Unibrue’s Maudite

Brewed in the style of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Beers of this type are often a little higher in alcohol a more balanced feel to them. Often with a lot of complexity that can sneak by those with a a delicate taste. Often present are hop, malt and fruit notes, with some spicy feel to them. Hops are present, but not all that prevalent usually and the alcohol will often sneak up on you.

This one comes to us from The Unibroue brewery in Quebec, Canada. Not much on these guys either on their website. The profess to use only natural ingredients and boast state-of-the-art brewing equipment: “The brewing methods used by Unibroue have been inspired by the great European brewing traditions and, in this respect, are one of a kind in North America. The methods used stand out, in particular, from the brewing methods of the mass-producing breweries and even from the other North American craft brewers because the beer is refermented in bottles and partly-clarified only. Through these methods, specialty beers with an evolutive taste and a long shelf life are produced. The manufacturing of the beer at Unibroue is done in five phases: brewing, fermentation, clarification, bottling and kegging and, finally, refermentation in bottles in the holding room.”

Poured slowly into a tulip glass, you can just see the plethora of bubbles trickle to the top producing a wonderful two finger head. After a few minutes it settles into a very sustainable one finger head that leaves a thick snowy blanket of lacing on the glass.  Displaying a a very dark amber color that alsmost looks copper at the same time, you cant help but want to dive right in.

Aroma is that of a sweet caramelized malt, with a moderate alcohol note. Fruits and spice are also present but somewhat overpowered my the malt. I had to have a second whiff.

The sweet malt sensed earlier comes out immediately and is very nice. The citrus notes I smelled earlier are a nice compliment to the alcohol presence that lingers on the back end and a little spice just to keep it interesting. Oh and as I take another sip, I know some hops were there.

Mouthfeel was was not that crisp, just as it shouldn’t be. Medium in body, it was appropriate for this style.

Overall, I was impressed. With the likes of Molson coming from Canada, this was a refreshing brew to have. I was not too sure what to expect from the French province, this is one I will definitely have again. It weighs in at around 8%, respectable, but not too much.

Southampton Publick House’s Altbier Düsseldorf-Style Ale

The Altbier is a brown ale originating in Germany. Alt means old in German, although a quick check of YourDictionary, yields the meaning of high. This style is typically conditioned for a long period of time, longer than most styles. Color usually ranges from amber to dark brown, medium in carbonation with a balance between malt and hops.

This Altbier comes from the Southampton Publick House in Southampton, NY.  There is not a whole lot in the way of information of the brewery. They are a restaurant  that brews their own beers, but beyond that, I find mainly reviews, not their history. They are located on the far end of Long Island located in Southampton Village on the site of historic Herb McCarthy’s Bowden Square. They began in 1996 as the first microbrewery in that area.

Pours avery deep copper, that has a hint of a molasses brown color to it.  Poured into a slender sylinder glass, with a minimal amiunt of carbonation producing a very thin head that quickly goes away. Somewhat disapointing, as the lacing left on the glass is watered down and does not stick well at all.

Aroma is of heavy malt with either caramel or butterscotch accents to it. In fact it is this aroma that is so very prevalent in this beer you can almost taste the sweetness. A very sweet smell that almost makes you think a heavy alcohol aroma should also be present.

The malt flavor is definately more butterscotch than caramel in nature, although likley not much difference between the two. Bready notes, along with some toasted notes as well. Almost tastes like a loaf  of carmalized marble rye.

Mouthfeel is crisp primarily, although heavy at the same time. Goes down so easily, you will want another!

Overall, a decent Altbier. Not my preferred style, but a nice change and seems to do what the styles requires. I’d like more of a hop presence, but all the same a very enjoyable brew. Goes nicely with fruit desserts such as cobbler or a cherries jubilee, although seems it would also go well with nice grilled steak too. Weighing in around 5% ABV, you can definitely enjoy another.

Freetail Brewing Co’s Simcoe Tadarida IPA

This one is and example of an An example of an American IPA , or India Pale Ale.  Color can range from pale golden to red and often are cloudy. The American IPA is typically big on hops and often a little herbal or citrus flavor. If you get a good one, bitterness will be present. They tend to be medium in body with a mild malt character.

