Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Travel Planner: Baltimore's Budding Beer Scene
Growing up in Maryland, you learned to associate the term "Baltimore beer" with one beverage - National Bohemian, a stale, watery lager whose customers could be taunted by Busch Light drinkers for their lack of taste. And even as the craft beer scene blossomed in other large cities in the 1990s and 2000s, it seemed a distant vision to this mass-market brew town.
But in recent years, new breweries have come to the Clipper City and have added greatly to its pedigree, offering both updated takes on classic styles and some original twists and ingredients that few others have dared to try. And after several trips to the city since late 2014 to visit family, I can recommend that even if visiting the city isn't in your vacation plans, getting a hold of some of its newest craft offerings when you're anywhere in the vicinity should be.
Coloradans likely are most familiar with two Baltimore breweries - Stillwater Artisanal, which distributes here, and Flying Dog, which left Colorado about a decade ago to relocate to Maryland in a move that shocked many in the Centennial State. Those beer makers' familiarity to locals makes it unnecessary to dwell on them at length, other than to say that Stillwater's Of Love & Regret - a saison made with chamomile, dandelion, heather and lavender - is one of the more unique takes on the farmhouse style in America and that Flying Dog's experiments with East Coast ingredients, especially in its Dead Rise Old-Bay-seasoned summer ale, offer it a wholly different personality.
More curious are some of Baltimore's local-only purveyors helping to define its scene.
The Brewer's Art, for example, mirrors Stillwater's focus on experimental Belgians (and recently collaborated with it on a Biere de Garde entitled Debutante), even if its variety of bold efforts isn't as grand. Still, its Green Peppercorn Tripel offers a wonderfully dry backbone to its sweet character, and its Birdhouse Pale Ale is a spot-on rendition of the classic American style.
Jailbreak Brewing works unusual ingredients to different effects. Its Welcome to Scoville jalapeno IPA offers intriguing flavors of pepper and cilantro without an unnecessary burst of heat, even as its B. Limey Key Lime Pale Ale overdoes the sugary sweetness and blots out the hop character. Still, its Punisher Double IPA is one of the better hop bombs coming out of Maryland.
Then there is Union Craft Brewing, a beer maker that doesn't stuff seafood and picnic ingredients down your throat so much as it holds up traditional styles in a new light. Its Duckpin Pale Ale, made with Pacific Northwest and Southern Hemisphere hops, is light-bodied but bold-flavored. And while its Anthem Golden Ale lacks in backbone, its Balt Altbier is a well-deserved Great American Beer Festival gold-medal winner for its style, crisp and smooth.
There are other worthy offerings. DuClaw Brewing stretches its wings to offer everything from a strawberry milk stout to an excellently balanced chocolate peanut butter porter. Clipper City Brewing doles out a variety of hopped creations and an excellent marzen. And RaR Brewing, located across the Chesapeake Bay, has one of the state's subtle gems in its earthy, coffee-hinted Bucktown Brown.
Baltimore won't soon be mistaken for Denver, San Diego or Portland as a beer town. But it's come a long way from the beer wasteland it used to be, and it will be worth watching the scene as it grows.
Growing up in Maryland, you learned to associate the term "Baltimore beer" with one beverage - National Bohemian, a stale, watery lager whose customers could be taunted by Busch Light drinkers for their lack of taste. And even as the craft beer scene blossomed in other large cities in the 1990s and 2000s, it seemed a distant vision to this mass-market brew town.
But in recent years, new breweries have come to the Clipper City and have added greatly to its pedigree, offering both updated takes on classic styles and some original twists and ingredients that few others have dared to try. And after several trips to the city since late 2014 to visit family, I can recommend that even if visiting the city isn't in your vacation plans, getting a hold of some of its newest craft offerings when you're anywhere in the vicinity should be.
Coloradans likely are most familiar with two Baltimore breweries - Stillwater Artisanal, which distributes here, and Flying Dog, which left Colorado about a decade ago to relocate to Maryland in a move that shocked many in the Centennial State. Those beer makers' familiarity to locals makes it unnecessary to dwell on them at length, other than to say that Stillwater's Of Love & Regret - a saison made with chamomile, dandelion, heather and lavender - is one of the more unique takes on the farmhouse style in America and that Flying Dog's experiments with East Coast ingredients, especially in its Dead Rise Old-Bay-seasoned summer ale, offer it a wholly different personality.
More curious are some of Baltimore's local-only purveyors helping to define its scene.
