Coney Island Freaktoberfest
Well, here we go once again down that road of slick packaging! I'm a sucker for it. If your beer has a super cool label, I'm likely to try it. The Shmaltz Brewing Company, as far as I'm concerned, wins the cool labeling contest hands down. I was at the World Market in Mooresville recently when I spotted this little gem sitting among some other seasonal beers and wines in a rather subtle display. It hasnt' been that long ago that I tried their Coney Island Lager simply because of the cool label, so I'm going to pick up the rest of their stuff that is available to me this week and get it in the tasting line up very soon. The labeling on the two bottles is nearly identical, which is probably why I liked it so much.
The Coney Island Freaktoberfest poured with a thick foamy head and, as noted on the bottle, a blood red color in the glass. It's so red that I actually expected the Kool-Aid guy to crash through my wall when I took a sip. However, on taking that first sip, the malty dominance of the blood red brew stood up and shouted instead. This beer has a powerful caramel note. I don't know what the grain bill on this beer looks like but I'm quite confident that there is a nice chunck of crystal malt in each batch. I like the flavor of this beer so much I might just write them an email and see if they would be willing to give any tips to a home brewer on making it. Some breweries will do that to some extent. The last time I inquired about a recipe, I was given the list of malts and hops used in the beer, but no amounts or ratios and was left to figure it out on my own.
The label on this beer also says "This is not an Oktoberfest... This is Freaktoberfest." As far as Oktoberfest beers go, this IS a bit different in more ways than just the color. The malt dominance of this beer is right on target with the Oktoberfest style. There is something odd in the hop bill though and I'm not sure what it is. This beer has very little hop aroma, which is also normal, but there is a definite hop bitterness, although not overpowering at all, in this brew. From the bottle:
6 Malts
6 Hops
6.66% Alcohol
Blood Red Lager
Indulge your Inner Freak!
That 6 hop note and higher alcohol content is what sets this beer apart from a normal Oktoberfest. Oktoberfests are traditionally not known for hops. I'll send a note to Shmaltz Brewing and see what information I might be able to get them to give up on this brew... In the mean time, I am headed up to Gail's Hops and Grapes to pick up some more of these brews for future drinks...
Coney Island Lager
I'm not generally swayed in my beer purchases by fancy packaging, but I'll admit right up front that I purchased this beer because of the super cool label on the bottle. So, that being said, today's sampling is Coney Island Lager from Shmaltz Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Coney Island Lager pours a very nice amber color with an excellent foamy head that hangs around in a thinner form throughout the entire glass. The beer has a crisp mouth feel and a good hop and malt balance with a light to medium body. Comparatively, this is not a beer I would buy regularly, but it's not a bad brew at all.
I picked this up yesterday on a run to Gail's Hops and Grapes. I picked up five more brews that I'm excited about adding to my tasting regimen. The next brew I'll sample is one that I have been putting off way too long, so stay tuned :)
Rogue American Amber Ale
As I have said in the past, you can't really go wrong with a Rogue Ales product. I haven't worked my way through all the Rogue Ales yet, but I will eventually. Today's sampling is Rogue's American Amber Ale. This amber ale is a bit on the hoppy side at 53 IBO but it does have a nice malty finish to follow.
Tonya and I made another trip to the World Market this afternoon, so I picked up another assorted six pack of beers to try. I'm a bit behind on my beer tasting regimen because of school and work, but I'll get caught up soon enough. If my count is correct, I currently have about 13 more brews ready to sample, and my Orange Blossom Special that I brewed recently is also about ready to taste for the first time. It has been in the bottle for three weeks and it's probably ready to taste now, but I'll hold off another week or so and let it condition a little longer.
I also ordered my Barley Crusher grain mill earlier this week and it arrived via FedEx this afternoon. Since my mash tun is complete, my next brew will be an all-grain recipe. I'm excited about finally getting to try all-grain brewing instead of extract. Having the grain mill will give me a lot of flexibility in creating my beer recipes. I won't be constrained to the grain bill used to make the malt extracts. I will have a lot finer control of the flavor and characteristics of my beer. I'll also be able to buy whole grains and crush them right before I'm ready to brew for maximum freshness.
Fat Tire Amber Ale
I scored another big hit this afternoon at Gail's Hops & Grapes. I stumbled across some New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale while browsing the cooler. This is a beer that is not foreign to me, but I haven't had it in a long time. I was surprised to find it in a local shop, so I bought a bottle. Popping the top and tasting it reminded me exactly why I liked it so much when I tasted it originally in Colorado.
From the bottle:
Fat Tire Amber Ale's appeal is in its feat of balance: toasty biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Named in honor of Jeff's mountain bike trip from brewery to brewery through Europe.
Fat Tire is still crafted following the original home brew recipe that Jeff brainstormed on this cycling trip.
5.2% ABV
The equilibrium mentioned on the bottle, in my opinion, is one of the greatest points about this beer. A lot of amber/red ales that I try are a bit on the hoppy side, but since I prefer the balanced approach to this style, this beer sits on or near the top of my favorites list for amber ales. I actually like this beer more than Ft. Collins Brewery's Retro Red, and I really do like the Retro Red a lot. Colorado is definitely known for its beers, and I hope to make a trip out there sometime in the near future to attend one of the Great American Beer Festivals. It probably won't be this year but I intend to be there in 2010 for sure.
I also picked up another top shelf brew at Gail's this afternoon, so stay tuned for that one. I have a mid-term on Thursday so I really shouldn't be drinking anything this week, but the top shelf will probably appear before Sunday...
Highland Brewing Company – Gaelic Ale
This is my first sample from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. I thought it was sort of interesting to read the label on the Gaelic Ale bottle to find the following:
A deep amber colored American ale, featuring a rich malty body. Cascade and Willamette hops add a complex hop flavor and aroma. This ale is exceptionally balanced between malty sweetness and delicate hop bitterness.
IBU: 32
Alcohol Content: 5.8% ABV
Hops: Chinook, Willamette and Cascade
North Carolina definitely isn't known for its beer, but this is the second NC brewery that I have sampled recently that had some really good beer to offer. Asheville is only about 90 miles west of me, and this brewery offers tours, so I might just ride up there one Friday afternoon and have a look around. There is a brewery here in my home town of Hickory, but they do not produce a bottled beer for sale. They sell mini-kegs and full-sized kegs for taps at local restaurants, as well as their local brew pub and restaurant. I'm working on a feature for this brewery that I'll post here in the future...
Retro Red
Today, I decided to try another beer from an assorted six-pack of amber ales. I
picked out one that I have tried before and five more that I have not.
My first sampling was “Retro Red” from the Fort Collins Brewery
in Fort Collins, Colorado. Anyone who boasts their beer as “The
Official Beer of Earth” deserves a try. Ambers are my overall
favorites for any time of the year, and this one was worth the taste.
Retro Red is made with English Crystal malts and Tettnang hops to
create smooth taste and excellent aroma.
This is a brew that will make my to-drink list easily. Sources for
this beer here in North Carolina might be rather week though. I might
have to call in some favors from my friends out in Colorado :)
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