Dogfish and Alewife

Seriously, in case you can't tell from all my posts, I couldn't be more thrilled about Alewife opening. It's utterly fantastic to have a beer bar of that quality that close. I love it.

Specifically, tonight I was enjoying their featuring of several dogfish head beers. I was having trouble deciding what to get - between several old stone taps and the dogfish beers, they were featuring a lot of beers I wasn't terribly sold on, or had tried before.

Luckily, my conundrum was quickly resolved. Standing at the bar, I was chatting with the Dogfish rep about a dark beer that I'd seen people sipping. In response, she handed me a glass and said "Yeah, it's on Sam". The beer turned out to be their limited edition Bitches Brew, a tribute to Miles Davis. The beer is very dark, with a cocoa colored head. The flavor is roasted malts and cocoa, as per the usual. The shocker, though, comes with the finish.

The beer is actually flavored with honey, so the finish is devilishly subtle and sweet. It's not a cloying bite of sweetness, but it's a deliciously sweet finish, which contrasts nicely to the dark and roasted flavors of the beer. It dovetails nicely with some sweet fruit notes, and just provides a fantastic finish to the beer.

Although I thought I was done, I was apparently wrong. Padre, who I was having my beer with, had orderd a glass of My Antonia, Dogfish's continually hopped imperial pilsner. However, the waiter came back after he'd gotten his beer, and apologized. Apparently the bar had poured two, instead of one. Whoops! So, that's how I got my second free beer of the night.

My Antonia was surprisingly good. I'm not a huge hop fan, but the hop flavors really brought out the crisp, clean flavor of the beer, and the ending wasn't terribly bitter. The beer itself brought out flavors of grains and breads - but in such a light way that they didn't bog down the beer. Overall a really elegant version of a Pilsner, full of flavor.

So here's my shout out to Alewife and to Dogfish. To good beer (and to free beer)! May you have the same fortune, and go enjoy a beer!

The Alewife

So, admittedly, this post will be more about a bar than about beer. But really, when it's a craft beer bar that's just opened up in Baltimore, I hope you'll forgive me.

Alewife is a new place, just opened near the Hippodrome. With 40 beers on tap, I had to check this place out. The building is great - high ceilings and big windows take advantage of what was once a bank. The beer list is impressive, as hoped, with a good mix of styles and breweries, both local and foreign.

The food is a little expensive, with main dishes running in thwe $20-$30 range, but they have a fantastic selection of sides, small plates, and appatizers, which are less expensive but equally delicious. For the record, I reccomend the duck fat fries with sundried tomato ketchup.

I went there, in fact, this very evening, and availed myself of their delicious beers. My first beer was Victory's FestBier, a marzen/oktoberfest style beer from Victory. The beer had a really solid malty flavor, accented by bready notes, and some nutty flavors too. I wasn't wild about the aftertaste, which reminded me of fake sugar and bitter hops, but the beer was refreshing, with a very clean taste.

I then moved on to Stone's Smoke Porter, which I've reviewed before, but will reiterate: Damn. That is one tasty beer. For all you Baltimore natives out there, Stone breweries is taking over Alewife on October 1st for a special Stone-centeric evening with over 40 of stone's beers on tap. I for one, am pumped.

I should also mention, in the course of things, that I finally got to try my once favorite beer again. That's right, on two separate vists to Max's recently, they had Del Ducato Verdi's Imperial Stout. It's a stout made with chilipeppers, the mention of which makes me drool a little. In fact, I was extremely pleased to find that time had not exagerated the genius of this beer, which was every bit as chocolately, spicy, and delicious as I remebered. Still my favorite beer, hands down.

I also got to try, at Max's, Mikkeller's Beer Geek Breakfast, a smoked oatmeal stout. My compatriots all complained of it tasting like charcoal, but I thought it was a bold use of smokiness and roasted flavors, along with a nice hit of coffee, in an oatmeal stout, with a delicious result. It's certaintly a unique beer, and won't please all, but I loved it.

Also on tap was Heavy Sea's Smoke on the Water, a smoked porter. Sadly, we all agreed that this was hopefully a bad batch, as it tasted sour, as if it had gone bad, and was just not a very good beer, despite coming from an excellent brewer.

So, as you may notice, my posts have been less frequent. Well, sadly, I have moved far from my favorite beer store, and being busy with school and all, this blog may receive less love. How sad. I know how much you all loved it :-P. Still, I'll try and update when I can. Cheers!

Back in the swing of things

Oh man. I'm always so excited to come back home and try the bevvy of new beers. I've been settled in for a few weeks, but it still feels all new as I just finished moving into a new house.

