I have added entires on the various stout variations, like coffee stouts, chocolate stouts, fruit stouts, oyster stouts, smoked stouts and Belgian style stouts, to the
Not Just Another Beer Style Guide, which you can read here: http://therulingglass.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale,
American India Pale Ale,
American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India
Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale,
American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special
Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter,
Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout, Imperial Stout, Foreign/Extra Stout, Wood Aged Stout, Stout Variations
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
New Entries Added to the Beer Style Guide
I have added entires on foreign/extra stouts and wood aged stouts to the Not Just Another Beer Style Guide that you can read here: http://therulingglass.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter, Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout, Imperial Stout, Foreign/Extra Stout, Wood Aged Stout
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter, Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout, Imperial Stout, Foreign/Extra Stout, Wood Aged Stout
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Beer Review: Straight to Ale Laika
Straight to Ale
Laika Russian Imperial Stout
9.75% ABV
Purchased at Midtown Wine and Spirits, Nashville, TN
Tasted May 2013
Poured from a 22 oz bottle
Straight to Ale is a brewery that is located in Huntsville, Alabama, just south of the Tennessee border. I don’t know a heck of a lot about them (for example, is their name inspired by an exchange with a conservative religious group who opposed their opening, or are they just Clash fans?), but you have to love a brewery who names a beer Monkeynaut IPA because “If someone deserves a beer, it’s a monkey shot into space” (as co-founder Dan Perry told Draft Magazine back in February). This beer actually sticks with the theme of animals shot into space, as this Russian imperial stout is named Laika, after the dog the Soviet Union launched into space in 1957 (who died aboard Sputnik 2, apparently mainly due to poor planning by the Soviets, denying her even the chance at a post-flight brewski). This beer is part of their “Right to Brew” series, a series of beers made in collaboration with local homebrewers to draw attention to the insane fact that homebrewing is still illegal in Alabama (though, as of this moment they are one governor signature away from that changing).
Laika pours out of the bottle a seemingly pitch black color with a thin dark brown head that settles down into a film across the top of the liquid. The nose is quite potent and roasty, with scents of burnt wood, espresso bean, cocoa, fudge, vanilla, licorice, cinnamon spice, burnt toast, blackberry, dried flowers, root beer and molasses. Laika is heavy and slick in your mouth, with just a light touch of carbonation noticeable on the finish. When the beer first touches my tongue, I am struck by the flavor of dark cocoa with caramel, molasses and toffee. As you start to swallow, the beer is roasty and intensifies with notes of espresso bean, sambuca, birch and root beers, fudge, vanilla bean, cinnamon spice and burnt toast. The aftertaste is dry, bitter and roasty with touches of vanilla, licorice, blackberry and cinnamon. Some burnt wood and wisps of smoke pick up as you continue to drink.
I have to say, I absolutely loved this beer. Laika is a big, heavy beer with big, heavy flavor. It is thick and fudgey, roasted and burnt, with big espresso, vanilla, licorice and spice flavors. It was distinctive and impactful; even after the passage of time I can still think of the taste on my tongue. If you are a fan of imperial stouts like Evil Twin’s Even More Jesus, Stone’s IRS or Bell’s Expedition Stout, I highly recommend you put the effort in and track down a bottle of Straight to Ale Laika Russian Imperial Stout.
Laika Russian Imperial Stout
9.75% ABV
Purchased at Midtown Wine and Spirits, Nashville, TN
Tasted May 2013
Poured from a 22 oz bottle
Straight to Ale is a brewery that is located in Huntsville, Alabama, just south of the Tennessee border. I don’t know a heck of a lot about them (for example, is their name inspired by an exchange with a conservative religious group who opposed their opening, or are they just Clash fans?), but you have to love a brewery who names a beer Monkeynaut IPA because “If someone deserves a beer, it’s a monkey shot into space” (as co-founder Dan Perry told Draft Magazine back in February). This beer actually sticks with the theme of animals shot into space, as this Russian imperial stout is named Laika, after the dog the Soviet Union launched into space in 1957 (who died aboard Sputnik 2, apparently mainly due to poor planning by the Soviets, denying her even the chance at a post-flight brewski). This beer is part of their “Right to Brew” series, a series of beers made in collaboration with local homebrewers to draw attention to the insane fact that homebrewing is still illegal in Alabama (though, as of this moment they are one governor signature away from that changing).
