August « 2009 « Brews and Blues

6Aug/092

Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen

On a recent trip to the World Market, I picked up another mixed sixer from their singles shelf. The Haywire Hefeweizen from Pyramid Breweries is a rather simple American style hefeweizen. I don't mean simple in a negative way. In fact, I really like this particular beer because of its simplicity. Lots of brewers like to set their hefeweizens apart from the pack by spicing them with various seasonings and flavors, but this one is just what it should be... simple and to the point. This beer poured with a beautiful golden color created by a combination of pale malt, malted wheat, and a very small addition of caramel malt. The head did not stick around very long or provide any lacing on the glass. At 5.2%, this beer falls into the normal range of alcohol content for a beer of this style.

For unknown reasons, Pyramid recently change the name of their original Pyramid Hefeweizen to Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen, but it's the same beer.

4Aug/090

Hennepin Saison Farmhouse Ale

I have been eyeing the Brewery Ommegang stuff for a while, but just never got around to purchasing any until my last trip to Gail's Hops and Grapes. Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown New York specializes in Belgian style ales, and this Saison Farmhouse Ale is my first experience of their craftsmanship.

Welcome to the Ales of Brewery Ommegang, where the beer isn't overhopped or overhyped. Our Belgian-style ales are functional art, crafted to make your dining and drinking experience something to behold.

The Hennepin poured a pale golden color with a thick foamy head in the glass. The head maintained a thin covering for the entire glass, but didn't provide any lacing as the drink subsided. The flavor of this beer is excellent and the lighter body coupled with hints of coriander and ginger. It provides a very smooth ride on the tongue and down the throat as well :) Hennepin also has a cloudy appearance due to the bottle conditioning. It looks like a lawnmower beer, but don't let the color fool you. It rings in at 7.7% ABV, so you wouldn't wanna be caught driving even your lawnmower after a few of these snakes in the grass...

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Saison / Farmhouse Ale No Comments

2Aug/091

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout

Here's another incarnation of dessert in a glass. Today's offering is from Wells and Young's Brewing Company in Bedford, United Kingdom. The Young's Double Chocolate Stout poured BLACK with a very thick and rich toffee colored head that stuck around and laced the glass for the entire drink. When I first found this beer, I was a bit afraid what the flavor might bring being labeled a DOUBLE chocolate stout. I feared it would be too sweet, but upon tasting this brew, the chocolate sweetness would fall into a category of just about perfect in my opinion. There aren't a lot of beers out there to compare with this one, but it does remind me quite a bit of the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock that I had a while back. I won't put this beer at the same level as the Sam Adams offering, but it's definitely an extremely nice brew. From the website:

Luxurious and at the same time with a hint of decadence, Young's Double Chocolate Stout has it all, delivering a satisfying, indulgent taste without becoming overly sweet.

Chocolate malt and real dark chocolate are combined with Young's award winning rich, full flavoured dark beer to craft a satisfyingly indulgent, but never overly sweet experience.

Pale Ale and Crystal malt, Chocolate malt, a special blend of sugars, Fuggle and Golding hops, real dark chocolate and chocolate essence are combined to deliver a stout with real credentials.

One of the main reasons I decided to try this beer is the simple fact that I'm planning on brewing a chocolate oatmeal stout very soon, and I'm trying to experience several different offerings in this realm before I brew my own. There are a lot of specific techniques to getting these flavors, and I want to have a full understanding of what the finished products are like before I dig in on my own.

As you might notice in the photo above, I also picked up a couple new glasses today. This glass is designed to handle 16-18oz beers. I also bought another tall pilsener style glass to use with my larger bottles of beer so the photos don't make the glass look so tiny...