Ithaca Beer Company's Excelsior! Series

I had VERY good intentions of trying to come up with a brew challenge during March Madness but couldn't quite pull it off this year....perhaps, Thing 1 and Thing 2 had something to do with my lack of time! So, onward and upward, a motto which works out perfectly with the beers I have had the privilege of tasting lately.  My friend, Jeff O'Neil, affiliated with the Ithaca Beer Company, sent along speciality beers from their Excelsior! Series for me to enjoy. 
The Excelsior! Series is IBC's:

• "handcrafted speciality beers, issued in extremely limited runs. They meld complimentary flavors while defying existing style guidelines.  These beers are unfiltered, hand-packaged and bottle-conditioned.  Each one is alive, has a unique personality and may be cellared indefinitely." 

The two Excelsior! Series beers that I will review, as the blog's twelfth and thirteenth beers, are: White Gold and Thirteen Anniversary Ale.  I will save the Sour Blueberry Ale for later this spring or summer.


Both the White Gold and Thirteen came in pint bottles with unique labels describing their contents. The White Gold is characterized as a "Rustic Pale Wheat Ale" with Belgian influence. Additionally, the ale is brewed with "domestic barley and French wheat malts."
The Thirteen is described as a "Double Hoppy Wheat Ale" that has been brewed with "raw and malted wheat and flaked oats, assertively hopped with Citra and Sorachi Ace, spiked with an addition of orange and lemon peel and vigorously fermented with an American Ale Yeast."

Before I give my analysis of these two beers, let me just say that in receiving them, I felt like I had reached rock star status. Yes, Jeff and I are friends, but to taste beers that aren't typically available to the public felt really special and given that I just celebrated a special day--my 35th birthday--it was cool to sample these Excelsior! Series beers as a means of enhancing the celebratory spirit one feels as they age!

Onto the White Gold:

Taste:  a hoppy very full flavored sip with a gardenesque floral scent

Color:  extra golden like a bruised lemon peel

Thickness:  especially bubbly producing a frothy head

ABV: 8%

Now the Thirteen Anniversary Ale:

Taste:  the lemon was very pronounced, but not tart & helped to yield a refreshing sip; very aromatic, smelled like a spring day with each pour

Color:  beautiful orange hues that contrasted the bits of sediment floating in the glass

Thickness:  medium to moderate head; quite smooth

ABV:  Happy Birthday to ME as it was 8.9%

Mom Factoid:  Sometimes, you have to decide when is the best time to get your kids sugared up!  Obviously, there is no magic moment to watch a sugar high, but since it was my birthday, I allowed the cake with an intense sugary frosting to be eaten prior to dinner by the three year old!  It was fun and out of the ordinary and allowed for more time before bed to get the sugar out of her system!  Cheers to a new year and more beer :)  Thanks for reading!
 **If you are interested in learning more about the Excelsior! Series beers, check out this link:
 http://ithacabeer.com/excelsior.php

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

The eleventh beer to get reviewed is Guinness' Foreign Extra Stout. I had NEVER heard of this beer so I was pretty sure that a leprechaun was watching over my shoulder & guiding me in my selection, as this is different from their traditional stout. According to their website description,"Foreign Extra Stout is brewed with generous hops and roasted barley for a bittersweet balance & full-flavored, natural bite. Developed over 200 years ago for global export from Ireland, the addition of extra hops ensured this Stout would arrive to its destination in perfect condition."
Of course, we needed to drink Guinness on St. Patrick's Day, the best holiday of the year according to my late mother-in-law, Kathy Charsky, to go along with our slow-cooked corned beef & cabbage meal, so I anticipated picking up a few Guinness, in their fancy cans, for the husband & I, but I eyed these GFES bottles being re-stocked and couldn't resist checking them out. My logic went like this:

• It was 9:30am in RSVP beverage store, on the morning of March 17th, and they were already getting replaced on the shelf, so either the GFES are very popular or since the store just opened they were simply replacing what needed to be replaced. 
•  I went with my first thought and scooped up the 4pack of gold capped bottles for us to help celebrate our Irishness!

