Beer of the Week: Notch Brewing Saison

Notch Brewing Saison
Beer of the Week 7/23/11 to 7/29/11

One of my favorite beer companies right now is Notch Brewing. They are part of the session beer movement in the US, focusing on beers brewed with an ABV of 4.5% or less (this ABV cutoff could be a very long post on it's own, but I will spare you that!). These session beers are styled after English beers where the point is lower alcohol so that you can have multiple over a long session without getting completely drunk or feeling awful the next day.

Notch is brewed by Chris Lohring, formerly of Tremont Brewery. Notch currently has two standard offerings, their session ale, and a session pils. They have also brewed small batch specialty beers for The Haven restaurant (70 Schilling and a heather ale) as well as a special Dark Mild cask for the American Craft Beer Festival.

Notch's current limited release is the Notch Saison. Saisons were originally brewed for farm workers as something to quench their thirst on the fields. As you can imagine, they were brewed at a low alcohol level since drunk field workers aren't very productive!

I first tried Notch's version on cask at the Drink Craft Beer 5th Anniversary party at Stoddard's. I immediately fell in love with it. The saison pours an orange color with a frothy head. The head goes away pretty quickly leaving some lacing on the glass. The smell to me is fruity, some citrus, and yeast. The flavor also has the citrus flavor but there is a wonderful bitterness to it. I really like how it is sour and bitter but I'm not put off by it. The bitterness makes me want to go back for more!

Right now this is only a limited release in 22oz bottles and on draft in select places. I really hope that it becomes a regular beer because it is one of my favorites. I'm going to stock up on some 22 ounce bottles just to be sure!

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!

Beer of the Week: Goose Island Sofie

Goose Island Sofie
Beer of the Week 2/12/11 to 2/18/11

One of my favorite craft breweries is Goose Island from Chicago. They have a wide variety of beers ranging from standard offerings of IPA and wheat ales to the extreme such as Bourbon County Stout (one of the girl and my favorites). The girl and I have decided that we want to try all of their less standard beers. We decided to pick up a bottle of Sofie. It is listed as a Belgian Style Ale. Neither of us would list Belgian style beers amongst our favorites but we thought we would give it a shot.

The beer pours a very nice champagne/golden color. It held a nice frothy head for a bit and the carbonation was a bit higher than normal as Goose Island describes it as a "sparkling ale." There are some definite citrus and pepper notes in the taste and smell. Overall we really enjoyed this beer. I have to admit that as it started to warm up, the flavor started to change (started reminding us of warm Sam Adams Summer Ale..) but I would definitely get it again.

Beer of the Week: Fuller's Organic Honey Dew

Fuller's Organic Honey Dew
Beer of the Week 2/5/11 to 2/11/11

I've recently been trying to sample different varieties of beers made with unique ingredients. The Fuller's Honey Dew pictured above was given to me as a gift by the girl's Mom, and was specially selected to help me with my goal - it's brewed with real organic honey. While beer normally has some kind of sweetener, I'd never heard of using this one. Honey is usually used for mead instead (also called honey wine).

I poured this into a nice oversized wine glass (the Fuller's website showed it in that style glass so I figured it was a good choice). It pours out a nice dark orange, with a frothy light head. The head disappears pretty quickly and leaves behind very little in terms of lacing. I could definitely smell the honey right away. The flavor is sweet, with some hops in there as well. This beer is definitely very drinkable, but I would suggest keeping it cold. I found the flavor was not as good as it warmed up. However, I will be keeping this on hand for summer drinking for sure!

Beer of the Week: Long Trail Brewmaster Series Coffee Stout

Long Trail Brewmaster Series Coffee Stout
Beer of the Week 2/19/11 to 2/25/11



One of my favorite types of beer has to be stouts. Especially in the winter, there is nothing better than pouring a nice dark stout and sipping it through a cold winter night. The Long Trail Coffee Stout is listed as an Imperial Stout by Long Trail which generally means that it will have a slightly higher alcohol level. This coffee stout comes in at 8% ABV but since I like to sip these beers, it doesn't really feel that strong.

