Craft Beer Cellar: Heaven on Earth

While visiting Massachusetts in April, I was snooping around online to see if there were any decent local stores selling craft beer. There was one packy in my home town that had a decent 6 pack selection and a small shelving unit of bombers, but it still left a lot to be desired. Surprisingly, the local Whole Foods ended up having one of the better selections, but the staff wasn't very helpful and it just felt out of place. If only there was a store that carried all of the finest craft brews available in the area... I came across a store on Google and Yelp that sounded like the exact place that I, and every other beer nerd in the nation, was looking for, the Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont, Massachusetts.

From the moment I walked through the front door of the Craft Beer Cellar, I was overwhelmed. This is what I have been waiting so long to find in a retail beer store: craft beer, and only craft beer...everywhere. When you first walk into the stylish, dark-wood paneled store, you are greeted by an impressive selection of domestic craft brews at room temperature on one side and refrigerated options on the other side. Various brewery-specific stands are strategically placed on the floor showcasing special offerings from some of the greats, like Allagash, Dogfish Head, and Brooklyn. Towards the back is a most impressive selections of imports. Because my mission while home was to drink strictly New England brews, I didn't spend much time back there, which I now regret. If the selection is not enough to get you drooling, the owners encourage you to pull singles and build your own 6 pack(s) at very reasonable prices. If this store is not beer heaven on earth, then I don't know what is. In all they offer over 1,000 types of craft beer with seasonal and rare offerings rotating in when available.

Undoubtedly, the Craft Beer Cellar has the most impressive selection of craft beer I have ever seen in one place, but this was not the best part of my new favorite store. What got me driving a half hour back to Belmont for a second time was the quality of customer service I experienced during my first visit. Owner's and fellow beer nerds, Suzanne Schalow and Kate Baker, really elevated my experience at the Craft Beer Cellar from being simply a trip to buy beer into what felt more like a friendly conversation between beer enthusiasts that you might have at a pub. When I mentioned to Suzanne and Kate that I was trying to explore New England breweries while I was in town, they pointed me to a few up and coming Boston area breweries that I would have otherwise passed over. One of their suggestions, Night Shift's Trifecta, is now one of my favorite Belgian pale ales, and I only have the Craft Beer Cellar to thank for that. There is nothing more disappointing than taking a liquor store employee up and their offer for advice and being pointed to Blue Moon when you ask for a good Belgian white.

Garret Oliver showing off cans at CBC

The only downside of my visit was that I missed meeting Garret Oliver, brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, by an hour. He just so happened to be in town with some of Brooklyn Brewery's new canned offerings and dropped by the Craft Beer Cellar to say, "Hello." Kate and Suzanne seem very connected and respected within the craft beer industry, which makes appearances by respected members in the industry as well as brewery tasting and showcases a typical scene at their store. Their impressive tasting schedule alone will surely get you drooling.

Hopefully, the Craft Beer Cellar is a beacon of hope for the future of the retail craft beer industry. Stores like this one dedicated solely to the sale of craft beer are beginning to appear and thrive because of the increasing presence and popularity of craft beer. Though somewhat regional right now, these stores are a possible model for the future in craft beer retail by exposing consumers to a new world of beer that they might not otherwise see in a typical package store that only offers the usual macro suspects.

If you are anywhere near Boston, you owe it to yourself to stop at Craft Beer Cellar. Be sure to chat it up with Suzanne and Kate and maybe even catch one of their many tastings that they host. Support your local craft beer store!

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse: The Fearless Youth Dunkel Lager

I was rushing my way through the liquor store the other day looking for a bomber and was having quite the time making any decisions. It was one of those days where nothing was jumping out at me and I felt like I had already tried everything, although that is most definitely not the case. While perusing, I found myself in front of the Colorado-based bomber cooler and my eyes kept getting pulled towards the same bottle with a very cool, fairy tale like scene adorning the label under the name the Fearless Youth. I grabbed the 22oz bottle and saw it was a Dunkel Lager brewed by Grimm Brothers Brewhouse out of Loveland, Colorado. I have had dunkelweizens before, but never dunkel lagers, so I thought, "why not?"

