Thyme to Go

I've come close to being so with a few instances of sinus pressure or a scratchy throat for a few hours, but I haven't had a cold/flu/allergies in almost two years. I've never felt like doing the research to find out exactly why and there are a couple Journalism professors at Slippery Rock that would disown me for saying that. On second thought, they might not even be that surprised.

I've always argued that it's one or even two things - Ricola cough drops and beer. I've long written about and argued that beer is beneficial to ones health when consumed moderately. Which means not being completely fixated and downing six beers every night for an extended period. Beer has some good nutrients as well. It definitely can be beneficial when done correctly.

Every time I felt potential for nasal congestion of a dry or scratchy throat I pop in one of those Ricola cough drops. Who knows. I could just be off of the deep end already. Still, the two can be a pharmaceutical combination for the ages. One thing that Ricola does have (the original ones) is thyme. Look the next time you see a bag. Says so right on the front. I never once thought of a way to possibly combine the two into a single thing.

Well, that was until I came across a tweet about one of Dogfish Head's adventurous and creative inventions. Quite interesting. Cheers to good health.

#newbeer Dogfish Head Thyme Pale Ale: tastes like a pizza with a whole spice rack of spices on it. Not bad if you're expecting it
— Commish of hangin' (@TheBeerNerd) February 26, 2014

Beer Review: Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Eight percent

Appearance: Just as the label with the barley background says, this brew was most definitely "deep mahogany in color." There was a tan or tea-colored head that adorned the top of the brew. The head peaked at about a quarter of an inch and then receded into a very thin, but steady layer of foam and left some ample, yet webby lacing inside my glass.

Smell: I picked up plenty of sweet sugary notes along with some fig and other assorted dark fruits. The eight percent ABV didn't peak through, either. I could very well see the heavy sweetness getting to me at some point though. Maybe even to the point of upsetting my stomach.

Taste: The flavor of this brew wanted to be pungent, but kept it self in the subtle category. It was almost a perfect balance. There was plenty of dark sugar present as well as some caramel. It was even a little malty. This was very smooth, especially on the finish. This wasn't bitter nor boozy which means it could be a little dangerous if you want to indulge in this beer. I also found that as the beer warmed more and more warmth from the alcohol became more noticeable in the aftertaste.

Overall Rating: 

This was awesome. Even with the intense sweetness in the aroma, I can rank this one right up there with the best of them. It's was a dark yet balanced beer with many levels of flavor. It was complex and tasty. It played very smooth. Not many of the flavors in the taste were overbearing and didn't dilute any other aspect of the beer.

Brewers on Television

The news for the Sam Calagione/Dogfish head Craft brewery sitcom on FOX came out more than a month ago, but last night I had an entertaining thought. What if it were a Pittsburgh brewer or brewery that was lucky enough to have such an opportunity? Which one would it be? Which one would you like to see depicted?

The choice was easy in my mind. It'd have to be Full Pint Brewing in North Versailles. There are multiple brewers that run the place. Each of them are awesome characters in their own right. They're sometimes hanging out in the tap room if you've ever visited the place just off of Route 30. The television networks would be able to put together one hell of a cast. Sometimes they've modeled themselves as characters on their own beer labels. Just an entertaining group.

The Full Pint story is an interesting one as well. Five brewers basically going "All In" to start a brewery. One of their first brews even took on that name. Full Pint has already taken a dip into Pittsburgh pop culture by releasing the new 3-2-1 Win Beer with Pittsburgh Dad on it.

I realize that this is unlikely because not many brewers around here have yet to secure such national acclaim as Dogfish has. Still, it's special that in some way we're all close to the people that make our beer here in Western, Pa.

Growth and Odd Contraptions

Last year I returned from my annual Gettysburg excursion and posted about how I felt the eastern side of Pennsylvania knew how to eat and the western side knew how to drink. I based all of this on my disappointment in the Gettysburg beer selection. Alas, I stood corrected by many and my trip last week surely contradicted my claim this year.

I've already spent some time this week detailing how the craft beer community has grown in the Gettysburg area. This is probably my last post explaining the subject. I also visited the Blue and Gray Bar and Grill last year and did once again this year. The bar is in the famous square in the dead center of Gettysburg. The craft selection within the bar has improved in this establishment as well.

