Rogue: Mocha Porter

Again I find myself with a Rogue beer that has been on my "must try" list for quite some time now. This brewery has so many enticing, elusive and interesting beers that I always find myself browsing whatever selection they have out at the time before I really look elsewhere. On my quest to find more enlightenment in the world of stouts and porters, I thought a porter from this company was a long overdue tryst.

Look: Earthy, deep and dark almost blackish brown.

Aroma: earthy, molasses, hot chocolate like with the coffee coming through noticeably at the end.

Taste: Deep and solid. Roasted coffee right up front, chocolate in the back, sweet and enticing. Mocha is a flavor that nearly almost always comes through with a porter and this one is almost straight espresso, and oh so delicious. It has a bitterness to it that I enjoy and reminds me so much of a cup of joe that I wonder what it would taste like with a smoke but it's been a year since I've quit so this urge is silenced quickly. A solid 7 out of 10.

A delicious beer once again. This company has yet to disappoint me as a beer enthusiast and I can't imagine that ever happening. A basic porter with a deep, dark secret. I look forward to trying their Double Mocha Porter in the near future.

Breckenridge Brewery: Vanilla Porter

My first impression of this beer came in the form of a good friend picking it up in a mix-a-six at a local craft beer store. Sitting around watching TV one lazy night, he grabbed it, took a sip and paused. I felt him stare at me, holding the bottle in his hand. I glanced over at a bug-eyed man, with a speechless demeanor.
"Duuude. You need to try this!" Was all he could muster. So, when a fellow beer drinker makes this statement, one must indulge. It was a brief encounter straight from the bottle but everything about this first impression gave me great expectations for this beer and the company as a whole.

Appearane/pour: deep brown and silky with an off white head. Decent lacing and the head retains a good presence throughout.

Aroma: As one would imagine by the name, the aroma is sweet and malty. Smells like a flat cream soda with a hint of chocolate. Deep, earthy and slightly nutty, though the obvious aroma present is coming from the vanilla bean used in the brew.

Taste: The initial flavor is that of malted vanilla, sweet like a cream soda and woody. Medium carbonation and the lingering flavor is light and sweet. There is a slight chocolate and vanilla ice cream twist flavor to it but it does not in any way take away from the deep, dark, and malty flavors one looks forward to when drinking a porter.

Overall this beer can be something to everyone but not everything to someone. Traditional porter drinkers who have trouble looking beyond the old school will not enjoy it for it's sweeter flavors but will enjoy it for it's attention to traditional detail when making a porter. This would be a good introduction to not only the porter but the darker world of beers as a whole for someone who has remained in the Bud lime/blue moon world for so long.

What I especially like about this beer is the fact that I can see myself enjoying this on a cold winter night as well as a crisp summer night around a fire. Being a big seasonal beer drinker, this is a deal breaker for me. The sweetness overwhelms most of the taste which is a bit much for me but oddly enough I enjoy it. When I look for sweetness in a beer, I like it to come naturally as a result of the alcohol rather than added flavor but this combination works much like a lot of chocolate stouts or porters I've enjoyed.

This beer gets an 8 out of 10. The beer is solid, delicious and true to the style. Craft beer is as much about experimentation as it is retaining a true beer flavor as well as paying homage to the dedication that went into perfecting what has worked for centuries. I feel like a lot of commercial beer drinkers turn their nose up at flavored ales but if it weren't for taking chances, the original styles may not even exist. Look for more from this brewery as I will be keeping up with them often.

Shipyard Pugsley's Signature Series: Imperial Porter

 Imperial (adj): of superior or unusual size or excellence.

I feel as though from my perspective, that stouts were like the younger sibling of the porter and garnered all of the attention, even that of yours truly. I was a stout fan before I even knew the porter existed so that goes to show you just how much of a stranglehold the stout has had on the beer world. The porter has taken somewhat of a back seat to the stout because there is no doubt that Guinness has made the stout a household name and no company has yet to do that with a porter, even though almost every brewery across America makes them and many of them are delicious. I however, in the past couple years as a beer drinker, have begun to appreciate the subtle differences between the two similar styles and have found myself torn when it comes to picking my favorite. When it comes down to it though, it all has to do with which brewery is doing it and what they're trying to accomplish. 

