Posts Tagged ‘Dogfish Head’

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.

Saturday March 7, 2009 meant a trip to Albany to check out The Watchmen. As there are no decent theatres in the general vicinity of Ohabeer HQ, we have to travel over an hour to see films (usually Albany or Kingston). For that reason, we generally only go to those films we feel are cinema worthy. It also usually means making a day of it wherever we choose to go see films.

With that in mind, we made plans after seeing the film to get a little lunch, grab a few home brewing supplies and finally get over to a legendary Albany pub.

Fox & Firkin Pub (Colonie, NY)
112 Wolf Road, Colonie, New York 12205 (518) 453-2369
A bit of an update on the Fox & Firkin Pub. Back in February 2009, we had lunch here and were impressed by the beer selection. Sadly, one month later is appears they are “undergoing some changes” (said our mildly ineffective waitress) and I’m guessing that means LCD beer. Other than what I am guessing were some left over Dogfish Head 120 and 90 minute IPAs, all of the interesting crafts from a month ago were gone. I had a couple of the Dogfish 90s. Sadly, this really leaves us without ANY place to get a good beer and some lunch in the Colonie Center area. If anyone out there has suggestions leave them in the comments.

Hennessy Homebrew Emporium
470 North Greenbush Rd (Route 4) Rensselaer, NY 12144 (518) 283-7094
I needed to get a couple of cases of bottles for an upcoming stout bottling, so decided to check with the beer crowd on Twitter for Albany suggestions. Three of the four responses recommended Hennessy Homebrew Emporium. I would like to thank all those that did. It’s a great well stocked store with a friendly knowledgeable staff. I chatted for a bit about sanitizing options, possibly buying a few hops rhizomes, various options when I am done with this bottling thing (want to go keg) and beer in general. One just can’t help but fall into a conversation in a home brew store. The prices are great. It’s fairly easy to find. Plus, they give demonstrations and are hoping to expand soon. All in all an excellent find and some place I’ll be returning to often.

Mahar’s
1110 Madison Ave Albany, New York, 12208-2248 (518) 459-9416
We have been trying to make it to Mahar’s since a friend who knows we like great beer told us about it three years ago. Only problem is it does not open until 4pm and we’re usually no where near it at that time. This time – however – it worked out perfectly as it was (sort of) on the way back home from Hennessy’s. It’s a great smallish space with a very very authentic British local ale house feel. Very few seats – mostly bar rails to set your glass on while you stand. A fairly older mixed crowd – 30/40 somethings mixing easily with old timers. The beer list is massive focusing a great deal on European brews. They had six cask engines all running brews from Middle Ages Brewery in Syracuse, NY. As I am a cask fanatic, I set about having a few…

Mr. Ohabeer had:
Middle Ages Mahar’s 20th Anniversary Ale: nice simple dark ale. Slightly sweet with hints of caramel. (Cask engine)
Middle Ages Kilt Tilter Scotch Ale: Scotch style porter tasting greatly of chocolate and raisins. (Cask engine)
Middle Ages Wailing Wench: a strong ale with a big hops taste. (Cask engine)

Mrs. Ohabeer had:
Middle Ages Mahar’s 20th Anniversary Ale: nice simple dark ale. Slightly sweet with hints of caramel. (Cask engine)
Harpoon Winter Warmer:lovely copper ale with a nice spicy edge. (In bottle)
Middle Ages Mahar’s 20th Anniversary Ale: She decided to try this out on draught rather than cask engine. A completely different beer. More carbonation and much sweeter. Plus – as she put it – more “lacing, because I AM a sewer.”

Sadly a bit of a mar in the otherwise nice evening was the somewhat dick-ish attitudes of both the Slayer t-shirt wearing bartender and the biker dude/hippy owner. I get it – that whole “We got attitude so deal with it fuckwit! You don’t like? Then get out!” Really though. The owner refers to US craft brews as “US crap brews”. I’m quite glad we did not run into this guy until we were leaving. Probably would not have stayed as long as we did. Sad really – the beer is pretty good. The place is nice and chill. A couple of people actually brought in slow cookers with free chowder and chili. The attitude from behind the bar might just keep me from wanting to return very often. And I’m certain Mahar’s will not care one bit if I do…

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.

When Mrs. Ohabeer and I venture our of the Ohabeer HQ and end up in a bar, it is most likely I am ordering beer. Living in upstate NY does not often afford one the opportunity for the fine art of mixology – I haven’t had a decent margarita since leaving NYC – so that the beer gods for the in roads made by craft beers even at local bars. Invariably, I’ll bring along the handy iPod Touch to see if there is WiFi in the bar (thus allowing for twittering while drinking) and to make notes on the beers drank. As I am attempting to be social while out drinking, I do not take any sort of detailled tasting note, but just something quick and simple.

So, here is the first installment of Random Beers in Various Bars wherein I clean out the notes I have on recent nights out.

Fox & Firkin Pub (Colonie, NY)
112 Wolf Road, Colonie, New York 12205 (518) 453-2369
When heading to the Colonie/Albany area for shopping, we used to hit the Old Chicago for some lunch and a great selection of craft beer. Sadly, they went out of business in January 2009. Luckily, this chain pub is located right across the street. It’s the usual ersatz English pub filtered through a marketer’s vision, but that do have an excellent beer menu. With lunch I had a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (on tap. lovely hoppy pale ale) and Rogue Dead Guy Ale (in a bottle. nice cloudy copper color. Smooth ale with what tastes like a hint of honey). They also carried the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, but as I had more shopping to do, I took a pass.

Andes Hotel (Andes, NY)
110 Main St., Andes, NY 13731 (845) 676-4408
You just have to love a bar with snowmobile parking. We ventured here one Saturday drawn by their local cable ads claiming the most craft beers in the area. Given the area we live in, that could have meant three. Luckily, it was around 30 with several on tap. Started with the Southern Tier Unearthly Imperial IPA on tap served in a goblet. Very hoppy rich gold ale with a thick head. 11% ABV limited me to one of these. Followed with a pint of Southampton Porter on tap. A thinnish head on a nice deep chocolate colored brew. Good balance of maltiness to chocoloate sweetness with a slight coffee back end. Finished the night with a Snapperhead IPA on tap. This might have been a mistake after the Southern Tier IPA. There is a bit of hoppiness, but mostly I am getting nothing. Could have fried the tastebuds? Might have to try this another time. Though the more I drank, the better it got. Also available at Andes Hotel: Weyerbach, Abita, Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Brooklyn, Yuengling, Ommegang, Magic Hat, Leinenkugel and more. They even have a few imported Belgians.

Baba Louie’s Pizza (Hudson, NY)
517 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534 518.751.2155
Had lunch here. Very nice artisanal pizzas. Excellent toppings. Had a couple of C.H. Evans Kick-Ass Brown Ales. Solid simple brown ale.

Spotty Dog Books & Ale (Hudson, NY)
440 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534 .T 518 671 6006
This was an amazing find. They were having a beer tasting that evening, but we could not stay that late. It is a bookstore with a bar. Nice selection of crafts on tap. The real story is it is located in what was the original C.H. Evans brewery space and so their core beers are from C.H. Evans. I went with a Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre (on tap) as I had not had it in a while. Such a great brew. I love the fact you can taste the raisins without it being too cloy. Mrs. Ohabeer had a Chatham Porter (also on tap). Nice rich color and a decent porter taste.

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…