• With the odd weather that one day is bone cold and the next summer warm, I needed to find a beer that suited this unpredictable weather. Kamziner Schwarz Weizen was my answer.
  
  This black wheat beer combines the best of both worlds. It has the light body and refreshing feel of a wheat beer but the taste of a porter with stoutly undertones.
  
  The idea for Dunkelweizen’s originated in Germany “Like a Hefeweizen, Dunkelweizen is made from a mixed mash of wheat and barley malts, but unlike a Weissbier, it also contains a large array of lightly to thoroughly caramelized or roasted malts that give it both its color and its complexity.” According to GermanyBeerInstiiute.com
  KSW didn’t fall far from that description. The head on this beer was strong and creamy like a stout and the aroma was heavy of coffee. But once I began drinking it I felt light I was drinking a “stout light”.
  
  The body was a creamy highbred of a light beer and a stout. The color was murky from it unfiltered brewing process.
  
  I also mixed the beer with a lighter gold lager in about a 40/60 (KSW/Golden Lager) ratio. The mix took out a bit of the stout taste and mellowed the beer nicely. In all it was a good beer if you like dark or wheat brews, give it a try its quite tasty.

Two weeks ago (when I went to get Frambozen) I sat with my friend Snake at New Belgium sipping on a couple of the stronger NBBC’s selections, i.e. La Folie, Frambozen, Jonny’s Ale, and Tripple and I got to telling him of a ancient ale call Transatlantique Kriek (TAK). A beer I got my hands on a growler of and never seen again.

At the time (freshmen year) I had no clue what a Kriek Lambic was or why it cost twice the normal growler price. I remember for a couple days not even liking the taste of it, and cursing myself for buying it.

With shame I told Snake I was such a novice then this beer blew Frambozen out of the water. It was stronger in taste, it was golden ale, and it full of cherries!!!

NBBC hasn’t brewed this beer since, due to the extremely time consuming process of making the beer. So with a heavy, beer-logged, heart I told snake of this magical beer most likely to never to grace his lips, nor mine.

But now as I head lodge myself into the European brews for these last weeks of winter I find Three Philosophers Quadrupel (TP) (9.8 % ALC) from Brewery Ommegang in up-state New York. This is the only beer to be made in the same fashion as TAK, and oh man it is good.

The Process of making beer such as TP and TAK are quite complex

• First a Kriek Lambic created through spontaneous fermentation in Belgian cellars for at least two years
• Then the beer is shipped to across the Atlantic to upstate New York where the brewmasters decide what beer to pair it with, in this case it’s mixed with 98% Gold Ale to 2% Kriek Lambic
• Then the beer sits a bit longer letting the flavors mend before it hits the market

This time intensive process pays off. TP took Bronze in the past two World Beer Cups only to be beaten out by Belgian beers. From the first scent after we popped the top this beer never ceased to amaze.

The aroma was thick with cherries and hints of golden ale, OH the Cherries! And the taste was more cherries, with light over tones from the Golden Ale and dark undertone from the yeast and sediment found in the darker Lambic.

This beer is so great, it’s strong, it has a great body and if a beer could-- it would be smart—top of the class, an “A” student. Its deep ruby red color is so beautiful under light. It is my answer to Snake, now he can try a similar beer to the TAK, and you should too.

an awakening

For all the food fanatics out their today I impart a slight bit of knowledge on to where the food culture world and beer world intersect almost perfectly.

I am talking about Portland based Rouge Breweries’ Morimoto Soba Ale, named in honor of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. This beer unlike most other beers does not build its base off of barley but rather Soba (buckwheat).

Buckwheat is a major ingredient in many Asian cuisines because of its high rate of nutrition, low fat and easy cultivation. But does this make a good beer?

For the initial pour I this beer reminds me of a unfiltered wheat beer. It is very cloudy by indication of the minimal head has a very light body.

While the aroma evokes hints of orange, lemon and general springtime; much like a wheat beer. (But don’t be fooled don’t add orange or lemon wedges)

The beers flavor is good, but like Singha I am drinking this beer out of season. I am coming to realize that like fruit, beer has a definite season.

I believe that strong, deep colored beers with almost minimal carbonation are best for the months between November and February. Then once the snow pack begins to melt some lighter beer with higher carbonation and lighter or fruiter tastes should be drank.

I do enjoy Morimoto but it’s like eating an avocado right now; it’s just not going o be that great. This beer needs to be drunk in the sweltering summer heat after a morning bike ride or during a game of Frisbee Golf, but not now when I need to put on a jacket just to walk to class.

But regardless the beer was good, not great, but I think if you cooked a spicy Asian dish this would be a fine beer to pair it with.

In the future I will try to be more conscious of the beers I drink during this time of season. I think I will keep away from the southern hemisphere and lighter beer for a while.

It’s off to the North! Bring me strong ales, Kriek beers and porters!

Today I find myself sampling a stout in the most odd place, what’s more odd is that this stout is quite amazing. Lion Stout (8% ALC.) of Sri Lanka is the beer I am referring to.

