The Beer Babe » Beer Adventures

The Hop Press: Beer and Chocolate – A Sweet Pair

The Beer Babe — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:12:23 +0000

Beer & Chocolate – A sweet pair

My first experience pairing chocolate and beer was at a fundraiser beer pairing event in Portsmouth, NH. The Passport Beer dinner featured local restaurants and NH breweries in pairings of food items and one of their beers. I walked the grounds of the historic Strawberry Banke living history museum and tasted some amazing food. Smuttynose brewing company’s featured pairing was their Baltic Porter (a heavy, rich beautiful beer) and some Lindt Chili Dark Chocolate. I was caught on camera saying, “Beer… and chocolate… is amazing. This just made my day.” Something about the way the beer played with the creaminess, and the hot chilis cut the intense richness of the beer was divine – it was truly inspired.

Since then, the opportunities that I’ve had to sample great beer and great chocolate have been limited – but I was lucky enough to hear about an event atNovare Res – my favorite Belgian beer bar in Portland, ME. For Valentine’s day weekend, they paired up with a local chocolatier – Sweet Marguerites – to create custom beer and chocolate pairings. I was lucky enough to sample several of these.

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Portsmouth Beer Adventure – NH PTV Passport Event

The Beer Babe — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:54:00 +0000

First, I must start this entry with a huge thank you to Rachel Forrest, columnist for the Portsmouth Herald (and all around foodie and awesome gal) for getting me tickets to the Passport Beer Dinner at Strawberry Banke – a fundraiser for both NH Public Television and the Strawberry Banke museum. If you love food (and wine, and beer), I recommend checking out her column, which is excellent.

I arrived at the event not really know what to expect. There was a long line to be “checked in” but it was a beautiful evening so I didn’t mind standing outside. People were well-dressed and seemed in good spirits. I chose to wear a little black dress and heeled shoes, for some reason thinking that this was a beer dinner type event. When I checked in I figured out that I was probably ill-advised on the heeled shoes. I was given a map of Strawberry Banke, a living history museum with buildings, lawns, courtyards, and gardens – that showed me where the beer tasting and pairing stations were – throughout the whole museum grounds! I was still in a good mood though as they handed me my tasting glass. I’d just have to deal with the heels. (Ahh, such sacrifices for fashion…)

The place was setup to have little tents or booths featuring both a beer to be sampled and a food item. We were given “passports” to wear around our necks and we received a stamp signifying that we’d sampled a particular brew. Most of the breweries were local (Smuttynose, Allagash, Moat Mountain, Tuckerman’s etc.) but there were a few conspicuous absences (Redhook? Pennichuck?). The food was prepared by local restaurants (Including the Common Man, Four, Portsmouth Brewery Resturant and The Dunaway) so it was very fresh. Probably my only criticism about the event was that the tasting glasses that we were provided were essentially champagne glasses, making it difficult for my less-than-delicate nose to accomodate – and I would have really liked to be able to smell the beer more – perhaps in a tasting glass that was shorter and wider (yet still accomidating the same volume).

Despite that, I went around and tried everything. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and thought of most of the pairings, and there were some that were just awesome.

Some of my favorites :

Moat Mountain brewed a martzen that was available two ways – the standard keg, or aged in a barrel made by the Strawberry Banke Cooper. I tried both and the aged one had a sweeter taste and nicer finish. I like beer with stories, and that was certainly one of them. It was paired with a buffalo and pork sausage accented with a blueberry mustard dip. While this might sound like an episode of “Chopped” (blueberries, buffalo and mustard – GO!) it was fantastic, and I can still taste the tang of the mustard playing off the sweetness of the blueberries.

One pairing that was to die for was the Smuttynose Baltic Porter paired with a Lindt Dark Chocolate with Chili. Divine. A really solid and thick beer, the Baltic Porter is a treat by itself. But accented with the dark chocolate and chili, both got to a new level of deliciousness. It made me wish I had discovered the pairing sooner, because it would certainly be a luscious thing to treat myself with after a long hard day.

Another fabulous dessert pairing was a orange creamsicile cheesecake paired with Allagash White. I think by itself, the cheesecake would have knocked me over with sweetness, but for some reason the White pulled the orange flavors and spices from the graham cracker crust out (probably because of some of the spices in the white) and both danced on my tongue gracefully. I would have never conceived of that pairing, and I almost want to see what else Allagash White goes awesome with (besides Turkey of course).