And with new houses comes new beer. This time we've got two delicious Dogfish head beers, and one from a new brewery, Great Divide.

Great Divide is a Colorado brewery that I've heard a lot about, but never had the pleasure of getting to try. Specifically, I've heard about their Yeti stout - and what was awaiting me at my favorite local boozery? A big ol' bomber of Espresso Oak Aged Yeti.

It pours a viscous black - damn close to molasses. The smell is all coffee. Hooo boy, and then some - the coffee flavor comes from them adding local espresso to the beer itself. The flavor has all my favorite notes - oak, chocolate, roasted malts, espresso beans, mmmmm. It tasted a little like a chocolate covered espresso bean actually, which was delicious. It was a little heavy for summer, but this is a beer I'd go after in any weather.

Namaste, from Dogfish head, is basically the opposite. A take on the Belgian Wit beer, it is extremely light and refreshing, and is a very tasty summer beer. Rather than a bland wit though, it is full of orange and lemongrass flavors. As is typical with wit beers, there is also some wheat flavor. There is also a light citrus hop, but nothing to make the beer anything more than a clean, clear, refreshing beer.

Third, and not last by any means, is dogfish head's festina peche. Now, this is classified as Berliner Weissbier. I'm not wholly certain what that is, but I'm not complaining. The beer pours a nice golden orange, with little to no head but plenty of carbonation. It's easy to confuse this beer for cider or sparkling wine on first taste, but after a few sips you can taste the malty undertones. The flavor is all sour peach, which is delicious in my opinion. Folks seem split on this beer, but it is an absolutely perfect summer beer in my opinion - light, bubbly, and full of fruit flavors without being overly sweet.

I should also note that I got to visit the Dogfish head brewpub in Rehoboth, which was pretty cool. The food was very tasty, and everything was woodgrilled, which was tasty. I also got to sample a few of their beers that I hadn't had in a while. The best of the bunch might actually have been the 60 minute IPA, which is weird because I despise IPAs. However, it was pleasantly cirtusy and very drinkable. All of the beers tasted were good though, so it was sort of the tallest NBA player sort of thing.

Anyway, more beer to come no doubt. Cheers!

Recap time!

So, with finals taking up all my time, I saved all my wonderful beer for a single blog post. Bear with me, this is gonna get a little long.

I wasn't planning to jump into ridiculous beers, but the first weekend of finals, I went home to find out my friends were having a horse racing party. Which race? I don't know! However, I was able to acquire some delicious beers, and branch out a little.

The first was Troeg's Sunshine Pils. This aggressive looking beer seemed like a nice compliment to a hot spring day. And oh it was. Nice and refreshing, with a pleasant hop taste that never overwhelmed the nice lemony citrus. I'm not necessarily a huge pilsner fan, but this was a great beer to sip on a hot day.

I also grabbed Flying Dog's Garde Dog. I've been more and more intrigued with Biere De Garde, a style similar to the Saison. This was a pretty meek version of the style though. Not bad by any means, but a little timid, especially for Flying Dog. A great introduction to the style though for any wary newcomers. It's generically yeasty and spicy, and not a lot more can be said.

I figured I'd be done with beer for a little while at least, crazy me. I had forgotten that I planned to go out for drinks after my first final with Sparrow, Stark, and The Girlfried (aka llama lady aka cat staring at a butterfly aka cutiesaurus rex). I was determined to try this little chic wine bar in Hamden called 13.5%

The place is awesome. I can't even pretend to be snobbish - it was a great mix of classy and relaxed. The food was also ridiculously good. I had stout braised short ribs that literally fell apart and melted in my mouth. Oh god so good. I also had their tiramisu, which was less impressive, but still very tasty.

Mostly though, I was excited to try some beer. I had noticed that they had Evolution's Lucky 7 Porter on tap. I'd been dying to try this for a while, and had even contemplated getting some for the horse racing party, but realized that porter and hot spring days don't mix for most people.

It was delicious, but a little disappointing towards the end. The beer started out as everything I'd ever loved about porters - full flavors of roasted malts, some nice coffee notes, and a little chocolate too, not too bitter and pleasantly light. Mmmm porters. The problem though came after a little while of sipping - maybe it was my excessive hunger, but the beer started to just have a sickly sweet aftertaste. It was just upsetting at the end of a dark, roasty beer to suddenly taste brown sugar everywhere. I feel like I owe this beer another try though, because I've heard so many good things.

