January 25, 2014 Show

This week we were joined by Chris and Mark from Breaker Brewing Company in Wilkes Barre, PA.  They brought with them just a sampling of their FANTASTIC beers.  We were able to enjoy their:

Lunch Pail Ale: A wonderfully balanced Pale Ale that has the perfect balance of hop character without becoming too overwhelming with a sweet malt bill that still provides a light and very easy drinking beer.

Columbus Single Hop IPA:  This was a brand new experimental batch that was just released earlier in the week.  The Columbus hop was used throughout the brewing process and truly showcases what this hop is capable of producing.  It was a semi-aggresive IPA with a lot of pine character coming through up front, but still managed to have a very dry finish.

Blast Cap Coffee IPA: One word sums up this fantastic beer, WOW!  The boys really brewed up a special one here by blending together a perfectly balanced IPA with fresh brewed coffee and coffee beans!  The color still managed to be that of a traditional IPA but with strong coffee aroma and a great additional bittering element that played off the hop flavor perfectly.

Abandoned Mine Barley Wine: This 10% ABV behemoth was just incredible.  The flavors of vanilla and bourbon were perfect background notes and the sweet malt bill made this an incredible barley wine.  The only negative is the high alcohol is so well hidden that drinking 5 of these would be easy, but that 10% ABV will really get you in the end, by far one of the best barley wines available today!

You can try these and many more at their tasting room located at 787 E. Northampton Street Wilkes Barre, PA Hours are Tues & Fri 5 PM- 9 PM and Sat 12 PM - 5PM 


We kicked the show off by making our BIG announcement that we have been teasing up all week on Facebook and Twitter... we also did this announcement while enjoying one of our "rare beers," this week we enjoyed Deschutes Red Chair NWPA, a fantastic pale ale that has a nice malty profile balanced against wonderful citrus hops for a VERY easy drinking expereience.

The BIG announcement is this, we are having the inaugural Beer Geek Festival at Slocum Hollow Lodge at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA on April 12, 2014!  Details are still rolling in and we will be getting the official brewery lineup out very soon, but save the date, it is a beer fest that you will NOT want to miss!

January 18, 2014 Show

We joined this week by 2 of Fast Freddie's friends who were also some craft beer newbies.  We decided to showcase stouts starting with the deliciously creamy Oatmeal Stout from Samuel Smith Brewery and finished with Dogfish Head's wonderful Bitches Brew, well and one other special brew!

We did our tasting from left to right increasing in both alcohol and flavor profile.

Samuel Smith Brewery- Oatmeal Stout: this is a true showcase beer for the oatmeal stout style. It is creamy, complex, but light bodied and still manages to impart very subtle chocolate and coffee tones. A perfect way to start off the stout show! Also a side note, Derek incorrectly stated during the show that the ABV is 4.7% when it is actually, 5% sorry for an confusion or disappointment!

Tröegs Brewing Company- Java Head: Building on the oatmeal stout style Java Head takes it a step further and adds fresh coffee beans to the beer. Side by side with the Sam Smith beer it allows drinkers to see the difference between many English and American brewers. The coffee bitterness is certainly present, but the chocolate and roasted malt smooths the body put for a pleasant finish.

Brewery Ommegang- Chocolate Indulgence: While the name be deceiving in that this is not a chocolate explosion of a beer when compared to some other chocolate stouts it is still extremely enjoyable and a nice take on the style. There is certainly more carbonation which leads to a lighter feeling body but the Belgian yeast strain gives a very pleasant finish to this wonderful beer.

Dogfish Head Brewery- Bitches Brew: Dogfish Head are certainly no strangers to experimenting with styles, and Bitches Brew is no exception.  This blended Imperial Stout takes three different stout strains and combines it with a wonderful honey beer with gesho root.  The result is a highly complex beer that has a lot of chocolate, coffee, and smooth honey melding together for an extremely porch and surprisingly easy drinking beer considering it is 9% ABV.

Our final "surprise" beer comes to us from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company. 

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company- Bourbon Barrel Aged Siberian Night: Siberian Night is a world class imperial stout and when you age it in bourbon barrels for 11 months it is jut too good for words. This beer certainly has a lot of complexities with heavy notes of coconut and vanilla from the barrels mixing with the heavy chocolate and coffee of the beer for a wonderful drinking experience and weighing it at 10.9% ABV this is definitely a sipper and perfect to end out the stout show.

January 11. 2014 Show

This week was a very special treat as we devoted an entire show to beer and food pairings and were blessed to have Chef Gene Philbin  from Peculiar Culinary Company in the studio to partake in some great beers and we were also truly blessed when he brought in his Pork Belly with Mac n Cheese and fresh made sliders for us all to enjoy.  This truly was a special show!

We again tasted our beers from left to right and set them in order of a meal with Green Flash's Saison Diego being great for appetizers and Brewery Ommegang's Three Philosophers taking on desserts.


Green Flash Brewing Company- Saison Diego: This light and refreshing saison comes in at 4.2% ABV is perfect for light appetizers and we decided to pair this with Cypress Grove's award winning Humboldt Fog cheese, the pairing was discussed at length on the show but was a positive one that highlighted the beer.

Dogfish Head- Namaste This beer is new to the 12oz bottle world and we were lucky enough to get some extremely fresh offerings of it.  Dogfish's take on the witbier has notes of coriander and lemongrass is very light but flavorful.  We again paired this one with the Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog cheese to showcase just how much beer can effect food and vice versa, this time the pairing helped to showcase the cheese.

