Brew Review: Good Nature Brewing Inc. Hamilton, NY

Good Nature Brewing is a mom and pop brewery located in Hamilton, New York.  Their taproom is nicely set up and their seven barrel system, produces some good quality beers.

All descriptions can be found here. 
 
Good Natured Blonde 4.5% ABV This beer is golden in color, and has a light malt aroma.  It has a bitter forward flavor with a mild finish.

American Pale Ale 5.5% ABV This beer is amber in color with a lighter aroma.  It is mild forward with a bitter malt finish.

Chamomile Honey Witte 5.5% ABV This beer is unfiltered and straw in color.  It has a light, spicy yet floral aroma, with a slight honey forward flavor and a bitter with a hint of herbiness to finish.

Nor'easter 8.2% ABV  This beer is an Imperial Irish Red Ale made from 90% New York State ingredients.  It is reddish amber in color, with a malt aroma.  It's creamy feeling with a bitter malt forward flavor with a smooth bitter hoppy finish.

Chicory Mocha Porter  5.8% ABV This beer is brown in color with a chocolatey malt aroma, creamy coffee forward, and an herby creamy finish.

Belgian Style IPA 8.0% ABV This beer is amber in color with a floral hop aroma.  It has a citrusy hop forward flavor with a malty hop finish.

Their beers are starting to pop up around Central New York, if you happen to find them, give them a taste.  Otherwise stop by in Hamilton.

Brew Review: Dogfish Head; Milton, DE

Yes, you read that correctly.  Today's blog entry takes you to a sort of American Craft Beer mecca.  Dogfish Head has established itself with it's unique beers.  This tasting experience was a bit different in that, Delaware state law dictates no more than four 2oz samples per person per day.  And if you want to go on the tour, call ahead for a reservation.

As you drive up to the brewery you are greeted by this wonderful sight:

I want one

You can also visit their Brew Pub located in Rehoboth Beach, about a half hour away.  Enough of that, onto the beer!!

Theobroma: 9% ABV / 8 IBU This beer is made with cocao nibs and ancho chilis.  It is golden in color. It has subtle chocolate flavors with a strong start and a slight spice and vanilla finish.

My Antonia: 7.5% ABV This is a continually hopped Imperial Pilsner style lager.  It is golden in color.  It has a hoppy aroma with a mild flavor forward with a hop finish.  Good overall carbonation.

90 Minute IPA  9% ABV This beer is continuously hopped for ninety minutes (hence the name) and then dry hopped daily for two weeks.  It is golden amber in color, and has good head retention.  It has a hoppy aroma with a hop forward flavor.  I could also detect a hint of citrus along with some malt to finish.  A very well balanced beer.

Burton Baton  10% ABV  Forgive the wine term, but this is a bit of a cuvee of an Imperial IPA and an English Old Ale.  It is golden amber in color.  It has a malty aroma with a mild malt forward and a bitter hop finish with a hint of malt.  Its very burbony all around.

And thus concludes the tasting.  I'd say the brewery is worth the visit if you are in the area.  Due to poor planning, I did not partake in the tour, but the tasting room experience was well worth the visit.  I recommend it to anyone.  Cheers!

Brew Review: Offshore Ale Company, Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, MA

The Offshore Ale Company is the sole microbrewery on the island of Martha's Vineyard.  It has a 10 barrel system, with great looking copper kettles and is walking distance from the Oak Bluffs ferry landing.  They do not offer a sampler flight but do sell half pints of their beer.  I tried eight of their offerings and was not disappointed.

Let the review begin!

A growler'll do ya good

East Chop Lighthouse described as:
A MEDAL WINNER, CRISP STRAW-COLORED BREW WITH A SLIGHT MALTINESS AND LOW BITTERNESS. PART OF OUR “PINTS WITH PURPOSE” FUNDRAISING PROGRAM WITH THE COAST GUARD FOUNDATION, A PORTION OF ALL SALES OF EAST CHOP GOLDEN ALE SUPPORT THE COAST GUARD FOUNDATION ENLISTED GRANT FUND. 4.2% ABV / 8 IBU
This beer is indeed straw colored with great head retention.  This is your typical light lager type beer.