What's better than Porter? More Porter! And luckily for me, I'd chosen a hell of a porter to follow up Lucky 7. I got my hands on a probably too expensive but oh so worth it bottle of Rogue's Double Mocha Porter. The taste is boozy, but oh so much coffee/chocolate mix, and roasted malts. I realize that this is how I describe every porter, but c'mon. Until someone does something crazy with the style, that is how you make a delicious porter. This one packs a ridiculous punch of espresso and dark chocolate, satisfying the biggest fan of coffee beer.

And I thought I was done until after finals. I'd had a good week of delicious beers, and was ready to relax until the end of finals. Oh, but I was wrong. I went home for mothers day, with ChefSister and DudeBrah, as well as the rest of the family. What I didn't expect was to be sent out to get beer. Oh, and beer I got.

Started out with a 6 pack of Allagash white, which was absolutely delicious. Allagash white might be my favorite wheat beer, always ridiculously refreshing and surprisingly flavorful. Oh, but that wasn't the end.

No, I was asked to get an oatmeal stout. Oh darn, right? And what did I find there, but a beer I'd been searching for - Rogue's Shakespeare Stout. I know I promised to avoid stouts, but what can I do? It pours a gorgeous black with a cocoa colored head. It's sweet oats and milk chocolate all the way through for this one.

And finally, just when I thought I was done, DudeBrah pulled out the Fordham Scotch Ale, with which to marinate the brats (which was amazing, by the way). I'd had my eye on Fordham's scotch ale for a while, as a big fan of scotch ales. It pours a nice copper brown, and smells all manner of smoke. The taste is standard scotch ale, peat moss, smoke, and some sweet fruits. Really a great example of scotch ales, if not too exciting - think of it as a good mid point.

Finally, last but far from least, I saved a real mad man for my last finals beer. I received from a friend at law school a bottle of Samichlaus. For those who don't know, it's a famous Barleywine that is barrel aged and bottle aged, and is basically a wine among beers.

it pours a gorgeous cherry wood red, with little to no head. The first smell is all alcohol and a cloyingly sweet note of candied sugar and licorice. The taste follows up with a sharp shock of alcohol that warms nicely and tastes of cherries and raisins, and maybe some plum. Not even a hint of hops to be found, but the abundant malts more than make up for it, with a surprisingly sweet (molasses? syrup?) aftertaste despite the booziness.

The beer is a little overpowering at first, but as it warms it settles into a delicious desert of a beer. Not that I've tried it before, but I'd put this up against Port any day of the week for a nice after dinner drink. One is enough though - and then some. At 14% abv, you'll want to sip this one nice and slow.

So yeah. My alcohol infused, ridiculous finals week and a half. Yikes. Glad to be done, sad to see those delicious beers disappear. Until next time!

Oh god stouts

So Young's double chocolate stout was excellent and wonderful, but might've been improved by the cigar I was smoking. At the very least the flavor interaction was wonderful. The beer was basically liquid chocolate, with alcohol. So wonderful.

Siren Noire was more complex, and I wish I'd been focusing on it. Dark chocolate, pleasantly bitter, a thin-ish mouthfeel. Also some burnt wood, and a hint of sweet fruits.

why am I not being all descriptive and including this in a narrative? it is finals and I am both busy and exhausted and sick and none of these conditions will feasibly disappear any time soon.

Really, I blame joining a study group. I'd have sooooo much free time if I wasn't trying to improve my grades by seeing what studying with others has to offer. Laaaame I know, but I actually like law school.

Why am I still drinking an assload of stouts? Because they are inexpensive, reliably wonderful, and these are two I've been dying to try. So sue me. Not stout next time, I promise! I have a porter, an imperial brown ale, and a barleywine. Hoooray beer!

Too much of a good thing

So, I'm working on a theory. I've found, more and more, that at a certain point all the stouts I'm drinking taste very similar. Of course, there is some joy to be found in all the intricacies of stouts, but I'm having trouble finding truly unique stouts.

Case in point. For Christmas (yes, it's been a while), I received a bomber of Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, made by Anderson Valley brewing co out in California. I'd been waiting for a good reason to crack it open, and had been distracted by the plethora of other beers I've been finding.

It pours a nice dark brown, with very little head. Taking a deep whiff, I get mostly roasted malts, with a little chocolate. The taste is pretty darn good, flavors of coffee and hints of chocolate and vanilla, with a nice creamy mouthfeel, and plenty of oatmeal taste to round it out. Of course, ever present are those delicious roasted malts.

Here's the problem. It was delicious. I loved it. But it didn't grab my attention the way stouts used to, or rivet me to my seat. I feel like I've tried too many stouts or something, but I may have to take a break and try different beers.


