Beer 292: Spring House Brewing

While you're reading this, me and Mr. Blog Named Brew are rocking out at the David Byrne/St. Vincent show at the Tower Theater.  You all need to check out their new album -- it is AWESOME! Quirky, full of horns and just plain fun to listen to...

And what better beer to go with fun, quirky music than a big fruity quad.  At 10.8% ABV, the Cosmic Monster from Spring House Brewing Company is not for the faint of heart. From Spring House's website, it is a rustic belgian style strong ale that is balanced with a generous addition of fresh fruit. 

Interesting...back to back fruit beers for Marci.  Where did the hops go?!?!  

The Cosmic Monster is fermented with real pureed blackberries and then aged over fresh raspberries. It poured a deep mahogany color and had lots of berries in the nose.  You can definitely smell the blackberries more so than the raspberries.  The booze was not appratent and I imagine that you could get in a lot of trouble drinking this quad.  The flavor was lots of fruit, malt and hops. Very well balanced and easy to drink.  The mix of strong malts and fruit flavors also make it quite refreshing.  Sort of the opposite reaction that quads usually have with me.

This is a great beer.  Cheers! 

Photo #1 of Cosmic Monster

Photo #2. Better or worse?

Beer 221: Birrificio Bruton 10

Today is all Italian, all the time.  I'm just biding my time until my Italian dinner extravaganza hits the table. Gary is making the most delicious meatballs in the history of meatballs and his from scratch tomato sauce.  Perhaps I should not have drank the beer I'm about to review last night and saved it for tonight.  Oh well...it still works in my Italian themed Wednesday evening!

This photo hates me.  It doesn't look like this
in the photo manager. Arghz!!!

Birrificio Bruton 10 is an Italian abbey ale.  It's also referred to as a double malt dark beer on the bottle's label.  It poured an almost black brown with a thick tan head.  It smelled vinous and rich.  The mouthfeel was very thick. I thought the label stated the ABV at 7.4% but everything I'm reading online is reporting 10% ABV.  Drinking it makes the alcohol very apparent so I'm going with 10%.  The aroma is of dark fruit and reminds me of port.  It's sweet and not at all bitter or hopped. 

I would classify it as a quadrupel despite what the label states.  Overall very good.  It's going in my top 25.

Cheers!

 

Mambo Italiano

Beer #220 10 / Birrificio Brùton, Lucca, Italy

Today's beer is the 10, or Dieci, from Italian brewer Birrificio Brùton.  It pours a dark mahogany, almost black, color with a bit of tan, lingering head.  Your nose picks up the aroma of rich malt and stone fruits, and you get flavors of tobacco, toffee, leather, dark fruits, and a rather strong malt backbone.  Very complex, and quite potent at 10% ABV - I guess that's perhaps where the name comes from?  Almost seemed like more of a barleywine than a quad, but whatever you want to call it, it's quite good.

Sexy time.

From the Google translation of the website, it seems that Brùton is named for a beer that was brewed in Crete back in ancient times.  Or, maybe something like that - I really don't know, because the translation never comes out exactly right.  If you see something from this brewery, buy it, regardless of what the name means.

Thing to Think About Today:
I should have planned this better - tomorrow night I'm making my now-legendary meatballs and sauce for dinner, so I could have had an entire Italian thing going on at once.  Instead, I'll just go ahead and leave you with what most of America assumes life is like when you're Italian.  Yes, The Sopranos.  This ground breaking show paved the way for a gaggle of excellent cable shows (such as the all time best show ever, The Wire), and gave us an interesting perspective into New Jersey, "independent businessmen", creative problem solving, and the trash industry.  It also probably caused you to start cursing more in your personal and professional life (at least, I did).  While this clip is awesome, it isn't remotely safe for work, unless your employer loooooves profanity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQdUFORS3Bw

Candy and Beer. Happy Holiday!

Beer #120 Baby Tree / Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Somerville, MA

Happy Easter to all - or, more specifically, to those who believe in that sort of thing.  We're fortunate to have a beautiful day here, which is good and bad.  Good, because I can sit on the deck and drink beer and write today's post.  Bad, because both of us have work to do, either projects around the house or work for our jobs, and nothing is getting done right now.  Seems too nice out to do work, right?

