Hook & Ladder’s Backdraft Brown

H&L brown ale

ok. i’ll come right out and say it… ehh… i don’t like this one. and i feel bad. because hook&ladder is one of our twitter pals.

i’ve now tried it two ways: slightly chilled and refrigerated. the worse one was slightly chilled. from the first sip it was wrong. the first punch was a tad skunky, if you will. overly sour. at the glass went on, it became a boring, watery lameness.

now, i know some are better more chilled. despite my feeling that the colder the beer the more muted the taste… i thought hey, maybe this one’s better more chilled.

nope.

a sip is like a mouthful of nickles. there’s a brown ale taste in there. somewhere. but it’s buried deep. the color is gorgeous, that’s for sure. i even like the aroma. but man. i don’t know if i got a bad six or what. but this was honestly not good. at all. like worse than miller lite bad…

i picked this up at adega, in silver spring. where hook & ladder happens to be brewed. so i expected great freshness. perhaps no one likes h&l there, and it sat on the shelf too long. who knows. alls i know is this was not a beer i’m going to be trying again any time soon.

St. Peter’s English Ale

Label

Organically Grown Hops & Barley

Soil Association Organic Certification UK5

1 Pint 0.9 FL. Oz.

St. Peter’s Brewery, St. Peter’s Hall, Nr. Burgary, Suffolk U.K.

Organically grown light malted barley and hops create a refreshingly wholesome ale with delicate character. Brewed with skill and patience in one of Britian’s first and most innovative breweries.

St. Peter’s Brewery is located in a medieval hall in a remote, rural corner of Suffolk, Eastern England. There our ales begin life deep below brewing with water from a pure source – as it has been for 700 years.

Our Beautiful flask shaped oval bottle is a faithful copy of one made c. 1770 for Thomas Gerrard of Gibbstown just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

Appearance

Head: white, short lived.

Body: Cloudy, a darker unfiltered honey appearance.

Aroma: Sour, hoppy, citrus fruit aroma – grapefruit, grapes.

Taste: Malty start, sour slightly hoppy finish, sour aftertaste, dry mouth feel.

Stu’s Review

After some research I found the St. Peter’s Brewery website

Blitzen Flavored Ale

Label:

Maumee Bay Brewing Company

1 pint 6 Fl. Oz

A radiant holiday ale specially brewed with orange, cinnamon, and honey.

Appearance:

Head: Off white to beige

Aroma: Orange, malty, amazingly complex scent, holiday spices

Body: Dark brown, says it’s filtered but lots of debris.

Taste:

Nutmeg, cinnamon, orange, honey, malty, carbonated…in that order, but all at once.

Stu’s Review:

This is a hiatus beer that I got as a present during my vacation to Ohio. Word must get out that I am a beer freak and review what I drink. First off, I love this beer for one huge reason: its local (for Ohio). Secondly, there are so many other admiring characteristics of this holiday ale. Its not overly spice, something that is EXTREMELY easy to do…try a Harpoon Holiday and tell me there isn’t nutmeg in there (although I truly love the Harpoon Holiday, I have to critic it…). It’s really well balanced. It’s got a hint of orange with subtler hints of honey for a well made sweet/sour combination. The spices elevate the base flavors to a more elegant level. Its not overly hopped and the malt isn’t roasted. It just screams talent on all fronts. Third, I don’t think you can find this beer outside of Maumee Bay…so you are stuck with my review. If you are in the Ohio/Michigan area please look this beer up, and do me a favor and send me more.

I think I am developing a midwest beer fetish.

Dale’s Pale Ale

Label

Oskar Blues Brewery

Rocky Mountain Pale Ale

ABV: 6.5%

Appearance

Head: Frothy, off white/close to white, leaves a ring on your glass

Aroma: Hoppy, citrus

Body: Slightly cloudy, honey color, debris

Taste: Hoppy, grapefruit, chewy mouth feel, full body

Stu’s Review

Ah, I told you I would get this bad boy reviewed. After our pathetically long hiatus we are back and ready to tear the beer world a new one. Sorry DPA, you are the first of the New Year. I think I actually bought this six pack before my trip to Ohio at the end of December. This is no Sierra Nevada, but its not completely outclassed. It brings some interesting things to the beer table. It is full of debris, unfiltered, and is cloudy…I hope this is consistant with all DPA’s…I remember thinking that this beer was well balanced and didn’t go overboard anywhere. Its easy to drink, and well the flavor is subtle, not really what you want in a Pale Ale, why not just make an ale. I like Oskar Blues can style, it’s different and non-pretentious packaging doesn’t make it stand out and scream buy me, but it does chip away at your curiousity everytime you see it at the store. This beer is simple and there ain’t much to it, give it to a beer newbie it will make them feel classy and won’t scare them off adventurous buys.