The Lion brewery was started in the mid-1800’s in response to the demand of colonial tea growers in the region. Lion has gone on to win several gold medals in the international beer arena, and even though it is brewed on the other side of the planet is quite easy to find in many beer stores with extensive international selections.

The beer poured really well. Its color was a rich black which developed a creamy head with even bubbles that lasted quite a while. The aroma of the brew was a complex medley ranging from coco and roasted coffee to caramel and a slightly oliveish hints that I could not put my finger on. As I drank the sent of roasted coffee intensified and a great whiff comes from the bottom of the glass as I tipped it to drink.

The flavor was quite great too. The beer had a light body almost more resembling a dark lager than a Gunnies, but the flavors filled in where the body was lacking. With deep undertones of roasted coffee and subtle hints of toffee that were almost unrecognizable but intensified as they lingered in my cheeks long after I swallowed the first sip.

The beer however did not drink like a strong stout which was a definite disappointment. The light body really failed to round out what could have been a delightfully rich beer.

Lion is great on a cold night right at room temperature. I think this beer to hit its full potential needs first be put n a nitro tap, and second need to mixed 50/50 with Guinness to get that rich creamy body which the beer lacks.

All and all I would say this beer is quite good give it a try it’s only $2.99 for a bomber bottle, quite the deal for such a good beer. If you like Moose Droll you’ll love this beer.

Beer, Food and Buds

I think the best nights are made by a combination of good friends, good food and good drinks. Now that I find myself in Southeast Asia, I thought I would give my cooking skills a shot and try some new beer along the way.

Back on the road, I find myself drinking Singha beer from Thailand’s first brewery, Boon Rawds. The brewery was established in 1933, the year after Thailand’s non-violent revolution which ousted of the ruling absolute monarchy.

Singha is a lager beer (5% ALC.), the common brew in the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia. But unlike lagers that are found in Europe and the U.S., this Thai lager has a spicy kick that brings out flavors often untapped in most lagers.

It’s as if this lager was made to complement the flavors curry in Thai cuisine. The bold taste and light body of the beer complements the complex and deep flavor of the Thai species, while the pilsner taste clears the palate after every sip.

As I said earlier the best way to enjoy a fine beer such as Singha is with friend and good food. So here is a recipe for a nice Thai style dish that makes about two serving so if you need more just double everything.

• 1 chicken breast thawed and chunked
• 1 cup of “Israeli” Couscous (can be found at Whole Foods in the grains section. it’s nicer because unlike boxed Couscous the balls are nice and plump like little dumplings)
• 1 can of black beans
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 medium tomato
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 can of coconut milk
• Some curry powder, paprika,
• (Optional but recommended) ginger powder, basil, cardamom seeds, cumin and pepper powder (chipotle is recommended but any pepper powder will work)

After you chunk the chicken put it a bowl squeeze the lemon juice onto the chicken then mix it with a heavy dash of curry paprika, ginger powder and pepper powder. Then put it in the fridge and let it sit.

Next make the Couscous by combining it with about of a cup and half of water in a pot, bringing the Couscous to a boil then adding the stained black beans and the coconut milk and turning the heat down to a simmer. Crush the cardamom with the broad end of a knife and add in along with the basil, cumin and some salt.

Then cube the veggies. A trick to the garlic is smash the cloves with the broad end of the knife, this will peel and flatten the garlic making easy to clean and cut.

Once the beans and Couscous have been simmering for about 10 minutes take the chicken and in a buttered pan at high heat braze it a for about 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to about seven or medium-high after the first minute and keep turning the chicken every 30 seconds or so to keep it from burning and to cook it evenly.

After the 4 minutes add the veggies and some slat to “sweat” them. Bring the temperature down to around 5 or medium heat for about 5 minutes and cover.

After five minutes check on the chicken and veggies if the chicken beings to look a bit pruney (like your fingers after you’ve been in a hot tub to long) your on the right rack feel the chicken for give and texture, if it feels soft and not bouncy lower the heat to about 3 or low-medium and let it sit for another 3 minutes.

There you have it Thai curry chicken with some great Thai beer, call your buddies, combine on a plate and enjoy.

I don’t know what I will do next I could head over to the Indian sub-content I hear there is a good stout in Sri Lenka, or I might just hang out around here and soak up the suds.

a week off

For all those devoted readers of my blog, I apologize I had to go back to Fort Collins this week. There are few things that would cause me to cut the trip short; personal injury, a death of someone I knew and the re-release of Frambozen.

Frambozen is New Belgium’s holiday release that is usually on the shelves between late November and December. The luscious raspberry based beer has a tart taste and smooth texture.

But contrary to NBBC’s Web site which steep Frambozen in Lambic tradition, the beer is not a Lambic. In fact, it is only a fruity brown ale.


“Enjoying Frambozen is much more than drinking a beer, it is a sensory experience full of tradition…inspired by the Framboise beers of Belgium, where the use of raspberries in beer outdates the use of traditional hops.”

Right next to this statement are the ingredients to this beer of which hop are the top one.

According to beeradvocate.com in Lambic beers, “Malt and hop characters are generally low to allow the fruit to consumer the palate.” While in Frambozen hops are the main ingredients.

