Yards ESA (Citizen Review)

Yards ESA:

"Not a fan of ESA in general but this is a good one very drinkable. Where are your freebies??"

Representation: 1.0

Accessibility: 1.0

Style Points: .50

Personal Preference: .50

Total Score: 3.0 Flags

--Reviewed by Citizen Cheryl Selah

Beers of Scotland Round-Up

Here is our latest video, a brief overview of some of the Scottish beers we've been reviewing in honor of Robert Burns Week.

Williams Bros. Fraoch Heather Ale

Williams Bros. Fraoch Heather Ale:

This unique gem of an ale is light-bodied but big on flavor. This can sometimes lead to an unbalanced brew that yields unsatisfying results. Fraoch Heather Ale, however, is quite well-balanced and equally impressive in style and accessibility. Fraoch pours neatly into a glass and looks lively as bubbles rise from the bottom. The color remindes me of applie juice and the light, refreshinig flavor and aroma of heather put a really friendly, harmless face on the true purpose of this floral beverage: DRINKING. This could be a serious session ale.

In traditions dating to 2000 B.C. Heather ales have been brewed in Scotland time and again throughout history. Infused with fresh heather flowers just after boiling, Fraoch claims to have a dry, wine-like finish. And it does. Not overly dry and quite a bit lighter than wine in the alcohol department (a comforting 5% abv), Fraoch is mild enough to complement a rich and hearty meal of wild game or seasoned meats. I picture Fraoch as a long-table banquet session beer. After a long day of defending against marauders (or perhaps engaging in a little marauding yourself -- wink, wink, nudge, nudge), nothing says "Freshen Up" like a plate full of haggis and a half gallon of HeatherAle. Actually, maybe a rich shepherd's pie or a pungent lamb stew could benefit from Fraoch's floral touch to lighten the fare and cleanse the palate.

An ale from another era, Fraoch doesn't appear to contain hops. I looooooove hops but I don't feel like this brew is lacking anything at all. Very easy to drink (and a nice alternative to a weakly-hopped ale or a heavily malted bock) when you're not in a particularly hoppy mood. Could be dangerous on tap.

Fraoch Heather Ale:

Representation: .95
Accessibility: .95
Style: .95
Personal Preference: .95

Total Score: 3.8 Flags

Ayinger "Celebrator" Doppelbock (Presidential Brief)

What: Ayinger "Celebrator" Doppelbock
Where: The Blue Monkey Tavern (Merchantville, NJ)
When: January 13, 2010
What-have-you: "Blue monkey. Ayinger 'Celebrator' Doppelbock on tap! Malty silk with hop embroidery. Tapestry of glorious german brew- gineering."

BrewDog Hardcore IPA

BrewDog Hardcore IPA (9% abv):

Hop-Heads, feel free to howl with delight when you get a whiff of this "explicit imperial ale". Very floral aroma with grapefruit notes -- and those grapefruity flavors stay with you all the way through the finish. If you're a fan of Victory Hop Wallop or Green Flash West Coast IPA, then pin your ears back and crack open this Hardcore India Pale Ale.

While the hops are clearly the featured flavor of Hardcore, the malt is an intriguing character in this drama as well. As BrewDog puts it:

"2204 malted Maris Otter grains gave
all they had to offer the world to provide
the robustly delicate toffee malt canvas for the ensuing epic."

The maltier IPAs sometimes play hide-and-seek with the hops, appearing and disappearing at various stages of the draught, but Hardcore weaves a steadier (if milder) thread of malty richness throughout your sipping experience.

BrewDog Hardcore IPA has a light to medium body and isn't very carbonated. The flavors remain crisp, however, since the hops are so jammin'. This beer would be an ideal candidate for enjoying a few pints on tap and then bringing some home in a growler. Even if the top doesn't POP loud enough to scare your pets snoozing in the other room, the sharp bite of hops and generous but not outrageous alcohol content should probably keep Hardcore fresh as a daisy. P.S. The 9% abv isn't so noticeable; the alcohol is pretty well masked. But accessibility suffers a bit because of the intensity of the hops. Which is precisely why I've enjoyed it so much. Shout out to Jordan at the Pour House, by the way, for the recommendation.

