Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Following a short steak hiatus to cleanse our palates with appropriately paired food, we're back with our Thursday new beer coffee edition, and we've moved onto the coffee stouts!  Starting off with the lowest ABV of our three stouts, we have Hitachino Nest's Espresso Stout.  

I've always had a secret burning desire to try something from this brewery - it has to be the cute owl logo.

Beer: Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery
Style: American Imperial Stout
ABV: 7.5%

Glass: Snifter

Appearance: Fingernail thick smooth head that pours a medium tan.  Very dark brown to black, opaque, very small amount of sediment.

Aroma:   Nose is very sweet and malty, the coffee notes taking a backseat to chocolate and toffee malt aromas.  Pretty typical stout aroma, but quite nice.

Body & Texture: Thicker body with a heavy mouth feel and light carbonation.  Glides smoothly along the tongue and is almost sticky on the way down.

Taste: Starts out with a prominent espresso flavor that changes quickly to a surprisingly sweet and distinct middle.  I can definitely taste a few sweeter malts that present chocolate and toffee flavors.  Espresso again brings up the rear of the flavor train with the bitter coffee flavor one would expect to find in their little Starbucks espresso shot.

Overall:  4/5  As coffee beers go, this one is really interesting, as the bitter hop taste that is absent in many stouts due to style is replaced with a bitter coffee flavor.  Overall the experience while of course markedly different in flavor, still reminds me a little of a black IPA, with the heavy darkness and potent flavor that end in a bitter but tasty finish.  That also could be me being a noob, but that's one person's experience.  The use of multiple malts really adds to the complexity of this beer, and it is easy to distinguish by taste that this is indeed specifically an espresso stout versus a thinner stout produced with just plain Americano coffee.  

Meantime Coffee Porter

On to beer number three of our Untappd inspired New Brew Thursday tasting!  If you somehow missed the other two posts, we're doing coffee beers this week, with three porters and three stouts.

Up next, Meantime Brewing Company's Coffee Porter.  First of all, I have to say that I love the bottle!  Sure, we crafty brew people like to pretend we're up and snobby and choosing beers for their individual merits rather than on petty things like label and bottle design, but let's be down and honest here for a second - a unique bottle is going to attract the eye and leave a new consumer of your product wondering if the taste is as fancy as the bottle looks.  So here we are, I uncovered a fancy bottle and we're all set to drink our fanciest looking beer of the day!

Beer: Coffee Porter

Brewery: Meantime
Style: English Porter
ABV: 6.0%

Glass: American style pint

Appearance: A fluffy 2-3 inch head leads off what promises to be an interesting brew.  Dark brown with beautiful amber highlights that I can pick up both in my pint style glass and better in the Dobie's tulip glass.  Very clear, no traces of sediment or haze.

Aroma:   Rich coffee and toasted malt aromas - this one has quite an intoxicating nose to it!

Body & Texture: Lighter medium body, with a crisper mouth feel than I was expecting from a porter.  Light but active carbonation tickles the tongue and accents the flavors.  A light dryness follows the finish.

Taste: Naturally there is a predominant coffee flavor, but with it comes a startling complexity that I wasn't expecting after trying two other coffee porters.  Toasted malt provides a delicate sweetness with the suggestion of toffee notes.  Flavor suggests perhaps use of crystal malts along with the expected coffee malt.

Overall:  4.5/5  There is a startling complexity in this beer, likely due to what appears to be several distinctly different malt flavors blending into the expected coffee taste.  This is one coffee beer I am happy to drink either alone or with foods, the richness lending to a beautiful flavor that would again blend quite well with any number of after dinner dessert type items, or even simply impress the drinker as a stand alone.  While the unique bottle itself is what admittedly caught my eye, the fullness of flavor and rich multi-layered complexity is what will keep me coming back.  I can't wait to sample others from Meantime!