I had to pose the Dogfish 60 Minute in front of it.

Last year, I came across a bit from Troegs and Roy Pitz from nearby Chambersburg. I'm pleased to report a tad more this time around. Not only that, but Dogfish Head Craft Brewery had a few appearances on the draft list as well.

I'm not entirely sure whether or not there was a beer-to-go cooler at Blue and Gray last summer, but I definitely noticed it this time. The cooler was stuffed full of six packs from Troegs just north of Gettysburg and a brewery called Starr Hill which I discovered is out of Virginia. Maybe some North vs. South action? A few of the Starr Hill offering found a way on the draft system. One was a pumpkin porter. Despite my feelings on pumpkin beer in the summer, I found this exciting.

Still, the table I was seated at had an interesting gadget built into it. Something I've never seen or heard of before. I had noticed it upon walking past the place and assumed it was just part of the bar's draft system. I was only half right.

Apparently it's something called a table tap. I'm not certain as to how it would work at other places, but at Blue and Gray you would get a wristband that gets scanned by the machine. You would fill your own glass of beer and the machine keeps track of how much was dispensed. Very interesting. I haven't seen many of these elsewhere nor around the places I frequent here in Pittsburgh.

Just Pour It

Remember when I was all worked up about the Dogfish Head hybrid wine glass that was supposedly for hop-centered brews? I wasn't the only one, but to get to my point for this post the purpose behind my many rants about the ramming of such a glass down our throats is that it really doesn't matter to me what glass I'm drinking my beer out of.

Flute or Pokal? I drink, you decide.

With that said, I still am attracted to fancy beer glassware like a college kid that has his eyes set on a crush. A big part of that is because some glasses have history and stories behind them. Others have memories that tie us to them.

One of my best beer friends (the always mentioned Beer Snob Sr.) has an imperial pint Guinness glass that he stole from a pub in England. Prying it from his hands is a challenge. That's exactly what I mean. When my grandmother has some of us over for dinner there are two glasses there that I like consuming a beer from.

There's one of the old Duquesne Pilsener flutes along with an even older Miller Lite hybrid flute. I'm not sure exactly what the Miller one is. So, you can correct me if I'm wrong.

I obviously don't enjoy Miller Lite, but I have a deep affinity for that glass. Hey, I just love beer glasses. Sometimes the logo doesn't matter. Just what you put in it.

Beer Review: Dogfish Aprihop

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: The body of Aprihop is on the darker side of the copper slope with some ruby red hues here and there as well. There was a prominent cream-colored head almost immediately after I finished pouring it. The head ended up leaving some thick lacing which was really sticky. I mean sticky to the point where there were still bubbles popping as it stuck to the inside of the glass. I mean that in a very good way.

Smell: The beer's aroma consisted mainly of hops. I wasn't expecting anything different. With an IPA, you usually get a grapefruit scent/flavor with it. This is mostly from the hops used in the brewing process. That wasn't so with this one. I got a small appetizer of apricot fruitiness.

Taste: The fruitiness of the apricot hit me right up front on each sip. I wouldn't want it any other way. It disappeared as it drifted towards the back of the tongue and  transpired into the Amarillo hop bitterness. The apricot pops back into the taste picture a millisecond before everything goes down. As I mentioned earlier, grapefruit is usually a prominent citrus flavor in IPA's. I enjoyed the apricot in this beer's taste. It complimented the hop bitterness in quite an interesting way.

Overall Rating: 

I rarely say it, but this was an IPA that was a home run with me. I pretty much will love anything with apricot. This had some hop bitterness, but it didn't completely obliterate my taste buds as some IPA's are prone to doing. The apricot acted as a slight surprise as it drifts across the tongue. The fruitiness and bitterness compliment each other nicely.

Another Piece of the Puzzle

As Elaine Benes of Seinfeld fame would say, "And another piece of the puzzle falls into place." This new Dogfish/Sierra Nevada IPA glass keeps taking odder turns by the day. I don't particularly care for it or for the fact that its creators are hailing it as the new standard for drinking IPA's. Then again, I'm a really stubborn person.

