10 e lode

Today's beer is one that I picked up while in Italy. It didn't have any sort of label, but instead had a small tag around the neck that had some very basic information on it. Since it was all in Italian, here is what I was able to gather from the tag.

Name: 10 e lode

Brewery: Opperbacco

ABV: 9%

Style: Strong Sour

As you can tell, it is a pretty substantially dark beer, a very dark red/brown. There was very little head retention, and the carbonation was on the lower side. I have had a few dark sour beers, so that is really what I was expecting when I poured this. Unfortunately, this was little sweeter. Not that it was necessarily bad, but it was just not what I was expecting. The malty flavor of the beer contrasted interestingly with the tart flavors. I wouldn't say that it was my favorite, but it was certainly a different beer and it was worth a taste. It would be good if you are interested in sours, but don't want to go into the really sour beers to start. Good luck finding it in the States though. 

Generally I really like to know why a beer is named what it is, so I turned to my good friend, Google. Apparently, 10 e lode is the highest grade you can receive in Italian schools. I guess they are just very confident about how the beer tastes.

Glassware: Goblet, Tulip

Synonym Beer: Panil Barriquee (just less tart)

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Belge and the Ups and Downs of Collaborations

We live in a time of intense globalization. The world is smaller than ever, which allows people who live very far away from one another to still work together. Travel is quick and easy and communication is even better. It is a great time to be spreading ideas. 

Belge is a beer made in a collaboration between Brasserie Dupont, Monk's Cafe (Philadelphia) and Iron Hill Brewing in Pennsylvania. It was made exclusively for Philly Beer Week 2012 because Dupont is awesome like that.  

If you are unfamiliar with collaboration beers, they are exactly what they sound like: a product of cooperation between two or more breweries, each bringing their own distinctive character to the beer. The resulting beers can vary in quality. For instance, this particular beer: I liked it, but I think I prefer Saison Dupont and their other individual beers better. Maybe it is the style, maybe it is because I just like how Dupont does it, I'm not sure, but this one was just not exactly what I was expecting. 

This is a common problem with collaborations. I will give you a "for instance". Lets say you really like Russian River Brewing and you think that Sierra Nevada puts out some ok beer. You hear that they put out a collaboration in a style that you love, in this case, a wild ale. You see the beer, it is packaged really nicely. Now, take a sip.

Son of a bitch! Not what you wanted. The idea you had in your head was better. Now you know how I felt when I tried Brux. Sounded great on paper, but it only hinted at what I would have expected from Russian River and devolved back to what I would have expected from Sierra Nevada. Toned down, unexciting. Not the sour masterpiece I wanted. To top it all off, it was expensive! You have been warned about the dangers of collaborations. 

Don't get me wrong: Not all collaborations are disappointing. Some are fantastic. The danger is that you really don't know what the beer will be like when you get it. Will they tend more towards the style of one of the breweries? It isn't that the beer is going to taste bad. These breweries know how to make good beer. It is just that your expectations may get the best of you. Try to avoid it.

Ok, back to Belge. It is effectively a maltier version of a Dupont beer. It has the characteristic funk, moderated by the malt. It is a delightful beer to drink. One of the nicest parts is that it is reasonably priced. I bought this for about $12 a bottle. Higher than normal for Dupont, but in comparison to US collaborations (generally $15-$25 a bottle), it is a steal. Wonderful beer, absolutely beautiful color. Good buy. What more could you ask for? 

For all of the advice that I am giving, if I see a collaboration with a brewery that I like, I will always buy it. It might not be worth it, but I will still do it. I'm a sucker that way. 

Glassware: Saison glass, tulip, goblet

Synonym Beer: Dupont La Biere De Boeile

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Tilted Smile

Today I'll cover Tilted Smile, an Imperial Pilsner by Unita Brewing. Unita Brewing produces a ton of different beer varieties, including the Crooked Line, their big bottle series. 

