Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Beer Review: Crown Valley Brewing - Antique Amber Lager

I am pretty sure today's submission is the first craft brew that I have had from the state of Missouri.




Our Antique Amber is a medium bodies American lager brewed with the finest noble hops and German Malt.

5.5% Alc. by Volume

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear golden brown with a thin to medium off white head that settles right over the beer.

Aroma: Crisp malt with some fruitiness and noble hops.

Flavor: Up front with caramel sweetness and maybe a little corn. A tinge of fruitiness from the yeast and a nice mellow noble hop flavor. Ends a little sweet but very crisp and refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low to medium carbonation.

Overall: A very crisp and refreshing lager. The caramel malt plays perfectly with the yeast fruitiness. Reminds me somewhat of a lighter Vienna lager without as much as a malty presence.



Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Beer Review: Anderson Valley Brewing - Boont Amber Ale

For the 2nd amber submission this week we have the only brewery west of the Mississippi.


Boont Amber Ale

“This is by far, the best ale I have tasted in my entire life. It is simply magical. It makes my mouth water for more with every gulp.”
David Centola – Dublin, CA
Boont Amber Ale won the Silver Medal at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival, in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category, has several other medals, as well, and was named the “best beer brewed in Northern California,” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Boont Amber Ale is a medium bodied pale ale with a beautiful copper color, a robust head, and the rich flavor of caramel malt. This very smooth and exceptionally drinkable beer is excellent with steaks, chicken, pasta, and other flavorful meals.
As with all of our products, Boont Amber Ale is never sterile filtered nor heat pasteurized, and should be stored in refrigeration. However, to fully enjoy its rich and complex flavor, it should be served between 40° and 45°F
5.8 % Alcohol by Volume
15 IBU
“It’s bahl hornin’.”


Appearance: Pours a beautiful amber, the color of fossilized sap they make dinosaurs out of. Thick white head that reduces to about a half a finger.

Aroma: Biscuity caramel with some fruity and citrus hops.

Flavor: Smooth hop bitterness leads into caramel malt. Fruitiness is present and somewhat peach/apple/white grape like, possibly from the hops. Brown sugar and maybe a tinge of raisin, finishes caramelly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low to medium carbonation.

Overall: For my tastes this is really really good. Bitterness is low but the fruity hoppiness is really unique. A lot of caramel malt in this one but it isn't too overly sweet. The caramel malt may be a little much for some but I love it. I am going to have to find a clone recipe for this because the hop complexity really throws me. 


Monday, June 28, 2010

Beer Review: Arbor Brewing Co - Red Snapper Amber Ale

So I am traveling up to Montana this week and probably won't be by a computer much. I reviewed five Amber Ale/Lager/Hybrid this past weekend. Each day I will be featuring a new amber and will wind up the last post with my rankings. By no means are these the best 5 ambers, but they are a great selection from some great midwest breweries.



Style: Roasted Amber Ale
Strength: 4.9% (ABV)
IBUs: 30
Body: medium
Availability: Year-round, 24-12 oz bottles, 1/2 barrels

Food Pairings: Hamburgers, pizza, nachos, spaghetti & meatballs

Tasting Notes: A deep reddish brew with medium body and carbonation. This toasty, malty, and dry pale ale has a depth of hop taste and acidity in the palate and finish. 

Appearance: Pours a rich reddish amber. Thick almost tan head that lingers.

Aroma: Rich malt with hints of caramel. No hop presence detected, pretty much smells like grains in the mash.

Flavor: Huge malt backbone throughout. Hop bitterness comes through in the middle, and ends with a bit of roastiness. Detecting some biscuity and and toasty malt tones. Can not pick up any hop flavor. A tiny bit of caramel sweetness rounds it out and finishes lightly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low carbonation.

Overall: An amber ale on the malt side of the spectrum. Very close to an English ESB, I am guessing this is what the recipe was based off of. I was expecting an American amber with more citrus hop flavor. The extensive and varied malt properties are very enjoyable. The bit of roast is nice but would like a little more caramel. 



