Brew Review: Great Divide St. Bridget's Porter

Hey gang, how's things?

I'm doing great, thanks in part to the wonderful beer I'm reviewing today: Great Divide Brewery's St. Bridget's Porter. Porters aren't exactly popular beers...a lot of brewers don't brew them (for some reason), but I thank Great Divide for brewing this one. Porters have a bad reputation among some beer drinkers, I think, in part because they tend to be pretty heavy in the flavor and alcohol department. That's a valid gripe, but not for St. Bridget's.

Sure, it's thick and it's heavy, but in the best possible way. This beer is like a Cacao Reserve chocolate bar...silky, smooth, thick, slightly bitter...just plain good, really. The pour produces an abundance of frothy head that contrasts beautifully with the dark black of the beer. It smells like metallic chocolate and carbonation. The taste is also fairly carbonated (to help get you over the slight bitterness, I'm guessing) with a deep, rich, super-dry chocolate taste. Notes of coffee and fruit (which one, I'm not sure) round it out. If ever a good cold weather beer was brewed, this is it. It's warm and rich and the taste hangs around for a good hour after you're done.

I'm giving Great Divide's St. Bridget's Porter a 5/5. It's a great beer in a genre of brewing that is sometimes underappreciated.

Great Divide is another Colorado Brewery that surprised me, though I've always been intrigued by them. They brew a beer called Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout that I've been eying for years now. If St. Bridget's Porter is any indication, their other brews are worth checking out.

Brew Talk: Classics

Hey guys, this week I want to talk about a few of my favorite beers. Even though I rarely drink them nowadays, a handful of beers still hold a special place in my beer-lover's heart.





Bass Pale Ale: Bass Pale Ale is a great beer. Period. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, just classic high-quality beer. It doesn't even taste like a Pale Ale, really...more of a Brown Ale. But whether I want a drink or two at the bar or I'm in it for the long haul with a 12-pack, Bass is still my #1 pick. Manet painted it, Napoleon loved it, it was on the Titanic when it went down, and their red triangle logo was the first registered trademark in England...it's a classic.




Sam Adams Boston Ale: Boston Ale has always tasted similar to Bass for me. It's malty, smooth, and round. Sam Adams makes many, many fine brews, but this is easily my favorite. It's $1.00 cheaper than the other Sam beers too (I can't figure out why). If it was a buck more I'd still love it. When I interviewed the founders of Terrapin they said Jim Koch, the founder and president of the Boston Brewing Company (Sam Adams), is a big inspiration to smaller brewers everywhere. He sure knows how to brew a classic beer, as the Boston Ale proves.







Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: Sierra Nevada is generally regarded as one of the finest American breweries (along with Sam Adams and a few other, smaller companies). And it's with good reason. Their Pale Ale is crisp, heady, and super flavorful -after 12 bottles it still has kick. The Cascade Hops in the beer give it, and lots of imitators, its distinct bite, creating a true classic and almost single handily birthing the micro brew industry.






Newcastle Brown Ale: Last but definitely not least is another British standard, Newcastle. Newcastle has a special spot among what I consider good beer: whether you love beer, like it, tolerate it, or hate it, chances are Newcastle is going to be in your top 5 (maybe top 10 if you're more experienced). It's light, smooth, and somehow still really tasty. Flat out, this is a classic beer.

Brew Review: North Coast Brewery's Acme California India Pale Ale

Welcome back guys! This week I'm reviewing North Coast Brewery's Acme California IPA.


Before I picked up this bottle, I'd never heard of Acme. I had heard of North Coast, though, as they brew Red Seal Ale, a great, great beer. Apparently Acme was an old San Francisco/Olympia, Washington brewery that started back in 1869. North Coast resurrected the brand and they now make a Pale Ale and an India Pale Ale under the Acme name.


But enough about that. Let's get to the beer. Let me start by saying IPA's are in general my favorite beers. It's hard to make a bad IPA in my opinion. This, however, is not only not bad, it's incredible. Honestly, I think this may be the 3rd best single bottle of beer I've ever had (#1=Milwaukee's Best Light at the LaFayette Golf Course in LaFayette, Georgia. I was on the clock. And underage. And #2=Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at my kitchen table at Milstead Village in Kennesaw, Georgia. That was just a flat-out good beer. I think Boston's "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" was on the radio too, which was nice (If I ever own a bar, I'll play that every night 10 minutes before closing time).


As far as taste goes, there's really nothing new here. It's just a straight-up delicious IPA. It's super, super dry. The finish is really round and, again, dry and crisp. It's lip smacking good. There's not really much else to say other than I give it a 5/5. Try one as soon as possible. Total Wine in Kennesaw sells them in singles and six-packs (they have Red Seal Ale there, too, if you want to check that out as well...I suggest it).