Laika pours out of the bottle a seemingly pitch black color with a thin dark brown head that settles down into a film across the top of the liquid. The nose is quite potent and roasty, with scents of burnt wood, espresso bean, cocoa, fudge, vanilla, licorice, cinnamon spice, burnt toast, blackberry, dried flowers, root beer and molasses. Laika is heavy and slick in your mouth, with just a light touch of carbonation noticeable on the finish. When the beer first touches my tongue, I am struck by the flavor of dark cocoa with caramel, molasses and toffee. As you start to swallow, the beer is roasty and intensifies with notes of espresso bean, sambuca, birch and root beers, fudge, vanilla bean, cinnamon spice and burnt toast. The aftertaste is dry, bitter and roasty with touches of vanilla, licorice, blackberry and cinnamon. Some burnt wood and wisps of smoke pick up as you continue to drink.
I have to say, I absolutely loved this beer. Laika is a big, heavy beer with big, heavy flavor. It is thick and fudgey, roasted and burnt, with big espresso, vanilla, licorice and spice flavors. It was distinctive and impactful; even after the passage of time I can still think of the taste on my tongue. If you are a fan of imperial stouts like Evil Twin’s Even More Jesus, Stone’s IRS or Bell’s Expedition Stout, I highly recommend you put the effort in and track down a bottle of Straight to Ale Laika Russian Imperial Stout.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Entry on Imperial Stouts Added to the Not Just Another Beer Style Guide
I have added an entry on imperial stouts to the Not Just Another Beer Style Guide that you can read here: http://therulingglass.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter, Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout, Imperial Stout
Coming Soon: Foreign/Extra/Export Stout, Wood Aged Imperial Stout
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter, Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout, Imperial Stout
Coming Soon: Foreign/Extra/Export Stout, Wood Aged Imperial Stout
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Entry on American Stouts Added to the Not Just Another Beer Style Guide
I have added an entry on American stouts to the Not Just Another Beer Style Guide that you can read here: http://therulingglass.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter, Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout
So far, these are the styles that have been profiled: American Pale Ale, American India Pale Ale, American Imperial India Pale Ale, Belgian India Pale Ale, Black India Pale Ale, White India Pale Ale, English India Pale Ale, Rye Pale Ale, American Amber Ale, Imperial Red Ale, Barley Wine, Bitter, Extra Special Bitter, English Pale Ale, Old Ale, Brown Ale, Porter, Imperial Porter, Baltic Porter, Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, American Stout
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thoughts From My Trip to Nashville
I went to Nashville this past weekend with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Here are some of my pertinent thoughts from the weekend.
.One of my favorite places to stop when I visit Nashville is the Fat Bottom Brewery tap room, which has been open for just under a year. They feature some tasty brews, with their Ruby Red American Ale (an amber ale) being my favorite. It’s brewed with some rye malt that gives it a nice sweet and spicy base for grapefruit and pine flavors. I also enjoyed a small batch beer they were featuring, a Scotch ale that had been aged in a Corsair Triple Smoke barrel, which it was also served out of, gravity cask style (Corsair is a distiller with locations in both Nashville and Bowling Green. Triple Smoke is a whiskey that is made with peat, oak and beechwood smoked malt). The beer had some of the nice caramel and birch syrup notes I’ve often experienced with this style of beer, but you also got a lot of the smokey, woody vanilla flavor from the Triple Smoke barrel. As an avid lover of Triple Smoke, this worked out nicely for me. Besides the beers, the atmosphere at the tap room is pleasant. Its wood interior is warm and inviting; a bit reminiscent of a hunting lodge, but instead of taxidermidied animals, the glass cases on the walls are full of empty beer bottles from some of the great breweries in the United States, like Russian River, Stone, New Belgium and Jolly Pumpkin (you can test your beer geekitude by trying to guess identify each beer from a distance - I probably got too many right). Fat Bottom also features a well chosen, small menu of nice food. They have snacks like charcuterie, cheese or homemade hummus and baba ganhoush, highly regarded burgers (as well as a veggie burger) and other beer friendly dishes like bangers and mash. Plus, every person I’ve ever talked to in there has been super friendly. If you’re a beer fan in Nashville, I would recommend you make the quick trip to the east side of the river to give Fat Bottom a visit.