The end-all-be-all pairing for me, though, was the Allagash Dubbel paired with a Maple-Braised Pork Belly Confit made by the restaurant Four. A confit is when you slowly cook something in fat (as opposed to quickly frying it) so that it absorbs fabulous flavors. The pork belly was cooked in duck fat, and the taste was absolutely heavenly. It had so many layers of flavors that each chew brought an explosion of richness, crispness, savory saltiness and warmth. The Allagash Dubbel played off its richness and added a malty and yeasty partnership. I felt rich – even spoiled – to be sampling something so delicious.

All in all, I enjoyed the evening. There were a lot of people there, but proabbly not quite as many as organizers would have liked. I thought it was a great amount of people for being able to get in and out without waiting in line.The night turned misty and warm, and the candles and streetlights of Portsmouth glowed in the haze. As night fell, candle lanterns were lit along the paths to the tastings. I got to try everything I had been drooling over – including a fabulous lavender infused piece of baklava, pumpkin ravioli, and a portabello red pepper slider (one of several hundred painstakingly prepared by Sara Lauter, prep cook at the Portsmouth brewery) and left full and content, with only a bit of mud on my heeled shoes and a few mosquito bites on my back and legs. What a night.

Portsmouth Beer Adventure – Sam Calagione Book Signing

The Beer Babe — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Sitting in a funky basement space, with a shuffleboard, couches and pictures of naked women behind the bar, I knew that there was something special afoot. I was at the Jimmy LaPanza lounge in Portsmouth, NH (The downstairs lounge area of the Portsmouth Brewery) patiently awaiting the arrival of Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewing. Above our heads, a beer dinner was going on, something that I sadly wasn’t able to get a ticket to attend. The brews for the beer dinner were being poured in front of my eyes, and I sighed as I watched tasting glasses of Sah’tea, Kate The Great and Portsmouth’s Aged Barleywine be whisked away to be served upstairs.

I heard about the beer dinner and was instantly beaming that someone as famous as Sam would come to my state – one of my local breweries, to boot – to host the dinner. A few days after hearing about the dinner, I got told about the “after event” where Sam would be hanging out signing copies of He Said Beer, She Said Wine

While waiting, I tried the Portsmouth Brewery’s Thaisenheimer – a beer brewed with Thai spices. It was pale yellow and slightly cloudy, but had a big fluffy head. The smell was spicy. Basil? Sage? I couldn’t place the spices exactly, but the taste was crisp with a citrus backdrop and lots of herbal aftertaste. I’m told this goes fabulously with their curried mussels (one of my favorite dishes there) and I believe it.

When we asked about the Aged Barleywine that was also a Portsmouth brew and on the beer dinner menu, they said they didn’t have enough left to serve the lounge guests. But, an extra taster glass of it was dropped off at our table with a wink and a nod. And let me tell you, it was amazing. It was sweet, alcoholic, and dark – like the color of Grade A amber syrup. It was sticky and resinously sweet. It even had a caramel finish – worth some serious acclaim. I have no idea what the regular schedule for this is to come out at the Portsmouth brewery, but if you see it, sip some, it was a treat to try.

Pretty soon, the beer dinner above ended and the guests, along with Sam, started to trickle in. I met and got to chat with a lot of beer loving people I knew only from the internet, which was rewarding in and of itself. I also got to meet Tod Mott, the head brewer for Portsmouth.

Sam came around and talked to everyone. It was obvious he had enjoyed the beers earlier, and was playful and chill. I had been raving to several people about the Lion’s Pride Brewery, and it got out to Sam that his brews (including 120 Minute IPA) were on tap there. He actually asked me for directions – and it turns out that the place is on the way to Dogfish Head, ME, (of the DFH brewery’s namesake) where he and his wife Mariah vacation.

Mike and I got a picture with him, which made my night, and I did get him to sign a coaster I brought back from the Rehoboth brewpub and the book, which we picked up while we were there. He signed it “Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.”

I also enjoyed talking to Mariah, and found it amusing that at several points during the night, Sam wandered around saying “hey, where’s my wife? where’d she go? anyone see my wife?”