I found a lot of great Acme art too. Check out the link to see old Acme logos, ads, and steins. It's really neat stuff.

Brew News: Terrapin Brewery Open for Tours

Got some brew news guys,

Terrapin opened up their brand new brewery yesterday in Athens. They're doing tours on Mondays and Thursdays from 5-7 plus the second Saturday of each month from 2-5. I went on the 2nd tour ever given yesterday, and I must say it was pretty cool. Getting to see where your favorite beer is made, who makes it, how it's brewed...it's neat. It makes the beer better too. They even had live music.

The facility is in Athens, Georgia at 256 Newton Bridge Rd. It's a fairly easy drive (and a decent ways from downtown) and well worth it. You can do the tour for free, but you only get a tiny medicine cup to sample their beers, or you can pay $7.00 for a free Terrapin glass and 6 tickets (each ticket gets six ounces of beer). They have Rye Pale Ale, Golden Ale, India Brown Ale, All-American Imperial Pilsner, and the just-out-of-the-brewery Rye Squared on draft.

Also, I was able to talk to the Marketing Director, Dustin Watts, and he said the India Brown Ale will start being bottled in the next few months (trust me, if you haven't had it...it's great). He told me that a new line called Side Project will be starting soon too, where single 50 barrel batchs of a special one time only brew will be made. The first one is called, ironically, Hop Shortage (there's a huge world-wide hop shortage). Be on the lookout.

Cheers!

Brew Review: Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

Alright guys, this week I'm reviewing Flying Dog Brewery's Double Dog Double Pale Ale (that's a mouth full). This monster of a beer has double the ingredients of a normal pale ale and double the alcohol content (10.5% ABV). With that said though, this is a really smooth beer. It's by no means a session beer, however...one made me a little light-headed.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not normally a big fan of Flying Dog fan. Whether its Roger Steadman's (the guy who did the art for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) crazy gonzo art on the bottles or their too-big-to-keep-up-with beer line, they've never struck me as a serious brewery. This beer, though not great, has convinced me to give them a second look.

Double Dog is a thick, hazy beer. It's almost neon yellow. Even though the smell is a little thin, it has a nice fresh, citrusy aroma. Add that to the bottle art (rabid dogs running amok) and everything about this brew screams over-the-top. It really isn't though. While it it is very potent and definitely not for the faint of heart, it is a genuinely tasty beer.

At first it has a piney, citrusy taste -very abrupt and bright, maybe even tangy. That flavor stays with the beer all the way over the palate, but calms down a little toward the middle and back. The pine notes strengthen after each swallow too, making Double Dog enjoyable from beginning to end, if not leaving it slightly unbalanced. It is a double pale ale after all. Balance probably shouldn't be expected. The aftertaste was dry and bright and probably account for the strong pine aftertaste. The dryness did leave me hanging though, so this was an unintentionaly quick drink (I had to quinch my thirst, guys).


Terrapin makes a great double pale ale too, Rye Squared. It should be coming out in the spring. Sweetwater also has a good India Pale Ale (not quite double) and Atlanta Brewing makes a good regular pale ale called Peachtree Pale Ale. If you like Double Dog you'd like these too (and vice versa).

So with all that considered, I'm giving Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale a 3.5/5. This beer is a great example of a "super-beer," but it falls short in creating a complex taste. The taste notes are wonderful, but pretty straight-foward and without variety. Given the nature of the beer though, it may be hard to expect the subtle notes that other Pale Ales achieve. I'd only suggest this to folks who enjoy Pale Ales already or people who lean towards more hoppy beers.

Brew Review: Samuel Adams Double Bock

Hey guys,

Today I'm reviewing Sam Adams' Double Bock, a seasonal beer that the Boston Beer Company released this Winter. Until 2005 this beer wasn't able to be sold in Georgia because of its high alcohol content (8.8%); but now that it's here I can say, with only a hint of irony in my voice, "Thank you Georgia House Bill 645!"
(Before HB645 6% was the limit. It's now 15%!)

Seriously though, this is good beer. When I first started drinking beer my favorite brews were malty, sweet beers like Bass and Amberbock. I've since grown away from those beers, but Sam Adams Double Bock just made me remember why I loved malty beers in the first place.

