The latest tasting at the Brickskeller was different than their normal affair. Instead of having one or more brewers come and speak about their wares they had a few folks from the industry on the panel to discuss any and all things beer. Bob Tupper hosted the event as usual. Everyone has been expecting his Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale and Pilsner ever since he announced his partnership with St George’s Brewing. He said that after many many delays he was promised that the beer would start to brew this Tuesday. He also said that he hopes to brew other kinds of beer including possibly a wet hopped beer. The other panelists included Larry Robinson of Chevy Chase Liquors, Greg Kitsock the writer, Bill Catron a distributor, and Dave Alexander himself the owner of the Brickskeller and RFD. I took Judy for her first true beer tasting.
They each picked a couple beers for a total of ten. Four I had in my fridge at the time (but are of course favorites of mine), a couple I was unfamiliar with, and two more were aged. The list:
- Williams Brothers – Grozet 5%
- Rodenbach - Red Ale 5%
- St Louis – Gueuze Fond Tradition 5%
- Sierra Nevada – Harvest Wet Hop Ale 6.7%
- Victory – Wild Devil Ale 6.7%
- Anchor – Old Foghorn ’97 or ’95 8.8%
- Thomas Hardy 2005 11.7%
- Dogfish Head – Burton Baton 10%
- Stone – Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale 8.7%
- Founder’s – Breakfast Stout 8.3%
The Grozet was an interesting beer made with gooseberries and wheat. It was rather light; not too much of the Scottish flavors. I didn’t think it was much to write home about.
The Rodenbach was interesting. It is a red Flemish ale and had that sour cherry flavor. It wasn’t too sour; it was drinkable. The Red that we had is a blend of 25% old and 75% young. I guess the Grand Cru is a 33/66 ratio. Rodenbach has managed to keep its lineage of family owners throughout the generations.
The St Louis Gueuze was another Belgian style. I’ve had other lambics but I don’t think I’ve had much gueuze. It was pretty good and well balanced. Apparently this beer was a blend of one year and two year aged beer. Five kegs of this made it to the US.
The Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop Ale is a familiar one. I just drank one from the store and have another in my fridge. This keg was much better than my bottles though. The bottle was starting to taste more like a traditional IPA whereas this keg had much more of that floral hoppy taste and aroma.
The Victory Wild Devil is one of the four beers in my fridge but the only one I have yet to try. I was quite pleased. Apparently this is a mix between a lambic and an IPA. They took their Hop Devil and added a Belgian yeast. It has a nice balance; it is not very sour. They paired the wild yeast flavor with the hops pretty well. I’ll have to go home and drink my bottle soon.
The Anchor Old Foghorn was either from 1997 or 1995. Apparently the Brickskeller cellar notes aren’t too complete from that time period. I’m not a big barley wine fan but this was pretty good. I’m sure the aging helped mellow it out a bit. I’ve never had a recent Old Foghorn so I can’t compare but I may need to buy some and stash them away for a decade.
The Thomas Hardy 2005 was interesting to taste because I’ve had the Thomas Hardy 1988 at a previous tasting. It had that syrupy rich taste but not as deep as the 1988. Judy gave most of her sample to me and I didn’t complain. I liked the Old Foghorn better but this was definitely a complex beer.
Dogfish Head Burton Baton is a favorite of mine. The panel really enjoyed this beer as well. They all felt it had some of the best aromas of any beer. The Burton Baton is pretty expensive at about $4 a 12 ounce. Although a lot of the beers we had are expensive. The Burton Baton is their 90 Minute IPA blended with an oak aged strong ale. A great beer.
Stone’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale is right at the top of my favorites with the Burton Baton. This is the same recipe as their 11th Anniversary Ale but they got such great feedback they are now brewing it whenever they have the time and ingredients. This is a wonderful hoppy black beer. I wish the panel would have talked more about this one.
The last beer was Founder’s Breakfast Stout. This was definitely a robust coffee flavored stout. As usual by the time they got to the last beer people were heading out the door because of the long event. They didn’t talk about the beers as much as they told stories. It was an interesting night. I could have listened to Bob, Bill, and Dave all night. They had to pull the words out of Larry’s mouth and Greg isn’t his best in front of crowds. They were a knowledgeable group though with a lot of experience and insight.
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