Every child is different

I'm not sure how many of you have kids or have children in your lives, but whether you do or not I am almost certain you can understand that all kids are different. I did not fully understand what this meant until my wife and I had our first two boys (we have three). Aiden, my oldest, was a very quite baby(most of the time). On the other hand we have our second child Mason. As a baby Mason was extremely active and would NEVER sit still.


Today Aiden is 6 and Mason is 5 and I have reason to believe they have switched personalities, Mason is now quite content to play alone while Aiden at times is rambunctious and boisterous.

The reason I bring up kids tonight is obviously because my beer is like my fourth kid! Seriously, though its because just like kids, every beer is different, even in the same family. One IPA is not the same as another IPA. At the same time one stout is not the same as any other. This continues down each family of beer.

I would also like to apologize to my faithful fans...all 3 of you! I know it has been awhile since I have posted, but it has been for good reason; family, school and work. So tonight I am bringing you two beers. They are completely different in style, taste and even from different continents!

My first beer tonight I want to give a big thanks to Downtown Wine and Gourmet in Harrisonburg, Va (also thanks to my brother Rob, who actually WENT and got the beer--a lot closer for him!). They were able to hook me up with a beer from a Virginia brewery that I cannot get up my way. It is called Striped Bass Pale Ale from Devils Backbone. Of note is that all proceeds go to the preservation of the Chesapeake Bay waters. This beer is so clean and light, it has one of the most refreshing taste. The floral hop flavor is light and cleanses your mouth of its own flavor, inviting you to drink up. This beer is one of the clearest brews I have seen in a long time, slight carbonation bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass giving it a classic beer look. It also has a subtle citrus smell/flavor which would make this the perfect summer session beer if it weren't for the fact I didn't have it then! If you can get this around you I highly suggest getting more than one, with its relatively low ABV you can drink it all afternoon!

So, on to the next! I have recently been on a stout kick trying to expand my experiences. On my weekly trip to Total Wine I found something I had only ever read about, the brewery Nøgne Ø out of Norway. The name of the brewery means naked island, which is symbolic for Norway. I went with their Imperial Stout, I am glad I did, not only does it fit into this posts premise, but it is also an amazing stout! This beer is so striking when out of the bottle, it is a smooth black pour that comes out of the bottle like chocolate syrup with an obsidian color and a fluffy brown head on top that slowly disperses. The mouth feel is amazing! It coats your tongue and mouth with a thick layer of soft alcohol. It has a slight coffee after taste coming from the burnt malts used during the brewing process. It is the perfect dessert beer (which is the reason I had to open it when I did, Mallory wanted to try it!). This is definitively on par with Dark Hollows from my previous post!

It is always cool to get something local and from not so local and compare the two. They may be complete opposites  but both breweries have brewed amazing beers and I cannot wait to try more!

I would also like to throw out, if there is any beer you want me to try and feature please feel free to email me or contact me in your preferred manor (andrewbutler85 on twitter, maamrb5@gmail.com or facebook.com/cheersdaddy)

Cheers and thanks for spreading the word!

East meets West

In a couple days an employee of mine will be heading out west for a wedding. Specifically she will be in San Diego. Being the craft beer enthusiast that I am I took advantage of the situation and asked her if she would be willing to make a trip to a local liquor store for me. She has agreed (really I'm her boss and she had no choice, just kidding!) Anyways I have already completed the necessary steps in an attempt to get her a list of a couple of 22oz. bombers of beers that I cannot get here in northern Virginia. The store I contacted was Dicks Liquor in La Jolla, which if you are ever out that way I definitely recommend visiting their location, great guys really seemed to know what he was talking about and even emailed a full list of their craft beer inventory, great guys very helpful and good selection of craft beer, can't go wrong!

After looking at the list I was provided which included, Lost Abbey, Russian River, Karl Strauss, Alesmith and a couple other breweries that we get here just not the same beer. With much consideration and research I settled on Lost Abbey Serpents stout, Russian River consecration, Alesmith IPA and Great Divides Expresso Yeti, aged in oak barrels. In my opinion a great haul as long as everything is still in stock and my transporter can still get everything! I am as giddy as a school girl in anticipation of these beers!

