• Namaste – Dogfish Head Brewery (Belgian White/Witbier): Usually I find Whites disappointingly one-dimensional, but very refreshing. A drink to sip on a patio when it’s too hot to worry about a beer’s complexity. I was pleasantly surprised by Namaste, though, which adds hints of coriander, pepper, and clove into the expected citrusy flavor. This beer makes me want to enjoy a glass in the sun, then bust out some major Asanas. A few negatives: I have only seen this beer in one location around the city and it was over $8 a pint.
• Bell’s Oberon Ale – Bell’s Brewery, Inc (American Pale Wheat Ale): Bell’s Oberon is slightly less complex than Namaste, but still scores high marks with me. It’s officially my go-to beer in warm weather. Very refreshing, nice mouthfeel (not too carbonated, smooth but crisp), very lemony flavor, but well rounded. Usually nicely priced, too (I have been finding it around the city for $5 a pint).
• Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer – 21st Amendment Brewery: Out of the canned beers, 21st Amendment Brewery offers some interesting selections. Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer is just what it sounds like…a Watermelon Wheat Beer. It tastes less like a beer and more like a Watermelon wine cooler to me, but hey, you might be into that. Not sickeningly sweet and gets points for being interesting. Might be nice to take to a picnic, even non beer drinkers will tolerate this one. I am not the biggest fan of the canned beer trend, but in the spring and summer they certainly have a place.
• ApriHop – Dogfish Head Brewery (American IPA): OK, so I lied about Bell’s Oberon being my go-to beer. When there is ApriHop available I usually go with it. This is the perfect spring beer for IPA lovers such as me, especially if I don’t want to venture into the wheat beer territory. Hops are grassy and up front, and there is a nice hint of apricot present. Reminds me of walking around the neighborhood and smelling freshly cut grass. Yep, that good. (Also about $5 a pint most places).

Cheers to warmer weather!

Jim Writes: I like to think of this as a “Breakfast Brew,” as it contains so many elements of a hearty breakfast. I used dark malt extract; caramel, crystal, and chocolate malts; and Northern Brewer and Cascade hops. Essentially, the base of the beer was a Guinness clone, and any Irish Stout homebrew kit would have a similar effect.

At the start of the boil, I added some oven-toasted, steel-cut oatmeal, brown sugar, Vermont maple syrup, and whole beans of Starbucks Komodo Dragon coffee. I baked a pound of thick-cut bacon until crispy, drained the fat into a Tupperware container (saved for later), and added the cooked bacon about 15 minutes from the end of my hour-long boil, the same time as I added the Northern Brewer finishing hops. That went into fermentation for a week.

I put a cup of vodka in the Tupperware with the bacon fat and stored that in the fridge for the week while the beer fermented, making a bacon extract to add a little extra bacon flavor to the batch right before I bottled. Also, for my bottling, I made a simple syrup with hickory Liquid Smoke, water, and sugar, and added a ¼ teaspoon to each bottle to carbonate it and give one last hit of smokiness. The beer bottle-conditioned/lagered for 3 weeks.

I find that this is best enjoyed room-temperature to slightly-chilled. If it’s served very cold, the bacon flavor fades away. The bacon flavor hits most if you let the beer sit on your tongue for a moment rather than drinking it down straight away. The coffee is strong in the front, the oatmeal subtle in the middle, and the bacon and smokiness follow through in the end. The maple syrup was somewhat lost in the process, but it’s in there!

Coffee, oatmeal, brown sugar, syrup, bacon and beer. There’s no better way to start your morning.

All of my equipment is bought at Hammersmith Homebrewing in Latham, NY, a family owned-and–operated store that can be found online at http://www.hammersmithhomebrew.com/. They have great prices and selection, and are very knowledgeable about the craft and eager to help others learn to make great beer and wine at home.

I currently have a high-gravity Banana Oatmeal beer bottle-conditioning, a Vanilla Clove mead fermenting, and as I write this, I’m making a BBQ Beef cream ale.

Glad you enjoy it! -Jim

I used to really look forward to holiday beers. I love all things pine, and holiday beers usually do not disappoint with my aroma and taste of choice. This holiday season, though, I have to admit I haven’t had a really wonderful seasonal brew (with the exception of Troegs Mad Elf, not piney, but let’s all admit, beer lovers everywhere dream about year-round).