We start off this porter filled weekend with a release from the Shipyard family of ales out of Portland, Maine. Their Imperial Porter from the Pugsley Signature Series which includes a delicious IPA, a Barleywine and their famed Smashed Pumpkin seems like a good way to kick off the weekend as this has been one of my favorite breweries since the words 'craft beer' entered my vocabulary. 

Appearance/look: Black with a thick off white head that dissipates after a short period of time though remains in some form throughout the beer. Dark coffee look to it that allows for absolutely no light to penetrate (I'm not kidding here).

Aroma: Subtle yet sweet and fruity, subtle being the key word here. Most porters seem to have that low key aroma to them such as light toffee, and a hint of chocolate, no real alcohol smell comes through which I find surprising considering it's an imperial but at 7.1% ABV it is lower on the totem pole of imperials. There is however a slight hint of hazelnut at the end but I feel as though the carbonation of this beer takes over the the smell a bit.

Taste: Malty and full of carbonation. Most of the flavor notes come through during the after taste which consists of the aforementioned hazelnut and chocolate but again, the carbonation seems to take over on this beer. The flavor is there as a porter and the mouth feel is chocolaty, malty and very tasty but not what I've experienced with porters in the past. It is slightly sweet at the beginning and finishes dry and clean.

Overall, not a bad beer by any means. The flavor was there, the subtle aromas were there; for a regular porter. I expected more from an imperial; big flavor, big aroma, big punch and yet this beer delivered a more basic flavor, basic aroma and a basic punch. I have enjoyed regular porters that have packed more distinct flavor and aromas into them. I find this particular fact surprising considering that Shipyard has been known for being at the top of their game when it comes to replicating true English style ales.

The word imperial, as stated at the start of this review implies that the beer will stand above the rest, that it will offer something that you would not find in a regular beer of whatever style it is building upon. Unfortunately with this Imperial Porter, the style is there, but is not enhanced. I give this beer a 5 out of 10. It met its mark as a porter, there is no doubting that, but the amount of carbonation and lack of solid flavor and aroma does not put it into the realm of imperials in my book.

Beer reviews are just like any other form of media; full of opinion with many of them being wrong or just plain silly. I am not a licensed professional and there are no titles given out to best beer reviewer. Reviewing a beer is like listening to a song; each person finds a certain meaning from it and whatever meaning they find; isn't wrong, it's just a feeling.

I Drink Craft Beer, Therefore I Am.

Just Another Manic Monday

When I began my initial push to become a beer blogger I wasn't surprised when many of my peers jokingly accused me of putting a pseudo professional title on what seemed to them as just an excuse to drink good beer.
First of all, no one needs an excuse to drink good beer. I drink craft beer, therefore I am. Many of them hadn't realized that deep within the recesses of the online community existed this large network of geeks and enthusiasts who devoted a good portion of their time to attending craft beer events, talking to brewers, sampling various brews and writing about it later. What they also didn't realize was that there was a huge demographic of people who actually care about this stuff. That people actually wanted to read about other people enjoying good beer sounded pretty odd to them.

Now here's where I drop the bomb, what I like to call the "Travel Channel Complex." The inherent desire to vicariously live through other people's travels and subsequent experiences so that we can feel as though we went along for the ride from our couch or computer chair. The reason these food shows and travel networks have become so successful is due to the fact that humans like a good time and we like to watch or read about other people having a good time. The only difference with my sub-genre is that we write about beer and beer culture; which is always a good time.

