Pumpkin Ales and Holiday Brews

The wind along the Bay shore is ripping the tops off the waves as we race across the Sandy Hook Bay on our way to Lower Manhattan. Inside the passenger compartment of the Seastreak Highlands we are warm and dry. The windows are sheathed with salt slush and the only view to be had is through the stern glazing...35 minutes later safely ensconced at my desk overlooking Water Street I ponder the season and the sights and smells of the holidays. My last posting struck a somber tone as our economy started its nose-dive seemingly to oblivion. Now, I am cautiously optimistic or 2009 and beyond.

In my mind I had formulated a rather lengthy pumpkin ale based post and a holiday ale based one as well. Alas, the season got away from me and both posts will be merged. After all they are more, or less, variations on the same theme.

Let's start with the brewers "homage" to the mighty gourd. That orange globe that is at once heroic in size and decidedly bland in palate. Pumpkin is an ingredient but not a star performer, it is canvas and not paint. It has some earthy qualities but it needs to be flavored to be noticed. Looking at some of the examples that are out there consider there is Dogfish Head "Punkin" a 7% behemoth with a palate of cloves and Cinnamon, perhaps some mace painted on an earthy yeasty background. Not an everyday drinking beer but pleasant enough and very approachable as a warmer for a cool October evening. Nothing overpowering in this one, nicely balanced, the hops and malty sweetness are paired and balanced with the spice mix and a whiff of boozy alcohol. Punkin is somewhere on the extreme end of the palate. Of more normal proportions are the offerings from Brooklyn (5% ABV "Post Road Pumpkin") and Smuttynose 's "Pumpkin Ale." Both are caramel colored subtle mixtures of holiday spice and sweet malt. Reviewer's often claim that "pumpkin taste" is discernable. My palate is not sensitive enough to pick out the earthiness of the mighty gourd - but the cognoscenti say they are there. Both are drinkable and subtle enough to make these offerings drinkable over the course of an evening. If variety is the spice of life these brews are significantly different enough to be a nice diversion for an otherwise jaded palate.

Consider pairing these with poultry and beef as well as that staple holiday dessert - pumpkin pie - of course. I might be inclined to enjoy one of these with a mild after dinner cigar as well.

On to the holiday ales. Often a boozy, frequently spicy and alcoholic style that is, to me, the brewer's version of of "comfort food." Some have spices and some do not, some are rather heavy and others are more moderate in dimension. Colors range from caramel to pitch black. Some are so full flavored and spicy they can stand up to being warmed or mulled and others may make a suitable marinade for beef , venison or pork. Around the holidays this style proliferates. Being called interchangeably "holiday ale", "winter warmers", "Christmas Ale" or other "seasonally appropriate" appellations. Consider the humorously named "Bad Elf", "Seriously Bad Elf" and "Criminally Bad Elf" as typical - if extreme - examples.

Any purchase of these ales may warrant some advanced research or at least careful shopping. If the idea of a "spiced" ale does not appeal to you, read the label to be sure your purchase includes no spices. If you are looking for a "warmer" check the ABV often located on the six-pack carrier if not on the individual bottles.

On the spicy end of the spectrum Sam Adam's "Old Fezziwig" seems to have quite a following, I fall squarely in the non-spiced camp with Berkshire's "Cabin Fever" (6.3% ABV) my preferred tipple. Malty with a balanced, hoppy finish Cabin Fever rewards the contemplative imbiber with a rich palate of flavors.

The Pumpkin and Holiday Ales afford the beer drinker the opportunity to enjoy a seasonally inspired and robust warming beverage on these bitter cold Bay shore nights. As we count down to 2009 consider your drinking options carefully. Might I also suggest, if your New Years Eve plan's include a glass or two, you consider staying home and spending the money you will save on some truly outstanding and flavorful ales?

Happy New Years to all.

Stretching Your Beer Drinking Buck

Times are tough. You now need a home equity line to fill up the gas tank of your Suburban. Your home mortgage lender is likely insolvent. Feeding your children requires a second job. Worse than that, Anheuser-Busch just announced it's packing up and moving to Belgium…wait this last one may not be a bad thing. That said how are we going to survive hard times without affordable quality beer?

