Tasty Seafood and a Tried-and-True IPA (Tastin' the Nation)

Ah!  Yet another tasty edition of "Tastin' the Nation" here at The Ferment Nation.  Over Easter Weekend, Citizen Elizabeth and myself had the pleasure of spending some time in Cape May, NJ.  Located at the southern tip of New Jersey, it is a scenic destination for anyone who likes white sand beaches, Victorian architecture, and seafood!

For the first night in Cape May, we had the luck to walk by The Merion Inn (pictured left in a watercolor painting by Patricia Rainey). Reading over their menu, their unique combination of flavors, a penchant for Asian flair in their cuisine, and seafood selection intrigued us enough to come back and eat there.

I ordered the flounder in a sauce whose name I forget, but it was delicious.  The fish was topped with artichoke hearts and capers.  Truly memorable.  I also had the one good craft beer on their menu, Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA.

In my mind, the 60 Minute IPA is a true classic.  It has just enough hoppiness, just enough body, and plenty of flavor.  Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA can cause issues as they are very easy drinking and 9.0% abv, and let's not even talk about the 120 Minute.  But I thought the 60 Minute IPA had enough bite and body to stand up to the flavors of the fish and sauce, but it didn't overpower the meal.  It let the dish speak for itself.  

Citizen Elizabeth enjoyed scallops with really tasty sides of wasabi mashed potatoes and a spicy Asian slaw.  You can see the 60 Minute IPA bottle in the shot below.  I have to admit that I tasted her food, and it was quite delicious, too.  I will let her tell her own version of the story, but maybe I will let Citizen Elizabeth take the lead in an upcoming review of The Cape May Brewery (will be posted soon!)

The Merion Inn had an "adult" elegance to it.  They had a beautiful bar, live piano music, we had great service, and it was lovely looking.  The one criticism of the place is that they need to invest in more craft beers for their menu!  Your patrons will thank you for it, Merion Inn.

@VictoryBeer to Expand! #CraftBeerNews

Victory Brewing Announces Expansion Plans

Second brewing facility will create more beer and more jobs.

DOWNINGTOWN, PA – Victory Brewing Company is opening a second brewery in Chester County, Pa., which will allow the company to continue to create new, innovative beers and additional employment opportunities.

In 2012, Victory’s current brewery in Downingtown, Pa. will reach capacity. In order to keep up with consumers’ demand for full-flavored, high quality beer, Victory is forging ahead with expansion plans.

“Our thirsty fans have been asking us for more,” said Bill Covaleski, President and Co- Brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company. “In order to give them what they want, we need more space to make it happen.”

The new brewery location was chosen because of its similarities to Victory’s home in Downingtown. Just as the home brewery recycled an old Pepperidge Farm factory, the expansion brewery is being built within an existing complex in Parkesburg, Pa. The Downingtown location is situated a mere 14 miles from the headwaters of the east branch of the Brandywine Creek and the Parkesburg brewery will be just 17 miles from the headwaters of the west branch.

See the map on Victory's announcement page.

Environmental impact and water quality were major considerations for this expansion. Nearly eight months of water-quality research found that the mineral composition of the west branch water is nearly identical to the east branch.

In keeping with Victory’s “locally brewed, locally loved” motto, the choice to expand was not made lightly. The Parkesburg location will allow Victory to produce even more locally brewed and locally loved beer.

“Growing into a new facility will have some growing pains,” said Ron Barchet, CEO and Co- Brewmaster of Victory Brewing Company. “But once we are up and running, it will allow us endless opportunities to experiment with new flavors and re-create old favorites.”

Check out Victory's announcement page

Victory Brewing Company is a privately held craft brewery headquartered in Downingtown,Pennsylvania. Begun by Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet, childhood friends who met on a school bus in 1973, the brewery formally began operations in February of 1996. Victory, Pennsylvania's widely acclaimed brewery and restaurant, now serves fans of fully flavored beers in 29 states with innovative beers melding European ingredients and technology with American creativity.

To learn more about Victory Brewing Company visit us on the web at www.victorybeer.com.


Victory Brewing Company
420 Acorn Lane | Downingtown, PA 19335
610-514-7009

Contact: Karen Noonan
karenn@victorybeer.com

Greetings, Citizens!

