beer

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

As we approach the end of 2012, end-of-year retrospectives and best-of lists saturate all forms of media across all subjects, and your humble Beermonger is here to throw one more onto the pile. Through an intensely scientific process involving me thinking about beers I tried this year and deciding my favorites, I’ve narrowed down a list of the five beers that made the biggest impression on me this year. Please bear in mind – -this is not necessarily a list of the best beers available right now, though a couple on this list are — I’m just throwing my favorites out there. Without further adieu or qualification:

5. Mother Earth Window Pane Series Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Double Wit Blackberry: I didn’t need to run the whole name out there like that — I just kind of wanted to. I got to try this at SAVOR earlier this year and found it a harmonious, elegant expression of fruit, spice, and wood. What could’ve easily been a sweet or oaky mess instead was light in body for its 9% ABV, with expressive blackberry fruit and hints of the wine coming through from the barrel aging. This beer should have been ‘too much’; instead it was merely my introduction to the wonderful Mother Earth Brewery of Kinston, North Carolina.

4. Firestone-Walker Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA: Every trend breaches its watershed eventually, hitting a critical mass and becoming an annoyance on the whole rather than the charming distraction it once was. Such has been the case for the Black IPA over the past 2-3 years: with blinding speed the style went from innovative new expression of hops to an over-saturated market sector inspiring little more than a pedantic debate over what the style should be called. Then Firestone-Walker’s Wookey Jack came along. Wookey Jack isn’t just one of the best beers of 2012 — it may be the best Black IPA I’ve ever had. At the very least it’s the most cleverly though-out: by using the less sweet rye malt instead of the more cloying barley, the big hop character of Wookey Jack is allowed to shine through more while still adding the subtle dark malty touches that are the hallmark of the style. I brought in as many cases as I could of Wookey Jack while it was available; I’m hoping to see it again sometime in 2013.

3. Maine Beer Company MO Pale Ale: Two brothers running a tiny brewery in Portland, Maine have gotten me worked up in the span of weeks like few brewers have been able to do in years. I’ve selected MO because it’s been my favorite Maine Beer offering so far, but the brewery’s entire lineup earned itself the number three spot on this list. From the clean, classic Peeper Pale Ale to the fantastic Lunch IPA, the earthy hops of the Zoe Amber, and the roasty sweetness of the Mean Old Tom Stout, I’ve come away from every new Maine Beer I’ve tasting with a greater appreciation for their ability. I can’t say I’ve experienced a beer this year with the same level of clarity, structure, and boldness of its hops that MO presents. Dedicated to freshness above all else, supply of Maine Beers is low but slowly increasing; if you see any of them, don’t pass up the opportunity to try them.

2. Port City Downright Pils: With one variety of hop and one type of malt, Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company created an instant classic that has the important distinction of being a great ambassador for craft beer. With the general public’s awareness of craft beer growing, it’s beers like Downright Pils that can bring people into the fold who aren’t necessarily fans of hoppier stuff. I can’t tell you how many people came to me this year asking for a craft beer that everyone could enjoy, but more often than not I’d end up sending them home with some Downright. With its familiar style and unfamiliar level of craftsmanship, Downright Pils is the craft beer for those who think craft beer is nothing but Double- and Triple-IPAs. It also played a great role in saving my sanity during the process of buying and moving into my new home. With any luck, Downright Pils will join Port City’s year-round lineup sometime next year.

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Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. A whole day dedicated to hanging out with people you love, eating amazing food, and a beverage or three? Oh yes, I am a Thanksgiving guy. Thanksgiving is also the busiest time of year for folks in my business, with most people coming by the store looking for advice on what to serve their guests for the holiday.

Picking out the right beers to enjoy and serve your guests at Thanksgiving is not all that dissimilar to working out wine pairings for the holiday. In some ways, it can actually be much easier. Here are a couple of tips for selecting your beers for the Thanksgiving table, and a couple of suggestions that I think will work well:

Don’t over-think it: This is a trap I used to fall into regularly when choosing wine for Thanksgiving, or any meal for that matter. You want so badly to find the perfect match; to blow everyone at the table away with your harmony of food and beverage. We all want to be seen as gurus of all things food and wine (and beer), especially during the food holiday.