Tilted Smile, as an imperial pilsner, is a beefed up version of a pilsner. It is heavy on the malt and sits at about 9% ABV. While a pilsner can be fantastic, an imperial pilsner is a nice change of pace. It maintains some of the "drinkability" of a pilsner (as much as I hate using that term) while increasing the complexity of the beer. Tilted Smile does a pretty good job keeping the booze out of the flavor, despite the strength. It is good and malty, but has a subtle hoppiness (Saaz hops). I would certainly recommend it for something that is medium bodied, but easy drinking. 

One thing I will say is that these are better unaged. The fresher this bottle, the better the Tilted Smile.

Glassware: Tulip, Pilsner Glass

Synonym Beer: Dogfish Head My Antonia

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Mort Subite Gueuze!

Mort Subite (Sudden Death) is a Cafe Brasserie is Brussels. It is a wonderful little place with a lovely selection of Lambics and a not-so-friendly staff. Still, it is a perfect place to go for a bite to eat and to try some of the beer that is only really available in Belgium. Mort Subite also holds the distinction of being the first place that I tried a Gueuze and sparked my love affair with sour beer. 

This one I found in Rome, but it is not the same as the one I had in Brussels. Well, it is and it isn't. It might technically be the same, but the flavors of the gueuze undoubtedly change in the bottle versus on tap. On tap or in the bottle, if you want to get into gueuzes, but are a little scared of the sour, first work your way in to lighter sour beers. Farmhouse ales are a good place to start. When you have the taste for funk and want to start the geuze train, Mort Subite might be your best first shot. It isn't quite as "gets you behind the jaw" sour as some of the other gueuzes (at least out of the bottle). For most of them, it is kind of like liquifying a Warhead and sipping on it. I mean that in the best way possible. The Mort Subite is a little softer of a flavor. Don't get me wrong, it is still sour, but there was a little more of a balancing sweetness in the beer. It isn't very strong, sitting at 4.5% ABV, but you will still probably have to drink it slow if it is your first one. You might think it is weird at first, but you will get the craving, trust me. 

Just because I am a bit of a sucker for them, I consider the gueuze to be an all weather beer. The best time for a gueuze would probably be on a warm spring day, in Brussels, with your girlfriend. You can drink it elsewhere and at different times, but it won't be the same.

Glassware: Lambic glass, Goblet, Tulip

Synonym Beer: Lindeman's Gueuze

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Yeast Hoist and Hoisting Yeast

Yeast Hoist is a limited edition beer put out by St. Sebastiaan Brewery. Well, actually that is a little off. It is a limited edition ceramic bottle with designed artwork on it. The beer inside is supposed to be St. Sebastiaan Golden Ale, although I know a few people that think it tastes different. Whatever the case may be, Yeast Hoist is certainly worth picking up if you happen to see it. 

You might be thinking, "What the hell does yeast hoist mean? Sounds weird..."

That's why I'm here. Yeast Hoist is another term for making a toast (or raising a glass of beer). The etymology comes from English "hoist" which means to lift and the English "yeast" which is a microorganism that is a major component of the brewing process. It is effectively a celebration of beer.  

The beer itself is 7.7% ABV, so you might not want to hoist too many in an evening. The taste, however, does a lot of work to cover up the taste of the booze. It is a very smooth and delicious Belgian tripel. The flavor is a blend of maltiness and fruity esters from the yeast itself. I haven't done my due diligence yet by purchasing a Yeast Hoist and a St. Sebastiaan Golden and drinking them side by side. If I can find Yeast Hoist again, I can guaranty that is what I will do.

One of the cool parts about Yeast Hoist is that after you are done drinking it, the bottle is still perfectly good to use. The low thermal conductivity of of the ceramic makes it able to hold cold liquids cold or hot liquids hot for longer. I'm using it as my water bottle. Bet you didn't think that you could save the environment by drinking beer. Well, you can't, but you can at least pretend. 