Where I bought it:
3103 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 234-0044
Get directions

$8.99

Dominion’s Baltic Porter

it’s funny. i walked in to Kim’s Bodega this eve and had no intention on getting beer…

ok, hang on. lemme first say, i never leave that place without a beer. however, it’s not a personal “rule” one way or another, and many times i enter with no intention of getting any. and he’s got a delivery coming soon which means his supplies are a little picked over.

but…

Kim and another customer were sampling this Baltic Porter. it was almost closing time, which resulted in more “heavy” sampling than normal, and i got sucked in. the first thing they both said was “try to guess the secret ingredient”. now, that’s not to say it’s secret from anyone but me, who didn’t have a chance to read the label yet. so i dig my nose in first and notice that there’s simply no aroma. which is mostly likely due to the fact that it’s fresh out of the beer case. but i take a sip and swish it around and i’m racking my brain for this mystical addition… and something hits me. but i can’t quite put my finger on it…

turns out, what i was getting was toffee. the funny part? they were talking about licorice.

so i bring home a sixpack. warm it up proper. and pour myself a pint.

the color of this porter is almost exactly like the Stone smoked. perhaps this baltic is a little lighter. they’re both quite light in taste too, for such a dark. i’m wondering if this is common amongst porters, as i do not drink them very often.

as the pint gets lower, the head leaves some respectable rings around the glass like an irish stout would. this porter retains its suds longer than the Stone. now that it’s a proper temperature, i’m getting a decent aroma. it’s very very sweet. and i’m picking up that licorice, finally. as i said, the mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy. the taste is not intense at all. perhaps this is because it’s a twist-off beer. perhaps it’s because it’s a porter. i haven’t the experience to say. the toffee is probably the most pronounced taste for me. along with the malt. it’s pretty sweet, with a little sour at the end. but just a hint.

all in all, it’s a nice winter beer. have one in front of the fire, with some oreos.

Kim has sixers at his joint for $10.75. and that includes the exorbitant DC alcohol tax.

-dmf

Stone’s Smoked Porter

i followed up my Smith’s Oatmeal Stout with Stone’s Smoked Porter. this nearly 6% abv brew is a similar caliber. which probably makes sense that they’re also only about 25cents apart in price as well, at least at kim’s Timor Bodega. excepting, of course, that Stone’s bomber is about 150 more milliliters.

this porter also appears similar to smith’s oatmeal. although, held up to a light, you can see the deep, deep red/brown color, as opposed to smith’s motor-oil black/brown. the porter does have a significant more amount of caramel in the aroma. however the smokiness isn’t quite there yet, since i haven’t yet taken a sip…so let’s get to it!

a strong, creamy wash of caramel hits the tongue. there’s only a slight tingle of carbonation. which, personally, is a big plus. i’m the guy that’ll get what’s on cask if they’ve got one.

it’s not a very complex ale. there’s a very monolithic taste to this. but who cares? no one said that’s not allowed. toward the end of the first pintful, i start to get a little bit of sour stimulation on the back of the tongue. yes i know that’s redundant. that may have something do to with the slight warming that the glass has done since i cracked ‘er open.

i like this one, and i’ll get it again, as i have before.

-dmf

Samuel Smith’s celebrated Oatmeal Stout

Sam Smith is protected by Tikiopener God.

now here’s a brew that’s pretty much ubiquitous around these parts. seems every classed up bar or beer selection in a store will carry it. and for good reason. it’s a pretty great stout.

and hey, it’s celebrated.

so i drink this guy at a room temperature. mostly because it’s british, and hey isn’t that the way they’re supposed to do it? but it’s a good idea, i’d say. i default to this, as the cold tends to mute flavor… and if you need your flavor muted then you probably fucked up somewhere.

i got this 550mL bottle across the street at Kim’s Timor Bodega. for either $5 or $5.25, tax included. i can’t remember. and i bought it with a Stone Smoked Porter, so the receipt is no help. but rest assured, one of those is a quarter more than the other one!

when i stick my nose in to the glass, i get a sort of musty/metallic aroma. and hold this one up to the light. whilst it doesn’t “feel” that dark, this sucker only showed me a slight brown lining around it’s creamy 10W30 center.

now, go ahead and take a big gulp. it’s very very smooth. with some nice tang up in there that hits you right at the bottom of the jowls after the creamy, malty start.

i like this one. a nice five dollar pint-plus. i’ll get another one soon, i’m sure.