Today's beer is one that's been in our fridge for a few weeks waiting for just the right day.  And today seems like a perfect day to open up Baby Tree, a quad from Pretty Things brewed for Easter (yet available year-round).  As the picture shows, this beer is a dark chestnut in the glass, with a very thin off-white, almost tan head.  There are aromas of malt and fruit, and the taste brings flavors of malt, candi sugar, berries, and a hint of chocolate.  Delicious on a sunny, yet breezy and cool afternoon.  "That's an odd name for a beer," you say.  I agree, so I'll let you get the story from the horse's mouth (so to speak).  This beer checks in at 9% ABV, but it drinks like a beer with far less alcohol.

Really interesting story behind the brewers.  Pretty Things is a husband and wife team who work as tenant brewers, renting space from other breweries.  I often give you some brewery facts, which you may or may not read.  However, if you only click on one brewery link, it should probably be this one.  Cool story, fun people, great beer.  What else is there to say?  In addition, they have a side project where they brew beer from old recipes, to provide a historical beer experience.  I'm a history nerd, so I need to get my hands on some of these pronto.

Thing to Think About Today:
Let's all think about what's really important on this Sunday:  CANDY.  I have a killer sweet tooth, and my mom worked as a taste tester for Cadbury and Hershey when I was growing up.  Aw yeah, match made in heaven.  With those expert credentials on the table, you'll certainly trust me when I suggest we all think about the greatest Easter candy ever:  The Cadbury Creme Egg.

For those of you who have survived a horrible life which so far hasn't included the Cadbury Creme Egg, I'll clue you in. It's a milk chocolate egg filled with  a yellow and white fondant filling - when you crack it open, it's like you cracked open a real egg.  However, instead of the risk of salmonella, you get a sugary sweet candy that looks somewhat like an egg.  So much better than real eggs, right?  This delightful candy experience walks dangerously close to the line of too sweet, and I freely admit that eating more than one or two per season might be pushing it.  However, for the one or two that you do eat?  Pure magic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw_gEyg7Nt8

A happy Easter to all, and to all, a good night.

Beer 120: Pretty Things in Honor of Easter

At roughly the 30% of goal for this project, I find myself longing to drink specific beers -- anything from Stillwater or Mikkeller or a Petrus or 1809 or a Duchess.  The 365 craft brewers in 365 days challenge has been absolutely fantastic.  I’m finding some really awesome beers.  Unfortunately I’m also having to wait almost a year to revisit them.  Or at least that was the case until lately.  Now I’m in a one for the blog, one for Marci mindset.  It’s definitely helping with the “I don’t want to drink this new and potentially awesome beer.  I want a ______________.”

It is a glorious day out here in the ’burbs and what better way to spend a day like today than at the dog park.  Best part of the dog park?  Meeting new dogs.  Second best part of the dog park?  It does this to the Army of Dachshunds.

***

For today’s beer I thought a Pretty Things Baby Tree would be appropriate.  Look at that label -- it screams Easter and spring awakenings.  Pretty Things is a husband/wife team of gypsy brewers.  They’re based in Somerville, Massachusetts and Baby Tree is their quadruple.  It pours a beautiful garnet liquid with a thin tan head.  It’s has commanding flavors -- solid malt and hop, hints of chocolate, dark fruit (plums?).  As I approached the midway point of the beer, I noticed more peppery spice - maybe even green chilies.  Baby Tree is a quad and has a 9% ABV, but is surprisingly light and very drinkable.

If you’re curious about the name, check out their website for the full story.  I love quirky and I love this beer!  Hopefully one day soon, Gary will get into his bottle of Pretty Things’ Jack D’Or.  And hopefully he shares!

Cheers!

This Beer? MANEATER.