For years, I have been labeled a beer snob, a beer geek, a beer connoisseur etc. Many of these labels I wear proudly because I know that unlike many of my peers, I always had the ability to get a six pack of really good beer and have just as good of a time as the guy who bought a 30 rack of Keystone Lights. The snob label always got me though, because I have also been known to go the Miller High Life or PBR route when out to party. It just seems to be my regular drinking habits that get me that title, which is fine by me.

My friend Nick posed a question during our adventure with Kate the Great on Monday that while easy to answer, got me thinking. He asked our table, "How many alcoholics do you think are here?"
I answered his question with an almost immediate question which got me thinking about what I along with the hundreds of other people were doing there, "How many alcoholics do you think would wait in line for hours in the cold just to get a few beers?"

Hundreds and hundreds of people lined up to get a taste of this beer, on a Monday morning, when much of the state was working. So sure, on the surface, this may seem like a convention of booze hounds who all took the day off to drink, hell, we were even called losers by some of the garbage men driving by at one point. But as I said, alcoholics wouldn't wait in line for beer, and most of the people in the craft beer scene swear by moderation and of course enjoyment of their chosen beverage rather than the outcome; though the latter part is always an added bonus.

Craft beer isn't about getting messed up, it isn't about seeing how many you can pound or how blacked out you can get so that when you wake up, your buddies are telling you about how you pulled your pants down on main street and started a fight with a guy twice your size. Craft beer is about savoring the fruits of one's labor and enjoying it with some close friends and having a good time. What I have found so far is that the scene is full of people who realize that life can be stressful and if you don't stop to smell the hops once in a while, it's going to bring you down with it.

The goal of my blog, of my ramblings, of my reviews is to help true beer lovers realize that if they truly love beer, that they should get out there and take in the culture surrounding it. Learn the process and learn what goes into that beer they enjoy so much. If you're not a beer fan and you're just reading my blog due to the complex I mentioned earlier, I want you to realize that there is enough time in your day, in your week and in your life to enjoy the fruits of it all.

Get out with some friends, travel and make a few new ones and seek out good beer wherever you can find it. You never know what surprises lie ahead.

Cheers!

Beer Enlightenment Chapter One: Misty Seacoast Hops

The alarm goes off at a crisp 6 in the morning, I am lost in my own body and have trouble remembering why I set it so early on my day off. Then it dawns on me, "oh yeah beer...right." Not just any beer, I remind myself, the apparent mecca of brews for beer geeks and beer lovers not only all over New England but apparently as far as Maryland and Florida. I am talking of course about Kate the Great. A strong Russian Imperial Stout brewed once a year at the Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth, NH. A new discovery for me in my first real week as a beer blogger, talk about timing.

What makes American craft beer so great? Is it the people surrounding it and the people within it's culture? It is a mission of discovery, curiosity, and pleasure in the most primal of ways. When we imbibe we most certainly always want something that not only is full of surprises but seduces the palate and leaves us grinning ear to ear. So what makes craft beer so especially great in New England? That is an entirely different story in itself and this my friends, is only a chapter in that story of which there is no end in sight.

When I made the final ambitious move two weeks ago on a career path that has been brewing (pun definitely intended), one way or another throughout college and in recent years to make beer my muse once and for all, I had no clue that I would become enlightened so soon. Seems far too deep when regarding beer right? Yeah, I'm pretty poetic but this is truth, simple and plain.

Where does someone find inspiration when writing about despair? Women mostly, but what happens when the writer opts to write about joy? He finds comfort in simplicity and this breeds happiness, true pleasure. Joy so great, people will wait almost twelve hours in line for a taste of it...literally.

The truth is, New Englanders love their beer. With every season giving us the perfect opportunity to gather and celebrate, it is our given privilege to do so. So when we're told that a locally crafted beer that has been ranked as the second best beer in America is available only one day a year and when it's gone it's gone till the next, oh we will gather and we're sure as hell going to celebrate rain or shine.

Waking up for beer isn't as easy as one might think. It requires dedication, fortitude and an ability to put your pants on correctly before you head out the door. I could have shut the alarm off and slept, and the thought crossed my mind, but passion breeds unguarded enthusiasm and I rose like a...well let's just say I made it out of bed intact.

