whatchudrinkin?

Pine Juice Resin reminds me of Christmas. When you get that...

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:01:00 -0700

Pine Juice

Resin reminds me of Christmas. When you get that fresh tree, take it home and drag it through the house, only to realize that you can’t fit it in the tree stand, so you have to saw through the lower branches and get sap all over your hands and clothes. Sixpoint Resin is like that — sticky, piney, and bitter.

Gearing Up for Summer Despite the bad reputation of canned...

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:01:31 -0700

Gearing Up for Summer

Despite the bad reputation of canned lager, craft brewers across the country are brewing some solid interpretations. Shift is what my brother Dan would call lawn mowing beer. It’s great for pairing with heavy lifting. Crisp, slightly hoppy, slightly malty — Shift is nicely balanced.

Clown Shoes Eagle Claw Fist is too bitter. I just grabbed a...

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:01:18 -0700

Clown Shoes

Eagle Claw Fist is too bitter. I just grabbed a bottle off the shelf figuring I ought to give an imperial amber ale. Sounded sort of like a barley wine to me. It wasn’t until I got home that I found out it was nearly a year old, bottled in June of twenty twelve.

You can’t age this stuff. It’s just completely and utterly bitter. Leave a burger on the grill for an hour and then add pepper spray. Bitter, bitter, bitter — no real hop flavors to pull out of the murk.

A few years ago the mere difficulty of this beer, the extremeness of flavor, would have impressed me. But these days I am more into actual taste than bigness and intensity.

Hi, We have recently launched a new magazine called Craft Beer Magazine for the iPad. Any way I could reach you? Thanks, Fredrik

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:13:19 -0700

Feel fee to email Aaron@whatchudrinkin.com

Dogfish Head in Falls Church My fondness for Dogfish Head beer...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:01:00 -0700

Dogfish Head in Falls Church

My fondness for Dogfish Head beer is well documented. I like their IPAs. I’ve been impressed with their collaborations and intrigued by the weirder experiments.

But the pub in Falls Church was sort of a let down. Found in the middle of a strip mall, the Dogfish Head Brewpub is the sort of place you go with your parent when you’re ten; The food is greasy and the beer is actually more expensive than in bottles, two thousand miles away in Portland. I tried to enjoy myself though. I ordered a few beers form of the ancient ales series and a pizza.

The Namaste wit was just so boring. The ingredient list includes dried organic orange slices, fresh-cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander, but the flavor is weak and the body is too thin for my liking. It’s lemony and wheaty and I should’ve known better.

But then I moved on to the Chateau Jiahu. It was nuts. Alcohol and sweetness — like mead, followed by grape juice and a bit of yeast. This is more my style, more what I expect from Dogfish’s weird experiments. I’m not sure if it’s actually delicious, or if I was just intrigued by the unique flavor.

Sarah tasted the similarly bizarre Positive Contact. It’s a blend of cider and beer with chili peppers and cilantro. Sarah liked it. It didn’t taste too spicy. Or spicy at all. Sarah’s dad loves the Palo Santo Marron with it’s vanilla and chocolate. Especially on draught. The bottle lends a bit of a bite to the beer that can be off-putting.

Even though the food was a bust, the beer was exactly what I expected: weird but delicious.

Roasty Brown Brooklyn Brown Ale taste more like a lightly tinted...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:01:00 -0700

Roasty Brown

Brooklyn Brown Ale taste more like a lightly tinted porter than a brownie brown. It’s got a toasted, nutty flavor just shy of coffee roast. The body is perfectly round and the finish has a distinct bite. It could be the snap of hops.

It nice to finally tasting something from my minor hero Garrett Oliver. I loved his book, the Brewmaster’s Table, and love that his articles in the Oxford Companion to Beer are always witty and on point. Dude knows whats up.

If you are interested in beer and food, definitely check out The Brewmaster’s Table.

Turtle Beer A terrapin is a turtle and as Sarah pointed out, the...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:01:30 -0700

Turtle Beer

A terrapin is a turtle and as Sarah pointed out, the mascot of the University of Maryland. But Terrapin beer comes from Athens, Georgia. The Rye Pale Ale I picked up at the Total Wine in McLain was pretty good stuff. I like the grainy rye spice, but the pale ale part is just sort of cursory— you know, a bit of citrus and stuff. It’s easy drinking and tasty.

What does rye taste like alone? I need to find some roggenbiers.

Mexico and Vienna Despite the name, Vienna lagers are probably...