I got to sample a few sips of Sah’tea and Squall IPA, but I didn’t take good notes. The Sah’tea was light and crisp with some savory spice to it (cloves?), and the IPA was very, VERY grassy and hoppy, but had a great malty finish. I still don’t understand how DFH manages to do that. I have a bottle of Squall that I’ll be writing up soon, but I was happy with the chance to try.

I’m likely to also go to another Dogfish event soon at Novare Res Bier Cafe in Portland, ME this Tuesday. Apparently they’re going to have 21 different Dogfish beers on tap, which might just be a record. I’m looking forward to it – join me if you can!!

Brunswick, ME Beer Adventure – Lion’s Pride Brewery

The Beer Babe — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I’ve taken a new job recently that takes a long time to drive to. It is a wonderful job, and I love what I’m doing , but sometimes the drive is tiring. So when I kept driving past a brewery I’d never heard of called the Lion’s Pride Brewery, I vowed that I’d stop in there sometime and check them out, if only as a respite on my long journey home.

So on a drizzly Thursday I made the stop in. I was hungry, tired and pretty mentally drained. I walked into the brewery and saw a few things that made me smile. There were painted copies of brewery logos on the wall – every thing from New Belgium to Stone to Dogfish Head. Some were labels, and there was a really nice one of Chateau Jihau, one of my favorite labels from DFH.

The brewery had two sections, one to the right that had tin ceilings and a long line of beautiful blown glass tap handles and cabinet full of bottled delights. I sat in there and was immediately greeted by a “beer tender” who handed me a beer menu that was the same size as their food menu.

I saw what was on the list and my eyes nearly jumped out of my head.

Belgian trappist ales (Roquefort, Chimay, Westmalle & more), Dogfish Head beers (120 Minute, Paolo Santo, Shelter Pale Ale), Brews from NH, Maine (Allagash, Smuttynose), from beyond and frankly beers that I’d never come across. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This was supposed to be a brewery, but it was like beer heaven – almost the perfect beer list. When I asked about it, they said that they’d only opened a week or two before I came in, and that they’d start brewing in a month or so.

After being flabbergasted by the beer menu alone, I decided to try a Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor, described as a “hoppy Belgian blonde ale.” (Doing a little research later I found it was actually a Belgian beer, and that it was bottle refermented and very hoppy, but coming in about 8% ABV). It arrived in the appropriate glass and was cloudy with a thin head. The aroma was very hoppy, and the taste didn’t disappoint there. The hops do fade into a warming Belgian yeast taste – smooth and dry but not too sharp. The after taste, though bitter, lingers and makes the brew refreshing. I liked it a lot.

On a later visit, I also had the chance to try a Kasteel Rouge – a ridiculously red beer (again from Belgium) that smelled of cherries and resembled red wine when glanced quickly. The

aroma was unbelievable, and the taste was out of this world. It tasted, I kid you not, like black cherry ice cream. It had a beautiful cherry taste, a little backbone of alcohol, and the taste lingered on your lips like lip gloss. A dessert beer certainly, but it was almost worthy of being served on top of a sundae (what I would have done for a pint of Cherry Garcia…). The waitress told me that it was described to her as tasting like chocolate cherry cheesecake.

In summary, as it stands right now, this is a Belgian (and other fine domestic) beer lover’s heaven. Their food is also outstanding – though dinner for two is not cheap, I recommend this for the serious beer fan. The taps are changed constantly, so you’ll never be able to try everything there. I can’t even begin to wonder about what they’ve got up their sleeve once they start brewing.

If you live in Boston, Brunswick Maine is about 3-4 hours away. I like this place so much that I would say that it’s worth the drive for the serious beer fan. There are places to stay in Brunswick, some great towns nearby (like Bath, Wiscasset, etc.) and plenty to do. But come for the beer, and the taste will linger in your mouth for hours.

Beer Babe Post Script : And this is one time I can say with full gusto that I completely agree with the reviews on Beer Advocate! Not that I usually disagree, but the fact that every reviewer gave it an A+ is kind of epic.

Portland, ME Beer Adventure – The Great Lost Bear

The Beer Babe — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Once in a great while I find a place that’s truly special. I would be extremely happy if this restaurant/bar was in Portsmouth instead of Portland, ME, but even the hour drive is worth it for someplace so interesting.

