• 2008 Brew Review

  

  Written by destructomaximo 19 Comments
  Last Updated:: December 22, 2008

  So this is a slight deviation from the previous two posts. As an avid beer drinker and sporadic (and largely unsuccessful) brewer, I wanted to share some of my favorite new (*or new to me) brews from this past year. Last year the wife and I took a month off and drove from merry New England to California and back again on a spiritual quest for local beer around this great country. We had no GPS, no computer, and no pre-planned maps of where we might end up, except our final destination: the Snowmass Chili and Brew fest in CO. If yo have any local favorites near you, or recommendations for a fellow beer geek, please post them in the comments.

  This cranky guy’s habanero home brew:

  So here’s the short of it, this guy was a freaking toolbox from Aspen who brews beer when he’s not day trading or being a CFO or some other rich person bs. He was not nice, and he was very arrogant about his beer (he wouldn’t let my wife try his beer because her judges sheet was not visible when she asked for a sample). So anyhow, this jackass had this amber ale that he brewed with fresh habeneros. He claimed it was SO HOT that normal people and women should not even try it. He was saying this to someone who has a pepper garden in his back yard and actively seeks out the hottest possible food he can find (Btw, currently it’s Mad Dog 357 Special Edition hot sauce…it’s the hottest sauce I can find that’s still considered a condiment and not an additive, like Blair’s…but I digress). The heat of the beer was slim to none, maybe a little bite in the tonsils somewhere in the aftertaste, but because of the additional sugar in the peppers this beer packed a gravitational wallop! It was 8.6 abv and the only wet-hopped amber ale I’ve ever had, which seriously aided in the long bitey finish (according to spell check I just invented the word “bitey”). I did not tell the buttplug who brewed it, but this beer was the highlight of the day for me.

  Southern Tier: Choklat Stout Imperial Chocolate Stout:

  This is some seriously high octane stout at 11% abv, but it may also be, nay, it is the best tasting chocolate stout I’ve ever had…EVEN BETTER than Young’s, which holds a very special chamber in my heart. The chocolate they used must have been the darkest they could find, because this brew isn’t plagued by the typical over-sweetness of the chocolate normally found in these fickle libations. For the amount of booze in this masterpiece, it is incredibly drinkable. It is a limited edition though, so please go find it soon.

  North Coast: Old Stock Ale

  This old ale is a DEEP amber when poured, and was almost ruby when I held it up to the light. This is not a beer to wash down pizza, nor is it a beer to cool you off after a long summer day. I picture the ideal location and circumstance of this beers consumption completely across the nation from where I tried it in their Ft Bragg, CA brewery. I picture my self with a snifter of this hoppy brew by a fireplace in VT, snow pants still on, with my feet up. That’s the only way I can describe this beer’s intense and mellowing flavor. It tastes like a VT winter.

  Moat Mountain Brewing Co: Coffee Brown Cask Ale

  I spent this fall’s peak in the White Mountains with my wife. While driving through the Mount Washington valley we passed what looked like a ski gondola that had crashed to its demise on the side of rt 16. The building read Moat Mountain Brewery and Smokehouse. Of course we were stopping. This beer will be tough for most of you to find. They insist on doing all of their own distribution and shipping, so they never make it further south or west than Portsmouth New Hampshire stores. If you do happen to somehow stumble upon growler of theirs, guard it with your life! Every single brew is painstakingly crafted with love at the smokehouse. This particular beer was made in one 5 gallon batch (sorry…), and was hand pulled for me at exactly 11:07 a.m. EST on October 4th, 2008. It’s hard to describe what an amazing beer does to you when that first sip slides through you like an inside out hug. The notes of locally roasted coffee nestled happily in this lightly carbonated malty heaven of a beer gave me goose-bumps. I immediately told the bartender that would pay whatever they wanted for a growler of this gem, but he refused. He said “No amount of money wil get those 64 oz of beer back.” Well put. I ended up taking home a growler of their smoked porter and their Cathedral Lager, which would both make my top 5 beers of the year on their own legs.