Amity Island Ale described as:
GOLDEN COLORED ENGLISH SUMMER ALE WITH A HINT OF FRUITY CHARACTER AND MEDIUM-LOW BITTERNESS.  THE OFFICIAL BEER OF JAWSFEST TRIBUTE 2012 5.2% ABV / 29 IBU
This beer is light gold in color with good head retention.  There is a slight malt with hint of hops aroma, with a hop forward flavor and a mild finish.  I really enjoyed this beer and hope they brew it again.

Offshore Blueberry Ale described as:
A SEASONAL FAVORITE, THIS BEER IS STRAW IN COLOR WITH JUST A HINT OF BLUBERRIES. 4.2% ABV / 8.9 IBU
This beer is straw colored with a strong blueberry aroma and good head retention.  It has a light forward flavor with a slight blueberry finish with a hint of bitterness.

Offshore Amber Ale described as:
OUR FLAGSHIP BREW. LIGHT AMBER IN COLOR, MEDIUM BODIED WIHT HINTS OF CARAMEL & CITRUS ZEST, WITH A PERFECT BALANCE OF MALT AND SUBTLE HOPS.  THIS BEER WAS DESIGNED TO BE VERY APPROACHABLE FOR OUT PATRONS AT THE PUB WHO WERE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE DOMESTIC LAGER STYLE BEERS.  AS A RESULT, THE AMBER ALE OFFERS ATTRACTIVE ALE STYLE FLAVORS, BUT HAS GREAT DRINKABILITY.  5.0% ABV / 25 IBU
This beer is golden amber in color with good head retention.  It has a slight hop aroma, with a hint of malt forward and a bitter hop finish for flavor.

Offshore IPA described as:
THE SECOND PACKAGE RELEASED FROM OFFSHORE HAS DEVELOPED A STRONG FOLLOWING IN THE CRAFT BEER COMMUNITY. OUR VERSION OF THE POPULAR INDIA PALE ALE STYLE IS LIGHT COPPER IN COLOR WITH A BOLD HOP BITTERNESS YET STILL APPROACHABLE, WITH A CRISP FRESHNESS AND BALANCED MALT CHARACTERS.  6.0 % ABV / 60 IBU
This beer is golden amber in color.  It has a hoppy aroma, and hops upon hops with a hint of malt for flavor

Hop Goddess described as:
A LUCIOUS ALE WITH MANY LAYERS, HAZY ORANGE COLOR, GENEROUSLY HOPPED, NOTES OF EARTH, SPICE & MALT SWEETNESS LIKE NO OTHER. 6.9% ABV / 69 IBU
This beer is golden amber in color with a hoppy aroma, but less so than the IPA.  It has an all around bitter hoppy flavor.

Steeprock Stout described as:
ROASTED, SMOOTH AND DELICIOUS WITH A DEEP BLACK COLOR AND AN EASY, DRY FINISH. 4.6% ABV / 29 IBU
This beer is dark brown in color with a roasted malt aroma.  It has a malt forward with a roasted coffee finish.  This beer also has lots of body with a very creamy mouthfeel.

Black & Blue
This is a half and half Steeprock Stout and the Blueberry ale offering a blueberry aroma and a coffee finish.

All in all, this brewery offers a great variety of flavors for every palate.  I would like to come back and try some of the other seasonal offerings.  If you visit the Vineyard, or find their beers on tap, give them a try.

Brew Review: Horseheads Brewing Inc., Horseheads, NY

The next stop on the east coast tour brings us to Horseheads, NY.  Horseheads Brewing is a taproom offering growler fills and some 22oz bottles.  They had eight offerings and all were very well crafted.  One note: The IBUs and ABV differ from those from the website descriptions, I am using the numbers provided on the day of tasting.

Chemung Canal Towpath Ale: Descibed as:

This style of beer is classified as an "English-Style Summer Ale". The focus is on the malts used during the brewing process. Our version of this beer uses malts imported from England. The taste is extremely mild, sweet and refreshing. 22 IBU / 7.1 ABV

Golden in color this beer offers good head retention with a minimal sweet/ bitter forwardness with a malty finish.