Rogue Mocha Porter

Next up for our New Brew Thursday edition, inspired by Untappd, we have a Mocha Porter from Rogue.  I love Rogue, and who doesn't, for their wild ideas, great bottle art, and highly original brews and collabs.  Someday, I vow to try every brew on their list, but my goodness is that a challenge.  Challenge accepted, here we go with Mocha Porter!

Beer: Mocha Porter

Brewery: Rogue

Style: American Porter
ABV: 5.3%

Glass: American style pint

Appearance: Pours with an impressive 3-4 inch tan head.  Deep dark brown and opaque, with hints of red around the edges.

Aroma:   Aroma is dominated not by specifically chocolate, but cocoa notes, that lovely pre-chocolate chocolatiness that is more bitter than sweet but still all around delicious and mouthwatering to smell.

Body & Texture: Medium bodied, right around where I feel a porter should be.  Lightly carbonated, not enough to remove from the general "coffee" experience.  Silky smooth mouth feel.

Taste:  Coffee and cocoa combine to create a delicate bitterness that is very suggestive of a morning brew that I'd like to have in my coffee mug.  Perhaps we should have tasted this one in English mug glasses! A nice roasted malt flavor caps it off to complete a well rounded flavor with a short finish.

Overall: 3.5/5  The combination of the coffee and cocoa flavors blend nicely with the toasted malt, creating an end result that is not unlike your standard morning cup o' very nice joe.  I was expecting this to be a more chocolaty beer, with the sweetness one thinks of when you see the word mocha.  While I was surprised at the bitterness, it was not at all unpleasant.  While a sweeter beer would of course have a certain savoriness to it, I think that the bitterness added by using cocoa in lieu of straight sugary chocolate contributes quite a bit to the overall drinkability of this beer.  Rogue Mocha Porter is another good brew to have with dessert, or even in the morning if you're feeling adventurous and don't have to work.  Pair this lightly bitter chocolatey beer with something a little sweeter to compliment the flavor like tiramisu!

Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter

Welcome to the very first edition of our Untappd inspired New Brew Thursday!  If this is your first time checking out TDBB, feel free to follow us on Untappd under TDBC_Cavalier and TDBC_Dobie.  This week, the tasting is dedicated to my coffee obsessed friend Becki - we have three coffee porters and three coffee stouts ready to go!  My am I going to be drunk by the end of this.

Since I'm going in ABV order, first on the docket is Alta Gracia Coffee Porter by Wolavers, of Middlebury, VT.  Interesting fact, Wolaver's is one of a few USDA certified organic brewing companies out there!  The Dobie and I are looking into brewing as a USDA certified organic, so the beers from this company always interest me quite a bit.

Beer: Alta Gracia Coffee Porter

Brewery: Wolaver's
Style: American Porter
ABV: 5.0%

Glass: American style pint

Appearance: Pours with a 2 inch thick, fluffy, tan head that creeps down slowly.  Very dark brown with some pretty red highlights.  Hazy, with evidence of some very fine sediment.

Aroma:   Deep coffee aroma blended with some scent of chocolate malt and some subtle vanilla notes.

Body & Texture: Medium thickness bordering slightly heavy, but not a beer I have to chew by any means.  Mouth feel is extremely smooth and creamy, like silk with a slight fizz at the end.

Taste:  Quite a bit like a cold, alcoholic version of drinking my morning coffee (which by the way should be served thick, black, and untainted by any of this silly "milk" nonsense!)  Coffee is naturally the predominant flavor, and it is backed by chocolate malt.  A light vanilla bean flavor is present in the finish, that blends well with the mild bitterness one might get from the coffee.