Brought again to us by the Freetail Brewing Co. This is one unique brewpub, determined to change your perception of beer and of Texas craft brews (Yes, we have very good craft brews here in Texas)!  Born out of inspiration in 2005 while at Chama River Brewing Co., in Albuquerque, NM, owner Scott Metzger and brewer Jason Davis have created a very unique brewpub that has paid homage to Texas and its inhabitants.

Appearance was that of a clear light gold, almost as if the sun was shining through. Poured into a pint glass straight off the the tap at Freetail Brewing, a nice amount of carbanation produced a small, but sustainable head with nice lacing.

The Simivoe hops hit you as soon as you take a whiff of this one. Wow, a nice surprise. They even smell bitter! Balanced out by a modest amount of malt and citrus, this was heaven to my nose.

As it should, bitter hops hit you immediately. Nice wonderful hops..a great malt character does balance out the hops and still retains the bite of an IPA. A faint hint of citrus, but what grabs you are the Simcoe hops. Simcoe hops are a relatively new type of hop, a hybrid similar to cascade hops, but with more bitterness. It’s the Simcoe hops that give this one the bite!

Mouthfeel is very crisp. Goes down easy, but beware! The more you have, the more the alcohol content hits you!

Overall, I was impressed. It had a bite, it was crisp, it was smooth. At around 8% ABV, you can have another. Went well with the meatball sub and chips I had.

Deschutes Brewing Co’s Red Chair IPA

This one is and example of an An example of an American IPA , or India Pale Ale.  Color can range from pale golden to red and often are cloudy. The American IPA is typically big on hops and often a little herbal or citrus flavor. If you get a good one, bitterness will be present. They tend to be medium in body with a mild malt character.

This one comes to us from the Deschutes Brewing Co in Bend, Oregon. Opening in 1988 in downtown Bend, OR, the brewery later moved to its current location along the Deschutes River in Bend. Their facility in Ben includes a “50-barrel traditional gravity brew house and a new one-of-a-kind 131-barrel Huppmann brew system from Germany, Deschutes now creates and experiments with specialty batches of limited beers”.

Pours a medium, but almost deep, copper color into a standard pint glass, which almost reminds you of an evening sunset. Nice carbonation, as you watch the bubble trickle up to the top of the glass producing a medium head that dissipates into a thin, but sustainable heat. Lacing on the glass is is thick and stays around for the duration of your experience.

Aroma is all hops baby. Just the way it should be for a decent IPA. Caramel and malt undertones help to balance this one out. A second whiff gets you some citrus and spice undertones that make you want to sniff again. But do not let your nose linger to long, as you are going to want to taste this one too, for the sweet scent of an unusual malt hits my nose.

Upon first taste, the bitter taste of hops come crashing into your mouth as a good IPA should. Contrary to Deschutes own description, I do taste the citrus they describe, but get more bitterness in the taste than they state.  balancing the hops out is a nice malt flavor. One difficult to place. Looking at Deschutes website, they mention the use of seven different types of malt in the brewing process. That explains the unusual malt flavor.

Mouthfeel is a nice crisp bite. It is creamy, smooth and the bubble from the still ongoing head are quite nice.

Overall a great representation of this style. When given the chance, I will definately have another. Weighs in around 6.5% ABV, allowing you to have a few i you want. Pairs nicely with spicey food, such as a well done Tandoori Chicken and rice.

Ska Brewing Co’s Pinstripe Red

This one is an example of an American Amber Ale or Red Ale. As stated previously, this style usually heavier on the malt, contains hops  and very often has a fruity character to it, with spices sometimes present. It has been said that the American Amber Ale is a kind of catch all category for ales that are amber in color all the way to read. It is usually very balanced malt brew with fruit characteristics to it.

This one is brought to us by the Ska Brewing Co out of Durango, Colorado.  With an idea born in 1995, Bill Grahm and Dave Thibodeau, Ska brewing sought to brew the best beer they had ever tasted, whether in Colorado or anywhere. As they tell it, Bill and Dave weren’t even of age to drink when they began this. At a time when the corporate world was trying to squash smaller craft breweries, Bill and Dave were determined to save the world as they put it.