The smell of the beer is definitely coffee. You know for sure that you are about to drink a coffee stout. I've read reviews of this beer that liken the smell to that of coffee left in the pot from the day before. That sounds about right. The taste is also bitter like coffee but then you do get some sweeter notes of chocolate and even some coconut. It is mildly carbonated and pours a nice head. I haven't had too many coffee stouts before but I definitely would like to try some others. This one was definitely a good one!

Beer of the Week: Stone Brewing Company San Diego County Session Ale

Stone Brewing Company
San Diego Session Ale
Beer of the Week 1/29/11 to 2/4/11

One beer trend that is starting to obtain a strong foothold in the market is "session" brews. The term was coined in England, and describes a beer that you can drink over a long session without getting "pissed" as the Brits say. In contrast, a lot of the beers on the craft beer market have a very high alcohol content. I, for one, am happy that these lower-alcohol beers are appearing in stores as they still have a lot of good flavor.

The session beer pictured above is a collaboration by three San Diego based brewers. Stone Brewing Company joined up with Balast Point Brewing and the home brewer Kelsey McNair. This ale comes in at a 4.2% ABV and is sold in 12 oz. bottles (generally in singles).

It pours a nice orange color with a small white head. The nose and taste are definitely hoppy, with lots of grapefruit. While I'm not usually a huge fan of such a strong hop flavor, this was still pretty good as it's light and not overly carbonated. (I think the low alcohol helped). I can't wait to try out some other session beers as they come out!

Beer of the Week: Fraoch Heather Ale

Fraoch Heather Ale
Beer of the Week 1/22/11 to 1/28/11

Image Courtesy of Williams Bros Brewing

This week's Beer of the Week is a bit out of the ordinary. The girl and I went to a traditional Burn's Supper, and while enjoying our haggis, neeps, and tatties (I'm not swearing at you, I promise!), we drank Scottish Williams Brothers Brewing Fraoch Heather Ale.

Heather is one of Scotland's beloved national symbols. It grows wild all over the country, and turns the landscape purple when it flowers in the summer. There are over 5 million acres of it! Rarer white heather is considered lucky, and a sprig of it is often worn for good fortune.

The Williams Brothers website describes their ale and how they infuse it with this flower:

Brewed in Scotland since 2000 B.C. heather ale is probably the oldest style of ale still produced in the world. From an ancient Gaelic recipe for "leann fraoich" (heather ale) it has been revived and reintroduced to the Scottish culture.

Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of fresh heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented.

While reading that, you might have thought, "Beer brewed with heather? That could be really floral!". However, this is definitely not the case. You can taste the heather, but it's not overpowering. On the other hand, the beer is not quite as drinkable as others I've recommended here because of its dry finish.

Fraoch is not available in many liquor stores or restaurants, so if you do see it, pick up a bottle and give it a try!

Beer of the Week: Maine Beer Company Peeper Ale

Maine Beer Company Peeper Ale
Beer of the Week 1/15/11 to 1/21/11


A few years back, I decided I wanted to try my hand at making beer, to learn the process - so I took up homebrewing as a hobby.

One part of the process is to bottle condition the beer. This means the beer is finished in the bottle, left unfiltered, and carbonated naturally (without being injected with gas). However, it can take quite awhile to get the beer properly carbonated.



I was at the liquor store recently and noticed that Maine Beer Company's Peeper Ale is bottle conditioned. I immediately picked one up as I rarely see this type of beer sold in stores. While the Portland, Maine company is committed to producing good bottle-conditioned beer, they're also committed to using 100% wind energy and donating 1% of their sales to environmental non-profits as stated on their label. This is a beer company I can get behind!