. Another place I always like to go in Music City for a sandwich and a beer is the 12 South Taproom. I didn’t make it there this time, but was happy to try a new place opened up by the same people downtown called Pub 5. Located on 5th Avenue off of Broadway, this location is situated directly across the street from Bridgestone Arena. The beer selection was small, but well chosen to highlight beers that were unique to the region. There was Nashville’s own Yazoo Dos Perros (a nice dark session ale), a nice roasty (but sessionable) stout from Franklin, TN’s Turtle Anarchy, Sweetwater IPA from Georgia, multiple options from Alabama’s Good People (their IPA is nice and fruity, though not overly bitter). The menu has a mix of typical bar food (my chicken tacos and my wife’s tempeh wrap were both good) as well as some fancier entree options like steak or seafood for those so inclined. A party near us at the bar had an order of nachos that looked particularly tasty, covered in queso and what looked to be fried jalapenos. The downstairs bar I sat at was fairly small, but the place spans three levels, including a roof bar that I didn’t even get a look at. The quality of the offerings at Pub 5 are far better that you usually see for a bar located across the street from a sports arena, which makes the bar a welcome addition to downtown Nashville. It made getting food and beer prior to The Black Keys and Flaming Lips concert I was going to see across the street a far more enjoyable experience.
.On the way out of town, I made a stopped at Midtown Wine and Spirits, which was a pleasant experience. You see, Tennessee has a silly law that separates beer sales. Beers under 6.25% ABV can be sold in grocery stores and gas stations, but not liquor stores. Beers over that can only be sold in liquor stores. I have heard it said that this was done to keep big liquor store chains out of Tennessee, that is just bar scene chatter that I haven’t been able to verify. Anyway, usually, beer shopping in the Volunteer State requires two stops. Midtown Wine and Spirits mitigates that by putting a low-gravity beer store next door to the liquor store. They have separate entrances and you have to check out separately, but at least you don’t have to make two stops. The selection they had was pretty nice, too. There was plenty of New Belgium (including bottles of La Folie), Sierra Nevada, Good People, Yazoo, Blackstone, Flying Dog, Lagunitas, Green Flash, Straight to Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, Terrapin and Oskar Blues. I even noticed a couple of bottles of Nøgne Ø. While there were some bottles that had been on the shelf too long and were probably past prime, from what I saw the stock looked fresher on a whole than you normally see at liquor stores in the south. The low gravity store even had a growler fill station, which allowed me to get a growler of Jackalope’s Thunder Ann (possibly the best APA brewed in Nashville) on the way out of town.
. I didn’t have any beer there (I didn’t even actually ask if they had any), but since a lot of beer lovers are also lovers of great food, wine and cocktails, I figure my experience at The Catbird Seat, where my wife and I had our anniversary dinner, might be interesting (I put this recap at the end, so if you didn't care since this doesn't pertain to beer you could skip it). This tiny (32 seat) restaurant, almost hiding in plain sight next to some popular speakeasy looking night spot in the area around Vanderbilt University, features a U-shaped bar around a central, open kitchen. There you can watch chefs Josh Habiger (who has worked at Craft and Alinea) and Erik Anderson (who has worked at The French Laundry and Noma) and their staff cook and plate all the food. And the food itself is quite delicious and playful. This menu featured some of the most intense flavors I have ever experienced. There’s only one dining option, which is the tasting menu, which apparently varies, but was 10 courses for me, plus an amuse and a mignardises. They do ask about allergies and dietary restrictions, and they took the extra care to make sure my wife’s vegan dishes were every bit as elaborate as the standard omnivore fare (in a way that some nice restaurants do not). Also, I don’t usually like to harp on price here (as I feel quality should be evaluated independent of cost and then weighed against the cost by each individual consumer), but as a native New Yorker, a 10-course tasting menu for $100 a person is a steal (still a splurge, but less of one). Because they don’t tell you what you are getting ahead of time (you can kind of figure it out by watching the people who got theirs before you, though you can’t always tell what exactly you are looking at), when it comes to drinks, it seems most patrons go with one of their beverage pairing options (they have standard for $40 and premium for $75, which again is a good deal compared to what I’ve seen at other restaurants of similar quality).
Here are some of the highlights for me.
. The amuse was a savory “Oreo” made of porcini and parmesan that packed a huge umami flavor.
. The first course was a trio of tiny snacks that included what looked like a tiny ice cream cone filled with slightly melted green ice cream. I was told it was a scallop cone with avocado, and I bit into it, thinking there was piece of scallop hiding underneath the avocado. It was when I bit down that I realized the cone itself was made of scallop. And what a huge scallop flavor it delivered.