Iroquois Wheat Beer:  Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an American Wheat Ale, not to be confused with the German unfiltered version - Hefe Weizen. The focus is on the wheat used during the brewing process. Our version is filtered and slightly "off the beaten path" with a dry "hoppy" finish. 14.9 IBU / 6.4 ABV

Part of the Summer Collection, this beer is light gold in color, with a bitter forward and a slight malty yet mild finish.

Blueberry Ale Described as:

This style of beer is classified in the "Fruit Beer" category. The focus is obviously on the fruit used in the brewing process. We used an over-whelming amount of blueberries for a true blueberry flavor.   15.1 IBU / 6.7 ABV

Part of the Specialty Collection, this beer is golden in color, with a noticeable blueberry aroma, with a hint of blueberry forward and a malt finish.

Pale Expedition Ale: Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an American Pale Ale or APA. The focus is on the hops used during the brewing process. It has a floral aroma and the taste is "hops-infused" with firm bitterness.  40.2 IBU / 6.4 ABV

Amber in color, this beer has a slight malt aroma, with a slight hop/malt forward with a hoppy finish.

Brickyard Red:  Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an American Red Ale. The focus is on the malts used during the brewing process. Our version of this beer uses malt and hops imported from England. The aroma is as mildly sweet as the taste.31.9 IBU / 6.8 ABV

Dark amber in color, this beer has minimal aroma, with a malt forward and hop finish.

Horseheads IPA:  Described as:

This style of beer is classified in the "American India Pale Ale" category. The focus is obviously on the hops used during the brewing process. Our version has a citrus/fruity aroma with a big citrus taste and bitter hop finish.  91.1 IBU / 8.6 ABV

This beer is golden in color, with good head retention.  There is a definite hop aroma, with a citrusy hop forward, a hint of malts in the middle and a hoppy finish.

Black Horse Ale: Described as:

This style of beer is classified as an India-Style Black Ale. The focus is on both the malts and hops used during the brewing process. Our version is a medium body beer with a strong dark roasted malt flavor that finishes with an assertive hop bitterness. The aroma is roasty/citrus.65.1 IBU / 7.4 ABV

Part of the Specialty Collection, this beer is brown in color with a hoppy aroma, with a hop forward and mild finish.  There is just a hint of malt and roastiness throughout.

Hot Jala Heim: Described as:

This style of beer is classified in the "Fruit/Vegetable" category as a "Chili beer". The focus is obviously on the chili peppers used during the brewing process. Our version uses a mix of hot peppers, including jalapenos and anaheims (hence the name...Hot-Jala-Heim). It has a delightful 'peppery' aroma as well as taste with a 'mild' sensation of heat experienced after swallowing.19.2 IBU / 7.3 ABV

This beer is golden in color with a mild aroma, is fairly mild forward with a heated spicy finish.

As a note: my spice tolerance is low, so for this me, this was a very spicy beer, for those of you who regularly enjoy "heat" this beer may be considered quite mild.

All in all, Horseheads offers a little something for everyone.  There are many more beers they offer throughout the year and I think, if you are in the area, or you find them on tap somewhere, grab a pint.  You won't be disappointed.  My favorite of the bunch was the Chemung Canal Towpath Ale.

Cheers

Brew Review: Cave Mountain Brewing Company - Windham, NY

The beer lady took the winter off for no other reason than the fact that she needed money to pad her beer fund.  Now that we are done with that silliness, the summer should prove to be one of variety and exploration, because you may have noticed, I'm on the East Coast!!!

Let's begin:

Cave Mountain Brewing  is located Main St in Windham, NY.  It offers a wide variety of beers despite the system being barely a full barrel.  It is a great locals hangout and offers more than just their craft beer for adult beverage options.  They were also voted to have one of the top ten burgers in the Hudson Valley.

A little something for everyone

The sampler consisted of their six "flagship" beers:

Hefeweizen: Described as: German wheat & pilsner malts blended with wheat beer yeast from Bavaria.  Unfiltered, medium-bodied & sessionable.  Hints of citrus, banana, and clove are traits of a good Hefe 5.1%abv.  I found this beer to beer golden in color, unfiltered, slight floral aroma, citrusy forward with a watery finish.  This is a nice light beer to enjoy for the craft beer novice.