Friday, June 25, 2010

Watermelon Wheat Tasting Day

So just under a month the Watermelon Wheat has come full circle and is ready to drink!


I have to say this one one of the simplest, fastest, and non-problematic beers I have ever brewed. The craziest thing about the final product is that it is actually pretty clear, even after only 2 weeks of bottle conditioning. It somewhat perplexes me because one, I used wheat, two, I didn't use any finings to clear it out, and three I used German ale yeast which does not floc out very well...

 I am not going to question the results though, it is a beautiful golden beer. There is a great watermelon aroma with the tiniest bit of wheat to compliment it. I think I used the perfect amount of hops in this, you can tell there is a hop bitterness but it does not overwhelm any other of the flavors. The wheat and watermelon play really really well together. I really have to say that the fruit flavoring did a real nice job in lieu of any real fruit (made the process a ton easier as well). It is going to carb up a little more with a week or two more, it is a little light right now and I think it will benefit even more with a little more carbonation.

Not to toot my own horn but I also had some outside testers last night of the female variety. It was very well received and requested that I get more in the fridge as soon as possible.

This turned out to be a great success that I am going to enjoy in this heat wave Colorado is currently in. Sometimes everything just falls into place the first time you formulate a recipe, and I think this is one of them. If you are looking to brew up a watermelon wheat try this recipe out and let me know what you think.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Brewpub Review: Two Brothers Taphouse & Brewery - Warrenville, IL

Two Brothers Brewery and Brewpub is in my hometown of Warrenville, Illinois. They have been growing at an astounding rate in the past few years and are becoming nationally recognized for their outstanding line of beers. 


When they say they are off the beaten path they really do mean it. The building is located in I guess I would say an office park area of the town and not clearly marked at all. The first time I went there the only thing that told me that this must be it is the grain silo near the back of the building. If you are going there for the first time and not familiar with Warrenville, as I am, you may want to print out the directions and keep their phone number handy so you can call if you cannot find it.

 So you have found the building, now you have to find the entrance, luckily they have a straight and to the point sign on the door telling you where to enter.




Another nice feature is their sign showing the tap house business hours, complete with bar and food service times.













All joking aside, when you walk in this place you feel the great atmosphere. It is very clean and usually packed with people. It's one of the things I like about it, they don't need any fancy advertising or location to get people to come there, people go there because of the service, food, beer, and all around good vibe you get from the place. Word of mouth is the only advertisement that they need, and if you find it I am pretty sure you'll be wanting to go back. 

I have to say, they did a great job hiring a chef when they opened the tap house. The food, although mostly common pub fair, is perfectly prepared and some of the best quality I have ever had at a brew pub. We started out with the crab and artichoke dip. You wouldn't think the crab would be that good while sitting in the middle of the country, but they must have a great supplier cause it was fresh and went really well with the artichokes in the dip. 

Main courses were the pulled pork and the mac and cheese. The pulled pork was amazing. I can't tell you if they have a smoker on site but it sure did taste like it. Along with it I got some sweet potato fries, I am not really a huge yam fan but when deep fried you really can't stop eating them. The mac and cheese was just like your grandmother would make, add bacon....you will not regret it. They only thing I have herd negatively about the menu is that the reuben is not your typical reuban...you may like it or you may hate it.  

I apologize that the next pictures are going to be of lower quality. Camera ran out of batteries and had to change to the trusty cell phone cam for the rest of the documentation.  


With the quality of food they are putting on your plate you wouldn't think that the brewery operations are run out of the same building if it weren't for the window looking in.



"The fab five" as they call it listed above are always available on tap. They always have seasonal offerings and cask conditioned ales as well. The few times I have been there they have had a different IPA on draft. 



This time around I tried the Resistance IPA, conditioned in the "French oak foudres" that imparts a vanilla and oak flavor. Great IPA only wish I could have it on draft here in Denver.