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:01:13 -0700

Mexico and Vienna

Despite the name, Vienna lagers are probably best known as Mexican beers. All the big Mexican beers have German and Austrian roots. You could even say Mexican beer started with a single man: Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico. Yep, Mexico was once a monarchy and Maximilian I was an Austrian Archduke who came to rule at the behest of the Mexican aristocracy. Look it up sometime.

Back to the point. Vienna lager is a dark lager and a close cousin of Munich Märzen. Devil’s Backbone makes a decent simulation of the Mexican favorite. Think Negra Modelo — toast and bitterness in equal parts. The history is more interesting than the beer.

Port City Brewing Co. Alexandria is a cute little town on the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:01:16 -0700

Port City Brewing Co.

Alexandria is a cute little town on the outskirts of D.C. It’s filled with adorable row houses and seafood restaurants. Over on the industrial side of town, Port City Brewing is hiding in a huge warehouse with plenty of room to grow.

The beer runs the usual gamut from wheat to stout with a few pale ales in between. The Opimal Wit was the lightest offering. That’s it; it’s just light. A little lemon, a little spice. The Essential Pale Ale actually surprised my in-laws with a near clone of a grapefruit from sweet-tart flesh to bitter pith. I liked it, but it as a little weak. The Monumental IPA was a bit of a let down. Building on the Essential pale, Monumental brought extra sweetness and pine, but not much else.

The darker beers really shined. Tartan Scottish ale is on the lighter side of the shilling scale — 5% alcohol, 80/-. The guide mentions the beer undergoes kettle carmelization; the wort is added to a preheated kettle burning the sugars a little. You can taste it. Tartan is slightly smokey, slightly sweet and very distinctive.

The flagship Porter is was the real stand out. Silky smooth and full bodied with great roasted coffee flavor. I can see why it’s the flagship; the porter is more complete than the others and perfectly executed.

Port City Brewing only has two years under their belt, so we’ll let them go a for more years before condemning them to the “good but basic” pile. We avoided the Revival oyster stout, but as an experiment it bodes well for the future.

Call Your Mother A hefeweizen with rose petals? Sounds good....

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:01:37 -0700

Call Your Mother

A hefeweizen with rose petals? Sounds good. Appropriately ladylike. You know, ladies like light beers. And flowers.

But Rogue doesn’t know what they are doing. Twenty-five years and they still haven’t figured out that a hefeweizen uses a different yeast than a stout or an IPA? How do they get away with using “Pacman“ in everything? This tastes nothing like a German wheat, or a Belgian wheat. And the rose petals never make an appearance.

If you bought this for your mother, call her back and apologize.

McSorley’s of Utica I love a good bitter; I love a nice...

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:01:16 -0700

McSorley’s of Utica

I love a good bitter; I love a nice full session ale. But I’m sure what makes a pale ale Irish. McSorley’s pale ale is earthy and herbal — sort of tea-like I guess. I liked it, I think. It’s been a week since I tried it.

Hey, It’s tough keeping all the beers straight. I spent a week in Virginia trying to taste every beer I’d never heard of. The pale ales all start to run together.

Sunset in the Capital Well, not in the capital, but near the...

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:01:26 -0700

Sunset in the Capital

Well, not in the capital, but near the capital.

DC Brau, the biggest brewer in the District, makes a mean Belgian pale ale. The Citizen pours an amazing, bright orange. It even smells orange, with tangy citrus, stone fruit, and spice. Perfect for a nice spring day on the porch in the dappled sunlight.

Starr, With Two Rs The Starr Hill Brewery of Charlottesville...

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:01:20 -0700

Starr, With Two Rs

The Starr Hill Brewery of Charlottesville never crossed my radar, but in the grocery store they stood out on the shelf. The craft beer section in the Shenandoah valley was actually dominated by western brewers like Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. The Starr Saison has a honey sweet scent and tastes lightly spiced and herbal. The finish has a twinge of metal, but I’ll blame that on the Safeway.

Locals in the Future Home of Big Brewing Highland Brewing hails...

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:01:21 -0700

Locals in the Future Home of Big Brewing

Highland Brewing hails from Asheville North Carolina, the future east coast home of both Sierra Nevada and New Belgium Brewing. It’s not a big city, but Asheville keeps beating Portland in Beer City polls. I’m not bitter though. I’m not, I swear.

Highland, an actually local brewer soon to be displaced by the big boys, specializes in British style ales. The Gaelic Ale is designated an amber ale, but it shows some Scottish roots. Chewy caramel body with a slightly woodsy flair. Delightful, even Sarah was charmed.

Old School In western Virginia you will find more southern...