I decided to embark on the journey to Portland on somewhat of a whim – investigating places that I could hold a potential graduation party. Really that was only an excuse, but it was a good reason to check out the Great Lost Bear.

We were seated in a rather dark corner of the restaurant, near a real bear head hanging on the wall and surrounded with beer related propaganda, art and old advertisements featuring bears. The bar was lit with tons of neon, but it really wasn’t the atmosphere I was concerned with, it was the beer list. Featuring more than 60 beers on tap, I was excited to see what was offered – but hesitant.

Would this be a list filled with more stuff I’d already tried, lots of session beers and macros? Absolutely not. There were things on there from not only local breweries such as Sebago, but ones I had never tried before. The list (click here to see what’s currently on tap) is rather renowned in the area, and I was very happy to choose from it. I chose a few from the many on the list that I had not tried.

The Sebago Brewing Full Throttle Double IPA was a dark copper color with a pinch of bitter and grassy hops in the aroma. It was a strong and dry hoppy brew. It had a little citrus, and the strength of the hops was not an unpleasant one. It was warming and delicious, and at 8.2% ABV was a formidable offering from Sebago. It is released only as part of their ‘Single Batch Series’ and I don’t think it hangs around much after early spring. It did make me eager to try other Sebago single batches, which are released locally and seasonally.

I followed that with the Allagash Fedelta. Described as a Belgian Pale Ale I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. The smell was like Granny Smith apples, and the color was a hazy golden yellow. It smelled almost cidery, like a Strongbow Cider would smell like if you added yeast. The tasted was very good but definitely different than what I was used to. I really enjoyed the tart note in there, and it wasn’t so heavy as to overwhelm my taste buds.

The menu is a complex mix of different types of pub food, and I have to say that the wings we ordered were probably the best I’d ever had. They were dry (no sauce, just a rub) with Cajun spices, and were cooked perfectly. I have dreams about those wings. They were that good. The burgers we ordered, too, were satisfying, and then I spied something on the dessert menu that I just had to try.

A sundae/caramel/cake thing served in an old-school mason jar, topped with whipped cream and walnuts. Is that not the perfect Maine dessert or what?

In conclusion, I highly recommend the Great Lost Bear as an awesome stop at the end of a day of exploring Portland. They have function rooms and plenty of space, too, so bring a bunch of people. You won’t be disappointed.

Cambridge MA Beer Adventure – Cambridge Brewing Company

The Beer Babe — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Through my meetings with the Pink Boots Society and Women in Beer I’ve gotten to know several people in the Cambridge MA beer scene, including Megan O’Leary Parisi, lead brewer at the Cambridge Brewing Company (Hi Megan!).

Last Saturday they celebrated their twentieth year in the brewing business by hosting a party that featured more than 30 of their beers (including aged, casked and rare offerings) along with special menu items, live entertainment and a beer garden setup outside. I heard about a couple of their beers (including one made with peppercorns….) and decided that I had to go down to celebrate with them.

The place was already hopping when I got down there around six but I was quickly seated inside for dinner. I spent several minutes contemplating my choices on the beer menu before ordering a sampler of three different brews and a vegetarian mufaletta sandwich. Before I could blink, the beer and food arrived. The three brews that I tried were the Sgt. Pepper, YouEnjoyMyStout and L’Amour Du Jour.

L’Amour Du Jour (which, in french means “Love of the day”) was described on the menu as an herbal beer brewed with lavender, orange peel and jasmine. Since it was the lightest of the three I decided it should go first. It was a clear golden amber in color, with a head that stuck around as I drank it. The smell is of flowers, and spice, almost like potpourri. The taste is spicy with a little citrus, and the lavender comes in at the end, sliding down your throat as you drink it. The orange peel is subtle, and makes it a really crisp (and not overwhelmingly sweet) brew. My friend Caitlyn says she could drink these all day, and I’d have to agree. This one is 4.7% ABV.