Beer #80 La Trappe Quadrupel / Brouwerij De Koningshoeven, Tilburg, The Netherlands

I swear, my dear American craft breweries, that one day we'll drink a bunch of your product. I promise this. However, if it's Tuesday, then it's another offering from Europe. This time, it's the quad from De Koningshoeven, better known as La Trappe, a brewery in Holland. This amber beer brings aromas of malt and some light citrus. The taste immediately brings a sweet taste of malt and yeast, with banana and caramel present. Bottle conditioned with roots dating back to 1884, this trappist ale weighs in at 10% ABV and definitely packs a punch.

But you ask: what's a trappist ale?

I'm glad you asked that question.  Trappist ales come from monks who brew beer to sustain their monastery and support charitable causes.  There are seven officially certified Trappist breweries, and they're serious about the designation.  De Koningshoeven had their Trappist status taken away previously, and only returned back once they proved the monks were brewing the beer, not some hired hands.

To beer geeks, the Trappist label is a big deal, although there are rumors of an eighth monastery trying to gain the status.  Part of the reason why it's a big deal is because these beers are among the best Belgium (and the Netherlands!) have to offer.  To receive this designation, you need to put in some work.  From trappist.be:

 “Trappist” has to satisfy a number of strict criteria proper to this logo before it may bear this name: 

1. The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
2. The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life.
3. The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture.  The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds.  Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.
4. Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.

These monks brew beer and help those in need?  I like it.

Thing to Think About Today:

Let's see.... A beer from Holland. Must mean its time for you to think about.... Hall and Oates. Get it? Holland Oates?  Yeah, that was pretty weak.  Anyway.

Anyone can suggest you listen to 80's pop sensation Hall and Oates, so I'll take it one step further and suggest you listen to a duo that decided to produce an entire album of Hall and Oates covers. Yes friends, its time for you to unwind, relax, kick back, and think about The Bird and The Bee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms_xpqF7hjY

Beer 80: La Trappe Quadrupel

What a day.  A  co-worker inadvertently attempted to poison me.  I am indeed sick as I suspected yesterday.  I had medicine head for a big meeting today and had to work really hard to make sense and stay awake.  How I am still awake - hell, even alive - at this point is beyond me.

Let’s start with the poisoning.  I’m allergic to artificial sweetener and spent the entire morning powering through sugar-free (or artificially sweetened) Halls cough drops.  But I didn’t know they were sugar-free until post-lunch at which point I started feeling more off than I thought I should.  I won’t bore you with the details of how I know I’m having an allergic reaction but let’s just say I left work before the numbness and blindness set in.  It was the…longest…drive…ever.  But I managed to get home, take more cold medicine and Advil and pass out on the couch.  Now I've rallied and am drinking a La Trappe Quadrupel.

La Trappe is brewed at one of the seven remaining Trappist monastery breweries.  It is the only one in The Netherlands.  The Quadrupel comes in at 10% ABV - evidently I continue to self-medicate.  (Also if any members of my family are reading this…don’t be alarmed.  I’m typically very responsible.)  It poured a reddish amber color and smelled sweet and of malt.  Sometimes I’ll drink a beer with a high ABV and can’t taste the alcohol.  This is NOT one of those beers.  It is all up in my taste buds.  It drinks big and thick and is sweet and finishes with a bite.

According to the La Trappe’s website, it is now aged in oak barrels and you can pick up some of the flavor that the barrel imparts.  I also noticed toffee and something fruity in the flavor.  I’d probably like this even more if I weren’t so stuffed up and feeling like crap.  With a little luck, I’m going to attempt to get twelve hours of sleep tonight and will wake up a new woman.  Cheers to that.

Let's Get It On, Val(-Dieu)entine's Day

Beer #66  Grand Cru / Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu, Aubel, Belgium

Happy Valentine's Day to all, but most importantly to my darling wife.  For those keeping score at home, this is our 17th Valentine's Day together and we're still going strong.  Of course, as a rule we don't celebrate this made up holiday.  Started when we were in college and didn't have any money, so with what little we had (who am I kidding, I just tacked it on the credit card) we would go out for a nice dinner instead of exchanging gifts.  Kept that tradition going post-graduation, and haven't looked back.  Although this morning Marci curiously asked if I was sending her flowers today... which is odd as I haven't done that in the previous 16 years.  If anything, we now view this day much like New Year's Eve - it's amateur hour, so instead of trying a new restaurant we stick with something local and awesome.  Not a day for adventurous dining.

