St. Feuillien Saison

I was having a conversation with one of my regulars about the delicious world of Belgian beers when he told me about Lucky Baldwin's Belgian Beer Festival. Once he said that they had over 80 different Belgian brews on tap, I was sold--I simply had to go. Lucky Baldwin's is a British pub in Pasadena that has hosted an annual Belgian Beer Festival for the past decade. This beer festival was a bit different than others I have attended previously in that it was hosted by a bar and specialized around Belgian brews. They had a fine selection that would make any beer lover's mouth water and did an excellent job of showcasing Belgium's finest exports. If I had the time and a designated driver, I would have loved to try all 80, but I decided to start the night off with something I knew and loved, but can never get ahold of: St. Feuillien's Saison.

St. Feuillien Saison

Appearance: Cloudy, hay-colored and unfiltered with an orange hue with light white head that left decent lacing on the glass

Aroma: Very subtle, light, yeasty and inviting with notes of fruit (apple and citrus) and honey

Taste: Crisp, sweet delicious and refreshing. Well balanced with sweet yeasty malts at the beginning, hints of apple with a little zip of citrus hops to round it out

I thought this beer was an excellent candidate for my review of Lucky Baldwin's Belgian Beer Festival because the saison style originated in the French-speaking region of Wallonia, Belgium. {"Saison" is the French word for season, because this style of beer was originally brewed in the winter, to refresh farmers during the sweltering summer harvests. (Information taken from www.wikipedia.org/wiki/saison)} I first tried St. Feuillien's Saison at the Big 100 Beer Tasting in November, fell in love with it, and have not been able to find it anywhere out here, so the fact that Lucky Baldwin's had it on tap speaks volumes about the quality of their beer selection. The saison style was designed to be enjoyed during the summer months, but this approachable brew could easily be enjoyed year-round (if you can find it!). I highly recommend pairing this with lighter cuisine like a cheese and fruit plate--the flavors are especially complimented by Bosch pears and Manchego cheese. I strongly encourage anyone who enjoys Belgian beers, the saison style or anyone with adventurous palate to try St. Feuillien's Saison. Cheers!

Alaskan Brewing Company's Winter Ale

It was pure chance that introduced me to this beer. I was in search of the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale for a winter beer tasting, and could not find it amid the glorious selection at one of my favorite liquor stores. A woman next to me was looking for this "absolutely incredible" beer--the Alaskan Winter Ale. To make a long story short, I ended up finding her Alaskan Winter Ale at the same time she found my 6 pack of the Celebration Ale, so we decided we simply had to share the wealth and traded a few beers out of each 6 pack. I was intrigued at first sip, and the Alaskan Winter Ale quickly became one of my favorite winter brews.

Alaskan Brewing Company's Winter Ale

The Alaskan Winter Ale is a seasonal English Olde Ale that's brewed with real spruce tips, hailing from Juneau, Alaska. According to the Alaskan Brewing Company's website, brewing beer with spruce tips is an old Alaskan tradition. Captain Cook added spruce tips to his beer during his adventures through the Northwest Passage, not only to add a unique flavor, but also to prevent scurvy. (source: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/winter-ale.html)

Appearance: Deep copper/amber hue with two fingers of thick white head that disappeared after a few sips and left good amounts of lace on the glass

Aroma: Fresh and inviting with a malty sweetness that gives way to hints of hops

Taste: Incredibly smooth and refreshing--it has a well balanced, malty start with a citrusy hoppy bite in the middle, rounded out by a sweet, smooth and almost minty finish

Alcohol: 6.4%

Seeing as how I traded beers with a total stranger at a liquor store, I had no idea what to expect when approaching this beer, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a heavier dose of hops from a winter ale, but in this case I feel like the crisp, refreshing feeling you get from a sip coincides nicely with the brisk winter atmosphere. It's like opening the door of a stuffy apartment and taking in that first breath of fresh, clean and cold mountain air. The most remarkable thing about this ale is definitely the fact that it is brewed with spruce tips. I joke that they brew it with Alaskan snow because it is so invigorating, and I wasn't that far off. Their website boasts that they use water from the Juneau Ice Field, so when you drink this, you are truly getting a taste of Alaska. So the next time you are hiking the Alaskan mountainscape or just sipping your way through the holidays like the rest of us, try the Alaskan Winter Ale. I recommend this beer as a welcome respite from the dark, heavy and hoppy winter ales because it has just enough hops to take the chill off your bones, but is crisp and sweet enough to remind you that spring is around the corner.

