Beer-a-Day #268
This tribute to West Coast-style American IPAs is loaded with American hops from start to finish balanced by a touch of malty sweetness.
Orangish-amber with a thick head. Very sharp grapefruity aroma. Nice bite. Good stuff.
Capital Region Beer & Wing Festival – Albany New York – September 25, 2009
It’s a match made in heaven…beer and wings!
Sample over 50 different types of beer along with wings from area bars and restaurants!
Hop Talk was at the event and live blogging to give our opinion on the best beer and wings of the show.
I am at the festival and live blogging this evening. Hey! There is a whole other side!
So far my first, Chicos, had the best wings. They were smoked and no sauce! More to come!
The competition is not about the best Buffalo wings, there are actually very few samples in the traditional style. Most restaurants have brought several of their styles and the judging will be on the best overall.
You name it! and, now my taste buds are dead! It will truly be difficult to determine the best beer after putting my taste buds through this.
We decided many/most beers were “not objectionable” which means marginal, but not great. Goose Island Honkers is runner up to Ithica Caskazilka right now. And, Chicos smoked wings are still in the lead.
Hop-Talk.com LOVES beer too! (That’s my buddy in the background)
Chicos smoked wings wins in my opinion! They are peppery and smokey, no sauce. Kind of like baby back ribs but wings.
You can find them at: 2490 Western Ave, Guilderland, New York – (518) 456-0940
Super Hot Habañero!
Official winner for wings is The Recovery Room which we thought were pretty good. They were cooked crispy and their Buffalo style hit the mark.
The official winner on beer … The “Top Hops” award goes to Switchback out of Vermont! I like that a small brewery won instead of, say, Blue Moon, but we thought Switchback was quite plain tasting. Caskazilka is our fave from Ithica! Other favorites of ours were: Boulder’s Hazed and Infuzed, Goose Island’s Honker’s Ale, & Lake Placid’s IPA & UBU. (Brooklyn’s Oktoberfest just doesn’t match well with hot wings.)
The story is that from last year I couldn’t even make it in to the event because by the time I got there they were over capacity (3,000 people) and running out of wings and beer. This year they fixed the issues and halved the crowd and doubled the wings and floor space.
It has been said that gravity sucks…so in the defiance of gravity, Stone Brewing brings us Levitation Ale. The beer promises to bring big flavor at only 4.4% ABV and Stone has yet to disappointment me. (except for the price on their Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale)
Levitation pours a rusty red color with a thick head of foam. There are lots of strong, complex, aromas coming from my mug, mostly of hops but some toasty malts, too. 
You are hit with some big hop bite and a flood of flavors to fill your mouth. It is only on the finish where you get a cleaner, and smooth finish, but still a tingle from the hops and carbonation. You can pick out some earthy & grainy notes and some yeasty flavors as well; all good.
This is considered an American Amber and is over the top on hops for the style (but I’m good with that). This goes high on my list for a session beer. Thanks again, Stone.
Beer-a-Day #267
Samuel Adams® Boston Ale was first brewed to celebrate the opening of our Boston Brewery. Like Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, it was an old family recipe that was rescued by Jim Koch from his father’s attic. Samuel Adams® Boston Ale, a Stock Ale, has a complex, caramel malt character balanced with distinct spicy and herbal hop notes. Our proprietary ale yeast imparts a variety of fruit and ester notes in both the nose and flavor which are indicative of the style.
It’s the color of iced tea and smells quite interesting. Mouthfeel is creamier than I expected and has a nice, rich, nutty taste to it. It’s a bit different. I like it.
Beer-a-Day #266
Oooh! Cascade!
Nice coppery color. The bottom of the head looks like it was cut by a knife due to the tiny nitrogen bubbles. Aroma is not quite vanilla. Mouthfeel is creamy and the taste reminds me ever so slightly of flan.
Beer-a-Day #265
Woo-hoo! Only 100 beers left to go!
Saranac Octoberfest is a med-bodied, copper colored lager. It’s rich, malty taste is subtly balanced by Saaz and Tettnang hops. The beer is aged slowly in the tradition of the Octoberfest beers of Munich.
Golden color with a little red. Nice malty aroma. Medium body with a very nice finish. I like it.
Beer-a-Day #264
When the phrase “California Style Ale” is used, Poleeko Gold Pale Ale is the one that comes to mind. The golden color and generous use of Pacific Northwest hops establish a distinct style, separate from any domestic or European beers. Our honey-gold pale ale is crisp and clear, with an unusual lightness and dryness for such a full-flavored ale. The arousing abundance of hops adds both a floral bouquet and a lively, citrusy finish. It is excellent alone, or with full-flavored meals and spicy dishes.
Orange-y with some haze. Lots of citrus from the hops. Medium body with a very pleasant hop bite. I like it.
Anderson Valley Brewing Company – Poleeko Gold Pale Ale
Beer-a-Day #263
Chris came over four weeks ago and I helped him brew his first batch of homebrew. It’s been conditioning in the bottle for two weeks now, so it’s time to sample the fruits of our labor.
Nice golden brown with a little haze. I’m getting some fruit in the aroma. Cantaloupe, perhaps? A little nutty in the taste, kind of like sunflower seeds. I’m not generally a huge fan of Fuggles hops, but this is pretty good.
Good job, Chris.
Beer-a-Day #262
Born in 1885, Tennent’s was the first lager to be brewed in Scotland, and has remained the market leader and one of Scotland’s favorite beers since then.
Tennent’s Lager, [sic] has a distinctive, crisp and satisfying flavor with a fresh, bright appearance. Made entirely from natural ingredients, including the finest Scottish barley & the purest Highland water, Tennent’s beers are part of Scottish history and at the very heart of Scottish culture.
This was, until very recently, an InBev brand. It was acquired by Irish cider maker C&C (maker of Magners) when Anheuser-Busch InBev spun off all of their Irish, Northern Irish, and Scottish brands. According to the BBC, Tennent’s accounts for 55% of pub sales in Scotland.
Yeah, I know. Another light European lager in a green bottle. I thought I was done.
Pale fizzy yellow, with a big white head. Slightly lightstruck, with precious little aroma beyond that. Flavor is light, and leaves an odd chalky film on my tongue. Fresh, it might be quaffable. This is barely potable.
Beer-a-Day #261
Brewed with a blend of two- and six-row barley malt, classic Aroma hops from the Willamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest and German hops from the Hallertau region in Bavaria and all-natural blueberry syrup made from real blueberries.
This is actually a “stealth” faux-craft offering from Anheuser-Busch. It first hit test markets in 2005 and won the gold medal in the fruit beer category at the 2006 North American Beer Awards. It went nationwide in spring 2008, but this is the first I’ve seen of it.
It’s red. Not a deep amber, but red. And the head is pink. I can smell the blueberries all the way from over here. It smells like Boo Berries. The blueberry overpowers any beer that might be in there. My wife says that it’s not the worst fruit beer she’s ever had (and I concur) but, as so often happens, the fruit is so overwhelming that it tastes like Kool-Aid made with beer. Some people might like this, but it’s not for me. And a whopping 8% ABV, too.