Glassware: Tulip, Goblet

Synonym Beer: Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale

 If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Weizen Bam!

If you have managed to read this blog consistently without realizing just how much I love the work being done over at Jolly Pumpkin, then you can't possibly be reading it all that closely. That hurts. I put a lot of effort into this. Don't be a jerk. 

Anywho, today I will be covering another one of my personal favorites by Jolly Pumpkin, Weizen Bam. Just to be clear, I have yet to have a beer by Jolly Pumpkin that has fallen short of my expectations. They are a brewery that I will gladly try anything from, at any time, anywhere.

Weizen Bam, as the name implies, is a wheat beer (weizen), but not a wheat beer that you might expect. It is a blend between a wheat beer and a saison. The thing that makes the Weizen Bam so different from other wheat beers is the funk. Jolly Pumpkin always brings the funk. It has all of the characteristics that are expected from a wheat beer, clove, esters, spicy yeastiness, but with the added delight of sour. If you aren't a fan of sour, come drink a few with me and we will see if we can change your mind. There is something about these beers that I just can't get enough of. As you can see from the photos, the WB is actually really light in color. The body mimics this and the taste won't weigh you down either. It is certainly complex, as one might expect from a hybrid style, but dangerously easy to drink. At 4.5% ABV though, it leaves you the option of drinking a few without getting too messed up. Not a bad option if I do say so. 

I would like to point out that Bam (the dog on the label) is wearing a german Alpine hat and what appears to be lederhosen. Could this brewery get any better than it already is? I don't know, maybe if they had a sweet beer blogger working for them or something. 

Glassware: Saison glass, tulip

Synonym Beer: I wish I could find another, but for now, I will just keep drinking Weizen Bam. If you do know of a similar beer, please let me know.

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.

Baltika Line!

Let me tell you a short story. I was in my local beverage store looking for a new beer to drink. I didn't feel like spending too much money, but I wanted to stray from the norm. Just then, I saw a line of Baltika beers. I'd seen them before, but always assumed that they weren't good (for no particular reason). Feeling adventurous I decided to buy a bottle, but after finding out that they were only $2.50 apiece, I decided to buy the whole line. Here they all are, in order. There are a lot, so I will try to be succinct. 

Baltika 3

Classic Lager

4.8% ABV

Taste: Eh, it is basically like all of the other pale European lagers. Not offensive, just not particularly memorable.

Baltika 4

(Original) Dark Lager

5.6% ABV

Taste: Certainly better than the 3. It has some roasted flavor, but not overwhelming in the slightest. Easy to drink. I would try it again.

Baltika 5

Golden Lager

5.3% ABV

Taste: Very slight skunkiness (surprisingly), very grainy. Overall, fairly similar to the 3. 

Baltika 6 

Baltic Porter

7.0% ABV

Taste: Roasted and toasted. A little sweet, notably boozy. Much of the flavor comes from the booze, sadly.

Baltika 7

Export Lager

5.4% ABV

Taste: I expected a little skunkier, resulting from the green bottle. A little sweeter than expected. Light and easy to drink.

Note the pop-top style cap, versus our standard crown. 

Baltika 9

Extra Lager

8% ABV

Taste: Best of the bunch. Still easy to drink, but stronger than it seems. Honey and light hops. I would drink this again, certainly.

I only missed a couple of the line, 0 (Non alcoholic), 2 (another pale lager), and 8 (wheat). I can't say that I am overwhelmed by how good this brewery is. I would say they are a group of ok, but not spectacular beers. The final one is the best. I will certainly try it again. I couldn't tell much of a difference between the lighter beers, but the darker ones had some redeeming qualities. So, if you are looking to try a Russian beer that is pretty easy to find, try Baltika 9. I certainly won't break the bank, but careful, it could easily mess you up. 

If you want me to look at a particular beer, drink, place, or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter (@ofmonksandmalts). You can also buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html.