Bruery Autumn Maple

If you are a consistent reader of the blog, then you know that when I try new beer, I prefer to do so with at least one other person. This is brought to an extreme whenever my family gets together. Generally we will split a beer between a minimum of 4 people, maximum of 10. This can be a disappointing experience if you are craving more of a beer, or welcome if you couldn't drink much more of that particular beer. 

For my particular tastes, the Bruery's Autumn Maple happened to be the latter. It is a Belgian-style brown ale brewed with maple, molasses, yams, and spices. I would not have thought there were yams used in the production of this beer at all, if it had not been for the label. It is a potent beer, at 10% ABV, so with flavor and strength, I would equate it to an Imperial Pumpkin beer, though that isn't really the case. I also liked this a hell of a lot more than I like pumpkin beers. While sweet, it wasn't overly spiced, making it relatively drinkable for me. That being said, splitting the 750 mL bottle between 4 people was a great choice. There are beer that you drink in high quantity and beer you don't. This one is certainly a low amount, sipping beer for me. Since this is the case for most high percentage beers, I won't consider this an insult, but rather a recognition that I like the beer and would like to keep it that way. 

Glassware: Snifter, Goblet, Tulip

Synonym Beer: Brooklyn Mary's Maple Porter (but lighter and spicier)

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.

Saison Rue

As you probably know, the necessary ingredients for making beer are water, malt, hops, and yeast. There are many adjunct ingredients that can be added as well. Saison Rue includes one of my favorite adjunct ingredients (rye), as well as one of my favorite yeasts (brettanomyces). 

I have done a few posts on beer by the Bruery, what I consider to be one of the most consistent sour beer makers in the US. Saison Rue is probably my favorite of their standard line of beers (Art of Darkness being my favorite of all of their beers). The nice part about Saison Rue is that it is both delicious AND relatively inexpensive. At 8.5% it is a good deal stronger than most saisons, but it isn't really noticed on the nose or in the flavor. The funk from the brett and the spice from the rye dominate the beer. It probably isn't a beer for everyone, but it should be. I really enjoyed this one. This was the first beer I tried from the Bruery and it made me trust them. Now, with each new bottle I drink, I remember why.  

Glassware: Saison glass, tulip

Synonym Beer: Hard to say, it is the only Rye saison that I have ever had. 

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.

Nero's Apecchio Red Ale

I trust Trader Joe's to have great, albeit expensive food. When a Trader Joe's opened up near my apartment, I decided to see what kind of beer they had. There were a variety of beers, including a few that I believe are made specifically for Trader Joe's. Nero's Apecchio Red Ale is made by Amarcord Birra Artigianale and it caught my eye. 

Now, you have to think about it as an Italian Red Ale, not the hopped out American version. The Italian Red Ale is delicate and smooth. It has a pleasant, light roasted maltiness to the body, with only a hint of hops. This is the kind of beer that I could drink all day and not get sick of. Not that it is very exciting, but it is a simple, good beer. It also is pretty damn cheap too, which is a plus. If you go in expecting to be wowed, you might be disappointed. If you think that it will be a delightful, simple beer, you will get what you are looking for. 

Glassware: Pint, Mug

Synonym Beer: Actually, kind of similar to Smithwick's 

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.

Bitches Brew

Dogfish Head makes a line of beers that are "paired" with specific songs. I have already talked about Robert Johnson's Hellhound on my Ale, which is really tasty, but I consider this to be even better. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. 

While the style is considered to be an Imperial Stout, the honey and gesho used in the brewing process give this beer a really unique, delicious flavor. Gesho is also known as shiny-leaf buckthorn and is an African shrub. I would not have known that if not for a combination of wikipedia and some home brew forums. I completely understand why it is a hard task to pinpoint the flavors in Bitches Brew. It is a great beer and it is worth a shot if you can find it. 

Also, Miles Davis is just awesome.

Glassware: Tulip, Goblet, Snifter

Synonym Beer: I can't get anything that is really close enough. 

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.