Sorry I have been totally derelict in my posting duties lately...  I still owe y'all a detailed picture album of our trip to Victory for the Chili Challenge, and I promise I will put it up there soon.  But my "other" life has been super crazy and I haven't been able to post a whole lot of stuff.  So the following Storify collection will keep you updated on some of the brews I got to taste this week.  I was @ThePourHouseNJ this week and had an amazing 3-beer session on Thursday night.  Can't wait til next week to celebrate their 3-Year Anniversary with some ultra rare brews on tap.  Check out these tasty beverages for yourself, just as soon as you can.  They all come highly recommended by yours truly:


Thanks for your patience.  More posts to come ASAP, I swear it will be done.  Cheers!

Hooo-boooy, dat's hot!  Victory's Chili Challenge was a blast this past Sunday.  Thanks to Karen Noonan for the invitation to be on the panel of "expert" judges.  Tasting happened in an undisclosed location, with points awarded for appearance, aroma, consistency, originality, and flavor.  The entries were coded by letter on our end, while the people in the brew pub voted by number, so everything was pretty darn fair.

We at the Ferment Nation have plenty of pictures to share by way of a Picasa web album, which is coming up in the next day or so, but let's catch up with the winners:


1st place: Ian Jenkins & Megan Maska with their Beast Breath Chili
2nd place: Chuck Golder with It's Just Chili
3rd place: Meg Davis, Amanda Hoffman, and Dillon Allen with Philly Chili

The people voted as well and named John's Doe Chili the best of the best. That team included Andrew McGarry, Alex Chryst and Ali Leaf.

Thanks again to everyone at Victory for making the Chili Challenge an amazing event!  Be on the lookout for a new post ASAP which will include our own photos and shoutouts to some other fun judges that we met along the way.  Cheers!

Beer and Chocolate Pairing at Iron Hill (West Chester, PA)

It was a snowy Wednesday night when Citizen Elizabeth and I ventured forth to the Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester, PA for their beer and chocolate pairing event with the down-the-street neighbors, Eclat Chocolate.  If you haven't had their chocolates yet, you are missing out, and for fans of the Ferment Nation, there is their beer lover's box of chocolates.  Quite tasty.  Be sure to check them out.

The event started out with a glass of their 10 year anniversary Belgian Quad known as FE 10.  At 10.5% abv, it was a nice starter for the event to get things going.  What I liked about this beer was that it was not overwhelming.  I don't drink Belgian quads much because they can be too syrupy, and just too much.  FE 10 was tasty and smooth and I would definitely drink it again (I can't say that for many Belgian tripels or quads).  After that inaugural glass of beer, it was kind of an open house for beer and chocolate.  Eclat brought five different kinds of chocolate varying in bitterness and ingredients, and Iron Hill paired them up (of course, other pairing experiments were encouraged!) with five of their beers: Russian Imperial Stout, Cherry Chocolate Stout (just tapped that day), Oompa Loompa Stout, a Bourbon aged stout, and  F. Red.

The beer and chocolate that stood out for me were F. Red Ale and the Aleppo Pink Peppercorn chocolate. I mention the Flemish red ale, because I do not drink sour beers often, and I thought this one was quite nice and refreshing.  It also happened to stand out amidst the other four stouts.  And at 5% abv, clearly I should have drank more of that during the evening.  The peppercorn chocolate had, what else, but peppercorns!  It was great.  It also had chili peppers as part of its composition, so there was some heat to this chocolate.  The other chocolates were good, but this was the most memorable.  Citizen Elizabeth and I went back for more several times.

Overall, the event could have been better attended, but it was unclear as to how much snow was going to fall that night, so I do not blame people for cancelling at the last minute (more beer and chocolate for us!).  The friendly and informative staff of Iron Hill and Eclat made the night enjoyable and a success.

We are SUPER PUMPED for the Victory Chili Challenge!  When is it?  Sunday, February 26th, 2012.  I love chili.  I love beer.  I love Victory... seems like a no-brainer, right?!?

So check out the EVENTBRITE INVITATION.

Trying to get there from the Philly area?  Check out this map:

Better yet, check out Victory's website and get directions from every which way.  CLICK HERE.

Here's a cool tidbit: El Presidente is going to be a special guest judge!

Have another graphic!

That's the People's Pepper, in case you were wondering.  So now that we're at the end of this post, we at the Ferment Nation sincerely hope that you join us in awarding the People's Pepper to the bestest chili in the whole wide world.  We will drink a few beers, I'm sure, so come say hi on Sunday, February 26th, 2012 from noon til 3pm.  Cheers!

Firestone XV

Photo from Firestone's website. Visit them!