The Brewer's Art, for example, mirrors Stillwater's focus on experimental Belgians (and recently collaborated with it on a Biere de Garde entitled Debutante), even if its variety of bold efforts isn't as grand. Still, its Green Peppercorn Tripel offers a wonderfully dry backbone to its sweet character, and its Birdhouse Pale Ale is a spot-on rendition of the classic American style.Jailbreak Brewing works unusual ingredients to different effects. Its Welcome to Scoville jalapeno IPA offers intriguing flavors of pepper and cilantro without an unnecessary burst of heat, even as its B. Limey Key Lime Pale Ale overdoes the sugary sweetness and blots out the hop character. Still, its Punisher Double IPA is one of the better hop bombs coming out of Maryland.
Then there is Union Craft Brewing, a beer maker that doesn't stuff seafood and picnic ingredients down your throat so much as it holds up traditional styles in a new light. Its Duckpin Pale Ale, made with Pacific Northwest and Southern Hemisphere hops, is light-bodied but bold-flavored. And while its Anthem Golden Ale lacks in backbone, its Balt Altbier is a well-deserved Great American Beer Festival gold-medal winner for its style, crisp and smooth.
There are other worthy offerings. DuClaw Brewing stretches its wings to offer everything from a strawberry milk stout to an excellently balanced chocolate peanut butter porter. Clipper City Brewing doles out a variety of hopped creations and an excellent marzen. And RaR Brewing, located across the Chesapeake Bay, has one of the state's subtle gems in its earthy, coffee-hinted Bucktown Brown.
Baltimore won't soon be mistaken for Denver, San Diego or Portland as a beer town. But it's come a long way from the beer wasteland it used to be, and it will be worth watching the scene as it grows.
Labels: Baltimore breweries, Clipper City Brewing, DuClaw Brewing, Flying Dog, Jailbreak Brewing, RaR Brewing, Stillwater Brewing, The Brewer's Art, Union Craft Brewing
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
The Best Beers of Summer 2015
Breweries continue to up their games when it comes to refreshing summer beers. It's not that they are raising the hops or the ABV counts like the general trends of three to four years would seem to dictate. But they are upping the flavor while keeping the bodies relatively light and manageable and the alcohol at a largely acceptable post-hiking or -lawnmowing level.
That said, with summer now more than two-thirds gone, here are the beers that truly stood out in the outdoor season of 2015.
Ska Estival Cream Stout
This is a dark and frothy beer that genuinely shocks you on your first taste. Instead of huge malt, you get a stout akin to a creamsicle, brewed with orange blossom honey and aged on sweet orange peels. The citrus fruit notes are loud and sweet, and the cream adds a beautiful underlying texture. You'll go to the brewery or beer bar thinking you'll have one, and you'll end up drinking it all night.
Ratio Beerworks New Wave
Berliner weisses are hip now. But by adding a strawberry taste, Ratio amped up both the uniqueness and the refreshing quality of the style, balancing tartness with a sweetness that makes you want more. And it comes in at less than 4% ABV, making it almost dangerously perfect for hot weather.
Mountain Sun Jah Mon Ginger
Those who don't like the taste of ginger in their beer are advised to stay away. But for those who do, this wheat beer brings out a freshness and fullness in the spice that is hard to find in any Colorado beer not made by Left Hand Brewing. It jolts your taste buds but handles them smoothly.
Strange Watermelon Hefe
Few fruit beers are as fruit forward as this one. But there is also a natural quality that seemed to increase this year in Strange Craft Beer's seasonal that made it feel more like a natural recipe about which few people had thought rather than some far-fetched experiment. And, as you see at the top, it's a beer good enough for babies to stare it down, which may be the ultimate compliment in the craft beer world.
Upslope Thai Style White IPA
IPAs are good anytime. But what makes this one so appropriate for the summer is the sharp but strangely cooling Thai spices that take your attention away from the reasonably sized body to the flavors within. Destined to become a summer classic.
Flying Dog Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale
The oddest combination of the summer - and one you only can get in the mid-Atlantic, unfortunately - takes the classic Maryland crab spice and churns its flavor into an appealing cinnamon-like addition to a light-bodied beer. Brilliant, and a reminder of growing up to all of us who moved west.
Breweries continue to up their games when it comes to refreshing summer beers. It's not that they are raising the hops or the ABV counts like the general trends of three to four years would seem to dictate. But they are upping the flavor while keeping the bodies relatively light and manageable and the alcohol at a largely acceptable post-hiking or -lawnmowing level.
That said, with summer now more than two-thirds gone, here are the beers that truly stood out in the outdoor season of 2015.
Ska Estival Cream Stout
This is a dark and frothy beer that genuinely shocks you on your first taste. Instead of huge malt, you get a stout akin to a creamsicle, brewed with orange blossom honey and aged on sweet orange peels. The citrus fruit notes are loud and sweet, and the cream adds a beautiful underlying texture. You'll go to the brewery or beer bar thinking you'll have one, and you'll end up drinking it all night.
