Comments on: Session #12 – Talon Barley Wine

By: Bojangles

Bojangles — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:16:57 +0000

I’m not sure of the exact time line, but according to my sources (Lew Bryson’s New York Breweries, of course) it looks like Mendocino took over the Saratoga brewery and shifted their East Coast production there sometime around the end of the 90′s.

By: Al

Al — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:08:44 +0000

When I lived in Central New Jersey, my wife and I would often go to Alfonso’s in Somerville for half-price pasta night. (It was delicious stuff, and you can’t beat half price.)

One of the few craft brews they had available was the Red Tail Ale. I rather liked it. This was six or eight years ago. Did Mendocino have the New York brewery then?

By: Bojangles

Bojangles — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 06:04:40 +0000

I actually think Mendocino is a very underrated brewery, especially locally. You can’t go wrong with a six of Eye of the Hawk or Whitehawk IPA. As far a quality control, I get a little variance sometimes, but that seems pretty typical of a lot of micros. The brewery in Saratoga is the fourth largest in NYS, and they do a lot of contract brewing, including stuff for Sackett’s Harbor, Blue Point, Southampton and He’brew – all breweries that I think pretty highly of. That tasting room is always worth a visit, too.

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:24:36 +0000

I don’t know much about the California brewery except that they brew a larger line of beers out there. One in particular I would love to try, Peregine Golden Ale, is something I asked the Saratoga brewery about and they just don’t make it out this way.

PS *sigh* Yes… I didn’t want to say “tan” again.

By: Al

Al — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:40:24 +0000

Did you really say “taupe”?

Next thing you know, you’ll be saying “ecru”. You’ve been domesticated, my friend.

It sounds like they’ve got quality control issues everywhere. I find it unlikely that reviews for the same beer would be so disparate. Does the brewery in California have the same sort of problems?