The Quadrant Theory

Alright, so you've seen my undying love of beer. I drink a lot of it, and I like to enjoy it with friends. In this time, I've slowly developed a theory on enjoying beers.

People (read: my friends) seem to really pick a favorite type of beer. This is only normal, but how to organize beers? I find it easiest to differentiate Malty (Stouts/Porters), Hoppy (Pale Ale/IPA), German (Pilsner, Bock), and Belgian (Dubbel, Saison).

I realize that using countries is both inexact and difficult as compared to malty and hoppy, but try and follow. Belgian beers, for example, tend to be fruity and use a lot of spices. German beers are tougher, but I know there's a unifying factor there as well, although it's tough to describe. My feelings on German beers is that they are pleasantly uncomplicated and kind of "clean".

Either way, it quickly became apparent that this wasn't the right idea. Too many people enjoyed more than one of those categories. But then I reformulated it as a grid. The axis are relatively unimportant, but you have malty vs. hoppy and german vs. belgian.

In my experience, people pick one side of each, and have a clear preference. It doesn't mean that someone like myself (Malty and Belgian) can't enjoy a pale ale, but I'll almost always default to a delicious stout or black lager. Whereas, my friend Stark tends to be more of a Hoppy and German person, often going for a pils or marzen, and being repulsed by my ridiculous stouts.

But obviously I have a pretty limited set. So tell me your experience. What about you? What about your friends? Do you know someone who breaks the theory?

and for the love of god, does someone who likes German beers more than me have a better description of them than "clean"?

Let me know!

Series of Sam (4 of 6)

You know, the problem with constantly having good beers is that eventually you become kind of inured to the whole thing. As much as I love reviewing beers, sometimes it's nice to just sit back and enjoy the beers, without having to worry about flavor profiles.

Over spring break, I got to enjoy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Allagash White, and Stoudt's Fat Dog stout, all of which were delicious. However, I had these while hanging out with friends and being social. And as much as I enjoyed them, I must shamefully admit to not having put much more thought into them than "damn! this is a delicious beer! I should drink more of it..."

However, luckily for me, this kind of exhaustion doesn't last. As you saw earlier this week I'm right back into the swing of things. Now, I only intended to review one beer tonight, but I ended with two, which is just such a darn shame.

The beer I intended, as above, was another from the Sam Adams mix pack. I'm saving their delicious cream stout for last, but I wanted a beer I could reliably enjoy, so the noble pils had to wait as well. Hence, I went with their ubiquitous Boston Lager.

It pours light golden, with supririsingly little head for a beer whose commercials always feature suds going freaking everywhere. The smell was tough to place, but is one I instantly associate with their Boston Lager and Ale. It's dark, and kind of malty. The beer, if anything, is more so. The taste is dark, maybe chocolate or caramel, and pleasantly malty, with an almost bready flavor.

This beer is pretty much the definition of a fallback beer, good for dinner or sipping with friends, but isn't exactly a thrill ride. If you haven't tried it, shame on you. If you have, it's a solid beer to have on hand for when that crazy beer you're trying ends up tasting like suck.

Speaking of a slightly more crazy beer, I had the good fortune of grabbing a brew with The Parental this evening at Pratt Street Ale House. A typical favorite, I was deciding between their delicious porter and scotch ale, when a new beer caught my eye. It was called Biere De Garde, and was their take on the French farmhouse ale.

Intrigued, I ordered myself a glass. It pours dark amber/reddish. The taste is delicious fruits (maybe cherries?) nicely mixed with a citrusy hop note. Rounding it out, thanks I imagine to the Belgian yeast, is a certain spice flavor that runs undercurrent to the rest of the beer. It's a very tasty beer, but I'm not sure I could share my focus with anything else - it's a holds-its-own kind of beer.

Ah good beer. May I always be cursed with such a bounty of delicious drinks. Cheers!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Beer in a Can???

It's funny - my first beer was definitely from a can. I don't remember what it was, but I'm sure it was some third rate piss water they serve at college frat parties. Mostly, I imagine, because I had it at a college party.

But the last time I had beer in a can? Well, other than the last time I had Oskar Blues, I'm not even sure. Nice beer doesn't come in cans. Nice beer comes in bottles, and almost always in bombers of some sort. Well, I think Oskar blues is trying to change that.

I had their Ten Fidy stout a few months ago at Max's, and I've been dying to try more since then. A multiple award winner, this beer is 8% abv and has rave reviews. The beer, "Old Chub", is their version of a Scottish Ale.

The beer pours a dark brown, with very little head. The smell is smoke and dark chocolate, and I won't lie, it made my mouth water a little.

The first taste is sweet, but with a smoky aftertaste. Dark chocolate is present, with tastes of earthy sweetness, rounded out with a nice smokiness. A smooth maltiness is present, mixing nicely with the sweet and bitter flavors.