No time for coffee, I'll stop at a Dunkin's on the way. How else would a small town New Hampshire guy get going before drinking at noon? I arrive at my good friend and trusty photographer Nick's house where he appears to be as bright and chipper as one can possibly be at 8 am. Beer is exciting after all and how often is it that one of your friends invites you along to sample some of the best with him for professional purposes. Yeah, I'd want to hang out with me too if I didn't already do it 24/7.

All ego aside, It is nice to have him along. He is my wandering eyes when I merely listen and observe, so we make quite the team in our Boondock Saints-esque nearly matching pea coats (not planned just overall good style) and minimalist equipment. After a few hairy trips to the seacoast on 95, I opt for the more scenic path instead and hop bomb down route 4. There is a heavy fog lifting off of Northwood Lake and the surrounding hills, giving us an eerie backdrop to the cinema about to unravel.

Portsmouth seems slow driving in, not much activity on the damp, foggy streets. That is until we approach the golden frothy mug, which is far better than golden arches and see the patient rain soaked masses stretched around the block and then some, eagerly waiting for their open sesame on Market Street. After we find a parking spot along a side street a few blocks away with a two hour limit, we make our way to the brewery, which is much easier to find in the sunlight compared to our last excursion here. 'Only two hours till the tapping? I'm getting a ticket for sure,' I think to myself.

Upon approaching the brewery, the crowd seems quite larger than it had from the car. It's almost as though the beer is a celebrity in itself, and people seem to be keeping busy with conversation, football, breakfast and cigars from a nearby shop. After getting a few shots of the early morning abiders, we take our spot in line as we are not well known enough to push our way inside with press badges. Yet being amongst the crowd reminds me why we're here...beer.

We are not here for recognition, though we receive some small notice from familiar faces once inside. We are here for the beer, we are here to immerse ourselves in the culture surrounding it, and the culture is the people who wait as early as midnight to be the first in line and the culture is the people who walk up and take the last spot in line with no idea how long they will be there but they wait anyway. The culture is the people who take this day off just to be there, just for a taste of something they know they'll have to wait another year for when it's over. Is that the power of craft beer? I'll let you know when I figure that out but I'd be hard pressed to say it isn't a huge part of it.

After almost two hours in line, I see a sudden urge of movement ahead, much like a herd of sheep we slowly trample our way to the door. The crowd begins becoming more lively and colorful and new friends begin popping out of nowhere as jokes are told and a few smart ass remarks bring us closer together as the anticipation builds. Confusion sets in as we approach the door, will they be able to take us before the group behind us, they can seat a 5 and a 4 top (business lingo for a party of aforementioned numbers) but not a 2 and a 7. Quite the dilemma but as I mentioned, the people are what make the scene, so we choose to group up with 3 of our fellow beer companions while the rest of their party is sat elsewhere. Sacrifices will be made in the name of beer.

Our new line friends, Brian, Greg and Chris mirror our excitement for Kate and after we blow through the introductions we get down to beer. These are some seasoned Kate the Great veterans and they drop a little history on us about their rendezvous with Kate's of the past. I've been told that she changes every year, that she's never the same even though the recipe itself stays the same and I begin wondering if I may have missed out on something years prior. Oh well I am here now and there is "research" to be done.

Our adorably witty waitress rightfully assumes we want a round of Kate's, as if we were here for the free toast points and butter, which are pretty fantastic by the way. After a mere five minutes of listening to everyone around us enjoy their stouts, our round arrives. Like giddy school children we jump to attention like Christmas morning and smile at one another as if to say 'our time has come.'