The Long Haul Session Ale was another hit, and another offering that is aged with the French oak...at 4.2% you can definitely put a few back. 


Ebel's Weiss is a great German hefeweizen. Ranks up there with my favorite domestic hefeweizens along with Sierra Nevada's Kellerweiss.

If you have had your fill of the Two Brother's offerings they have a huge list of guest beers on draft and in bottle that you can try. Beer geeks will walk away very happy with their selection. 

After a great dinner we were offered a tour of the back brewing facilities. Of course I had to jump on it and check it out. They are under incredible growth right now and you can see that some of the huge conical fermenters had been just bought from Goose Island brewing as they still have the line "Chicago's Craft Brewer" on them.

Pictured to the left are the French oak foudres that the Resistance IPA and Long haul session had been aged in. As explained to me, Two Brothers is the only brewery to be aging in virgin oak rather than reused oak barrels from distilleries. They had these shipped over from France and their beer was the first thing to touch it other than the hands that constructed them. I was also told that oak chips could not impart the flavors as these vats do. The vanilla and fresh oak that these impart are not like anything else any other brewery is doing.     


So not only do they have a brewpub and brewery in the same building, guess what else?? An actual distributor warehouse, Windy City Distribution. Now let me tell you, I have never seen anything as glorious as this in my life. And just to note, there is no swill in this warehouse just heavenly, magnificent craft beer. Check out the website listed above for everything that they distribute. 











So in conclusion, Two Brothers Brewpub/Brewery/Distributor warehouse is a thing to behold. If you are a beer geek and in the area you must check it out.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Beer Review: Widmer Brothers W '10 Pitch Black IPA

Well two for Tuesday today, and yes I know it's a beer from a brewery that I reviewed last week but it was staring at me from the fridge just saying drink me...DRINK ME!! I find that a lot of beers I have never tried talk to me, or maybe I just drank a barley wine too fast. Plus not a better time to review when the new issues of BYO Magazine and Zymurgy have articles about the emerging style of Cascadian Dark Ales, which basically translate to black IPA.

Our Brewmasters' Release - Pitch Black IPA is a Pacific Northwest twisted tribute to an IPA style of beer. It is almost a traditional IPA but it is instead brewed to the emerging style of Cascadian Dark. We add a modest amount of a specially made debittered black malt to give this IPA a very dark color but without the characteristic dark malt flavors. Pitch Black IPA is hopped generously in the brewhouse and then again later during the dry hopping process. Hopheads of the world will certainly enjoy this dark version of IPA, as will beer drinkers looking for something new and experimental to fill their pint glass.
The "W" Brewmasters' Release Series is from Widmer Brothers. A new beer every year. Built from the ground up by our hardworkin' brewmasters. Traditional, experimental, anything goes. Here's to trying new things.
availability:
January - April
bitterness:
65 IBU
alcohol by volume:
6.5%
original gravity:
16° PLATO
malts:
Two Row Pale, Caramel 10 L, Special Roast, Carafa Special II
hops:
BITTERING: Alchemy
AROMA: Alchemy, Cascades
DRY HOP: Cascade T-45
goes well with:
smokey and spicy type dishes that tend to be richer, Steak with blue cheese butter (black and blue combo), Spicy Mole, Chili, Smoked and/or spicy cured meats, BBQ ribs


Appearance: Pours a deep mahogany in the light but appears black when out of the light. Thick off-white head lingers awhile with great full glass lacing.

Aroma: Citrus hops leaning towards grapefruit, with no roasted character evident until the beer warms a little. A tiny bit of caramel sweetness. 

Flavor: Upfront with grapefruity citrus tones leading to a tiny bit of roast and caramel sweetness. Slighty astringent but barely noticeable. Finishes dry on the palate. As the beer warms some roasted character comes through which really plays well with the hops.