So on to the important aspect of tonight's post..THE BEER! Recently I have been sitting on some special beers (in addition to the beer mentioned above) Last week I picked up a bottle of Nogne O Imperial Stout from Norway, as well as a bottle of the Blue Mountain's Barrel House' Dark Hollow, from the same brewers of Blue Mountain out of Nelson County, Virginia. I decided for this review I would stay local and went with the Barrel House. I must admit that I expect big things from any craft brewery in Virginia, as there has only been one that I was underwhelmed with (not this one!) Barrel House combines two art forms, brewing and distillation to make one super drink! Dark Hollows is an Imperial Stout (above normal ABV...10% to be exact with this beer) aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels for 100 days, which allows it to take in the complexities associated with bourbon, but also the burnt dark flavors of the wood.

What you get is a super smooth stout with hints of chocolate and alcohol at first taste. The mouth feel is amazing with this beer, so smooth and thick, it will coat your mouth and tongue where you can really take in the bitterness that comes with the beers 70 IBU's (International Bittering Units). As you swallow sip after sip you can really taste the floral and fruitiness that Blue Mountain has so expertly brewed into the beer. Dark Hollow is a bottle refermented, meaning when bottled there is live beer included giving this beer a natural carbonation and its smooth mouth feel.

Out of the bottle it has a black color to it, however while resting in the glass you can see it is outlined by ruby red tones. I was able to pour at a nice slow pace allowing a 2 finger chocolaty head to form. The head lingers throughout the glass and maintains its light brown hue. This is definitely a beer I WILL get again to enjoy with friends at our next get together. It is a slow sipper meant to be enjoyed over time allowing the drinker to sit back and not worry about the next glass, but partake in the pleasure that is The Dark Hollow.

If you have not done so, I highly recommend checking out Virginia Craft Beer, I am extremely excited about what is happening in the world of craft beer and the role that Virginia will be playing!

Cheers!

Foaming over the sides

Foam, what is it good for...Absolutely nothing! Actually foam is good for something, at least the foam that sits on top of your favorite craft beer. The foam or more commonly and better known as the head on top of beer is a good thing, always in moderation of course. The head on beer is produced when you pour a beer into the glass which then releases all of the pent up carbonation which then obviously goes to the top of the liquid. Each beer will produce a different level of head on top, some have a denser froth and will linger, while others are more loosely formed and will not leave a lot of lacing (or the story of your drink as I call it, also a great clue as to your drinking style) on the side of the glass as you down your drink. The importance of the head is that it is releasing all of the aroma that your beer was brewed with and will give you an idea of the flavors that you are about to indulge yourself with.

I love a nicely formed head on my beer, but as I said before there is such a thing as too much head on your beer. The head of a beer in my opinion should never be more than an inch or inch and a half wide, or two fingers wide at most. What this tells you is that you had a clean glass, I mean CLEAN CLEAN, and that you or the bar keep poured the perfect pint. Something to remember, be cognizant of the glass you are choosing for your beer. When going with an IPA, which is full of aroma producing hops it is best to go with a tulip shaped glass which will hold the head and also allow for multiple repeat sniffs. While a strong Belgian of this sort is best consumed from a snifter or snifteresq glass. For more information on glassware head over to the Beer Advocate.  All in all remember that some beer head is good...a little bit more is better, but too much is just sad and takes away from your drink and you have to wait for it to die down before you can sip your brew. For more in depth analysis of beer head visit Wikipedia.

Now on to your regularly scheduled blog post. I knew that I wanted to review a local beer and I had two in my hand, one was from Legend Brewing and the other was from Heavy Seas. I decided to go with the brew from Heavy Seas Brewery (fyi that link may not work, has not worked for me in a couple days) in Baltimore, MD, but it is actually brewed by some local home brewers that won the annual Heavy Seas Letter of Marque contest. According to history a Letter of Marque was used to show that someone was now a professional pirate, hence why the contest from Heavy Seas is named the Letter of Marque contest, where local home brewers can take a shot at becoming a professional. This beer was brewed by Clay Wright and Nick Boylan, I was unable to find any information on these two gentlemen, so if you know anything please pass the information along to me. Much appreciated!