Overall: 3.5/5  Well suited as an after dinner drink, or perhaps as a Saturday substitute for your morning brew.  I certainly wouldn't say no to this first thing on an early tailgating morning were it offered on one of my yearly pilgrimages to Paternoville!  Coffee is a classic way to go when creating a porter, because it allows for a thick, dark beer that doesn't need to be overly hopped as the bitterness is already there in the coffee.  Judging by the robust flavor of the Alta Gracia, I have to assume the coffee was added later in the brewing process - adding coffee too early can tire out the flavor, making it a weaker flavor that acts more as a background bitter than an upfront part of the beer.  My overall feeling about Alta Gracia is that it is quite good, however I think it would be better paired with food or as a more drinkable item that you're planning on having a few of, because it lacks the complexity of flavor that I like in a beer that I'm drinking solely to enjoy a beer.  That being said, get out your biscotti and coffee cake and give this one a shot!

RJ Rockers Son of a Peach

RJ Rockers was yet another of the multitude of breweries whose various pumpkin ales I cruised through on the journey about my Epic Pumpkin Ale Quest this past fall.  Their Gruntled Pumpkin, from what I recall, was extremely smooth and creamy and went quite well with my famous pumpkin cheesecake!  Son of a Peach has been staring at me from a dark corner in 101 Bottles of Beer on the wall, one of my favorite beer shops, since around that time, and I finally picked it up hoping that I grabbed one out of a corner dark enough that it wouldn't have developed any skunk from the fluorescent lights.  As luck would have it, this one was still good, so here we are - to beer!

Beer: Son of a Peach

Brewery: RJ Rockers
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 6.0%

Glass: Tulip snifter (Check out my sweet GLBC 25th anniversary glass!)

Appearance: Pours a light hazy amber with about a fingernail's worth of wet, white head that leaves a small ring as it descends the glass to settle on the beer surface.  

Aroma:  Very strong aroma of peaches with a background of biscuits or wheat.  Smell is almost like a peach pie or a cobbler.  

Body & Texture:  Light body with a fresh, highly carbonated, and extremely fresh mouth feel.  Finishes with a light dryness.

Taste:  The flavor follows the aroma, starting with a light peach flavor.  The amount of peach in the flavor in comparison with the nose is surprisingly less, but this is not unpleasant as some fruit beers can get overpoweringly sweet and this one is not.  As you get down the glass, the peach starts to give suggestion of a sour, as peaches are apt to do, but in a pleasant way that adds to the experience.  Middle fades to a light wheat and ends with a mild hop bitterness.

Overall: 4/5  A light, drinkable, and just sweet enough fruit beer that would be deliciously quenching on an summer night.  This would make an excellent pairing for whitefish tacos with a mango-peach salsa, and now that I've said that I'm seriously considering a trip to the grocery store!  I've seen several reviews where it is commented that this really "isn't anything special," however I'm inclined to disagree.  What makes a beer particularly "special" is either originality or how much you the drinker like it, and I quite like fruit beers in particular, though I've heard this is quite unusual for a "beer snob."  I enjoyed Son of a Peach because it used the fruit flavors I do so love and mixed them with a strong wheat that blended into the background and allowed the peach sweetness to fade off, leaving room for just enough bitter hop flavor.  It's a well rounded beer.  Maybe not so much if you're not into the fruit of things, but if you'd like something refreshing then give this guy a try!

Brouwerij Strubbe Ichtegems Grand Cru

I love to try everything I can across the board, every color, every style, every country.  The Dobie sometimes brings me home beer he thinks I'll like, what a sweetie, and he brought me this a few weeks ago.  I've been on a sour kick lately, trying everything from traditional to historical styles.  I actually had a lichtenhainer the other day - now that was interesting!

Beer: Ichtegems Grand Cru

Brewery: Brouwerij Strubbe
Style: Flanders Oud Brun
ABV: 6.5%

Glass: snifter

Appearance: Pours a medium red-brown with a slight haze that may be a chill haze, it's a little cold.  Small to medium tan head that sinks quickly without much trace.  

Aroma:  Has a nose much like a sweeter red wine, with sour notes that are just barely detectable.  Would call the wine smell a grape skin-like aroma.

