Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Beer of the Week (5/28-6/3) and North Country Brewing Co.'s Ohio Debut Party

Poster and list of events for Big Tap In Week
As part of Big Tap In Week sponsored by Vintage Estate and Magic Tree, I attended the North Country Brewing Co.'s Official Ohio Launch Party. Tuesday, May 27th marked the first day that North Country was sold in Ohio and it was only available at Magic Tree and Vintage Estate.


   At Magic Tree, the party officially started at 7pm, though people were there early in anticipation. The gong rang, Phil Reda, the owner of VE and MT gave a speech and the launch was underway. Trivia kicked off shortly after, which included some questions about North Country Brewing's history and location (did you know their current location was once a morgue?). The wizards in the kitchen whipped up four specific dishes for the night that combined NC's beer with some of their ingredients. Cans of Slimy Pebble Pils, Bucksnort Stout, Station 33 Firehouse Red and Paleo IPA were all availabe and the Firehouse and Pils were on draft.


Advertisement for North Country's Ohio Launch Party at Magic Tree
Luckily enough for me, this week's Beer of the Week, Station 33 Firehouse Red, was purchased by the guys from North Country, who bought all attendants their first North Country beer that night. This Irish Red Ale (section 81) is their flagship beer and its very tasty. So thanks North Country, I enjoyed the brew:

Station 33 Firehouse Red
Appearance: Dark copper, almost brown with about a finger-width cream head. Lighting was a bit rough, but it appeared a touch hazy.
Aroma: Sweet malts, definite caramel presence, maybe a tinge of booze at the end.
Taste: Mild caramel flavors are the most present part of the taste, though there is also some sweet malt flavor. It finishes with a bitter dryness that leaves the palate begging for another sip. This beer is extremely drinkable.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied with a long dry, bitter finish
Overall: This is a solid flagship beer for North Country. This is not one of my favorite styles, as it is not overly-complex in flavor or aromas, but this is a sturdy version of the Irish Red Ale. I'd prefer this over the commercially available imports (ie Murphys, Smithwicks) any day. The dry finish is a desirable effect.
3.44

I know a lot of my friends have enjoyed at least one Station 33 at some point.
What do you think? Agree with my rating? Like North Country?
Let me know and let's get one together,

KevBot

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Beer of the Week 5/21--5/27: Columbus IPA

Columbus Brewing Company IPA


So for this week's Beer of the Week I ventured down Interstate 70 to Columbus, Ohio. Though it's not necessarily "local," it is regional and it is one of my favorite, commonly available IPAs. Columbus IPA really breaks away from the stereotypical IPA, which should interest non-hopheads.
   Though Columbus IPA carries with it the traditional elements of IPAs, there is one particular feature that separates it from the rest: it's floral aroma and flavor.  The aroma invites the palate to prepare itself with scents of faint malt sweetness, pine, orange zest and citrus, and substantial floral notes. The taste is similar to the smell with malts, mild pine, orange and citrus, but is dominated, completely and utterly, by floral hop flavors. This beer is like drinking a recently blossomed flower and its magnificent. To date, I would struggle to find another easily accessible IPA that captures the floral essence of hops as well as this one. Yet it doesn't completely abandon the parts of IPAs that hopheads love: fruity, pungent, and bitter flavors.
   One of the reasons some people avoid IPAs is due to the style's pungent, bitter hop presence. However, at only 50 IBUs, this beer brilliantly incorporates mild bitterness, but allows the floral aroma and flavor to bloom throughout the drinking process. The sweet malt backbone also helps to balance some of the bitterness.
   This beer is difficult to find in the Pittsburgh area, but a trip to Boardman/Youngstown, Akron or west toward St. Clairsvisville/Zanesville on I-70 may yield positive results. I recently picked up two bottles at Vintage Estate in Boardman, Ohio. They've also had it on draft at VE. At their sister location, Magic Tree, they occasionally have some Columbus Brewing Company offerings, including Gold Medal winning Uncle Rusty and the ridiculously delicious Double IPA, Bodhi. So you may find it there. If I see it around Boardman or Youngstown, I'll be sure to alert you via Facebook or Twitter.