As the Ferment Nation celebrates Robert Burns week, El Presidente urges all of the FN citizens to expand your musical horizons and check out some pipe and drum music. Actually, one of the Presidential faves is a Scottish folk group called Silly Wizard. They have great musical chemistry and a fantastic sense of humor. Check 'em out!

Oh yeah, the beer.

BrewDog Hardcore IPA (9% abv):

Representation: .97
Accessibility: .875
Style: .97
Personal Preference: .95

Total Score: 3.765 Flags

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (Presidential Brief)

What: Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Where: The Blue Monkey Tavern (Merchantville, NJ)
When: January 13, 2010
What-have-you: "A the Blue Monkey - Founders 'Kentucky Breakfast Stout.' Rare as hell. Delicate yet hearty, complicated yet simply satisfying. Worth ordering anytime you can get it."

Happy Robert Burns Day!

Happy Robert Burns Day!

If you need a day to celebrate all things Scottish, why not Burns Day? Born on January 25, 1759, Robert Burns is Scotland's most famous and beloved poet. If you've ever tried to drunkenly sing the song Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve, you owe one to Auld Robbie.

Since we don't review haggis or kilt patterns here at The Ferment Nation, enjoy some Scottish beer reviews.

Orkney Brewery Skullsplitter Orkney Ale:

This comes right off the bottle:
"Orkney -- a small group of islands off the northern tip of Scotland, shrouded in magic and mystery, was the home of Thorfinn Hausakluif (Skullsplitter) 7th Viking Earl of Orkney, around 1000 AD. Now, the Orkney Brewery invites you to step back in time."

I really couldn't have said it better myself. This ale is fit for barbarian and nobleman alike. Drink it out of a chalice or straight out of the bottle. Hell, I'll bet it tastes great right out of the cask. Just grab an axe and crack that baby open!

[Read the full review]

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (6.1% abv):

Scottish brews can range from mild to bold; Twisted Thistle falls right about dead center. The label self-describes Twisted Thistle as "A refreshing example of an India Pale Ale from the master brewers at Belhaven." That much is certainly true. The light aroma is pleasantly floral and puts you in a good place as you center yourself to drain a pint or two. Or however many may come.

[Read the full review]

Williams Bros. Alba Scots Pine Ale

Williams Bros. Alba Scots Pine Ale:

The brewers of this delightful ale suggest that the Alba Scots Pine Ale be served in a wine goblet...check... at room temperature. Crap. Alright, so it's been refrigerated but it's not ice cold, so I'll enjoy some sips ASAP and take my time to let it warm up a bit.

One word that leaps to my lips in discussing this ale is "mellow". A beautiful light malty aroma greets the senses and evergreen essence is floating on the breeze, but does not dominate the bouquet. Am I imagining the flavors of holey and toasted marshmallows? Probably. But I notice one glaring absence: hops.

In the times before standardization of the brewing process, hops were not necessarily used in every ale, especially if the brew did not have to be transported to faraway lands but was rather consumed by the local community instead. To be honest, I'd have thought that a Viking-born Northern Scotland Triple Ale would carry a bit more rugged heartiness than Alba provides in a flavor profile (like the rugged Skullsplitter Orkney Ale). Instead, the spruce and pine sprigs add a type of floral freshness to the malted barley bree base. This mellow ale has taken me by surprise. And now that my particular glass of Alba has warmed up a notch, the evergreen tastes seem to linger a bit more in the aftertaste.

The flavor of Alba Scots Pine Ale is unique (good style points), but not so bold as to be inaccessible. This is a very intriguing Historic Ale of Scotland. Enjoy one after dinner with friends as ye're aboot to venture outta doors for the journey home. Or perhaps as a breakfast ale as the mist rolls across ye're campsite on a wilderness adventure.

