Elbada

Last one from this brewery, I promise. Seriously. I am sick of them too.

This is a Rossa Doppio Malto style, which is effectively a strong red ale, kind of similar to a doppelbock, but it didn't really turn out that way. It is 8% ABV, so it packs a little bit of a punch, but you don't really notice it while drinking. It actually came across as a little watery. It might be a result of their use of farro, a grain, in the beer. I'm not used to farro being used in beer, so potentially a result could be a lightening of the body, even at high alcohol contents. It tasted sweet, thin, and kind of depressing. I won't belabor the point. I will leave it at: I wish this had been a better set of beers.

Glassware: Mug, Stein

Synonym Beer: No, just no. 

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

Dunkel Lager and Not Being Afraid of the Dark

Another Slyfox creation: Dunkel Lager. Dunkel is the German word for dark, so it means that the beer is a dark lager. If you have read this before, I have a deep appreciation for lagers in general, but I have a soft spot for dark lagers. 

As you can see by the pictures, by "dark, it doesn't necessarily mean pitch black. It can, but it doesn't need to. It basically means that it is brewed with darker malts. This can result in a number of different outcomes, depending on the particular dark malts used and the amount of the malts used. Even a relatively small amount of dark malt can drastically change the color and taste of a beer. With the German dark lager style, one of the common darker malts used is Cara-Munich malt. This provides a caramel sweetness to the beer, as the name implies. Darker malts can give the roasted coffee, vanilla, and chocolate flavors that can commonly be tasted in stouts. To get to my point, you shouldn't be afraid of a beer just because it is darker. That doesn't necessarily mean that it is strong, heavy, or even really flavorful. Take the German dark lager for instance. It is a little more flavorful than the light lager, but they are generally about the same ABV and in my opinion, they are comparably heavy in body. Don't be afraid of the dark. Try it, you might like it.

The more Sly Fox I buy, the more impressed I am. I don't know why I didn't buy much of it in the past, but I know better now. The Dunkel Lager was a spot-on version of a Munich dark lager. I have to admit that going into this beer I was expecting to be disappointed, only because I love dark lagers and I am used to the German ones, which are the best in the world. How could a brewery from Pennsylvania compete? I'm still not really sure, but one sip and i was back sitting in the Hofbrau Haus in Munich drinking from my liter stein. Seriously, dead on. It has the stereotypical malty sweetness that a Munich Dunkel always has. The carbonation is just right. It is also a beautiful dark amber color, maybe a little bit lighter than most Munich darks, but here's a question: Does the color actually matter if it tastes the same? Regardless, I would gladly pick up some more Dunkel Lager. It is a great beer, that makes me nostalgic for Germany. Also, it comes in a can, which is great for summer drinking.

I also can't get over how much I love the Sly Fox logo too.

Glassware: Mug, Stein, Can

Synonym Beer: Hofbrau Dunkel

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

Doug's Home Brew!

My older brother has a friend named Doug. Doug brews beer at home. He gave some of this beer to my brother, who in turn gave me some. I drank these beers. Now, I'm going to tell you about them. The two beers that I received were: Red Ale and IPA. 

The Red Ale was the first one I tried and I found it a little surprising. I originally thought of it as an Irish red ale, but I'm not really sure why. What I was expecting was a creamy, smooth, malty beer, but instead it was actually very notably, pleasantly hoppy. It had a good body to it and none of the yeastiness that I normally associate with home brews. Overall, I found it to be very enjoyable and surprising, considering I think that these are some of Doug's first home brews (I could be wrong about this and it wouldn't surprise me at all). 

The IPA followed the style pretty accurately. Judging by the amount of hops on the nose of the beer, I assume it was dry hopped, but I can't be 100% sure about that. The hops gave the taste a grassy bitterness, but that was balanced pretty well by the malt of the beer. It was lighter in color than the red ale was, which is actually pretty impressive for a home brew. This is because the malt extract will usually caramelize a little in the boil, darkening the beer. Since most home brew is made with malt extract they are generally darker than they should be. Either Doug used all malt, or somehow he avoided the extract issue. Whichever, bravo. 

I'll use this post to plug home brewing once again. It is really a fun hobby that has a fantastic end result. I would suggest that you use a kit and a recipe before moving on to more experimental batches. Another thing is that you you should start by brewing with someone that has done it a bunch before. I would be more than willing to brew with you (that is, if you know me) if you want to start. In fact, it is always easier (and more fun) to brew with a friend. Try it out! 