The details of my tryst with Kate can be found in my review but on a more philosophical note I will delve into where good, special craft beer brings me and the rest of the hopped up population of beer freaks mentally, and how we may have reached enlightenment at some point in our travels...beer nirvana if you will. Any beer will make you drunk if you have enough, but you will rarely reach an inner, peaceful understanding of who you are and what your role is in the scheme of things by downing a few Schlitz. Most likely you'll end up where we've all been at some point; stumbling around making pizza bites at 2 am and watching Family Guy.

No, beer enlightenment is reached when one beer, one specially made craft beer can make you sit back for a moment, take it in and let it seduce your thoughts. You forget about the clutter surrounding you, and reach deep within yourself to commit to the enjoyment and the experience. Have I reached this point with other beers? Of course I have. It is what keeps me coming back, it is what keeps me taking risks and submerging myself into it's world and jumping out of mine. But the Portsmouth Brewery is onto something when they offer this annual brew because when you're in the presence of a beer that, unless you won a bottle, won't be available until the following year, you take extra care to let it control you. Kate the Great, as it's name implies, has the allure and personality of a beautiful woman and I enjoy her as such.

I pick up on the subtle nuances, the specialty flavors, the care and dedication a few people took to make this one experience for me enjoyable. When you can taste all of these things; the people, the area, the craftsmanship, the passion, the dedication and the excitement all in one sip of a beer, that my friends is beer enlightenment.

My enlightenment was not only found in this special beer, but in coming to peace with the fact that this moment in time sums up perfectly what I choose to do as a profession even if the pay is slim to none. It defines why we beer lovers travel, why we anticipate special releases and most importantly, why we choose craft beer over the rest. Craft beer isn't just something you should buy at a store at the recommendation of a friend, it's something you should seek out, take in the area from which it was born, get to know it's people, it's creators and I guarantee you will never look at beer the same way again.

Have I reached the mountain top yet? There is no doubt that I have not, but I know this; I have a lifetime of catching up to do and I look forward to taking you all along with me in my travels to find peace within beer. It is my hope, that you too will seek out your own beer enlightenment and never look back...(to be continued, but never finished).

Be sure to check out my review of Kate the Great here...Official Review.

Review- Kate the Great (Russian Imperial Stout) 2011: The Portsmouth Brewery.

After roughly 2 hours in line, standing in the cold, yet with child like exuberance for a beer that has existed merely as legend in my experience, I had high expectations. Kate was my muse and she was on her pedestal awaiting my arrival, at least that's how I felt anyway. Wait, she's seeing hundreds of other people? Men and women? What have I gotten myself into? Stouts warm the bones, they seduce the passionate side of beer lovers in that they exist as the fine chocolates in our world and we will flock to them with unadulterated determination to search out the one that challenges us, that makes our taste buds sing and our soul happy to be where we are with whoever we're there with.

Once Kate was placed in front of me, I felt like I was in for something special upon first sight. Slightly cool to the touch, she had a warm deep brown almost black color with a decent sized head, good light brown color and excellent lacing. Looked almost like a large shot of chocolate espresso.

We each take our time breathing in her vapors. Thick with rich chocolate overtones, earthy roasted malt aromas with a back drop of sweet fruit. Fine wine, with a deep woody smell. Complex.

After a toast we dive in, taking in every moment till it touches our lips and we close our eyes to let the real judge do the work. It's a silky smooth ride of rich coffee, molasses and malt. There are rich flavors of raisin, plum and port wine. The alcohol is present but even at 12%ABV, you still know you have a stout in your hands. There is a chocolate lacing that covers the tongue and it feels as though we are drinking a dessert. As the beer warms a little, it takes on a much more pronounced sweetness, like that of chocolate covered raisins, only worlds away from the store bought kind. It has a smooth and dry finish and you feel like you could easily pound down one after another but this beer is too special to rush. However when I'm done the first, I instinctively say yes when asked if I want another round. A decision I do not regret in the least and it's just as good as the first.

Kate showing her gratitude.