Next up, the much talked about Sgt. Pepper, a saison brewed with four different types of peppercorns. A Saison is a traditional style of ale originating in Belgium, but usually isn’t very high in alcohol. Some sources I’ve looked up have said that it was brewed in the spring to last through the winter. Either way, a regular saison is a crispy refreshing beer that isn’t too heavy, which is probably the perfect canvas for the peppercorns to dance around. This one was a cloudy amber, and smelled like pepper with some hoppiness. This actually tingles your lips as you drink it, and is very interesting. It ends up being almost savory, and went terrifically well with the bitter greens of my salad. It is also far and away better and different from the chipotle or jalapeno pepper beers I’ve had – the peppercorns add a totally different flavor and feeling. This does “bite” your throat a little but it is awesome in sips. A great find, I only wish that one was around more regularly. At 6% ABV this one hit the spot.

The final beer that I ordered with dinner was called YouEnjoyMyStout (no spaces between the words) and was a barrel aged imperial stout brewed in 2006. I am a huge fan of aged stouts, and this one did not disappoint. It was black, with an off-white head. The smell was of raisins, candy and sweet chocolaty malts. Wow! A hard hit of deep malts on the taste. Its brandy like, with lots of raisin tastes. Warming as its consumed (probably because of the 10.5% ABV) and absolutely delicious. Bravo!

After dinner we stepped out to the beer garden and courtyard. It was a beautiful, breezy spring night, perfect for conversing over beer and listening to music. Throughout the evening I also sampled The Colonel - a “barrel-aged 18th century style vatted sour porter” which tasted a little bit like sour cherries or a flat Dr. Pepper combined with alcohol. Very interesting, quite yummy, and nearly impossible to describe! It had the thickness of a porter, the sourness of a lambic and the smell of raisins and antiquity. Mike described it as “awesome in liquid form” and I’ll have to take that description as good enough!

Eventually a thunderstorm roared through, but none of us were deterred, staying long into the evening listening to music and finding places to stand or sit under the tents or inside the restaurant.

It was a great night. I tried beers there that are not normally on tap because I thought I might not see them again anytime soon – but their regular beers are ones that also shouldn’t be missed.

Travel Adventure – Coronado Brewing Company, San Diego CA

The Beer Babe — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:46:00 +0000

After several days of beautiful travel down the pacific coast highway, a brief stop in San Fransisco and a rather uneventful stop in LA, we arrived in San Diego. I noticed that there were no less than 6 breweries or brewpubs in the area! We decided on Coronado Brewing Company on San Diego Bay. A giant arched bridge transports you from the mainland to the island of Coronado Big houses, surf shops and restaurants line the clean, beautiful sidewalks.

Palms frame the entrance to the Coronado Brewing Company, and you step through the entrance into a cool restaurant bar atmosphere, featuring lots of dark woods, and fresh air coming through cantilevered wooden shutters. It was a little dark in there, and I almost wished that someone would crack those shutters just a little more. A fireplace and a wandering bird made this place feel like a tropical cantina (not that I’ve ever been to one…)

Being in California, I went immediately for the Idiot IPA, an 8.5% ABV dry hopped with three pounds of hops per barrel. The nose was bitter, but a different bitterness followed in taste. It was almost savory, but well balanced. The hops were there in full force, though, like most other west coast IPAs I’d sampled.

I followed this with tasting the Orange Ale, brewed with orange zest and coriander. It was summery, light and the coriander was clearly tastable. It accented the orange well. The brew was a cloudy, light yellow. It was something fun to drink and went down easily – I could see myself drinking this on a hot summer day in San Diego, on a porch looking over the ocean.

The Thundering Third is described on the mu as a Steam Style Lager, 5.5% ABV. The malts and lager yeast made a really interesting taste. It finished a bit bitterly, but it is certainly nothing I’d ever tasted before.

The brewery has a three beer limit per customer – and not because some of their beers are high in ABV (though some are). They make limited quantities of beer, so its really fore the beer taster, not for someone throwing back a few cold ones on a hot afternoon. Our food was delicious, and buffalo wings actually spicy (yay!). I would absolutely come back here if I lived in the area – a great summer stopping point, and a beautiful area to boot.

West Coast Adventure – Lost Coast Brewing

The Beer Babe — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Over the next few days, my brother and I snaked our way down the gorgeous and exiting, yet frightening route that is the Pacific Coast Highway. Tsunami Hazard signs, sheer cliffs and lack of guardrails made the trip thrilling – and we found ourselves watching a gorgeous sunset each night over the ocean. I put my feet in the Pacific for the first time – Greg saw his first whale (from shore).