. Possibly my favorite dish overall was a crudo of albacore tuna that was topped with pomelo, habanero gel, basil seeds, sea beans and cilantro. The dish was sweet, tart, fatty, spicy and briny with wonderful bright flavors.
. A dish of asparagus with an egg yolk, speck and crispy onion already sounds awesome, doesn’t it? But then then put caviar on top, and that added a whole new briny level that was great.
. I am not a big fan of XO sauce (a Chinese sauce made with dried shrimp, scallop and chili), but the halibut underneath it was perfectly cooked and it was topped with the most delicious ramp I have ever tasted.
. Rabbit has never been one of my favorite proteins, but I enjoyed the saddle that was served with a sarsaparilla sauce and morels (who would have thought morels and soda would go together?). It came with a dollop of smoked yogurt that was quite intense.
. The main course was a lamb loin topped with an octopus terrine served with roasted salsify and black garlic sauce. To be honest, though I liked the octopus terrine, I though the sous vide lamb paled in comparison to the salsify that was super caramelized and just every so tasty. I think that has more to do with the awesomeness of the salsify than any shortcomings with the lamb (though I like my lamb a bit rarer than it was served - still with some pink though - I realize most people prefer it the way this way). The black garlic sauce was another big flavor bomb (though I will admit black garlic is a bit of an acquired taste).
. The “cheese course” was another one of my favorite dishes, overall. It was a profiterole dipped in burnt sugar and filled with cheese (Hudson Red according to the handwritten menu they give you after the meal). It was herbal and fresh tasting and was the perfect contrast to the charred, sweet taste of the burnt sugar.
. The first dessert was a giant white mound in a bowl called coconut fluff that had a fluffy and slightly spongey texture. It was filled with milk chocolate ice cream, plantain and tangerine and topped with a eucalyptus chip (which was nice, though I am struggling to find a good way to describe the flavor - woody, but not heavy).
. There was a maple and thyme custard served in an egg shell with bacon that was quite tasty.
. The final dessert was a dedicated to bourbon. It had oak ice cream (yes, it is as awesome as it sounds) with smoked salt, pineapple gel, pieces of vanilla cake, a cherry flavored crisp and little balls of encapsulated bourbon that exploded whiskey when you bit into them.
. The meal came full circle as the final bite was also based on an Oreo, only this one was made of chocolate and peppermint cream.
. All the pairings were very nice, though I must admit that I still prefer beer over most other things. When I drink wine or cocktails, even when I like what I taste, I still think of what beer might taste better. Still, I particularly liked the aperitif made of Corsair gin, candied orange peel and sparkling wine, the glass of Émile Leclēre-Champagne Brut Rose (with the albacore and asparagus dishes), the Iuli Barabba 2007 (with the lamb), the cocktail of rum, lime, pineapple and chocolate bitters (with the coconut and custard dishes) and the Hungarian sweet wine (a 2008 5 Puttanyos Aszu) served in a glass that had been rinsed with Black Maple Hill Bourbon.
Links:
https://thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com/
http://www.midtownwineandspirits.com/
http://www.fatbottombrewing.com/
http://www.pub5.com/
.One of my favorite places to stop when I visit Nashville is the Fat Bottom Brewery tap room, which has been open for just under a year. They feature some tasty brews, with their Ruby Red American Ale (an amber ale) being my favorite. It’s brewed with some rye malt that gives it a nice sweet and spicy base for grapefruit and pine flavors. I also enjoyed a small batch beer they were featuring, a Scotch ale that had been aged in a Corsair Triple Smoke barrel, which it was also served out of, gravity cask style (Corsair is a distiller with locations in both Nashville and Bowling Green. Triple Smoke is a whiskey that is made with peat, oak and beechwood smoked malt). The beer had some of the nice caramel and birch syrup notes I’ve often experienced with this style of beer, but you also got a lot of the smokey, woody vanilla flavor from the Triple Smoke barrel. As an avid lover of Triple Smoke, this worked out nicely for me. Besides the beers, the atmosphere at the tap room is pleasant. Its wood interior is warm and inviting; a bit reminiscent of a hunting lodge, but instead of taxidermidied animals, the glass cases on the walls are full of empty beer bottles from some of the great breweries in the United States, like Russian River, Stone, New Belgium and Jolly Pumpkin (you can test your beer geekitude by trying to guess identify each beer from a distance - I probably got too many right). Fat Bottom also features a well chosen, small menu of nice food. They have snacks like charcuterie, cheese or homemade hummus and baba ganhoush, highly regarded burgers (as well as a veggie burger) and other beer friendly dishes like bangers and mash. Plus, every person I’ve ever talked to in there has been super friendly. If you’re a beer fan in Nashville, I would recommend you make the quick trip to the east side of the river to give Fat Bottom a visit.