I think The Oatmeal sums things up nicely through their Valentine's Day blog.  Big fan of The Oatmeal and their warped sense of humor, particularly the BOBcats.

While I wait for my beautiful wife to arrive home so we can get dinner, I'll share my beer of the day.  It's another beer Marci has already sampled (she's clearly a trendsetter here), the Grand Cru from Abbaye du Val-Dieu.  The Belgian quad pours a dark color with a thick head, and has a sweet, malt aroma.  The taste is warm and boozy - the 10.5% ABV definitely doesn't hide in the corner.  There are flavors of honey and ripe fruit, malt, and biscuit, with a slight bitterness on the finish.  Smooth and tasty.  Definitely worth your hard earned dollars.   Much better than that overpriced bouquet of roses you were thinking about bringing home....

Thing to Think About Today:
Look, I think today is a fake holiday intended to sell product and make people feel bad about their relationships.  However, for those romantic folks out there, for those trying to take their relationship to the next level, for those trying to get laid: allow me to suggest you think about Marvin Gaye.  If you look up "sexy time" in the dictionary, you get a picture of Marvin Gaye singing his damn ass off during this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAoh2ttQzMk

As The Oatmeal tells us and Marvin confirms: less whining, more sexy rumpus.  And to all, a gooood night.

Beer 60: Val Dieu Grand Cru

Gary and I have a plan to visit all fifty states. The original goal was to run a half marathon in all fifty states but then I quit running and really threw a wrench in the plans. So we are back to just visiting, which means we have to spend quality time in a state, perhaps having a meal or visiting a museum and definitely more than just sitting in an airport during a layover or driving through the state without stopping. Evidently we like rules.

I wanted a visual record to log our progress toward this goal and finally after searching for a ridiculously long time, I found this map. How excited am I, right?!? This is perfect. I found a canvas to adhere it to and every time we cross off another state, up on the map it goes. It will look a little wonky at the start with most of the east coast stuck to the canvas, a giant chunk of the midwest missing and a few western states represented. I hope it becomes a fun conversation piece.

So I order the map and wait patiently for its arrival. A few days ago, Gary calls to tell me that the map has been delivered and proceeds to open it while we talk on the phone. The following conversation ensues:

Me: Hurry up. I can't wait to hear how super awesome it is!

Gary: (making noises that sound like progress opening up the delivery tube)

Me: Well...is it awesome???

Gary: Wait, I'm unrolling it. Umm. I don't know what this is.

Me: Huh?

Gary: It's not the United States.

Me: What?

Gary: It's like lines. Stripes.

Me: It's supposed to be the United States. You know what the United States looks like. You've been there.

Gary: No, I think it's birch trees. I also have three degrees. I think I know what a U.S. map looks like.

Me: It's really trees?

Gary: And a deer. They sent us f------ Bambi. What the hell??

Me: I don't want a deer in the trees. That's weird. Who would want that?

Gary: You have to fix this. This is too weird.

Then we talked about dinner and beer. So now I'm going to write about beer.

***

The Abbaye du Val-Dieu Grand Cru Belgian Abbey Ale poured quite dark in the glass with a slightly off-white head.  Some intense twisting and turning in front of my kitchen light revealed maroon-red color where the light penetrated.  Very interesting to look at.  (I went with the beeradvocate.com link since this particular beer wasn't listed on the brewery's website.)

It smells like sweet ripened bananas with hints of vanilla.  First sip.  Goddamn.  There is alcohol in this here beer.  I like big strong beer.  Victory 12 is a favorite.  At 10.5% ABV, this one is also a doozy but, wow, it packs a kick with that ABV combined with all that flavor.   (I also forgot to eat anything today so there’s that.)  These monks know how to make some beer.

The taste is complex.  Upfront it is well balanced.  There isn’t one flavor that stands out from the rest and it all blends very nicely.  There is banana on the back end with a sweetness that reminds me of really good icing.  Sweet and complex and not sugary.  C’mon, someone with a sweet tooth like me has to understand that one.  Right?

