The Brewery: Cottrell Brewing Company

The Beer: Old Yankee Ale

ABV: 5%

Brewery Description: Old Yankee Ale is a medium bodied, American Amber Ale that has a great up-front malt taste, with a refreshing hop finish.

My Opinion: This ale is third in the series of beer gifts from thoughtful friends. Cottrell Brewing Company is based out of Pawcatuk, CT and established in 1996. What is interesting to me about this brewery is that they started out as a printing press manufacturer. Rather than go into a lengthy, detailed history of the brewery, I encourage you to read about their history here.

This ale pours a light to dark amber hue with a respectable head that showcases good retention and texture. Typical to the amber ale style, this beer’s aroma consists of mostly rich, caramel malts. The hops add a citrusy ester to the finish, with a slight hint of phenols (band-aids) to the bouquet. The flavor is predictably malty with a hop flavor that mirrors the aroma. The caramel notes are upfront with a citrusy finish at the end, which lends itself to a very well balanced beer. The mouth-feel is full bodied and warm with a creamy finish.

Rating: 43/50

During a busy last few weeks I began to question my ratings method here at the Fermented Opinion. With my interests weighing heavily in craft beer and home brewing, I have decided to switch to the BJCP (Beer Judge Cert Program) sanctioned numeric evaluation method. While I believe that both methods are perfectly fine, I wanted to be able to dissect the beers sampled here in a way that would educate both myself, and my readers. The BJCP method allows me to do just that!

With the BJCP process, one can score in specific areas such as aroma, appearance, flavor and mouthfeel. How do you judge your favorite styles? Do you review firmly on opinion alone, or take a deeper approach in understanding your favorite beers? Would love to hear some differing opinions on this subject.

Thanks!
Brad
(more beer reviews soon!)

The Brewery: Goose Island Brewing Company

The Beer: 312 Urban Wheat Ale

ABV: 4.2%

Brewery Description: Densely populated with flavor, 312’s spicy aroma of Cascade hops is followed by a crisp, fruity ale flavor delivered in a smooth, creamy body. This gives 312 a  balance of flavor and refreshment that never fills you up and won’t let you down.

My Opinion
As I said in my last review, I received several out of state beers from two of my generous friends and co-workers. The Goose Island 312 (downtown Chicago area code) is one of those beers. The 312 Urban Wheat Ale has won two gold medals and one bronze at the Great American Beer Festival from 2006-2008. The aroma of this wheat ale really brings out the Cascade hops used in this recipe. This unfiltered ale showcases the typical hazy straw like color found in most beers of this style. You really get the grassy flavor of your standard wheat ale in this beer. With an IBU of only 20, there is a subtle hoppiness upfront with a diminutive hoppy finish.
This should be a celebrated beer for fans of this style. In addition, this might be the perfect gateway beer to introduce to your friends and family. A great example of what brewers and craft beer fans alike can do to introduce a novice beer consumer to well crafted ales.
Rating: B+

The Brewery: Old Burnside Brewing Company

The Beer: Olde Burnside Ten Penny Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Brewery Description: “Ten Penny Ale,” our flagship brew is a smooth, amber-hued mellow version of a Scottish Ale (5.5% ABV).     It’s a good “session ale” and was awarded “Hartford’s Best Microbrew” for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 by The Hartford Advocate’s  Readers Poll. This beer is available year-round at your local bar or favorite beer store.
Why “Ten Penny?” My grandfather used to say “You can get a good beer for a nickel, but a really good beer will cost you ten pennies!” (Motto: Work hard, drink well… Ten Penny Ale!)

 

My Opinion

I have had the luck and the pleasure of working with two great people who, when they were traveling recently, took the time out to bring me back a few craft beers from afar. I cannot thank them enough. I will be reviewing these particular beer gifts bestowed upon me within the next few reviews.

First, let me start with the acquired growler from the Olde Burnside Brewing Company located in East Hartford, Connecticut. I chose to review this beer first only because this was the growler of the bunch and had to be consumed before the other offerings I was so graciously given.

This beer is described as Scottish ale and I do see how it fits in well within this category. However my perception was more along the lines of the Scottish Export 80/- style. They do not describe this beer as the typical strong scotch ale and for good reason. This Scottish ale is low in gravity with a sweet malt backing and therefore slightly different than its counterparts.

This Scottish ale has a light to almost dark brown color with a frothy head that dissipates quickly. The aroma of this ale is remarkably fruity with hints of oak and subtle malt notes pushing through. The flavor is considerably sweet and almost sour from the herbal hops and malt varieties added. The taste is slightly metallic from the sweetness of the malts and the bitterness from the hops. I’m not sure they were planning for this but it does taste a bit like pennies and I suspect this may come from the local spring water that is used to brew this beer. Iron in the water will give of a slight metallic taste.

All style guidelines aside, this beyond any doubt is a properly crafted and fine tasting ale. I am a fan of Scottish ales and it is a pleasant surprise to come across one that is a session ale. A low alcohol Scottish ale that can be enjoyed without knocking your kilt off!