. Another place I always like to go in Music City for a sandwich and a beer is the 12 South Taproom. I didn’t make it there this time, but was happy to try a new place opened up by the same people downtown called Pub 5. Located on 5th Avenue off of Broadway, this location is situated directly across the street from Bridgestone Arena. The beer selection was small, but well chosen to highlight beers that were unique to the region. There was Nashville’s own Yazoo Dos Perros (a nice dark session ale), a nice roasty (but sessionable) stout from Franklin, TN’s Turtle Anarchy, Sweetwater IPA from Georgia, multiple options from Alabama’s Good People (their IPA is nice and fruity, though not overly bitter). The menu has a mix of typical bar food (my chicken tacos and my wife’s tempeh wrap were both good) as well as some fancier entree options like steak or seafood for those so inclined. A party near us at the bar had an order of nachos that looked particularly tasty, covered in queso and what looked to be fried jalapenos. The downstairs bar I sat at was fairly small, but the place spans three levels, including a roof bar that I didn’t even get a look at. The quality of the offerings at Pub 5 are far better that you usually see for a bar located across the street from a sports arena, which makes the bar a welcome addition to downtown Nashville. It made getting food and beer prior to The Black Keys and Flaming Lips concert I was going to see across the street a far more enjoyable experience.
.On the way out of town, I made a stopped at Midtown Wine and Spirits, which was a pleasant experience. You see, Tennessee has a silly law that separates beer sales. Beers under 6.25% ABV can be sold in grocery stores and gas stations, but not liquor stores. Beers over that can only be sold in liquor stores. I have heard it said that this was done to keep big liquor store chains out of Tennessee, that is just bar scene chatter that I haven’t been able to verify. Anyway, usually, beer shopping in the Volunteer State requires two stops. Midtown Wine and Spirits mitigates that by putting a low-gravity beer store next door to the liquor store. They have separate entrances and you have to check out separately, but at least you don’t have to make two stops. The selection they had was pretty nice, too. There was plenty of New Belgium (including bottles of La Folie), Sierra Nevada, Good People, Yazoo, Blackstone, Flying Dog, Lagunitas, Green Flash, Straight to Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, Terrapin and Oskar Blues. I even noticed a couple of bottles of Nøgne Ø. While there were some bottles that had been on the shelf too long and were probably past prime, from what I saw the stock looked fresher on a whole than you normally see at liquor stores in the south. The low gravity store even had a growler fill station, which allowed me to get a growler of Jackalope’s Thunder Ann (possibly the best APA brewed in Nashville) on the way out of town.
. I didn’t have any beer there (I didn’t even actually ask if they had any), but since a lot of beer lovers are also lovers of great food, wine and cocktails, I figure my experience at The Catbird Seat, where my wife and I had our anniversary dinner, might be interesting (I put this recap at the end, so if you didn't care since this doesn't pertain to beer you could skip it). This tiny (32 seat) restaurant, almost hiding in plain sight next to some popular speakeasy looking night spot in the area around Vanderbilt University, features a U-shaped bar around a central, open kitchen. There you can watch chefs Josh Habiger (who has worked at Craft and Alinea) and Erik Anderson (who has worked at The French Laundry and Noma) and their staff cook and plate all the food. And the food itself is quite delicious and playful. This menu featured some of the most intense flavors I have ever experienced. There’s only one dining option, which is the tasting menu, which apparently varies, but was 10 courses for me, plus an amuse and a mignardises. They do ask about allergies and dietary restrictions, and they took the extra care to make sure my wife’s vegan dishes were every bit as elaborate as the standard omnivore fare (in a way that some nice restaurants do not). Also, I don’t usually like to harp on price here (as I feel quality should be evaluated independent of cost and then weighed against the cost by each individual consumer), but as a native New Yorker, a 10-course tasting menu for $100 a person is a steal (still a splurge, but less of one). Because they don’t tell you what you are getting ahead of time (you can kind of figure it out by watching the people who got theirs before you, though you can’t always tell what exactly you are looking at), when it comes to drinks, it seems most patrons go with one of their beverage pairing options (they have standard for $40 and premium for $75, which again is a good deal compared to what I’ve seen at other restaurants of similar quality).
