My fellow citizens,
Knowing my reverence for Stoudt's Brewery and the quality of their offerings, you can imagine my anticipation of this opportunity to enjoy some regional treasures right in my own backyard. Mike Pearlman from Stoudts came equipped with plenty of beer and some cool swag, including a handsome Stoudts pint glass and window sticker. Our newest ally Ashleigh did a wonderful job of bringing the Stoudt's representatives and local beerficionados together at the Clarion Hotel by way of the Elephant & Castle Pub on Rte 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ. The food was well paired with the beer selections and a good time was had by all. Check out the menu:
Scarlet Lady Ale Herb-encrusted pork loin in a spinach and red pepper demiglace. Mesculin salad with prosciutto, California olives and feta cheese, in a rosemary red wine vineagrette
Stoudts Pils Poached whiting in a roasted tomato dill sauce
Stoudts Double IPA Penne pasta Diablo with pepperjack cheese
The food was tasty, and so was the beer. A brief review of the brew:
Stoudt's Pils: Representation: .90
Accessibility: .90
Style: .90
Personal Preference: .90 for a total score of 3.6 Flags.
Light and crisp. Awesome pilsner; This brew hangs with the best best pilsners out there, foreign or domestic.
Scarlet Lady ESB: Representation: .80
Accessibility: .95
Style: .80
Personal Preference: .85 for a total of 3.4 Flags.
Really drinkable with a medium body and mellow flavors. Classy.
Double IPA: Representation: 1.0
Accessibility: .85
Style: .95
Personal Preference: .90 for a total score of 3.7 Flags.
That's a real IPA. Haven't had this one in awhile, but I'm going back for more. Not just hoppy; Lots of smoothness and integrity. Makes me smile.
The event wrapped up at the Elephant & Castle where two more Cabinet members joined the party to celebrate the return of Stoudt's APA to the draft lineup of E & C. This beer was reviewed not too long ago, then disappeared. Glad it came back so quickly! Count on seeing your favorite Fermentnation officials at Elephant & Castle fairly regularly. The draft selection (which we're glad includes Stoudts) is good and changes up fairly frequently.
Thanks again to Ashleigh and Michael who put together a cool event. We look forward to future Stoudt's visits as well as tastings from other craft breweries who recognize Elephant & Castle as a bastion of good taste. Rumors of another central PA brewery coming to town are quite interesting indeed...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
While 3.7 isn't a bad rating I think the accessibility category is
rather vague. Double IPA's aren't for everyone - granted, but neither is
a certain raisin beer that garnered a 1.0 in said category. Perhaps some clarification on the term accessibility is in order.
Toastmaster,
First, keep in mind that hops must be treated a little more objectively. They are bitter. That's why they're there. Some people really like hot peppers, but that doesn't make them un-hot. So looking out for the citizenry is how I roll. There comes a point when you have to say to yourself, "I really love this hoppiness, but not everyone will." That's when you look to the personal preference category to boost the score. Raison isn't as pungent so accessibility remains high. You may not see it as a 4.0, but that's most likely due to the preference scores.
Besides, these are my personal reviews. Please submit your own reviews and score away. Very soon, the citizens' review page will be up and running.
Please consider Accessibility as a marker of whether or not you would recommend this brew to a non-beer-head. Accessibility for all...
Your average beer drinker probably wouldn't find D'Etra highly accessible. Obviously, it's not as sharp as the hoppy beers, but it's also not in the realm of the tamer ales and lagers. As I do not wish to be thrown in the brulag for my dissent I will relent. Not a beat down of your review or D'Etra for that matter... I love it! Just debating the finer points of the term accessibility.
You know, this Nation would be a lot easier to run if it were a dictatorship... and I were the dictator.
Post a Comment