St. Somewhere Brewing Company's Lectio Divina Belgian Style Ale

Having lived in Florida for 22 of my 23 years, one would think I would be familiar with all the cool things to do there. Since I am also passionate about beer, it would follow that I would know about the few breweries in Florida, yet it was not until my first visit to the Tampa Total Wine and More that I discovered the St. Somewhere Brewing Company. The St. Somewhere Brewery is located in Tarpon Springs, Florida and specializes in brewing traditional Belgian style ales. Florida is a state more known for its beaches and hurricanes than brewing amazing beer, so I was a bit skeptical at first. 2009 represented my first California Christmas, and my thoughtful mom, knowing that I love beer and was missing Florida, literally sent me a taste of home—two bottles from the St. Somewhere Brewing Company, based just 20 miles away from the place I called home for 22 years. I really wasn’t expecting much at first, since I had never heard of a “true” Floridian brewery, but I was excited to try a beer that was born in Florida, just like me. (Yuengling doesn’t count as a “true” Florida brewery because it was originally based in Pennsylvania.) It was simply an added bonus that this particular local brewery specialized in Belgian style ales—my favorite!

St. Somewhere Brewing Company’s Lectio Divina Belgian Style Ale

Appearance: Reddish, burnt orange in color, unfiltered and cloudy with decent amounts of cream-colored head that disappeared quickly.

Aroma: Inviting and fruity, complex with hints of grapes and raisins

Taste: Highly carbonated (so much so that after I took off the wire cage, the cork flew off by itself!) dry, tart beginning with hints of green apple and pear in the middle and a crisp, dry, quick finish.

Alcohol: 8% (Interesting to note that Belgian strong ales traditionally have extremely high ABVs. 8% is on the lower end of the spectrum)

I was pleasantly surprised by my first introduction to the St. Somewhere Brewery--I knew that Tarpon Springs had excellent Greek food, but now I can honestly say that they offer great beer as well. I think the lower alcohol percentage (again, lower for a traditional Belgian ale) actually works to this beer's advantage because you can drink a few during those humid Floridian summers without knocking yourself out. This beer could easily be enjoyed by itself, but would also pair nicely with lighter fare like a salad or fruit plate.

Fun fact: Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading” and refers to a method of religious reading intended to invite spiritual insights. Although I didn't have any spiritual visions while quaffing this Belgian style brew, I was divinely impressed by this little known local brewery. I recommend this beer to anyone who likes Belgian style ales or wants to get in on one of Tarpon Springs' delicious hidden gems.

Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to update my beer blog on a more regular basis. Ironically, it has taken me nearly all of January to post ONE. However, my procrastination, visits from extended-stay guests, holiday travels and the passing of my beloved Pa Bob prevented me from feeling particularly motivated until today. (Do not be dismayed, fellow beer afficionados, for there will be plenty of exciting and tasty reviews for 2010.) This entry is a month overdue, yet the deliciousness of the beer mandates that I post this review anyway.

My friend Melissa loves the holidays, and Christmas especially. I love beers, especially holiday and special release beers, so it only made sense that we put on a holiday beer tasting in December to get us in the Christmas spirit. Between the two of us, we found 6 holiday beers to try. We agreed to taste them all and then I would write a review on our favorite--which was hands down Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale. The first candidate was Blue Moon Brewing Company's Full Moon Winter Ale which was a decent and well balanced beer with a sweet finish. The second was Samuel Adam's Winter Lager which had the cinnamon and nutmeg spices we were craving in a holiday brew. The third we tried was the Alaskan Winter Lager, which had a crisp taste and refreshing minty finish. (This was our second favorite by a landslide.) Rounding out the middle of our tasting we had the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale--we found it to be a celebration of hops more than a holiday ale in this case. Finally, the last beer we tried was Delirium's Noel, which was hoppy and had a warming effect that lasted all the way down. While each beer offered us something special and delicious, Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale (candidate number 5) was truly unique and outstanding.

Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale

Appearance: Coca-Cola colored and extremely dark, unfiltered and opaque with healthy amounts of tan/sand colored thick foamy head

Aroma: Sweet with hints of citrus, dates and cocoa (it actually smelled like Nesquik mix!)

Taste: Very much like a chocolate soda in terms of sweetness but with slightly less carbonation. It had a malty, sugary cocoa start with a light mouthfeel that gave way to a lemony zest that grabbed the sides of your tongue. It was one-of-a-kind and unlike any other beer I have tried before.

