This Month's Featured Beers
September 2008
Brewery |
Beers Featured |
| Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery | Red Rack Ale |
| Tommyknocker Brewery | Butt Head Bock |
| Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery | Pig’s Ear Brown Ale |
| Tommyknocker Brewery | Pick Axe Pale Ale |
| Wychwood Brewery (England) | Hobgoblin |
| Pivovar Zlatý Bažant (Slovak Republic) | Golden Pheasant |
(Although we will make every attempt to ship the above products, occasionally they may need to be substituted with equally outstanding beers. The product descriptions below areexcerpts from our monthly newsletter. Click here to view it in its entirety.)
Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery
The nose portends a hop-driven flavor and bitterness, with some floral and citrus aromatics, notes of apple skins, and a slight syrupy note. Look for moderate notes of pine resin and grapefruit peel with the malt background also asserting itself in the bouquet. Expect this brew to go down mostly fruity (think grapes and apples) and sweet, with a very long middle. Eventually, rindy, bitter, citrus peel hop character tames the sweetness and lets this beer close out with a long, lingering bitter finish. Check out how the red apple fruit and skin notes intensify as it warms. Try pairing this one with a sharp cheddar cheese or a double Gloucester (check out www.monthlyclubs.com to learn about our Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club.)
Ah-hem: now introducing the 2004 & 2006 United States Beer Tasting Championships brown ale Grand National Champion. Look for notes of brown sugar, sweet bread, a hint of roastiness, fresh grains, and a faint flourish of citrusy hops. As it warms, whiffs of alcohol emerge. On the palate, expect a very long-lasting, layered cascade of flavors. First, notice the luscious fullness in the mouth, followed by a sweet maple syrup malt bomb that then dissolves as it is picked away by citrus accented hop bitterness. Then, more hop bitterness, followed by, yes, more hop bitterness as it builds to a bitter crescendo. Notes of dark chocolate and hints of light roast coffee and aspirin dust carry forward into the finish as orange citrus hoppiness takes center stage. Give yourself a good minute or two after having your first sip to allow your palate to fully experience the very lengthy finish. Overall, this is an easy-drinking, yet rather complex brown ale that would pair well with honey glazed ham, baked beans sweetened with molasses, or Granny Smith apples dipped in caramel.
Tommyknocker Brewery
What a nose on this winner of the Dopplebock Silver Medal at the 1997 Great American Beer Festival! Look for notes of white grapes and raw honey, plum flesh, some toffee, hints of tea, a dash of carob, and some yeasty spiciness. Take cover as the flavor lobs a malt grenade that bursts with big, rich, malty flavors. Everything from the nose comes along in the flavor, with a complex alcohol presence, and a bold sweetness that is balanced by a healthy dosing of bittering hops. Finishes surprisingly dry for all its sweetness and complexity. We say this one's a 'nightcapper' to be savored on its own; though for food application, it could be used to make an awesome demi-glace.
Expect a very Pacific Northwest hop presence to jump out, as if you squeezed a grapefruit and pine sap came out. We love the flavor of this beer; it asserts a massive hop character, but does it in a balanced, tasteful way. For you hopheads out there, this is a nice beer that packs a lot of hop punch but doesn't overwhelm you with killer ABV or a singeing of the palate. Hop flavors are much like what's described in the nose, though there is more fruit juiciness. Look for bitterness to be present, but note that it doesn't try to battle the sweeter elements of this beer. It just holds them in check enough for the hop aromatics and volatiles to really show their stuff. Finishes very citrusy and moderately bitter with a crisp, evergreen character. This beer would work well with a mild-bodied, woody (cedar) cigar or moderately spicy Indian curry. We can't supply the curry, but we can help on the cigars—check out www.cigarmonthclub.com.
Wychwood Brewery—Witney, Oxfordshire, England (Central South England)
Rated exceptional (91 points) by the Beverage Tasting Institute, earning a Gold Medal in the 2006 World Beer Championships, Hobgoblin pours a deep amber (you could call it light brown) with a great pub-ale look to it with its beautiful, lacing head. Look for rich caramel, toffee, and maple syrup notes on the nose, with a nice dose of true-to-style British butterscotch character, dried dark fruits, and nuttiness. A notable feature is its woody character, almost as if it wre conditioned in wood or drawn from the cask. Expect this beer to deliver a sweet yet restrained richness, held in perfect balance by lightly bitter hops, rounded out by some woody, tobacco-like notes. The primary flavors to look for are butterscotch, caramel, and raisins. Finishes with more woody, almost musty, yeasty character. This is a real treat and a great representation of a Dark English Ale. Enjoy with a red grapes and cheddar cubes, and another pint.
Pivovar Zlatý Bažant (Golden Pheasant Brewery)—Hurbanovo, Slovak Republic (Southern Slovak Republic)
You've probably figured this out by now: translated to English, Zlatý Bažant means Golden Pheasant. Unlike the big U.S. beer makers, who stretch out their barley with the addition of cheaper corn and rice, Slovak producers use 100 percent barley, most of it grown and processed in Slovakia. This makes nearly any Slovak-made beer richer, with more body and depth of flavor, than any of the watery U.S. brand-name beers. Expect spicy herbaceous hop aromas with toasty pale malt notes. The clean malt profile gives way to grassy, zesty, and citrusy hop notes, with a lingering hop bitterness and a distinct finishing note reminiscent of dried autumn leaves. Winner of a Silver Medal in 2005 at the World Beer Championships, this is a very food-friendly beer; you can throw it at just about anything. We served it up with some grilled burgers packed with jalapežo and chunks of cheddar cheese served on lightly toasted sourdough buns.
Serving Temperature: 40-44° F
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Suggested Glassware: Flute Glass, Pilsner Glass, Stange or Stein
