Samuel Smith’s “The Famous” Taddy Porter
March 31, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
No survey of porters would be complete without drinking the “The Famous” Taddy Porter. Michael Jackson said this was “one of the world’s five best beers”. It is in my top ten.
One of this things that makes this beer great is the water of Tadcaster, a Yorkshire town on the River Wharfe between Leeds and York. This water has helped make Tadcaster synonymous with good beer (well I guess until Coors mover in, anyway you get the point).
This beer pours a beautiful deep black with a big tan head. The aroma is sweet and malty with a touch of coffee and chocolate. The flavour is more of the same. It is a smooth sailing beer. A session beer? Perhaps, I just like to absorb this one for dessert. There is a slight sour acidity to the finish which just makes me want more.
A little history of Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery from the Tadcaster town website:
The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was established in 1758. Samuel Smith’s is a small, independent brewery, brewing at the oldest brewery in Yorkshire. The original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use. The brewing water for the ales and stouts is drawn from 85 feet underground. The malt mixes with hard well water in copper mash-tuns. Fuggles and Goldings, the old fashioned varieties of hops that over the centuries have given the best British ales distinctive flavour are added later and boiled in ‘coppers’. Samuel Smith still ferments ale and stout in traditional Yorkshire stone ‘squares’ – roofed fermenting vessels made of solid blocks of slate. The yeast is of a strain that has been used at the Old Brewery continuously since the beginning of the last century, one of the oldest unchanged strains in the country, still as healthy and as active as ever frothing up into rich creamy heads. The brewery cooper makes and repairs all the wooden casks used for the brewery’s naturally conditioned ‘Old Brewery Bitter’. Barrels, kilderkins and firkins are the traditional names used for the different sizes of casks, repaired with tools that have their names like ‘patsy’, ‘chive’ and ‘adze’. Grey shire horses weighing more than a ton each are kept in the stables at the Old Brewery making occasional deliveries of beer to a couple of pubs in the town. Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery is by far the smallest of the three breweries in Tadcaster.
The Entire Butt
March 30, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Seriously, that is the name. The Entire Butt was recomended to me by one of the guys over at West Liquors in North Adams. He saw me buying 6 porters and said that this was his favorite and I should go grab one off the shelf. I’ve been hearing about this beer so I ran down the aisle and grabbed one.
According to Salopian Brewery, Butt is “historically the term used to describe a Porter blended from a variety of ales, ‘Entire Butt’ uses 14 different malts and 3 hops to recreate this forgotten style of Porter.”
The genius of this beer is the subtly. Everything is milky sweet and smooth. Nothing stands out and everything is in balance. I’m not a very balanced guy, so though I understand and respect the superiority of this beer, it is not my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, this is an amazing beer. And, to boot it is a fine attempt at recreating a forgotten style of beer, and I’m a sucker for historical attempts. It is almost like it is too smooth for me. I know how dumb is that?
The malts are almost too smooth. The dry finish is too perfect. The slight bitterness is in too much balance with the array of malts. Nothing is off kilter. Seriously, everyone MUST drink this beer. If only for the experience of trying one of the most balanced beers I’ve ever tasted.
Eel River Organic Porter
March 29, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Eel River’s Organic Porter is a decent yet bland porter. It is not exciting or grand just a fine beer. What cracks me up is that many people reviewing this beer blame it on the fact that the ingredients used lack pesticides. Seriously, look at Beer Advocate reviews, people say things like,”Perhaps brewers need more time to work-out the intricacies of these ingredients” and, “For an organic beer it is really good porter” “Not the best porter but considering it is an organic beer it is nice.” Why can’t people just be clear that this is a bland thin not too exciting beer. Organic, “simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation.”
All beer should be organic.
The fact that finding an organic beer is rare is a sad commentary on the brewing industry.
So, this beer is just ok. It’s failures have everything to do with the brewer and the process, not the fact that the ingredients are organic. There is nothing to “work out” food was all organic until very recently. Support organic farmers. Demand organic food. Grow your own hops without pesticide. Grow your own barley. Make your own beer. The more consumers demand organic food the more you will see it available. Also, don’t just demand it, be part of the solution. No matter where you live you can grow some portion of your food. Even if you only have a window herb garden. Grow your own food, organically.