Body & Texture:  Light to medium body that honeys over the tongue before exploding with carbonation and then hitting the drinker with a surprising alcohol or carbonation burn on the way down.

Taste:  Taste reminds me of nothing quite like it does a highly carbonated red wine.  Sweet grape skin flavor start with a slight breaddiness in the middle from the yeast and just a touch of vinegar, earning it the sour name.

Overall: 4/0  My first time with a Flanders Brown!  More sweet and much less sour than its cousin the Flanders Red, I would have to say this particular example of the style is much akin to a carbonated sweet red wine.  My mind searches for an oak flavor in it while drinking.  If you've got an interest in sours, I recommend checking this one out.  It's more towards the sweet end of the scale, with sour notes being much more delicate and subtle, but as a sour lover I have to say the different experience is challenging to the palate.  

Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon

Bored with our Sunday afternoon, we decided to take a cruise up to Cleveland, mostly to go to B. A. Sweetie's for last minute holiday candy for the friends.  While we were there, we decided to hit Rocky River Brewing Company.  Well, due to an unfortunate mishap (for some reason the hostess stuck us in what looked like an extra table stashed way out of view in a corner and we were forgotten about) we decided to pack up shop and head to the nearby brand new Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon.

I've been to Fat Heads a few times, both in its new North Olmsted location and its Carson Street location in Pittsburgh.  I love their sheer variety of very original beers, and often buy singles when I find new ones to taste.  Interestingly, Fat Heads Bumbleberry is one of the few beers out there that I'm willing to commit to buying a full six pack of without getting bored and letting half sit for a few months in the back of the beer shelf.  

The atmosphere at Fat Heads is a wide floor-plan pub style, decorated sparingly with beer swag from other craft breweries that are often featured on the tap list, as well as a very impressive collection of competition awards around the bar.  

They have an extensive menu with mostly standard pub fare - salads, sandwiches, burgers, and some dinner entrees.  Prices seem just a tad high the first time you eat there, though still within reasonable level for the venue - but that's before you get your food.  You'll never go hungry at Fat Heads.  They've got huge portions that will fill you up and let you take another meal home, or if you're short on cash you could even split with a friend.  I ordered Derek's 4 Onion Honey and Ale Soup and the Divine Swine, a massive pulled pork sandwich, both were excellent and well suited to complementing several beers on the Fat Heads menu.  

Speaking of which, the important part - the beer!  Fat Heads knows their stuff, and they should, they've been at it since 1992!  They've won countless awards over the years as evidence by their highly decorated saloon walls, and it's no wonder why when you sample their every changing and rather wide variety of brews, some exclusive to the location.  

One thing I absolutely love about Fat Heads is how well they cater to their more beer-crazy patrons.  The very first time I went there, I was immediately impressed at the fact that not only did they have an amazing variety and selection as far as styles and beers, but they went the extra mile to use appropriate barware for their brews.  If you're curious about what I as a taster would consider a reasonable variety of barware for beer service and display, look no farther than the beer section of there website where it is obvious that both flavor and presentation are very important to the Fat Heads crew.  Even their tasting glasses, mini flared pilsner glasses, reflect a dedication to both flavor and presentation to totally enhance the complete beer experience.  

Aside from the detail of the glasses, I am always impress with their staff's knowledge of their tap list, especially evident by the first taster I ordered, the Holiday Cookie Stout.  I won't lie, I'm a girl - I saw this on the tap list and made a bee line for it.  The waiter who took our orders was not only able to give suggestions to the Dobie, but he also made sure to let me know that the Holiday Cookie Stout was good, but it needed a few more weeks to age.  I tried it anyhow, and he was absolutely spot on, though admittedly it was quite fantastic.  I can't wait to return in a few weeks and try it a second time!