Berliner weisses are hip now. But by adding a strawberry taste, Ratio amped up both the uniqueness and the refreshing quality of the style, balancing tartness with a sweetness that makes you want more. And it comes in at less than 4% ABV, making it almost dangerously perfect for hot weather.
Mountain Sun Jah Mon Ginger
Those who don't like the taste of ginger in their beer are advised to stay away. But for those who do, this wheat beer brings out a freshness and fullness in the spice that is hard to find in any Colorado beer not made by Left Hand Brewing. It jolts your taste buds but handles them smoothly.
Strange Watermelon Hefe
Few fruit beers are as fruit forward as this one. But there is also a natural quality that seemed to increase this year in Strange Craft Beer's seasonal that made it feel more like a natural recipe about which few people had thought rather than some far-fetched experiment. And, as you see at the top, it's a beer good enough for babies to stare it down, which may be the ultimate compliment in the craft beer world.
Upslope Thai Style White IPA
IPAs are good anytime. But what makes this one so appropriate for the summer is the sharp but strangely cooling Thai spices that take your attention away from the reasonably sized body to the flavors within. Destined to become a summer classic.
Flying Dog Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale
The oddest combination of the summer - and one you only can get in the mid-Atlantic, unfortunately - takes the classic Maryland crab spice and churns its flavor into an appealing cinnamon-like addition to a light-bodied beer. Brilliant, and a reminder of growing up to all of us who moved west.
Labels: Flying Dog, Mountain Sun, Ratio Beerworks, Ska Brewing, Strange Brewing, Summer beers, Upslope Brewing
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Bigger But - More Importantly - BolderWhen 83 breweries show up to a festival bringing the biggest beers they make, you expect a lot of bourbon barrel-aged stouts, double IPAs and Belgian-style tripels. And, yes, there were plenty of each of those at Saturday's ninth annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines festival.
But what really stuck out this year was not just how outrageously hoppy or malty the beverages gathered in the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort were, but how creative brewers have become in making beers of at least 7 percent alcohol by volume. And thus, the event served as a peek at what the future of beer might be.
"I think 20 years from now, we'll look back and recognize now as the point where the gloves came off and consumers really recognized what beer had to offer," said Dogfish Head maestro Sam Calagione, whose recent New Yorker profile only helped to raise the visibility of big beers.
Standing out among all the giant American experimenters and ageless Belgian masters, for example, was Altitude Chophouse and Brewery of Laramie, Wyo., a brewpub so small that it considered bottling but had to nix the idea because of cost concerns. Yet, it grabbed a lot of the talk at the festival with a Cayenne Cocoa Bock that creatively combined inky, chocolaty darkness with a late-breaking fleck of heat that served as a defibrillator for the tongue.
If it wasn't a peppery bock grabbing attention, then it was one of several Belgian pale ales that brewers were rolling out. Stone Brewing led the way with a Cali-Belgique IPA, first released in August, that artfully blended hoppy floralness with Belgian esters to create something shockingly smooth. But Utah-based Uinta Brewing and Belgium's La Chouffe were among the others who also put their own versions on display, with the Belgian-made entry having significantly less of a hop characteristic.
Big, gutsy saisons also are making their imprint on a style that hasn't been as bold in the past. Several were on display in Vail, including a very sweet and drinkable Saison Rue from California-based The Bruery, a beer that could become the boldest beer of the spring and summer seasons.
And, of course, the continuing fascination with Belgian-style sour ales remains in place. Between Russian River's latest batch of Consecration (which they cracked open at the Great American Beer Festival this year), Cambridge Brewing's Cerise Casee (my personal favorite beer of the GABF) and Deschutes Brewery's Dissident Old Bruin, the best trend in American beer continues to get better.
That said, it's not like the traditional big beers are going away. There were no less than 21 barleywines, 15 tripels, 11 double or imperial IPAs and six bourbon-barrel-aged beers on display. Tasting a hopped masterpiece like Flying Dog's Double Dog Double Pale Ale reassures you the extreme beers that have been the focus of the past 10 years are still evolving art forms.
But now there are tastes for everyone, and more is still to come. At talks over the course of the day, apple and pear beers, huge coffee porters and new experiments with Brettanomyces were all mentioned and may not be far away.
Yes, there truly is a big beer for everyone at this point. Now the trick is finding the time to drink them all.
Labels: Altitude Chophouse and Brewery, Big Beers, Cambridge Brewing, Deschutes Brewing, Flying Dog, Russian River, Stone Brewing, The Bruery, Uinta Brewing