Rating:

B+

The Brewery: New Holland Brewing Company

The Beer: Charkoota Rye Smoked Doppelbock Lager

ABV: 8.17%

Brewery Description: Charkoota Rye is a Smoked Rye Dopplebock. An homage to all things Pig, including Porkapalooza and the age-old tradition of Charcuterie, Charkoota Rye’s malty backbone is derived from a blend of rye and four other malts, including malted barley smoked over cherry wood by our very own brewers, John and Jeff. Its smoke-forward body is balanced with tones of deep mollasses and caramel, with a crisp, clean lager finish. Delightful by itself, Charkoota is best served with its succulent counterpart, Pork.

My Opinion

Before I begin, let me just say this is one of those beers that you always hear about that tastes like bacon. (Mr. Baconpants please take note). This rye lager poured a dark brown to black hue with little to no head even with a vigorous pour. The aroma was pure smoke with little to no distinguishing aroma of malt or hops. The nose on this beer was simply overpowered by the smokiness of this recipe. The flavor has a mild sweetness and bitterness, presumably from the hops added. I also picked up a bit of molasses and caramel notes with each sip. The mouthfeel is medium to heavy with an almost cloying dryness and light carbonation.

Overall I feel that this is a well made rye lager and fits the category of smoke beers rather well. When I opened this 22 oz. bottle I thought I would have a hard time bringing this beer to a close due to the heavy smoke aroma and flavor but as it warmed up a bit I started to enjoy the flavor profile more than I expected.

Rating:

B+

The Brewery: Cerveceria Mexicana

The Beer: Ed Hardy “Premium” Beer

ABV: Don’t know and frankly don’t care

Brewery Description: Once in every generation a brand comes along that simply defies convention. This generation’s brand is Ed Hardy. With a cult of customers that is the envy of any brand, a fanatical celebrity following, and a worldwide marketing machine that spans more than 40 countries. “The time has come for Ed Hardy Beer. No Rules, No Expectations, No Limitations.”

My Opinion

Where do I start? I guess I just had to experience this urine sample for myself. This beer pours a golden shower yellow with little to no head which disappeared immediately after pouring. With that said I did see plenty of tiny carbonation bubbles rising to the top, post pour. The aroma of this “premium” beer smells like creamed corn, and the taste you ask? I have experienced what it would be like if creamed corn was poured graciously from a tap. The other aromas that really stood out were loneliness and despair. This “beer” leaves a dry taste in your mouth at the finish, and not in a good way. I feel like I just swallowed sand.

It is my hope that the craft beer scene is not falling prey to trendiness with this fine example of panther piss. If this catches on we must fight for the greater good of well crafted beers. I pray that I do not see the day when there is a Lady Gaga Stout or Beyonce Barleywine.

Rating:

F

The Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

The Beer: Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

ABV: 7.2%

Brewery Description: (As only Stone can!) Nothing but the finest barley, most aggressive hops, clearest water, our proprietary yeast strain and abundant arrogance…all aged with oak chips.

My Opinion

It’s no secret that I have been a huge Stone Brewing Company fan for a number of years. So it should be no surprise that I’m reviewing one of my favorite offerings from Stone, the Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard.

The color of this beer is medium brown with little clarity and pours with a head that fades rather quickly, but leaves a fair bit of lacing on my tulip glass. From the initial whiff, the aroma reminded almost of a lumber yard or the smell of a carpenter’s shop. Once the woody character faded, I could sense rich fruit and caramel aromas along with hints of vanilla and a generous hoppy fragrance.

The taste is quite complex and the flavors lend themselves to grapefruits (from the Chinook hop variety) and caramel malts. The finish is bitter and dry although smooth and emphatically drinkable. Even as this beer has heavy hop additions, it has enough malt backing as to not lend itself to the hoppy characteristics of your average hoppy beer or IPA.

Like I stated at the beginning, I am a huge fan of Stone Brewing Company and this review may lean a bit towards favoritism. So with that I encourage you to try the Oaked Arrogant Bastard, if you don’t like it, then you’re just not worthy!

Rating: A+

The Brewery: Dieu Du Ciel!

The Beer: Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! Rigor Mortis Abt Abbey Style Brown Ale

ABV: 10.5%

Brewery Description: Strong brown ale inspired by the beer brewed by Belgian Trappist monks. Very little bitterness, this beer has intense malty and sweet flavours, mixed with the taste of chocolate and caramel. It presents complex red fruit and spice flavours due to the type of yeast that is used during the brewing process. This beer is at its best only after it has aged for six months. The Rigor Mortis are complex beers designed and brewed with patience and care in the tradition of the great Belgian Abbey beers.

Rigor Mortis Abt is brewed only once a year, and is sold in April until stocks last.

This beer won a gold medal (first place amongst 10 gold medal winners) at the adjudicated “MBeer” contest during the Mondial de la Bière in Montréal in 2006. The Rigor Mortis ABT was born in our Montreal brewpub in August 2001.

My Opinion

My first impression of this beer was a bit off as this is the first offering that I have experienced from the Dieu Du Ciel! Microbrewery. As I opened it I noticed that it was a twist off cap and thought “a Belgian Quad Brown Ale, how odd”.

