July 26, 2014 Show

This week we drink and discuss some great craft beers and craft spirits from New Holland Brewing Company with brewery co-owner Fred Bueltmann!  We were also joined in studio by the wonderful Chef Gene Philbin from Peculiar Culinary bringing some more absolutely AMAZING food with his, as always!


This weeks lineup:


New Holland Brewing Company:


Imperial Hatter: This beefed up DIPA has a great hop punch and a thick mouthfeel with delicious sweet malts.  The hop aromas and taste seemingly dance around the palate and each drink leaves you refreshed and wanting more and not even the slightest hint of the 9.3% ABV!

Hatter Royale: This Hopquilla is a delicious hop whiskey with those standard whiskey notes but with a citrus backbone, namely lime, from the hops.  Very easy drinking and not your standard whiskey!

Beer Barrel Bourbon: This was one that we all LOVED, the bourbon gains (and loses) a lot from the transfer to the used Dragons Milk beer barrel.  The bourbon gains notes of cocoa and biscuits from the barrel but loses the sharpness and instead is an incredibly smooth and easy drinking bourbon that is a dream for bourbon lovers everywhere.

Dragons Milk Reserve w/ Toasted Chiles:  A very smooth imperial stout with absolutely no alcohol heat but instead is replaced by a bite from chiles on the back end.  The chiles aren't present in the aroma or up front when drinking but instead all on the back end with a slight burn, spice lovers rejoice!

Michigan Awesome Hatter: Another wonderful addition to the Hatter series this one using all Michigan sourced ingredients.  A smooth hoppy pale ale styled beer with great balance and easy drinkability, not overly hoppy but extremely enjoyable!

We also gave away a fantastic prize pack including New Holland Brewing Company shirts, bottle openers, stickers, buttons, glassware, and Fred Bueltmann's wonderful book Beervangelist's Guide to the Galaxy: A Philosophy of Food & Drink .

If you are interested in picking up a copy of this book for yourself, and we highly recommend that you do, click on the cover below!

July 19, 2014 Show

This week we are taking a look at just some of the great craft beer being brewed in the greater Boston area, with some side trips as well!  We also discuss the brand new and extremely limited Stone Brewing Co. release of w00tstout 2.0 with one of the collaborators, Drew Curtis from Fark.com


Clown Shoes- Muffin Top:  The beer is labeled as a Belgian Style Tripel India Pale Ale, that is certainly a mouthful!  The beer fits the description perfectly though with a strong presence in aroma and taste of a Belgian Tripel but with a lovely kick of bitterness and citrus fruit from the hops.  It still maintains a great balance and does not give off any hint of the 10.5% ABV bomb locked inside, a must try but show the beer some respect or the high ABV will come back to bite you!

Stone Brewing Co.- w00tstout 2.0: If you were lucky enough to have w00tstout 1.0 than you already know what this beer is capable of as far as intensity of flavors and high ABV.  The 2.0 version has kicked it up a notch with a lot of chocolate in the aroma and taste with notes of coffee, pecans, coconut, and vanilla dancing in the background.  If you can find this beer BUY IT!

Harpoon- Leviathan IPA: Harpoon is a brewery that needs no introduction to craft beer drinkers and they may very well have been the brewery that got you on the craft beer kick, but they are still brewing some absolutely stunning beers.  Case in point, the world class DIPA Leviathan, it clocks in at 10% ABV and has a strong hop and malt punch and remains fully balanced and highly drinkable, hunt this bad boy down!

Sam Adams- Double Agent IPL:  A beer that really kicked off this burgeoning style of IPL's (India Pale Lager).  The beer has that wonderful hop punch that we love from IPA's but with a silky smooth lager mouthfeel creating a highly drinkable and wonderful poolside beer.

This weeks ultra special beer:

Sam Adams- Utopias:  This 29% ABV behemoth is so overwhelmingly flavorful that it is almost difficult to describe.  The strong aroma and flavors dance on the border of a fine cognac with strong flavors of caramel, toffee, vanilla, and maple syrup.  There is a hint of alcohol heat but at a volume this high its not surprising.  The price tag can give some sticker shock, but rest assured it is well worth every penny!


We also had this FANTASTIC prize pack this week for listeners including shirts, bottle openers, coasters, hats, an ice bucket, and a fantastic book!

 

Including in the pack was the wonderful book Boston Beer by Norman Miller.  The book provides an in depth look at the rich history and current state of breweries in the greater Boston area.  If you are interested in picking up a copy for yourself you can check it out here.

Jul 12, 2014 Show

This week we were joined by brewmaster Mike Simmons from Nimble Hill Brewing Company located in the Endless mountain region of Northeastern PA.  He brought a wide array of fantastic beers from the brewery to try and even a barrel sample of the latest sour beer!  We could not ask for more and as a special treat we also partook of a wonderful beer from Jolly Pumpkin!