The first thing you notice about this beer is the deep ruby color with very little head. It smells great too- like roses and weak whiskey. The first flavors to come across are warm, sweet, mild roasted malts. In the middle the flavors build up to show more of the cereal grain flavor and a smooth alcohol reminder that this beer is 8.8% ABV. It finishes smooth, with what I say (and my friends disagree) tastes like rose petals and velvet (if something can taste like velvet, that is). It left a pretty weak aftertaste, kind of dry and a little sugary. As I finished the beer I noticed it getting sweeter and sweeter, with less of the alcohol taste.

I'm giving Sam Adams Double Bock a 4.5/5. It's a great malt-heavy beer that gets everything right. I'm keeping it .5 short only because the sweetness would probably get old with a whole 6-pack. Still though, this is an excellent beer made by an excellent brewer.

Drink up!

Brew Review: Sweetwater Happy Ending

For the first post on Brew Review I'm going to take a closer look at Sweetwater's new brew, an Imperial Stout called Happy Ending.

Before I get to the actual rating though, I'll explain what makes Happy Ending an "Imperial" Stout. The main thing is a higher alcohol content than is usual for a stout: A traditional stout like Guinness comes in at 6% alcohol by volume whereas Happy Ending is 9%. The extra alcohol adds tons of interesting flavor notes to the normally dry, almost light stout. The practice of adding extra alcohol to beer started when British merchant ships discovered that they could get a longer shelf life out of higher alcohol by volume beers- during long trips from Britain to British troops in India, Russia, or other countries, a longer shelf life was essential. So anytime you hear of an "Imperial" Pale Ale, an "Imperial" Pilsner, or in our case an Imperial Stout, you know it has a higher than normal ABV (and it probably tastes spicier, bigger, and more complex).


Happy Ending is, as I said earlier, an Imperial Stout and, true to the genre, its balanced nicely between spicy fruit/floral notes and robust chocolate roundness. The first tastes of Happy Ending are bright and floral but the flavor quickly shifts to a more smoky, robust flavor. Some people say its a chocolate taste, some say coffee; I myself tend to lean towards chocolate. Either way, it moves from the robust middle flavor to a flatter malt taste at the finish (despite what the name would have you believe!). For a high gravity beer (any beer over 7% ABV) its surprisingly drinkable.

Anybody who enjoys this beer may also enjoy Terrapin's India Brown Ale (which is only available on draft now, though Terrapin may be bottling it soon), Guinness Stout, or any Oatmeal Stout.

You can find Happy Ending at Total Wine in Kennesaw (any reputable package store will order it for you if you don't live around Kennesaw) for $1.79/bottle or $9.99/six-pack.

I'm giving Sweetwater Happy Ending a 4/5. Its a flat-out tasty beer that is complex and yet still very smooth. It smells great, has a deep, almost black brown color, and leaves a nice lingering taste after each drink. The only thing that keeps it from a being a 5 is that the end notes are a little flat and, in the interest of full disclosure, stouts aren't my favorite style to begin with.

Cheers!

First Post!

Welcome to Brew Review!

My name is Matt Logan and I've started Brew Review as a beer-review site to help spread the word about beer and brewing. On the blog I'll be talking about good beer, bad beer, expensive beer, and cheap beer. I'll cover Georgia-brewed beer, domestic beers, internationally brewed beers, limited-release/seasonal beers, and everything in between. Even some beers that, in my opinion, shouldn't be considered beer.

Though plenty of bad beers are out there, a lot of awesome beers are being brewed these days. And beer isn't just beer anymore- a whole culture has developed around it. People, me included, spend $10 for a single bottle/glass of some brews. And a lot of them aren't worth it! But that's what it's about. It's about trying new things, being adventurous, and developing an understanding and appreciation of what good beer can really be. I see it as my job to help readers find those exceptional beers more easily and to give them a heads-up on beers that I don't like.

I am going to be reviewing beers from across the world here on Brew Review, but I want to do more than just that. I want to create a community where we interact, discuss, and drink together. I want Brew Review to be a place where I recommend beers, you try them, and you let me know what you think. I want it to be a place where you tell me what beers you enjoy and which ones I should try out (and review in the future). If I've already had it or you've already had the ones I suggest, let's talk about it! Hopefully, pretty soon we'll have ourselves a bona fide Internet pub, with some great brew-talk going on (with less smoke than a real pub, too).

I'll also put up all kinds of interesting beer-related stuff: stories (personal and otherwise), brew history, quotes from famous beer drinkers, interviews with brewers, local Atlanta-area events, and anything else related to beer and brewing.

Cheers!

(And if you don't drink, that's fine. Hopefully you're like me- for instance, I don't eat meat, but I can still enjoy hearing about a well-cooked, thoroughly-enjoyed steak.)