My Full Review:
Appearance: Pours a hazy orange with a thin, cream-colored head.
Aroma: Faint malt sweetness, some orange zest, citrus, mild pine, and substantial floral notes.
Taste: Matches the nose: orange zest, citrus, some sweet tangerine cream. Primarily floral, freshly-blossomed pungent flowers with a mild tang on the back palate. The sweet malt forms a steady backbone that does an exceptional job of carrying the floral tastes and light tangerine, orange and citrus flavors.
Mouthfeel: Stinging carbonation, medium bodied. The carbonation helps accentuate the "florality" of this beer and assists in lingering flower and orange/tangerine tastes on the back of the palate.
Overall: A well-balanced, medium-bodied IPA that deserves the high rating I've given it. The floral essence of this beer makes it unique and allows both hopheads and non-hopheads to enjoy it. Personally, one of my favorite IPAs. When I see this on tap or in bottles anywhere, I'm sure to purchase it.
Final Rating: 4.59/5

Can't find it? Let me know and next time I see it, I'll try to grab one for you!
Cheers and I sincerely hope you can find this beer,

KevBot

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Beer of the Week 5/14--5/20: Rivertowne Old Wylie's IPA

This week's beer of the week is Rivertowne's Old Wylie's IPA. I had the pleasure of meeting brewmaster Andrew Maxwell at a Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week event at Rivertowne's North Shore destination, which I wrote about here. Andy was quite an interesting guy and way down to earth. He shared all sorts of information about how bottling beers, brewing and deadlines can make the job stressful, but rewarding nonetheless. This particular beer was researched, developed and perfected for over ten years by Andy and drinks really well. It's extremely refreshing and I'm sure you'll find it thoroughly enjoyable during the unseasonably blistering heat we've recently been experiencing.

Photo credit: craftcans.com
The can reads:
"Andrew Maxwell put over 1.5 decades of recipe development into this India Pale Ale, creating the fourth dimension of flavor. Combining four varities [sic] of hops produces a unique beer that has an aggressive hop flavor, bite and aroma without denying the presence of malt which I.P.A.s often lack." 

Here's my review:
Appearance: clear golden orange color, with a one-finger, white head
Aroma: pine and citrus
Taste: follows nose of pine and citrus, with added topical fruit flavors. Pine dominates up front that leads into citrusy lemon and finishes with sweet, light mango and cantaloupe notes and tropical fruits. Though the can says there's noticeable malt flavors, I'm not detecting much malt presence.
Mouthfeel: standard body for an ipa, not too thick or thin, lots of carbonation and bite: which is lovely because it helps accentuate the pine and citrus hops.
Overall: This is an excellent beer for this week in particular. It will be enjoyable during the hot days with its refreshing pine and citrus flavors and strong bite. Instead of grabbing a sprite or sierra mist, I'd recommend you toward the adult cooler, where you can fish for an Old wylie's ipa.

Final Rating: 3.69

Availability: This beer is brewed year-round, so enjoy it whenever you want, regardless of how hot or cold it is. You can find it at almost any craft beer store or bar in the greater Pittsburgh area. In fact, I even found it all the way in Clarksburg, West Virginia. So grab a can, drink up, and tell me how it you like it.

Cheers,
The Bot

Monday, May 5, 2014

Rivertowne Meet and Greet Review//Brewers Choice

Monday, April 28, 2014
North Shore, Pittsburgh, PA

Bottom (left to right): Brendan of East End, Matt of Hop Farm, and John of Helltown
Top (left to right): Brandon of Rock Bottom and Jeff of All Saints

