Cleveland Rocks! Up today....Edmund Fitzgerald

This evening I will review the first of several Cleveland's own Great Lakes Brewing Company beer, not the classic Gordon Lightfoot song. That will come later.

A friend brought me back a sampler 12-pack, and I've tried a couple of the beers so far, and overall I am fairly impressed. My original intention was to taste some Great Lakes beers head-to-head against Baltimore's own Heavy Seas. But the beers that I have don't exactly match up well stylistically with Heavy Seas, and besides that would trivialize both beers. (However, I did have a catchy idea for depicting which beer would "win," I was going to post a picture from the winning city's history to show who won and lost...for example, if one of the Great Lakes beers "lost" I would post a picture of the Cuyahoga River Fire, or if it won I would show a picture of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

Have to give props to the artwork on the label as well...very nice.

Tonight's beer is the Edmund Fitzgerald, a porter. Both Beer Advocate and Rate Beer (and their audiences) love this beer: Beer Advocate gives it an "A" and Rate Beer gives it a 99. I've had a couple of them over the last week or so, and I can't disagree: I would rank Edmund Fitzgerald at the top of American porters, right up there with my favorite, Sierra Nevada's Porter.

It pours dark, and leaves a moderate slightly off-white head that even now remains nearly 30 minutes after I poured it.  There is a slight hoppy aroma accompanied by some roasty malt tones. It is nearly perfectly opaque: just what you would expect a porter.Malty, with just enough hops to lend a bitterness that complements the roasted grains, which are not overpowering. It stops well short of a stout.

A very good start to my Cleveland beer experience!

Dinner At Victoria's Gastropub...with an Oliver Coventry Cream Ale

Yesterday (Saturday May 7th) I finally had the opportunity to dine at Victoria's Gastro Pub in Columbia. I've been there a number of times for happy hours or just to get drinks, but something always seems to happen whenever my wife and I try to go there for dinner. Not this time, however.

We were readily seated upon arrival--we did have reservations and it was early. Next came the difficult part: choosing my beer. I almost always get a draft beer when I'm first ordering, and this was no exception. Oliver's Coventry Cream Ale caught my attention since I love English style bitters. For dinner, I chose the Moroccan Chicken, while my wife selected the Grilled Rainbow Trout. 

First: the Coventry Cream Ale. It arrived with a thick, very fine-bubbled white head. The beer was a dark copper color (my phone doesn't do the beer justice, by the way) with some gold tints. It was fairly clear. I don't believe the Victoria's served it from a beer engine real-ale style, but I could be wrong since I didn't see them pour it. The Coventry reminded me somewhat of the ales I have experienced in the U.K. What really hits you in this beer is the malt and the yeast flavors: very buttery and complex, with the a clean hop profile that is barely noticeable. It was more carbonated that what I expected, and definitely more carbonated then an English bitters. I suppose this is deference to American tastes. Still, I'd like to try it real-ale style.

My dinner, the Moroccan Chicken, was cooked perfectly: the carrots and zucchini were crisp and crunchy, with the couscous and chicken nicely seasoned. However, I would have liked a bit more spice to the meal. Surprisingly, the Coventry paired with the dish well, although if it had been spicier it probably wouldn't have. For dessert, my wife and I shared the White and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding, which reminded me of and English Sticky Toffee. It was quite good.

All-in-all, an excellent dinner, made even better by the beer!

Blog (sort of) Abroad: Chicago

I took my first trip to Chicago this week, and took in two of that city's institutions: the Cubs and Goose Island Brewery. I've had Goose Island beers before, but I really wasn't aware that they brewed so many diverse styles. After arriving in Wrigleyville, we headed over to the company's brewpub on North Clark Street, about a 1/2 block from Wrigley Field.

First up: I tried the Honker's Ale, which is listed in their "session" beer section and is a pale ale. I very much enjoyed this beer: very smooth maltiness that provides a good background for the "C" hops. I could have stayed with this beer all night long, except for the fact that they had so many other beers to try!