There was no official name given to the beer, but they do label it as a Tripel Wit style Malt brewed with Spices. What this means it is a strong Belgian styled beer so right off the bat you know that it will be more crisp that a Lager or ale. It will also have a good amount of fruit flavor and aroma.

The Tripel poured a nice golden blonde color, also a bit hazy in the glass. It finished with a light effervescent head on top. From first smell you get the orange zest that is used during the brewing process, which will almost remind you of Blue Moon, however this is MUCH better because it is it won a contest obviously!

When diving in for your first sip you get the typical mouth feel of a Belgian styled beer, it is lighter in feel, yet at the same time very flavorful. However, on the finish the brown sugar that is added really shines through and helps this beer end with a great malty taste with a bit of an alcohol feel as well. I must admit I am not the biggest Belgian fan, they just do not tickle my fancy, yet this one was good. Having tasted other home brewed Belgians thanks to the Stafford Brewing Club, this had the distinct taste, feel and smell of a home brew beer so if you want to get a good idea of what home brew is all about this is about as close as you will get without going to your local home brew club.

Cheers!

Virginia Craft Beer Month

August has been named the official Craft Beer Month by the awesome state of Virginia. I am proud to call Virginia my home state! Having been born and raised within 20 miles of where I now live. Some may say that is sheltered, nay I say, it is loyalty!

Tonight is night number two of home alone for me so instead of just coming home after work I decided to help my dad with his first major project post retirement...Redoing the deck at mom and dads house! So obviously I needed a beer when I got home. By the way congrats dad!

I had a big decision tonight well I mean not really THAT big but big enough; do I go with one of my go to beers or do I try something I've never had before. In true craft beer enthusiast style I went with something I have only ever read about. I decided on a brewery by the name of Devils Backbone Brewing Company more specifically I chose their brew Belgian Congo Pale Ale (Devils Backbone Brewing Beers). I actually just read about this company today in an article about the Virginia Brewers Guild and the Brew Ridge Trail (Read the article here). 

Not knowing much or anything really about this Pale Ale I decided to do some research first. Devils Backbone was founded in 2008 in the heart of Virginia; Lexington Virginia to be exact. For a "newer" brewery they have certainly made quite the impression, by winning a few awards at the GABF (if you consider a lot a few!). Steven, the founder is actually from Virginia as well and even from the same area as I am which makes me like this brewery even more. 

My first impression of Congo was typical IPA with a piney, floral smell right out of the bottle, I was curious about the Belgian aspect of this brew, but after pouring into the everyday pint glass this must be the clearest Pale Ale I have ever seen, you can read the writing on the bottle through the glass! I take my first sniff and realize my initial thought is wrong...dead wrong! Yes you get that pine/hoppy smell, but take a deeper breath and there is lemon and orange in there! This is the first place I sense the Belgian twist. Of note upon pour is a beautifully white head that develops and lingers around for a bit.

This is not a "big" beer, yes it does have 50 IBU's which is a lot by every day standards, however among IPA's these days this is typical and not over powering at all. The beer has a great feel on the tongue, big sips are easy to take and can multiple very easily! While sitting on your tongue you can really taste the Belgian style of this Pale Ale, just like a true Belgian it finishes with a hint of citrus and fruit. What I really love about this beer is that there is absolutely no bite at the end. Most IPA will pucker your mouth and you really have to be a true craft beer person to want more, but not this awesome beer from the great state of Virginia! This beer may have just become my favorite beer and that is saying something when I rarely get the same beer twice! 

I will definitely pick up another 6 pack next time I throw some steaks on the grill and I suggest you do the same! 

Happy reading and Cheers! 

(spread the word!)