Magic Hat Over the Pils

Magic Hat is a well known craft brewery. I generally think of them as a smaller version of Sam Adams. They produce a ton of different beers, a couple are ok, several that I have no interest in having, and I haven't tried a handful of them. Magic Hat even makes a line of big bottles (Humdinger Series), just like Sam Adams does. I don't like to be accused of disliking a beer without ever trying it, so I decided to try their Over the Pils Imperial Pilsner. On the plus side, I got it for a very reasonable $5.50 for a 750 mL.  

I actually had really high hopes for this one, because I happen to love Imperial Pilsners. As the imperial indication suggests, the beer packs a punch, at 8.1% ABV. The taste was different from your standard imperial pilsner. The booze flavor was much too strong for my liking. The beer also had a sticky sweetness to it. The flavor started out with the alcohol bite, then became sweet and fell off quickly. Had it been even a bit more expensive, I would have been more upset with myself. Overall, it was an underwhelming beer, even with my less than great expectations. 

Glassware: Pilsner, Tulip

Synonym Beer: It's like a boring version of Tilted Smile

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.

Boulevard Tank 7

I seem like a broken record here: I trust Boulevard Brewing Company. They just seem to know how to make beer that I like. They make some of the best Saisons in the US. Here is one of their Smokestack Series, Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. 

At 8% ABV, it is a little bit stronger than your standard saison, but in this case, I have no qualms about it. The booze does not get in the way of the flavor at all. It is just funky, ever so slightly spicy, and delicious. The body is medium and easy to drink, while the lacing just sticks to the side of the glass and won't let go. I don't know why I love that so much, but I do. The nose is full of all sorts of spices and fruits, but I like to leave those kind of descriptions up to the people drinking it at that particular moment, as a beer can be really different depending on a lot of factors (temperature, previous drinks, etc). 

Regardless, this is a fantastic beer to try. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I will definitely be drinking it again. 

Glassware: Saison, Tulip

Synonym Beer: Mystic Saison Renaud

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.

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja and Planning your Drinks

Ah, my love affair with Jolly Pumpkin gets to continue. I cannot fully express how much I trust Jolly Pumpkin to produce beer that I will enjoy. They are, without a doubt, my favorite American brewery. La Roja, their wild version of a red/amber ale, is just another reason why Jolly Pumpkin is the cat's pajamas. 

This is brewed in a similar manner to traditional Flemish Sour Reds. Personally, I think that it is a little more tart and less sweet than standard Flemish Reds. This is perfect for my palate. The blend of the medium amber malts and the sharp brett funk provide a unique mix of flavors. It is certainly worth your time, especially if you like sours. 

Just a note when drinking a beer with such unique tastes. Actually, this is more of a lesson on planning.  With wine, you generally drink dry to sweet, as the dry wine will taste bland and unpleasantly tart when tasted after a sweet wine. Many of these Belgian style beers, particularly sours, should be treated much more like wines, in both care, as well as tasting. The sharper flavors from sours should be treated with respect. I usually don't like to mix sours and non-sours, but sometimes it can't be helped. If you are going to, make sure you cleanse your palate in between drinks. Do a little taste testing yourself to see what different styles do to affect the tastes of others, depending on the order. Sometimes it might do nothing, sometimes it could drastically change the flavor. You never know until you try. 

Glassware: Saison, tulip, goblet

Synonym Beer: Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour 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.

Fire Eagle

Here is a nice can that I received in a little beer exchange with my friend in Austin, TX. While I know I have brought up the topic before, I would suggest doing a beer exchange with a friend in a faraway land. Not only do get to try beer that you might never have the chance to drink, but you get to share something fun with a friend. 

Cans are the great equalizer in beer. Even just a handful of years ago, any beer that was in a can was just downright awful. I've already talked about the positives of cans and how craft brewers are turning to the can, so I won't go back into it. On to the beer. 

I was a bit surprised by how much I liked the Fire Eagle. I found it to be a very nicely hopped IPA. It was much more mellow than I find most IPAs, making a really drinkable beer. It had all of the piney hop aroma that I like from an IPA, but it wasn't excessively bitter. It was a perfect canned IPA in my opinion. Great for a day at the races, a picnic on the beach, or a snowy hike up a mountain. Or, you know, just drinking. 

Glassware: can, pint

Synonym Beer: Harpoon IPA

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.