One of my friends, "K" had the Green Line Pale Ale, while "D" had the Nut Brown Ale. I chose the latter for my second beer. It was what you would expect a nut brown ale to be, malty with just enough hops (Fuggles I think or some derivative).It was pleasant enough, although I thought that the diacetyl was a more than what is recommended for the style.

Food-wise, we went with nachos with beef and an order of buffalo wings. The plate of nachos were HUGE. I took a picture, but it didn't come out very well. The wings were very good, too.

Following this, we headed over to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs take on the Colorado Rockies. If you are a baseball fan and haven't been to Wrigley Field, you have to go. You won't regret it. One of the most appealing things about the ballpark is that it really is in a neighborhood, with plenty of bars and restaurants for the crowds.

We had very good seats, we sat in the first row in section 129, which is along the first base side. (Interesting note #1: the Cubs' dugout is on the third base side, rather than the first base side, which is more common. The only other team I know that used to do this were the Baltimore Orioles, when they played in Memorial Stadium.)

(Interesting side note #2: we actually heard an usher address a patron as "gimpy." I'm hoping that he was a regular or something.)

At the ballpark, I was advised to bypass the usual mass-produced swill and order "Old Style." Guess what? It pretty much tastes like mass produced swill. I'm probably offending someone. The website says the beer is "authentically krausened--" that is, fermented using the yeast from previous brewing--but I couldn't tell the difference. It's actually brewed by the Pabst Brewing Company.

Following the game, we returned to the Goose Island Brewery, but we were pretty much done since we had been up since 4am. "K" and I returned to the beers that we had drank earlier that evening: "D" was more adventuresome and had a Pere Jacques. It was in the style of a strong Belgian Ale. It was ok, but it was a little too boozy for my taste.

All in all, a very good trip. If I get out there again, I'd like to take the Chicago Beer Tour, which gets great reviews on TripAdvisor. 

Beer Review: Heavy Seas Dubbel Cannon

Happy Easter! Yet another day for the rabbits and bunnies in my neighborhood to continue destroying my yard. The only difference is that they pay us back in candy and chocolate eggs on this day.

We hosted a somewhat atypical Easter dinner. Rather than simply buy a honey-baked ham, I grilled some kebabs and served those. Luckily, the weather held and it was a good day (with the exception of some drama in morning). I figured that pretty much any beer would go with this table, so I selected Heavy Seas Dubbel Cannon, which was released just a week ago. I also picked up a six-pack of Peg Leg Imperial Stout, which I'll review later this week.

Dubbel Cannon is a "Belgian Style IPA," and according to the label is a variation of Heavy Seas' Loose Cannon but using a dubbel yeast. I should have purchased some Loose Cannon to see if I could tell if the malt bills were identical. Unfortunately, I didn't read the description until after I was home.

The beer pours with a rich, thick-bubbled mostly white head that remains at least through the glass I'm currently drinking (more than 15 minutes now since I poured). The color is a clear copper. Unlike many other IPAs, the aroma is not overly hoppy but somewhat subdued. At the same time, you don't get that raisin/plum aroma of a dubbel.

Taste is nice compromise between an IPA and a Belgian beer...not sure if I can really taste the dubbel flavors. Hops are understated, and really enhance the maltiness of the beer. I'm not sure what hops are used, but I do not believe they are any of the "C" hops (Cascade, Chinook, etc), though I am not an expert. The mouthfeel is about what you would expect from an IPA. It has a pleasant aftertaste, a combination of the hops and the Belgian flavors.

 This is a very good beer; indeed, it is already among my favorites of Heavy Seas; Peg Leg, my other purchase of the weekend is the other. (Note: I apologize about the orangish tint of my photos. I don't have the best light in my basement.)

