Craft Ale Review: Maine Beer Co. Peeper Ale

This is the first review to hit the new AGtheDir blogspot. I have been meaning to do this for, well, years, and just never afforded myself the time to actually write.

So, here goes:

Maine Beer Company Peeper Ale

Poured from a 1 pint, .9 fluid oz bottle. Printed as 5.5% ABV and a bottling date of 020712

This is a bottled conditioned beer and does contain live yeasts. Sediment was very limited

The beer poured a very clean and clear straw color with slight orange at the base of the glass. Very precise and consistent bubble approached the head of the beer in perfectly straight lines. The head was full, frothy and hyper white, as you can see in the picture. It was so full a head, and such extensive retention, that I poured the beer in 3 parts, emptying the glass before pouring another round. The lacing was strung out in massive soap bubble like rings.

Before the sipping took place, I was able to get some good sniffs. The first sniff was what could be smelled from the apex of the head. This initial sniff pulled out hints of solely of citrus notes. After a little dissipating of the head I took another big sniff inside the glass. This time, it showed of the same light citrus notes, mostly of grapefruit and lemon, but also gave off some sweet, honey like malt aroma. I also picked up just a hair of the hearts of aromatic American hop varieties.

The flavor was were it shined brightest. There was far more going on at this stage. The citrus elements had taken more of a candied essence, especially in that of lemon peel. The honey picked up in the nose now more balanced by the bready and yeasty flavors like biscuit. The hops were more pronounced than in the nose, but are still showing the spicy and oily hearts.

Mouth feel was perfect. Medium bodied and rounded on the tongue. Had mild bittering in the finish. The carbonation may have been slightly under at this point to as it seemed it could have had more uumph there. This was really great to drink, slightly refreshing but with more of a body to slow savor.

I am a big fan of Maine Beer Company, and now a fan of Peeper Ale. This was my first time with this ale, and I will be sure to enjoy it again in the near future. Be sure to keep the earth conscious efforts going, 1% of all MBC sales go to environmental non-profits, spent grain and yeasts go to local farmers and they use 100% wind energy for their electricity. Recycle your bottle!

Cheers!

AG

The Alchemist Heady Topper

If you know anything about me, you know I get the most enjoyment out of IPA and Double IPA's. There is just something about the highlighting and celebrating of the essence of hops that excite me and bring joy to my tongue.

This past year I got my hands on plenty of them. One of the highlights was a 16oz can of a DIPA known as Heady Topper. Heady is the flagship brew of The Alchemist Brewery, owned and operated by John and Jennifer Kimmich. The brewery is something of a second edition, a true expansion of the eight year old Pub they own in Waterbury, VT.

The sole focus, currently, is on the perfection of this canned 16oz Imperial Double IPA. My first encounter with this beer, bears high resemblance to my first encounter with my other personally top rated DIPA. I was preparing to leave work when I received a text from a distributor friend. He told me that a restaurant in Mashpee, MA was selling Heady, but supplies were limited. This was during a time, when HT was not significantly distributed to Massachusetts and therefore, this text was the key to the alleged pearly gates of craft beer Heaven

I recall distinctly that the text came through at 8:24pm. I made a quick phone call to my best girl and drinking buddy and informed her that we would be racing to Mashpee to get our hands on some HT. I informed her that, as she was well aware, it would take 20 minutes for me to get home and another 20 minutes to get there. That would put us in the restaurant by 9:04p which was great because we would have 56 minutes of drinking and eating (and playing footsies) time.

As I made my way to the dungeon, err, office to grab my coat and car keys I received the call. The call you always receive when you have something IMPORTANT to do. I had a guest that wanted to discuss their severe and strict dietary requirements. They were to be part also of the Valentine's Day gala I would be hosting two days later as well. This, took precedence over my immediate departure. Long story short, the necessary time spent to ensure their enjoyable experience took about 35 minutes....

Cue the terror. It is 9:05pm. I'm no dummy, I'm well aware that if I don't act on an opportunity like this, I will miss my chance. Again, as we learned in a prior and similar story, I cranked down all 4 cylinders on my economy vehicle. Pulled in the drive way of my house at 9:21p. HONK, HONK! She comes running out. She is a champion!

Taking to the open road, we fumbled through the VZ Navigation on the android phone to find the place. We arrived at what was supposedly the destination at 9:47pm. I remember the mix of excitement and worry rushing through the blood stream as I entered this outdoor mall. But, Ive driven around the damn thing 3 times and we cant find the restaurant. Again, champion that she is, Em realizes that we need to get back on the main road.