Firestone XV

When: New Year's Eve


Served in: Wine Glass

Appearance: Pours a deep ruby red, some haze, tight off white head.

Aroma: big vanilla oak with chocolate and malt.

Taste: Big warming oak with hints of cocolate, finishing with some alcohol heat. No two sips
are alike! Picking up orange peel once, sometimes chocolate. As it warms the orange and fruit
comes out more. The warmth also brings out a roastier, tannic finish.

Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carb, incredibly drinkable at 12%. Noticable alcohol burn, but
but nothing you wouldnt expect. The body is lean enough to keep sipping without thinking
its maple syrup.

Overall: A big, drinkable, complicated beer that can probably use a year to develop and let the oak mellow out.

Chicken Sandwich Paired with Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Aged

Innis & Gunn's Rum Cask Oak Aged Ale is a unique and exciting brew.  I first encountered it at the Philly Craft Beer Festival in early 2011, where it made my top 3  beers of the day.  You can check out that review HERE.  The exciting part about the beer is its confluence of flavors:  The oak cask imparts an earthy, vanilla essence, with dark and sensual spices of Jamaican rum providing an appropriately playful partner for the sweetness.

Here's how you replicate my awesome sandwich:  First ingredient is a chicken breast.  Cut it down fairly small, then beat the crap out of it with a tenderizer.  Next, sprinkle kosher salt and fresh-cracked peppercorn on both sides and finally, grill it to perfection.  There.

The roll wasn't the best ever, but here's how you make it sexy-- Cut it open and put some oil-cured olives on one side, and Chimay cheese on the other.  Put it under the broiler for a few minutes until the bread is browned and the cheese is melty.  Excellent.

Bacon.

Now there's a serious sandwich.  Very savory.  So how does the Innis & Gunn rum cask ale match up with the food?  I have to be honest, it didn't work as well as I thought it would.  A week or two ago, I had Chimay cheese on a burger made with onions sauteed in Victory Golden Monkey.  The onions had taken on an extra sweetness, and the salty cheese was a perfect foil.  Here in my chicken sandwich, the salty bitterness of the olives and the savory Chimay Cheese worked together with the bacon to jazz up the chicken.  So perhaps a dry pale ale or smooth IPA would have cut the bold flavors, almost mimicking the neutrality of the chicken.

The rum flavors of the Innis & Gunn are a little too jazzy to cut the cheese (so to speak), and actually compete a little bit with the bold sandwich.  Perhaps an imperial stout to complement the bacon and the olives?  Or something more Belgian-y to go with the Chimay cheese?  Maybe even the original Innis & Gunn oak aged ale... Wanna check out our review of this beer?  Read it HERE.  Oddly enough, the original I & G review was posted on January 20th, 2010, exactly one year before the writing of this article.  Weird, huh?  Anyway, a session IPA may be the right call in the end.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer has some food match suggestions on its own site.  Check it out HERE.  Even though a strong, mature cheese is recommended, I wasn't blown away by the pairing with the Chimay cheese.  Maybe I should've added some chutney...  I & G also suggests game such as venison or duck, which both have a stronger flavor than chicken.  I guess that makes sense, considering the dark spiciness of the rum, which would complement the meat rather than compete with the accessories.

While I enjoyed both the sandwich and the beer, I don't think they were paired perfectly.  If you have any serious success stories or epic fails with regards to #craftbeer and food #pairings,  please share them with the Ferment Nation.  We would love to add YOU to our Citizen Review Cabinet.

Bell's Java Stout

Bell's Java Stout:

Stouts are somewhat my forte (though I do love a good IPA, too) – and I have been dying to try Bell’s Java Stout.  I had heard only good things about it, but was afraid I might be let down by this beer.  Luckily, I was not!

This beer poured into a tulip without much head, but it had a bold nose full of rich coffee and chocolate notes.  At first taste, I was overwhelmed by the powerful, black coffee flavor of this beer.  It does not have much mouth feel, but with so much flavor, more thickness would almost be overkill.    Overall this was a delightful coffee stout, with much more coffee flavor than for example Tröegs Java Head (you can read the VP's review of Java Head).  I would definitely drink this one again.

I also finally broke out my 33 Bottles of Beer  notebook, this felt like a good beer to christen it.  I found this lovely item when looking for a birthday present for The VP.  At only $12 for a pack of three, this one-hundred percent recycled, USA-made product is both a steal and a smart purchase.  I look forward to using it to help me remember many beers in the coming months!

