This Month's Featured Beers
August 2008
Brewery |
Beers Featured |
| Bluegrass Brewing Company | Dark Star Porter |
| Michigan Brewing Company | Celis White |
| Bluegrass Brewing Company | Amber Ale |
| Michigan Brewing Company | Celis Grand Cru |
| McAuslan Brewing Company (Canada) | St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout |
| McAuslan Brewing Company (Canada) | St. Ambroise Pale Ale |
(Although we will make every attempt to ship the above products, occasionally they may need to be substituted with equally outstanding beers. The product descriptions below areexcerpts from our monthly newsletter. Click here to view it in its entirety.)
Bluegrass Brewing Company
Applying his appreciation of beer styles from around the world, and a uniquely keen ability to make distinctly American brews, David R. Pierce has crafted beers that showcase the very best of all beery worlds. It takes a whopping 7 different malt varieties to create this dark beauty, which was named after the 1953 Kentucky Derby winner. Immediately note the big, roasty nose with notes of coffee, chocolate, plum, and peat. When tasting, look for lightly fruity notes of apple and plum, roasted chocolate, dark-roast coffee, and a faint smokiness, all rounded out by a mild hop bitterness in the very smooth finish. This beer is great with beef dishes, sharp cheddar, chocolate desserts, or anywhere you'd pair a robust red wine.
Expect pleasingly fresh grains on the nose, caramel notes, and a bit of molasses. This beer fills the nose with the aroma of clean, fresh barley. Look for a moderately sweet flavor profile with hints of red apples, a touch of lager-like sulphury notes, and an earthy, mineral-laden component. Finishes with subtle note of white grapes and cereal grains. Altbier is an old style of German brew that blurs the line between lager and ale (in fact, altbier literally means "old beer"). Its real strength is that it preserves the fruitier flavors produced by ale yeast, but permits them to mellow through extended conditioning, similar to that of a traditional lager. Altbier: the best of both worlds – what's old is new again. Pair with prune-and-pomegranate-glazed roasted duck.
Michigan Brewing Company
"Authentic Belgian-Style Wheat Beer." Damn right it is. Pierre Celis's own branded version of the beloved Hoegaarden, which he created in 1966, single-handedly resurrected this style of beer, which has been propelled toward the palates of many beer drinkers by way of a solid, widely available, though less authentic, beer known as "Blue Moon" (which is actually brewed by Molson Coors, which is now MillerCoors, the result of the recent merger of SABMiller and Molson Coors to form the USA's second largest brewer—ah, corporate brewing conglomerates just love consolidation… look for more of this throughout the rest of the decade…)
The success of Miller's Blue Moon is an odd irony, considering that Miller had a major hand in burying Pierre Celis's Austin, Texas, brewing venture, where Celis White was debuted (look it up… another sad story). On to the beer review: the look and nose are spot on for the style, and we're thrilled that the brewers at MBC have stayed so faithfully true to this beer's recipe. Look for spicy phenolic notes, bubble-gummy clove and coriander notes being the most prominent, with hints of light, sourish tart orange rind and champagne, all backed by a light touch of caramel maltiness. Plenty of wheat on the nose (note the lightly sourish notes). The flavor profile is bolder than Hoegaarden, as that beer, too, has suffered from corporate conglomerate mergers (which led to the shut down of the original Hoegaarden brewery last year, a heartbreaking casualty of consolidation (look it up… yet another sad story)). The spicy, phenolic notes are quite bold, but balanced – sweet and spicy clove meets spiciness of coriander and white pepper, and a firm malty sweetness fades as the wheat and spelt tartness dries it out. This beer also has a more firm hop bitterness in the finish than its famous forebear. It's reassuring to know that Pierre Celis's efforts live on!
With its pale-to-medium straw color, if this Grand Cru is put next to a glass of a dark beer like this month's Dark Star Porter, and you ask people which they think is 'stronger,' most beer novices will pick the darker beer. Wrong. It's this one, with 8% ABV, which we'll give you the heads up on: it's well hidden; sip this one slowly. This beer actually has a mead-like quality on the nose, with notes of fermented honey. Also expect a big kick of white-raisin-like notes, coupled with candied orange peel soaked in light rum. Citrusy Cascade hops are present, as well, but deftly blended with the other aromatics. The beer's taste is even more protective of the sneaky alcohol content – goes down with very-well-masked alcohol, though you will experience some belly warming to remind you of the kick. Look for an interplay of figs, raisins, Muscat grapes, and a faint essence of lime in the flavor profile, with minor notes of banana, cloves and cardamom amidst the caramel and orange fade. Nicely done. The brewery recommends pairing with heartier foods such as beef tenderloin, smoked sausage, wild game, or enchiladas.
McAuslan Brewing Company— Montréal, Québec, Canada (Southeastern Canada)
We're thrilled to share this beer with our members, as it's one of the world's greats! At the World Beer Championship in 1994, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout received the second highest rating of the over 200 beers in the competition and won one of only nine platinum medals awarded. That's right: Platinum. This is a rare achievement. Having won Platinum is pretty much the only way to make their 1996 follow-up Gold seem slightly disappointing! This amazing stout has also been chosen by 10 European, American, and English beer writers for inclusion in their list: "Top ten favorite beers in the world". Brewed from 40% dark malts and roasted barley, this intensely black ale carries strong hints of espresso and chocolate in both aroma and flavor. The use of oatmeal contributes body and a long-lasting mocha-colored head to this well-hopped beer. Look for a touch of sweetness in the finish along with bitter hops and suggestions of espresso. A good beer to enjoy with desserts like chocolate cake or pudding, or 70% cocoa dark chocolate. Looking for good dark chocolate? Check out our Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club; there are numerous beers that pair well with chocolate. But even if you're not into chocolate yourself, we're pretty sure you know a chocolate fan somewhere out there – perhaps you received your Beer of the Month Club membership as a gift, and perhaps, just perhaps, it's time to return the favor with flavor? Check out www.monthlyclubs.com for more info.
St. Ambroise Pale Ale is the brewery's flagship beer. Introduced in February 1989, it's a hoppy, reddish-amber, full-flavored ale. In 1994 and 1996 it earned the brewery Silver Medals at the World Beer Championship, and in 2004 it took the Gold Medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards. Expect bread-like caramel malts and a floral, citrus hop spiciness on the nose. Look for a distinct caramel maltiness that pairs well against the heavy-handed use of hops. The finish is bitter, with some lightly peppery hops and fresh grains in the aftertaste. Quite nice with a grilled chicken Caesar salad or spicy Jack cheese quesadillas.