Great Lakes Brewing Co. has succeeded in making some very tasty beers (see my Lake Erie Monster review), and their Christmas Ale is a popular selection every holiday season. The beer pours a pretty bronze color, clear with a healthy head that leaves a fragile ring around the glass. The aroma is warm, with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and maybe a little orange peel. It’s very season-appropriate, and even though Christmas is long gone, I’m brought right back to the warmth and comfort of the holidays.

The beer tastes of ginger and brown sugar up front, finishing with a very nice complimentary alcohol burn. The mouthfeel is slightly sticky, with a little welcome carbonation to break up the sweetness. This beer is more drinkable than similar types I’ve had this season, but I’d most-likely be on sweet-overload after 1 or 2.

If you are looking for a beer that adequately encompasses the spices and warmth of Christmas Eve in front of a crackling fire, Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Christmas Ale will not disappoint. It is not the piney-heaven that I am searching for during the holidays, but it’s far superior to other less flavorful, more sickeningly sweet holiday brews. If you see this one out and about, left behind from the holiday beer rush, pick it up without hesitation. You won’t be disappointed, but hey, do you know of any really piney beers out there that I can keep an eye out for?

By Beth Kerr

Sah’tea is a cloudy golden orange with a lot of visible sediment. There’s no seeing through this one! The aroma is very present, with lemon, honey, nutmeg and a lot of vanilla. With the first sip, the first thing that I noticed was a surprising bit of carbonation that pleasantly stung my tongue. This stinging was the only sense of the 9% ABV that I could discern.

Lemon and vanilla flavors are very present up front with this beer. Following are the chai flavors of black tea, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and ginger. I thought that the berries were lost, but eventually I found an overall light fruitiness that is present. After a drink you are left with a spicy cinnamon aftertaste that makes you think you were just drinking apple cider.

There are a few things that I appreciate about Sah’tea. First, the 9% alcohol is completely missing in this beer. While an alcohol flavor is pleasant in some brews, it would taste contradictory in this one. I don’t know how they hid it, but it’s no where to be found! Secondly, this is a fantastic fall beer that utilizes the spices of the season in a very unique (not pumpkin) and balanced way. If I get an opportunity to score more bottles of Sah’tea, I definitely will. If you get a chance to try it don’t pass it up!

The beer was a surprising goldenrod color, with scant foamy white head that dissipated quickly. As soon as we opened the bottle I could smell Theobroma’s strong aroma of honey and alcohol. Not surprisingly, these were also my first tastes. At 9% ABV, this beer packs a stinging alcohol punch that initially hits you hard. Alcohol is quickly followed by the complex flavor of honey and chili spice, which compliment each other extremely well. The chili spice is smoky, peppery, but with a hint of something else, possibly the annatto, a derivative of the achiote tree found in tropical areas of the Americas (thanks Wikipedia!). Annatto delivers a peppery, slightly nutmeg flavor, and this is noticeable in Theobroma. As the beer warms the chili and annatto flavor becomes stronger, but still pleasant.

After the first few sips, I found myself asking “OK, where’s my cocoa? I saved this beer for dessert for a reason, right?” Then, in my next sip, I was hit with an unmistakable dose of cocoa flavor in the back of my throat which lingered for the duration of the glass. The cocoa flavor is different from other chocolate beers I’ve tasted. It’s not sweet, it’s a bitter, very real tasting chocolate flavor. As a dark chocolate lover, I really enjoyed this part of the beer.

If you get the chance to try Dogfish Head Brewery’s Theobroma, I suggest you do. The only gripe that I have with it is that it seemed to pack so much flavor variety into one glass that it took me a while to appreciate and enjoy. I would love to see what Dogfish Head could do with just one of those ingredients, in a cocoa nib stout or annatto flavored beer, for example. Cheers to Dogfish Head for creating a wonderfully balanced, complex brew!

Cold Hop has a dark gold pour with a moderate amount of thick head that quickly reduces down to a thin line around the glass. The aroma is a mixture of hoppy freshness with a bit of grassy earth. Up front the taste is hoppy, with a clovey bitterness that is fresh and clean. The back end of this brew is sweet, with a caramel sweetness that lingers. The beer is lightly carbonated with an alcohol tinge that is quite pleasing.