Debate continues on Twitter concerning this new glass. I have a few more tidbits to share with any of you that haven't come across this information already. There was a small discourse I caught on my timeline yesterday. It looks as if this new IPA glass isn't as unprecedented as it's being made out to be.

.@brewkkake @blakex Funny. That brand is actually owns the company that DFH and SN "collaborated on the design" of their IPA glass with.
— Craft Pittsburgh Mag (@CraftPittsburgh) February 14, 2013

@dogfishbeer queencitydrinks.com/2013/02/14/bee…
— Blake Kunisch (@blakex) February 14, 2013

Dogfish replied to this exchange by saying that the stem is the same, but the bowl is actually different. Now, if you take that and read what Craft Pittsburgh posted through its Facebook feed you'll discover that Dogfish and Sierra Nevada possibly might have just updated an already-existing wine glass.

The Queen City Drinks link in the embedded tweet above includes a side-by-side comparison with the new glass and a shaker pint. The results are pretty much what I stated in yesterday's post. Visually appealing, but it's still the same beer in both glasses.

Blue Dust to Have Big Pour Preview Tasting

For all of you out there that half to work and miss the Big Pour this weekend (myself included) Blue Dust is having two nights of preview tastings on Thursday and Friday evenings, according to the bar's Facebook page.

Beers from the following breweries will be present on Thursday: Great Lakes, Ommegang and Southern Tier. On Friday, you can expect to see Troegs, East End, Bell's and Dogfish Head.

From what I can read and what I've been told, some really good brews will be there to be sampled such as Southern Tier's Pumking and Creme Brulee, Dogfish's Punkin and Great Lakes Burning River.

I will try to be present for one of these tasting nights. More likely to be there on Friday rather than Thursday. I'll be in the fedora. Come and say hello.

Beer Review: Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 7.2 percent

Appearance: Indian Brown Ale pours a dark brown with some ruby undertones elsewhere within the beer's body. The head is beige-colored and vary thin. It dissipates fairly quickly, but you will have a thin, bubbly layer on the crown of your beer for most of the drink. The beer appears to be decently carbonated. Has a very intriguing texture. Reminded me of your typical cola soft drink.

Smell: This beer smells very piney with some sweeter undertones behind that. I got hints of brown sugar, caramel and toffee. There was also a strong aroma of smoked malt.

Taste: Of the sweeter flavors, the toffee is the most dominant in the taste department. The smoked malt adds a great bit of smoked taste to this beer, which features chocolate hints as well. Really really sweet on the tongue. The only thing separating this from a can of soda or pop is the alcohol content.

Overall Rating: 

Dogfish Head is known across the land as being very liberal in terms of combining different beer styles and taking liberties with many different flavors. This beer is a fine example of exactly what the brewery tries to do. The beer is a hybrid of an American Brown, India Pale Ale and Scottish Ale. A very interesting concoction.

Christmas in a Glass: Dogfish Head Black & Red

In my opinion there are two types of craft beers. There's those that are oddly and interestingly named then there' the exotic tasting ones. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery out of Delaware gives us yet another crazy-tasting craft brew.

Appearance: Dogfish Head Black & Red looks like a stout when you first look at it. Well, it is in-fact an American Double stout, but it in no way smells or tastes like one. I'll get to that later, but this beer is black as a stout can get. You get a very thin, white head that fades away quickly. So, get used to staring into that dark oblivion.

ABV: 10.5 percent

Smell: This beer has a scent I've never come across in any instance of my life. I got a very strong hint of mint with raspberry undertones. Very powerful. If you ever need your sinuses cleared, get a glass of this stuff.

Taste: The taste of this beer is very much the same as its smell. It tastes just like raspberry mint. The only difference it had was the slight taste of chocolate which balanced out the two dominant flavors. It reminded me of Christmas.

Overall Rating:   

This beer was a pleasant surprise. Has a very creative combination of scents and tastes, which definitely draws some extra points in my book.

Pumpkin Ale Week Continues: Day II

If you've already feeling festive from the first post of Pumpkin Ale Week, then get ready for another edition. Two more beers were tried. Two more beers are ranked. And then there were four.