Poured nice and slow into a pint glass, with a nice summer shade of golden yellow to it, and mild carbonation. The  carbonation still produced a pretty good half finger head, while still leaving a thin but long lasting lacing on the glass. Hold it up and let the sun shine through my friends!

The aroma produced by this brew hearkens of malt, mild fruit and spice. A second whiff gets you a little scent of  hops and faint caramel. A descent nose, but not spectacular.

Upon first sipping this one, I get the sweet malt immediately. It is a nice taste, but almost a little too sweet. It is a little too dry and I find myself smacking my lips just to get some moister going. This takes away somewhat from the nice hop undertones this brew has.  A second sip definitely gets me some of the fruitiness I smelled earlier.

Mouthfeel is a little on the flat side,. Not much crispness.

Overall, A descent stock  brew, but not one I am anxious to grab again. It did compliment well the cheese fries with ranch dressing I had for lunch and with an ABV of just over 5%, it doesn’t knock your socks off but allows you to enjoy.

Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend

Another gem from the fine folks at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. This one is an example of a Quadruple ale. Ales of this type do tend to be just that, four times as strong as those brews labeled as a double or triple. What makes these stand out is the higher alcohol presence in the taste, the heavy sweetness and malt presence.

Brewery Ommegang is located in Cooperstown, New York. They are very somewhat unique among American craft brewers. Taking the Belgian attitude of  taking risks with traditional styles and producing bold flavors and high alcohol, this American craft brewery feels as if it’s in the heart of Brussels itself.  Beginning only a meager 12 years ago, they have not only cemented their reputation in the states as the premier brewery of Belgian style ales, the got the attention of Belgian brewery Duvel Moortgat who bought the brewery in 2003 increasing Ommegang sales into Canada and Belgium. Since then though, Ommegang has continued to operate as they did before producing fine, bold Belgian style brews.

In absence of a tulip glass, preferred for this style, I poured this one into a standard pint glass. Still, it poured well, displaying a very deep, cloudy copper color that almost takes you back to that last great sunset you saw. It produced a plethora of bubbles that continued to rise to the top, just at the point when you thought they would end. This produced a great one finger head that stuck around for a good ten minutes before settling a little. What you end up with is a lacing on the glass, that stuck well.

The aroma is about what I would expect from this one. A sweet, very fruity scent, likely from the cherries that Ommegang says it puts in. hops are also prevalent, giving the aroma alone the bite I expect to see upon tasting. Take another whiff and you get a very nice malt presence balanced out by a subtle alcohol aroma.

Wow, this one was what I expected it to be. A sweet fruity taste, almost sticky if that is possible. Just wonderful with a spice I can not place. The fruit I smelled earlier is there and is definitely cherry. Upon reviewing Ommegang’s site, it turns out they put about 5% of a Kriek mixed with this traditional Belgian Quadrupel ale. Kriek is a traditional cherry Lambic of Belgian origin. The longer it lingers in your mouth, the more the malt presence and alcohol come out. The alcohol is subtle and is more present on the back end, at least if you sip this one slowly as you should.

Mouthfeel is good. Crisp, but also creamy. Very much like this style should be.

Overall a great beer. Treat it with the respect it deserves and it will reward you. Definitely placed g side Belgium’s best Quadrupels. Weighing in at around 9.8% ABV, you’ll want to take your time with this one, but it will be worth it. I decided to pair this one with a vanilla ice cream I had last nite and a great homemade brownie.

Other reviews of Three Philosopher’s you should check out:

Beer A Day

Real Ale Brewing Co’s Sisyphus Barleywine Ale ‘08

As the name indicates, this one is a Barley Wine style ale. Brews of this type are usually not for the meek and this one is of the American barley Wine tradition. Characteristics are usually that of hops, fruity undertones, mild malt and sweetness. These tend to be some of the most intense brews around with a heavy alcohol punch to them.

