Next week is “American Craft Beer Week”!  Whats that? Who started it?  Who really cares who started it, somebody did, and it’s a heckuva good idea. We drink craft beer all year around, but why not drink some more next week?  Go out with some friends.  Go to your favorite ale house and try something you never tried.  Even if its a little more expensive than your used to.  Make sure its from an American brewery too. Don’t let anyone fool you either. It doesn’t matter if the brewery is big and rich or small and struggling.  What matters is whether or not the beer is good.  I think we should award points for creactivity too. I hear Southern Tier is coming out with a cherry saison and a beer they’re calling Crem Brule.  Thats what I am talking about.  Stretching the very boundaries of brewing, or what we think beer is. If its made with barely malt, water, hops and yeast, its most likely beer.  Then it just has to taste good.

Ever try Rogue Hazelnut Nectar? Howabout Dogfish Head Fort?  That is stretching boundaries.  The former has a real hazelnut flavor and the latter is stronger than wine and is made with loads of raspberries.  Both are great, but they aren’t what we traditionally have thought beer to be.

There are a lot of things in life we can be passionate about. Our families, our businesses, for some its art, others literature or music.  That doesn’t mean you can’t also be passionate about beer.  Beer is fun, it’s history goes way back to ancient Mespotamia, and if you don’t overdo it, beer is good for you. Next week, why not share your passion for great beer with some of your friends who are passionate about wine or food? Show them that sometimes, beer isn’t all they thought it was, but much, much more.  For example, I had a beer from the Kuhnhenn brewery of Warren, MI called Tenacious Cassis recently. It makes for a very nice apertif at 16.5% ABV, or a teriffic nightcap. That could be your friends’ eye opener. Or just a mighty fine dessert. Cheers, see you next week.  I’ll be the guy drinking the unusual, creative American Craft beer.

You say Saratoga and people think of a race track generally. Not me. I think of one of the oldest brewing companies in New York State.   Olde Saratoga Brewing Company.  Saratoga Springs, New York. Paul McErlain is the brewer.  A pretty good one too. First off, I like their Olde Saratoga lager just fine. Next, this is a good sized brewing operation, and OS does a lot of contract brewing.

If you know about Schmaltz, the company known for He’brew beers, their products are brewed by Paul. Yes, its true. You don’t need to be a brewer to have a beer company. You can market beer and have someone else make all of it. If you have tried some He’brew, or some Mendocino County beers, there in itself is proof of the pudding. If you are in California, yeah, you are getting Mendocino from Mendocino County. If you are here on the East Coast, most likely all of that beer is brewed by Olde Saratoga. You ever have Kingfisher beer at an Indian Restaurant?  Well, next time you are consuming curry check out the label on the bottle. It’ll say its brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Speaking of contract brewing, do you think Brooklyn Brewery brews are brewed exclusively in Brooklyn? Not so. The high end stuff is for sure, but because Brooklyn is so popular, they have the Matt Brewing Company, one of the oldest breweries in the country, number two after Yuengling I believe, brewing a bunch of beers for them.  Now don’t get me wrong. They don’t just send a recipe up and leave it at that. I am absolutely certain that Garrett Oliver has spent a good deal of time up in Utica making sure quality is under control.  Matt brewing company, by the way, has their very own brand, and you have probably heard of it because its been around for a long time. If you live up north in New York, you defintely have. Their brand is Saranac. Named for a lake up there or something, they have a whole range of tasty beers you should get to know if you don’t already.

Why did I write this? I was sipping a Mendocino Red Tail Ale, and just got thinking about Paul and his company. I think I am going out for a Saranac next. Then maybe a Brooklyn Lager.  Cheers

A lot of bars and restaurants are going to try and make a big deal of this Mexican holiday. Indeed, many will attempt to temporarily morph their theme to a Mexican one, all because they hope that somehow, instead of working late or staying home,  the mental magnetism of a salty Marguerita and a couple tacos will get people to fill their spaces.  It just doesn’t make any sense. 

Why should we as Americans care that the Mexicans long ago beat the French in a battle?   I mean, sure, cool for Mexico and Mexicans, and I guess that helped show the world that Latin America could unite to defend itself from erstwhile imperialists, but what’s that got to do with yellow beer with lime wedges poked in the neck of the bottle? Although there are a lot of Mexican beers, most of them aren’t all that great, or even very interesting. Tecate, Corona, eh. Pacifico. Drinkable if nothing else is around I suppose, but they don’t compare to a Victory Braumeister Pils, a beer with true flavor.  Still, there is Negro Modelo.  A good beer is Negro, with a dark color and malty complexity that is just right for pairing with lots of spicy Mexican style foods. Germans landed in Mexico at one time, and Negro Modelo is the resulting brew, now owned by a big beer conglomerate. No matter, the beer is still good. Next time you reach for a dos equis, reach right on past and try a Negro Modelo.  Sold in most Mexican restaurants I like. Even those places authentico in Jackson Heights, right on Roosevelt Avenue.  Cheers

I don’t have a lot to write about today, so I will stick to what I know best: beer.  Last night we tried the Brigand, a Belgian golden style beer.  Its a lot like Duvel, which is really the standard for the style, and one of my favorite beers. Another plus about Duvel is that its getting pretty widely available nationwide.  Its golden, thats for certain. There is a medium brisk carbonation, and the palate feel is semi-creamy, with a little harshness from the alcohol, but at 10% ABV, not bad. A touch of pepperiness, with some faint notes of banana and cloves, and a bit of astringency.  A pretty good beer, it went extremely well with the stinky french cheese I had. My apologies, I can’t even remember the name of that cheese. It was good though.  Thats it for Brigand. A good beer, but not as good as Duvel.

I also tried a pint of Blue Point Brewing Co.’s Spring Fling. How they came up with that name I don’t know. Its dark amber in color.  Malty nose, meaning sweet, with a bit of floral hopping.  The taste is pretty strong, with coco and coffee notes, followed by a good deal of bittering, perhaps too much. Over roasted malts, burnt really, and a heavy taste for a beer purported to be a spring brew. I am not sure what the guys were aiming at here.  The rye is only faint, and I did expect a lot more of a rye component as it is supposed to comprise a significant portion of the grain bill in this one. Thats it.

Last night I was sitting in the Belgian Room, which is a part of Hop Devil Grill. I ordered a “Smutty”, a Smuttynose Abbeye Single to be exact. Just a few short years ago, Belgian Singles were rarely if ever to be found anywhere. Also known as the “Monks Share” because this is the brew the monks themselves imbibe, whilst selling the dubbels and tripels to the public in order to maintain their monastery life, it is the lower gravity of the three main styles.  Single, Dubbel and Tripel really refers to the amount of malt used in the brewing process. More malt, more fermentable sugars. The fact that tripels are golden or white and dubbels are usually murky brown is a matter of tradition. Here and there, albeit rarely, you do come across brown tripels. This single is lightly golden in color and is very smooth and creamy on the palate. The nose is redolent of fresh pale fruits, and upon rolling around the tounge these fruity notes are still apparent. Its a light, refreshing Belgian style ale. A good pairing would be a mild goat cheese, such as Humboldt Fog or even a white, New Jersey mild cheddar.  I highly recommend it, and although a general release of this fine beer is soon expected, there is only a limited release available now so I suggest you make a jaunt to the Belgian Room A.S.A.P. to try your share. The Belgian Room is at 125 St. Marks Place, right next to the Hop Devil Grill and attached through a corridor in the back.  You might also try a pot of mussels with this ale, as my educated guess is that they would marry well.  Cheers