Tuesday Beer Social

The fiance is in Reno this week (hopefully I can get her to pick me us some beer), so I was able to head down to Max's for the Tuesday night beer social.  This was one social that I was looking forward to.  If you follow the blog at all, you might notice that I do not feature stouts very often.  It isn't that I do not like stouts, but I prefer lighter ales, especially Belgians.  Well, this week has been for stouts.

Sunday night, I cracked open my bottle of delicious Southern Tier Mokah.  A mix of the Chokat (chocolate) and the Java (coffee).  This beer gives a great mixture of both of the beers, smooth and delicious.

Tonight, the beer of choice was Heavy Seas Siren Noire.  I preceded that beer with Oliver's Bishop Breakfast.  Both of the beers were delicious, but I would have to give the Siren Noire the edge, due to it being from a firkin and the lack of carbination really developed the beer into something that was extremely drinkable.  Both were beers that I would drink in a heartbeat.

The other beer that I sampled tonight was the BrewDog Tokyo, an 18% stout that doesn't show its strength.  I could taste the raisons and other dark fruits, but the high abv was well masked.  This is a beer that would get me in trouble if I didn't know what I was getting into.  Try it, you will like it.

What did you have tonight?

Zotten off market?

Pulling from a Beer Advocate thread, Weyerbacher's Zotten will be pulled due to a settlement with Bierbrouwerij De Halve Maan.  Apparently, there is some issue with Zotten's labeling being too similar.

This is upsetting news, as Zotten is one of my favorite beers from last year, and I was looking forward to it again.

Original article here, in Google Translate.

Baltimore Sun coming in with some news

Somethings that we can actually care about from the Baltimore Sun:

Dining@Large, which is a restaurant blog, tells us about a Grilled Cheese, Beer and Wine Festival happening up in Carroll County.  That just SCREAMS awesomeness.  Place that on your calendar.

The man behind Stillwater Artesian Ales, Brian Stumke, is introduced to Baltimore by Rob Kasper, who had the Kasper on Tap blog in the Sun, which was discontinued but continues on here.  I was lucky enough to get some of the Stillwater Stateside Saison at Max's Belgian Beer Festival this past weekend, and it was one of the highlights for me.  The beer is absolutely delicious, and I cannot wait to see what this talented brewer can come up with next.  (This article also appeared in the Wednesday, February 17 print edition.)

BrewDog on top, again

How can you not like the guys at BrewDog. They do their best to produce crazy beers.  No one knows what is coming at them... until they make a movie about it.


Sink the Bismarck! from BrewDog on Vimeo.


I love their movies, and their creativity really helps them produce a lot of buzz for their beer (like blog posts).  I believe that this buzz helps out all craft beers.  As much as the neo-prohibitionists would love for people to believe that beers like Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%), Sink the Bismark(41%) and Schorschbrau (40%) will be drank by underage binge drinkers (since they can afford it), most people realize that it is different.  A unique beer, which was taken to the extreme.  Here is another article by Fox News that names a few other extreme beers. 

As many of us know, that article doesn't show part of the number of beers that are high in alcohol.  For example, Dogfish Head has produced at least 12 beers (from Beer Advocate stats, including 3 that are 18%) that are above 10%, and may others 8-9%  and Avery Brewing has produced 17 over 10%.  High percent beers are becoming, might I say, common in the beer world.

What is your favorite +10% beer?  (Mine has to be Scaldis Noel.)

Belgian Beer Fest 2010

Max's Taphouse hosts the Belgian Beer Festival every year (second weekend of February).  As most of the city is paralized by the snowstorm, Max's was roaring with people, and the beer was flowing.  I was able to walk down, a perk of living in the city.

I was able to meet up with other beer fans, bloggers (http://www.beerinbaltimore.com/) and twitterites (@beerinbaltimore, @cdoubleIPA, @beersfordinner, @siana506).  Thanks go out to them for the great day.