We crossed into California, hoping to get to Eureka for the night and start out driving through the Redwoods the next morning. Tired and starving (there is little in California north of Eureka besides the gorgeous beaches and huge trees) we pulled into Eureka and looked for “pubs” on my brother’s GPS. Seeing the word ‘Brewery’ on the list made me quite happy – and we navigated our way into the Lost Coast Brewery.

It being, coincidentally, Superbowl Sunday, we looked in the windows to find the place comfortably filled with people staring up at a large tv watching the big game. It being January, the place wasn’t packed, however, so we decided to go in.

When we walked in, a giant paper mache and furry spider descended in front our our faces as the door closed. Looking up after laughing I saw that it was rigged to lift as the door opened, and descend to startle the guests. I wonder if hearing the occasional “eep!” is used to notify the staff that someone has arrived.

The atmosphere of the place was full of funkiness and art seemingly made by the same artist as the door spider (and reminding me of the illustrations on Flying Dog labels) – was placed up high, and the whole thing had a kind of saloon feel. The Superbowl fans collectively cheered or groaned as they watched intently. I was delighted to see that not everyone was routing for the same team, and there was a bit of cross table bantering going on after each play. It felt… fun!

Our server, Nate, took our order with enthusiasm and seemed to be really enjoying what he did. I had a roast beef sandwich with ranch dressing – a house specialty – and it was to die for! I managed to try a few of their beers while I was there, and between Greg and I we did a lot of passing back and forth.

Harvest Wheat – This one came served with a lemon, and was light, thin and drinkable. It was not as spicy as some other wheat/hefeweizens that I’d tried and was very easy to like. My brother declared that this one was his favorite of the night.

8 Ball Stout - A dark, chocolaty and warm smell. The chocolate and caramel malts were present, though I wished it had been a little thicker in consistency. Still good in my book, though.

Raspberry Brown – A brown ale with a slightly artificial raspberry taste. Not as harmonious as I would have liked to taste, but not terrible at all.

Great White - Hefeweizen Style – not served with a lemon or orange but plenty of cloudy goodness. This one I have actually seen bottled in stores, and I think it would make a terrific summer sipper.

This was a truly fun adventure, and a great social top for us. Despite the outcome of the game, even the people routing for the losers clicked glasses with those cheering for the winners – a polite conciliatory gesture that seemed to sum up the attitude of the night. We felt like locals, and we felt completely at ease. Our stomachs satisfied and our imaginations swirling, we headed in for the night, anticipating like kids before christmas, the redwood journey ahead.

Travel Adventure Part 3 – Big Time Brewery, Seattle

The Beer Babe — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000

On my first full day in Seattle, I arranged to meet a twitter friend at a brewpub in the University area for a drink and a chat. I got there a little too early for our meeting, and ducked in just a few minutes after they opened. The Big Time Brewery was fairly large on the inside, with tables to the right to sit down, a bar and windows to fermenters on the left, and a counter for ordering food. The atmosphere was antiqued, but in a really classy and comforting way. Bottles and old brewery memorabilia covered the walls, and wood paneling and antique lighting fixtures really made it feel like a blast from the past.

The food menu featured hearty comfort food and starchy bar food – which was exactly what I needed after being a little worse for the wear from last night’s Brouwery Cafe adventure. I ordered nachos, and received a heaping plate of them with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. To my delight, the salsa was actually hot!

I picked a seat next to the large windows that displayed the small brewery, and I poured over the beer list. Like most breweries on the West Coast, the list is full of highly-hopped delights. A few surprised me. In addition to their Scarlet Fire IPA, Atlas Amber Ale, Coal Creek Porter, and Bhagwan’s Best IPA, they had weird things like Hop de Mesonage Belgian IPA and an “East Coast Pale Ale” whatever that was. I had no idea what to try first, but I prepared myself for a hit of hops.

I first tried the Atlas Amber ale – a dark rosy copper with a really grassy hop smell. The taste, though, is classic amber ale. It would be a leap from something like the Bud American Ale, but it has a really good color and a tad of appropriate bitterness. Not mild or water like a lot of small breweries I’ve been to, I was encouraged and wanted to try more.