Yards Brewing Company- IPA: Yards began as an English styled brewery and despite their astronomical growth they has certainly not left their roots and it is showcased in this delicious IPA. This beefed up version of an English IPA with American hops certainly has a bite, but a tame one and instead has a very sweet and smooth body that is just perfect for pairing with meat, so we of course paired this with Chef Gene's Pork belly Mac n Cheese (which he also mentioned that he does another variation of this dish and actually braises the pork in IPA before adding to the mac n cheese!) along with his phenomenal sliders that he simply calls "The Burger."  A truly wonderful pairing!

Brewery Ommegang- Three Philosophers: We finally wrapped things up with our dessert dish.  This Belgian style Quad has cherries added directly in and is just a smooth and highly drinkable Belgian beer.  We could not help but pair this with some dark chocolate (55% cacao) with cherries and almonds added in for flavors that seemingly danced across our palates.

The biggest take away from this show: Good beer pairs with good food for the ultimate experience, good beer will not make a bad dish better and good food will not make a bad beer better!

January 4, 2014 Show

This week we were joined by some of Freddies good friends Jerry Haggerty from Haggerty's Bar in Scranton and Woody, just simply Woody!  We all had a blast and the guys were exposed to some new craft beers and both were surprised by how much they enjoyed some of them, but the Beer Geeks don't bring bad beer!

 

The lineup was chosen based upon picking craft beers that are great to try for newcomers and we ran the tasting from left to right (see picture) starting out light and ending in the dark, and we ended the show with a surprise treat for the boys!

Sierra Nevada- Pale Ale: Another absolute standard and standout beer in the craft beer world. Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the beer that introduced a huge percentage of beer drinks to craft beer and despite it being a great introductory beer, it is still a go to beer for many craft beer drinkers.

Wells and Young's- Wells Banana Bread Beer:  This is the beer that as everyone entered the studio the guests were most intrigued by and were eager to try, but with some hesitation as they were unsure as to what they should expect.  This beer is absolutely what it says and truly is banana bread in a glass in both the aroma and taste and is simply a beer that you have to try just for the experience.

Samuel Smith's Old Brewery- The Famous Taddy Porter: This is a beer that does not need a lot of description and is just a must try if you are a fan of darker beers.  It has 100 scores on Rate Beer and Beer Advocate for a reason!

Wells and Young's- Young's Double Chocolate Stout: Ending the tasting strong and dark with a great dessert beer.  This stout explodes with chocolate but does not become overly sweet and keeps a great balance and dryness.

We ended the show by showing the boys how to make a delicious chocolate covered banana bread drink by pouring a 50/50 mix of Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Wells Banana Bread Beer, everyone was very happy!

December 28, 2013 Show

This week we were joined by Jason Jarecki from the Coal Street Ice Rink.  Jason had some great stories about having some beers over in Europe, although he was a newbie to the lineup we had this week and lets just say he left a very happy guest!

We took a look at beers that are great to have around for celebrations, specifically New Years Eve, but hell you can celebrate anything you want when you have this kind of incredible beer line up!

 

The tasting of the beers went left to right starting with Duvel and ending with the Chimay.

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV- Duvel: This world class Belgian Strong Golden Ale is the textbook example for the style.  It is a highly effervescent beer that has a fairly light body but still packs a lot of flavor.  If you want the true Duvel experience get yourself a Duvel glass!

Brewery Ommegang- Hennepin: Another fantastic beer from a fantastic American brewery.  This Saison is a bit heavier than the traditional style guidelines call for, weighing in at 7.7% ABV, but there is no way that any of us will knock it a single point.  Just a perfectly balanced and highly refreshing beer!

Unibroue- La Fin Du Monde: Translated La Fin Du Monde means the end of the World in English, and if the end is this delicious we all welcome it with open arms!  This Belgian styled Tripel was loved by all in the studio and is a great way to start or end any celebration.


Bières de Chimay S.A.-Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue): The perfect beer to end the show and was given the highest ratings by all.  If you have not had this beer I will not waste any of your time describing it, you just have to try it!

December 21, 2013 Show

We were visited this week by James Callahan and Betty from The Rattler in Wilkes Barre.  Not onlydid we all have a blast talking about fun stories of Marilyn Manson, but we had some great beers.  Unfortunately we do not have a pic of the beer lineup from this week, but we were fortunate enough to have:

 

Dogfish Head Brewery- Piercing Pils: A new entry to the market and a wonderfully straight forward Pilsner with addition of pear giving an extra layer of sweetness but still great balance. A great beer to give to friends who have still not made the switch from mass marketed beer to craft beer.

Boulder Beer Company- Shake Chocolate Porter: The runaway hit from the show and with good reason.  This porter has a fantastic kick of chocolate and offers the drinker enough complexity and sweetness but does not overwhelm the palate and is just a dream beer to have with desserts.

Green Flash Brewing Company- West Coast IPA: This semi-aggressive West Coast IPA certainly has a good hop bite, but is not off putting to newbies to the IPA style.  The hop aroma dances from the glass and the hops are certainly present up front but the beer manages to have a perfectly dry finish.

Brouwerij Huyghe- Delirium Noël:  We could not have our last show before Christmas go by without breaking open a bottle of one of our favorite holiday beers.  This Belgian Strong Dark Ale present very rich and fruity notes with a fair amount of dark fruits present, candy sugar,  as well as that wonderful Belgian yeast aroma. A great way to enjoy the holidays!

Welcome!

Welcome to the all new Beer Geeks Radio Hour website!

Here we will be posting information related to our weekly broadcasts as well as providing downloadable archives for each show as well as additional information!

Cheers!