If you're passing through (or living in) eastern Ohio or Pittsburgh (and soon Portland, OR!), stop by one of the Fat Heads locations.  Their beers are extensive and fantastic, and their food will not leave you disappointed!  While you're there, don't hesitate to pick up a growler or some brew swag from the front of the restaurant!

Check out their website, read about their brews, and find their menu at http://fatheadscleveland.com/

New Belgium Fat Tire

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!! My famous last words when Yuengling came to Ohio as well, though somehow I doubt I'm going to exhaust my love of this hearty little brewery from Fort Collins, CO quite as fast as I drained myself on the let's face it, kind of boring Yuengling lagers.

To celebrate their entrance into the Ohio beer scene, and the fact that their large bottle beers were on sale at the grocery store for $2.99, we picked up a bottle of Fat Tire for a tasting (in our brand new, very well loved MBC glasses!)

Beer: Fat Tire
Brewery: New Belgium
Style: American Amber
ABV: 5.2%
Glass: American-style pint glass

Appearance: Pours a dark gold with a thick white to off-white head that clings to the glass throughout the tasting and leaves the drinker reminiscing of fluffy clouds.  Out of desire to give my readers a little tasting lesson, I'd ask that newer enthusiasts observe the above pours.  Those are actually a little full liquid-wise.  You want to pour about 1/3 of the glass, then observe the head and allow the remaining empty part of the glass to collect and enhance your ability to draw in the aromas while you give it a few quick sniffs.

Aroma:    Light biscuit or bread aroma, pleasant.  Have to note here that the Dobie is quite sure it "smells like Yuengling" oddly, but I'm certain there has to be something wrong with his sniffer.  I can see where he's coming from, as were perhaps our favorite big market brew were made in a craft fashion, with more malt and significantly fewer adjunct grains so as to not give it that subtly rancid odor that all commercial American beers share, then yes it might just have a chance of smelling like this.  But who knows.

Body & Texture:  Clean, crisp, and moderately light with mild to moderate amounts of carbonation that just tickle the tongue enough to accent the flavors before disappearing.

Taste:  A biscuity maltiness, like the smell, with a drier finish.  Very drinkable, and a great example of a very basic, no nonsense, no frills amber.

Overall:  4/5 Fat Tire combines classic American flavor with more traditional no-frills brewing to create a drinkable, well rounded, -technically- craft beer.  If you're looking to ease a hardcore NASCAR beer fan into the world of real beers, this isn't a bad start.  Fat Tire is a great beer to enjoy with food, party with, or just to drink and watch the game with.  It might not be the fancy schmancy stuff many of us crafties are used to, but it's a solid drink that you can't pass up at least trying.

Millersburg Brewing Company

I first encountered Millersburg Brewing Company this fall when I went on what can only be titled an Epic Pumpkin Ale Quest.  Capitol letters because it really was quite epic - in all I tasted close to 50 different pumpkin beers, my favorite seasonal style without a doubt.  Near the top of my list, possibly my number one pumpkin ale was MBC's Pope's Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  A veritable assault of pumpkin and spice, it bears a much heavier sweetness than others of the style, almost cidery but with quintessential beer flavors, and a bite created by a delicious heavy spice.  Judging by the ratings on RateBeer, it isn't everyone's favorite but it certainly ranks at the top of my list - the originality and complexity of the beer was plenty enough to make up for any off style flavors it might have.

Several times we've driven through Millersburg, OH since then but have never had time to stop and check out the bar or have a drink.  Tonight, on the way home from the ever-hectic family Christmas party, we decided it was high time we stop in for a brew or two.  

MBC is a pretty good sized bar/tasting room located on Millersburg's town square, facing the Holmes County Courthouse.  Patrons can park on the street in front of the brewery or in one of several public lots within quick walking distance around the town.  The interior of the tasting venue is described as a 1920's feel, though with it's large wooden tables, simple metal stools and somewhat outdoorsey decor, I would venture to say that it has more of a rustic feel to it.  Whatever it is, the bar offers a quiet and roomy atmosphere that caters to both the casual drinker and the beer fanatic looking to do a nice tasting.