Mouthfeel: Low to medium body with low carbonation. Very drinkable.

Overall: All I can say is that it is different. The color really throws off what you are tasting. This is a very tasty IPA with just a hint of roast which plays well with the hops and slight caramel sweetness. Very drinkable but will catch up with you if you have a few of them. A new style that will likely take on with the craft beer world. The style was probably derived in some homebrewers kettle. If it does well I could see Widmer Brother's making this an everyday offering or at least a seasonal one. As of now it is part of their yearly brewmaster's release so pick one up if you see it, you may only have the rest of this year to try it out.  



Beer Review: Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale

Well yesterday was the first day of summer and what a better way to welcome the upcoming scorching heat with an orange flavored cream ale. I found this at a liquor store up in Boulder, CO but have since seen it popping up everywhere, even at Cost Plus.



Orange Blossom Cream Ale is a seasonal beer in the fastest growing category in the craft beer segment. Pour it into a glass and enjoy the wonderful fragrance of freshly peeled orange. Orange Blossom Cream Ale is brewed with sweet orange peel, orange blossom extract, and honey. 

Malts:
Pale, Victory

Hops:
First Gold

Alcohol:
5.2% Alc. by Volume

IBUs:
13



Appearance: Pours golden orange with a one finger white head. Slighty hazy with a small touch of lacing.

Aroma: Smells like those orange scented potpourris. 

Flavor: Bitter orange peel upfront, leading into a sweet honey/floral middle, ending with candied orange. Bitterness slightly balances out the sweet.

Mouthfeel: Low body with medium carbonation.

Overall: Not too cloyingly sweet, the orange is present but also lends a pith bitterness to the beer. Would be nice to have one on a real hot day by the pool, although not a fan of putting fruit in beer this would probably be nice with an orange slice. I am not going to be sexist and say this is a great girly drink (ok I guess I am) but if you are into Smirnoff ICE this may be somewhat up your alley. I would recommend toning down all the orange and adding some malt to add to the complexity. They say they use victory malt which would do this nicely but I wasn't able to pick any up from the tasting. I could have one of these beers but would wind up getting sick of it if I was trying to "indulge" that day. 

   

Kyle's Brewfest - Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver Colorado


Kyle Hollingsworth, keyboardist extraordinaire, from the likes of The String Cheese Incident, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Holy Kimoto, etc has put together a great event in support of Conscious Alliance. In cooperation with Great Divide Brewing, The Mountain Sun Brewery, Deschutes Brewery, and Odell Brewing the event will be held at the Great Divide Taproom on Thursday July 22nd, 2010 the night before String Cheese's return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Tickets are $25 and all proceeds benefit Conscious Alliance. In addtion to helping out a great charity all tickets include:


• exclusive performance from Kyle Hollingsworth Band
• limited edition Kyle’s Brew Fest logo pint glass
• several drink tickets
• one 2-oz taster per brewery (participating breweries include Great Divide Brewing, The Mountain Sun Brewery, Deschutes Brewery, Odell Brewing, Avery Brewing, Boulder Beer, Ska Brewing, Stone Brewing, Trinity Brewing, Upslope Brewing and others)
• delicious Mountain Sun grilled food
• an opportunity to bid at the Silent Auction (which features rock memorabilia from the scene’s favorite artists, among other items)


I am told by a source very close to the scene that these tickets are just about sold out so if interested I would grab them up pretty quickly. Tickets can be purchased at:


***UPDATE - Tickets are currently only available at The Mountain Sun and Southern Sun Pubs in Boulder and Vine Street Pub in Denver. Online tickets are currently sold out, more tickets may be made available online at a later date. Mountain Sun Pubs

http://sci.baselineticketing.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=43805&eid=50604

For more info: http://www.kylehollingsworth.com/

Kyle has worked hard with the sponsoring breweries to put this together and working even harder helping them brew the batches that will be available for tasting at this event. It is going to be a very unique event to kick off a great weekend of music and brews. 