  Anyhow, thanks for visiting Old-Wizard this year. Thanks to all of the readers who left positive comments, and also thank you to the readers with the guts to stand up for their own geekdom. I hope these periodic brew-news articles inspire you to step outside of the box and try some local beers. Coors and Bud won’t miss you, and your local breweries could definitely use you on their side.

  Skal!

  Destructo

19 Comments

1. #1 George says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 9:50 am

   I finally got around to playing Chrono Trigger, you were right, it is the best RPG ever, it may be the best game ever. There is nothing bad I can say about it. I have no complaints whatsoever. Its fucking awesome. I know this has nothing to do with beer, but if I don’t express to the world how awesome Chrono Trigger is, I’m doing an injustice to the creators.
2. #2 Fraught says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 2:08 pm

   George, I want to play Chrono Trigger.
   I downloaded an SNES Emulator on the iPod Touch to play it, but obviously it sucked.
   So, I got Chrono Trigger for my Nintendo DS (not the official game though) and the anti-piracy thing prevented me.
   And they don’t sell that game here.
   I’m pissed.

   I WANT THAT GAME!
3. #3 Alex says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 10:18 pm

   Please more!
4. #4 Rob says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 4:01 am

   Mmmmm….beer…

   I’ve never been to New Orleans, but my cousin lived there for a year or two and he turned me on to a beer called TurboDog. It’s made by a microbrewery down there called Abita. It’s pretty good stuff. If you can find it in your area (very difficult to find here in Michigan) it’s worth it.
5. #5 DM says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 1:10 pm

   @ Rob:

   Abita beer used to be easier to find here for some reason. Turbodog is awesome.
6. #6 George says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 7:25 am

   Also, I’m under 21, beer’s not an option for me.
7. #7 Wild Bill says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 12:36 pm

   Ever try Carlson’s from Branford,CT?
8. #8 Mr Butterscotch says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 7:47 pm

   Hmmm, it seems that you Americans have some interesting ales after all. On another note, I did try beer with chilli in it (i.e. Habaneros) but I found it fairly disgusting. Ale is for hops and malts not peppers!
9. #9 DM says:
   March 19th, 2010 at 7:59 pm

   @ Mr Butterscotch,

   I couldn’t agree more. The flavor issue for me is a lot like women who wear too much make-up. Malt and hops can be so naturally beautiful when well put together, but when you start tinkering with peppers chocolate, corriander, chamomile, mint, etc.,…it’s like you’re putting too much make up on it. This is the exact reason I am so stand-offish with Belgians (the beers, not the people), as well. If done well, though, that make-up can be pulled off to enhance the natural beauty, of beer and women.
10. #10 DM says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    @ Bill

    I have, and I hear he bottles and labels all of his beers personally in 5 gallon batches.
11. #11 Garth says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    I like Budlight the best.
12. #12 Katzenjammer says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 11:57 pm

    awesome article!
13. #13 dave says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    you should do a beer guide on some shitty beers. like budweiser.
14. #14 Big Al says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 1:01 am

    i agree with dave. i think it’d be funny to see you guys tear down some bad beers.
15. #15 Tim D. says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    Budweiser isn’t shitty!
16. #16 amy says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 9:58 pm

    Have you ever tried Brugse Zot Blond?
17. #17 Supra5mge says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 9:46 pm

    Capital Brewery out of Middleton,Wi has a great line of beers, Maibock and Wisconsin Amber are my 2 favs. Watch out for Maibock it will sneak up on ya!
18. #18 Baalirock says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 7:07 pm

    Not quite as far off as the west coast… have you tried any of the fine beers of the Philadelphia region? Yuengling is America’s oldest brewery, and a damn fine lager to boot. The Victory brewing company isn’t too far away, and makes quite a fine selection of winners. Golden Monkey isn’t for everyone, but HopDevil is really good, too.

    Keep the beer articles flowing, man!
19. #19 Xvalkar says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    How come you guys have never done a top 10 beers list? What’s your favorite? (or how about a top 10 WORST beers list??)