I love IPAs mostly because I am a total sucker for “smack me in the face” hops. Hoppy flavors add a level of crispness and cleanness to a beer that is extremely refreshing. Boulder Beer Cold Hop is overall a nice drinkable beer with true hoppy flavor that is lacking in some similar brews. While I love the upfront taste, I am not a fan of the sweet caramel aftertaste. Personally, I feel that this aftertaste takes away from the refreshing flavor that is so pleasant upfront. Its taste is absolutely true to an English IPA, though, and I feel that Boulder Beer Cold Hop is a success. Give it a try and let me know if you agree!

By Beth Kerr

I have been lucky to try the limited seasonal offering honoring “South Bay Bessie” from Great Lakes Brewery Company, Lake Erie Monster, twice so far here in Pittsburgh. This is the first year since its inception in 2005 that it has been distributed much outside of Cleveland, and even now it is difficult to find.

Lake Erie Monster is an unfiltered imperial India pale ale that when poured is surprisingly clear, golden, with a white persistent head that laced pleasantly around the glass while drinking. The aroma of this brew is very fresh, hoppy throughout, with lemon. While you are hit with a lot of hoppyness with your first taste, plus refreshing lemongrass and pine, the noticeable alcohol flavor on the backend is masked perfectly with sweet malt that does not leave an unpleasant too-sweet aftertaste. The honey-like malt flavor balances with the major hops and unmistakable alcohol without making itself overwhelming, something that I find all too rare.

While this beer is hoppy enough to satisfy IPA lovers everywhere (and to scare off any hop-fearers), it is so drinkable that it easily lives up to its name as a monster. Clocking in 9.1% ABV, drinkability is a dangerous characteristic for this beer to have! I highly recommend (carefully) giving this delectable brew a try before they are all gone. Lake Erie Monster is only available from May to July, so your time is running out! I found Lake Erie Monster on draft at Harris Grill (the location of Bacon Bash) on Ellsworth Ave in Shadyside and more recently at the Sharp Edge in Friendship.

By Beth Kerr

Admittedly, prior to this spring, I hadn’t drunk beer from a can in a very, very, long time. There are great benefits from drinking beer in a can, including the most satisfying “crack” of opening it and its welcome spot at any outdoor event. Despite this, a few things always disturbed me about beer in a can. First, the metallic tinge of flavor that was added when drinking beer from a can always was a huge turn-off for me. Secondly, there are simply only awful choices of beers available in cans. That is, until now.

I can thank the hot brew trend of the season, craft beers in cans. I’ve tried several of these this spring and summer, two of which came from 21st Amendment Brewery out of San Francisco, CA. Most recently, their Brew Free! Or Die IPA has been resting comfortably in our fridge.

First of all, this beer gets points for awesome name and can design. It really stands apart from the other beers in the distributor, which it should, because I would be quick to dismiss boring cans in the sea of fancy bottles. Out of the can it is a rich golden color with a moderate amount of thick head which stuck around. Its flowery aroma is pretty standard for an IPA, although less impressive than similar brews. While the mouthfeel of this beer is very pleasing, with a thick, satisfying, slightly carbonated sensation, I feel that its taste was good, but nothing to write home about. I was left hoping for a little more hoppy bitterness with this beer. The sweetness of the malts in this IPA was a bit too present, definitely not allowing the hops to take center stage. This characteristic made the beer quite drinkable, though, which leads me to decide that it passes my “cookout worthy” test.

While I found the beer enjoyable to drink, it left me unfulfilled as an IPA. Is this a consequence of the can? I don’t know the answer to that, but I feel that 21st Amendment Brewery can be proud of their success of improving the state of canned beer. I recommend it for your Fourth of July bash, as well with lunch or dinner. Finally, I feel that this IPA, because of its lack of bitterness, may be a more universal craft brew for those used to drinking the current “triple hop brewed” canned beer selection.

Let me know what you think about this beer if you have the chance to try it. Also be sure to check out my last beer review, Sweaty Betty Blonde.

By Beth Kerr

First, a short bit about Blondes. Blonde ales, also known as Golden ales, share a clean and crisp taste, low to medium hoppy flavor, and sweetness from malts. While they may have some faint fruity notes, they should not be overwhelmingly present.