Norm arrived and we began chatting about brewing, beer, writing, kitchen renovations and whatever else came to mind. He’s friendly and genuine and I enjoyed the company, especially when he told me all about his brewing and local beer adventures.

I followed the Atlas Amber with a Hop De Mensonge Belgian IPA, because I have never heard of nor had any idea what a Belgian IPA was. This one was served in a tulip glass, and had a delightful smell of wheat and citrus. The hops were there, too, but the taste was a lot more Belgian than IPA. I was really intrigued by how the hops brought themselves to the party in such a smooth wheat beer, and it was at the very least an interesting experi

ence.

For a classic IPA, I chose the Scarlet Fire IPA. Described as an “assertive Northwest style IPA” I figured it would be a good introduction to the west coast hop madness that was to come. The Scarlet Fire’s color was a beautiful clear reddish orange and the smell was to die for. This one came on strong, too, but finished very cleanly in my mouth. I was expecting to taste hops all the way home, but it delivered its punch then let you walk away without scars. An excellent example of a strong IPA, and well done at that.

The Big Time Brewery has been around since 1988 and is now 21 years old. It has won awards almost every year, including in 2008 when its Scottish Ale won the category at GABF. As I was sitting I also noticed that beyond the beer world that it is a popular place for university students and some colorful locals too. This is the type of brewery that any town should be proud of, and if I had one like this around the corner from me I would be a regular, too.

My brother came to pick me up and resume the rest of our adventures in Seattle, before departing that night down the Washington Coast. I gave him a sip of the Belgian IPA and he declared it to be “awesome.”

And the East Coast Pale Ale? I asked about it and apparently, one of their brewers is from Maine originally. They use different hops, and it is a little milder, and more of an English style IPA. I thought about how small of a world it is considering that I just came from New Hampshire, and my first brewpub features beer being brewed by a Mainer!

Travel Adventure Part 2 – Brouwer’s Cafe, Seattle

The Beer Babe — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000

After an uneventful flight (despite it being long and boring) I landed in Seattle at about 9:00 pm. I received a tip from a few people that I should go to Brouwer’s cafe, because they have lots of great beer on tap and food to boot. My brother’s jeep, dusty from driving through Idaho and Washington earlier in the day, pulled up to the curb and we headed out into the Seattle night.

It was a fairly warm night and the city was lit up beautifully, I could see its twinkling glow from the plane, under a crescent moon. Armed with my brother’s laptop GPS setup, we clumsily snaked our way through Seattle to get to Brouwers. We made it there around 10pm – tired, starving and ready for a beer. We walked up to the black building from the wrong side, and walked in. The interior of this place was really neat. A line of tap handles, too long to be photographed in one picture, lined the back of the bar, behind them were windows displaying all the bottles also available, in addition to their taps. The tables were out of solid wood, and wrought iron accented a staircase and upper balcony area. The lighting was warm but subdued, giving the interior the appearance of a castle, tavern, or Gothic mansion. Very cool.

Dazed and tired from the flight, I almost couldn’t take in everything Brouwer’s had to offer, and I was also saddened to find out that they weren’t serving food this late. So I had to pick my brews wisely, and head home earlier than I wanted. I chose a Pliny the Elder, because I had until that day, never been able to find it.

Pliny the Elder is like a mythical beer to me. People have offered to trade me for it, but I rarely have anything of comparable value. Its hoppy, an IPA, and rated an A+ on Beer Advocate (though I rely more on people’s recommendations than grades or numbers most of the time).

The bottle arrived and it was poured into a glass. Orange, thick and packed with aroma this hit my nose before I got it near the glass. Very hoppy, with that citrus twinge that really strong IPAs can give. The taste was of a terrifically balanced IPA with stronger hop flavors than a lot of stuff I’ve tried as of late. If it didn’t have the malts in it that it does, it would be undrinkably strong. I caught up with and laughed with my brother about beer (who had a Piraat for the first time there) and wished, deep in my heart, that this place existed in Boston, so I would have a half of a chance of making my way through the insane beer list.

My airline fatigue caught up with me and I soon found myself in my brother’s Jeep, headed to the hotel, looking up as we drove past the Space Needle, smiling.