This one comes from the Real Ale Brewing Co. the same folks that brought us Fireman’s 4 and  it’s doppelganger Alamo Golden Ale (brewed under the pseudonym Alamo Beer Co). The Real Ale Brewing Co calls Blanco, Texas its home. A quaint little town nestled in the Texas Hill country. A favorite destination of locals and visitors alike and a great area for cycling.

The appearance of this once was quite nice. It poured a light to medium copper color into a tulip glass. It looks almost as if it starts out light at the bottom and gets deeps as it goes up. A very minimal head is produced by what is visually very light carbonation, a product of warmer brewing I’d think. Lacing left on the glass, leave a little to be desired.

Aroma is nice though. Some malt, medium amount of hops and yes, some malt. A second whiff gets me a definite alcohol aroma with a yet to be determined spice.

Upon first sip, the alcohol and hops hit you good, although not as hard as I would have expected. I like a good Barley to knock my socks off. If you wait a minute, the alcohol comes out a little more, as does a mild malt flavor. Spices definitely present, although I confess i am not sure what they are.

Let this one linger a little and the alcohol continues to come out. Not as crisp as I would expect from a Barley, but not bad at all.

Overall, this one is worth a second bottle, although there are better Barley’s out there. I have had their ‘06 and ‘07, and this does compare. It weighs in around 11% ABV, so sip this one slowly and enjoy it. I would have enjoyed more of an alcohol presence, but it went nicely with the homemade vanilla ice cream I had for dessert.

Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout

This brew is an example of an Imperial Stout. Beers of this style tend to be higher in alcohol and malts than you average stout. Not a lot of carbonation, but include roasted malt and chocolate flavors. Moderate to high ABV’s fruit flavors and some spice can be tasted. Often they are brewed with a higher amount of alcohol as well.

The Merchant DuVin gives us some back ground on Samuel Smith’s “The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was founded in 1758 and is Yorkshire’s oldest brewery. Samuel Smith is one of the few remaining independent breweries in England, and further is the last to utilize the classic Yorkshire Square system of fermentation solely in stone squares. The rich Samuel Smith strain of yeast at The Old Brewery dates from the early 1900s. Hops are hand-weighed by the master hop blender, and the brewing water is drawn from a well sunk over 200 years ago.

Tadcaster is a market town dating back many hundreds of years. During the Roman period, its quarries supplied stone for the great military fortress at York. Today, ale is its principal export, brewed by three nationally famous local companies in a centuries old tradition. Samuel Smith is much the smallest of these breweries and alone retains its copper vessels, wooden casks and stone Yorkshire squares. Samuel Smith keeps grey Shire horses stabled at the brewery for local beer deliveries. Next to the brewery are the offices, the Little Delicatessen (selling the full range of Samuel Smith’s bottled beers) and the Angel and White Horse inn.”

This one poured a very nice dark brown into a pint glass. So dark, that it almost comes out black. Produces a nice thin head at first, but this quickly dissipated into the abyss, as it was not existent soon after the pour. No lacing whatsoever left behind. A bit of a disappointment on that front actually, could be an issue with the carbonation in the bottle.

Aroma is wonderful. Smoky malts fill the senses immediately with a wonderful chocolate aroma that has hints of spice and fruits, Apricot perhaps?

Definite taste of chocolate in this one, nicely done in fact. Although the smoky malt I smelled seems to taste more like a roasted malt, but really could go wither way. Definite fruity taste, still think appricots on this one. Nice hint of spice with a moderate alcohol taste on the back end.

Mouthful was crisp on this one, although not as thick as I like in a porter, but still very nice.

Overall, I loved this one quite a bit.Weighs in around 7% ABV and with the mild alcohol in it, you can both enjoy the flavor and have another if you would like. Enjoyed this brew with a homemade brownie a’ la mode. A nice pairing.

The Pike Brewing Co’s Pike IPA

An example of an American IPA . Color can range from pale golden to red and often are cloudy. The American IPA is typically big on hops and often a little herbal or citrus flavor. If you get a good one, bitterness will be present. They tend to be medium in body with a mild malt character.

