Anchor Brewing Co. Our Special Ale 2011

As told to us on the bottle, "This is the thirty-seventh 'Our Special Ale' from the brewers at Anchor.  It is sold only from early November to mid-January.  The Ale's recipe is different every year, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same:  joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew."

Brewery:  Anchor, San Francisco, CA

Style:  Ale brewed with natural flavors & with natural flavors added

Tasting Notes:

Aroma:  Pine, resin, Birch wood & subtle malt notes

Taste:  Malt forward (not overly sweet); husband described as tasting like drinking birch or root beer soda; detect pine flavors throughout but not in a harsh or bitter way.  Really unique and refreshing on the palate.

Color:  Amber stone

Thickness:  Medium to full body; half-inch caramel colored frothy head which lingers and leaves delicate lacing in the glass.  Nicely carbonated.

ABV:  5.5%; feels almost like a "session beer" where you can easily have more than one in a sitting.

Mom Factoid:  This holiday offering from Anchor was one of the top vote getters  in my, "What craft beer should go under my Christmas Tree" poll in December.  I can't believe this is the first year I remember having it.  Let me tell you, I really wish I had sought it out in previous years, as it's truly delicious.  I love the symbolism they describe on their bottle, of trees representing the winter solstice and the idea that there is a rebirth when the seasons change.  I think it's neat that a brewery puts some depth into it's beers.  Cheers!

Special Note:  I picked a Tuesday to review this beer as a shout out to my friends over at Brew England who coined the term:  'Tuesday Tasting' on their awesome craft beer blog.  It is an honor to have been asked by them to draw your attention to an upcoming event in March, called 'Cure Me I'm Irish'.  Please check out their website at http://brewengland.blogspot.com/ for further information on this worthwhile fundraising event & the breweries involved.  Thank you!

Pretty Things Saint Botolph's Town

Brewery: Pretty Things from Westport, MA
Twitter: @prettybeer
Website:prettythingsbeertoday.com


Style: Rustic Brown Ale
Bottle Notes:  "This beer is inspired by Northern English dark ales and by St. Botolph, an Anglo-Saxon saint who gave Boston its name."  "Saint Botolph's Town is a malty brown ale made with barley from Yorkshire and a blend of two yeast strains."

Aroma:  Figs, malt, & dried fruit notes

Taste: Malt forward with caramel tones intertwined.  Similarly, like the aroma, I detect a harmonious union of figs & dried fruit notes.  Very little, if any bitterness in the finish. Quite a pleasant sipper, particularly on a cold night!

Color:  Roasted deep brown chestnuts

Thickness:  Beautiful lacing along the edges of the glass, coupled with a lingering top layer of a small yet creamy head ,which doesn't dissipate.  Overall, it has a balanced carbonation with a medium to full, silky, smooth body.

ABV:  5.9%

Mom Factoid:  Picked this bottle up over New Year's weekend while staying with family in Sudbury.  I had heard wonderful things regarding another offering from them, Jack D'or, a Farmhouse Saison beer, which I also brought back with me to Maine.  I tremendously enjoyed the Jack but didn't take notes & the bottle was finished before I thought to do it.  So, last night, I was prepared for my tasting of the Saint Botolph's.  I look forward to grabbing more offerings, these two included, the next time I'm in Massachusetts.  Not only are their bottles "pretty," their beer is delicious!  Cheers to discovering new craft beer in 2012!

Maine Beer Company News

A short & wonderful documentary on the Maine Beer Company was released and can be accessed here: http://vimeo.com/m/32792047

Located in Portland, ME, I've been enjoying their beers for the past year and have reviewed their Mean Old Tom & Lunch. Check them out below:
Mean Old Tom Review
Lunch Review

Beer Advent Calendar Day 25: Gritty's Christmas Ale

Happy New Year!  I've been on an unplanned hiatus from the blog due to traveling over the holidays.  I did have an opportunity to post a guest review over on the Beer Advent Calendar on Christmas Day!  Talk about coming full circle--one year ago, I was contemplating starting a craft review blog & one year later, I was invited to participate in a collaborative craft beer bloggers project, with fellow bloggers from all over the country.  How cool is that?  Just goes to show, if you pay attention to your internal voice, the one that nudges you to take risks, good things will follow.  I hope you all had a wonderful 2011 & a here's a virtual toast to an even better 2012!  Cheers!