All is not lost sports fans – despite soaring grain and hop prices, not to mention shipping costs - you can still drink well and for not a lot of money (Okay, Okay -- yeah you the morally outraged one in the third row -- lets just dispense with the whole “why are you buying beer when you can’t afford food shock and outrage” this is a BEER COLUMN not a guide to healthy responsible living… Phew got that out of my system, must be the heat or the pending $700 a month ferry price. The weather is hot, the economy is cooling and tempers are flaring -- a properly cooled ale or lager on the front porch – under the new ceiling fans (Thanks Al) is what I need.

Point 1 – Craft Beer is still not a Bad Deal!

You can still buy world-class craft beers for around $8- $10 a six pack for home consumption. Drink three of bottles of a craft brew for just $5 bucks. Aside from a Bottle of “Three Buck Chuck” at Trader Joe’s try and find a single bottle of decent wine at that price?

Point 2 -It’s About the Taste Stupid!

But it's not just about the price. You want good value and taste for your hard earned coin. We are not at the Weimar Republic inflation rates yet (though I do have my wheelbarrow cleaned, oiled and at the ready). Sure, you can still find a $15 case out there, but at that price you get what you pay for. In the case of, say, Natural Light or Old Milwaukee, that would be mainly corn, hops extracts and lots of filtered city water.

When bargain hunting you should look at a brews ABV - alcohol by volume - the higher the alcohol by volume, the more malt needed to get there. More malt usually means more hops to offset the sweetness with the end result being a more complex flavor. More ingredients usually mean a higher price, too. I say usually as there is a whole market segment devoted to high alcohol low taste brews like “Steel Reserve” and “Mickey’s Big Mouth” these brews use corn and other flavorless adjuncts to boost ABV without adding anything to the palate – except a nice “Corny” taste. Blecch!

For price/ABV comparison consider Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (9 percent ABV), at $10 a four pack as compared to Dogfish’s 60 Minute IPA (6 percent ABV) for $8 or $9 for a six-pack. Less ingredients = lower price. Dale’s TenFidy Imperial Russian Stout (10%ABV) $11.99 for a four pack of 12 ounce cans vs. $16 for a twelve pack of Dale’s Pale Ale at 6.8% ABV. Thusly forearmed, you can now seek out some very tasty bargains.

Dale’s Pale Ale a robust and flavorful IPA with a blistering hop kick at 6.8% ABV $9.00 a six pack (of cans) at Spirits Unlimited in Red Bank.

Dales TenFidy an incredibly well balanced brew that has a nice hop profile, strong notes of espresso and bittersweet chocolate. 10% ABV $11.00 for a four pack at Spirits in Red Bank.

Stoudt's Fat Dog, an exceptionally smooth, easy-drinking imperial oatmeal stout with huge chocolate notes, 9%ABV. Look for it at Spirits Unlimited in Middletown and Red Bank.

Paulaner Salvator:$7.99 a sixer 7.2 percent ABV. A double bock from Germany with caramel/chocolate flavor and a creamy body. You can sometimes get this at Vingo. definitely at Spirts Unlimited

Bear Republic Racer 5: $4.00/22-ounce “Bomber” bottle. 7 percent ABV.

Saranac Black and Tan (and others): 5.4 percent ABV. Usually $6 -7 for a sixer. For fans of the style this one's an easy sipper with a sweet finish. Most Saranc brews are a good value (Note- JW Dundee products come from the same brewery and go for even less…)

Troegs Sunshine Pils: $7.99 a six-pack. 5.3 percent ABV. A crisp, light Czech style pilsner for less than a buck and a half a bottle?

Or how about a blend? Mix 2 ounces of Dogfish Head Burton Baton $3.49 a 12 ounce bottle (10% ABV) with a 12 ounce CAN (NOT THE BOTTLES PLEASE!!!) of Ballentine Ale (5.3% ABV) $4.50 for six cans and enjoy a rare and flavorful treat. Ballentine is an American Classic and the Burton Baton adds an oaken and spicy hop dimension and a rich amber tint to an inexpensive “frat house” brew.

Can't find these brands? Look for any of the brews from Troegs, Victory, Brooklyn, Long Trail, and Smuttynose.

