Blue Fin Stout (Shipyard Brewing Co.)

The old Blue Fin label had a picture of the bluefin tuna, a fish that had a huge presence in the Gulf of Maine. The new label is a nice homage to the ships that were once built in Maine, or at least that is my take on it.

Pours a deep dark brown with a very big dark, coffee colored head. Lot of carbonation from the minute the cap is popped. 

Smells of rich roasty malt and light coffee notes. There is also the familiar Ringwood yeast smell as well. No real subtle smells, mostly dominated by the dark malts.

Taste is rich, roasted malt with some dark chocolate or mocha tastes. The carbonation is definitely very strong in the mouth, not sure if this bottle was just shaken up or something but the carbonation is much more than expected in a stout. I've had this on nitro out on Peaks Island a number of times and really enjoyed its smoothness. I think I prefer that quite a bit over the bottled version. 

BEER FACTS

Name: Blue Fin Stout

Style: Stout

Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Company

Location: Portland, Maine, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 4.7%

IBUs: ?

Brewed in Maine

Farmhouse Ale (Smuttynose Brewing Co.)

Its bittersweet to see Smutty's Farmhouse Ale in the stores nowadays. That means that the Big A's days are numbered but it also means another delicious beer is now available! 

The label reads:

Our Farmhouse Ale is an homage to traditional European beers brewed quenching the thirst of farm workers or "Saisonares".

A unique Belgian Saison yeast is used to impart a mixture of spicy, fruity & earthy notes along with lip smacking palatability.

Pours a slightly cloudy, clean, crisp orange color. The head is stark white and about an inch of fluffy goodness. Lots of bubbles make this beer look alive and quite refreshing.

Smells spicy and funky just like it should. Lots of sweet apple smells also combine with the organic/earthy notes and even some hints of leather. This smell is exceptional.

Taste is more of that spice and funk that comes from the yeast strain. The sweet fruit tastes are also present with a nice dry finish. Its an excellent example of the style in my opinion. Actually, this is probably one of the best saisons that I've had. The Smutty Big Beer series is pretty much flawless so far this year. 

BEER FACTS

Name: Farmhouse Ale

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company

Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 7.5%

IBUs: ?

The Smuttynose BIG BEER Series is:

Baltic Porter - mid-January 
Imperial Stout - mid-February
Maibock - early April
Big A IPA - early May 
Farmhouse Ale - early June
Wheat Wine mid-August
Barley Wine - early October
S'muttonator Double Bock - mid-November

Novare Res announces upcoming beer events!

10 different Allagash kegs on tap at one time? Rare Dogfish Head beers and the chance to meet Sam Calagione? The largest selection of Rogue drafts at one time ever...anywhere? Are you kidding me? Mark your calendars folks, your summer just got a whole lot better.

Big Bear Black Stout (Bear Republic Brewing Co.)

Talk about excitement! A Russian Imperial Stout from Bear Republic. This is the style that can really make it or break it for some breweries. Considering what Bear Republic has done with the Hop Rod Rye and the Racer 5 this is definitely in line to be an incredible beer.

Pours slightly viscous with a nice coffee colored head. Its amazing how smooth this beer pours. You can really see the just how thick and rich this beer is going to be based on how it fills the glass. 

Smells of sweet coffee, bitter chocolate with a toasted malt side as well. It definitely comes across as a roasty, slightly smoky strong stout. No complaints from the smells, overall it is rich and appealing.

Taste is oh so smooth. Its way too drinkable for being over 8%. The dryness is there in the finish but before that comes a lot of deep dark sweet malt tastes. The sweetness really draws you in and the strength is hardly noticeable. Excellent beer. 

BEER FACTS

Name: Big Bear Black Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Company

Location: Healdsburg, California, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: Belgian & English roasted barley and Crystal malt

Hops: Chinook & Cascade

ABV: 8.1%

IBUs: 68

Schneider Weisse (Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn)

Georg I. Schneider created the original Schneider Weisse recipe back in 1872. Little did he know that the beer he brewed would one day be the benchmark for the style. Fast forward 136 years later and Georg's great-great-great grandson Georg VI. Schneider is overseeing a brewery that still produces beer brewed with that original recipe along with an array of other wheat beers such as Aventinus and Edel-Weisse. 

Pours a beautiful, rich, dark peach color with a huge, thick fluffy head. Its probably darker than some would expect since a lot of the American hefeweizens tend to be lighter in color. As the remaining yeast drips into the head of this beer it plunges into the beer and leaves a milky trail. Looks very appealing. Smells of cloves, cinnamon and spice, yeast and a bit of apple and banana. Tastes of spice and cloves at first with a nice refreshing follow through. Its a very refreshing beer with some juicy fruit qualities that make it ridiculous drinkable on a warm day. Nothing too overpowering, just a great clean, crisp beer. Beers like this are part of the lore that is the German beer tradition. There's a reason why this beer is still being brewed after all these years, its high quality and delicious. BEER FACTS Name: The Original Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weizen Style: Hefeweizen Brewery: Brauerei G. Schneider & Sohn Location: Kelheim, Germany Container: 500 ml. bottle Malts: Wheat & Barley Hops: ? ABV: 5.4% IBUs: ?

