BBB Beer of the Week: New Albion Ale

I had never heard of New Albion Ale until about a week and half ago when I came across Beer Geek Nation's review. When I learned that this was one of the beers that started the craft beer movement 30 years ago I was automatically intrigued. Naturally, when I saw a bottle during one of my impromptu beer runs I had to pick it up. Whether or not you end up liking this beer it is great to taste this little piece of history just to get a feel for where things started and how it's all evolved since then.

Also of interest to me as a homebrewer, and one who is just about to transition into all-grain, is the fact that this beer is a "SMASH" beer. In other words, Single Malt and Single Hop. Obviously, I love craft beer but I find myself differing from the crowd who seem to veer towards the "more is more" side of things when it comes to beer flavor profiles. In beer and almost all things I tend to lean towards Leonardo Da Vinci who once said that "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". I love purity. Give me vanilla ice cream, black coffee, or a simple beer and you'll make me a happy man.

Appearance: New Albion Ale is a very attractive beer. Even in your shallow high school days you wouldn't be afraid to show up with this clear golden straw colored beauty.

Nose: Not incredibly in depth, but there is still enough of an aromatic presence that you know you're in for a good beer. It's a bit floral,  a little citrusy, and a smidgen fruity. There's nothing mind blowing here but I don't know who you're trying to kid if you can hold this beer to your nose and not want to take a sip.

Taste: Initially, I'm hit with sweet malt before it gives way to the grapefruit citrus hop flavors. The finish is nice and dry. Dry finishes can be a little off putting at times, but in this case it set me up to go back for sip after sip. Before I knew it I had this beer gone and I was looking for another. New Albion Ale is missing a little body, but really it's just great to taste one of craft beer's building blocks.

Style: APA
ABV: 6.0%
IBU: 30

Final Verdict: I quite liked New Albion Ale. No, it's not as well rounded and forward thinking as some of the beers we come across today, but this is an incredibly clean and drinkable Pale Ale. It's not perfect, but for someone my age it's kind of a privilege to be able to step back in time and see what people were coming up with 30 years ago when craft beer was just establishing itself. New Albion Ale is in stores now so if you come across a bottle or a 6 pack be sure to pick up this little piece of beer history.

BBB Beer of the Week: Sam Adams Holiday Porter

I feel like I write these beer reviews 24/7, and I feel like at least 3/4 of them are Sam Adams. I think it's safe to say, I don't need to buy the seasonal samplers anymore. ]I'm pretty well versed in their portfolio. With all that said, I've got a new beer review for you and it's one that I don't think I'd ever heard of until I found it in my sampler. Here is Sam Adams Holiday Porter. 

Appearance: Classic Porter Appearance here. Holiday Porter is a dark beer, but a little light can be seen creeping throw here and there. An decent head for a Porter invites itself to the party full of tiny little bubbles.


Nose: This beer smells very good. A mixture of chocolate, caramel, and dark fruits all mingle together. Based on smell along, I was looking very forward to the first sip.

Taste: Sam Adams Holiday Porter kind of let me down here. It smells great, but there is just something missing here. I'm used to Sam Adams being the king of the well rounded flavor profile, and while the chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit smells make their way into the taste, the final product just seems to be missing something on the back end.

Style:Porter
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 40

Final Verdict: I came by this one via the Sam Adams Winter Sampler. If they included the Holiday Porter in the 2013 mix again I wouldn't complain, but this isn't a beer I ever see myself purchasing on it's own merit in the future.

BBB Beer of the Week: Sam Adams Winter Lager

Happy New Year readers out there! With the new year comes a semi-new Baltimore Bistros and Beer. I'm going to try this thing out called organization. Instead of haphazardly posting whenever the blog spirit compels me, I'm going to stick to a schedule. Wednesday is going to be "Beer of the Week" day. I made a New Year's Resolution about this, so you know it's legit! The idea is straight forward. I'll drink a beer and then I'll tell you what I think about it. It'll be the same format as what I previously dubbed "Beer Tastings". So, with the boring introduction behind us, let's move on to our first Beer of the Week, Sam Adams Winter Lager.

I've had quite a few of since we moved from fall to winter so I feel like I have a pretty good feel for this one.

Appearance: Winter Lager is a very good looking beer. If I were a little younger I'd definitely make a move on this beauty. Basically, it looks like a slightly darker Irish Red with a very pretty amber brown that comes across as extremely inviting from the get go .

Nose: There isn't a whole lot going on here aromatically, but the sweet malty caramel smell that does come through smells delicious. It might be simple, but the smell is no less exciting.