-dmf

Brooklyn Brewery’s Monster Ale

This monster was born in 2007

 

The Brooklyn Brewery

Utica, NY

10.1% ABV

Serving – 12 oz. bottle

$4.00

 

I can’t tell you how many different times I’ve seen The Brooklyn Brewery’s brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, on TV.  Usually it’s on some food network show, like the time he was a judge on Iron Chef America (the beer battle, appropriately).  One thing is for certain though, every time I see him, I can’t help but be undeniably jealous of his job.  Although, no matter how jealous I may be, being able to identify a brewery (or a brand) with a personality, such as Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, or Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, really makes me root for them, regardless of whether or not I like every single one of their beers.  It becomes more a matter of respect for someone who has devoted their life to bringing back real beer from the brink of extinction.    

 

The Monster

 

Appropriately titled, this beer fits the part.  Every normal beer flavor is amplified, and completely fills your mouth.  The malt flavor is heavy and sweet, and the bitterness follows in kind.  There is a hot alcoholic quality to this beer, and the alcoholic warmth fills the top and back of your mouth.  It is heavy bodied and dark brown.  This is definitely a sipping beer.  Imagine yourself home, with a stomach full of food, nothing pressing on the agenda – just lean back, relax, pour one of these into a glass and contemplate your place in the universe.   

 

Would I buy it again?

 

Good deal for $4.00 in my opinion.  Not an every day beer, save them for when the mood strikes you. 

 

Found at:

 

D’Vinos

2001 18^th Street, NW

Washington, DC 2009

202-986-5002

Black Sheep Ale

Every family has one…

 

The Black Sheep Brewery, plc

4.4% ABV

Serving – 1 pt. 0.9 oz. bottle

$5.00

Crisp, Dry & Bittersweet

 

Appearance

 

Reddish/brown, like dark honey.

 

The Beer

 

Certainly dry, it even seems to suck the moisture right out of your mouth.  It causes that same tongue drying sensation as hot tea.  It’s bitter up front and around the mouth.  There’s a little sweetness and caramel flavor to balance it out.  Texturally, its medium/heavy bodied and is slightly chewy. 

 

I found this one to be a little too drying for me.   Also, I expected something a little more rebellious from a beer called Black Sheep Ale…

 

Would I buy it again?

 

This is one black sheep I won’t be inviting to the family picnic.  It’s far to average to cost $5.00 a bottle.

 

Also, I realize I should have probably dranken it out of a pint glass… sorry.

 

Found at:

 

D’Vinos

2001 18^th Street, NW

Washington, DC 2009

202-986-5002

Espresso Stout-Hitachnio Nest

Label

Japanese Dark Ale brewed with Coffee Beans

Kounosu Naka-Shi Ibark, Japan 

Kiuchi Brewery

www.kodawari.cc

ABV: 7.5%

Appearance

Head: Dark khaki, fluffy, long lasting

Body: Roasted, hoppy, coffee, chocolate

Taste: Burnt, roasted, strong coffee flavor, light body for a stout, hoppy bitter bite, coffee aftertaste, hints of chocolate, hint of cream.

Stu’s Review

I really wanted to enjoy this beer. I mean the only Japanese Beer I’ve had is Sapporo so I wanted to see how the micro brewing differs in our brothers to the west (in The US its to the west).  This beer was missing something vital. It’s consistency and taste was akin to that last cup of coffee in the morning batch…you know the kind, its kinda cold, and a little thicker than it should be. It’s got a bitter bite, but the light body is where I think this beer went wrong. When I have a stout I want body, I want a creamy meal in a glass, not some puny coffee black water…I am not sure whats going on either because if you look at beeradvocate they rank this beer an A-…well now you know why we don’t rank. Before I go on a rant about rankings let me finish this review. The flavor/light body combo doesn’t work. Its got a hint of cream…hint…not enough to change my mind. Try one, maybe I’m crazy (as people will tell you I am), see what you think. I find that stouts are very hit or miss with me. In comparison to its competitor, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, it falls flat on its crazy japanese label. 

Where I got it

2001 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 986-5002
Get directions

$5.00—–> not worth the price.

Now for my rating rant. To rate you must be a judge. To judge you must be qualified. To be qualified you must be educated. To be educated you must gain experience through learning which takes time. Who is to say that this beer is a 100 or this is an A, there are too many factors to go into deciding: the persons mood, the atmosphere, the glass, health, what you ate today…you get my drift. That’s why we beer barons don’t tout one beer as our all time 100 or A+, because whose to say that we won’t find another A+ or 100. It can’t be done and we won’t do it. Live well. Drink good beer.