Reunited and it feels so......ugh

JW Dundee's Original Honey Brown
4.5% ABV 10 IBU

The last time JW Dundee's Honey Brown passed by my lips it was going the wrong way and was likely accompanied by UNH dining hall chow. That was 11 years ago. To us, reaching for a bottle of this was reaching for the top shelf of affordable micro brews. It was our secret handshake into the arcane world of the beer snob. Ok, maybe it was just me that thought that, what the hell did I know, as long as it filled the beirut cups I was happy.

Drinking this coppery lager tonight takes me back to my early college days. Honestly though, it reminds me most of that dull nausea that portends imminent hurl. Of course, that's a fair sampling of how I went through my freshman year feeling.

I really don't know what else to say about this beer. It's not horrible, but I think I'll let another 11 years pass before I try it again. I could probably use some boozy memories of my youthful indiscretions by then anyway.

A Wee Heavy

Smuttynose Scotch Ale, from the Smuttynose Big Beer Series, 7.8% ABV

A big beer indeed, in spite of the Scottish nickname for this style: "Wee Heavy." Scotch Ale, not to be confused with Scottish Ales, are characterized by sweetness, pronounced maltiness and very little hop bitterness and aroma. Since Scotland isn't as well suited for the growing of hops as their southern neighbor, hops were never a major feature of this style, or many other Scottish beers. Scottish beer was often bittered using various herbs and spices. Now that hops are widely and relatively cheaply available, we don't have to drink our Scotch ale through a mess of twigs and leaves. I've had some very sweet Scotch ales in the past; overbearing and cloying sweetness, but this beer is pretty well balanced. In the glass it features a deep amber color with little head and the aroma of caramel. Long boiling time leads to a caramelization of the wort which greatly deepens the color, drives up the starting gravity and delivers that caramel character. Eat a salty snack with this to cut the sweetness. This beer is a bruiser at nearly 8% ABV. I'm halfway through my first glass and my cheeks are already red. I have one more beer to review tonight and I'm not sure I'm going to make it. And yet I press on because I suffer for my art.

Gritty's Halloween Ale 6% ABV

It's a little late to talk about this beer, but it's arguably one of the best seasonal brews of New England. Billed as an extra special bitter, this gem is nice and malty according to style and features a nice British hop finish that doesn't confuse itself with an IPA. I prefer this one on draught, but it's great out of the bottle too. Pour it into a nice imperial pint glass and let it warm up a bit before you put it to your lips. This one definitely belongs in the cooler at hunting camp. Cheers.

Real Ale

My precious, soon it will be mine. This is an Angram beer engine. According to CAMRA, this is the only way to serve real ale, besides pouring it straight from the cask. Rather than the beer being forced out of the keg with CO2, the beer engine is a standard pump which pulls it from the cask. The links above explain why not using CO2 is necessary for serving real ale.

Real ale served out of a cask is by far my favorite. This may be colored slightly by my visit to England in 2002, but I don't think my memory of it has been enhanced by nostalgia for the trip. I've had decent real ale here in the states, but it isn't always cared for properly. It takes quite a bit of skill and experience to store and serve it and outside of England, it's probably difficult to find the appropriate training. Especially so, given its limited appeal in the States. Case in point, I got a pint of Old Thumper cask ale at the Strange Brew tavern last night and it had turned into malt vinegar. The cask had not been drunk fast enough and so acetobacter had time to take hold. That can't be good for promoting the joys of real ale.

Real ale is a bit warmer and less carbonated than what we're used to, but that is what makes it so flavorful. Your tongue isn't assaulted by fizziness and ice cold temperatures. All that's left is the beer. When it's served from the beer engine or any other draught system in England, law states that the glass must be filled to the very top. To do this requires several pulls of the handle, and to do it in a reasonable amount of time, much of the resulting foam is forced out by continuing to fill the glass to overflowing. The result is creamy foam cascading down the side of the glass, making the sides delightfully sticky. It takes a bit longer, and at the end of the day a lot of beer is wasted, but it's worth it.

So anyway, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered one of these bad boys with which to serve my homebrew. Since my trip to England, I've been trying to recreate some of the beers I've had there with varying success. Admittedly this device won't necessarily help me with that, but at least I can have a decent real ale anytime I want.

Smuttynose IPA ~5.5? ABV 65 IBU

This is a great beer. I remember a number of years ago when they were first working on it at the Portsmouth Brewery brew pub. It was so hoppy you could smell it before the waitress put the beer on the table. This is a pretty strong beer, I think it's at least 5.5, but I couldn't verify this on their website. In addition to being strong, it's also very drinkable, which is a deadly combination. I've been shot down by many a brewery waitress thanks to the sloppy mess into which this concoction transforms me. As a result it has cost me a quid or two in compensatory tips for their exceptional handling of my drunkenly amorous advances. The brewpub in downtown Portsmouth usually has it on cask, which is a real treat. I recommend this beer, just watch the intake.

Introduction

Beer is fantastic. It's delicious, comforting, pain-relieving and easily made at home. I plan to use this blog to discuss beers I'm brewing, beers I drink and where I drink them. Beer is best enjoyed in moderation, but I've been known to occasionally yield to the temptations of over indulgence. As such, I'm sure some of my postings will walk the line between coherence and drunken rambling.