This beer is thin for my taste, I like big heavy beers and this is not one. However, I do like that there is no poison in my beer, always a fine thing.
One of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time, from the Eel River website:
Sweetwater Brewing Company 420 Extra Pale Ale
March 28, 2010 by kevin · Leave a Comment
This beer is from Atlanta, GA and I picked it up over break as it is not normally distributed where I live. The beer is a very clear pale amber color, with about an inch of foamy off-white head that fades to just cover the top of the beer. The appearance is nothing special but there’s nothing off-putting about it either; it just looks like beer. The smell is very potent hops. Not overly flowery like you might find in an IPA but based on the smell you can tell this is definitely a hop-forward beer. The taste is crisp, refreshing and very balanced. There is some bitterness up front that gives way to a hop flavor similar to how this beer smells. A little bit flowery, a little bit resinous and just a touch of pine-needle type flavor is present but not overpowering. There is just enough pale malt here to sweeten things up a little bit and remind you that you’re drinking a pale ale. Overall this is a very solid beer. The flavor reminds me very much of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, which is my go-to beer if I’m ever at a bar with a limited selection. My only complaint is that there is nothing much to distinguish this beer from other well-made pale ales, but if you ever find yourself south of the Mason-Dixon line you could certainly do much worse than this. Recommended.
Deep Enders Dark Porter
March 28, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
First thing that strikes me in the Deep Enders Dark Porter, the cap. It says that this is brewed with solar power. Cool, but I don’t find any info on the Anderson Valley Brewing Company site.
The nose, that is the aroma, smells of smoked malts and chocolate. in fact it is very enticing. The colour is a deep brown almost black with a small tan colour head.
The flavour is more of the same. It is nice but not what I expected from such a bold aroma, I am kinda disappointed. Basically it is a very malty porter with a slight bit of bitterness and a very dry finish. The chocolate is present throughout but almost a burnt chocolate instead of a deep dark chocolate that I would expect to taste in a porter.
Overall, not very thrilled. Not bad, just not anything exciting here.
D.G. Yuengling and Son Yuengling Traditional Lager
This is Kevin Easton’s first post on Beer Geek, Dude. Please welcome him to Beer Geek, Dude.
My friend from Massachusetts visited this past weekend and commented about how one of the things he misses most from living in NY is Yuengling lager.
Yuengling (pronounced ying-ling) is brewed in Pottsville, PA and is produced by the oldest active brewery in the United States. Yuengling is only distributed in a handful of states, so most Americans likely never get to try this historical beer. The beer pours a nice bright copper color but the head is only a thin and watery lace that quickly fades to nothing. This beer does not have a very prominent aroma either. The main smell is simply water, with a little bit of a metallic tinge. This beer delivers on taste though. Bear in mind that this is a simple lager without any fancy dry-hopping or exotic ingredients thrown in, so some might describe this beer as being bland. The beer has a crisp and refreshing taste, with just enough carbonation and a wonderful malt character that makes you want another sip. This beer is what all of those other mass-marketed and over-carbonated lagers should try to be; refreshing and tasty without anything too fancy going on. Yuengling lager is not as prestigious as most other craft beers out there but it is an absolutely solid no-frills lager that is perfect to wash down that ham and cheese sandwich or bacon cheddar burger. It’s also only 4.4% ABV, which makes it the perfect session beer for a mild spring day. Recommended.
Kevin Easton
March 27, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Welcome to Kevin Easton a guest blogger here on Beer Geek, Dude.
Kevin Easton is a senior studying Computer Science at the University of Rochester in Rochester NY. He has been homebrewing for 2 years and
has been developing an appreciation for beer for about 3. He learned a lot about beer and beer styles through his roommates in college and loves a good IPA, Scotch Ale, Porter or Barleywine.
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
March 27, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
What did you have for dinner? Mussels in garlic sauce, fresh locally baked sourdough bread with brie and a Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter? Oh my word, so did I.
What a marvelous pairing. The succulent mussels in the garlic sauce were just perfect with the brie and sourdough and the porter, I sipped it throughout my meal and its smooth flavour and finish was refreshing and light compared to the meal but heavy enough to hold its own. Serious success here.