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:01:33 -0700

Old School

In western Virginia you will find more southern accents than you might think. And the taps pour Bud, Bud Light, and Yuengling. The brewery has been brewing lagers in Pottsville, Pennsylvania since 1829. Unlike many small brewers, the Yuengling family made it through Prohibition making ice cream.

The beer is decent. A shade darker than most mass produced lagers and boasting actually toasted malt flavor, Yuengling makes for a cheap night out. The brewery has been under attack lately for using adjuncts and extracts, earning them a prominent position on the “crafty” side of the beer devide. But the Yuengling family weathered prohibition; I think they can handle a little bad press. And despite what the beer nerds say, adjunct lager is probably the most American beer in existence.

Who Needs Hops? Look! It’s another beer Sarah likes!...

Thu, 02 May 2013 17:01:07 -0700

Who Needs Hops?

Look! It’s another beer Sarah likes! It’s a traditional gruit brewed with herbs and spices and, of course, no hops. Posca Rustica is similar to Brasserie Dupont’s saisons, spicy. It’s slightly malty and wit-like. I’m guessing that comes from coriander and the malted wheat. Posca Rustica is delightfully full and creamy.And it doesn’t offend my wife.

Honest to Goodness Speakeasy ales have nice labels and a 1920s...

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:01:19 -0700

Honest to Goodness

Speakeasy ales have nice labels and a 1920s theme. Too bad this beer is a bit old and stale. Scarlett is a red rye IPA but my bottle was all sorts of faded and boring. I always wonder whether or not I should post about beers that don’t meet expectations or taste off. But I figure I might as well.

I just want to be honest and present each beer the way it came to me. And honestly, I won’t be going out of my way to try any more Speakeasy beers. I just wasn’t impressed.

Hazelnut Homebrew I helped my brother Dan brew his hazelnut...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:01:20 -0700

Hazelnut Homebrew

I helped my brother Dan brew his hazelnut brown months ago, but I wanted to compare the different bottle types for quality. so I needed to wait for an excuse to open them all at once.

I was actually surprised to find that both Grolsch type bottles popped cleanly and poured out identical beers — green glass be damned. The twenty-two ounce bottle was just as well carbonated and just as tasty.

Unlike my first failed foray into homebrewing, this was an extract brew. I had assumed extract was going to produce a boring beer, not so. It saved tons of time and work because it required less precise measurements.

The beer turned out perfect, if a bit heavy on hazelnut extract. I was weary of brewing all grain in my tiny apartment, but I can see myself experimenting with extract recipes.

More pictures of the process can be found on our Facebook page.

The Mother of all Storms I bought this bottle of Mother of all...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:01:30 -0700

The Mother of all Storms

I bought this bottle of Mother of all Storms back at Thanksgiving. I meant to try it; I really did. I was going to have it for my birthday, or for a barleywine week, or split it with people. Instead, it sat in the closet intimidating me with big scores on the review sites and a large price tag.

Mother of all Storms an English balery wine — possibly my favorite style — and aged in bourbon barrels — possibly my favorite barrel. But I was underwhelmed by the base beer — Stormwatcher’s Winterfest — when I tried it and overwhelmed by the hype for Mother.

There was no way I could be completely satisfied. I’ve been looking forward to this beer for so long and been inundated with such massive praise.

It’s good. Don’t get me wrong. Mother of all Storms is an all powerful, weighty beer. It has huge bourbon vanilla notes and woodyness. It’s got caramel and surprising chocolate notes. It’s got a full body and is devoid of cloying sweetness. It’s not a subtle beer; it’s stupendously bold. But it doesn’t seem to let go any new secrets with each sip.

It’s just not my style.

I’m sure the bottles I’m saving will, with age, mellow and settle into something more my speed, but at the moment, Mother of all Storms is an explosion of flavor. But maybe you should split a bottle two or three ways.

Sterling Coffee NPR might have spent a week talking about...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:01:13 -0700

Sterling Coffee

NPR might have spent a week talking about coffee. But they didn’t seem to taste that much. You can tell people that different regions and different species of trees produce myriad distinct coffees, but it’s more fun to try it yourself.

I tried Sterling Coffee Roaster’s Colombian and Bolivian side by side. Same continent; very different flavors. It is amazing the difference location — terroir — plays in the taste of the beans. The Colombian espresso is dark and fruity — citric acid and cream — and a roasted vegetable finish.The Bolivian is more chocolaty and toasty — a classic coffee flavor. I think I’ll stick to lattes. Straight shots of espresso are too intense.