Here are some of the highlights for me.
. The amuse was a savory “Oreo” made of porcini and parmesan that packed a huge umami flavor.
. The first course was a trio of tiny snacks that included what looked like a tiny ice cream cone filled with slightly melted green ice cream. I was told it was a scallop cone with avocado, and I bit into it, thinking there was piece of scallop hiding underneath the avocado. It was when I bit down that I realized the cone itself was made of scallop. And what a huge scallop flavor it delivered.
. Possibly my favorite dish overall was a crudo of albacore tuna that was topped with pomelo, habanero gel, basil seeds, sea beans and cilantro. The dish was sweet, tart, fatty, spicy and briny with wonderful bright flavors.
. A dish of asparagus with an egg yolk, speck and crispy onion already sounds awesome, doesn’t it? But then then put caviar on top, and that added a whole new briny level that was great.
. I am not a big fan of XO sauce (a Chinese sauce made with dried shrimp, scallop and chili), but the halibut underneath it was perfectly cooked and it was topped with the most delicious ramp I have ever tasted.
. Rabbit has never been one of my favorite proteins, but I enjoyed the saddle that was served with a sarsaparilla sauce and morels (who would have thought morels and soda would go together?). It came with a dollop of smoked yogurt that was quite intense.
. The main course was a lamb loin topped with an octopus terrine served with roasted salsify and black garlic sauce. To be honest, though I liked the octopus terrine, I though the sous vide lamb paled in comparison to the salsify that was super caramelized and just every so tasty. I think that has more to do with the awesomeness of the salsify than any shortcomings with the lamb (though I like my lamb a bit rarer than it was served - still with some pink though - I realize most people prefer it the way this way). The black garlic sauce was another big flavor bomb (though I will admit black garlic is a bit of an acquired taste).
. The “cheese course” was another one of my favorite dishes, overall. It was a profiterole dipped in burnt sugar and filled with cheese (Hudson Red according to the handwritten menu they give you after the meal). It was herbal and fresh tasting and was the perfect contrast to the charred, sweet taste of the burnt sugar.
. The first dessert was a giant white mound in a bowl called coconut fluff that had a fluffy and slightly spongey texture. It was filled with milk chocolate ice cream, plantain and tangerine and topped with a eucalyptus chip (which was nice, though I am struggling to find a good way to describe the flavor - woody, but not heavy).
. There was a maple and thyme custard served in an egg shell with bacon that was quite tasty.
. The final dessert was a dedicated to bourbon. It had oak ice cream (yes, it is as awesome as it sounds) with smoked salt, pineapple gel, pieces of vanilla cake, a cherry flavored crisp and little balls of encapsulated bourbon that exploded whiskey when you bit into them.
. The meal came full circle as the final bite was also based on an Oreo, only this one was made of chocolate and peppermint cream.
. All the pairings were very nice, though I must admit that I still prefer beer over most other things. When I drink wine or cocktails, even when I like what I taste, I still think of what beer might taste better. Still, I particularly liked the aperitif made of Corsair gin, candied orange peel and sparkling wine, the glass of Émile Leclēre-Champagne Brut Rose (with the albacore and asparagus dishes), the Iuli Barabba 2007 (with the lamb), the cocktail of rum, lime, pineapple and chocolate bitters (with the coconut and custard dishes) and the Hungarian sweet wine (a 2008 5 Puttanyos Aszu) served in a glass that had been rinsed with Black Maple Hill Bourbon.