The Williams Bros. philosophy to "utilise indigenous ingredients to produce authentic ales" has set a breeze flowing up under my kilt and stirred up some of my Scottish heritage. Alba Scots Pine Ale is a pleasant choice to raise up a toast in honor of Robert Burns, the eternal poet laureate of Scotland. Fitting that the Ferment Nation should kick off the New Year with these Scottish ales as strains of the slightly modernized version of Burns's "Auld Lang Syne" can still be heard floating through taverns across the world. Slainte.

Williams Bros. Alba Scots Pine Ale:

Representation: .95
Accessibility: .90
Style: .975
Personal Preference: .90

Total Score: 3.75 Flags

Wolaver Alta Gracia Coffee Porter (Presidential Brief)

What: Wolaver Alta Gracia Coffee Porter
Where: PJ's Pour House (Westmont, NJ)
When: January 17, 2010
What-have-you: "Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter. Iced coffee with a buzz. Looks like coffee, smells like coffee ... Hmmm. Pour house. Java-licious!"

Read our other Coffee Beer Reviews

Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer

Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer:

Boy, that's beer alright. The aroma is spiced with oak and a bit of vanilla. The oak is perpetrating an olfactory illusion on me, making me think I'm smelling whiskey, but it's not really the case. Many oak aged beers just crash down upon you like a ... well, like a barrel full of whiskey. So many of these brews (which I happen to enjoy, btw) are aged in barrels that had previously contained whiskey. I get the feeling, however, that Innis & Gunn's Edinburgh Ale is aged in the oak barrels that may someday contain whiskey, and has imported the oaky, earthy flavors to this sharp brew.

Many brewers do the barrel-aging thing, but one has to think of Weyerbacher when discussing big beers gone huge by aging in whiskey barrels. I would typically rate accessibility of these beers low and style and very high, but Innis & Gunn is so smooth that the playing field is leveled quite a bit. It's a fine example of an oak aged brew without the burning sensation of "I've just taken a shot of whiskey" at the end.

The flavor and effervescence remind me of some other Celtic lagers like Harp and Tennent's. The flavors are a bit warmer and softer when poured into a glass but this beer-drinker's beer is fine right out of the bottle (and a handsome bottle at that!). It has a medium body with tons of soul (oak can bring out the soul in a whiskey or tequila in a wonderful way) but Innis & Gunn is much more accessible than its more potent relatives, the whiskey-barrel aged brews.

Beginners, try a sip before picking up a whole one. Beer snobs, go for it! Whiskey drinkers, give it a shot. Just remember that 6.6% abv doesn't bust you up too badly unless you lose track of how many you've had. Ooh, here's a thought: use this beer to chase a shot of Patron. Yum.

Note of interest: I reviewed this beer about a year ago, but misplaced my notes. I found them, though, and parts of that original review made their way into this final work. Just for fun, I reviewed the beer again without looking at my original scores and came up with a new set of numbers. So both scores are listed here and the final score will be the average of the two.

Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer:

Original scores: Representation: .95 Accessibility: .90 Style: .90 Preference: .95 Total: 3.7

New scores: Representation: .95 Accessibility: .925 Style: .97 Preference: .97 Total: 3.815

Final Score:
(3.7+3.815) /2 = 3.7575 Flags

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (6.1% abv):

Scottish brews can range from mild to bold; Twisted Thistle falls right about dead center. The label self-describes Twisted Thistle as "A refreshing example of an India Pale Ale from the master brewers at Belhaven." That much is certainly true. The light aroma is pleasantly floral and puts you in a good place as you center yourself to drain a pint or two. Or however many may come.

The flavor is mellow and balanced with some citrusy notes, but not quite the sharp grapefruity twang of some of the more pungent IPAs I've tried. Well, maybe a ruby red grapefruit-orange cocktail twang, but not very bitter. Perhaps that's due to the Challenger/Cascade hop blend. A fairly dry, slightly bitter aftertaste lingers at the finish, but overall Twisted Thistle is quite drinkable and extremely smooth. There's a slight haze going on when you hold this brew up to the light, and boy does it look creamy. Not disappointed.

