled for. She’s right – this is definitely not some sort of strange wacked out Zima. It is a fruity malt brew perfectly in line with Dogfish Head’s continued mission to push the boundaries of brewing. Plus – at 10% ABV it’s a might big brew whatever you want to call it. It’s something you should have at least once (and I have).

Now I just have to stop Mrs. Ohabeer from buying more “grape beers”…

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Ale

One has to respect the audacity and sheer desire to experiment inherent is every brewer at Dogfish Head. They consistently turn out some of the world’s oddest and adventurous beers. Exploration is always a good thing, but it sometime misses the mark in results.

The label for Dogfish Head Midas Touch claims it is the oldest known fermented beverage in the world. It also lists honey, saffron, barley and muscat grapes as ingredients. I have to say I was intrigued but also a bit dubious.

This is a pale gold beer with a fair amount of carbonation and a very foamy head. The head falls quickly giving way to just a hint on the top of the beer. First thing I notice: grapes. Not “It has a grape-y aroma” or “There are hints of grapes”. No – this is Grapes with a capital G. Taste pretty much falls in line with this. It – to me – came off a bit like crossing a sparkling grape juice with a bit of ale then adding a honey finish. I definitely was not into this. Mrs. Ohabeer – on the other hand – was really digging it. then again, she is the fruit beer fan of the Ohabeer house.

We have two more of these in the cellar. Someone mentioned to me these are best if cellared for a year. Not sure I want to wait that long, but I am considering keeping it for a few months and revisiting. I can say – with a fair amount of certainty – I will not be picking up more of this in the future. Not a BEERFAIL by any stretch – just an experiment I did not think succeeded.

A recent trip to NYC for taxes prep and some serious craft beer crinking (more on that later) offered the opportunity to stop by Half Time in Poughkeepsie (the Ohabeer craft temple) to re-stock the cellar. We decided to focus on bombers and large bottles with a couple of growlers for this trip. Just an experiment to see if we prefer splitting a large bottle or having multiple six packs.

Growlers
Troeg’s Nugget Nectar
Lagunitas Harry Eyeball
Cave Mountain Nut Brown Ale
Cave Mountain Spiced Winter Ale
Cave Mountain Java Cream Ale

12oz bottles
Left Hand Milk Stout
Goose Island Oatmeal Stout
Southern Tier Phin + Matt’s Extraordinary Ale
Ithaca CascaZilla Red Ale
Dogfish Head Midas Touch

Large Bottles
Brooklyn Black Ops
Two Brothers Red Eye Coffee Porter
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
Dogfish Head Red + White
Harpoon Catamount Maple Wheat (session 26)
Shmaltz Coney Island Albino Python White Lager with Spices
Shmaltz Coney Island Human Blockhead Lager
Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout

Looking forward to all of these – or I would not have bought them – but the Brooklyn Black Ops, Dogfish Head Midas Touch and Dogfish Head Red + White are especially anticipated. Hope them live up to their reputations.

Brewery: Dogfish Head
Location: Wilton, DE
Style: Brown Ale

Mrs. Ohabeer picked this up on the recent cellar run. She was intrigued – and I had to agree – by the aged on Palo Santo wood aspect. We’ve been having a great time exploring wood aged beers and )as yet) have not been disappointed. So, a four pack of Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron ended up in the cellar.

To say this is an extraordinary beer would be an understatement.

It pours a midnight black with a caramel brown head. Quite a trick for something described on the label as a brown ale. The head collapses fairly quickly, but – given the aroma rising out of the glass and the taste to come – you’re really not going to miss it.

The taste is huge. Caramel, vanilla, a bit of dried fruitiness like raisins, a wine-y edge created by the wood aging, a touch of coffee and even a little citrus on the back end. So much going on at once it is almost overwhelming.

This is very porter-esque. Thick and creamy with very low carbonation. Again, a great trick for a supposedly brown ale. The sweetness on the back end does get a little tired over the course of a glass, but not so much as to ruin the experience. At 12% ABV, It really should be about all you’ll need for a night. I made the mistake of following with an Ommegang Hennepin and felt no pain.

Thankfully, we have another two in the cellar. Looking forward to trying them in a month or two to see how they age. Certainly returning to the Palo Santo Marron whenever it is available.

While out running errands (and picking up the supplies to start home brewing), I decided to stop and add some new beers to the cellar. Tommy at Keegan Ales recommended I try E & S Discount Beverage (906 Route 28 in Kingston NY, 845.339.7164). I was a bit surprised as I had passed this place many times traveling from Ohabeer HQ to Kingston and always thought it one the many generic beer stores in the Catskills.

Well, I was quite wrong and very pleasantly surprised. A very heathly selection of craft beers, a knowledgeable counter guy and – much to my extreme delight – four bottles of the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2008. Spent about half and hour wandering around and ended up getting:

New to the cellar
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout 2008 [4 120z bottles/13%]
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron [4 12oz bottles/12%] : brown ale aged on palo santo wood
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager [6 12oz bottles/5.5%]
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout [6 12oz bottles/9.1%]
He’Brew Messiah Bold Dark Brown Ale [6 12oz bottles/5.6%]
Ipswich Oatmeal Stout [6 12oz bottles/7%]
Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout [22oz bottle/9.2%]
Weyerbacher Heresy Imperial Stout [22oz bottle/8%] : aged in oak barrels

I’m really looking forward to all of these. Some very interesting looking beers here. I’m taking two of the Goose Islands and adding them to the one I have saved off to cellar three for next year. Reviews coming sometime…