These bottles also served as an informative resource, telling their reader that the GFES is, "A beer like no other. The most full-flavoured of all.  Singular and striking.  Uniquely satisfying.  Refreshingly crisp.  Always rewarding.  Pure beauty.  Pure GUINNESS." Even better, the ABV is listed as 7.5%!

Taste: A delight mixture of roasted nuts that finishes with a slight tartness but it's not overpowering!

Color: robust brown

Thickness: Light and silky with a pretty caramel tan head of bubbles

Will It Help Me Sleep Better? Best mug in my collection, straight from the Guinness Brewery in Ireland (thank you Emily Ross) says, "My Goodness, My Guinness"--Yes, of course it will help me sleep better, it's Guinness!

Mom Factoid: Urban Mom Legend tells that Guinness helps bring in your milk during pregnancy--how awesome is that?!

Maine Beer Week: Maine Beer Co. Mean Old Tom Round 2

Mean Old Tom on cask at Sebago

I reviewed this beer back in March, 2010, but feel compelled to share it, again, with readers, as we are celebrating the First Annual Maine Beer Week, November 10-17, 2011, and Mean Old Tom just hit the shelves, again, in Portland. Actually, the husband brought home four bottles, tonight, all bottled on 11.10.11. Awesome! Can't wait to pour one over the next couple of days.  But, since I couldn't wait for these bottles, I went into Portland last night and sampled a Mean Old Tom on cask at Sebago Brewing Company. Wow, talk about delicious.  Okay, back to review, here it is but this time with pictures:

Mean Old Tom

The tenth beer to get reviewed goes by the name Mean Old Tom and is a stout aged on natural vanilla bean.  I was tipped off to this beer by a local mom friend who spotted it at Whole Foods Market in Portland.  It didn't take me long to remember all the necessities I needed to get from WF and off I went with Little J in tow, after Big Sister was happily playing at her Portland nursery school.  May I digress momentarily and say that shopping with a sleeping baby is so much easier than shopping with a three year old, although I did miss the constant background question of, "Mom, can I get a cookie now?"
Anyway, this beer is made locally by the Maine Beer Company, who I'm a HUGE fan of as they produce an ale called the Peeper and another ale, an amber, called the Zoe, which is delicious! So, I was thrilled to hear that they released a stout, since I thoroughly enjoy stouts and the added vanilla bean is the perfect complement!  Moreover, the bottle that I selected is Batch #1 which means I was tasting some brand new-to-the-world brew--exciting stuff!  Not only was I excited, but it tasted fantastic and the story behind the name of the beer added to the fun of drinking it, as I have a very close friend named Tom who I thought maybe this was named after---just joking TP!


Taste:  light vanilla bursts onto the palate with mild mocha hints in the background


Color:  a deep almost chestnut brown


Thickness:  light to moderate; very smooth almost silky with minimal head and a few bubbles


Will it help me sleep better?  The perfect number of 6.5% ABV means I could do fine with just one but two would mean bedtime!


Mom Factoid:  As mentioned earlier, I have a close friend named Tom which made me think of him while I was enjoying this brew.  Isn't it funny how names transform us to places and memories of people who have those names?  Speaking of, picking names is quite the adventure, between family ties, popularity rankings, meanings etc, you can have a blast or a headache leading up the the big day!