As for the beer itself, the Peeper Ale is of the American Pale Ale style. It pours a golden, almost orange color with a very frothy head that dissipates quite slowly with good lacing on the glass. The smell is very hoppy, which I generally don't like in a beer. However, when you take a sip, the hop flavor is not nearly as strong as that of an Indian Pale Ale. (The Maine Beer Company uses 100% American hops for their beers, although I couldn't find out the exact type.) The hops lend a nice citrus flavor and are also slightly floral. You can taste the malts as well, which give the brew a nice body. Peeper Ale does have a slight bitterness at the end, but it will not keep you from wanting to drink more. The aftertaste stays with you for awhile as well, but it's a pleasant one. This is definitely worth picking up a bottle of if you see it in the store!

Beer of the Week: Carlsberg Pilsner

Carlsberg Pilsner
Beer of the Week 1/8/11 to 1/14/11


The girl and I popped into Grendel's Den in Harvard Square recently for a pint. Grendel's can get pretty crowded with students and tourists, but there are a few tables tucked away in the back by the bathrooms (and we managed to grab one of them). The bar has a wide selection of beers, both in bottles and on tap. I was in the mood for something light, so I decided to order a pint of the German pilsner-style Carlsberg. My only previous experience with this beer was seeing its name on the front of a Liverpool jersey, but the girl recommended I give it a try.

It pours a golden color, with a slight haze and a thin white head that quickly disappears. I immediately was hit with the smell of yeast, hops, and a bit of citrus. It's easy to assume this beer is going to be bland in flavor because of its color, but I was pleasantly surprised. Carlsberg is a very good example of a German pilsner, as the flavor was malty and hoppy but neither was overpowering. It would be easy to have a few pints of this as it has a fairly low ABV (anywhere from 3.8% to 4.6%), with only a slight bitterness. If you're looking for a lighter beer that still has good flavor, give Carlsberg a try.

My pint...I guess it's a half pint at this point!

A bottle I picked up at the store

Beer of the Week: Anchor Brewing Company Christmas Ale 2008

A new feature of the BostonFound blog in 2011 will be a Beer of the Week. I will be checking in to different liquor stores around the city to try to find unique and interesting beers to highlight. I will tell you up front that this will not necessarily be a 'review' of the beer. I am not going to pretend to taste all the subtleties of every beer that I post and there won't be a rating. Think of it more like an introduction to something you maybe have never heard of or seen. Or, if you have seen it, it may be a reminder that you should pick it up again. With that disclaimer out of the way, I bring you the first Beer of the Week!

Anchor Brewing Company Christmas Ale 2008
Beer of the Week 1/1/11 - 1/7/11

On New Year's Day, the girl and I decided to stop into the Blanchard's Liquor store in Allston. This place has everything a classic Allston hipster casual beer drinker could want. They have also have a ridiculous selection of liquor and wine as well. We were only there to look, but with such a large selection, I couldn't go home empty-handed.

Normally, I'm not a big fan of Christmas or "winter warmer" beers because I find that they usually have way too much spice. I've tried a few over the years but have never really found anything that I've completely enjoyed. I can now gladly say my search is over...maybe: Anchor Brewing Company puts out a new Christmas Ale each year. The recipes are different (and top secret) for each one.

The beer pours very dark brown with a light head. Since this is an ale, the head is not as thick as you might see in a porter or stout. It's a medium bodied beer, with mild carbonation. The smell is that of roasted malts with a little bit of spice - think ginger or nutmeg. Taking a sip, you immediately get a raisin-y flavor with more spice (but not "spicy"), and a little vanilla. While the beer is only 5.5% ABV, you still need to drink this slowly as the finish is very dry.

Anchor says that with proper refrigeration, the beer will stay good for years. I picked up the 2008 vintage at Blanchard's and, I have to say, it is still good. I wish I had tried it when it originally came out for comparison.

All in all, this is a good beer and I am definitely making a note to try this every year (and maybe even pick up an extra to let age for a year or two). Whether you are a fan of Christmas/"winter warmer" beers or not, I would recommend giving this a shot!