Of course, coming along and runing my theory is a beer I had a while ago and just irresponsibly forgot to sing the praises of here. I went out to Max's with some friends, and on their menu was Harpoon Island Creek Oyster Stout. I'd heard that Oyster stouts are pretty interesting, and so I had to try it. And wow, they were right.

The flavors were the usual roasted malts, but with a wholly new experience of smoked oysters, a kind of salty fishy taste that went surprisingly well with the dark roasted malts and coffee flavors. It was an odd beer, and I'm not sure if I'd want to try it with food, or even have more than one, but it was a fascinating departure from the usual, which was nice.


Now, I also feel irresponsible for never giving this beer it's due before here. My standby beer, far and away, is Yuengling Lager. For those living outside the east coast, Yuengling is one of the oldest breweries in the states, and makes a tasty yet affordable lager. They are the my favorite fall back, and a great beer to drink when you're hanging out with your friends.

In fact, it's pretty dangerous being so drinkable, it's easy to have 3 or 4 without really realizing it. The flavor is utterly generic: some sweet malts, some light hops, and maybe a little caramel and some grains. Ultimately though, for a beer almost as cheap as the piss water that is Miller and Budweiser, it is a far better beer. I cannot recommend it highly enough for parties and other shindigs where you're not looking for a crazy beer, but something enjoyable to sip with friends.

Wow, and here I was aiming for a one beer review. Just goes to show you how quickly I can get carried away. Until next time!

Series of Sam (6 of 6)

So, here it is. The end of an era. A very, very short, and mostly delicious era. I am, as I write this, finishing the last of the Sam Adams mix pack. And I may have saved the best for last.

Sam Adams cream stout is a darn tasty beer. One of the earlier stouts I tried, I'd like to think it was pretty formative. It pour a rich dark brown, with a light brown head. The smell is all roasted malts. The first sip is tastes of roasted malts, with a nice creamy undertone. There's also some hints of milk chocolate, as well as a smoky flavor. The beer is pleasantly thick - not heavy, but full and delicious.

I really appreciate this beer for being exceptionally drinkable. This is a stout I could pretty much drink all day, summer or winter. The light creaminess perfectly balances against the thick maltiness. Mmmmm cream stout.

However, this wasn't the end of my alcohol related escapades for the day. Oh no.

I also went to Pratt Street Ale House, to try their new offering, the Cherry Blossom Ale. I know that this sounds like a fruity girly drink, but I was actually pretty darn impressed. I'm not a huge fan of wheat beers, but this was a delicious beer.

It pours a nice red amber, with a pinkish head. The first smell is cherries, shockingly. The taste though, was a sucker punch. Sour cherries, a nice subtle undertone of wheat, and a very nice light hoppy finish. This beer tastes like spring should in my opinion - light, tart, a little sweet, and herbal at the finish. I could've had a few pints, but sadly I couldn't stay.

I've also heard that it goes ridiculously well mixed with their Bishop's breakfast, their oatmeal stout, for something of a chocolate cherry. On the list to try next week.

Now, I had planned to finish the evening with a brand new beer, but the evening was a little too rushed. I went out to Cazbar on Charles Street with some friends, and just got back too late to really sip and enjoy. To be fair, it was worth it - Cazbar is ridiculously delicious, and makes me crave more pretty much every time I think about it. I can't even intelligibly describe the food, other than to say it was amazing and fantastic.

However, this didn't temper my enthusiasm. I'd been dying to try this beer, and come hell or high water, I would. So, the following afternoon I cracked open my bottle of Stillwater Artisanal Ale's Stateside Saison. Stillwater is a new Maryland brewer, and I've been dying to try them ever since I saw the first rave reviews of their offerings.

Their saison does not fail to impress. It pours a nice golden yellow, with a brilliant white head. The smell is all fruity esters. The first taste is that trademark belgian spice/yeast flavor, with a very nice, very subtle hop finish. The flavors are herbal and woody/grains, with hints of orange or coriander and lemon as well. This is dangerously drinkable, and I finished the whole darn bottle before I realized it. And of course, now I want more.

Man, I need to not cluster my beer into so few days. Ideally I'd spread these out more, but I somehow just always wait on beer til the end of the week to really enjoy it, along with my freedom from school.

Mmmmm beer. Until next time!

-The Unabashaed Ungourmet

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.

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

I am bad at not ordering stouts

So, as promised, and despite snowmageddon 2010, my friends and I made the sojurn to Max's on Broadway. Tragically, I forgot that today starts their Belgian beer festival. This meant that their usually superb tap list was down from 80-some to about a dozen.