Belgian White: Described as: Unfiltered Belgian-style white ale with orange peel, coriander, czech saaz hops, white wheat & pilsner malts.  5.2%abv.  Very light golden color, unflitered, light aroma, slight bitter forward, hint of tanginess towards the end.

Blueberry Wheat:  Described as: Equal parts wheat & pilsner malts infused with natural blueberry flavor & balanced with czech saaz hops. 4.8%abv.  Golden color, unfiltered, slight blueberry aroma, berry forward with a mild finish.

American IPA: Described as: Hoppy from start to finish.  5 hop additions before & after the boil.  Domestic 2-row barley malt  modern American "C" hops.  70 IBU & 6.3%abv  (I assume the description is referring to the 4"C's" of hops: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus, but this only a guess on my part)  Dark gold in color, slight hop aroma, slight citrus forward with a hop finish

West Coast Red Ale: Described as: A dry-hopped American amber ale reminiscent of the hoppy red ales from the pacific northwest.  A touch of dark roasted malt gives this ale it's red hue.  5.3%abv.  Amber in color, malt aroma, hop forward with a hop finish - seemed considerably hoppier than the IPA, which I found surprising.

Sweet Oatmeal Stout: Described as: Brewed with flaked oats, mild sugar, rasted barley, caramel & chocolate malts.  Low in carbonation reminisent of it's origin.  5.8%abv.  Dark amber in color, with a roasted malt aroma, coffee forward, with a malt finish, not as creamy tasting or mouth feel as a typical oatmeal stout.

So that was the sampler flight, they didn't really offer the seasonal specialties in sample form, so I ordered a couple of pints:

Blueberry Oatmeal Stout: This was actually at the urging of one of the servers in the restaurant, basically making a half and half with the blueberry wheat and the oatmeal stout from the sampler, it had a nice aroma, but not my favorite to drink

California Common: No description available: light amber in color, minimal aroma, malt aroma, slight bitter finish. Enjoyable to drink.

Wedel Weiss: A double Dunkel Hefeweizen, Amber in color, with an estery aroma, with a citrusy banana-esque flavor, another enjoyable offering.

Wedel Weiss - pretty yummy

All in all, not bad.  I'm told the food is really quite excellent and the staff provides great service.  There were some offerings on their beer menu, that I would be willing to return to try: the Maple Brown Ale, made with local maple syrup; and the Fresh Hop Ale, made with local's backyard hops, which I think is a great idea and wonderful way to involve the community.

So, if you're in the area, I'd say this place is worth checking out.

Cheers

Beer Festival: Great American Beer Festival - Denver, CO

If you are going to go to a beer festival, this is the one to go to.  With over four hundred breweries represented from all over the US, you would be hard pressed not to find a beer that you like.  Instead of doing the usual synopsis of all the beers that were tasted, I'm going to highlight beers I thought were so tasty, I needed to remember them. 


RAM Restaurant and Brewery had two offerings I thought were worth mentioning

Buttface Amber: Amber in color, malt aroma and malty flavor, very easy drinking

Saison:  unfiltered straw color, spice aroma, spice (clover most likely) forward with an estery malt finish

Uncommon Brewery - American Special Bitter:  This is a strong ale with minimal hops, lots of esters and residual sugars to finish.  It is very vanilla/bourbon forward

Olde Burnside Brewing Co. 10 Penny Ale: This is a nice scotch ale style beer, light on the residual sugar with a dark caramel color

TAPS Pumpkin Ale: Straw colored, nice spice (cinnamon, clover) aroma, lots of pumpkin forward with a smooth finish


Airdale Brewing Co Bombshell Golden: Unfiltered straw color, good head retention, estery aroma, sweet smooth forward with residual sugar towards the finish

AleSmith Horny Devil: Straw color, light ester aroma, mild forward, citrus banana finish; a dangerously easy drinker


Big Island Brewhaus Golden Sabbath: Straw colored, malt/ ester aroma, residual sugar forward with a smooth tasty finish