The problem comes when we take time to consider the insane spectrum of flavors, textures, levels of sweetness, etc. in the dishes seen in the average Thanksgiving spread. What if the bacon in the green bean dish is a tick charred? What if Aunt Jenny brings that thing with the marshmallows and pretzels again? What herbs will be used with the turkey?

There are a million variables with Thanksgiving dinner, and unless you’re obsessively planning every aspect of the meal (not that some of us aren’t) it is nigh impossible to 100% nail it with either a wine or a beer pairing. Take the time to consider, but realize that there is likely a point where you’ve done the best you can. If you hit a wall, find something you know will work for the most part and is easily enjoyable.

This brings me to the next tip:

Know your audience: I brought a really nice bottle of wine to my family’s Thanksgiving get-together once. Once. The Barolo I thought was safe in a decanter in the dining room while everything was being prepared ended up being consumed hours before it was ready, let alone before dinner was. You have to bear in mind the level of appreciation that your folks have for these things: there’s nothing inherently wrong with dropping a couple ice cubes in your glass of White Zinfandel (tastes being subjective and all), but it should be a heads up to you that Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Burgundy may be bringing a cannon to a knife fight.

Finding a balance between food-pairing ability and pure enjoyment is the key for Thanksgiving.  Some thought to how a beverage will match up is smart and encouraged, but have a care for the experience levels of those around you. I’ve come around to a “keep it simple, stupid” way of thinking for the most part, where I want to play to the broader palate. As always, your mileage may vary. Here are some beers I think would work at your Thanksgiving table:

Schlafly Kolsch: With a smooth, clean mouthfeel not unlike a classic Lager and the bright, fruity notes of an Ale, Schlafly’s Kolsch is the definition of everything I’ve talked about in this column. If you’re looking for a beer with broad appeal that can play off of various dishes, Schalfly Kolsch merits serious consideration.

Maine Beer Co. Peeper Pale Ale: A recent arrival to our area, Maine Beer Company is a small outfit making some extraordinary beers. The hops in Peeper Pale emphasize clarity rather than aggressiveness, and a fine carbonation accentuates this Pale Ale’s refreshing nature. An elegant way to get your hop fix this holiday.

Stillwater Autumnal: This one’s a bit of a dark horse as it may be hard to find, but I think this beer makes a ton of sense for Thanksgiving. Essential an Oktoberfest recipe, Brian Strumke ferments Autumnal with his farmhouse yeast strain to create a smooth, malty Ale (rather than a Lager as a traditional Oktoberfest would be) with fruit and spice notes from the yeast. There is just enough sweetness for Autumnal to handle sweet potato casserole, but crisp and complex enough to play with turkey and stuffing.

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Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Even though some people like to assume that I’ve sampled every good beer on this green earth, I can still be pleasantly surprised by a brew.

Just the other day, a distributor brought by Chris Knight, a representative of New Zealand’s MOA Brewing Company. I hadn’t heard a lot about MOA, but am always curious to try different things so we sampled a couple of their beers. The first one we tried was MOA’s Pale Ale, which uses New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops along with that stalwart of American Pale Ales and IPAs, Cascade.

With MOAs bottle conditioning bringing a focused carbonation, both of the hop varietals show their best aspects with floral, tropical, and earthy notes. It was a good start and I enjoyed it a lot, but it was the next of their beers that caught me off-guard. St. Josephs is a Belgian-style Tripel that uses good amounts of Belgian yeast and candi sugar to somehow create something that had the smoothness of a classic Belgian with shockingly intense cherry and eucalyptus notes.

For all of the power of the Belgian yeast in St. Josephs it doesn’t cross the line into cloying territory. I don’t get blown away by a beer often, but St. Josephs did it mostly because that was the last thing I was expecting it to do. Look for MOA beers to be available in the area soon.

People like to assume that because you work in a field, or have an interest in something, that you know everything there is to know about it. I personally can’t even keep track of how many times during the average week I hear something like “I don’t know, I’m sure you’ve tried every beer out there” in conversation with someone at the shop.

While I’ve been at this for some time and have been fortunate to try many different beers and wines, this certainly doesn’t mean I’ve tried everything or even a fraction of everything. I often find myself saying “It’s a big world out there” when chats swing in this direction, and that’s true. Part of what I love about my job is that the next beer you haven’t tried before is always around the corner; it’s part of what I think makes beer great.