Beer Advent Calendar, Day 25:
Who doesn't love a beer with the promise of Christmas in each sip?  I don't actually mean the "taste" of Christmas that one might associate with other holiday brews.  You know, those that have:  nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, all-spice, vanilla bean, honey, pine, miseltoe etc...No, Gritty's Christmas Ale contains zero additives, fruits or spices.  This beer is more about celebrating the spirit of Christmas, here in Maine than it is about attempting to artificially taste it.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a winter warmer beer that has a variety of holidayish flavors, but what I appreciate about this Christmas Ale is it's simplicity.  I think sometimes in the race to buy our gifts we forget what the true spirit of the holidays is (more on this topic below in Mom Factoid).  Interestingly, thanks to Gritty McDuff's clever packaging, they give you the image of Santa, in full regalia with his white beard, red hat and stockings stuffed with bottles of beer on the mantle. For me, this image evokes the perfect motif for a craft beer lovers Christmas celebration with family & friends during the holiday season.

Aroma: Malt balls with a subtle hint of caramel creme candy
Color:  Pours a roasted chestnut brown with reddish hues glistening throughout the glass.
Taste:  Malt forward with carmel notes on the tongue with a burst of mild bitterness on the finish. Balanced & clean on the palate. 
Thickness:  A medium to full body with a small quarter inch tan head that fades quickly.  Yet, there's pretty icicle-like lacing that hangs around throughout the tasting.  Carbonation is balanced.
ABV:  6.2%;  Not that high of an abv for a winter warmer styled beer, which results in easily consuming more than one in a sitting.

Mom Factoid:  As mentioned earlier, in the intro, I noted that sometimes in the race to buy our gifts, we forget what the true spirit of the holidays is.  Particularly, as a parent, coach and/or teacher, one of our greatest daily challenges is to set a good example for the children we interact with.  I find that the holidays can often bring out the worst in others with the mounting stress to buy more presents, without examining that it's in the shared act of giving that we truly gain an appreciation for what we have.  These can be complex issues to work through but, what's been wonderful about blogging, this past year, has been the daily reminder that there is a collaborative spirit that exists between others.  It's a spirit of sharing ideas, supporting each other's experiences and providing feedback that allows each of us to grow, not just our blogs but also ourselves.  Truly, this Advent Craft Beer Calendar is a perfect example of the collaborative spirit--one that symbolizes being part of a community. It is this simple recognition, that we are not alone but part of a bigger world, that I hope to pass on to my Little Duo, as being the true essence of Christmas.   

About Gritty's:
http://www.grittys.com/about.php

Oxbow Brewing Update

Me & Oxbow Beer Head Brewer, Tim Adams
Novare Res Bier Cafe

This past weekend, I was at Novare Res, with a mom friend, and met local Maine brewer, Tim Adams, from The Oxbow Brewing Company,  in Newcastle.  I've had their Farmhouse Pale Ale back in October as pictured here:



















But, this past weekend, I tried their Freestyle #2 (it's pictured in my pint at the top of this post, when I'm posing next to Tim).  Wow, delicious!  Sadly, I didn't take formal tasting notes, but it is described on their website as a, "Smoked Chocolate Stout - This dry, mysterious stout is designed to drink when the days begin ending earlier.  American ale yeast, Belgian, German, and US Malts, US hops.  4.5% abv." 
Furthermore, Tim's newest release, is a holiday beer, called  Saison Noel, which is now available on draft at Novare Res, for their Bier Geek Christmas Celebration. I've yet to try the Noel but am hoping to get a chance before it runs out.  Thus far, I've really enjoyed the offerings from Oxbow & after meeting Tim, a down to earth, easy to chat with guy, I hope to venture up to Newcastle, someday soon and tour his brewery. 
Remember, this holiday season, support your local breweries.  Cheers!

