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You’re Bringing What to my Party?!

By Kat Magy
Michael over at The Four Firkins suggested that Alaskan Brewing’s Winter Ale, Anchor Brewing’s Old Foghorn and North Coast Brewing’s Old Stock Ale might warm the soul a little bit more as we transition into chillier weather.

 

These are the only beers I will be accepting in the form of a Holiday Five-Pack this year.

 

Alaskan Winter Ale

From the Alaskan tasting notes, “Brewed in the style of an English Olde Ale, this ale balances the sweet heady aroma of spruce tips with the clean crisp finish of noble hops. Its malty richness is complemented by the warming sensation of alcohol.”

 Kat: In the light this beer appears to be a burnt orange. The aroma is really, really light. The first sip is light as well but then it explodes across your tongue. The flavor blossoms into something that is bread-y with a floral taste. I want to say it has a really warm, subtle fruit flavor beneath the roasted malt flavor. The aftertaste is something you could probably sink your teeth into. It leaves a tingling sensation in its wake.

Marcus: This has a nice, red color. That surprises me for a Winter Ale. It yields a very nice, traditional head. It smells boozy, but otherwise there’s not much else there. It has a very malty taste – you can start to feel the alcohol towards the end. It has a really pleasant aftertaste with just a hint of hops.

Anchor Brewing Old Foghorn

This Barleywine Style Ale is described by the brewery as, “Brewed based on traditional English barleywine methods. It is highly hopped, fermented with a true top-fermenting ale yeast, carbonated by a natural process called “bunging” to produce champagne-like bubbles, and dry-hopped with additional Cascade hops while it ages in our cellars. Made only from “first wort,” the rich first runnings of an all-malt mash, three mashes are required to produce just one barleywine brew.”

Kat: This beer is a very clear chestnut color. It has a cloyingly sweet nose with a sharp alcohol aroma that tends towards molasses. Carbonation explodes across the tongue with soft bubbles.  It tastes almost like a molasses cookie without the crunch and leaves a very, very dry finish.

Marcus: This beer is a dark red, rusty color. My first impression is that it’s hoppy and malty in a balanced way. A really good blend of the two – it opens up malty and ends bitter and hoppy. This is one of the few beers where the smell is consistent with the taste. And, frankly? It’s really good.

North Coast Old Stock Ale

As they tell it, “Like a fine port, Old Stock Ale is intended to be laid down. With an original gravity of over 1.100 and a generous hopping rate, Old Stock Ale is well-designed to round out and mellow with age. It’s brewed with classic Maris Otter malt and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, all imported from England.”

Kat: The color of this beer is a clear, deep reddish-brown. It has a very light smell that is mostly alcohol, bordering on harsh. I do get a slight hint of black licorice or anise, but that’s about as far as it goes. Upon first sip it’s sweet and then assaults you with yet more of that harsh, to be blunt, booze flavor. It sort of distracts from any other flavors that could accompany it. Only after I roll it across the tongue do I feel a drier, chewier beer.

Marcus: I’m going to call this “brown.” It has a very deep malty smell that isn’t terribly heavy or particularly indicative of anything. The taste is lighter than expected but it lingers for a while. It’s very malty, sweet and smooth. There isn’t a great deal of hop presence here, but that’s what differentiates the English Barleywine from the American Barleywine.

Our Preferences…

Strong Ales and Barleywines are probably Marcus’ favorite variety of beer (though Oktoberfest is most assuredly his favorite time of year). So, what will we load up in those Holiday Five-Packs?

Kat

1. Alaskan Winter Ale

2. Anchor Old Foghorn

3. North Coast Old Stock Ale

 

Marcus

1. Anchor Old Foghorn

2. North Coast Old Stock Ale

3. Alaskan Winter Ale

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You’re Bringing What to My Party?!

By Kat Magy

Just in case you haven’t yet, take a moment and pinch yourself so you remember that there is a wide world of beer outside of Our Great State.

Revolutionary, right?

Michael at The Four Firkins was so kind as to assist us in our release into the wild by having us range far and wide for a selection of Porters to help us properly adjust to the fall weather.  Because we all know the changing of seasons has nothing to do with the changing of light and temperatures and everything to do with how dark your beer is.

It’s just science, people.

Our line-up for today? Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, Great Lakes Brewing’s Edmund Fitzgerald and Founders Brewing’s Porter.

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

From the horse’s mouth, “Brewed with well water (the original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use, with the hard well water being drawn from 85 feet underground), malted barley, roasted malt, yeast and hops. Fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’. “

Kat: Upon first look, it’s dark brown with a reddish undertone. I’m finding that it has a nutty scent that has a really familiar feel. The first sip is bitter with a subtle hint of something that I would call fruity, sort of in the same way that you might find a fruity tone in a bit of really dark chocolate. This is the first time I’ve tasted a beer where I really understood the phrase “biscuity.” It really rolls across the palate.

Marcus: It’s very dark brown. The nose is not very strong but what is there smells really dark, with a pronounced roasted malty note. It doesn’t taste nearly as dark as it smells, which is always surprising to me. It’s definitely a brown porter with a medium body. There’s a somewhat nutty flavor, but it’s subtle. It has a clean finish in my opinion.

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead but what Great Lakes gives up about the Edmund Fitzgerald is that it’s, “A complex, roasty porter with a bittersweet, chocolate-coffee taste and bold hop presence.”

Kat: This is a harder read – dark brown, maybe a hint of ruby red when held up to the light fixture. Yes, I really brought the beer that close to the light in order to be able to take a look at the color. Nose-wise, it has an extremely dry breadcrust smell that borders on sweet. Taste-wise, the most prominent flavor seems to be a burnt one that evolved into an extremely dry biscuit-coffee flavor. There is a bit more carbonation than expected. It really sneaks back into your nose and tingles on the tongue afterwards.

Marcus: This beer is a solid dark brown, for those members of the group who are not going to put their beer against a light fixture. It has a stronger malty smell which is complemented by a strong, but not overwhelming, dark roasted malt taste with just a hint of coffee. Clean finish.

Founders Porter

Succinctly named, this porter, “Pours silky black with a creamy tan head. The nose is sweet with strong chocolate and caramel malt presence. No absence of hops gives Founders’ robust porter the full flavor you deserve and expect. Cozy like velvet. It’s a lover, not a fighter.”

Kat: This beer is black as night. Surprisingly, I’m not getting a ton off the nose – it’s light and a little bit roasty. Everything about this beer is bitter, but in as a complete inverse from hoppy beers. The flavor I’m tasting the most is a sharp espresso that finishes strong but smooth.

Marcus: Since we have to give this one a color, I’ll say that it’s the darkest of the beers, with a darker head than the other two beers we poured tonight. Like other porters, the initial scent of this beer yields roasted malt undertones but I feel like there’s a mild hop note that sneaks in, too.  This beer is extremely flavor-forward with a hint of chocolate and an extremely bitter finish.

Our Preferences…

This round, you have to understand that the only way we’re showing up at your party is if you have a campfire and some Hudson’s Bay blankets on offer. And maybe a pot of chili on the stove. Because it can’t hurt to ask. Assuming you’ve met these standards, here’s what we’re bringing.

Kat
1. Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
2. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
3. Founders Porter

Marcus
1. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
2. Founders Porter
3. Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

Kat Magy has spent a lifetime in Minnesota with a love for beer, traveling Up North, sprinkles and running marathons. She also blogs at Tenaciously Yours, and you can follow her on Twitter @kljwm.