Mean Old Tom bottles

Brooklyn Brewery Local 2

The ninth brew was tasted while I was still in Binghamton on "vacation" last month!  I had the privilege of sharing a special pint of the Local 2 Ale with my dad.  A friend of his, from his Suds group, gave this pint to him straight from the Brooklyn Brewery.  This beer was so delicious as it is an ale brewed with honey and citrus peel, a fantastic combination.  A more detailed description of the ingredients off the bottle include:  "We've combined European malt and hops, Belgian dark sugar, and raw wildflower honey from a New York family farm to create Brooklyn Local 2.  Our special Belgian yeast adds hints of spice to the dark fruit, caramel and chocolate flavors."
A really neat experience with this pint was that you had to uncork it, like it was a bottle of aged wine or champagne, which created a celebratory moment in my parents' kitchen!  So, if you are in the hunt for a special brew to enjoy at a festive event, search no further, the Local 2 is the perfect choice!  Enjoy :)

Taste:  beautifully sweet with a floral bouquet scent; like a liquid dessert, it was that yummy!

Color:  Amber dark

Thickness: heavy head and very frothy

Will it help me sleep better?  At a whopping 9% ABV it most certainly did!

Mom Factoid:  According to my dad, a farmer at heart, he detected butter cups and red clover in each sip.  I think it's fascinating that flowers are edible as well as beautiful.  The fact that they are used in the brewing process just adds to their brilliance!  Spring is around the corner, get ready to buy some seeds and plant flowers with your kids--watch them get excited as they grow & bloom in front of their eyes! What a great and fun activity :)

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

After the week from hell, in terms of the little duo coming down consecutively with a fever virus, I did manage to travel to Binghamton and have an opportunity to sample the eighth beer for the blog: Brooklyn's East India Pale Ale. The beer appeared at my dwelling, courtesy of my dad, who took a gamble at Cavanaugh's and brought a six-pack home for us to enjoy. 
Ironically, without being prompted to select a brew from the state of NY, my dad must have had ESP because he picked one from the Brooklyn Brewery, which I have yet to visit but thinking it would make for a fun fieldtrip in the future.
My dad claims he bought the East India IPA, for me, because I mentioned I had enjoyed a Harpoon Belgian Ale (review pending) earlier in my visit, and that since the IPA was an ale, it should be similar.  When I asked my dad if he had, really, read any of my earlier blog posts, that explain the differences between ales and India pale ales (refer to Otter Creek Black IPA post), he admitted he may have but didn't remember their distinctions (as they do exist and are significant)!
However, I was very grateful for his effort, to try to pick a tasty brew, and it really did prove to be a great choice for many reasons!


Taste:  not overly hoppy or bitter rather malty and lightly sweet on the palate;
very tasty & enjoyable and according to my dad it was "yummy!"


Color: honey bronze 

Thickness:  A dense frothy head with minimal bubbles produces a lightness in each sip.

Will it help me sleep better?  Powerful at 6.8% ABV; I could only manage half a pint with dinner or I would have fallen asleep before putting my troops to bed. However, one full pint would have been suffice for me per normal circumstances as well.


Mom Factoid: I paired the pint with my hometown pride, Lupo's Chicken Spiedies and found it to be the perfect complement. Interestingly, the Brooklyn Brewery website, gives you ideas for food pairings and even provides recipes for these dishes, which is rather resourceful & genius, as who has time to be thinking of food pairings and recipes when you've got toddlers?!
An example they gave for a food pairing for this beer is spicy crab cakes:
https://www.brooklynbrewery.com/index.php/recipes/

Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale

Peak's Organic Espresso Amber Ale, the seventh beer to be reviewed in the blog, was the brew I selected for Super Bowl Sunday! Why, you ask? Because, it is a "special" release ale produced in Portland in conjunction with Trade Certified espresso by Coffee By Design, another local Portland establishment.  The word "special" drew me to it as the SB has somehow morphed into a "special" occasion with parties, food, friends, pools etc...This year, the husband and I quickly came to the realization that we'd be home bound with the little duo enjoying the actual game and forgo an invitation to a Japanese themed SB party.
We planned our detailed menu & indulged in tacos with the kids, danced to The Black Eyed Peas during halftime & the husband even watched the ending of the game on picture-in-picture on our TV while our daughter watched her favorite Angelina Ballerina episode...what a win-win for him (even won a little dough in his office pool too)!
But, this isn't about our SB party, it's about the brew, and, sadly, it was not that "special" for me!  I've had other Peak beers, my favorite being their fall release of Maple Oatmeal Ale but this one just didn't do it for me.  I found myself shaking my head while sipping it and swishing it around my mouth hoping it would start to taste better.  According to their website, http://www.peakbrewing.com/, they produce their ale, "to start bright and lively from an abundance of Crystal Malts by establishing a strong contrast between front palate and back palate by adding generous amounts of Munich Malt, which provides a distinct toasty finish." Unfortunately, for me, their abundance of malts and my multiple tastings did not improve my experience with the beer.   Here are my results after the big game:

