Exotic Beers and the People who Seek Them

(Insert Witty Caption)

Heck, that's not a bad idea. Email or post your caption. Best caption, as judged by the OS Brewers, wins a beer on us. Want a free OSB Winter Ale? How about a succulent, wet-hopped IPA? Or perhaps a roasty porter is more up your alley? Caption away and win the prize--just like the New Yorker!

Okay, on to more germane matters. As you can see, this lucky lady is about to enjoy Belfast Brewery's Lobster Ale. Your faithful blogger had the pleasure of partaking in this Maine mead last October, at the Maine Brewers' Fest in bustling Portland, ME. Beer Advocate gave this rare gem (I defy you to find it outside the Northeast for anything less than a huge premium) a B/B-. What do they know? (Well, a lot, actually.) You'll never believe it, but this thing really does taste like a steaming hunk of king crustacean dipped in butter. Rumor has it that one of the OS Brewers still has a bottle sitting in his legendary Beer Fridge (better drink that beer up before it goes bad, bud!)

HUGE TANGENT: We should (and will) devote an entire post to the proper aging of beers, but for now, a primer. Two quick-and-dirty rules:

1) The darker the color -->better for aging
2) The higher the ABV-->better for aging

Got a robust Belgian dubbel or a big imperial stout? Put it away for a year or two (if you have the willpower to do so), and wait for some seriously sexy results. Want to hang on to that tasty Lagunitas Pils? Don't do it for long, or you'll be left out. A skunky Lagunitas? Well, that's a bitter pils to swallow.

Back on more familiar footing, let's talk for a moment about beers like the Belfast Lobster Ale. There are niche beers aplenty, and more coming all the time. It isn't necessarily that the style of the beer is so novel--the Belfast Lobster ale, after all, is simply that: an ale, with ale yeast that flocculates top-wise, fairly pale grains, and a reasonable amount of hops. The only thing that makes a "Lobster Ale" a "Lobster Ale," aside from the label and the attestations of the Belfast people, are the adjuncts thrown in by the brewers. Adjuncts get a bad name from beers like Bud, which uses rice(!) to get that "authentic" pilsner taste, but IMHO, variety is the spice of life. Beers are more intrinsically fascinating than wines because almost all wine that "anyone" (read: wine snobs) cares about is made by fermenting some kind of grape. What if beer could only be made with a certain kind of grain and hop? Yeah, that would suck, wouldn't it?

By adding a little more coriander and some dried citrus rind, we go from your run-of-the-mill Blue Moon to a wonderfully lemony Allagash White. (I honest to God wish that people would stop drooling over BM. It's an unimpressive wheat beer that even its own brewers say you need an orange to enjoy. If a beer requires you to add fruit to improve it, what does that say about the beer? Does a restaurant other than the gimmicky, overpriced Melting Pot sell you uncooked food and tell you to add the finishing touches yourself? What if I sold you a brand-new car and, as you were driving off the lot of my dealership, I plucked a longish hair from my car-dealer mustache and yelled to you, "Hey, by the way, you'll need to buy a new transmission and muffler if you REALLY want that baby to purr! How angry would you be? I, for one, would be angry. For the same reason, I implore you to stop buying this bulls**t "Bud Lime/Miller Chill stuff. "Look at me!" You're saying every time you drink it. "I'm a real man because I drink my beer with fruit!)

YOU ARE THE DEVIL

Anyhoo, the point your humble blogger was trying to make: If you keep the fundamentals (water+hops+malt+yeast) but improvise a little on top, you can get some really wonderful stuff. Here are a few niche beers of note:

Dieu du Ciel Hibiscus

A really fragrant, floral (well it should be, considering it's brewed with Hibiscus petals) brew. BA gives it a B+, and I'm roughly inclined to agree. The only place in DC that has it to my knowledge is the Brickskeller (22 and P NW).

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

The chicory is mitigated somewhat by the hops and the coffee (this bad boy has quite a bit of caffeine in it.) Not bitter, though, because of choco esters that come through from the malt. Certainly worth a try if you can find it around here.

Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat

I have to be honest: I don't even think this is a good beer. But girls are always asking for a "fruity" beer, and if they're unwilling to pay $15 dollars for a genuine lambic, this is what I sell them. The blueberry is cloying and the hops evidently took a week off. Nevertheless, this is the kind of envelope-pushing you just won't see in any other type of spirit. It's not that SD Blueberry fails, but that they're trying. Mmhmm. At HH, you get points for trying.

EPIC FAIL: Rogue Chipotle Ale

Then there's Rogue's Chipotle Ale, which Beer Advocate gave an INCONCEIVABLE B+, proving once and for all that you really can't trust them all that often. I happen to know a certain bar in the District which ordered a huge number of kegs of this stuff last summer, and ended up selling most of them back to a perplexed distributor. This crap tastes like if you bought peppers, left them in the sun for three days, added the fermented essence to a bathtub of tepid water and threw in a little cardamom for kicks. It wouldn't (and didn't!) sell if it was ringed with gold and came with a free ticket to the Caribbean. DON'T BUY THIS BEER

What the OS Brewers are listening to right now:
Animal Collective all the time
That Say Anything song about the girl touching herself
Insane Clown Posse
Howard Stern on Sirius101/102

"Omar Listening"
-Omar

HH

Beer Gallimaufry: Sixtel Love/So 'Boam/Rustico/Flying Dog Musings

St. Jeroboam's Day started clear and warm. 2 OS Brewers made their way to Devines to purchase a sixtel of Yuengling Lager--great for a summer day--and the Brooklyn Pilsner, which started with the characteristic bite ("Oh crap," I remarked to a fellow brewer, "I hope this s**t doesn't end up tasting like Pilsner Urquell") but got better as the keg progressed.

(Yes, we had two lagers, but sometimes you just feel like a lager. And while I'm on the subject, if you can, head over to The Reef at 18th and Columbia NW and grab a cold pint of the North Coast Scrimshaw--perfect after a hard day at the office. The Scrimshaw has the most expressive flavor profile for any pilsner I've ever encountered: blueberries, malt, oats, cream, and more--the kind of thing you'd expect from an expertly brewed IPA or a delicate pale. Really, it's the kind of pilsner that makes you want a pilsner. And I don't mean Czechvar or Bud Light.)

I wasn't a huge sixtel fan before Jeroboam's Day, but consider me a convert. Light enough to carry, able to hold plenty of beer, it's the perfect addition to a backyard BBQ or company picnic. Devines at 14th and Irving has sixtels of the Yuengling and the Brooklyn Pilsner (not in the same class as the aforementioned Scrimshaw, but a formidable domestic pils nonetheless), as well as selections from Oskar Blues, Avery, and other worthy brewhouses.

Ogden Brewers' Day Trip to Rustico

If you haven't gotten to Rustico, you haven't lived. Two OS Brewers and Ray-Ray, another Ogden inhabitant, beer lover, and Mets fan (we forgive you, buddy) made the drive to Alexandria the other day. Our original plan was to attend a dinner hosted by Adam Avery, but instead of the ordering the tickets immediately, the brewers took a detour and scored some PHOnomenal Viet cuisine at Pho14 (Park @14th, NW. Your faithful blogger recommends the #16, a savory medley of steaming broth, paper-thin beef, fluffy noodles, crunchy bean sprouts, and all the accouterments: onion, mint, lime, hoisin, and that staple of SE Asian cuisine, sriracha. Grab a regular--plenty large enough--for only 8 bucks. Seriously. Go now.) Our hunger sated, we PHOned (get it?) Rustico for tix, only to find we'd just missed the last of 'em. Sigh.

Instead of giving up, we made the most of the night by driving down anyway. The dining room was closed to us because of the dinner, but the bar, with its' limited menu, was open. Business was brisk for a weeknight. We grabbed three chairs and dove in.