In the glass, Fearless Youth pours a very deep amber color, with hints of red and brown. A creamy, off-white head sat on top and never fully dissipated. There was not an overwhelming amount of aroma, but hints of toasted malts were at the forefront with a bit of spice. A strong dark, toasted malt character dominated the flavor profile, with prominent notes of chocolate and caramel. This strong malt profile maintained through to the finish where a breadiness and a slight bitterness, though not with much hop flavors, made an appearance. The breadiness and toasted malts left a mouth watering after taste that begged for another sip.

All in all, this medium bodied lager is great option for someone looking for a refreshing and easy to drink beer, but with a bit more depth in the flavor and aroma than some of the lighter lagers. The Fearless Youth makes me eager to try Grimm Brothers' other German influenced beers when I come across them in the future. I seem to favor the ales completely and never find myself running towards lagers, but maybe this is a sign that I should try and expand my horizons a bit...

Fort Collins Craft Beer Tour

Being a (former) CU Buff, I inherited a sworn hatred for the hometown of our biggest rival, Colorado State University. Though I had never so much as driven through Fort Collins, I was certain I wasn't going to like it because it is the home of the Rams. While I still think Fort Collins doesn't hold a flame to the ultra-hip Boulder that I call my own, they do have a craft beer scene that, dare I say, rivals that of Boulder.

Nation-wide distributed craft breweries, up-and-coming micro-breweries, and local-level pubs all call Fort Collins home and create a very diverse and exciting beer culture. My friend Andrew and I knew it would be quite the feat to hit every brewery, tap house, and pub in town, so we narrowed ourselves down to a handful of spots that were most convenient for getting around.

A sneak peak at the barrel room during
the Odells brewery tour

We started our FoCo craft beer tour in the second oldest Colorado brewery (after Boulder Beer Co.), Odells Brewing Company. It was quite the happening spot, with live music set up both in and outside, a BBQ pit going, and tours running every hour. We signed up for the three o'clock tour, which left us time to have a few pints outside on the patio, watching a storm roll in from the west. I started the day off with Odells' "happy accident," Shenanigans. It is brewed with Brettanomyces, which gives it a really interesting tartness. Then I enjoyed a pint of the Hiveranno New American Wild Ale, which is brewed wild Belgian yeasts that instilled a lot of fruity flavors. Before the tour, I grabbed a Cutthroat Porter on the nitro tap, which tasted unbelievably delicious as usual, but with a more silky quality than the CO2 version. The tour was pretty standard as far as brew tours are concerned. I would say the highlight, for me at least, was getting to see the room with all the barrel aged beers. That was a site to see...

Fort Collins Brewing.
Beers are listed from L-R in post

About half a block down the road from Odells conveniently sat Fort Collins Brewery, also with a live band playing. Because the band was taking up more space than usual, the tours were cancelled, so Andrew and I decided to get a flight of the seasonal brews. I won't go into too much detail about each, since there were six, but here was the line up (most of these aren't on their website, but BeerAdvocate has most): Edgar Lager, Maibock, Woody, Double Chocolate Stout, and Incredihop. I remember the Double Chocolate Stout really sticking out as something I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a bomber of. It was really rich and actually had a thick chocolate quality to it.

Equinox Brewing

A quick ride back to Oldtown (I think?) brought us to a pub called Equinox Brewing that I came across while looking online for places to go. Again, there was more live music and an even livelier crowd. This place was packed from wall to wall, but Andrew and I managed to weasel two spots at the bar. I started with the Night Ryder dunkelweizen because I have had a recent infatuation with the dark-wheat, German brews. Next, I had a sample of the Orion red that was being served from the cask, which was one of my favorite beers of the night. Before heading out, I tried the Pazuzu Imperial Stout which did not fail to please, either.

The bar at Funkwerks tap house

Our last stop was to Funkwerks tap house, which was where I was most looking forward to going into this mini-trip. We ended up getting a flight, which was more than enough to keep us occupied. It came with a hefty portion of each of the following: White, Saison, Tropic King, Belgian Oatmeal Stout, and Dark Prophet. Getting to sample each one of their offerings in their tap house has only made me like Funkwerks even more. They are definitely a brewery to keep your eye on.