Bruery/Elysian/Stone

Cheers to Andy, a great and productive citizen reviewer from the left hand side of the Ferment Nation!

Stone Brewing/Elysian/Bruery
La Citrueille Celeste

Vessel and date: Shaker glass in November 2011

Appearance : Dark brick brown. Stiff white head from a hard pour into the glass.

Aroma: lemon bordering on cloying, enough spiciness and malty esters to balance it out.

Taste: Lemon and spiciness up front, followed by a touch of hop bitterness. Then the spices drop right off, leaving you with a pleasnt roasty finish. All aspects well balanced, nothing too overpowering.

Mouthfeel: Enough carbonation to make the flavors pop, body isn't so heavy that you can't drink this with a slice of pumpkin pie!

Overall: An excellent non traditional pumpkin beer. The absence of the standard spices are a relief from the deluge of clove and nutmeg. Amazingly balanced and creative; one of the best stone colllabos ever!

 Cheers!

Oversight Corrected: Thunder Hole Photo

Back on October 3, 2011 we published a review of Bar Harbor Thunder Hole Ale.  The photos of the beer were taken by yours truly, but the awesome picture of Thunder Hole itself was taken by Greg Hartford of www.AcadiaMagic.com.  The photograph has Greg's credits at the bottom, but truth be told: It's pretty small print.  I should have exercised more diligence in crediting the picture, and so this is my apology to  Greg.  The website is very informative, and the photographs are beautiful.  I recommend visiting Acadia National park for all of its beauty and majesty, just plan your visit by visiting AcadiaMagic.com first.

Photo by Greg Hartford of AcadiaMagic.com

Without exaggeration, about 99% of the photos published on Ferment Nation are taken by the operators or citizen reviewers of the site.  Usually, the "borrowed" photos are credited or linked to the site of origin, but Greg's photo of Thunder Hole slipped through the cracks.  I apologize for the oversight, but it has served as a reminder to be more careful.  If anyone notices anything that may need to be rectified, please leave a comment or email me: president@fermentnation.com.  Thanks and Cheers!

Iron Hill "A Study in Hops"

Here's an oldie but a goodie!  Fate had brought the subject up recently as I caught up with my old friend Jesse.  And Lo!  My note sheet from this Iron Hill experiment shows up in a coat pocket.  The date: April 2, 2011.  I had sample-sized servings of the following:

Base Beer: Irish Red Ale

Medium-bodied red ale brewed without finishing hops.  We split it into 10 kegs and added one of the following hop varieties to each keg:

Northern Brewer (Germany).  Notes: Mild at first, with a dry punch.  Subtle notes.  Extremely drinkable.
East Kent Goldings (England).  Notes: Totally British.  Kinda mild but permeates the brew, especially at the finish.  Passive-aggressive.
Saaz (Czech Republic).  Notes: Light and slightly zippy.  I was waiting for this one...not disappointed.  Brings that pilsner drinkable dryness to an Irish Red.
Styrian Goldings (Slovenia).  Notes: Mysterious.  Well-balanced but hard to describe.  I like it.  I think.
Nelson Sauvin (New Zealand).  Notes: Bright hops, less citrusy than the Citra.  Little milder but very tasty.
Sorachi Ace (Japan).  Notes: Dry and smooth, touch of citrus, reminds me: Saison-ish.  Yards?  Most intriguing.
Citra (United States).  Notes: Hops are a little brighter, giving a fresh lift to the red ale.  Stylish, but I'm looking for a little maltier.
Columbus (United States).  Notes: Bitter on the back end, leaving room for the malt.  Reminds me of: Yakima Glory (light).
Centennial (United States).  Notes: Hops are grungier with a darker, milder grapefruit flavor.  I was expecting something more like Centennial IPA from Founders, but this is different.
Amarillo (United States).  Notes: Slightly funky, easiest drinking so far, but it's cooling down my Chipotle Wings.

The interesting part of this experiment to my mind is the use of the Irish Red as a base.  The malt bill is going to be different from a typical pale ale or IPA, so my assessments of these brews is a bit backwards from my typical tastes in hops.  I usually love Citra and Centennial hops,while Sorachi Ace... not so much.  But here I found that the foreign hops added the most to the Irish Red.  An interesting study indeed...