Taste: In the land of Lagers, Winter Lager is one of the more flavorful I've come across. Up front I notice a bit of spice that makes the taste buds dance a bit. The initial spice hit is followed by very clean malt sweetness that moves on to a subtle citrus finish. Sam Adams Winter Lager is an easy drinking beer but one that has more than enough body to satisfy you on a cold night.

Style: Lager
ABV: 5.6
IBU: 22

Final Verdict: I can't find any reason to suggest you should pass this one up. It's simple but delicious, and since it's rather easy to come across in stores this is a great Winter Beer to get your hands on if you're looking to dabble into some colder weather beers.

Beer Tastings: Sam Adams Hazel Brown

Thanks to the Sam Adams Fall Sampler I have yet another one of their offerings to blog about. Today, we're talking about the simple but delicious Hazel Brown.

If I were asked to describe Sam Adams founder Jim Koch in one sentence I would say that he is a master of the well balanced beer. I've had at least 10-15 (maybe more?) of his beers through the years and almost always I'm amazed by the balance he can find in a beer. Hazel Brown is a beer that fits that mold.

This beautiful fall seasonal pours a, you guessed it, deep brown with a little amber/orange hue in there to give it the perfect fall look. Aromatically, this is one of the best smelling beers I've come across. You get toffee, hazelnut, chocolate, caramel, and I'm even finding a cereal smell in there. It smells so good, I honestly can't tell you if I like the smell or the taste better (and that's no knock on the taste).

The flavor profile matches up exactly to the aroma. You get a delicious nutty, carmel flavored beer that could be described as liquid desert. Despite that description Hazel Brown never becomes overly sweet or malty because it's balanced perfectly with Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops and East Kent Goldings.

Sam Adams Hazel Brown is a very approachable beer and it's simply delicious. If I had a fire pit, I'd love to spend a cool night out in front of the fire sipping on this delicious beer all night. Do not pass this beer up.

Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.2
IBU: 20

Beer Tastings: Sam Adams Dunkelweizen

Well, I guess it's time I stop being lazy and start posting on the blog again. I think the last time I put finger to keyboard was well over a month ago. Vacation really took my momentum, but I'm back and back in a big way. The promise I'm making to myself is two beer reviews per day over the next 5 days. And since we're still in the season, most if not all of the reviews will center on fall seasonals. First up is the beer I have within arms reach, Sam Adams Dunkelweizen.

 

This is the first year I've come across their Dunkelweizen and I'm pretty happy I did. This one in particular came with the Sam Adams fall collection. I haven't seen this beer in 6 packs or single bottles so if you're looking to pick this one up the fall collection seems like your best bet.

The Dunkelweizen is essentially a dark hefeweizen. Hefeweizen is probably my favorite style of beer to drink, but it's not every day you come across dark hefe's. In fact, this might only be my second or third beer in that style. Right away, you'll notice the hefeweizen characteristics in the flavor profile. There is a banana/bubble gum flavor and a little bit of clove but what's nice is that all these flavors are all mellowed out by a nice caramel flavor that results from the toasted malt. In the end, you have a very well balanced beer that drinks incredibly smoothly even though the flavor profile isn't something you come across everyday. If you like fall beers but you're sick of Marzens and Pumpkin Ale's, this beer is worth seeking out.

Style: Dunkelweizen
ABV: 5.1
IBU: 13

Beer Tastings: Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Is it still fall? Good, because I've still got a ton of fall beer reviews to get through.

If you've have had one fall seasonal chances are the beer you've tasted is Sam Adams Oktoberfest. In my mind Oktoberfest is probably the highest distributed fall beer in the country. Unbeknownst to me, they also make a pumpkin beer and I was lucky enough to taste Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale recently.

 

Harvest Pumpkin Ale pours a nice caramel brown/orange color and leaves you with an ample head that's full of delicious pumpkin and traditional spice aroma. From a taste perspective, Harvest Pumpkin rates as average. Typically, Sam Adams beer always comes off as incredibly well balanced no matter which beer you're talking about. But this Ale is just missing something. You notice a fairly subtle spice flavor initially and a bit of fruit flavor on the finish, but there isn't a whole lot going on middle of the mouth. Oddly enough, the first couple of sips I took I tasted more plum flavor than I did pumpkin.

 

On the whole, Harvest Pumpkin isn't a bad beer but it's very much middle of the pack when compared to all the other pumpkin beers on the market. If you're picking one Sam Adams seasonal this fall, stick with Oktoberfest.

 

 

Style: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 5.7
IBU:  14