Mongolian Dark Beer (XAP XOPYM)

The Mongolian mystery beer has been poured! Thanks to my friend Dan for hauling this little beauty back from a recent trip to Mongolia. He had it stuffed in a shoe and it survived unscathed. Now if only I could find some information about this beer! I know its a dark beer and I know its "the Mongolian premium beer" but the label tells me those things. Everything else remains a mystery for now.

Pours a dark auburn color that is clean and clear when held to up to the light. Based on the carbonation and the color I will go with this being a dark lager. Its also my guess that Mongolia is a lager drinking country. The head is about a finger in thickness and very rich. Not a bad looking beer.

Smells of dark malt, some apple or dark fruit along with a sweet buttery-ness. There is also some caramel notes and dark bread.

Tastes very much like dark German wheat bread! There are also some hints of sweet fruit. The taste is very refreshing as its definitely beer you can drink nice and cold and there is little to no aftertaste. A pretty basic dark lager but extremely easy to drink. Its the best Mongolian beer I've ever had!

BEER FACTS

Name: Xap Xopym Dark Beer

Style: Dark Lager

Brewery: XAP XOPYM

Location: Ulanbaatar, Mongolia

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 5.3%

IBUs: ?

Kate the Great Day is here!

Tuesday, June 24th is Kate the Great Day at the Portsmouth Brewery down in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If you haven't taken the day off of work then you can pretty much kiss your chances of getting a bottle of this bad ass Russian Imperial Stout good bye. People are coming from all over to get some of this stuff and you can expect there to be quite a crowd queued up for the rather limited supply (only 10 barrels were produced).

At 2:27 pm this year's batch of what was named the best beer in America (according to BeerAdvocate magazine) will go on sale. It should be quite a scene as the hype over this beer spread across the internet pretty damn quickly and once its gone...its gone!

If you're going, this is what you need to know:

~ Bottles are $10 each and you are limited to two per day (like its going to last more than one)

~ Selling will be done like a deli counter, grab a ticket/number and come back when its your turn, I suggest going to the bar to sample all the other great beers.

~ Unfortunately growlers are not being filled

~ Bottles are being sold downstairs in the Jimmy LaPanza Lounge and not in the little retail store adjacent to the brewery

~ Bring donuts to sell to the crowd if you are getting there early (which I recommend as well)

~ Do the Smuttynose Brewery tour if you have the time, its a little out of town but a great tour (with free beer)

~ Have fun and get to know some other beer lovers. There is going to be quite an array of people in Portsmouth from all over. I would expect a beerfest atmosphere during the afternoon hours.

If anyone has an extra bottle for this poor guy who has to work tomorrow please let me know!!!!

so innocent yet so sought after

Old Stock Ale (North Coast Brewing Co.)

This is one of those beers that you can put away and forget about for years if you have the patience. I don't have the patience right now, although I'll probably grab some of these at some point and put them in my cellar (a.k.a my closet). Everything North Coast puts out is solid so I will hold this one to those sort of high expectations.

Weighing in at 12.5% alcohol, the Old Stock Ale is a heavy looking beer as it comes out of the bottle. Once its made its way into the glass its a very rich dark auburn brown color with wisps of redness. Not much head on this one and the carbonation level is minimal as far as I can tell. Its a great looking beer.

Smell is very rich and sweet brown sugar and dark brown bread accompanied with dark stewed fruit. Some apple cider vinegar notes are present as well that lead to some red wine characteristics. This is another very complex beer as far as smell goes. So many strands to pull apart!

Taste is absolutely delicious from the first chewy sip. Very balanced. Sweet malt tastes combine with some toasted dark bread and some more bitter notes quite well before the alcohol dryness hits you at the end. The sweetness and the bitterness play off each other nicely and the warming from the alcohol is a nice little feature as well. You'll definitely want to give this beer a chance to warm up a bit so you can experience all the flavors it has to offer. You'd be crazy not to love a beer with such complexity and strength.

BEER FACTS

Name: Old Stock Ale (2008 Vintage)

Style: Old Ale

Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company

Location: Fort Bragg, California, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: Maris Otter

Hops: Fuggles & East Kent Goldings

ABV: 12.5%

IBUs: 36

5 Maine Beers I Still Haven't Tried...

I can't believe there are still beers in this state that I've yet to try. Since I started this site about 5 months ago I've hardly drank the same beer twice and that goes double for those beers brewed here in Maine. Below are 5 local beers that have made my short list :

5 ~ Magic Hole IPA (Kennebec River Pub & Brewery) - One of very few IPAs here in Maine that I've yet to try. I'd also like to get my hands on their summer beer and see if it stands out against those here in Portland.