Heading up to the norwest part of the United States, we find ourselves in Seattle, Washington and The Pike Brewing Co. Afters years of talking about owning a brewery, Charles and Rose Ann Finkel opened their doors in 1989 in Seattle, Washington in the La Salle Hotel on Western street, underneath the famed Pike Place Public Market. The Finkels wanted to brew beers that were the equal of those in Europe, as well as ones that paired well with food, concentrating on Ales, Porters, Scotch Ales and Barley Wines.

This one poured a beautiful light to medium copper into a standard pint glass. A nice medium one finger head that dicipated, but obly to a nice thjin sustainable one. Lacing on the glass stuck well, almost covering the entire glass.

Aroma is primarily of hops. Although not overpowering, the aroma is subtle but there and definitely nice. Malt is present but not prominent. Seems that the hops should be enough to make your nose smell the bitter, but not with this one.

The taste makes up for it a little.. all hops, just not as strong as I’d expected. Dry hopping would have been nice. If it was done hearm it van not be tasted. The malt comes out, but only as an after thought. A hint of alcohol, not much, but it is present.

Mouthfeel is good. Not as crisp as I’d like, but you taste the bite of this IPA as I would have hoped. The longer this one lingers the more the hops come out.

Overall, a solid IPA.  Not as strong as those from Stone, Dogfish Head or Green Flash, but a good effort indeed. Went very nice with the herbed steak topped with blue cheese. At about 6.5% ABV this one wont knock you over, but will allow you to enjoy more than one.

Rahr and Son’s Buffalo Butt

This one is also an example of an American Amber Ale or Red Ale. As stated previously, this style usually heavier on the malt, contains hops  and very often has a fruity character to it, with spices sometimes present. It has been said that the American Amber Ale is a kind of catch all category for ales that are amber in color all the way to read.

I’m one for tradition and history, both in beer and in all of life. Rahr and Sons Brewing in Fort Worth definitely has history. Although the latest incarnation of this brewery began in 2004, the family has been brewing for 164 years.

Begun by Willhelm Rahr in 1847 as the Eagle ‘Rahr’ Brewery and Malt House. His great-great-grandson Frederick Rahr continues the tradition today. The following is from their website “The Rahr family has been making beer for generations. In fact, the Rahr family started making beer in the United States long before Fort Worth was founded. In the year 1847, Fritz Rahr’s great, great grandfather Wilhelm “William” Rahr and his young bride “Natalie” left behind their beloved Rhineland, Germany and came to America. Within the year, on the banks of Wisconsin’s Manitowoc River and Lake Michigan, William Rahr had established himself the Eagle “Rahr” Brewery and Malt House. Here, the brewery and malting facility produced fine German lagers and rich roasted malts. The Eagle Brewery was the first “lager” brewery in Wisconsin.Upon William’s death, his three sons changed the name of the brewery and malt house to the William Rahr Sons Company and expanded their malting capabilities to help supply the entire surrounding brewing industry’s needs for malted barley.”

Half expecting the color of this one to look that that of a Buffalo’s Butt, this one actually poured a deep metallic copper into a pint glass and is cloudy in appearance. It starts of and finishes with a very minimal head that leaves a very weak lacing on that glass that would not stick to the glass to save its life. Likely a sign of the temperature this one was brewed at, or the lack of carbonation seen.

The aroma is that of  heavy, almost smoky malts. A slight hop aroma comes out, but more in a supporting role here. I did smell a slight hint of spice, but could not place what it was. Nutmeg, perhaps?

The smoky malt I smelled is predominant in the taste and the malt definitely takes the lead in this one. Not much distinguishes this one in taste, but it did have a nice citrus flavor to it.

Mouthfeel was o.k. Crisp, but also a little bland. The smokiness comes out more the longer this one lingers.

Overall, I say this is an ok back up if you can not find much else to bring home. It’s kind of hard to follow up Green Flash’s Hop Head Red. Even taking into account Hop Head Red is intentionally heavy on the hops,as regular Amber Ale’s go, a good ol’ New Belgian Fat Tire is just as good.