We pull in to Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza and it is 9:53p. The bartender, was awesome and said "hey, we still serve for another 7 minutes". I replied kindly with a "OH Thank you!, Do you have Heady Topper?" MOMENT OF TRUTH: "Yeah we sure do, like 3 cans only though."

SCORE! Here is the Untappd check-in:

 

Adam Greiner is drinking a Heady Topper by The Alchemist Pub & Brewery at Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza

Holy crap! This is unreal. 5star! Just awesome!

Rating:

5

 

That was February 10, 2012. My second experience with HT came yesterday. I was visiting the best beer store on Cape Cod, Grain and Vine and was gifted 4 beautiful cans of this monster from Kyle B, who had just arrived back to Cape the day prior after a visit to the brewery in VT.

The beer is incredible. These particular cans were actually canned just days ago. You can't help but notice every little intricacy something this fresh provides. The nose smells like hops in a boil. It hasn't faded yet. The palate sings of biting straight into a grapefruit, without removing the flesh. The can keeps it all locked up inside there and the beer almost felt green it was so young and fresh. I drank it straight from the can as guided and it had a very full and rich mouth feel that felt like a coating of hop oil. The oil was balanced and washed by the dosing of citrus notes and up and down and up and down it went.

The debate is now on my fellow hop heads. Tell me on Twitter what your preference is: The Alchemist Heady Topper or Sixpoint Resin as your go to Imperial Double IPA!

Cheers!

Cask 'N' Eggs!



Photo by: MAGirlsPintOut



BREAKFAST BEER


I never knew a moment too early in any day that beer would not be an appropriate beverage. Unless of course that time of day was prior to reporting to your duties of work. This particular day, was one of those days that learning about beer for breakfast was in fact A-OK!

On Saturday, Notch Session and Drink Craft Beer released their collaboration beer, a Coffee Milk Stout. The stout was the 4th release Notch brewer Chris Lohring's cask series. Jeff Wharton and Devon Regan of DrinkCraftBeer.com were clearly excited for this opportunity, and were more so flattered by the attendance.

I completely misjudged the time it would take me to travel to Kenmore Square in Boston. I figured driving from Cape, construction on Sagamore bridge, construction on the T's red-line and a transfer to the green line, would require extensive lead time. I have enjoyed Notch Session extensively since I moved to Massachusetts, and I have also spent time with Jeff and Devon at other brewing sessions, so I was pretty stoked to get there early so as to take home a commemorative 20oz Notch/DCB glass beer mug.

Luckily, Kenmore Square was beautiful, had a Barnes and Noble and a Starbucks, because my early departure landed me in front of The lower Depths, site of the release brunch, at 9:30am. Brunch was scheduled to start at 11:30am. Sitting in the grassy knoll, I began to notice people starting to line up in front of The Lower Depths around 11am.  Slowly I made my way into the crowd of excited, cold and hungry beer drinkers.



Photo by: DrinkCraftBeer.com



As the doors opened at 11:30am, the crowd poured in, and I was fortunate enough to snag a bar stool smack dab in the middle of the bar just feet away from the gorgeous cask handle. Sitting to my left were new found friends Adam Meuse of BrewEngland and wife. Without hesitation staff of the taproom jumped into cranking the cask and filling mug after mug with this sessionable 3.8% ABV British influenced stout.

The beer itself had an incredibly beautiful dark French-roast coffee color with a head that looked like what a glass of chocolate milk might look like if you put it under a steam wand. The settling of the head as it bounced off the bottom of the glass and slowly raised to the top is always fun to watch.



At first sniff, it was obvious that a heaping portion of coffee was used in this brew. Come to learn that approximately 3 pints of this stout was equivalent to that of a cup of coffee. Once I took a sip, I was surprised that the potency of the coffee in the nose, was subdued on the palate and fell into a very harmonious balance with the lactose sugars and breakfast bread like flavors. It also had a extremely light bodied mouth feel that made for easy drinking.



Photo by: BrewEngland

FYI...40 or so people kicked the cask in just under an hour and a half!

After just over 2 pints, I finished my huevos rancheros, said good bye to the Meuses and made sure to thank Chris, Jeff, and Devon not only for the invite, but also for their continued enthusiasm in the craft beer world and more so for their delicious collaboration.