Alcohol: a surprisingly undetectable 9.2%

I have always heard that Trader Joe's is a mecca for delicious and affordable beers but I had never gotten the chance to personally test that claim. Upon reading the sleek and simple black label, I was impressed to learn that Trader Joe's had collaborated with Unibroue, a Canadian brewery that specializes in Belgian strong ales (See review of 31 August 2009). Trader Joe's offers a limited release vintage ale that changes its style every year, much like my beloved Allagash Fluxus, so get the 2009 while you can! This particular vintage ale has bits of live yeast in it, (also known as "lees") so while it can be enjoyed immediately, the beer will become more complex and mature over time. I highly recommend this ale to anyone with an adventurous palate who is looking for something different. While we found the 2009's warm cocoa flavors and spice to embody our definition of the perfect holiday beer, anyone who likes dark ales and Belgian strong ales could easily fall in love with Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale--and at $5 for a 1 pint 9 oz bottle, you can't afford not to try it. The woman in front of us at Trader Joe's literally bought 20 bottles of the 2009 Vintage Ale, and after tasting it myself, I see why!

Fireman's Brew Brewnette

Winter has finally arrived in Southern California and as the temperatures drop, I find myself seeking a heartier brew to take the chill off my bones. Ironically, I discovered the Fireman's Brew Brewnette over the summer at the Septemberfest Beer Festival held at Paramount Studios. I'll be honest, what originally caught my eye was not the creative nomenclature, but rather the shirtless guys wearing firefighter helmets and suspenders passing out free samples. Bingo!

David Johnson (pictured above) was exceptionally knowledgeable and excited about the Fireman's Brew, and explained that the company was started by two Los Angeles firefighters looking for something tasty to quench their thirst after battling extreme heat all day. The Fireman's Brewing Company offers three different types of "off-duty" drinks--a Blonde, a Brewnette, and a Redhead. I tasted and enjoyed all three, but the Brewnette's smooth taste yet surprisingly high alcohol percentage made it a standout favorite.

Fireman's Brew: Brewnette

The Fireman's Brew Brewnette is a German-style Dopplebock, a style of lager known for being dark and malty with a generally high percentage of alcohol.

Appearance: Rich, dark espresso color that pours clear and crisp with a decent amount of khaki-colored head that dissipated after a minute, but left a little lacing on the glass

Aroma: Inviting hints of cocoa, coffee and toasted malt

Taste: Smooth and nicely carbonated with a nutty flavor at the beginning, suggestion of caramel in the middle and a light, coffee finish

Alcohol: 10.8%

When I first tried the Brewnette, I couldn't believe it was nearly 11% alcohol. In fact, the taste is so sweet and smooth that you wouldn't know the alcohol percentage is so high without looking at the bottle. It is a bit dangerous in the sense that it is delicious enough to be a session beer, but proceed with caution. While the Brewnette could easily be enjoyed by itself, its strong flavor profile would pair nicely with BBQ or other hearty foods.

The Fireman's Brewing Company boasts big flavor along with a big heart. In addition to brewing tasty beers, they also like to give back. Every year, the Fireman's Brewing Company donates 5% of their profits to the National Firefighters Foundation, which provides economic relief to the families of fallen firefighters. So now you can feel good about quaffing down any Fireman's brew--and that's something to celebrate!

For more information check out their website at http://www.firemansbrew.com

Tenaya Creek Brewery Experience

For the Beer Babe, no trip to another city would be complete without getting a taste of the local brews, so when I went to Las Vegas last week I was determined to tour a local microbrewery. Lucky for me the Tenaya Creek Brewery was just a few miles outside of "the strip" and featured 10 original beers crafted by a family born and raised in Las Vegas. The Tenaya Creek Brewery, founded by Tim Etter (pictured above) in 1999, is the only one of its kind and has been family owned and operated for over a decade. Although the Tenaya Creek Brewery itself is a smaller operation, their kegs are on tap at many popular Vegas hotels such as the Bellagio and the Wynn. The goal of the brewery is to offer a wide selection of unique beers to the myriad tastes of the Las Vegas market, offering four core beers and five seasonal beers. Anthony Gibson, longtime friend of Tim Etter and Head Brewmaster at Tenaya Creek for 10 years said, "We aim to change people's perception of what beer is and what it can be." Gibson (pictured below) personally gave me an informative and interactive tour of the entire Tenaya Creek Brewery--from where the malt and barley are kept to the boiling kettles to the keg room where the finished brews are chilled. I even got to taste their hefeweizen straight from the 620 gallon fermentation tank itself! Gibson taught me a lot about the intricacies of the brewing process from the importance of sanitation to "sparging"--a term that refers to the addition of water to extract fermentable sugars from the grain. I also learned a lot more about the hop flower--one of the four key ingredients integral to brewing beer. There are nearly 50 varieties of hops, with certain species being used for flavor and others being used for aroma. Even though I am a wheat beer afficionado, Gibson was so descriptive and enthusiastic about their hops that I was inspired to try the Tenaya Creek Brewery's hoppiest beer of all.

