A HappyHours.com Tasting Of Eight Holiday Beers
ALExaminer
hosted its first, "Deschutes Obsidian Stout Beer Tasting Festival" (DOSBTF).
Participants enjoyed an exciting afternoon with eight very different American
beers. The different ales and lagers, were paired with culinary creations by
Chef C.M. Noonan, of the famed Galway Catering Company (zyt...@aol.com) of New
York. Chef Noonan’s appetizers complimented the two flights of beer
brilliantly.
The official five-person tasting panel for this year’s event, was comprised of
HappyHours.com BrewsGram readers Rob Whitaker, Dennis Buckley and John Martin,
Chef Noonan and myself. If you would like to be invited to one of our many
tastings around the country throughout 2000, please email me
(te...@happyhours.com) with the city you live in, your daytime phone number and
name.
The BrewsGram’s 1999 DOSBTF, featured beers from Snake River Brewing Company
(http://www.snakeriverbrewing.com) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; the Anheuser-Busch
brewery in Newark, NJ (http://www.budweiser.com); the Stoudt Brewery in
Adamstown, PA (http://www.stoudtsbeer.com); and Ommegang Brewing in
Cooperstown, NY (http://www.ommegang.com).
You probably noticed that Deschutes Brewery’s (http://www.deschutesbrewery.com)
Obsidian Stout, was not sampled at the inaugural DOSBTF. However, my
description of it in the BrewsGram -- "This complex beer is simply delicious!
Smooth and rich in body (1.065 OG), yet chewy despite an ABV of 6.7 percent.
Roasted coffee, dark toffee and muted spice. A dry, crisp finish. Outside
Magazine may have said it best; Obsidian proves that Guinness does not hold a
monopoly on stout." --, inspired this unique tasting!
I’ll explain.
Snake River Brewing (SRB), was founded in1994, and born in an old, cinder-block
warehouse in downtown Jackson Hole. Brewmaster Chris Erickson and his crew,
brew around 3,500 barrels of beer each year using a 15 barrel, steam-fired
brewhouse. Albert Upsher, owner of Snake River Brewing
(in...@snakeriverbrewing.com), read my comments on Obsidian Stout in the
BrewsGram, and sent me the following email:
>>Hi Terry, Enjoyed your comments about the alternative to Guinness. However
the professional consensus at the GABF, is that Snake River Brewing's Zonker
Stout is not only an alternative to Guinness, but to Obsidian Stout as well. We
enjoy your BrewsGram, but my brewers would not let me pass the stout comments
without a plug for our Zonker Stout (two Gold and two Silver at the GABF in the
last five years).<<
Shortly after that email, HappyHours.com received a selection of Snake River
Brewing’s beers in 22 ounce "Bomber" bottles, including Snake River Pale Ale -
An American style Pale Ale with crisp flavors enhanced by dry hopping. 5.6%
ABV; Snake River Lager - A Vienna style Lager with caramel flavors balanced
with earthy German hops. 5.8% ABV; Alpine Fest Lager - A hearty
Marzen/Oktoberfest style Lager dark amber in color, big malt notes are balanced
with crisp German and Czech hops. 6.7% ABV; and Snake River Zonker Stout - A
rich, well balanced stout brewed with a generous amount of roasted barley. A
complex hop sequencing balances the rich flavors superbly. 5.7% ABV. Too good
to be true!
The first beer sampled this year was an American-style pilsner beer, Budweiser,
brewed by Anheuser-Busch. Introduced in 1876, "Budweiser, the King of Beers,"
was originally formulated as, "a lighter, clearer beer," says Anheuser-Busch
Historian and Archivist, Bill Volmer. Dr. Volmer told HappyHours.com, that
Budweiser was originally marketed, "as a lighter tasting beer for women."
Budweiser is brewed with five ingredients: Barley malt, rice, hops, yeast and
water. Tasting participant John Martin, describes Budweiser as, "Light gold in
color with a thin white head. Very clear, with a light floral bouquet and a
light, smooth taste. Very little aftertaste in the finish." Budweiser contains
5% alcohol by volume (ABV), and 141 calories per 12 ounce bottle.
Chef Noonan served freshly baked hand-ground cornmeal tortilla chips, with a
warm fondue dip made by blending seven different cheeses and a special salsa
made from organically grown tomatoes, peppers, onions, herbs and spices. The
combination prompted rave reviews from HappyHours.com guests, and complimented
the Budweiser, and the next beer perfectly.
Snake River Lager (5.6% ABV) "SRL," brewed by the Snake River Brewing Company,
is a medium-bodied "Vienna" style lager. It is reddish-amber in color, with a
mild spicy bouquet and toasted aromas and flavors. The beer is brewed with
two-row Pale, Munich (7L), Carastan (34L) and Caramel (75L and 150L) malts, and
hopped with Perle, Hallertau and Tettenang cones. Its noticeable caramel
flavor is balanced well with earthy hops. Low sweetness on the middle palate
with a smooth, dry finish. Tasting panelist Rob Whitaker, said of SRL, "It’s
amber with reddish hues. Very full in body with a spicy, sweet taste. The
finish is dry, hoppy."