And this my friends, launches “Porter Week”! No it is not any national or international or even local event. I have dreamed it so. For the next 6 days (seven including today) I will drink porters and tell you about them. I encourage you to do the same and tell me about your experiences by replying to my posts. This is an interactive week. So join me!
The Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter is brewed in my hometown San Diego. Actually more specifically it is really brewed really close to where I grew up. A few years ago I visited Ballast Point and sampled their brews. Everything coming out of this place should be tried. Ballast Point does hop their brews more than many breweries do but as far as San Diego brewers go they take it easy. I don’t hear the buzz about these guys like I do about Lost Abbey, Stone, and Ale Smith. So, you can try something your friends should be buzzing about but aren’t.
The Black Marlin Porter pours almost solid black and you and smell the chocolate coffee fruit notes right away. This suckker is s-m-o-o-t-h. The malt is not smokey it is more nutty, like cashews that melt in your mouth. The hops are very present but there is no bite. There are strong coffee and chocolate notes but they sit in harmony and only peak their heads out to say hi. Drink this beer,
Victory Prima Pils
Stopped by Mezze for my normal Thursday night LGBT cocktails. Luckily they had the Victory Prima Pils in a bottle. What a nice little pilsner. The “heap of hops” as Victory says, makes this a great beer.
Andy Murphy at Beer a Day, hits this one on the head, “The Prima Pils is a pilsner for hop heads. If you have any doubt, beer you need only look to the label — it gets right to the point with a huge hop as the focal point.”
So, for all of my purist friends out there. The glass was totally wrong on this and I think that with the proper glassware I would have appreciated the aroma more. My focus tonight was on the flavour. We all know what a pilsner looks like. The thing that makes this lager different is the flavour. It has one! Bready and bitter. Sweet and grassy. Everything the union of hops and malted barley are supposed to be. The hops stand out so much here, and I feel that it is rare to discuss hops and pilsners together but here we are.
The herbal quality of the hops mixed with the citrus and grass. It is a hop party in your mouth. And true to style this is a crisp drinkable beer. Smooth but dry finish.
Wolaver’s Alta Gracia Coffee Porter
March 25, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Stopped on the way home from Brattleboro at Maple Leaf Malt & Brewing Co. in Wilmington, VT for lunch and a beer. I ended up with the Wolaver’s Alta Gracia Coffee Porter and their Ski Bum Burger. Both were perfect.
The burger, topped with Vermont Cheddar and a garlic ale bun, was juicy and their sweet potato fries are some of the best in the region.
The porter was dark and malty with a nice hop finish. The coffee was not overpowering, it was balanced with the malt and hops. Other brewers should take note that this is how a coffee beer can be made. This is a beer that you slowly enjoy. Just one will do ya.
This porter was release on October 30th and I had it on tap now at the end of the season.
The beer takes its name, and its coffee from Cafe Alta Gracia in the Dominican Republic “[the] farm is named after the county’s protector, La Altagracia, which means “high grace.” We need her blessing to help meet the many challenges of improving the quality of life for our farm community, the workers and small growers, and their families and neighbors.”
Cafe Alta Gracia’s dream of sustainability is amazing:
Environmental Sustainability through Organic Agriculture
If the soil erodes and rivers dry up, nature will have no infrastructure for agriculture. It’s not fair that workers poison themselves and their environment when they use chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.
Economic Sustainability through Fair Trade
If workers don’t receive a living wage, and owners a reasonable profit, the business will fail, workers will migrate to the urban slums, and there will be nothing to pass on to the next generation.
Social Sustainability through Education and Health Care
If rural communities remain impoverished, illiterate and unhealthy, there will be an eternal desire to move away to the city “to a better life.”
Political Sustainability through Transparency
If governments promote and support only the exploitive aspects of capitalism, there will be no preservation of land, water and rural community.
We believe the ‘underlying element of sustainability is quality: quality of life, quality of the environment, quality of people’s output.
So there are a few reasons to try this beer:
- It is an amazing beer, aroma, flavour, mothfeel
- Wolaver’s Organic beer is a great thing cause chemicals in my beer are not such a great thing
- Supporting a great company like Cafe Alta Gracia and the Dominican people is also a great thing
BTW… this beer is brewed at #OtterCreekBrew