Saturday Night Special: Stone Brewing Company's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

I had noble intentions on Saturday: repeat the previous weekend's event of pairing a beer with good cuisine. But the weather really got in the way of things. Because of other events that day (my son's baseball games) I wasn't going to have time to cook. So we had resigned ourselves to eating out. My intention was to go to a pretty good restaurant and make sure I had a good beer. Unfortunately, the terrible weather cancelled the games and it was so bad out that we didn't want to travel far for dinner. So we left it up to my son to pick (which can sometimes be a bit dangerous, but he had earned it with a good report card). He picked a Japanese steakhouse near our home. Out went the beer pairing idea!

Not that the food was bad--it wasn't, just your typical teppanyaki--but a good beer selection they do not have. For some reason, I got a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, which I instantly regretted. Just not a good beer. Did not go with my meal (filet mignon and shrimp, teppanyaki-style) at all. It really just tasted like hard lemonade, and not particularly good one. 

After leaving the restaurant, I wasn't particularly satisfied with my beer choice, so I stopped by a liquor store on the way home (not my usual liquor store). I picked up Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, which was served in a bomber.

Now, it has been awhile since my last glass of Arrogant Bastard, but the Sublimely reminded me a of that brew: pours with a thick beige head, strong hop presence apparent on first pour, and a dark mahogany color. There was some malt presence at first, but the hops (I don't know what variety: not Cascade or Chinook, something earthier but not noble) are what really come through. Rather than fade out, the hops really come through in the finish, and leave a somewhat strong aftertaste. Not unpleasant, just strong.

I couldn't really decide what grade to give the beer. I think it would be great with BBQ or another grilled meat (though not chicken)--something smokey which I think could stand-up to the hops. Another idea: perhaps something Indian or Thai, where the spiciness and bright flavors of those cuisines would contrast with the dark flavors of this beer.

Over the course of this week, I'll try to plan a meal and pair it with an appropriate beer. Any suggestions?

Heavy Seas Dubbel Cannon Release Party

One of Lager On!'s intrepid reporters made his way out to the Heavy Seas Dubbel Cannon Release Party on Thursday, April 14th at Victoria's Gastropub in Columbia, MD. Overall, it sounds like it was a great, very well attended event. Below are his impressions.

Beer Impression: This is a very nice Belgian IPA, with a slight American twist (hoppy). It is unfiltered and has a nice dark amber color. The beer has a solid malty backbone with the wonderful tropical fruitiness of a Belgian ale and nicely layered with some spicy hops. Complex and delicious.

I sampled the cask conditioned version which one HS brewer stated wasn't ready. Thus, it was slightly under carbonated which resulted in a little head that dissipated too quickly. I think this contributed to a bit more sweetness then appropriate, but I found enjoyable.

Sounds like this is a beer worth waiting for!

The event: The restaurant and bar were packed. Victoria's Gastropub and Heavy Seas did a good job marketing the event, parking was very difficult, seating was impossible at the beginning. Joel and I almost gave up. Glad we didn't. At about 7:30, there was some breathing room, and a table. We spoke with Tristan Gilbert (one of the brewers) and his fiancé for about 30 minutes. Topics spanned a very wide range, from the growth rate of hops to why the ABV in beer effects to exponentially instead of linearly. It has to do with the amount of sugar and what slack your kidney can deal with while your liver is dealing with the alcohol. Interesting. We spoke with Tori (VGP owner) and I told her that she needed a stammtische.

For those whose German might need a little work, Stammtische is essentially a regular get-together (I had to look it up).

I'd like to give a special shout-out to @HoyaFan_1994 for going to the event and writing this up for me, and for the pictures. Also, thanks to Victoria's for putting on this event!

Dawson's Liquors Beer Dinner at Adams Ribs

Looks like Dawson's Liquors of Severna Park has come with details for their Stone Brewery Beer Dinner at Adam's Ribs.

Place: Adam's Ribs North (same building as Dawson's)
Date: Monday, May 2nd
Time: 6:30 pm

Looks like there are four courses. Reserve early! With the quality of the food and the quality of the beers---they're starting off with Vertical Epic 10-10-10--space will go quickly!