Beer of the Week: Clown Shoes Clementine

Clown Shoes Clementine
Beer of the Week 7/16/11 to 7/22/11

This past week in New England was an absolute scorcher. Temps in the upper 90s and even over 100 degrees. What's better on a hot day than a nice cold beer?! I stopped by the liquor store on the way home and decided to try out Clown Shoes Clementine white ale. This is brewed with coriander, orange peel, and clementine which gives it a refreshing taste. When I first tried it, it really tasted a lot like Sam Adams Summer Ale. The smell was much stronger in orange/clementine than the Sam Summer though.

I really enjoyed the first three quarters or so of the pint, but as the beer started to warm up, I started liking it less and less (same thing happens with Sam Summer). It's hard to explain what happens to the flavors when it warms up, but to me they just become muddled and the coriander takes center stage. Overall the beer was good (best when it is really cold, in my opinion) but not something I would race out to buy again. I would reconsider if I could find it in a 12oz bottle rather than the 22oz bottles that are available now.

Beer of the Week: Harpoon Oak Aged Dunkel (100 Barrel Series #34)

Harpoon Oak Aged Dunkel
Beer of the Week 7/9/11 to 7/15/11

It's time for another beer of the week. I must admit, spring and summer have really kept me busy. I've been spending time in both of the gardens a lot and just enjoying the summer. The beer of the week posts have slipped a bit but I'll be honest, I didn't want this blog to turn into a full on beer blog and lose sight of the bigger picture. Since the last beer of the week post, I have had plenty of beers, but rather than bombarding you all with strictly beer posts, I'm just going to pick up from here and try my best from here on out to give you a beer of the week for the rest of the year!
A few months back I picked up a bottle of Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Oak Aged Dunkel. This is number 34 of the series. The 100 Barrel Series is a pretty cool concept. Every few months brewers at Harpoon make a small batch of a special brew (100 barrels...hence the name). I have had a couple of these in the past (Island Creek Oyster Stout was one of my favorites) and I try to pick them up if I can.


The Oak Aged Dunkel is a German style of beer and Harpoon used German ingredients for it. The oak comes from the secondary aging where they use "oak infusion spirals" to give it that woody oak flavor.

When I poured this beer, there was a substantial very foamy head (maybe due to the high carbonation...or just my pour!) but it dissipated really quickly and left just a small bit of lacing on the side of the glass. It was a very dark beer but not heavy. The carbonation, as I mentioned before, is very high. I liked this beer more as it warmed up. I felt like I got more of the malt and oak flavor. The oak definitely hit me a bit more in the nose than on my tongue.

Overall, a very good beer. Not something I would drink regularly but for a special occassion, I would drink it again (although I don't think I can get it anymore!). If you are in the mood for a new different kind of beer, I really recommend looking out for the 100 Barrel Series beers, it's fun to see what interesting things the brewers come up with!