Now you may be asking yourself (though if you're a fellow beer snob you aren't), was it worth all of the hype? Was it worth waiting in line in the cold for two hours just for two beers? Well along with the experience of being a part of something so huge (which I will talk about in my next blog) the answer is yes! This beer was big and it was everything I could have imagined it to be. I guess it would be like one of those crazies finding Bigfoot for the first time and playing a game of basketball with him. I found Kate the Great and danced with her for a little while.

It lived up to every reason beer lovers flock to where they can find a good beer. To me it was a mythical beer, one I had always heard about but never found. That's right, I had found my 10. This beer was perfect in every way a beer could be, at least for a stout and it is impossible to find any criticism for it even in my cynical brain. I have heard that every year she changes her make up even with the same recipe and everyone has their opinions on her, so all we can do its wait with bated breath till next year.

Official Declaration: March is Stout Awareness Month!

March: a month almost always associated with the one holiday that promotes drinking a few pints of Guinness at 9 in the morning. I am talking of course about St. Patrick's Day (as if you needed a hint) and in honor of the end of winter and this sacred catholic holiday turned American green beer fest as well as the release of Kate the Great tomorrow at the Portsmouth Brewery, I have opted to focus on one of my favorite styles of beer and declare March Stout Awareness Month!

For the remainder of the month, I will be featuring reviews on various stouts from some of my favorite breweries as well as some untapped territory. I will do my best to focus on various styles within this realm including some porters as well. 

Every month has it's cause, why not give the stout it's due. As if you needed another reason to enjoy this delicious style of beer, why not make it official. So tell your friends and spread the stout!

Rogue: Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout

Rogue is one of those breweries that I am not afraid to admit I am very biased with. I have had so few bad experiences (almost none) with their beer that I now always go into every new experience with them with the full belief that I will enjoy it. After making the decision to officially declare the month of March, Stout awareness month here at A Beer With Bergie, choosing their Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout was an obvious choice.

Appearance: Pours a deep brown and once settled becomes a rich black with a light brown head that remains throughout. Not only typical of oatmeal stouts but with Rogue beers in general, the head retains a solid presence throughout the entire beer...delicious looking.

Aroma: Roasted nuts with a hint of coffee. Hearty but pretty subtle as well. Some chocolate near the end. Dense aroma throughout but also hard to pick up due to the deepness of the brew.

Flavor: The initial flavor notes are bitter roasted coffee, earthy and hearty. Sits on the tongue like chocolate during the after taste. A bit more bitter than most oatmeal stouts that I've enjoyed which isn't bad, just surprising. Many of Rogues beers tend to have that stronger hop flavor to them anyway so it is still very enjoyable since they obviously know what they're doing.

The Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout from Rogue Ales has everything one could want from this style of beer. It is dark, rich and full of flavor. Though this particular oatmeal stout is a bit more bitter than I am used to, that does not take away the fact that this is yet another delicious offering from this great brewery. It would be perfect as a night cap or as a good companion to a steak dinner. The earthiness of this beer makes it a good addition to a cold winter night. An 8 out of 10 for this 6.8% ABV beer.

What I dig about Rogue is how DIY they have been throughout the years. From growing their own hops and barley, using local fresh water and minimal ingredients without preservatives or any additives, they are at the forefront of the craft beer revolution. Choosing to take matters into their own hands, they are ensuring the quality of their beer is consistent and it shows. They are not afraid to take risks when it comes to flavor profiles but they also know when to keep it simple and make a good beer. Be on the look out for more reviews on Rogue Ales in the near future.

Smuttynose Big Beer Series: Barleywine Style Ale

Barleywines are a tricky bunch when it comes to my taste buds. As you may have been able to tell up to this point, I am a big dark, strong beer fan. Beers with more fruity tasting notes are typically not my thing and I have had some bad experiences with barley wines. That being said, as a skeptic I dive into a barleywine by what is admittedly one of my favorite breweries; Smuttynose. I take this big boy out of the fridge for a good 10-15 minutes to let it settle to a decently cool, yet still room temperature. Enough to give it some more life.