Harvest Moon Brewery Monkey Shiner Bock: Dark amber color, malt aroma, mild tasting forward with a malt finish


Papago Brewing Co Elsies Irish Coffee Milk Stout: Dark brown color, strong coffee aroma, Irish cream and coffee forward

Thunder Canyon Brewery Honey Brown: Dark amber color, good head retention, malt/nutty aroma, malt forward with a roasted malt/coffee-like and honey finish - this beer was probably my favorite of the weekend


Speakeasy Betrayal Imperial Red: Dark Caramel color, great head retention, malt aroma, strong bourbon forward with a smooth finish


Boundary Bay Brewing Co. Dunkles Bock: Amber in color good head retention, malt aroma, bourbon forward, malty/ residual sugar finish, sweet all around


Boneyard Beer Cascadian IPA: very good hop aroma, nice color with good balance (note: IPA enthusiast reviewed)


Eagle Rock Brewery Stimulus: Golden amber color, coffee aroma, and coffee finish very porter-esque despite the lighter color

Heretic Brewing Co. Evil Twin: Very forward hop flavor, good color and malt body (note: IPA enthusiast reviewed)

Left Coast Brewing Co.  Asylum Tripel: golden straw color, malt aroma, strong alcohol forward with sweet finish

Sly Fox Brewing Co. Quadrupel: Amber in color, good head retention, mild aroma, mild flavor forward with a sweet malt finish

Red Brick Brewing Co. Oktoberfest: golden in color, mild malt aroma, malt forward with a slight spice finish

These beers were sampled over two tasting sessions.  All in all there are some really great breweries across the country that I would like to visit and further explore their offerings. 

While in Denver, we found a really great Belgian Beer bar that is worth noting, The Cheeky Monk they have a great selection of Belgian beers and a pretty tasty looking menu.  If you're in Denver I highly recommending paying this bar a visit

Brew Review: Avery Brewing Company Boulder, CO

The only reason I hadn't visited Avery before, was a lack of coordination on my fellow beer enthusiasts, basically we didn't realize the tap room was closed when we went to go visit.  But our planning and waiting were met with huge rewards as I finally got to enjoy a wider breath of the offerings Avery produces besides Ellie's Brown Ale and White Rascal.

More on that later though, TO THE BEERS!

Lilikoi Mahu: This beer is basically a Hawaiin take on a Hefeweizen, it is straw colored, unfiltered, with a very fruity aroma, lots of ester forward and a passion fruit finish.

Salvation Golden Ale:  Part of the Holy Trinity of Ales Series, this beer is golden in color, with a light aroma, with a fairly mild flavor forward and a bitter fruity finish.

Old Jubilation Ale: This is a winter strong ale, dark amber in color, with a mild coffee aroma.  This beer has a chocolate malt forward with a bitter finish

Eighteenth Anniversary:  Golden amber in color, hint of rye aroma, mild forward, with a slight malt/ hop finish

duganA IPA:  Golden color, slight hop aroma, fairly mild flavor forward with a bitter hop finish

2011 Grand Cru: Dark amber in color, mild aroma, spice forward with bourbon finish, lots of residual sugars and a very syrupy mouth feel, may need to age a bit

Meph Addict:  Dark brown in color, coffee/ chocolate malt aroma, strong alcohol forward with a coffee finish

Margherite: Dark brown in color, bourbon/ vanilla aroma, thick mouth feel, bourbon vanilla finish.  Very strong beer

White Rascal: my favorite Avery beer besides Ellie's Brown, this Belgian white ale is an unfiltered straw color, with a mild, slight spice aroma, mild forward with a delicious ester finish.

The brewery itself is worth the visit because you can see how it's grown over the years.  It is located in a business park and took over openings that were not necessarily right next to the original brewery.  You can also see the experimentation they are doing in their barrel room, for the barrel aged series.  If you just want to go in for a tasting, odds are you will be waiting in line, there are plenty of tap menus floating around to help you with your decision.  

Decisions, decisions....

Avery, well worth the visit, or just grab a six pack, you won't be disappointed.

Cheers!!!!