There is an aspect of perpetually discovering new things that I don’t get to talk about a lot, and it’s more subtle than simply losing interest. I’m talking about leaving yourself open to being surprised; keeping yourself from allowing years of accumulated tastings and knowledge to create a mindset that says there is nothing new under the sun.

As we get older, our palates change — to decide on a favorite style or specific beer as a young person to the exclusion of everything else is not only narrow-minded, but ignores the breadth of options in the world. We all have lifelong favorite, and I’m not encouraging abandoning them; what I’m saying is that if there are really no more surprises, no chance of being struck out-of-the-blue by a beer, then why bother?

Every new beer we try is an opportunity to find a new favorite. Keep yourself open to possibilities and you’ll find those unexpected treats out there. What was the last beer you had that took you by surprise? Let’s hear about it in the comments. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

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Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Well, Sandy came and went this week and for the most part we managed to get through okay. Beyond starting to expect intense storms every Halloween, I think we could all stand to kick back and enjoy a beverage or two now that the downpour has stopped. Here are some brews that may just be appropriate for the occasion:

Heavy Seas Winter Storm: I mean, start with the obvious, right? This strong ESB from Baltimore’s Heavy Seas brewery is a malty Ale with focused sharpness of its hops. Winter Storm is crisp enough for autumn weather and just robust enough to take care of you when the temperature drops.

Maui Big Swell IPA: This Hawaiian offering features some of the most popular hops going right now (Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra) but manages to stay short of caricature. Sharp and clean, Big Swell is perfect for post-high tide drinking.

Evil Twin Hop Flood: What? It’s a theme column; I gotta do what I gotta do. This Amber Ale from gypsy brewery Evil Twin is not nearly as overwhelming as its name suggests. In fact, Hop Flood is earthier than it is citrusy or aggressive. It’s a fine beer that can be hard to find but is delicious.

Bell’s Java Stout, Founder’s Breakfast Stout, Southern Tier Jah’Va: These robust dark beers will give you some good coffee notes and help keep you warm after we dive full-stop into winter, which knowing this area should be in the next week or two. The Bell’s Java Stout is for espresso drinkers—intense and earthy. Jah’Va is rich with a fuller mouthfeel and a pronounced coffee bean note. Founder’s Breakfast Stout is an autumn/winter favorite of mine every year, and uses two types of coffee and two types of chocolate along with some oatmeal in the malt bill. If you don’t have the time (or electricity) to make breakfast, you could certainly do worse.

Devils Backbone Long Winter’s Nap: This is a recent arrival but already popular not only with Arrowine customers but myself as well. This brew doesn’t feel anywhere near its 10% ABV, but its smooth feel makes it a deceptively easy treat. This seasonal will put you down for that long winter’s nap if you’re not careful—unless that’s what you’re looking for, of course.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale: We made it through the hurricane—why not celebrate? Look for this on tap starting this week and on retailer shelves in the next week or two. This Ale is a great way to get your hop fix without going too absurd or overpowering. Many like to age Celebration, but I’m of the mind that fresher is better.

I hope you all came through the storm in good shape, and will see you back here next week.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

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Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Autumn is the season of the harvest and with hearty, earthy dishes hitting tables all over the country it stands to reason that breweries would take advantage of the harvest as well. With hop farmers around the U.S. harvesting their crops as summer ends and autumn begins, we’re once again seeing the short but tasty wave of Fresh Hop or Wet Hop Ales. These beers offer a short window for the enthusiast to experience a vibrant, complex hop experience that can be less aggressive than you might assume.

Sierra Nevada is largely credited with bringing the Wet Hop Ale to the public’s attention. Starting in 1996, Sierra has released a so-called Harvest Ale every year, using hops sourced from Washington’s Yakima Valley that are harvested and shipped same-day to their Chico, California brewery. Sierra Harvest Ale was such a hit that a few years back they started making one using fresh hops from New Zealand’s spring harvest. The original was renamed Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, and is currently on shelves. Keep an eye out for Sierra’s Estate Harvest Ale as well; arriving soon using fresh hops and barley from Sierra’s own crops at Chico.