Brooklyn Brewery's Pilsner



Liz's pretty photo of
 Brooklyn Brewery's Pilsner



Below is a special guest post from my NYC "mom craft beer consultant" & longtime friend, Liz.  I've known Liz since attending Boston College & we've remained close post college years as well.  She recently relocated back to the East Coast, after living in LA for awhile, & has a daughter close in age to my son.  You'd think since we both live on the same side of the country, now, we'd be able to get our act together and hang out, but sadly our paths have not crossed in a few years.  However, through the beauty of the internet & cell phone use, we've stayed in touch and I really appreciate that she would offer up a fantastic review for you to enjoy. My hope is that she & her cool husband, Jason, will share future reviews too! Cheers! 

Date of tasting: Saturday December 3, 2011 

Who: Liz Cahill (with input from her husband Jason)

Where: Manhattan, NYC

On a chilly Saturday night in December, my husband and I decided to order in from our favorite pizzashop. I asked myself, what could compliment this delectable thin crust better then beer?  Not much.  So it seemed only natural that tonight should be the night that I write a guest post on my friend Cecily's amazing blog.

Knowing Cecily often reviews local Maine brews, I decided to show off a beverage from my own neck of the woods and chose Brooklyn Pilsner of The Brooklyn Brewery, which the company describes as a pale refreshing lager.  Yum. My husband and I each grabbed a bottle & got down to business – here's what we found:

Aroma: The classic looking brew has a sweet malty scent.

Taste: As someone who hasn't made it her profession (or hobby) as a beer connoisseur, please excuse my inability to properly describe this beverage, but I'll give it my best! I found the first couple of sips to be smooth, if a little bitter.  However, the smoothness overtook any bitterness by sip three.  As a beer reviewing novice, I'll credit any bitterness to the brewing technique … or the malts … or the hops.  Not quite sure – taste it and decide for yourself!

Color: Pretty and golden – clear (not cloudy).

Thickness: Not at all thick, this was your traditional go-to lager style beer.

ABV: 5.1%, but what does this mean?  I'll just assume that anyone reading this knows way more about ABV then myself!

Mom Factoid: The pilsner style of beer began in the 1840s, emerging from central Europe – and it is now the world's most popular style of beer.  According to Brooklyn Brewery, the Brooklyn Pilsner is brewed like its ancestors – from the finest European two-row barley malts.  And because this beer is crafted in the style favored by NY's pre-Prohibition German-American brewers, it has a very cool historic factor.  I felt like I was experiencing a little bit of the early 1900s with each sip!  Who says drinking can't be educational too?

Polaris from Rising Tide

Bottle #29 out of 336
Released 11.2011

Listed as a Best Beer of 2011 by Seacoast Beverage Lab

Aroma:  Beautiful bourbon & vanilla notes

Taste: Bourbon, vanilla & caramel maltyness with a salt-water taffy-like finish.  Lip smacking delicious!  

Color: Midnight black

Thickness:  Silky, smooth mouthful with a medium to full body.  A deep, tan head, flecked with grains, lingered during the tasting and was met with a balanced carbonation.

ABV:  About 8.5 %!  After consuming the beer from my snifter glass, life felt right!  I adore a craft beer that can alter your mindset & mood not because of the ABV (though this helps) but because of knowing the time, effort & craftsmanship that went into producing a special release.  According to the hand-numbered bottle, the beer is, "unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle conditioned."


Mom Factoid: Polaris is known as the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor; which is cool because Rising Tide produces a wheat stout called Ursa Minor.  Interestingly, Polaris, is Ursa Minor Weizen Stout but barrel aged in bourbon barrels, that were previously used by Allagash Brewing Company for their Curieux.  Love that there is a cohesiveness & a storytelling quality to the beer that Rising Tide brews!  I am lucky enough to know the brewer, Nathan Sanborn & his wife, Heather.  They embody what a local brewery is all about:  creativity, optimism, hard work & a willingness to share it all with the Portland community.  Speaking of, if you're in the neighborhood, they are having a tour at their brewery TODAY, December 21st at 1:30.   Check out their website for further details at: http://www.risingtidebrewing.com/ or follow them on Twitter @risingtidebeer 

Polaris aging in bourbon barrels!
8.2011