Funkwerks was our last stop. A series of unfortunate events split a phone-less Andrew and I up at the tap house. We had plans to go to the Mayor of Oldtown, which has 100 beers on tap and serves breakfast all day (sounds like heaven), but that will have to wait until next time. When I do find myself in Fort Collins next, I will definitely want to visit New Belgium since their facility is supposed to be impressive, Mayor of Oldtown for obvious reasons, and Pateros which is another local pub that was recommended by the friendly hotel guy.

All in all, I think my first experience with the FoCo craft beer scene can be chalked up to a success. Maybe I will see you soon Fort Collins...

New England Series: Long Trail Double Bag

Every since I started homebrewing, I have wanted to brew a German altbier. I came across a recipe, and it sounded like everything I was looking for in beer with its sweet malt profile and balanced, crisp bitterness. The problem with altbiers is that they require a period of fermentation at very low, lager-like temperatures, despite (usually) being brewed with ale yeast. There was no way for me to get a fermenter down to the temperatures needed, so I unfortunately was never able brew an altbier. So whenever I see a bottled altbier in the store or on tap at the pub, I never hesitate to partake to remind myself what exactly it is I am missing out on.

While at the store, I came across an altbier made by a brewery that I am no stranger to. Long Trail Brewing Company in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont is about as old as I am and have prided themselves on creating quality craft beer while keeping in account the importance of environmental sustainability. For example, they send all their spent grains from the brewing process to local dairy farms for food and use the thermal energy from steam to heat water for the next brew day, which saves a significant amount of propane.

city-data.com

Long Trail Double Bag is described as a double altbier, or strong ale, that is referred to in Germany as "stickebier," which loosely translates to "secret brew." Double Bag pours copper in color with a very slight tint of red. A very creamy head dissipated rather quickly, but left a good amount of lacing. Sweet, almost caramel-like aromas were very prominent with some hints of fruit and alcohol. The first sip was filled with lots of malt sweetness with notes of caramel and a subtle breadiness. There was also a roasty, almost chocolaty, quality present as well that gave it a bit more depth. An earthy bitterness comes through and lasts through the finish, which creates a bit of a bite with the alcohol flavors. For 7.2% ABV, this beer is very, very drinkable with its light body and a slightly dry finish keeping you wanting more.

If I Double Bag was sold in my part of Colorado, I have a feeling it would quickly become my go-to six pack. It has a wonderfully complex malt profile that is balanced perfectly with a bitterness so as to off set the sweetness a bit. This only strengthens my urge to brew an altbier. One day...

New England Series: Atlantic Brewing Company Coal Porter

There is nothing like a good porter to give you that dark beer fix without feeling completely full, like a heavier stout tends to do. I threw in a bottle of Atlantic Brewing Company's Coal Porter into my sixer-mixer (just made that up?) and I sure am glad I did.

The Bar Harbor, Maine based brewery credits itself as one of the premier breweries out of Maine. They moved their brewery a while back into a farm to give it a more "country" feel that seems to be missing from a lot of the industrial park breweries. It sounds and looks like a really great facility, which would make for a great excuse to drive to Maine sometime soon.

Coal Porter is a very dark brown, but not completely impenetrable to light, with a very creamy, mocha-colored head. Aromas rich with robust, roasty malt dominate, with a subtle sweetness similar to molasses (in a good way). The smell is an appropriate representation of the flavors to come, with very robust, dark malt profiles coming through strong up front with some sweetness in the middle and a hint of bitterness (but with no hop flavors) that dries out the finish a bit. It was also a lot smoother than I was anticipating based on the rush of bubbles in the glass. There was almost a silky quality to it despite looking as if it may have a strong carbonation bite.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this beer. Though it is sometimes fun to be mislead by aromas to make you surprised by the flavor of a beer, this ale smelt like it tasted which made each sip very full and complete from the scent and taste working together. I was not joking when I said this beer could get me to drive down east to Bar Harbor.