This is a seriously tasty beer, good for sipping, and I imagine nice with some sort of steak or chops. Definitely worth a try.

I certainly don't miss the days of Natty Light and Milluake's Best, but Oskar Blues is giving me a reason to try canned beer again.

Victoria Gastro Pub

Victoria Gastro Pub is a little restaurant in Columbia MD. It's been here for a few years, and I actually went fairly soon after it opened. But with moving about and it being a fancy place, I haven't been back in years.

It's still as expensive as ever, but damned if that will ever deter me again. They have an excellent beer selection, a nice atmosphere, and ridiculously delicious (and expensive) foods. Particularly their "poutine", or duck fat fries. These delicious fries come out piping hot, covered in duck fat gravy and melted Gruyere cheese. Also there are still pieces of dark meat here and there. Good god there were delicious.

But the food is not all I was drooling about last night. They have an excellent tap selection - everything from Smuttynose Robust Porter, to Troegs Nugget Nectar, to Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pils. But most importantly they had Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.

This heavy hitter weighs in at 13% abv and won a god medal at the 2006 world beer cup. I've seen it on numerous other blogs as one of their favorite stouts, so despite many other tempting options, I decided I had to give this bad boy a try.

And wow was I glad I did. It poured black, and smelled of chocolate and vanilla, with a rich cocoa colored head. The first sip is all chocolate, with some smokey caramel. As it mellows, flavors of vanilla and charred oak really emerge, making this beer taste almost like a nice bourbon more than a stout. But it is ever so drinkable, and utterly delicious.

This isn't a desert beer, nor is it a drink during the game with some friends. This is a beer to sit and sip and appreciate. And maybe have a cigar with - something I'm dying to try now. Long story short, if you're a stout man like myself, give this one a try for damn sure.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

P.S. - Not enough to write a review, but went to a beer tasting. Lagunitas Brown Shugga was very tasty, and their IPA was shockingly drinkable for someone who doesn't love IPAs. Their correction ale was pretty good too, with some citrusy tastes. All in all a good bunch.

Series of Sam (3 of 6)

So, spring break starts tommorow for me, although sadly I feel like I've got more work than ever and may actually spend a good portion of break working. How sad.

But to celebrate my quasi freedom, I decided I'd crack open another Sam Adams. So far I've been 2 for 2 with tasty beers, so I decided to take a risky pick. I chose Sam Adams Coastal Wheat, a heffeweizen with lemon. I admit to having some trepidation coming into this beer, not being a huge fan of Heffe beers.

Overall, not a bad beer. It pours a light amber/golden with a nice head. The smell is all wheat beer. First taste is wheat and spices, with an undertone of lemon. There were times when the beer tasted more like lemon pledge than anything else, but they seemed to be the minority. The lemon really is pretty subtle, but there are nice solid flavors at the end - kind of sweet lemon rind.

I must admit that this isn't really a beer I'm dying to try again. However, that comes with a caveat. I am drinking this beer on a Thursday night, on a warmish March evening. This beer really feels like one should drink it on a hot summer day, especially towards sunset, relaxing and enjoying a cool beer. I really want to try it again in that situation, because it has the potential to be a delicious summer beer.

However, a spring or winter beer it is not. Not bad, but not something I plan to try again soon. As I said above, this week is spring break, so expect some new beers! Assuming my wallet can handle it!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Series of Sam (2 of 6)

Now, I admit that I like to save the best for last, but I just couldn't resist cracking open one of my favorite beers. It's lost a step or two by comparison to some of the beers I've had since then, but it'll always be a classic.

The first time I had it was at a Superbowl party. My friends had picked up a Sam Adams spring pack, which seemed weird in February. I admit to being a little hesitant at first, but this beer started my appreciation of scotch ales.

Sam Adams Scotch Ale pours a rich amber, without much head. The smell is smokey and rich. The first taste is a an oakiness, followed by tart fruitness and of course delicious smoke. I also swear I can taste some peatiness, but I can't quite pick it out. The best part though, might be the mellow finish.

As scotch ales go, it is a fine exemplar. If you like scotch ales, don't aim too high, but if you're a casual drinker, definitely give this one a try.

So Much Beer!

So, be warned, this is an absurdly long post. For your convenience, it's divided into three sections. Pre-Beer Dinner, Beer Dinner Beers, and then Beer Dinner recipes/cooking.

I decided this week, with some of my friends home and around, to host a beer dinner. This meant cooking with beer as well as having beer for tasting afterwards. And it was *awesome*, really just a great way to share beer with friends and have a fun evening.

Pre-Beer Dinner

So, as if this wasnt enough, my friends ended up coming in Tuesday to go to Max's. Never one to turn down Max's, I was thrilled at the prospect. I was even more excited when i saw that Allagash Black, a stout that I've been dying to try, was on their menu.