Rivertowne North Shore hosted a phenomenal event at their North Shore location between PNC Park and Heinz Field last Monday that ended up being one of my personal favorite events of Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week.  It was a local tap take over featuring a Meet and Greet with the brewers of local breweries. I thought this would be an awesome event to attend and I was not incorrect.
   Sixteen regional breweries were represented by brewers, office personnel, friends and family alike. The draft list included one beer from each and excluded PCBW collaborations in an effort to showcase some of mainstays of each brewery. My favorite part of the event was being able to enjoy the beer in my hand and talk the person that made it. This rare occasion  sparked a question for which I needed an answer: which beer do the brewers themselves enjoy the most from their brewery?
   Now you might imagine this question involved a simple enough answer, but that was not the case. The general consensus was that there was no favorite and there were different reasons for this too. John, from Helltown Brewing, likened picking a favorite Helltown brew to "choosing between two of your own children: one gets good grades, the other writes great sonnets." While Brendan of East End Brewing Company admitted that he really enjoyed the Rojo Ahumado (which I reviewed a while ago), but also went on to clarify his "favorite" by saying that he enjoys all of East End's beers occasionally. His tastes change as do his preferred styles, which was a good thing "because a brewer or brewery that only enjoys one of their beers will focus only on that one style." I can't argue with that logic.
   And neither could most of the other brewers at the event. All the brewers I had the opportunity to chat with told a similar story. Their tastes changed, as most craft beer enthusiasts' preferences and palates likely do. But with a little poking and prodding, I received some answers.

The Brewers Favorite Brews:
North Country Brewing, Nate Troyan stated his current favorite is a collaboration saison with Voodoo Brewery, Teabagger.
Hitchhiker Brewing Co., Andy Kwiatkowski said his favorite beer was the Oatmeal Brown Ale, on tap at the event and soon at their brewpub in Mount Lebanon on May 10th. So stop by if you have a chance.
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, Brandon McCarthy raved about his Rambler Rye. He told me the story about how brewing a beer occasionally hits perfectly in some areas, but misses in others (ie head retention vs malts vs hops, etc). However, this one perfectly matched what he had in his head: liquid rye bread, spiced with cardamom.
Helltown Brewing, John, quoted above, said his favorite was their Spiteful Saison. But like the paragraph above mentions, he has a hard time choosing between his "children."
Pennsylvania Brewing Company, David Cerminara loves the taste and style authenticity of the Penn Cool River Kölsch.
Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh, Aaron Reilly really enjoyed the Summer Pilsener, though I'm not sure if he meant the Bohemian Czech Pils or the German Pils.
Photo of Aaron and I at the Rivertowne Local Tap Takeover and Meet and Greet at PCBW2014

Meanwhile, other brewers gave me the same type of answer as John and Brendan, but provided other insight as well.
Rivertowne Brewing Company, Andrew Maxwell said he would drink whatever he was in the mood for, then talked a lot about brewing, canning and packaging deadlines, which was enlightening for me.
All Saints Brewing, Jeff Guidos said he likes all his beers. And we had an enjoyable and engaging conversation about how brewing beer provides an awesome breeding ground where both art and science intertwine.
East End Brewing Company, Brendan mentioned the Rojo Ahumado and how it was selling so fast because and it sort of sucked because he enjoyed it so much. He also forced a booming laugh from me when I asked him about his favorite part of #PCBW2014 so far: "it will be when its all over and I'm not waking up daily with a hangover."
Full Pint Brewing Company, Barrett Goddard admitted he prefers some beers over others, though did not say which. He also talked a little bit about their berliner weissbier, Paw Paw Berliner Weisse (which is a personal favorite of mine).

Overall, the event was awesome and likely one of my top 2-3 favorite events of #PCBW2014. The brewers were all friendly, informative and interesting. All of them answered any questions I had about their beers, brewing process, or how-to's for recipe research and design. Unfortunately, I was only able to talk to Hop Farm's Matt briefly, and the same with Blue Canoe's Justin Dudek (though I cannot wait to go up there and try the Snickers Stout, Heath Bar beer, or his meat beers-smoked sausage flavor IN your beer anyone?). I also did not have time to talk to any reps or brewers from Arsenal Cider House, Roundabout Brewery or Draii Laag--Hopefully we can meet up sometime soon.

Thanks to everyone who attended, organized, or participated in the event. I had a blast.