Other popular Wet Hop Ales include New Holland Hopivore; Terrapin So Fresh and So Green, Green; and Sixpoint Autumnation, of which the latter two for 2012 will feature the ever-growing in popularity Citra hop. Terrapin’s Fresh Hop Ale is a punchy bass line built to allow the melody of the featured hop to sing out; Sixpoint takes a different and very interesting tack. Autumnation is not only Sixpoint’s Wet Hop Ale; it’s also their Pumpkin Ale. Using fresh pumpkin and ginger every year, Sixpoint leaves the fresh hop varietal to be used up to their fans via a poll. The result is a beer with subtle gourd and spice notes with a lot of hop flavor, but not a ton of aggressive bite.

Here lies the inherent dichotomy of Wet Hop beers; while one might expect fresh hops straight off the vine to be more intense and more biting than the dried hops and pellets commonly used by brewers, but in actuality wet hops aren’t as intense in mouthfeel. Rather, fresh hops tend to impart a greater spectrum of hoppy flavors into a beer with those flavors coming through with greater clarity and subtlety. Even for those who normally aren’t fans of ‘hoppy’ beer, Wet Hop Ales can be a delightful and enjoyable surprise.

That’s not to say there aren’t a couple of hop bombs in the Fresh Hop bunch. Particularly favored by hopheads is Founder’s Harvest Ale, a limited treat that flies off shelves almost as soon as it arrives. Founder’s Harvest has a rich, sweet citrus character to go along with its earthy, piney fresh hop notes. Also worth looking for this season is Warrior IPA from Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing Company. Despite its name, Warrior isn’t the only variety of hop used; there’s a fair amount of Cascade as well along with varieties from Left Hand’s property along with those from local fans of the brewery. Built to be well-balanced and drinkable, Warrior’s 69 IBU (International Bitterness Units) pack quite a punch.

If any of these beers aren’t on shelves in the area as of press time, they will be soon. Ask your local shop or bar for them if you’re curious and get in on the fresh hop phenomenon. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

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Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Last week (October 11-13) saw the 2012 edition of the Great American Beer Festival happen in Denver, which means two things:

1. Most of the luminaries of the Craft Beer industry were on hand tasting and judging some of the most exciting beers in the country, and

2. I wasn’t there.

I’ll get out to GABF one of these years, but I’ll always kick myself a little for missing this one as I believe we finally saw the breakthrough of DMV-based breweries onto the national scene. DC Brau scored a silver medal in the Belgian and French-Style Ale category for Your Favorite Foreign Movie; a recipe by local homebrewer Brian Barrows that won Meridian Pint’s homebrew competition. Maryland’s DuClaw took silver for their excellent X-1 Porter in the Chocolate Beer category. Falls Church brewpub Mad Fox Brewing Company earned silver in the Bock category with their Elixer Maibock.

Local winners you can snag off the shelf right now include the Bronze winner in the English-Style IPA category, Monumental IPA by Port City Brewing Company and Blue Mountain Barrel House’s Local Species, and bronze winner for Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers. Making the biggest splash this year was Lexington, Virginia’s Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company. Devil’s Backbone came home with nine GABF medals, including Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer Of The Year (yes, that is the entire name of that one category). Individual beer medals for Devil’s Backbone include:

• Gold Leaf (bronze, American-Style or International-Style Pils)
• Danzig (silver, Baltic-Style Porter)
• Old Virginia Dark (silver, American-Style Dark Lager)
• Turbo Cougar (bronze, Bock)
• Berliner Metro Weiss (gold, German-Style Sour)
• Ramsey’s Export Stout (bronze, Foreign-Style Stout)
• Ramsey’s Draft Stout (bronze, Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout)
• Vienna Lager (gold, Vienna-Style Lager)

Unfortunately, out of the winning Devil’s Backbone beers only Vienna Lager is available in bottles, with their Eight Point IPA and Azrael Belgian-Style Blonde also available. All three are excellent, and have been picking up major steam on our shelves over the summer. The style of Devil’s Backbone seems to favor balance over flash, which serves the Vienna Lager especially well—it’s a textbook version of the style, and with the brewery’s close proximity six-packs hit the shelves quicker than most.

Devil’s Backbone is a young brewery, and hopefully the exposure of this GABF performance will eventually translate into more bottling runs for these great beers. There was already demand building; with luck we’ll be seeing much more of Devil’s Backbone beer along with those of all of our local GABF winners into the future.

Did you get to go to GABF? Got a favorite local brew? Let’s hear about it in the comments. Until next time.

Cheers!

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

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