Tenaya Creek Brewery's Monsoon Double IPA

Appearance: A clear, deep golden hue with moderate bubbly white head that left light lacing on the glass

Aroma: Great floral hop nose with hints of pine and grapefruit

Taste: Very approachable for a double IPA, well balanced start with a malty beginning, decent carbonation and a dry, citrus bite of hops at the finish

Alcohol: 7.6%

I decided to explore outside of my palate's preferred realm of white ales and go for a big IPA after hearing that the owner himself had grown the Mt. Hood and Cascade hops used in brewing the Monsoon Double IPA. I was able to sample the majority of the Tenaya Creek brews, but I chose to write my review on the Monsoon Double IPA because I felt it exemplified the TCB team's dedication, expertise and passion for beer during all stages of the brewing process. It is a tasty beer that has the complexity and balance of a double IPA with the approachability of a traditional IPA. I recommend pairing the Monsoon Double IPA with spicy foods like curry or Creole cuisine because the hops are strong enough to stand up to the fiery flavor. The Monsoon Double IPA is a well balanced brew and straddles the fine line between giving hop heads what the flavor they crave without overdoing it.

Even though the Tenaya Creek Brewery brought home a gold medal from the 2002 Great American Beer Festival, both Etter and Gibson were incredibly humble and complimentary of other breweries and stated, "We're not better, we're equal." Among a strong appreciation for quality ingredients and the brewing craft itself, the Tenaya Creek Brewery prides themselves on their passion for all things beer. Gibson says, "The fun part is the creativity. We are extremely dedicated to our craft and the reward is being able to see people enjoying what we've been working on." Both Tim Etter and Anthony Gibson were extremely gracious and erudite, so the next time you are in the Las Vegas area, I highly recommend stopping by the Tenaya Creek Brewery for some delicious beers and a tour, straight from the experts. For more information check out their website http://www.tenayacreekbrewery.com

Weihenstephaner Vitus

On Saturday, November 7th, I was lucky enough to attend the much anticipated Big 100 Gourmet Beer Tasting in downtown Burbank. There were only 100 people in attendance--all of them beer enthusiasts, all of them thirsty. The impressive roster boasted over 100 breweries from all over the world. Countries as far as Belgium, Germany and Japan were represented, along with a few local breweries right here in California. When I ask people which countries are known for brewing high quality beer, most tend to answer with Belgium or Germany. I personally am obsessed with Belgian beers, so I would say Belgium before the question was over. I knew Germany is another huge name in beer--with their Oktoberfest and the German Beer Purity Law--but I had never experienced a German beer that delighted my palate in the same way select Belgian brews had. That is, until Weihenstephaner's Vitus.

Weihenstephaner Vitus

Weihenstephaner is the oldest brewery in the world and was founded in 1040. That means the brewers have had nearly 900 years to hone and perfect their beer making process. I have tried five of the Weihenstephaner brews, and all of them are amazing. The Vitus embodies the apex of their talents and is truly a spectacular example of the pride Germans take in their brews.

Tim Lynch, the witty and knowledgeable representative for the brewery, aptly described the Vitus as a "hefeweizen on steroids." It has all the characteristics of a classic hefeweizen, except everything has been amped up--more flavor and higher alcohol percentage.

Appearance: Similar to a classic hefeweizen, it is honey colored, cloudy and unfiltered with healthy amounts of thick, white head

Aroma: Strong banana nose with spices like cloves and just a hint of yeast and biscuits

Taste: True to the nose with a fantastic banana flavor at the start, a citrus/lemon bite in the middle and a very mellow finish. It has decent carbonation and is smooth and sweet.

Alcohol: 7.7%

I highly recommend this beer to anyone who wants to taste the type of beer that put Germany at the center of the beer brewing universe. It is a phenomenal brew from a well respected brewery whose legacy spans over nine centuries, yet it's very affordable. A pint costs only $3 and can be found at most liquor stores with a decent beer selection. I think it would pair well with light fare like a salad, but it could easily be enjoyed by itself. Cheers to you Germany, or should I say, Anfeuerungen, for introducing me to this delicious Hercules of hefeweizens.