Rogue and Voodoo Doughnut collaboration

Breweries have been collaborating in order to create unique, and usually limited, craft beers for some time now, but what seems to be a more and more frequent occurrence are breweries teaming up with different non-beer industries. For example, Dogfish Head is gearing up to release a cider-esque ale that is a collaboration with Deltron 3030, which is one of the few music related collaborations that DFH has created. It is a great way for brewers to gain some outside influence in order to create recipes that may otherwise have never be imagined.

One of the most interesting inter-industry collaborations that I have read about lately is between Rogue and Voodoo Doughnuts who are both out of Portland, Oregon. Voodoo is no stranger to the foody scene, and you probably have seen there (in)famous maple-bacon doughnut on the Food Network or Travel Channel. This unconventional, meat-covered doughnut is the inspiration behind the Rogue/Voodoo collaboration that has been creating quite a stir in the craft beer community.

Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale, which is listed as a brown ale on Rogue's website, pours a very warm amber color that is close to a light brown. A thick and creamy head settled down to about a half inch and was present throughout the entire pint. Immediately after I poured the beer, before even bringing my nose to the glass, strong maple syrup aromas with a prominent smoke profile were noticeable. It really was eerily close to the scent of a pancake breakfast with a side of bacon. There definitely is a salty/meaty element to the aromas as well, which actually blends nicely with the scents of sweet maple syrup and smoked malts.

I really like smoked beers, so the initial sip was really pleasant. Up front there is a lot of maple syrup sweetness and a considerable amount of smoke from the malt, but also probably a bit from the bacon as well. The syrup and smoke is very prominent through out the flavor profile, but a meat quality definitely comes out in the middle and through the finish. The best way I can describe it is literally like eating a piece of chewy bacon covered in syrup. It may sounds pretty off putting from my description, but the flavors the bacon instill really do add another level of complexity to the smokiness.

Voodoo's Maple Bacon doughnut
wikipedia.com

I drank about a pint of the Bacon Maple Ale, and that was about as much as I could do. It was not because I did not enjoy it, because I actually really did, but it seems more like something that would go well with a pork dinner or even a pancake breakfast as opposed to just being enjoyed without food. This beer has gotten very mixed reviews. Some say it is brilliant example of an ale using non-conventional ingredients, while others write it off as some sort of Frankenstein beer experiment gone wrong that makes you feel like you are drinking bacon.

Either way, I would definitely recommend this ale as worth trying, especially for beer enthusiasts who enjoy a good smoked ale. It is definitely something far from the norm of the usual craft brews, and who wouldn't want to try a beer that actually had a doughnut or two thrown in it?

New England Series: Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale

Organically brewed ales and lagers are an increasingly available option at liquor stores and bottle shops. While it may seem silly to some to worry about whether or not pesticides were used in the ingredients, it is also important to realize that along with "organic" often comes environmental consciousness, sustainability, and support of local business and industry. At the end of the day, however, beer is enjoyed based on the way it interacts with your senses, so organic or not, it still needs to taste delicious.

I was in the mood for something on the darker side of the spectrum since I have been favoring the lighter Belgian ales lately. I saw Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale and it seemed like a good choice to mix things up a bit. Based out of Portland, Maine, Peak Organic focuses on brewing craft beer with quality ingredients from sustainable, local resources. It is a comforting to know that people actually care for the well being of not only our environment but also the importance of small-scale industries.

state-maps.org

Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale pours a very light brown with an off-white, creamy head that sticks around for quite some time. Scents of toasty and nutty  malt and caramel sweetness are present with slight hints of chocolate and bread. The taste starts off with toasty malts and strong notes of nuttiness. A very prevalent bitterness appears in the middle and holds out through the finish. Some of the toasty flavors come through in the finish, but it is primarily the bitterness. There is also a slightly off putting metallic flavor that appears in the middle and lingers on to the after taste, which may be due in part to the bitterness overpowering the malt flavor profile.

The beer is drinkable, but seems to be lacking prominent flavors. Honestly, it smells better than it tastes because there is almost a watery quality to it that makes it taste like it is lacking depths of flavors that should be present. I would not rush out to buy this beer again, but I can appreciate what Peak Organics is doing up in Portland in regards to supporting sustainable business ethics. Though I am not won over by this beer, I would not hesitate to try another another Peak Organics brew...