And even though many Lambic style steps are taken in the brewing and fermentation process, the result is only a fruity brown ale, with hints of Lambic tradition.

Now that I got that off my chest lets talk about the beer.

The re-released batch of Bozen has the same great dark-ruby color and tart aroma of the winter release.

The beer’s flavor seems to have mellowed a bit however. Now instead of an especially tart flavor the beer took on a sweeter near-wine flavor.

The body also seems to have weakened a bit, and the head collapsed quickly. This compounded by the beers low carbonation gave the beer more wine-like qualities and made it quite enjoyable to drink.

If you’re into Frambozen, I would go down to NBBC and grab a growler before they run out. Allegedly, they just had a distributor return a couple keg or something along those lines, but it won’t last long.

From Russia with Love????

I jumped the Pacific…I feel maybe to preemptively…or maybe this is just the way a foreigner feels in a foreign land, but now I find myself sampling the brews of the former Soviet Union.

Baltika Brewery which brews 11 different beers, numbered 0-10, rather than named. The brewery was established after the fall of the Berlin Wall as a joint entrepreneurial venture involving the Carlsberg and New Castle brewing companies.

The beers are popular around Russia and in the many of the former Soviet states, yet to the refined palate of the Colorado drinker, Baltika #4 Dark Lager’s taste and aromas recall the acridness of an old industrial city.

Things seemed wrong from the start, when I wiped the dust off the bottle in the store, to when I poured it.

While the color was there #4 seemed to pour way to viscously making me think it lacked body and form. The head was also made up of inconsistently sized bubbles that resembled dish soap and collapsed too quickly, leaving the beer flat by mid-glass.

The smell was a beast in its own, and seemed to morph itself from a soy sauce-like odor, right after the beer poured, to a caramel-apple-soy sauce blend about five minutes after the beer settled.

#4’s taste wasn’t far from its smell in both character and quality. At first it tasted like soy sauce, yet eventually it mellowed and began to take on a sweet taste of sour green apples, while hints of soy sauce took a backseat.

To surmise, this beer was strong (not good) on flavor and weak on everything else including its alcohol content, sporting only 5.6%ALC. At times I thought of quitting the wretched excuse for beer, it just didn’t seem worth while. In short the beer is an all around weak disappointment and not worth the calories.

I expected more from a country that demanded an imperial stout but I guess I will just have to keep looking.

Maybe I'll head south, I hear it’s nice this time of year.

Lost in The Abyss

Like a Johnny who got his gun and was eager to enter combat, I feel I just got a hard slap in the face by the reality of what is out there in the brewing world. In short I got my ass handed to me when, with my ‘fear no beer’ attitude, I cracked open Deschutes Brewery’s Abyss Imperial Stout.

Everything was there to warn me, from the disclaimer on the cooler door that said “two beers per customer”, to the 11% ALC by Vol. rating, and the numerous awards this Everest of beers had won last year when it debuted.

The Abyss is only the second beer to come out of Deschutes ‘Reserve Series’. It has been sitting in oak and charred oak ‘Bourbon Barrels’, brooding if you will, for over a year. It also boasts hints of licorice and molasses, according to the bottle.

From the moment I opened this beer I could tell I might have gotten over my head. As the head began settling into a brown cap over motor-oil looking liquid I got nervous. When I couldn’t smell any fragrance I got curious and had to nearly dip my nose into the Shiitake colored cap of foam.

Then I smelled it, dark and intense aromas of freshly ground coffee lifted into my nostrils as if struggling against gravity. They where joined by rich hint of lighter flavors that seemed to have no place in this beer, but rounded out the aroma with a nice subtlety.

The first sip almost short-circuited my brain, and like a surfer on the crest of a 12 foot face I though “Oh fuck I’ve got to take this,” half scared-to-death half happy as shit that I had made this nine dollar purchase.

The flavor of The Abyss is somewhat like coffee but completely something else at the same time. It was the raw power of beer, as I have never experienced before, at one sip overpowering and dark with a heavily roasted taste. At the next the flavor mellowed a bit, almost like a expensive whiskey, and let new tastes, that I can’t even explain (and most likely am too novice to understand) enter the area.

When I had finished the first glass I felt beat, my mouth was full of lingering strong and exotic tastes. There was enough left for another glass, I poured it and forgot about it, whether consciously or sub-consciously.

About half-an-hour later I felt something staring at me. It was the glass of Abyss it seemed to be looking me down, confident it could win. I battled through the rest of the stout, but felt I had made a mistake.

The Abyss is a great beer it’s exotic even for the rejuvenating category of Imperial Stouts which was almost lost to time. It has introduced me to flavors so deep, so rich and so dark I never though I would find even in a stout. If you can afford this trip I recommend taking it, but know what you’re getting into.

This beer is something more than anything you have ever tried. I would split the cost and the 1 pint 6 ounces with a fellow beer connoisseur, I feel fighting your way through an entire bomber ruins the experience. If I could do it again I would kill the lights, throw on some Tchaikovsky and let my imagination run loose.

All I can say is good luck.

I don’t know where I’ am off to next I feel I have to reassess a bit but I shall overcome!