These are some places to start. If you have another suggestions drop me a line…

Coldest Beer in Town

This has been a pretty typical morning for the Bayshore. Hazy blue skies, gulls screaming and a gentle breeze from the North. Last night we watched from our porch as several groups of teens walked down the street toward First Avenue. We exchanged greetings as they faded into the darkness. We suspected that they might be headed for Mike’s to grab a cold soft drink and a snack before it closed and when they returned a short while later empty handed we were surprised. Well this morning as I walked to the ferry I could follow their trail of litter back to First Avenue. Hostess Cupcakes, Combos, Arizona Iced Teas and some sports drink or another thoughtlessly discarded a few feet from a trash can. It just makes you wonder what they do at home. These are, by all measures, good kids from nice families. But of course as the parent of a teen I already know the answer. They do the same thing. Yogurt cups and plastic bottles secreted about the basement. Bowls from a second breakfast abandoned on the third floor. It is frustrating because you try to do the right thing. You teach them the value of nature and the importance of protecting the environment as well as the need to dispose of food waste properly to avoid vermin at home. You remind them to recycle and reuse and in a fleeting moment the wrapper is discarded and the sugar fix is gulped down… Were we this way? Of course we were…

So, tonight as I walk home I will collect the wrappers and cans and dispose or recycle as needed. And someday these lads, somewhat older and wiser, will hopefully do the same thing…

As I round the corner I am treated to a near miss between two drivers youthful too focused on their cell phones to drive carefully, and exchange greetings with a school custodian. We just smile and shake our heads at what we have just seen. Moving on down First Avenue I exchange greetings with a motorcyclist on East Mount, a Council Member outside the Bagel Store and two fishermen coming up from the harbor to grab some breakfast in town. Looks to be a normal day in Atlantic Highlands…

This is a beer column so at some point I have to get around to writing something beer related.

So today let’s talk temperature. The late Michael Jackson author of several books on Scotch and Beer once said that the saddest four words in the English language were “Coldest Beer in Town.” As a Brit one might expect this type of comment but what was he really trying to say? As a young lad I was a Boy Scout and spent many a summer evening around a roaring fire listening to the leaders and parents compare stories of their military service during the Second World War. There was always a comment like the English and the Germans like their beer warm. This was usually uttered as a derisive comment as if any nation that did not ice down their beer was somehow a lesser nation. Well there are two sides to the coin and we are becoming a culture that is taking a closer look at what we eat and drink. Websites like Beer Advocate, Rate Beer and Chow.com look at beer as not just a drink but as a companion to fine food. With wines we are told to serve some wines chilled, some cooled and some at room temperature to allow the wine to express itself properly. With Scotch we are told to add some water to “open up” the nose and flavor. So too with serving beer - temperature is important. Ales which are top fermented at warmer temperatures and then cellared to mature, taste better cooled to cellar temp. In some styles such as English Bitter this warmer temperature (warmer but still cooled) will allow the subtle flavors of malt and fruity yeast to compete with the fragrant and floral Kents, Fuggles and Goldings hops typically used in the style. Other ale styles such as the American Pale Ales are highly hopped and can stand up to colder temperatures - but you will miss something – balance. For example take Sierra Nevada Pale Ale which is a typical American Pale Ale. Serve it icy cold in a chilled glass and all you will taste is the hops. - grapefruit, citrus and the other sharp tastes associated with Cascades, Yakimas and other West Coast hops. Bracing and refreshing - yes but let it warm a bit and it becomes a different beer. The biscuit and sweet malt notes start to emerge from behind the blast of hops.

Lager beers are another story. They are fermented at cooler temperatures over a period of weeks not days like the typical ale so they have a crisp flavor profile that will stand up better to a cooler serving temperature. As they warm you will notice some sweetness but there is very little there. Lager styles, especially the pale ones, use lightly toasted malts so the color will be very pale and there will be little in the way of un-fermentable sugars. Darker lagers such as Bocks and Double Bocks, while still lager styles, will have a malty sweet profile and will taste better a little warmer.

Do I ever drink ice cold beer? You bet. Industrial Beers like Budweiser, Miller and Coors (in all their variations light, lime , select, ultra etc.) are, in my opinion, best enjoyed at palate numbing temperatures. The same goes for the clear bottle beers of Mexico and the Caribbean. (Modelo, Carib, Kalik, Corona, Tecate, Pacifico and Sol.) All of which benefit greatly from the addition of citrus and a pre-chilled glass. The same applies to most mass produced European beers like Heineken, Stella Artois These are where you turn for quick refreshment after working in the Garden or a day at the beach. When the first beer is going to be gone in a few minutes and the tongue will not be afforded a chance to explore the beer’s palate. Come to think of it ice-water also works here… and Becks.

So serving temperature is important but there is no right or wrong here, there is just personal preference. So next time, as you sip a cold beer take note of how the beer changes as it warms. You decide what is the best temperature for you for that beer.