Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Sprecher Piper's Scotch-Style Ale

Doc: After enjoying two other Sprecher ales, I had high hopes for this scotch ale, which incidentally, is one of my favourite styles. (That was not a spelling error, my bearded friend; my language has not been corrupted by Daniel Webster.). This was one of the most expensive single bottles I have purchased recently at $17, but the beer and wine storekeep assured me that it was worth my hard-earned shillings. Mind you, this was the same man who could not identify a Flemish sour ale for me despite six packs of Rodenbach perched right there on the shelf in front of him.

The beer poured from the large Grolsch-style bottle a promising deep ruby amber colour. It had a light head, but things did not begin to go wonky until I took the first sniff. It had a heady spirit aroma which presumably told the tale of whiskey barrel aging. (On another justifiably pedantic note, the Yanks have the spelling of this word correct, unlike the Scottish, who, because of their rain-addled brains forget the 'e' in whiskey.). There was also a distinctly peaty smoky smell; not all bad at this point, but in hindsight, the writing was on the wall.

The first sip brought an immediate overwhelming surge of whiskey, smoke, and that crusty sugar of old honey. It was too sweet, and the sugar was an unpleasant sickly, glucose-y, type. And then, instead of warming on the palate, the sugar stuck to the tongue leaving little else but a whiff of smoke.

I'm afraid that five or six sips were all I could manage before the rest went down the sink; my beer calories are too valuable for this kind of a kerfuffle.

As I mentioned, this was a huge disappointment, not just because I had enjoyed other Sprecher beers and had shelled out $17, but because I love Scotch Ales.

My rating: 78

Consider, instead, the wonderful Old Chub by Oskar Blues: drinking this is like wrapping yourself in a thick feather duvet. It has incredible dark chocolate, toasted nuts, coffee, even brown bread malts, and is thick and viscose; as it slides down your gullet it clings to the sides and warms your very innards. In fact, I think I'll have one now and settle down for an episode of Downton Abbey. And now I think of it, Old Chub is like Mr. Bates the valet: just seeing him makes you relax, feel warm and safe, and know that you are not going to be disappointed.

Schoolie: Where to begin? Should it be at the Mr. Bates of Downton Abbey reference or on the beer itself. It seems to me like the enjoyment of a nice beer may have more to do with the surroundings, the atmosphere, and the mood than the beer itself. My shilling packing friend and I had just returned from a overly crowded kids play zone and were a bit rattled as we looked forward to this nice looking (and expensive) beer. It was an 8.2% as I recall and was full of the whiskey flavors that were mentioned (and misspelled) above. But the mood was not right. We went to a Dogfish Head Immort Ale after the Sprechsr's, and it didn't seem right either, and the Immort Ale had been a tried and true friend in the past. We stepped back a few percentage points and went back to the Immort a little later, and it was delicious. Perhaps we should have done the same with the Scotch Ale. In any case, it didn't work for me either, and I will give it low marks as well, but I can't help but wonder that I may rate it much higher in a different setting and with a better lead up. So if Old Chub is like Mr. Bates, this beer is more like Lady Mary: pretty on the outside, but a bit hard to live with.

My Rating: 75 ... for now

 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

International Tap house, Soulard, St. Louis

After landing in St. Louis, I headed straight to the Beer Advocate "world class rated" International Tap House in Historic Soulard. Wanted to try a variety of local beers, and they had 44 beers to choose from. Very friendly and helpful service, though it was quite empty during the Super Bowl. The Itap offers a five beer flight, and I chose 4 local beers, but then couldn't resist ordering what I believe to be one of the worlds best beers: Gulden Draak.

Urban Chestnut Hop Switch 3 - German yeast aroma with a slight hopiness. Marzen style but hoppier. Tangy citrus. Light color, light aroma.

Urban Chestnut Zwickel - very light and hazy in color - almost like a wit beer. Unpastuerized lager? Almost no aroma aside from slight yeasty smell. Light, but creamy finish, almost sweet. Yeast, bread on finish.

Schlafly AIPA. - Mid amber color. And decent head. Floral and citrus hop aroma. Nice alcohol/ bitterness balance. Also, a little creamy and some malt sweetness on the finish. A very pleasant session+ beer in the tradition of DFH 60, though with a little more body.