I will be attending and giving an in depth review in the week following. There may be some plans in the mix to get an interview in with Kyle so if you have any specific questions please post away.




Monday, June 21, 2010

Brew Gear: Online Supplier Review - BrewmastersWarehouse.com

If you have been apart of the homebrew community long you have probably figured out there is at least one common thing that all of us possess, and that would be thriftiness. Let's face it, this really isn't a cheap hobby. You may tell yourself hey I am making great beer for cents on the dollar but this is only factoring in ingredients. When looking at all the equipment I have bought over the years I probably would have broke even by just going and buying craft beer from the local liquor store.

Here in Denver I am lucky enough to have three homebrew shops that are within a 20 minute drive. Unfortunately the closest one shafted me on some grain and the owner wouldn't take my advice that he should probably calibrate his scales. Oh well, such is life, I will take my money elsewhere. I am not always available at the operating business hours of the other two so I began testing out a lot of the various different homebrew supply providers online.

As with any business, prices are going to vary from site to site. Some having cheaper grain, some having cheaper gear, etc... One of the first things I try to find out about an online site would be the shipping policy, if they charge by the pound it probably will be a lot higher than just driving to the store, but if they have a flat rate shipping charge it usually ends up being right around the same. I get to be thrifty and lazy??? The perfect combination...


I came across this online homebrew supplier because I saw the owner posting on the message board that I frequent (brews-bros.com). The website is very nicely designed. It flows and is easy to navigate around to find what you are looking for. 


 A nice feature that I have only seen on this online store is what they call the "Brew Builder." This feature allows you to build a beer recipe directly on the website. The brewer will choose the style that they are going for and it will let the them know if they are close to hitting the marks developed by the Beer Judge Certification Program. Not only does it provide you with the calculations for the quantitative values of the recipe but also give you the qualitative data about that specific style of beer.


Along with being able to build recipes directly on the site, they also allow the user to save recipes under their username. There is an option that will allow the brewer to share his/her recipes with others and even without a username you can search through other's recipes to help you build your own.


 Brewmasters Warehouse pricing is very reasonable. Most of my brewing needs can be had at this site for cheaper than I can get them at my local stores, with the flat rate $6.99 shipping I can get grain and yeast for my brew day without ever having to leave my house.

Although you have to option for quicker shipping I find that the FedEx ground used for the flat rate shipping is plenty fast enough. The order is usually fulfilled and shipped within two days of placing the order online. They send out an email with your tracking number so that you'll know when it is going to be waiting for you at the doorstep. The packaging is done very well and everything always arrives safely.

The number one aspect of Brewmasters Warehouse that keeps me ordering is the customer service the the owner Ed provides. There have been times when I have forgot to add an ice pack to my order, wanted to see if my package has shipped, or something had been out of stock. I have emailed and Ed always gets back to me within two hours (most of the time shorter) and takes care of the problem.

 I definitely recommend buying from Brewmasters Warehouse, they are a quality homebrew shop that has top notch customer service. I look at them like a German Shepherd, they might not be the best at just one thing, but they are at least second best with everything.  


Friday, June 18, 2010

Recipe of the Week: Mister Squinty Contemporary Summer Ale

This week's recipe comes from Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher. This is just one of the more tamer of the many recipes in the book that you can find for purchase here. This recipe is somewhat a take off a British ordinary bitter. It has a more malty background and has some spiciness from the hop additions. It matures pretty quickly and is perfect for a hot summer day.


 *via AHA


The efficiency from the recipe in the book seems to be a little high for most brewers. I will post the original recipe but you may need to tweak it a little so that you can hit the gravity marked based on your system's efficiency. 