While DOSBTF participants enjoyed the first appetizer, I gave them a little
background on the two types of grain commonly used to brew beer -- Two- and
Six-row barley. A member of the grass family "Graminea," the barley seed must
sprout to be used in brewing. I explained how the maltster modifies the grain
by steeping it in water and allowing the seeds to germinate. As participants
made notes on the first two beers, I explained that after germination, the
barley is gradually and carefully dried then readied for the next step in the
malting process, "kilning."
Since entering the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) for the first time in
1988, the Stoudt Brewing Company, located in Adamstown, PA, has been awarded
21 Gold and Silver medals for their delicious beers. Carol and Ed Stoudt’s Pale
Ale, is an American-style ale that’s amber-bronze in color, with a full and
creamy head. It has a big flowery bouquet with hints of fruit and sweet malt in
the nose. The sweetness on the front of the tongue is quickly overtaken by
assertive hopping. Balancing somewhat in the middle, with nut and faint toasted
notes, the beer has a dry hop finish. Panelist Dennis Buckley commented, "This
is a darker beer than I’m used to drinking. It’s very bitter at first, but
seems to smooth at the end with very little aftertaste."
The next beer served, "Hennepin," is brewed with a recipe based on traditional
Belgian "Saison," and "Grisette" style ales. Hennepin is one of three beers
produced by Brewery Ommegang, which is located in Cooperstown, New York.
Brewery Ommegang is a joint venture of Belgian beer importer Vanberg & DeWulf,
and Belgian brewers Affligem, Duvel and Scaldis. Don Fienberg, who co-founded
Vanberg & DeWulf with partner Wendy Littlefield in 1982, describes Hennepin as,
"rustic, fruity, peppery and thirst-quenching." The ale is named for the
missionary explorer who accompanied LaSalle in the discovery of Niagara Falls.
Hennepin is hazy gold in color, with a spicy bouquet and aromas of ginger,
honey, malt and citrus. Full bodied (7.5% ABV), the beer’s citrusy tartness is
balanced well by its sweet malt and honey tones. Hennepin finishes dry, with an
herbal, hoppy character. "Hennepin is light gold in color and somewhat cloudy,"
said John Martin of the ale’s appearance. All of the panelists commented on the
clove, spice and orange flavors and aromas in this complex and pleasing beer.
Snake River Brewing’s Pale Ale (5.4% ABV), was up next, and is brewed with
two-row Pale, Munich and Carastan malts. The Pacific-Northwest style pale ale,
is flavored and bittered with Washington state Cascade and Chinook hop flowers.
"SRPA," is dry hopped with Centennial and Cascade hops giving it a big floral
bouquet that the DOSBTF panel called "piney." A truly refreshing ale,
especially when paired with Chef Noonan’s next offering.
The Liguria region of northwest Italy, stretches from the Ligurian Sea, all the
way to France, which lies on the region’s western border. The Ligurian Alps
rise in the west, and the Ligurian Apennines in the east. The region’s narrow
seacoast includes the beautiful Italian Riviera, and the capital of Liguria,
the ancient seaport city of Genoa. Along with olive oil, citrus, mushrooms and
grapes from the countryside and hills surrounding the ancient seaport city,
cured and brined Genoa sausages made with rich blends of pork, veal, lamb,
garlic and spices sailed with the great discoverer Christopher Columbus,
perhaps Genoa’s most famous hometown boy.
Chef Noonan’s second pairing combined chunks of authentic Genoa salami --
hand-ground and cured -- with slices of aged Provolone cheese from the Veneto
region of southern Italy. Sharp provolone must be aged at least six months to
acquire its proper flavor intensity. Chef Noonan’s strong, or "aged" Provolone,
is produced with kid or lamb rennet, and was aged for 26 weeks. The cheese is
yellowish-cream in color with a firm texture and smoky, sharp, nutty and tangy
aromas. Its pronounced flavors melded with the spicy yet slightly sweet salami
deliciously. Once again, the pairing of flavors complimented both of the beers
it accompanied flawlessly.
As folks sampled the salami and provolone wraps, I took them quickly through
the kilning process, where barley is roasted at temperatures ranging from 140
degrees F., for lightly toasted grain that is straw in color, to "Chocolate"
and "Black Patent" malts, which are roasted at over 400 degrees F., and are
just as dark as their names suggest. I also began the discussion of hops and
their importance in the brewing process.
The next beer served was Ommegang Belgian-style Ale, the flagship beer of
Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown. Ommegang, is an abbey-style, burgundian ale
with rich flavors and aromas. Deep burgundy in color, the ale presents a rich,
fluffy head that creates a beautiful "Belgian Lace" as the glass empties. Sweet
fruit aromas in the nose with notes of honey, caramel, toffee and chocolate
which translate to the palate. The finish is dry, with herbal hop and warming
alcohol notes (8.5% ABV). The panelists all commented on the beer’s pronounced
fruit and chocolate notes. "Very dark beer, opaque, with big chocolate-mocha
flavors," said Dennis Buckley. John Martin, noted Ommegang was, "very sweet,
with intense chocolate and fruit flavors..."
You can read the rest of "A HappyHours.com Tasting of Eight Holiday Beers," in
HappyHours Magazine Online, located at: http://www.happyhours.com. Click into
the "Brew Features" section if you're interested in the Snake River Brewing
Alpine Fest and Zonker Stout descriptions.
Cheers! Terry Soloman
http://www.HappyHours.com
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