I'm doing this brew bar a disservice by not giving it a full review. While Sampson snacked happily on deviled eggs (devilishly good), Ray-Ray and I went for the house special: the pizza. I had the standard margherita, Ray-Ray the sausage. Both came piping hot. Ray-Ray reported the sausage to be sweet and smoky. On my pie, the mozzarella was creamily sublime, melted clear into the sauce, which was not too garlicky and peppered with welcome chunks of fresh tomato. The crust was crispy, appropriately garnished with basil. Pairing the 'za with a 't Smisje Plus to moderate the lacticity of the cheese with some punchy hop had this reviewer in Brew Heaven and begging for more (although, with a $13 price tag, this incredible quaff doesn't come cheap.) Other highlights on tap: Southern Tier's Cuvee 2, a dark, complex, malty puzzle with teasing hints of poultry (sounds worse than it tastes) and anise; the Wild Devil, a version of Victory's famous IPA brewed with Brettanomyces; and another 't Smisje beer, the Dubbel, which does its style proud with lovely notes of candied malt, caramel and chocolate. In short: visit Rustico NOW.

Abbreviated Final Review: ****

A 'Boam for Home

HH reported on Friday that the jeroboam of Augustijn Blonde/Pilsner mix would be popped on Sunday. Sure enough, at around 5PM, EST, the cork came out. Sixteen glasses later, partygoers marveled at the smooth finish, apple-y and peachy notes, and light complexion. I don't know if you can find this elusive beer in the usual Belgian 11.2oz size, but if so, you should snap some up while you can. (If size matters, you can always spring for the 'Boam like we did. Go to Devinos at U and 18th and talk to Bill.)

Abbreviated Final Review: ***1/2

Flying Dog Miscellany

Full disclosure: I'm not a huge FD fan. I think their Gonzo Porter is good. I think their Old Scratch Amber is decent. I think their IPA is hit-or-miss, and I think their Double is too big. As for the rest of their lineup? Don't get me started.

FD had two tastings in the area over the weekend in honor of SAVOR. (which yours truly missed out on because of work. Gah.) People seem to like this s**t. A lot. A tasting at The Reef brought out a huge crowd; same for a similar event at the Brickskeller. I have to believe alot of the FD love is because the brewery is just up the road in Frederick. But here's my problem: if Washingtonians want to rally around a local brewer with potential and pizazz, why not Clipper City? Their work is better, top-to-bottom. And you can really taste the difference. Really. Do the experiment: drive up 270 to Fred and visit FD by morning, then zip on over to Balto in the afternoon for a tour of the Clip City facilities. If you STILL think FD is better than CC, argue your case. I'll hear you out, but it had better be a damn good argument.

One good thing about FD: apparently they have a huge hedge of hops growing outside their brewery during the summer. Are our little guys jealous? I doubt it. They're doing just fine.

What the OS Brewers will be watching this week:
Man V. Wild feat. Will Ferrell
Any and all O's and Brewers games
Supernews on Current
Anything you can think of that we missed

Stay sexy, D.C.

--HH

Cheap beer!

Here at HH we sure do love our expensive beer... but we like to pay as little for it as possible. There is almost always a beer bargain available in this city to the savvy shopper. I recently stumbled upon The Duck-Rabbit's milk stout for $7.99 a six pack at Magruder's in Chevy-Chase. This is a steal for this great beer (review, perhaps??), which normally runs at $9.99-$10.99 a sixer. The selection at Magruder's isn't amazing, but it is pretty damn good, and occasionally you can find a great bargain...especially if you are in the market for cases. Eggenberg Hopfen Konig Pils for $22.99 a case, what??

While you are up in the north part of town, you owe it to yourself to swing by Rodman's on Wisconsin. Consistently the best deals in the city. Not sure what is on sale currently, but there is always a bargain to be found (ie: $6.99 Two Hearted...mmmmm...Two Hearted)

OG over and out, gonna try to keep y'all posted on sweet deals as best I can.