We were also joined this week by Billy from Backyard Ale House located in Scranton, PA kicking off their official sponsorship of the show and we could not be happier to welcome them aboard!  If you have not stopped by their place it is a must visit if you are in Northeast Pennsylvania with a HUGE selection of craft beers!

Nimble Hill beer lineup for the show:

Nudder Czech Style Pilsner: A perfect example of the style.  Very crisp and refreshing with a wonderful hop bite and no overwhelming sulfur smell that some examples will pick up.  A perfect summer offering and hard to believe this is a new beer, Mike hit the nail on the head first attempt!

Nim Wit: Another beer that started as a summer seasonal but the demand grew and it is easy to see why!  A lovely balance of Belgian characteristics with a kick of spice with ginger being the most prevalent creating a beer that is extremely refreshing!

Hop Bottom IPA:  A hefty dose of hops goes into this bad boy and it also clocks in at 7% ABV.  The hops are fresh, dank, and balanced.  A beer that combines the best of the West with the best of the East for an enjoyable drinking expereience!

Naughty: This new summer seasonal is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale and clocks in at 9% ABV and is perfect for a summer evening to kick back and relax.  Strong aromas and tastes of dark fruits dominate throughout without the slightest bit of alcohol heat.  A sipping beer for sure, but a fantastic one at that!

Mysteria 4.0: The Mysteria series is going to be making it's 4th release with this amazing sour beer.  We were lucky enough to have Mike pull samples from the aging barrels for us to sample and this is going to be one fantastic beer.  The tartness is certainly present along with the wood characteristics, a great beer and we cannot wait to try the finished product!

This weeks special beer is:

Jolly Pumpkin- La Roja: This is a textbook example of the Flanders Red style with notes of tart cherries, figs, cranberries, oak, caramel, and a touch of vanilla.  Despite the puckering qualities this is an extremely smooth beer and is a great beer to enjoy with friends and discuss and the 7.2% ABV is also a nice touch!


This week we also gave away a copy of a great book called The Great Northeast Brewery Tour: Tap into the Best Craft Breweries in New England and the Mid-Atlantic by Ben Keene.  The book examines many of the wonderful breweries in the New England and Mid Atlantic region and provides all the necessary information about the breweries to plan a visit along with some great photography.  if you are interested in the book click the photo below and pick up a copy for yourself!

July 5, 2014 Show

This week was a Saison kind of Saturday as we examined the classic Belgian style that has gained a renewed interest due to American craft brewers.  We had an amazing lineup of Saisons that ranged from classic reserved styles to over the top and hop forward.  We were also joined by the world class Chef Gene Philbin from Peculiar Culinary with amazing food, as usual, and our good friend Sean Wolfe from the Scranton Brewers Guild!

Stone Brewing Co.- Saison: Stone is a brewery that is certainly not afraid of brewing aggressive in your face beer so Stone's latest release may be a bit of a surprise to some.  It has the wonderful Saison characteristics that we love, but with a bit of peppery spice bite on the end.  Definitely a high quality and refreshing beer, but that's expected from Stone Brewing Co.!

Allagash Brewing Company- Saison: Allagash Saison ticks all the right boxes for the style and is very much a prototypical beer for the style with the wonderful Saison yeast strain on full display.  A very easy drinking and world class beer from a world class brewery!

Boulevard Brewing Company- Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale: This is a beer with a great reputation and thankfully it lives up to it!  Lovely fruit notes dance throughout and the beer has a wonderfully crisp and dry finish.

Brooklyn Brewery- Sorachi Ace:  This beer got its name from the Sorachi Ace hop, the hop possess some unique lemon qualities that are perfect for the Saison style.  Thankfully this beer is available year round, which is good because it will be just as refreshing on a cold winter evening as it is on a hot summer day!

Firestone Walker- Opal: This dry hopped Saison from Firestone Walker is the perfect beer to round out the lineup.  The hops makes their presence known fast but do not detract from the beer at all in fact the flavors go extremely well together and still have that refreshing Saison characteristic, definitely hunt this beer down!


We also gave away a fantastic prize pack this week featuring Brew Like A Pro by Dave Miller, some wonderful Firestone Walker glassware, and soap provided by The Beer Soap Company!

Are you ready to take your homebrewing to the next level? In Brew Like a Pro, the legendary Dave Miller reveals the secrets of truly great draft- and pub-style brewing. He includes complete plans for a professional-quality home system that requires just 18 square feet of space, and he offers recipes for small batches of classic, all-grain brews that stay fresh in kegs for months, eliminating the need for bottling. With this clear, concise how-to guide in hand, you’ll soon be enjoying the best brews you’ve ever made!

Also check out The Beer Soap Company, they have some great soaps made with your favorite beers: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Chimay Red, PBR, Arrogant Bastard and A LOT more!