They offer "at least 8 beers" on tap at all times, plus an extensive wine list for those strange non beer loving people who might accidentally stumble in there.  Glasses come in 4 or 16 oz pours, and I noted the presence of both snifters and standard beer glasses behind the bar.  I'm a big fan of the snifter while tasting, so this pleased me greatly!  Patrons can also purchase growlers and brewery swag like t-shirts, bandannas, and of course glasses.

The Dobie and I decided that our best course of action (as per our usual in brewpubs and tasting rooms) was to go for the full tasting flight and try out everything they had to offer today.  It was enormous and only cost us $12, so naturally we were pleased. They offer a good variety of styles, with what seems to be a preference towards lighter, sweeter, or less hopped brews.

Of the 12 beers we sampled, including two of their seasonal brews, I have to say my favorites were the Fort Fizzle, an extremely unique albeit slightly off style winter ale that uses fruit tones in lieu of spice, the Doc's Scotch Ale, which has a beautiful sweetness that ends in a warm dry almost earthiness, and the French Ridge IPA.  The IPA was exactly what an IPA should be, and it definitely carried a wow factor for me.  From the distinct blend of several interesting hop flavors, it is clear that quite a bit of time was spent on the delicate crafting of this excellent brew.  Hopheads, you need this one.  

In all, I really loved MBC!  They offer an excellent atmosphere and unique, complex, exciting beers that leave the drinker wanting to taste more and more of what this relatively new brewery has to offer.  My one and only complaint comes from being a terrible beer snob, but I do not care for the style of their tasting glasses.  The small four-ounce glasses they offer in the long wooden tasting trays do not leave room to observe the head of the beer or adequately catch the delicate and delicious aromas that many of their beers clearly have.  Essentially, I feel as though their tasting glasses are really causing MBC to sell themselves short!  A taller glass with the same sized pour would be perfect, and would still be perfectly accented by the decor and the unique (and heavy duty) flight bars they offer.  

We'll definitely be going back to MBC, and taking our beer friends with us.  If you find yourself in central Ohio searching out a good brewery or just milling about doing your cheese and antique shopping for the year, stop by Millersburg Brewing Company for a beer or two, or even a whole tasting flight - you won't be disappointed!

Check out their website and read more about their beers at http://millersburgbrewing.com/

Great Lakes Oktoberfest

There will always be a place in my hopped up heart for just about anything brewed by Great Lakes.  GLBC's Elliot Ness was my first craft beer, and I can remember back to high school when my dad stocked nothing but that and GL Dortmunder Gold in his beer fridge.  Good times indeed.

We're moving soon and really need to drink up the beer in the fridge (so we can stock the new fridge with more beer of course), and imagine my surprise at finding an extra GL Oktoberfest nestled in the back behind a daunting collection of larger bottles.  Time for a review!

Beer: Oktoberfest

Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest
ABV: 6.5%

Glass: snifter

Appearance: Pours a rich amber with a smaller, quickly disappearing white head.  A little clearer than others of this style I've enjoyed recently.  Really quite beautiful to look at!

Aroma:    Rich malt and bready tones with subtle hints of hops.  Nothing too complex, which I enjoy with this style - it's about tradition.

Body & Texture:  Light to medium body with a fresh almost prickly carbonation that serves as a good accent to the flavor.

Taste:  Very upfront flavor that matches the aroma nicely.  This is a traditionally brewed beer with no surprises and all good taste.  Flavor brings together bread and caramel malts with just enough spice to show in the medium dry finish.