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA is a little on the light side (alcohol-wise) for an IPA, weighing in at 6.1 % abv. Reminder: Very drinkable. Americans tend to like their IPAs a little on the extreme side with regards to bitterness and flavor. Twisted Thistle is clearly a British Isles IPA: a little larger body with smoothness reigning supreme, and mellow on the hoppy front. Twisted Thistle reminds me a bit of Samuel Smith's India Ale in that respect. Being extreme is not the goal of every beer these days.

Don't hesitate to celebrate your Scottish heritage (or the Scottish heritage of someone you know) with some Belhaven Twisted Thistle. Just be sure to bring enough for everyone, because it could develop into quite a session.

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA (6.1% abv):

Representation: .95
Accessibility: .99
Style: .85
Personal Preference: .97

Total Score: 3.76 Flags

Stout Beers: A Brief Introduction (Ferment Nation TV)

From the office of the Vice President:

We are going to be adding more videos to Ferment Nation in the coming months, some of them for the novice drinker, some for the experts, but we would like to hear from you! What kind of videos would you like to see more of? Let us know!

In the meantime, enjoy our Brief Introduction to Stout Beers.

Long Trail Coffee Stout (Citizen Review)

Long Trail Coffee Stout:

"Love stout. Love coffee.

Great beer.

Would have liked to have seen

more freebies to pass the

word along."*

*referring to promotional material at Pour-A-Palooza 2009

Representation: 1.0

Accessibility: 1.0

Style Points: 1.0

Personal Preference: 1.0

Total Score: 4.0 Flags

--Reviewed by Citizen Cheryl Selah

Read a review of Flying Fish's Imperial Espresso Porter
Read a review of Atwater Block's Vanilla Java Porter

BrewDog Rip Tide - Twisted Merciless Stout

BrewDog Rip Tide - Twisted Merciless Stout:

This is another import from Scotland (I recently reviewed Williams Brothers' Gooseberry Wheat as well as their Elderberry Black Ale) and another stout that I have reviewed. Pouring this beer (I split it with El Presidente), I could not help but notice that it lacked a head of any real significance. Was the beer flat? Did it not take the trip from the Scotland well? Jet lag? Not sure. Taking my initial sips, I noticed too, how smooth the beer was. This was a bit unexpected as the label indicated that the beer is 8% abv. So what about the taste? Well, when it comes to beer, especially styles of beers I enjoy, like stouts, I like to consider the whole experience.

I was explaining to a friend recently how there was something special about Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and the Taddy Porter, because you could put your tongue into the volcano like overflowing head and experience a convulsion of the tongue, lips, mouth, and saliva glands, because the head is so bitter, but at the same time, it is delicious, and the first stage of enjoying a great beer. I had a similar experience with De Dolle's Special Extra Export Stout. It had the same volcanic eruption of head, ultra bitter to the tongue, but then the beer itself is excellent.

With Twisted Merciless Stout I am enjoying the beer itself. It tastes of chocolate (getting some coaching from El Presidente on this point), it is quite smooth, and you can feel the warming effects of the 8% alcohol, but you receive no alcoholic aftertaste, which is quite nice. What I think this beer lacks is an overall experience. I have been enjoying the beer for some minutes now, and no bouquet has opened up, no new flavors to report on. It receives high marks for overall taste and product craftsmanship, but it is not what I would call memorable in any special way. At 8%, if you sit down and keep drinking this, you could wind up drunk-dialing Scotland, which is not advisable. But to be honest, I would rather it be a beer that after one beer, you text a friend and tell them to go out right away and buy a bottle. This beer is good, but not great.

BrewDog Rip Tide Twisted Merciless Stout:

Representation: .70
Accessibility: .85
Style: .70
Personal Preference: .80

Total: 3.05 Flags

Bullfrog Brewery's Billtown Blonde (Presidential Brief)

What: Bullfrog Brewery Billtown Blonde 5.5 %abv
Where: Bullfrog Brewery (Williamsport, PA)
When: November 7, 2009
What-have-you: "American-made blonde ale with definite pilsner quality. Light color and body with crisp flavor. Party Beer. Drink up."