Luckily, they also have an extensive bottle collection. I was trying to find Rogue's Black Lager, but they were out. Luckily, they had another beer that I've been wanting to try - Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout.

It's pleasant and boozy upfront, with some nice roasted notes and what tasted like some bitter chocolate. The nice part though was the finish, which was smooth coffee. The beer poured *dark*, and even the head was a dark chocolate brown, rather than the usual tan head.

Oddly enough, it pours from a can, but was surprisingly full bodied and delicious. I felt like for an Imperial Stout, it was nicely drinkable, and didn't try to overwhelm me. Definitely a nice beer to have when hanging out and having a beer or two with the friends.

And when I say a beer or two, I mean it - that bad boy weighs in at whopping 10.5% abv, although you'd never know it from the taste. Speaking of mightily boozy beers...

I can't help myself. I swore I'd never spend $12 for a single bottle, but well, there I was. They had the entire Brew dog Paradox line. Paradox is a stout that is then taken and aged in a variety of different whiskey casks to get different flavors. I'd had the speyside before and was suitably impressed, but this monster blew me away.

I asked for a reccomendation and received Brew Dog Paradox Smokehead. The smell hits you - boozy and smoky. A little thin on the mouth, but you barely notice it, because you are drinking what can only be described as an unholy union of whiskey and beer.

There are other flavors - peat, smoke, things like that. The overwhelming flavor though is a smooth whiskey taste. It should surprise no one that this beer is a 10% abv beer, and damn you can tell it. It is rich and complex, and one of the more interesting beers I've tried. This is a sipper for sure, not something you can really drink with anything else if you want to appreciate it.

Was it way too expensive? Heck Yeah. But it's a bar, and bars as a rule are way too expensive. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was one of the more innovative and interesting beers I've ever tried, and I am thrilled that I had the chance to try it.

Now, I'm going to go back to my stomach flu and wishing for the sweet release of death. Hopefully you're all having an excellent snow week without too much cabin fever. See you all next time!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

SuperBeer

Sadly, this is not about a superhero who goes around giving out beer. Rather, it is one of my many bad puns :-P

So, the Superbowl. What a wonderful night. Great football, great food, great friends, what more could someone want? Of course, I could have done with a few less Budweiser commercials. I know there's nothing to be done for it, but the more I hear about them and how they try to put the competition out of business, the sicker I get.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about competition producing better products. But that's just it. Budweiser makes shit. Their regular beer is shit. Their light beer is shit. Their "craft" beer? Shit! I rue the day when I find my favorite brands have been pushed out by this giant of watery piss beer, behemoth of mass produced swill.

Ok, so enough ranting right? Well, I also cracked open one of my various bottles for this most joyous of occasions. Specifically, I decided that I needed to finally try the Brew dog Rip Tide stout that I'd been saving.

It pours without much of a head, rich and black. The smell is smoky and boozy, but not overwhelming. The taste continues with the smoky motif, and rounds it out with some delicious coffee, and then rounds it out with some sweetness, maybe caramel?

Now, I liked this beer, and I definitely enjoyed this beer, and would buy it again. But I have to be honest, it kind of reminded me of a slightly less well done version of Belhaven's Scottish Stout. The comparison is a little unoriginal, what with them both being scottish companies, both being kind of smoky stouts. But I feel like it's a valid comparison.

Where the Belhaven stout is full bodied, the Brew dog feels a little flat and a little thin. Where the Belhaven coffee nicely flows into a sweetness, the Brew dog goes bitter, and then the caramel swings in. I want to reiterate, the Brew dog wasn't bad. The Belhaven was just excellent.

I also finally tried Ommegang's Witte, but I have to admit that by that point I might've been a little too far into my cups to accurately review it. We were taking shots every time the saints scored, and I don't do much hard liquor anymore.

However, I do remember a delicious beer. Not too far off the standard Wit bier (belgian wheat beer), but a tasty iteration of that theme. Strong notes of a cinnamon or nutmeg(maybe cloves?), backed up with some orangey citrus, and a nice undertone of wheat that wasn't overwhelming. So often in wheat beers, the wheat overwhelms almost all the other flavors, but this time the flavors held their own, which was nice.

It was kind of a nice beer to sip when I was trying to wind down, but there was a little too much excitement for that. I would enjoy this one a lot as a beer to drink with dinner, or on some calm summer evening, or even out at the beach. It's a very refreshing beer, and it was a little odd paired with burgers and jambalaya and winter and parties.