Overall: 4.5/5 It seems to be a bit clear and a little more thicker bodied that other Oktoberfest style beers I've tasted, but that doesn't mean it is bad - quite the opposite!  This is a highly drinkable brew that highlights the traditional Oktoberfest style and gives it a slight American craft spin enough to make it a tasty GLBC original.  I do have to note however that my initial tasting of this beer was back in September when it was released for the year, and that the one I am currently enjoying has been aging in my fridge since around that time.  I have to admit that I was not as enthused about this one around the time of its initial release and I think it may improve with a little age, but don't take my word for it - try it both ways yourself!

Ithaca Dark Vine

Time for a new beer!  The world of black IPA's has been calling to me as my palate expands and develops a liking for more and more hop flavor.  I've seen quite a few good brews pop out of Ithaca, and I'd like to make a visit up to New York some time soon to check them out.

Beer: Dark Vine

Style: Black IPA
ABV: 9.5%

Aroma:  Sharp and just slightly hop sweet with notes of hop bitterness melding with toasted malt.  Definitely draws the drinker in with enticing smells!

Appearance:  Small tan head with a short stay.  Extremely dark in color like dark toasted caramel in the light.  Just slightly hazy (may be a chill haze, drinking slightly too cold.)

Body & Texture:  Heavier body than I was expecting, as I had seen it reviewed as being "surprisingly light" in body.  Fizzy with a fresh and crisp mouth feel that leaves cleanly.  

Taste:  Toasted malt leads the flavor charge, fading into a bitter hop finish with floral hop undertones.  Medium finish that leaves the drinker wanting more.

Overall: 5/5  Skillful blend of hop and toasted malt flavors, blending to be an excellent example of a style that is quickly catching my interest.  This brew draws the drinker in with its clear hop aromas and keeps you wanting more by ending with just a hint of floral sweetness and a kick of bitter hops.  If you're craving a hop taste that won't leave you dry, this is an excellent choice.

What to Watch: Brew Masters

Beer and craft brewing information can come from all kinds of sources, from internet to books to in-person beer classes and tastings, and even from TV and movies.  A surprisingly small number of my craft fan friends have heard of the 5 episode series following Dogfish Head owner Sam Calagione through his brewing adventures that aired on the Discovery Channel in 2010 -though maybe it isn't that surprising considering Discovery crumpled under corporate beer sponsor pressure and pulled the show before it could even make it a full season.  

Sam Calagione has been somewhat of a hero to me since I started in on craft brewing.  He built Dogfish Head starting as a college student and a home brewer, and has turned it into what is arguably one of the most recognizable craft beer companies in the United States.  

For budding brewers like myself, Brew Masters gives an insightful glimpse into the world of craft brewing from the business standpoint.  While Calagione certainly has a good time with his business, the show also has an underlying word of caution to up and coming commercial craft brewing hopefuls - the brewing business is hard!  During the course of the 5-episode series, the Dogfish Head crew goes through all manner of brewing challenges and trials.  Many of us small time brewers don't take the time to think over just how much is at stake in a small business, especially one that is financially based almost solely on the product it produces.  

Hopheads and beer junkies will also find enjoyment in this miniseries, with its multifaceted approach at exploring all that is craft beer through Dogfish Head.  Inside looks at the brewery and main restaurant, tasting discussions, and of course fun adventures to discover new and interesting methods and recipes for brewing some of our favorite beers are all sure to draw in even the newest beer fans.  If you're trying to convert someone to the craft scene, I recommend cracking open a bottle of your favorite Dogfish Head brew and sitting them down in front of the screen.  If you can't make a conversion by the end of the 5th episode then there's just no hope for them!

In all, I give Brew Masters five stars.  My only complaint is that it was cut off much too soon.  I would have loved to continue watching the stories behind some of my favorite beers, and I'm highly disappointed that Discovery would crumple to the corporate pressure of a sponsor that caters to an entirely different market.  If you haven't yet seen Brew Masters, give it a watch.  It can be purchased on Amazon and is currently available to stream on Netflix!

Book Review: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

As promised, I'm going to review not only the brews themselves but useful items to help with the enjoyment and enrichment of your brews.  Starting off with another old favorite of mine, A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage.  While beer is only one of those six beverages, it is nice to explore the history of beer and how it relates to the rest of history.