The beer pours dark into a Belgian beer glass (kind of like a giant snifter). Sadly, it really just wasn't that good. It tasted more like an ale than a stout. It was kind of watery, lots of dark chocolate and bitter coffee with some weird yeasty notes. Overall it just wasn't very good, being too thin and bitter, and not rich and hearty like most stouts. To be fair, as a Belgian stout it might be excellent, but I was not a fan.

On Thursday, before the dinner, I went for a run. Forgetting that I haven't been on a run in weeks, I went four miles, only to come back in paaaaain. To soothe my aching feet, I decided a bath was in order. A stroke of genius hit me, and I decided to have a beer with my bath.

It sounds like heresy, but it was perfect. A nice cold beer, a nice hot bath, and perfect relaxation. Try it some time and thank me.

I was trying Troeg's, a brewing company I'd never tried before. They're known for their hoppy beers, so I was a little wary. I cracked open their Dopplebock, and took a swig straight from the bottle. Delicious. It is a dark beer, full of flavors of chocolate and dark fruits like raisins or plums. Thd hop finish is nice and subtle, and accompanies some earthy mellow flavors and some nice caramel malts. It reminded me of a much more adventurous version of Yuengling's bock (which makes sense). Really though, just a delicious beer. Highly recommended for a nice brew to sip.

Beer Dinner Cooking
So, after this wonderful and relaxing bath, the cooking started. I was making Irish Stout Stew, Beer bread, and beer battered shrimp. The recipes are below if you'd like to try any yourself.

I was a little ashamed to realize I hadn't checked portions on the Irish stew, and added in a whole can of tomato paste, rather than the 2 tablespoons required. It turned out to be a nice spaghetti sauce, spicy and tasting of stout, but not really a stew. It went well over mashed potatoes though, so whatever. I also left out the onions and thyme, not being a huge fan of either. Definitely the most work of the evening, but delicious.
(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beef-and-irish-stout-stew/Detail.aspx)

The beer bread was blissfully simple. I put it into a faaaar too small at first though, but thankfully The Lorax was there to help and got me to put it into a bigger bowl. After combining flour, salt, and beer, I poured it into a greased pan, baked it for an hour, and was treated to the best dish of the evening. The bread was hard and crusty on the outside, and warm and soft on the inside. You could also taste the beer just enough to enjoy it. Three philosophers worked really well, but now I *really* want to try it with other beers too.
(source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beer-bread-i/detail.aspx)

The shrimp was not easy, but was well worth the effort. The batter was beer and flour and sugar - I used Sam Adams Noble Pils, but you couldn't really tell. Thankfully my friend the Culinatior had a deep frying thermometer, so we could tell when the oil was hot enough. From there it was just dip the shrimp in the batter, drop them in the oil, flip them, and let them dry on a paper towel.

Overall the meal was delicious, was more than enough for the four of us who showed up, and cost me less than thirty dollars (and I had to buy flour and sugar, the heathen that I am).

Beer Dinner Beers
Finally, we reached the beer. It was quite nice after all the effort and cooking and the long day to relax and sip these beers. I really enjoyed each of them, but each for their own reasons.

I started with Brew Dog's Chaos Theory Ale. I was worried to see that this was classified as an India Pale Ale, but figured I'd get it out of my way. I was thrilled to find out that it was delicious. It tasted very much grapefruit mixing with hops for a nice combination, where neither overpowered. Not an incredibly complex beer, but one I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it.

I went next to the Brooklyn Local #2, a belgian strong ale. It smelled a little of cider, and that taste was present at first. As it mellowed, it revealed a lot more dark fruits like cherries or plums, as well as some smoky flavors. I kind of wish I'd tried this during the dinner, as it seemed like it could've used some sort of meat dish to pair it with to make it complete.

I then decided it was time to try the stouts. I started with Rogue's Chocolate Stout, expecting it to be a little less of a desert beer. I like to think I was right, but it was by no means less tasty. Just as the name described, it was a chocolate stout. Milk chocolate and roasted hops were the tastes present throughout the beer, and boy they were delicious. Not everyone's favorite, and not the best chocolate beer I've ever tasted, but really good nonetheless. Very reminiscent in some ways of Brooklyn's Dark Chocolate Stout - it is everything that the name promises and nothing more.

Finally, I allowed myself to try Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence. The wait was worth it. Strong dark chocolate up front, with a surprisingly spicy finish. A real desert beer, this was heavy and complex and delicious. I'm definitely glad I ended with it, or it might've spoiled anything that came after it.

To tell the truth, I'm a little beered out at present, but I'm sure that'll fade as soon as I get the hankering to try a new beer.

Until then - enjoy the beers, try the recipes, and tell me what you think!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet