Archive Page 2

07
Jun
10

An Introduction to Barleywine

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Categories: Beer
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If you’ve been through the aisles at your local beer emporium lately, you’ve likely noticed at least a few barleywines on the shelves. Indeed, many of America’s most popular microbreweries are starting to offer this unique, and, for most of us, foreign style. So what exactly is barleywine, and what should you expect if you decide to try one?

Beer or Wine?

First things first – is barleywine wine? Or is it beer? Or something else entirely? In reality, barleywine is simply a style of beer, whose origins can be traced back to England well over a century ago (and probably much farther back). Barleywine isn’t like the average beer you find at the megamart, though. Below, we’ve put together the beginner’s guide to barleywine. We think you’ll find that trying it for the first time will be well worth your while.

Flavor:

We’re guessing the most important question you have is “what does it taste like?” Barleywines have a wide range of flavor profiles. Some are rich with dominant flavors of stone fruit (think plums), and others are extremely hoppy, like an IPA. Whichever you choose, you’ll find that the alcohol in barleywine is much more noticeable than it is in the beer you’re used to. That’s because barleywines to tend to have an ABV% of anywhere between 8 and 13%!

Appearance:

Again, there’s a range with this style, but the lightest barleywines tend to begin with a rich, amber color. Barleywines can be as dark as a porter or stout, though, so if you like darker beers, choose a barleywine that fits your preferences. If you like a lighter brew, try a lighter-colored barleywine (likely to be hoppier with less of a rich, fruit flavor).

Aroma:

You’ll definitely notice the alcohol in the aroma, but aside from that, the aroma of a barleywine tends to follow the same rules as more typical beer. The darker the barleywine, the more likely the aroma is to be full of coffee, toffee, or chocolate notes. Conversely, with a lighter barleywine, you’re liable to find an in-your-face, hop-heavy aroma similar to an IPA.

Now that you know a thing or two about barleywine, which examples might be a good bet for a first experience with barleywine? We recommend trying one of the following, but a beer emporium or higher-end supermarket will likely give you the opportunity to browse a local selection.

XS Old Crustacean – Rogue Ales Brewery – Newport, OR

A deep, dark barleywine with rich notes of fruit and burnt sugar, but a healthy serving of hops to maintain a well-balanced flavor profile.

Olde School Barleywine – Dogfish Head Brewery – Milton, DE

This medium-bodied barleywine is bursting with fruity sweetness – think plums, dates, figs, etc. Be careful with this brew – it clocks in at 15% ABV, so this is definitely for sipping!

Have a look around and check out our Beer of the Month Club and Wine of the Month Club.

01
Jun
10

Summer Seasonal Beer Preview: East Coast

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Categories: Beer and Seasonal Beer
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Now that we’ve taken a look at some newly-available summer seasonal ales from the West Coast, it’s time to set our sights on the East Coast. Summer Beer seasonals tend to be similar regardless of where they come from, so there’s not necessarily a stylistic difference between East and West Coast summer brews. That said, we couldn’t leave you East Coasters out of the fun. Here are some of the best summer beers available out east.

Long Trail Belgian White – Long Trail Brewing Co., Bridgewater Corners, VT

Like many American summer seasonals, Long Trail’s Belgian White is light, citrusy, refreshing brew that’s a great beverage for the backyard or the beach. However, as the name of this brew suggests, Long Trail has modeled their summer offering on a classic Belgian style: white beer, or witbier. In addition to a reminiscent of lemons and oranges, you’ll find notes of spices like coriander. Don’t be alarmed if this brew pours a little hazy – it’s unfiltered, so it won’t be crystal clear. This a nice riff on a witbier and fits nicely into the family of American summer ales.

Where to find it: CT, MA, ME, NJ, NH, NY, PA, RI, VT

UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen – Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA

Harpoon is well-known and well-liked on the East Coast, but could rightfully be called Sam Adams’ lesser-known cousin. Like Sam Adams, Harpoon calls Boston home and puts out a wide selection of interesting microbrews. Harpoon might be best known for their “UFO” line – short for UnFiltered Object. Harpoon’s UFO Hefeweizen is a popular year-round offering, but for summer, Harpoon creates a special UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen. Like the witbier mentioned above, hefeweizen is a traditional European style, although hefeweizen originated in Germany.  “Hefs” are wheat beers, which gives them a sweet, bready aroma and a light, tart profile. Harpoon goes out on a limb and adds raspberries to their summer Hef, resulting in a slightly sweeter flavor profile. Some beer purists frown on so-called “flavored” beers, but you’ll find that Harpoon’s raspberry Hef isn’t overpowering. Like the Long Trail Belgian White, this is an unfiltered beer, so again, don’t worry about this beer’s cloudy appearance!

Where to find it: AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV

Summer Weizen – Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, NH

Looking for a more traditional summer ale? Don’t let this brewery’s odd name deter you – look no further than the Summer Weizen from Smuttynose. Along with the usual slightly sweet, slightly citrusy profile of this summer brew, you’ll find a surprisingly full body. The truly unique aspect of this brew, though, is the aroma of chamomile and honey, which makes for a pleasant, inviting, and very summery profile. If you’re out by the pool with a cooler full of Smuttynose Summer Weizen, it’d be tough to drink just one!

Where to find it: CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH,NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WI

Don’t be afraid to have a look around and check out our Beer of the Month Club.

20
May
10

Summer Seasonal Beer Preview – West Coast Addition

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Categories: Seasonal Beer
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Spring is in full force across the country, which means one very important thing. Many of America’s finest microbreweries’ summer seasonal offerings are hitting the shelves at your local megamart. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the best summer seasonals around, focusing on the West Coast. First, a word on seasonal brews.

Unlike the traditional American beer giants (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors), many microbreweries change their offerings with the change in the seasons. Summer beers, of course, tend to be lighter in color and body, with a focus on refreshment.  In the fall, rich ambers with a malty, full-bodied profile become available, while in the winter, dark styles like porters and stouts appear, full of chocolate and coffee-like flavors.

Next week we’ll preview the East Coast’s selection of summer brews, so don’t fret if you can’t get your hands on the beers featured below. For those of you who can, though, you’re in for a treat. To the beer!

Alaskan Summer Ale

Alaskan Brewing Co. (Juneau, AK) puts out a wide selection of excellent beer year-round, and is best nown for its Alaskan Amber. However, Alaskan Summer Ale is, in my opinion, the best brew from this notable microbrewery. Alaskan Summer is a Kolsch – a traditional German styl e originating in Cologne. With its light body and excellent balance between malt and hops, Alaskan Summer is the quintessential “session beer.” It’s easy to knock back more than one!

Where to get it: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming.

Skinny Dip

Another summer brew from a brewery better known for another offering, Skinny Dip (New Belgium Brewing – Fort Collins, CO) is a lesser-known sibling of one of America’s favorite microbrews: Fat Tire. Like many summer brews, Skinny Dip is light-bodied with a citrusy flavor profile that’s very light on hops. Skinny Dip’s calling card is a rare ingredient – kaffir lime leaf. Kaffir limes originated in southeast Asia and impart an acidic, somewhat astringent flavor that is highly refreshing. Take a cooler full of Skinny Dip on a hike, or to the beach – you’ll be glad you did!

Where to get it: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Twilight Ale

If you’re looking a special summer offering that’s a bit more complex and sophisticated than the typical light, citrus-based summer brew, try Twlight Ale from Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR). With its golden, straw-like color and fluffy white head, this may look like a lot of other summer ales. However, unlike many of its beer cousins, Twilight Ale maintains a serious hop presence, with almost twice as many IBUs (International Bitterness Units) as the Alaskan Summer Ale mentioned above. If you’re looking for a summer ale that’s full-flavored without having to make the jump into IPA territory, for example, Twilight Ale is a great option.

Where to get it: Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

If you are looking to refresh yourself with a great selection of beer, check out our beer of the month club.

17
May
10

Just a Few Quirky, Fun, Microbrew Beer Names

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Categories: Beer

One of the biggest reasons microbrews have become so popular over the last 20 years is the wide variety of styles microbrewing has brought to the American palette. Whether you’re an avid beer drinker and subscribe to our beer of the month club, or just a weekend warrior, Americans are drawn to the creative, free-wheeling spirit of the microbrewing industry. Unlike the well-known American “macrobrews” put out by Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors, microbreweries are known for taking risks, innovating, and giving beer lovers the chance to try something new.

Many microbrews are also known for their quirky names. Let’s take a look at some prominent, oddly-named beers at the stories behind them.

“Fat Tire” – New Belgium (Fort Collins, Colorado)

Like many microbreweries, New Belgium Brewing is the outgrowth of a passionate homebrewer, Jeff Lebesch. To develop his homebrewing repertoire, Lebesch embarked on a cycling tour through Europe, where he acquired classical European ingredients and recipes. Back home in Colorado, Lebesch developed an amber ale he called Fat Tire – a nod to the tires on the mountain bike that carried him through Europe. Along with his wife Kim, Lebesch started New Belgium Brewing in the early 1990s; today, New Belgium is one of the most successful and well-known microbreweries in the country, and Fat Tire is its flagship brew.

“Boont Amber Ale” – Anderson Valley Brewing Company (Boonville, California)

Since we’re on the subject of amber ales with quirky names, we’d be remiss if we failed to mention Boont Amber Ale. Anderson Valley Brewing Company (AVBC) produces a wide variety of delicious brews, and is steeped in the heritage of its surroundings. Nestled in the Anderson Valley of Northern California’s Mendocino County, AVBC uses a historical local dialect known as “Boontling” in the naming of several of its beers. “Boont” Amber Ale simply means that the award-winning brew comes from Boonville.

Boonville, even today a sleepy town off the beaten path, historically has been a rural community based on agriculture and logging. Due to its isolated location, the locals were able to craft their own local dialect with over a thousand unique words. To honor that heritage, AVBC describes each of it’s beers as “bahl hornin’” – good drinking.

“Pliny the Elder” – Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, California)

Another California brew with a unique name, Pliny the Elder is a massively hoppy double IPA. Of course, Pliny the Elder was also a Roman naturalist and military commander you may remember from school. While probably not the most prominent Roman you can think of, Pliny the Elder is noteworthy for creating the first botanical name for hops, a key ingredient in all beers. Given the level of hops in this brew (100 out of a possible 100 IBUs – International Bitterness Units), the name is certainly well-deserved.

We could write an encyclopedia on microbrews with a quirky history, so check back soon for more!

13
May
10

Beer 101: A Primer in Beer Terminology

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Categories: Beer

The explosion of the microbrewing industry in America has led to a corresponding increase in beer lingo. When Anheuser Busch, Coors, and Miller were even more dominant in the American beer market than they are now, most people weren’t aware of terms like India Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, or Oatmeal Stout (that are often the favorites of beer of the month club memberships and small pubs), let alone able to tell the difference. We’ll dive into the definition of these and more styles later on, but for now, let’s start from the top. First, what exactly is beer? Second, what about things like “malt liquor” and “ice beer?” Do those even count as beer? Let’s take a look.

Beer – The Basics

Beer is the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, and in many countries it’s still the most popular alcoholic beverage. Given its prevalence, it can be surprisingly difficult to define what exactly beer is. Strictly speaking, beer is nothing more than water, some form of grain (traditionally barley), hops, and yeast. The well-known Bavarian purity law known as the Reinheitsgebot dates to the late 15th century and rules out any ingredients aside from the above. In fact, because the role of yeast was unknown at the time, even yeast was technically forbidden!

Today, the definition of beer is a bit more flexible, with ingredients like fruits or vegetables commonly used to add interesting flavors to beer. The grain component of beer can change from style to style too, with grains like wheat or rye often used to create distinct styles of beer. So why are some beer-like beverages referred to as “ice beer” or “malt liquor?”

Malt Liquor

Many of us know malt liquor as the clear, golden beverage that comes in 40-ounce glass bottles (“forties”) and have names like Olde English or Country Club. Typically malt liquors are beers that are brewed with the aim of producing a higher alcohol content. Because of the higher alcohol content, many U.S. jurisdictions require the beverage to be labeled as “malt liquor” rather than simply as beer. Because different states have different regulations, there’s no hard and fast rule, but many brews that have an alcohol content higher than 5 or 6 percent are labeled as malt liquor. Malt liquors also commonly include cheap “adjuncts” like corn or rice; these ingredients allow the producer to sell the beverage at a low price point, and also contribute to the higher alcohol content. Malt liquors are generally considered to be lower-quality beers, but some high-quality brews use the label “malt liquor” and can be quite interesting.

Ice Beer

Ice beer is an unique style of beer. Traditionally rooted in the German eisbock, ice beer is simply a beer (traditionally a German bock) that has been partially frozen. Because water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol, freezing a beer allows brewers to remove ice from the beer, thereby reducing the water content and concentrating the flavor and level of alcohol. Ice beers can have a much higher alcohol content than more typical beers.

Most Americans are aware of ice beer due to the ice beer trend of the 1990s. You may recall that Miller and Anheuser Busch both introduced ice beers during the 90s. While not generally regarded by connoisseurs as high-quality brews, the ice beers produced by America’s biggest brewers are popular with college students for their higher alcohol content.

If you’re like the many Americans who are growing more and more interested in micro-brewed beers, you’ll probably want to pass up malt liquor and ice beers; instead, try some of the interesting styles we mentioned earlier: whether you go for an India Pale Ale or a Hefeweizen, you’ll be getting a higher-quality, more flavorful, more complex, and more interesting beer!

26
Apr
10

Beer Pairing – Great Beers That Go With The Grill

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Categories: Beer
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With temperatures starting to warm up across the country, many of you are probably starting to think about taking the cover off the grill and getting back to eating outside. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that if you’re thinking about grilling again, you’re probably thinking about having a couple of cold ones in the backyard while you appreciate the sunshine. With that in mind, here are a few nice microbrews that are pretty easy to find, and should go well with grilled fish, chicken, or steaks.

Fish (Salmon, Trout)

Let’s assume you’ve decided on a nice, rich fish like salmon or trout. As you might assume, a beer with a citrusy flavor/aroma profile will tend to work nicely here. You also want a beer that will cut through the fishes’ oiliness with a refreshing degree of hoppiness. Finally, it’s advisable to avoid a beer that’s too heavy, like a stout or a porter. That said, these kinds of fish can stand up to a bit of body, so don’t reach for the lightest beer you can find, either. We recommend Deschutes (Bend, Oregon) Cascade Ale – or if you can’t find that, try a Sam Adams (Boston, Massachusetts) Boston Lager. Sam Adams isn’t the most obscure choice, but both of these beers are medium-bodied with fresh, citrusy profiles that should work great with your dish.

Chicken

Few dishes are more simple than grilled chicken, but when done right, few dishes are tastier. Whether you’re working with breasts, wings, or thighs, you’ll want something that nicely complements the smokiness of the chicken and the sweetness of your typical barbecue sauce. Here, you’re looking for a brew that scores a little higher in the maltiness category, and doesn’t get too in your face with bitter,  herbal hop character. Altbier (often referred to simply as “Alt”) is a great style to work with here. Full-bodied but not heavy, it’s a smooth, slightly sweet variety. If you can find it, Alaskan (Juneau, Alaska) Amber is one of the best examples of the style. If you’re on the east coast, try Long Trail (Bridgewater Corners, Vermont) Double Bag.

Steaks

Flank steak, New York strip, filet mignon – you can’t go wrong with steaks on the grill, but the right beer can take your dish to the next level. Happily, you can go a couple of different directions here. If you think you’d like a robust beer that will complement your steak while minding its own business, a dark variety like a Brown Ale will work nicely. Brown Ales tend to be full-bodied and complex with notes of both sweetness and bitterness. Try Abita (Abita Springs, Louisiana) Turbodog if this sounds like you.

On the other hand, you may want a beer that can stand up to your steak a bit, and refreshingly cut through all of that big beef flavor. An in-your-face, hoppy ale is what you’re looking for in the case – go for an India Pale Ale (IPA), or if that sounds a bit too adventurous, try an ESB (Extra Special Bitter), which is basically a notch down on the hoppiness ladder from an IPA. If you’re looking to try an IPA, go with Stone (San Diego, California) if you’re on the west coast, or Harpoon (Boston, Massachusetts) IPA. If an ESB is more your style, look for Sierra Nevada (Chico, California) ESB.

If you haven’t already been inspired to fire up the grill in 2010, we hope you are now. Try two or three of these tasty brews and let us know what you think!

16
Feb
10

Welcome to the Great Clubs Blog

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Categories: Clubs
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Welcome to the new Great Clubs blog.  We’ll be posting here about our clubs and our company and services.  Please feel free to comment and share as well.

Gift of the Month Club Memberships Make Everybody Happy!

www.greatclubs.com

We have just started our blog.  Look for more entries soon!

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