Mash:

4lbs Maris Otter
2lbs Pilsner Malt
10 oz White Wheat malt

Mash at 147 - 148 for 60 minutes 

Boil:

Add 8 oz of piloncillo, demerara or similar unrefined sugar to the boil 

1.25 oz Challenger Hops 60 minutes
.5 oz Challenger Hops 30 minutes
.5 oz Challenger Hops 5 minutes
.5 oz Saaz Hops 5 minutes

Yeast: 

Use your favorite British ale yeast

OG: 1.048
Alc by Vol: 3.9 - 4.6%
IBU: 43

I have made this recipe or variations of it a good amount of times. It always turns out a stellar beer. One of my favorite variations is subbing Sterling for the Challanger and Liberty for the Saaz. If you are looking for something light, refreshing, drinkable, and moderately hoppy I highly suggest trying this one out.

This recipe fermenting

Finished product (not the best picture) it is much lighter




Thursday, June 17, 2010

Hop of the Week: Santiam

"Hopping" back on the bandwagon with another HOTW submission. This week I am going to be taking a look at the santiam hop. This is a relatively new hop variety that commercial breweries have not really tapped into yet. Most of the information available is offered by homebrewers who have experimented with this variety. Unfortunately there really isn't much in the way of available commercial beers that I can offer as a drinkable resource. It seems if you would want to find a beer brewed you would have to find a hop festival or special event at a pub.




US SANTIAM
Pedigree: Triploid aroma selection using a diploid Tettnang clone and a tetraploid Hallertauer. Released in 1997.
Maturity: Medium
Yield: 1600 - 2350 kg./ha. or 1400 - 2100 lb./ac.
Growth Habit: Very good
Disease/Pest Susceptibility: Resistant to downy mildew.
Pickability/Drying/Baling: Good
Cone-Structure: Small, medium density
Lupulin: Moderate amount
Aroma: Floral, slightly spicy
Alpha Acid: 5 - 7% w/w
Beta Acid: 6 - 8% w/w
Cohumulone: 22 - 24% of alpha acids
Storageability: Average
Total Oil: 1.3 - 1.5 mls/100 grams
Myrcene: 27 - 36% of whole oil
Humulene: 23 - 26% of whole oil
Carophyllene: 7 - 8% of whole oil
Farnesene: 13 - 16% of whole oil
General Trade Perception: A newly developed American aroma hop that contains noble hop characteristics.
Possible Substitutions: German Tettnang, German Spalt, German Spalter Select
Typical Beer Styles: Lager, US Ales, Pilsner, Belgian Tripel and other Belgian-Styles, Kolsch, Bock, Munich Helles.
Additional Information: Limited but stable acreage.
Typical Hop Use: Aroma

Hopefully you are lucky enough to be able to find one of these commercial examples that I list below. Unfortunately I have not tried them, but I will post reviews of some of them so we can have a good idea of what others think.

 Our Single Hop Ale is a medium bodied, golden colored American Pale Ale that showcases the Santiam variety of hop for perfect bittering, flavor and aroma.
*Silver medal 2003 Best Florida Beer Championships




Stadin Single Hopped Santiam Pale Ale

 reviews from RateBeer

Pictish Brewing Company Single Hop Beer - Santiam

reviews from RateBeer


Santiam hops are naturally seedless; the worlds first variety to be this way. The benefit of a seedless hop is that seeds can add undesirable oils to a beer, which can lead to off flavors. Seeds may also cause a problem when breweries negotiate prices with their hop supplier, since they add unwanted weight to a bulk order.

Santiam's pedigree includes Tettnanger (mother), Hallertau Mittelfrüh (grandmother), and cascade (great grandmother).  

Typical use: Although listed as an aroma hop I would place this is the dual use category. Dual use as in flavor and aroma, it can also be used as a bittering hop but much like cascade it is lower in alpha acids so you would need to adjust accordingly and would be using a little more of your stock. 

Style use: It is said that this hop is closest to German Tettnanger and German Spalt. In this case it would be best used for German and Belgian style ales and lagers. In my experience though it seems to be a bit more American than these noble varieties which make it perfect for a pale ale. 