Initial pour: The beer is a deep mahogany, with hints of rich red and orange. Once the head forms, it is a rich, blinding white that disappears completely near finishing. This beer is curious as it has many different personalities even on first sight. Once it settles the bottom layer remains a brilliant, dark orange. Then right above a deep brownish red forms and this menage e' trois is polished off by a light to medium bourbon style brown. The mahogany comes once the beer has been sipped and is allowed to mix correctly. There is a fine sediment of yeast at the bottom of the pour that gives the style a much more earthy, natural look. 

Aroma: Confusing. Well no really but in a good way. As a beer reviewer I guess this issue creates a problem in that I have a hard time figuring out what arena it lies more in. The fruity or the boozy? Don't take that term the wrong way. I am whiskey and scotch drinker so that aroma never deters me but I am legitimately confused. There are orange, spice, banana, peach and alcohol. It is almost whiskey like in that the alcohol present in the brew gives it that sweet almost smokey presence. The warmer the beer gets the more it takes on hints of toffee and caramel. Towards the end it becomes a straight sweet, bright, fruity alcohol smell.

Taste: As the name implies, many barelywines have a typical wine like flavor as far as the alcohol goes. This one is more booze like than what I have read, which I like as a skeptic. It is citrusy like a fine orange cognac and mellow like a brown ale. It rushes nice across the palate with a smooth finish and has a raisin like sweetness to the end. 

All around an enjoyable beer. At roughly 11-11.5% ABV this is best enjoyed with a friend as I am most certainly a bit fuzzy at the end of this bottle. Beers such as this are the reason wine people are beginning to take notice of the scene as there is no need to continue drinking once done a barleywine and Smuttynose's offering stands no different. My only complaint with this beer would have to be my biggest compliment as well in that the aroma is hard to develop. It means the beer has taken on it's own identity and does not focus on just one flavor or aroma profile. I followed the suggestion of the bottle and paired this beer with a sharp cheddar cheese and roasted tomato cracker which added a mellow and sweet complexity to the beer when sipped afterwards. 

Out of 10 points, 1 being about as tasty as a Bud Select and a 10 being yet to be determined ;) I'd say the Barleywine from Smuttynose hits about a 7.5-8. I was not disappointed in the least. Thoroughly enjoyed the appearance, aroma and overall taste of the beer, but I guess barleywines are still not my top thing. I enjoy big beers I can drink alone at times and still feel functional, yet at the end of this beer I feel a bit too buzzed to really move around. This is a beer to have with a significant other or friend around a fire, or watching a movie and enjoying conversation. Plan on making a night out of drinking this and only this. Great beer, great execution, much respect and tasty after tones, both physically and mentally. 

Rock Out With Your Stout Out

It's cold, and I mean damn cold. Even for a night in New Hampshire along the seacoast it's cold. We've parked the car in what I'm assuming is a safe and welcome spot in the center of downtown Portsmouth and now the only issue is; where the hell is the bar?! 'Thank god my good friend Lee has a gps on his phone' I think to myself. It should take us there in no time right? How could modern technology let a few beer lovers down?

Well, by leading them down a dark alley way and random back road in the wrong direction for starters. After ten minutes or so of arguing with a computer, we opt for the more journalistic approach (irony is a funny thing) and go the route of human communication to find our destination. Unfortunately for us, three dudes walking the lonely, late night streets of a cold and dark Portsmouth with video equipment approaching a lone female doesn't get the best reception. Beers Gone Wild maybe? Once the adorably perturbed girl realizes we're just cold and thirsty and not looking to take her down the aforementioned alley she points us in the right direction. "It's the building with a giant beer mug on top of it." Makes too much sense.

We're at the Portsmouth Brewery for one thing, beer and not just any beer, we're here for stouts. So after some milling around the front of the building, doing a couple takes of what I hope to be a decent introduction to my vicarious Anthony Bourdainesque vision of a life we head inside to warm our bones.