 |
| The handwritten menu they give you at the end of the meal at The Catbird Seat. |
https://thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com/
http://www.midtownwineandspirits.com/
http://www.fatbottombrewing.com/
http://www.pub5.com/
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Beer Review: Anchorage The Tide and Its Takers
Anchorage Brewing Company
The Tide and Its Takers Triple with Brettanomyces
9% ABV
Purchased at Keg Liquors, Clarksville, IN
Tasted April 2013
Poured from a 750 ml bottle
This is an beer from Anchorage Brewing Company, so without reading anything about the beer or ever looking at the label, you can guess three things about the liquid contained within the bottle: it will be amply hopped, it will be wood aged and at some point it was fermented by wild yeast. You can certainly say all three of those things about The Tide and Its Takers. This beer, based on the pale, strong and yeasty Belgian tripel, is hopped with both Sorachi Ace and Styrian Golding hops, and then aged in French oak Chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. This particular serving was from batch number two that was bottled in November 2012. The back of the bottle features some praising prose from Dogfish Head Brewing Company’s founder and president, Sam Calagione. I have seen no evidence that anyone from Dogfish Head was actually involved in the production of the beer; this seems more of the beer equivalent of the blurb one author might write for a friend’s back cover. Of course, as my wife said, “Who wouldn’t want to be friendly with THE Anchorage guy [meaning Anchorage Brewing mastermind Gabe Fletcher]?”
The Tide and Its Takers pours out of the bottle a cloudy golden orange color with a foam white head that settles down to a creamy consistency. On the nose I get aromas of white grape, lemon, peach, apricot, oak, gooseberry, nectarine, sour cherry, green apple, pear, flowers, straw, dill, yeasty bread, jasmine tea and faint hints of peppercorns and clove. This is a medium bodied ale that isn’t too heavy or thick and has a moderate amount of carbonation that lends a lively feeling to your tongue. After each sip you are left with a bit of a dry sensation in your mouth. Flavor wise, at the start I get straw, apricot, white grape, cherry and a hint of clove. As you swallow, there are notes of yeast, lemon, pineapple, nectarine, gooseberry and lavender. You are left with lingering traces of oak, tea, pear, white grape (both Riesling and Chardonnay, it seems to me), jasmine, dill, flowers, dried citrus peels, lime and lychee.
So far, I have liked every Anchorage Brewing beer I have tried, and The Tide and the Takers is certainly no exception. It’s tart, dry and fruity, with nice touches of floral, herbal and woody notes. It seems to me that this is the type of beer that all the beer geeks obsessed with tart wild yeast flavors and barrel aged beer would want to flock to stockpile. Actually, you know what, maybe I shouldn’t say anything at all...
The Tide and Its Takers Triple with Brettanomyces
9% ABV
Purchased at Keg Liquors, Clarksville, IN
Tasted April 2013
Poured from a 750 ml bottle
This is an beer from Anchorage Brewing Company, so without reading anything about the beer or ever looking at the label, you can guess three things about the liquid contained within the bottle: it will be amply hopped, it will be wood aged and at some point it was fermented by wild yeast. You can certainly say all three of those things about The Tide and Its Takers. This beer, based on the pale, strong and yeasty Belgian tripel, is hopped with both Sorachi Ace and Styrian Golding hops, and then aged in French oak Chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. This particular serving was from batch number two that was bottled in November 2012. The back of the bottle features some praising prose from Dogfish Head Brewing Company’s founder and president, Sam Calagione. I have seen no evidence that anyone from Dogfish Head was actually involved in the production of the beer; this seems more of the beer equivalent of the blurb one author might write for a friend’s back cover. Of course, as my wife said, “Who wouldn’t want to be friendly with THE Anchorage guy [meaning Anchorage Brewing mastermind Gabe Fletcher]?”
The Tide and Its Takers pours out of the bottle a cloudy golden orange color with a foam white head that settles down to a creamy consistency. On the nose I get aromas of white grape, lemon, peach, apricot, oak, gooseberry, nectarine, sour cherry, green apple, pear, flowers, straw, dill, yeasty bread, jasmine tea and faint hints of peppercorns and clove. This is a medium bodied ale that isn’t too heavy or thick and has a moderate amount of carbonation that lends a lively feeling to your tongue. After each sip you are left with a bit of a dry sensation in your mouth. Flavor wise, at the start I get straw, apricot, white grape, cherry and a hint of clove. As you swallow, there are notes of yeast, lemon, pineapple, nectarine, gooseberry and lavender. You are left with lingering traces of oak, tea, pear, white grape (both Riesling and Chardonnay, it seems to me), jasmine, dill, flowers, dried citrus peels, lime and lychee.
So far, I have liked every Anchorage Brewing beer I have tried, and The Tide and the Takers is certainly no exception. It’s tart, dry and fruity, with nice touches of floral, herbal and woody notes. It seems to me that this is the type of beer that all the beer geeks obsessed with tart wild yeast flavors and barrel aged beer would want to flock to stockpile. Actually, you know what, maybe I shouldn’t say anything at all...
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