Overall though, definitely recommend it for anyone who likes Belgian wheat beers, or really just wheat beers in general. Might not be for everyone, but if you like Blue Moon then you owe it to yourself to give this bad boy a try.

Going to Max's this Thursday, so expect something good that evening. Til then!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Indulgences

So, thankfully this post is about beer, rather than religious topics. Specifically, delicious beer.

So, Oliver's beer. It's actually served at the Pratt Street Ale House, as I've mentioned before, but it's brewed in their basement, so it's something of a joint endeavor. It's one of the few beers actually made in Baltimore, and one I'm damn proud to introduce people too.

As any casual reader will know, I'm there pretty frequently with mi padre. It's a pretty sweet place, but tonight was sweeter than usual. I headed over there with Lemur and Browns Fan, to try their new beer, Bishop's Indulgence. An 8% Stout, I was of course looking forward to it.

I couldn't pick up a smell at first, but that's pretty typical of their beers, for whatever reason. It's not just me either; something about the head on their beers masks the smell of the beer. It's odd.

Anyway, the first taste is sweet chocolate. As you let it sit, it develops some carmelization sweetness, along with bitter cocoa nibs. There's also generous amounts of vanilla, mellowing the whole thing. Overall an excellent desert beer, but this is definitely a one and done. More than one and you'd just get gut rot from all the sweetness.

In fact, when I followed it up with a delicious porter, the porter actually tasted bitter for the first few sips by comparison. Bishop's Indulgence is a seriously sweet beer, but is a delicious desert stout. It's creamy and rich and everything a stout should be.

Pleasantly, we ended up getting free beer, as two drinkers left behind full beers in a hurry, but by then I was already three beers in, and in no capacity to taste flavors or make judgments. Still, one can't waste good beer.

I may crack a bottle of my remaining stouts for poker tomorrow night, but we'll have to see; I may just take a short break from beer after this beer filled evening, and looking forward to the super bowl, which will no doubt feature several delicious beers.

Wishing you a happy and hopefully beer filled week, this is the Unabashed Ungourmet.

Overflowing with beer!

So, apart from getting two new beers, I'm going to get beer this friday, next tuesday, and thursday the week after. But really, how can I complain? My life is full of delicious, delicious beer. Quoth Sparrow, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth"

Speaking of, I had Sparrow over this evening, and cracked open one of my much anticipated christmas presents. I decided to open Obovoid, an Oatmeal Stout from Colorado Brewing Company. I've never been to Colorado, but I've heard their beers repeatedly praised, and intend to be there at some point to try them.

Now, I have to admit. I went to the liquor store the other day, and what did I get? More stout. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, why didn't you get other beers, like you talked about? Or maybe you're not. Either way, shut the hell up. They had Brew Dog's Riptide, and Rogue's Chocolate Stout, and I wasn't willing to miss the opportunity to try these wonderful beers.

But back to tonight's excellent offering. It pours with almost no head, and the smell is kind of an oaky, earthy note, obscuring all other things.

The taste is nice, and smooth. It's smooth for an oatmeal stout, with overwhelming flavors of chocolate and roasted malts. The oak flavor is there, but it's kind of a background taste that doesn't really factor in.

I have to admit, I kind of had higher hopes. An oak aged oatmeal stout? It tastes like a lot of chocolate stouts - delicious, filling, but not particularly unique. Although it might be suffering from a comparison to a similar beer from Pub Dog, their chocolate oatmeal stout.

Either way, definitely worth checking out and enjoying a glass with friends. It's smooth and tasty, and doesn't require your full attention. Don't get your hopes up though, as it's nothing to write home about.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Boozy Beer

Whew. I always manage to forget just how strong a 10% abv beer is. I always figure heck, it's a regular beer, maybe two. Except then I down a bomber and begin to feel tipsy.

Now, it might be that my college alcohol tolerance is gone, but damn if it isn't strong. I find most breweries doing a lot more strong beers, but thats mostly a function of going after higher end beers. I'm not entirely sure why they have a higher alcohol content, but I'm not in a position to complain.

The latest in these escapades was Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout. Not that dark as stouts go, it pours with an impressive and frothy head. The smell is very boozy, with the obvious notes of coffee.

The taste really just expands on this. A rich, boozy flavor, infused with the taste of coffee, sweet to drink but with a little bit of a bitter aftertaste. There's also an earthy taste, one that reminded me of dogfish head's chicory stout, but which I can't quite place. It might just be bitter coffee grounds, or the herb flavors of roasted chicory, but it's quite distinct.