For those not in the know let me drop some knowledge on you to begin. A stout is a darker beer made from roasted malts such as chocolate malts. They typically have a dryer taste but are smooth with hints of coffee, chocolate and sugar. Stouts date back to the 1700's when English and Irish brewers began making porters, darker beers with the same ingredients that many port workers would enjoy at the pub after a hard day's work. A stout, as the name implies, is a stronger porter, typically higher in alcohol and with a bit more substance. So the lesson of the day is...every stout is a porter but not every porter is a stout. Good job class!

We saunter in, camera equipment in tow. We look important, but the art of illusion is everything and the key is to get the attention and lure the audience in with something they didn't know they needed. Yeah, I paid attention in marketing class. I find Todd Mott, head brewer at the Portsmouth Brewery and he has already been awaiting our arrival which gets me about as giddy as a kid at Disney Land. I make small talk with him for a bit and let him know that I need to get one beer in me before we begin, which of course he understands.

I'm in Portsmouth this whole weekend for one thing and one thing only (well maybe a few other treats along the way, as I'll discuss in another blog) but that one thing is stouts. On tap this particular night is a cask conditioned Imperial Stout from Smuttynose. Cask conditioned is basically referring to the fact that this beer is not having any additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide added to the pour. This has often been referred to as "real ale" and it is not chilled. I find it funny that this has to be put in quotations considering that this was the way everyone drank beer before pasteurization and draught beer.

As I said we're here for stouts and stouts we had. After enjoying a delicious oatmeal stout (review available soon after this), I realize that it is time to get on this Imperial and after getting the official recommendation (and permission in my opinion) from Todd himself, I add a quick top off of the oatmeal stout to the Imperial just to add a bit more complexity and carbonation to the beer. The top off is not much, as if it would matter because the Imperial is a blissful punch in the face of stoutness. At what I was told was an estimated 9-10% ABV, this beer was not something to take lightly.

The beer poured a deep, dark black that you could not see through even with a flashlight; my kind of beer! The initial aroma was that of a dark, chocolate licorice, hints of coffee and hearty. The oatmeal stout from Portsmouth Brewery complimented the over all bouquet of the imperial in that it added a more dessert like quality to it. The initial sip brought on a wide range of flavor profiles and tasting notes such as a sweet molasses, creamy chocolate and espresso. The texture was velvet like and at the end of the sip a small but noticeable presence of hops makes itself known. The after taste is that of having just sipped a french roast coffee with a touch of cream, no sugar. This is definitely a sipper's beer as it took me about 15-20 minutes to finish and I do recommend making this a one or two glass beer.

I know what you're thinking, "But Bergie, where can I get some Imperial Stout for myself? That sounds really exclusive and I hate that you write about trying awesome things after they're gone." First of all, hate is a strong word so watch it, and second, this cask conditioned imperial was merely a cask version of an imperial that is just another part of Smuttynose's Big Beer Series. Right now you can still find their Barleywine ale in stores (review up this weekend) but shortly, as I have yet to see it on the shelves at my local store shelf and can not say for certain, their regular Imperial stout will be available to the public.  I recommend Barb's Beer Emporium in Concord or Bert's Better Beers in Hooksett. As for people outside of my local radar, any craft beer store or even some Hannaford's have been known to sell some Smuttynose Big Beers.

Look for reviews up this weekend on the Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale and Portsmouth Brewery's Oatmeal Stout. I will also have some exclusive reviews of a couple rare beers from Smuttynose such as an oak whiskey barrel aged Farmhouse ale and a Utopia barrel aged Baltic Porter that I enjoyed tonight at The Press Room. I will also be posting an exclusive interview with Charlie Ireland from Smuttynose where we will discuss the natural science of barrel aged beers, renegade wild yeast and how sweet his mustache is.

Be sure to check back frequently throughout this weekend into Monday when I will be on location at the tapping of Kate the Great along with the rest of the seacoast. IT WILL BE HUGE!

Cheers from your fearless and always thirsty guide,
Bergie