4 ~ Storyteller Doppelbock (Oak Pond Brewery) - I've yet to try ANY of Oak Pond's beers. They don't distribute down here in Southern Maine so I'll have to try and pick some up next time I head north. Storyteller is their winter offering and its sounds pretty good.

3 ~ Black Irish Stout (Maine Coast Brewing Company) - Another reason to get up to Bar Harbor and do some brewery tours. Maine Coast brews quite a few beers that I rarely see down in this part of the state. This one seems to be a standout, I'd like to see how its stands up to its neighbor Cadillac Mtn. Stout.

2 ~ Graveyard Coffee Stout/Burnt Meadow Mountain Peated Porter/Imperial Stout (Bray's Brewpub) - I love Bray's beers. These three tie since I've yet to try any of them and they all sound great. The good news is that they are ALL supposed to be on tap for Bray's One Night Stand when they have ALL of their 25+ beers on tap for one special night. I'm keeping my calendar open for Saturday, August 9th.

1 ~ Interlude (Allagash Brewing Company) - One of the most unique beers to come out of Maine (or the US for that matter). This Belgian style strong ale is brewed with two yeast strains (one of which is a house strain of Brettanomyces) and aged in French Merlot and Sirah oak barrels. This is one hell of a complex beer. I am saving my pennies.

Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale (Harpoon Brewery)

I finally was able to find a bottle of this stuff. Not only do I love beers brewed with rye but this one also has my name (well, nickname) in the name! When it comes to your name there are three things you can never pass up:

1 ~ If a pub bears your name you must go in for at LEAST one pint (read McCarthy's Bar for more on that)

2 ~ If you're ever at a racetrack and a horse/dog bears your name you MUST bet on it regardless of the odds

3 ~ If you ever see a beer that has your name on the label you must buy and drink that beer

Old Rusty (a.k.a. Russ Heisner) was Harpoon's first employee. He was the brewer responsible for Harpoon's first beer, Harpoon Ale. I'm not sure what Russ does now for a day job, its not brewing, but the good fellows at Harpoon invited him back as a guest brewer on the 23rd installment of their 100 Barrel Series.

The Old Rusty Red Rye pours a deep, clean amber color with hints of reddish orange. Carbonation looks spot on as the head is nice and foamy and thick. As the head slowly fades it leaves a nice lacing behing and a half finger of foam thats bubbly and looks like the underside of a pancake thats yet to be flipped.

Smells of sweet fruit and apples abound. Reminds me of a weizenbock at first. Malty sweetness and some yeasty qualities round out the smells.

Taste is definitely unique. Its sweet at first with a dry spiciness in the finish that I'll attribute to the rye. The juicy apple smells that were apparent at first are a lot less noticeable in the taste. That being said, there is some sweetness that is very well proportioned. Their is no major hop presence with this beer but thats not a surprise based on the IBUs. Overall, its a nicely balanced rye ale that is extremely drinkable. I'm a fan. Cheers Old Rusty!

BEER FACTS

Name: Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale (100 Barrel Series #23)

Style: Rye Beer/Red Ale

Brewery: Harpoon Brewery

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: German Halletauer

ABV: 6.5%

IBUs: 38

Stone Smoked Porter (Stone Brewing Co.)

Attention Stone sales reps in New England!!!! Please see this review as yet another blatant attempt to push the distribution of your products north to the great state of Maine. We promise to drink hefty amounts of your beers and thus keep your sales managers happy, hell you might even get a bonus and then you can take your whole family on vacation up to scenic Maine! Think about it...

Pours a ridiculously dark black color with a nice big (some would say huge), thick, rich fluffy light caramel colored head. Held to the light a little redness shines through but other than that, this one is black as night.

Smell is creamy coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, burnt sugars, dark malts and a nice hint of hoppiness. Its a bit hard to separate out the smokiness as this one smells very rich and roasty, like a nice cup of coffee. That smoked malt smell is somewhere hidden in there but I can't seem to find it. Regardless, this is a great smelling porter.

First sip and the first thing I notice is how smooth this beer feels in my mouth. Its like iced coffee. Tastes of bitter chocolate, coffee (of course) and some smokiness definitely stands out but its in no way overpowering. Its actually quite a nice balance with the smokiness. The West Coast hops are present as well in the finish and provide a nice bitter dryness. Wow, this is good.

As far as smoked porters go, Stone's definitely stands out as one of the best. Another one to try and get your hands on are Alaskan Smoked Porter (arguably the best in the world).

BEER FACTS

Name: Stone Smoked Porter

Style: Smoked Porter

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Location: Escondido, California, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: Chinook & Mt. Hood

ABV: 5.9%

IBUs: 53

Imperial IPA (Green Flash Brewing Co.)

Green Flash is out of San Diego County. The name refers to a "rare optical phenomena that occurs shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when a green spot is visible for a short period of