When first introduced to Iron Hill's beers a few years ago, I was in a very experimental stage and really enjoyed by beers over the top.  Iron Hill had reminded me of the Triumph (the Princeton location was the only one I had visited at that point) in that they were drinkable, yeah, but not very bold.  I found them to be a bit boring back then.  But a visit to Iron Hill North Wales changed my mind:  I discovered the Nine of Diamonds Scotch Ale.  As you check out this brief, please know that the Iron Hill location was incorrectly identified as Maple Shade, NJ...  But never fear!  I also reviewed the McMaster Scotch Ale on Cask while I was at Iron Hill, Maple Shade for A Study in Hops on April 2, 2011.

The truth is, I am enjoying Iron Hill's brews more and more each time I go.  The Pig Iron Porter is a super-solid porter by just about anyone's standards, but their experiments, seasonals, and collaborations have proved to be more and more interesting while maintaining a manageable level of drinkability.  I've met the head brewer of Maple Shade a few times now, and Chris LaPierre has been incredibly accessible and gracious whenever I've bumped into him. I look forward to spending a bit more time at Iron Hill now that my lovely wife included a mug club membership as part of my Christmas present this year (thanks, honey!).  Please share your Iron Hill experiences as well as other beer-drinking adventures with the Ferment Nation.  Include pictures and we'll share them with our readers.  Thanks and Cheers!

New Year's Eve 2011

The following story is a Storify collection of tweets (plus added commentary) that were posted on New Year's Eve 2011.  I enjoyed some rare and interesting brews.  If you have tried any of these beers and would like to voice your opinions on them, please get in touch.  We welcome your holiday celebration recaps as well.  Cheers!

So there you have it!  We at the Ferment Nation hope you've enjoyed your holiday celebrations this 2011/2012.  Thanks to you, good citizens, we've had an awesome 2011.  Looking forward to sharing 2012 with you over a few beers.  Cheers!

Victory: Something old and something new...

Victory really knows how to take over the taps at a bar near you.  One of my local faves is the Pour House in Haddon Township, NJ.  Victory brought a load of cool stuff including Braumeister Pils, and Smokin' Oats Porter, but I really went for some vintage 2009 Old Horizontal Barleywine.  I was tempted into grabbing a Ranch S Double IPA as well, and was pleasantly surprised by its dual nature: malty and hoppy at the same time.  The aroma of Ranch S is worth investigating all by itself, with a funky, earthy, hoppy goodness that isn't too far off sticking your face into a pile of hops and inhaling deeply.  Put some groovy beers together with an old friend who's about as big a beer geek as you are, and it makes for a pleasant evening of catching up on old times as well as discussing what's new...



So thanks for hanging out with my friend Jesse and me.  We had a wonderful time chillin' with some Victory brews, old and new.  Cheers!

Holiday Greetings with 3 Saranac Beers

It's almost Christmas, so of course, we need to throw in some more Christmas and Winter related posts.  Here are some thoughts on some seasonal beers.

Saranac Vanilla Stout

I am pretty sure I have had Saranac Pumpkin Ale while ago, and maybe their Octoberfest once, so I am not well-versed in this brewery, but I do love stouts and consider myself a good judge of them.  Good lacing on the tulip glass I am drinking it out of, which is nice.  I am having it at my work's holiday luncheon.  I definitely want to try more of this when it has a chance to warm up, but I can already smell and taste vanilla tones to this beer. 

This is interesting.  It doesn't have the bitter roasty tones of a more robust stout.  It reminds me of winter and Christmas and the holidays because of the vanilla taste, and I like that, because I do not always associate the cinammon and other warm spices with winter warmers.  Nice smell, nice lacing.  Not my first choice as a stout because I prefer the roasted toasted flavors of stouts, but this is quite nice. At 4.8% abv, it is pretty weak as far as beers go, but it makes it more of an easy-drinking beer.  The fact that Saranac gets some nice vanilla flavor out of this beer without making it boozy is nice.  Will I drink a whole six pack?  Maybe not, but I would definitely come back to this beer again.

Lake Effect Lager and Chocolate Lager:

Lagers are not my favorite style of beer, so these two beers didn't make a lasting impression on me.  I think the Lake Effect Lager worked better, because it was just a lager.  The chocolate lager seemed to be "reaching" for something it did not quite achieve.  I also had Saranac's Big Moose Ale, and as I remember that was pretty good, too.

I think I need to buy this multi-pack of Seasonal Saranac beers and drink more than one each, and do a proper review.  If anything, it will give me a chance to have another Vanilla Stout, which I very much enjoyed.

Want to learn more about Saranac's "12 Beers of Winter"?  Check out their website.