A tasty beer, and a hell of a coffee stout, I was tempted to add a little milk or creamer, but I didn't want to sully this unique beer. The bottle says brewed with real coffee, and I damn well believe them. Easily one of the stronger coffee stouts I've had, but certainly not for ametuers. I feel like this might make a great apertif, but even just sipping it was a little strong.

More to come!

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Satisfaction at last

And here I was, bemoaning my fate. I occasionally forget that although my favorite local liquor store is exceptionally well stocked, I'm lucky to have another 3 or 4 local places with an excellent selection of beer.

In this case, Dogfish Head's Chicory Stout. I've talked enough about my misfortunes, my desire to try it and my inability. Well, Napoleon and myself were heading out to get a christmas gift, Sam Adams Imperial Stout. But what vision appeared before my eyes? None other than the coveted chicory stout.

Oh and it was good. Yikes. Stronger flavors than a lot of stouts, much stronger and more like espresso, it had power tastes (as promised) of chicory and of spicy mexican coffee.

It was a little too bitter at first, but as it warmed the coffee taste mellowed and meshed with the chicory and spicy flavor (cinnamon? red pepper? Not quite sure)

Not for the weak of heart, this is a serious stout that is adventurous and tries something new. For stout fans I'd say it's a must, but not exactly the usual party drink. It was nice to sip with some friends while watching football, and I could also see it being a delicious desert beer, but it feels pretty situational.

New Vistas and New Tastes

So, I was lucky enough to spend my new years in Puerto Rico with Indy and Stark, as well as the Girlfriend. It is a gorgeous place, and a stark departure from the below freezing temperatures around here.

The best part, aside from the swimming and food, was the very cheap and delicious drinks. I spent more than a few afternoons and evenings sipping margaritas and pina coladas.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of the beer. It is cheap, but the predominant beer of the island is Medalla Light. Now, it certainly is drinkable, and I enjoyed my fair share. But really it's another corona-bud-coors macro that tastes of nothing.

I did enjoy the Old Dutch steakhouse and brewery while down there, which made fantastic beers. They had a coffee stout that was rich and delicious, a lager and a pilsner which were light but flavorful, and dopplebock that was exciting and complex. Sadly, I didn't really bother to take notes, so most of my impressions are more general than specific.

Not all my recent beer adventures though came on the island paradise. Upon my return home, I decided it was time for an excellent winter beer, some manner of stout. I went looking for Dogfish head's chicory stout, but was devastated to find that they had sold out at my local liquor store. Luckily, the day was saved by Brooklyn.

Their Black Chocolate Stout is damned good. Let the record show that this inky beer is dark as a moonless night, and drinks like eating an 80% cacao chocolate bar. It is a serious beer.

My only complaint is that it wasn't as complex as I had hoped. It could be my immature palate, but I tasted dark chocolate, more dark chocolate, and maybe a hint of malts. Too be fair, the bottle does advertise as much, so I can't really complain too much. Also, it helps that it was a delicious, delicious beer, that I would gladly drink again.

Until next time...
-The Unabashed Ungourmet

The End of a Year

So many good beers, so little time. I try not to spend too much time reminiscing, but this is certainly the first year I really spent exploring craft beers. It's been really interesting thus far, and I hope to continue this passion for many years to come. In any case, here's to another wonderful year in 2010.

I recently had a wish of mine granted, and got to try the Pub Dog Oatmeal Stout. It's richer than their black dog irish stout, and definitely is a little more creamy and heavy. However, it is also very delicious, and a little addictive.

I also got for x-mas (so far) a bottle of Brooklyn Local 2, which I am super excited to try. Reviews hopefully forthcoming shortly.

Beers I want to try in 2010:
-Brooklyn Black Ops (I will find some!)
-Rogue Shakespeare Stout (tried it!)
-Fordham Scotch Ale(tried it!)
-Sam Adams Chocolate Bock (So pricey...)(tried it!)
-Avery Mephistopheles
-Dogfishhead Chicory Stout (tried it!)
-Smuttynose Robust Porter (Tried it!)
-Brew Dog Tokio* (or more Paradox, that'd be fine too :-P)


P.S. - X-mas day, made out like a bandit. Bombers of Three Philosophers, Obovoid Oak Stout, and Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, as well as an intriguing petite sirah from Red Truck. Happy drinkings to all of you!

Winter cold and delicious beers

It is so darn cold out here, I think that's why I love my tasty dark beers all the better. The best time for stouts, in my opinion, is the heart of winter, where it fills your stomach and warms you from the inside out.