Beer is literally the beverage that saved the world and caused us to become civilized people.  Beer is what fueled the building of cities and monuments, and brought us together as a civilization.  While Standage only delves into the very beginning of the rich and lengthy history of beer, he does provide a concise and notable review of the proposed timeline of the discovery of beer and brewing, proposing that beer provided the foundation of modern society and set the stage for us to grow and develop as a human species.

For all that beer has a long and detailed history, Standage spends very little time (just two chapters) discussing it.  That being said, the book itself is an excellent view of history from stone age to modern era based on some of the most important things we produce and consume.

I'd recommend this to the budding beer or wine enthusiast, as well as the curious historian.  You may not learn much about the history of beer any further than the time of early peoples and the very roots of beer's being, but Standage offers an excellent short history and insightful angles on our history as a people that are well worth exploring.

Hungry Bee ReHive Ale

For the first beer we review, I though we'd try out an old favorite - ReHive Ale, bottled not far from where we live!  I met Chef Kimberly McCune Gibson at the Cleveland International Beer Fest and was already hooked on her delicious honey ale.  After speaking to her at length while there, I learned that she shares my passion for the plight of bees, especially with the growing prevalence of colony collapse disorder.  As a meadmaker, I can understand a passion for bees and a need to save the honey that they make.  Also - I have to love this beer, it was brewed in my hometown!

My apologies for the picture, we're moving and don't have space or materials for fancy setups quite yet :)

Anyhow, I digress!  To the beer!

Beer: ReHive Ale
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
ABV: 5.5%

Aroma:  Heavy honey aroma with a faint suggestion of floral hops.  Almost like being near a honeysuckle bush in full bloom.

Appearance:  Small white head that has a decently long stay.  Beer is unfiltered and hazy with some stray yeast particles that add to the lovely deep gold coloration.

Body & Texture:  A medium bodied ale, accented in fullness by the honey.  Quite fizzy with a lasting bite from the carbonation that dances over the tongue as the finish fades.

Taste:  A quiet start with mild honey flavor that builds through the middle and finishes strongly with a clean blend of what tastes like wildflower or clover honey and floral hops.

Overall:  I give this beer a 5/5 nearly every time I come across it.  I have a soft spot for honeyed beverages, having had my start at brewing with mead, so I might be a bit biased, but I have to say that this is a beer worth trying.  It is a powerfully honeyed beverage, something I would recommend having with barbecue or spicy foods or saving for dessert.

Check out Hungry Bee Catering's site and read a little about ReHive at http://www.hungrybeecatering.com/rehive-ale

Welcome - A bit about us

We started with an interest in homebrewing mead, and by 2012 we were bustling homebrewers, excitedly buying up books and supplies and constantly searching out ways to improve our craft.  In time, we branched out to brewing beer.  In an effort to further improve our brewing skills, we moved to nightly beer tastings, sampling anything and everything we could get our hands on.  From this, to our trusty Untappd apps, we have decided that a blog is the next course of action for further improving our skills as brewers and knowledge as tasters.  

From the moment we began brewing, we had one thought in our minds - beer tastes good.  Unfortunately for beer, not everyone is of this state of mind.  The mission statement of our homebrew label - Two Dogs Brewing Company - is to find a beer for everyone.  We want to know why beer doesn't taste good, and subsequently prove that we can brew or find a beer for everyone!

In our new blog, we intend to review individual beers as well as brewing establishments that we visit along our numerous travels, home brewing supplies and suppliers, and beer-centric events that we attend.  We hope that we will be able to do each review justice and provide good information to our readers.

The blog will be updated on a daily to weekly basis depending on our brewing schedules, tasting availability, and our various travels.  

To contact us about reviews, leave a comment on a post or email twodogsbrewco@gmail.com