Below is the list of beers that I was able to enjoy, hopefully you can get out (or have already been out) to enjoy the beer.  Most of the beer I had were in the smaller sample size.  The only full beer that I had was the Stillwater Stateside Saison, a great beer made by a local guy just breaking into the brewing business.  I am glad to be able to get his stuff from the beginning, because he is going to be big.

The Bruery Two Turtle Doves (cask)- Belgian Dark Ale

Stillwater Ales Stateside Saison (cask)
Silly Saison de Silly- Saison
Geants Urchon- Brown Ale
Sint Carnas Pere Canard- Winter Strong Ale
Sint Carnas Triple
De Dochter Van De Korenaar Emblasse- Strong Dark Ale
De Dochter Van De Korenaar Courage- Dark Wheat
De Dochter Van De Korenaar Noblesse -Pale Ale
Cantillion Iris- Fresh Hop Lambic
Cantillion Gueuze
Cantillion Rose de Grambrinus- Raspberry Lambic
Cazeau Tournay- Blonde
Cazeau Tournay Black- Stout
Cazeau Tournay de Noel- Dark Saison
St. Bernardus Wit
Kerkom Bink Triple

Stop, Collaboration and Listen

I was going through my beer box the other day, and saw that I had yet to drink the Nogne O/Jolly Pumpkin/Stone collaboration Special Holiday Ale.  So a placed it in the fridge and waited for the night to drink it.

The three brewers are taking turns brewing this beer. 

This is the second release of Special Holiday Ale, which was first brewed in San Diego in 2008.  Each brew is following the same recipe, including Michigan chestnuts, white sage from southern California and Norwegian juniper berries, but differences in brewing and aging practices produce different beers.  Cheers to being different! Ska!

The beer pours a deep mahogany, small head that disappears quickly.  The smell is dominated by the sage and juniper, but I could smell a hint of the chestnuts.  On the first sip, I could get the sage (the minty taste was first thing I noticed) and juniper upfront, and the chestnuts came about as the beer warmed a bit.  The malt is hidden by the spices, but is still present (I was tasting a sweetness that I figured was from the malt).  The alcohol is also well hidden, as I expected more from a 8.5% beer.

The Special Holiday Ale was silky smooth in my mouth.  It is a little thinker than I would like, but very very smooth.  I would love to have this beer again, it was a spice bomb, yet very drinkable.

Beer with Tea and a Jack's Bistro Update, Again

I posted a question on twitter the other day, why aren't beers brewed with tea.  I couldn't think of any at that moment.  @cauderus mentioned Sah'tea from Dogfish Head, @beertodd mentioned brewers preference,as well as some are brewed with green tea and said some tea would get tannic and astringent when boiled (he is the brewer at Copper Canyon in Michigan).  Low and behold Jack's has a beer brewed with tea on their new tap list.  I will have to get down to try it out.

Apparently, all my mind will function to post are the Jacks Bistro update emails that I receive, since some of you couldnt get on the list. Here you go.

Jack's Bistro
3123 Elliott St.
Baltimore, Md. 21224
(410) 878-6542

Hello Everyone! If you are close enough to walk, come keep warm and keep us company tonight.

Jack's will have food and drink specials all evening for those brave enough to venture out.

Reservations for all size parties are being accepted for Valentines Day. We will be offering the whole menu with some additional specials.

Beers on tap this week:

Brewer's Art "Ozzy"- Belgian Style Golden Ale- Baltimore
Synbrychoff Porter- Finland
Great Divide "Hercules"- Double IPA- Colorado
N'ice Chouffe Winter Beer- Belgium
Glazen Toren- Saison- Belgium
Rogue Chocolate Stout- Oregon
North Coast "Brother Thelonious"- Abbey Style Brown Ale- California
BFM Tarry Suchong- Amber ale brewed with tea leaves


To answer a frequently asked question: We honor our happy hour every night (even on the weekends). The happy hour is $2 off all wines by the glass, beer, original house cocktails, and appetizers at the bar stools only from 5-7pm & 11-1am for the late nighters. Our kitchen is always open until 1am. Bottles of wine are half price from 5pm til 6pm.







Hope to see you soon!