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

Bottle vs. Can Challenge: Heinnieweisse

Here we have another Butternuts creation, their weissebier, called Heinnieweisse. As I previously mentioned, Butternuts recently acquired Cooperstown Brewing and while they still operate as separate breweries, they do some contract brewing between the two. As a result, all of the Butternuts beers that are available in cans can now be found in bottles as well. By trying them side by side, you can notice the differences between the the bottle and the can versions. 

Heinnieweisse is a hefeweizen style, but more of an American style than a German style. It is light in both body and ABV (4.9%). The difference between the bottle and the can was extremely pronounced. Even though the color was very similar, the bottle had better head retention than the can. The biggest difference was very obvious: the can had some serious funk, while the bottle was much more of a traditional, delicate wheat beer style. Based on personal tastes, the can was a far better beer. It was farmy and refreshing, with the sour cutting out most of the sweetness that is normal in a wheat beer. The bottle was citrusy and soft, much better than most American hefeweizens. If you prefer a more traditional American Hefe, then go with the bottle, if you want a slightly sour version, go with the can. To be quite honest, this isn't really the same beer in different vessels, it is two kind-of-similar beers that are branded as the same. 

Glassware: Hefeweizen glass, can, pint

Synonym Beer: Harpoon UFO (although this is significantly better) 

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

Versiliese

I haven't spoken poorly of an Italian beer recently, so it seems like it is about time to do so. I have already covered a couple of beers by this brand, with not so good results, so I will try not to belabor the point too much. 

Versiliese is a "Bionda Doppio Malto" which translates to "blonde double malt". Effectively, it is a strong golden ale. It is 8% ABV, so it certainly will pack a punch. I remember that it didn't really taste like booze, which for such a strong beer is a good accomplishment. Unfortunately, it didn't really taste like much at all. I don't really know what it was. It was just kind of light in general. The flavor started out ok, light and grainy. Not the best for such a strong beer, but ok nonetheless. In no time, the flavor dropped away, leaving virtually nothing behind. Simple beer, with a simple flavor. Nothing special. Certainly won't be trying it again soon. Eventually I might, but not soon. 

Glassware: Tulip, Mug

Synonym Beer: I don't want to compare this beer to another. 

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

Hofbrau Original and Appreciating the Lager

Ok, back to the basics for this post. Today's beer is the people's beer of Munich, so to speak. It is simple, refreshing, classic, and most of all, comes in 2 liter steins. 

Hofbrau Original is obviously made by Hofbrau Munchen, or Munich. Since I can't get umlauts (the two dots above vowels) to show up, I will just use Munich. Hofbrau is credited with being the first brewery to follow the Reinheitsgebot, which is known in the non-German-speaking world as the German Beer Purity Law. This states that beer can only be made with water, hops, malted grain, and yeast. This means no additional spices, fruits, sugars, etc. Bayern (Bavaria) still has this law in effect. While certain beers, such as a hefeweizen might make you think that they added fruit (particularly bananas), but that is just esters from the yeast. Some people might say that these regulations might make the beer boring. I say that it makes it pure and delicious. With is law, it prevents one of my pet peeves in beer: Throwing a bunch of stuff into the beer and saying it tastes good. 

Hofbrau Original is a Munich Helles style, which is the German way of saying a light lager. Now, you shouldn't think that by "light lager" I am saying it is in the same category as American light lagers. The  "light" does not refer to the caloric content, taste, or ABV, but rather the color. It sits at a relatively normal 5.1% ABV, so it wouldn't normally knock you on your ass, except that it is generally served by the liter. In personal experience, especially if it is hot, the first liter goes down really easy and really quickly. About halfway through the second, you will probably realize that you are drinking a ton of beer and it is really really good. You might not realize that you are drunk until you stand up. The beer is light in body, but has a somewhat complex flavor (if you are drinking slow enough to pay attention). It is overall very pleasant, with a light biscuit sweetness, light lemon zest flavor, and finishes with a pleasant hop bitterness. I could drink this all day long.

The simple light lager is a lost style in the US. There are select breweries that make fantastic lagers, but especially among beer connoisseurs or emerging enthusiasts, the light lager is often looked down upon. This is probably due to the bastadardization of the German and Czech styles by the larger American breweries. Still, a beer does not need to overwhelm the palate with flavors. Beer does not need to be as dark as oil or crammed full of hops to be delicious. The light, refreshing beers have their own place in the world of beer and it might even be more difficult to create a great one. If you don't believe me, try some German light lagers. If you tell me that they have no redeeming value, I will show you a person who doesn't know beer.  