I’m off to savor this beer and ogle Ryan Gossling in Drive.  Cheers!

Beer #22: Sly Fox Ichor and a Look Back at 2011

I had intended to write this post yesterday, but instead found myself letting off a bit of steam about 2011.  So in honor of the first day of a fresh clean year, I'm going to look back at 2011 and hopefully learn something.  (fingers crossed!)

1.  What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?  I started blogging.
2.  Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  I don't do New Year's resolutions.  I guess the answers are no and no.
3.  Did anyone close to you give birth?  A lot of people, in fact.
4.  Did anyone close to you die?  Really Internet asking list, yes, someone very close to me did die.
5.  What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?  More time in so many ways.
6.  What countries did you visit?  Sadly none.  Maybe I'll make it to Israel in 2012.
7.  What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  July 15.
8.  What was your biggest achievement of the year?  I found a strength that I didn't know I had.
9.  What was your biggest failure?  Running.
10.  Did you suffer illness or injury?   There were a few days of a funky toe that concerned me.
11. What was the best thing you bought?  iPad2
12. Where did most of your money go?  Beer and food and that was before I started this blog!
13.  What did you get really, really, really excited about?  Celebrating ten years of marriage with Gary!
14. What song will always remind you of 2011?  Young the Giant, My Body
15.  Compared to this time last year, are you...happier or sadder? Happier.  ...thinner or fatter? Fatter.  ...richer or poorer?  Richer.
16.  What about...more or less likely to decide inanimate objects looked like boobs?  More. Although I do tend to see more penises where there aren't penises.  ...more or less likely to watch Glee?  No cable, no Glee.
17.  What do you wish you’d done more of?  Saved more money, less going out to dinner, spend more time with my Mom.
18. What do you wish you’d done less of?  Procrastinating at work.
19.  What was the best book you read?  Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
20.  What was your greatest musical discovery?  Beirut.  Thank you BalletX!
21.  What did you want and get?  iPad2
22.  What was your favorite film of this year?  The new Sherlock Holmes movie but I don't know the name of it.  That's how I roll.  I'll tell you about a great movie, but you need to work for it.  I can name some of the actors or at least some of the other movies that some of the actors were in...on the other hand, you shouldn't ask me about movies.
23.  What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?  I spent it in Harrisburg planning an event.  It involved politicians.  Ugh.  That's a hell of a way to turn 36.
24.  What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  Seeing my friends more often.
25.  How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?  Take more chances.  Wear color.  That necklace is not too big.  Two patterns?  Why not!
26.  What kept you sane?  Gary
27.  Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Johnny Depp.  He could stand around in a bathrobe and read phone listings from Sioux City, Iowa and I would love it.
28.  What political issue stirred you the most?  Nothing.  I can't stand the bickering, name calling and stupid accusations.
29.  Who was the best new person you met?  Someone at work, who will remain nameless because I don't mix work and blog.
30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.  Breathe.
31. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying eh-yo, Galileo"  I love to misunderstand lyrics and sang that one all year.

***

2011 went out with a lot of laughter and many, many corks popping.  In fact, I may have champagne running through my veins today.  So far 2012 has been exceptionally lazy and that's fine with me.

Today's beer of choice is Sly Fox Brewing Company's Ichor.  It is an Abbey Quadruple coming in at 10% ABV.  It has a candied smell and is dark brown and nearly opaque in the glass.  It tastes rooty and organic like rootbeer without the overt sweetness.  I also got notes of chocolate.  It has a nice dry finish.  Overall a great beer.

Sidebar:  Upon opening the Ichor and settling in to write my review, Gary -- out of nowhere, mind you -- announces that Ichor is an interesting name for a beer as it is what differentiated man from god in Greek mythology.  That's the joy of living with a man who doesn't seem to ever forget random facts.  You get a little trivia with your beer.

Anyway, Sly Fox is always a win in my book and Ichor is no different.  If you find yourself in Chester County, stop by one of their establishments.  And check out their story when you can.

Welcome to  2012, folks!