This beer poured a murky brown color and a decent head which dissipated quickly. The nose has rum, raisiny almost sour cherry notes with hints of tannin. In all honesty this beer smelled like a wine! My palette is not geared towards fine wines so I expected the worst as I took my first sip. My first impression could not have been more wrong, this is a wonderful and complex brew.

It has a strong tannin flavor similar to that of wine (tart or astringent flavor) however there is enough of a sweet malt backing to balance it out. There is a fruity, spice hint to this beer as well, due to the Belgian style yeast used during fermentation.

Bottom line, this is a beer for sipping. Perfect for those cold winter nights. I would highly recommend this beer to not only craft beer fans but wine enthusiasts as well.

Rating: A+

For a very long time now I have been wanting to take a drive across state lines to Vintage Estate in Ohio. I finally took the trip with Spoon after reading a recent article about them in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette ranking them the the number one best beer retailer of 2010 on ratebeer.com. ( you can find the full list here).

The place was simply amazing, according to their website they currently have 760 beers in stock. The selection was huge and although many brands looked familiar, there were a ton of beers in stock that are not available in Pennsylvania. The beers are lined up on both sides of the store with one side showcasing shelves full of beer and the other side housing several beer coolers. There is a small wine tasting bar in the back corner where myself and Spoon enjoyed our selections as the bar area was packed.

The bar area is small with a few tables surrounding the bar itself, they offer 12 rotating taps as well as hosting a different Firkin every Friday. Just like most bottle shops in our area you can also choose any beer from the cooler (small corking fee with large bottles) to enjoy at the bar or while browsing their selection of beer, wine and mead offerings.

Just over $200 later, here is what I brought home:

The Bruery Orchard White
The Bruery Saison Rue
The Bruery Rugbrod
The Bruery Hottenroth
New Holland Brewing Company Charkoota Rye Smoked Doppelbock Lager
Birrificio Le Baladin Super Baladin Ale
Mikkeller It’s Alive Wild Ale
The Brew Kettle Production Works Dark Helmet Imperial Schwarzbier
Cantillon Classic Gueuze Ale (aged in oak barrels)
Alesmith Horny Devil
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Alesmith Wee Heavy
Stone Brewing/Brew Dog Collaboration Bashah
Dark Horse Brewing Company Crooked Tree IPA
Dark Horse Brewing Company Scotty Karate Scotch Ale
Dark Horse Brewing Company Too Cream Stout
Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel ! Rigor Mortis Abt Abbey Style Brown Ale
Left Hand Brewing Company Fade to Black
Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
Troegs Javahead Stout
Rust Belt Brewing Coke Oven Stout
Rust Belt Brewing Rusted River Irish Red Ale
Rust Belt Brewing Old Man Hoppers IPA
Kiuchi Brewery Japanese Classic Ale
Kiuchi Brewery Classic Ale
Kiuchi Brewery Espresso Stout
Kiuchi Brewery Red Rice Ale
Kiuchi Brewery Sweet Stout
Kiuchi Brewery XH (matured in sake casks)

The Brewery: Terrapin Beer Company

The Beer: Side Project: Volume 7 – Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 6.0% 

IBUs: 25

Malts: 2-Row, Vienna, Rye, Wheat, Flaked Oats Acidulated

Hops: Super Styrian, East Kent Golding, Hallertau Hersbrucker

Brewery Description: Welcome to the next version of Terrapin’s Side Project series of beers. Volume #7 “Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale.” Brewing this style of beer was as exciting as it was challenging because of it’s high fermentation temp. (90 F) and its finicky yeast strain. You’ll get all the aroma and flavors you’d expect from a farmhouse ale out of Maggie’s. The nose is a combination of grassy and spicy yeasty notes with an underlying bready earthiness character. The flavor is slightly sweet up front with a tartness in the middle followed with a white pepper/tart finish. Maggie’s offers the beer lover an old world style that is very pleasing to drink by itself or paired with fine foods.

 My Opinion

I have learned to appreciate the farmhouse/saison (French word for season) style as of late so this review is both a treat for me and a great way to kick off Fermented Opinion’s first review. This particular style of beer is more fitting for the warmer months as the story goes, it was orginally brewed in Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium. This low alcohol pale ale was created to refresh workers during the harvest season. This is a light summer ale typically ranging from 6 to 8 % ABV on average. 

The Terrapin Beer Company brews a line of beer titled “Side Project” where they create 22oz hand bottled artisian beers. These are limited edition, one time only batches with each new project representing a different brewing style (see Volumes 1 -9 here). Maggie’s Farmhouse Ale is volume 7 in this series.

This beer starts with a spicy, bready yeast note and grassy/fruity aroma that is typical to this style. The spice notes are there although very light as the fruity aroma is more dominant. The color is golden with a bit of lacing that clings to the edge of the tulip glass. The taste is consistent wih the aroma as I get hints of fruit and spice right up front with a tart to almost dry, sour finish. A very satisfying light to medium bodied farmhouse ale, overall this is an excellent beer typical to the farmhouse tradition.

Rating: A+