Not that it really needs to be said, but Hofbrau really knows what they are doing. During the 30 years war, when the Swedish were ready to attack Munich, they made a deal with the city: If the city would return some of the Swedish prisoners and give the Swedes something like 600,000 barrels of Hofbrau beer, they would leave the city alone. It is the beer that saved the city. You know it is good because even the foreign kings wanted it. Hell, the Swedes probably wanted the war so that they could get their hands on the beer (citation needed). 

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

Obolon Premium

Today's beer was purchased on a whim because I don't see beers from the Ukraine on a daily basis and I was curious. Curiosity satisfied. 

Well, many things about this beer are kind of interesting. When you take a trip to the Obolon website, it says, "Not just a beer, but a sence of freedom". Understandable translation spelling error aside, the story behind the "sense of freedom" is pretty interesting. They were the first privatized company to exist in the new, independent Ukraine. Now, well, at least in 2008, Obolon's main plant is Europe's largest beer manufacturing plant. Apparently the company has been very good to the Ukraine, starting youth soccer leagues and sponsoring the Ukraine's senior football club. 

History aside now, let's get to the beer that does so much good. First of all, it is in a green bottle, but does not have a cork in it. Strike one. Understandably so, the beer smelled very skunky was it was poured out of the bottle. Obolon Premium is a Euro pale lager, despite the fact that it says Ale Obolon Premium on the bottle. I think it is probably another one of those translation errors. It is 5.2% ABV, which is about normal for the style. The color was something like a slightly hazy light amber color. The taste was actually quite enjoyable. It reminded me a lot of Pilsner Urquell. Light, slightly hoppy, a little bit of honey flavor, but then it just stopped. The flavor fell off unexpectedly in about 2 seconds. Not that it was a bad beer, I just think that it probably doesn't travel well. If I ever find myself in the Ukraine, I might go and grab one.

Glassware: Mug, Pint, Pilsner Glass

Synonym Beer: Pilsner Urquell (only with less flavor)

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. Buy my pictures here: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-rizzolo.html. You can send me cool photos too, if you like and I will make a post up for you. 

No Sleep Till...

I have lived in Upstate NY for my whole life and I visit the City frequently. This is why it was weird that I have never visited Brooklyn before. It is especially shocking considering how much I enjoy Brooklyn Brewery beers. This Spring, I decided to rectify the situation. 

After wading through a sea of flannel and wool hats despite the warm weather, we came upon the image above. Not necessarily an oasis, because Williamsburg has more than enough great places, but for me, it was certainly where I wanted to be. We arrived just after noon on a Saturday and it was like a club at midnight, meaning that we had to wait outside for a bit because they were too close to capacity. We only had to wait for a couple minutes, and soon we had our tokens and waiting to get ourselves some beer. 

We didn't have enough time to wait to get beer before the tour started, which was unfortunate but acceptable. I would say that the tour, at least while I was there, was about half tour, half lecture. There was some construction being done, so we were unable to see all of the rooms, so they just chatted with us for a while, going over history of the brewery and talking about the production. I find that stuff really interesting, so I had a great time. I won't go out of my way to give anything away. I will just let you go and hear it for yourself. The guide was extremely friendly, hanging out afterwards to just chat. While I was excited to do the tour, because each brewery has its own charm, part of Brooklyn's charm is the tasting. 

Brooklyn's tasting is not your standard brewery tasting. First, you have to buy tokens, which go for $5 a piece or 5 for $20. $4 for a Brooklyn? Hell yeah! This is particularly awesome because they have beer at the brewery that is extremely rare. I drank beer there that I didn't even know existed. If you are trustworthy of your friends, I would say that the best method might be to share a few different beers so that you can try a bunch of beers without committing. On the other hand, you could just get a bunch of beers. Take your time and enjoy your beers. Don't go with teetotalers because you will feel rushed. 

The beers that we decided to go with were: Gold Standard, Ama Bionda, Oishi, Radius, and East India Pale Ale. If you asked me what they tasted like right now, I would probably be hard pressed to remember. I do remember that the Radius and the Oishi were my two favorite. They are session beers and I have been really into those as of late. The EIPA is a very solid English style IPA, having a more reasonable (subtle?) hop balance than most American IPAs. The Gold Standard is a malty kellerbier, which is a medium body German lager. The Ama Bionda is a beer designed by Garrett Oliver, but brewed by Amarcord Brewery in Italy. It is a blonde beer with some fruitiness and a malt backbone. The Radius was the one I wanted to try the most when I heard about it. It is a Belgian-inspired session saison, which in itself reminds me of one of my favorite beers. It is flavorful, dry, and wonderfully refreshing. 

Go hang out at Brooklyn with friends. That's what I did and it was a great time.