Flavor/aroma: Somewhat noble, I also get fruity and floral aromas. In the flavor department what I have picked up most from these hops is a berry component. There is also a citrus and peachy aspect to them. When these are used as a standalone hop it gives a pale ale a fruitiness I have not seen when using other hop varieties. Others have said that they bring a small bit of a melon component. They are rather smooth and combine with a caramel aspect very nicely in a beer. All in all they add a fruity flavor which is probably affected most by the grain bill of the beer that you are brewing.  

Substitutions: According mostly to the hop variety data above the best substitutions would be German tettnanger and German spalt. I tend to agree when using small amounts of this hop, however if using for a pale ale or an IPA a mix of summit and amarillo would probably do nicely. Using that substitution it will definitely come out more citrusy but the summit hops would add a nice fruitiness as well as the tangerine I get from amarillo hops. I have yet to come across another hop that has a berry like component as santiams do.

Since I have some Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast ready to be used I think my next brew is going to be a German Alt bier or a Kolsch. I am pretty sure I have a few ounces of santiams in the freezer so I will probably use them as a stand alone hop in this beer. I will try to remember to post the results a few months down the road when it is finished.   

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Beer Review: Moreland Brewing Old Speckled Hen

Going to keep rolling along today with another beer review. Craft beer is relatively new in the US when comparing to the rest of the world. For hundreds probably even thousands of years "craft" beer was produced just across the Atlantic. One of these fine beer producing countries is the United Kingdom. Quite often confused when traveling abroad we Americans may ask for a pint expecting a golden glass of piss water (thanks German immigrants and St. Louis water), but your friendly pub tender will hand you a glass of something perfected over hundreds of years of brewing. To a fault the tourist may cause a stink because the beer is "warm" and "flat" but trust me, they have been doing it a lot longer than we have so I think they know what they are doing. 



"Old Speckled Hen" was first brewed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Named after an old MG car which was used as the factory run around, they would park the old MG Featherweight Fabric Saloon outside the paint shop where it would normally get spattered in paint and so it became known as the ‘Owld Speckl’d Un’. This turned into "Old Speckled Hen" when the beer was unveiled.

Since then the finely balanced beer with a distinctive rich malty taste and fruity aroma has attracted many fans, including the fox, who is always on the hunt for his Hen.

"Old Speckled Hen" has a full, smooth flavour and is very easy to drink. Its rich amber colour and superb fruity aromas are complemented by a delicious blend of malty tastes.

Toffee and malt combine with bitterness on the back of the tongue to give a balanced sweetness. This is followed by a refreshingly dry finish.

"Old Speckled Hen" continues to be appreciated by more and more fans, who are discovering that this crafted English beer is perfect with friends, during a quiet moment of relaxation or as a complement to a meal.

Appearance: Pours reddish amber with off white head that sticks at one finger. Crystal clear with nice lacing all around the glass.

Aroma: Smells of biscuit, slight caramel, fruitness, and some earthy hop very distant. 

Flavor: Strong upfront bitterness that lingers throughout. Caramel and biscuit come through in the middle, while the bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue. Finishes dry with a slight bit of astringency. As the beer warms (temp it should be drank at) the maltiness and caramel are more present and the hoppy bitterness mellows making it more drinkable.  

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low to medium carbonation, there is a slight carbonic bite at the end.

Overall: I really need to start reviewing bad beers because with the exception of 90 minute IPA I have overly enjoyed all of them so far. The key with this is to drink it at a warmer temperature than we Americans are used to drinking (or have our fridges set) beer at. Pour it into a pint and let it warm a little bit.  At the colder temp the bitterness lingers a little too much and the caramel is too subdued. At around 48-50 degrees Fahrenheit it is the perfect balance of malted grain goodness and hop bitterness worthy of a beer engine



***I'd like to clear up that I don't think German Lager is piss water, it's American capitalists that took a great style of beer and made it as bland/corny as possible to make a profit.