Taste: malty slightly biscuity with a bittery (not buttery) aftertaste--like a hoppy floral tang
Color: brown with cranberry hues--quite pretty
Thickness: slight to moderate with little head and few bubbles
Will it help me sleep better? you would think so due to the high alcohol content at 6.8% ABV but with the espresso in it the opposite effect should have occurred...who knows?  I don't think I drank enough to comment on the sleep or no sleep category, other than to say that I did manage to stay up for the entire SB game!
Mom Factoid: While this beer may not have been one that I'd choose again, I do applaud Peak's for trying to merge a mom's coffee addiction with a brew.  In terms of coffee, there's nothing better than waking up to a strong pot of joe and meeting up with a mom or group of moms for a cup of coffee during a play date!

Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA

The sixth beer to get reviewed is Otter Creek's Alpine Black IPA. Truthfully, I do not typically enjoy the India Pale Ale Style (aka IPA). It always tastes a bit too hoppy for me.  Why is that?

Let me provide you with a quick history of India Pale Ales: 

• Originally developed in the late 1700's.
• British breweries would send beer on boats to their troops & British expatriots in India.
• However, due to a lack of refrigeration and lengthy ocean voyages (took closely five months), the beer arrived in an unfavorable condition.
• The brewers back then knew both hops (where we get the bitterness in beer) and alcohol act as natural preservatives.
• So, they came up with a brew that was very hopped and high in alcohol --- thus creating the "India Pale Ale." 

However, I was swayed to try this one by the "black" associated with this version of an IPA, as I do enjoy darker beer. Plus, Otter Creek is a micro-brewery in Middlebury, Vermont (for more information on the brewery, refer to Mom's Malt Barley Resources) & with all of these snow storms, currently, and in the recent weeks, I had a desire to stay in the Northeast, particularly New England, and fill my pint glasses with tasty winter beers. Interestingly, while this beer is considered a winter seasonal brew, it first debuted this past July in Burlington, Vermont at the state's brewers festival as a small pilot batch. Yet, it was so well received that Otter Creek decided to release it has their official Winter Seasonal beer this year and I'm so glad they did!

 

Overall, when paired with tangy slow-cooked bbq ribs & cornbread, I really enjoyed this beer. 

Psychologically, the brew completed a perfect winter's weekend night, when you sit bundled up by the fire, in long johns, exhausted by the frigid cold yet secretly excited for the next storm.

 

Taste: a deep rich hoppy almost citrusy aroma yet left a malty-mocha toasty finish in your mouth

 

Color: imagine walking in the Alpine white snowy woods & spotting a beautiful, dark chocolate, brown bear in your path...now imagine that color in your pint glass

 

Thickness: after a few deep sips, it felt silky smooth with a medium body and a decent head of white

 

Will It Help Me Sleep Better? I wanted to hibernate after consuming one bottle which has a 6% ABV

 

Mom Factoid: My "brown bear" reference to the beer's color, reminds me of the children's author, Eric Carle, and his wonderful books! I have read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" hundreds of times to the little duo! Ssh, I will tell you, there is a 'Red Bird looking at me'!

For a complete list of Carle's work, refer to this website:

http://www.eric-carle.com/ECbooks1.html