I've certainly been in colder places, but winter in Maryland is still cold enough to make a ten minute walk without gloves or a hat seem like a really bad idea.

Luckily, this evening I joined some family for the beer release of DuClaw's Black Jack Russian Imperial Stout. This is a winter seasonal, and a fairly dark stout, to compliment their all-season round alchemy and their spring Irish stout, "Celtic Fury".

I didn't get a lot of smell off it, which was worrisome, but all my fears were dispelled with that first sip. Dark and rich, like a stout should be, the flavors of dark chocolate and espresso exploded. I also got some flavors of roasted malt, but predominantly this is a dark chocolate stout.

The alcohol was palpable, hence the imperial moniker, but luckily the beer avoided being too bitter, and was actually quite mellow. The beer itself was very dark, and was delicious by itself and with the buffalo dip we ordered. The spicy food actually served to compliment and contrast the dark, cool, chocolate flavors.

Overall, a delicious beer. Certainly not for a first timer, but I'd recommend this to anyone who likes stout as much as I do.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Good Beer and Bad Beer

Ah, the joy of contrasts. I'm a big believer in situational attributes of things. That is, the situation which you experience something will greatly impact your view of it. So, even if you have something rare, delicious, and wonderful, if you have it on a full stomach, with a stuffy nose, or some other bad time, you're probably not going to enjoy it as much.

However, contrasting bad with the good can really make you appreciate the good all the more. Prime example being last night. At my section's holiday party, someone brought a sixer of Budweiser. Trying to be festive and friendly, I helped myself to one. Eugh. It's like fizzy pee water, with the vaguest hint of hops. But we knew this. Budweiser is a sad, sad beer.

And then I went back to Pratt Street Ale House, for what seems to be becoming a tradition. Ahhhhhh. Like stepping home after a long, cold day, to a roaring fire and/or a hot bath. This time I enjoyed their Blackfriar Stout, a little higher ABV than bishop's breakfast, and very chocolatey.

The beer pours dark and thick, and tastes a little like a chocolate milkshake. It's very silky and tasty, with nice sensations of dark chocolate and milk chocolate. I really enjoyed it, although I can't decide if I like it better than Bishop's Breakfast. It's a totally different experience though, without the creamy mouthfeel and coffee tastes of the Bishop's, but with a very thick, silky mouthfeel, and many chocolate notes. Both are definitely delicious.

I have wondered since, did I like it more because I was comparing it to the Budweiser? Regardless, it was a very welcome change, and a very tasty beer. If you're in Baltimore, I definitely recommend a stop by Pratt Street Ale House, their beers are pretty darn impressive.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet

Pratt Street Ale House

I think I've figured out why the English seem to enjoy their beers warm. As an American, this is utterly anathema to me, as I truly enjoy the refreshing taste of a well chilled beer. Obviously I don't want it too cold to enjoy, but give me a frosty bottle and I'm happy.

However, I've noticed that when hoppy beers are cold, the hop taste is very pronounced, often a little overwhelming. However, as it's allowed to warm, the hop notes mellow and other flavors emerge. So, considering that the English love their bitter beers, one imagines that a bitter beer at room temperature is much less overwhelmingly bitter, and more balanced.

Of course, I could also be full of shit, never having had a proper English beer.

This comes up because I had some tasty beers tonight at the Pratt Street Ale House. Once called Oliver's, it changed names for some reason. I haven't the faintest why. Oliver's is a staple beer of Baltimore though, available both at the Pratt street house and at The Wharf Rat's in Fell's point. It's one of the few (2?) remaining breweries in the city that doesn't have it's main operation outside the city.

The first beer I tried was their Williams Winter Warmer. I've only recently begun to try winter warmers, and they intrigue me. This one started out with a strong hop note, but had a nice spice flavor to help balance it out. It was a little bitter in the aftertaste, but not overwhelmingly so. It was a very tasty beer that I enjoy more as it warmed (hence my theory above). I'm not sure what the spice note was, but it made me think of nutmeg, clove, or maybe even cinnamon. The spice was a little masked by the hops, but it's definitely something to try again.

I also had their Bishops Breakfast, an oatmeal stout on nitro pour. It was both smooth and creamy, and thus extremely delicious. It tasted very much of coffee and malts, a little sweet but in a good way. I also feel like there were some hints of milk chocolate in there, but that could have been my imagination.

Either way, if you're ever in Baltimore, definitely give the Pratt Street Ale House, or really just Oliver's Beers a try. I promise you, you won't be sorry.

-The Unabashed Ungourmet