Civil Life Scottish Ale - dark, deep amber color. Heady malty aroma. A little coffee, dark chocolate aroma. Initial taste didn't quite live up to promise of another word for aroma. Almost more like a milk stout in taste. Could do with more alcohol and malts. Disappointing - not quite capturing the spirit of Scotch Ale

Gulden Draak - what a change. Warmth floods the system immediately. Deep amber wood word. Little bubble gum, heady fruits, full mouth feel with plenty of natural carbonation.

This bar is very pleasant, offers a large selection of excellent beers, and has friendly and knowledgeable bar keeps.

 

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.

This small independent brewery was founded two years ago by a young German former Budweiser brewmaster; I believe that he was involved with developmental brewing for this beer behemoth. Anyway, once an apprentice to a small brewery in Germany, this brewmaster produces high quality German style ales, lagers, and wheat beers. It's located in a former factory in mid town St. Louis.

The place was almost empty when I entered except for several guys along one side of the bar who seemed to be brewers (again, beards and their own food in front of them were the clues.) The brew pub was a very pleasant environment, particularly as sunlight was streaming through the large plate glass windows on two sides of the bar. The bar had concrete floors and sturdy wooden furniture. theservice was attentive the barkeep knew his beers, hop varieties, and yeast strains. As is my habit, I ordered a flight and enjoyed the following beers:

Winged Nut: warm amber color with frothy head. Slight lemon hop aroma. Fizzy mouthfeel, warming to caramel and nut favors and citrusy hops. The menu described that it's brewed "with finely milled chestnuts, Willamette Valley hops, and a yeast strain that fans of Weihenstephan will recognize." Certainly, a creamy yeast is evident: spicy, Belgian fruit notes are evident. This is a very pleasant session nut ale. 5.7%, 25 IBUs. 92/100

Triticum - Hoppy American Wheat beer. Similar amber color and a good head. The menu promised mandarin orange flavors - not sure I could detect this, but citrus, toffee and candy flavors are prominent. Might be a little on the sweet side: the 35 IBUs may not be enough? 6%. 93/100

Dorfbier Dunkel - cloudy brown appearance with generous head. Nutty aroma, and dark roast malts evident in the first sip. Some coffee and roasted nut flavors. 5.5%, 20 IBUs. 91/100

Kleinmanneken Dubbel - cloudy yellow amber color and full head. Lemon sherbet aroma. Might have been a little flat - it didn't quite have the champagne like mouth feel I associate with Belgium. Also, it is lighter, fruitier, more citrusy, and less malty than many Dubbels. However, another very decent beer. 7.4%, 22 IBUs. 88/100

Also had their Hefeweizen and Hopfen Bavarian IPA (a lighter version of the epic Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weizen) both of which were very good. I can really see the hefeweizen becoming a staple for me when we relocate to St. Louis this summer.

I highly recommend a visit to this brewery if you are in STL.

 

Monday, February 4, 2013

Schlafly Bottleworks

I got just enough time this lunchtime to pop into Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, St. Louis. It is housed in a large new building with a welcoming entrance and even more welcoming aroma of brewing. More than half of the building is taken up by the brewery; large glass windows show off the many stainless steel silos and kettles. It is furnished much like the Schlafly Tap Room downtown with concrete floors and sturdy wooden furniture.

I sat at the bar near six guys who appeared to be the brewers: aside from their beards, their Schlafly caps was the main giveaway. Also, they brought their own lunch boxes to the bar. I experienced very friendly service and good healthy food: I had a very pleasant quinoa and baked chicken salad.

The selection of beers not nearly as extensive as the Tap Room downtown where all the seasonals and special brews are available. There is a large gift shop in entrance, though I'm not so sure about buying my toddler a beer-themed T-shirt. There is a large pleasant terrace area too, and it was almost warm enough to sit out there. There were no cask ales which perhaps indicates that this is not a hardcore beer nerds place, but it is a very nice beer/food environment.

As is my want, I ordered a beer flight of the following: Belgian Singel (light, fruity citrus and passion fruit, with a decent head and slightly creamy finish), The Tripel (molasses, toffee, fruit, fairly spirity), the ESB (warming, malty, mild), The Pi Common, an Anchor Steam-type American pale ale, the Hefeweizen (like Fransiskaner, though a little less creamy and more astringent), and the Dry Hopped APA - not as good as the Tasmanian IPA or the American IPA in terms of hop forward, but a decent pale ale.

I highly recommend this place, particularly if you find yourself outside the St. Louis downtown area!