Sweaty Betty Blonde, once poured, was cloudy, with a pretty straw color and little head that did not stick around long. This is a nice looking beer in a glass. The aroma of was not strong at all and only consisted of faint flower and banana scents. Not overpowering, and really barely noticeable after the first few sips. I feel that the most prominent taste was a spicy medium-hoppy flavor, accented nicely by slight banana and clove flavors. I was pleased with this balance of flavors, and found it to be quite a drinkable beer, especially in warm weather. There was some carbonation with Sweaty Betty, but not a great amount. The mouthfeel of this brew was clean and crisp, leaving a sweet lingering taste on the palate.

I would recommend this beer as a refreshing drink after mowing the lawn (not that I’ve ever mowed a lawn), or a long walk. Personally, I wouldn’t prefer to drink this beer with food, since the sweet lingering flavor may clash with dinner. I would, however, order this pre-meal or on a lazy afternoon. Give it a try and let me know what you think! I enjoyed this beer at Mad Mex here in Pittsburgh (McKnight Rd, other locations).

By Beth Kerr

I would like to take this time to welcome Beth Kerr to the site. She will be writing about beer and recipes (since she is the one that cooks most of them). She has also been called Mrs. Baconpants on more than one occasion, so adding her to the site was a no brainer. Enjoy her first post.

This just proves it’s a fact that home brewers are crazy, so where do I sign up? The guy shares his step by step instructions on how he created this amazing feat for bacon lovers everywhere.

Directions

1. Dice 7 or 8 slices of raw bacon and cook on low heat in cast iron pan to render as much fat as possible. Make sure its extra crispy.
2. Pat bacon down with paper towels making them as dry as possible.
3. Add the bacon to a mason and cover with bourbon, then close lid.
4. Let it sit in the dark for 24 hours and then put it in the freezer for a few hours (4-6 should do) to solidify the remaining fat.
5. Pull bacon bourbon from freezer and strain through cheesecloth first and then move it through a coffee filter.
6. Get some smoked porter. I suppose you could get a bottle or growler from a local brewpub.
7. Use an eye dropper to measured out approx. 100 drops per 12 oz bottle of homebrew or if you are adding this to a bottle or growler of beer just drop it directly in a pint glass and then top with the beer.

These were just the condensed steps and you really need to go to the guy’s website, Grocery Eats, to read the full post. He adds a lot of great comments, photos, and tips. Basically all your doing is making a bacon infused bourbon and then adding it to already brewed beer. Which is not a bad idea.

He also takes the concoction to some local brewers in his area and they enjoyed it. He says he has plans to try and make a BLT brew, will have to wait and see how that turns out.

What started out as some fun chatter on twitter about bacon and beer, quickly turned in to a lively debate about if it’s possible to create bacon beer. A lot of people said no, grease and beer are not friends. If you added real bacon to beer it would kill all carbonation (which one of beers good friends). Others said you would have to make a smoked porter, but that’s been done a million times.

Luckily, Bocktown has something they call Brewser the Infuser, which is a great way to add flavors to beer. They came up with the idea of putting Applewood Chips in the infuser, then running Furthermore’s Knot Stock APA through it. They then serve it in a Bacon Salt rimmed glass.

Furthermore’s Knot Stock APA

Availability: Year-Round. ABV: 5.5%
Black, cracked, stuffed in a sack, boiled and cold-infused. The real treat of our A.P.A. is the tangle of flavors that fresh cracked pepper and Northern Brewer Hops create. At 65 IBUs there’s plenty of zing for the Hop Heads or Bitter Bettys, but not so much to overpower the tingle of the black pepper as it slowly kicks in. Likewise, the 15° Plato malt bill features a healthy dose of caramel malt meant to soften (but not stifle) the play of pepper and hops on the palate.

So now that you know about the back story and beer it’s time to talk about the taste of the bacon inspired infusion. Let me start off my saying that it tastes and smells just like bacon. The mix of pepper and smoke flavoring really tricks my brain into thinking I drinking bacon. The salt rim really adds a nice touch but I don’t think it was necessary. They also added a little sugar to the rim to help cut through the savory flavors.

The beer was highly drinkable since it was all nicely balanced. A lot of times I find smoked beers to overdo it in the smoke department. I think since this flavor was added in the infuser it made the flavor mild.

I really hope Bocktown brings this one back for another run in Brewser the Infuser. Also since no real bacon was used in the making of this beer its vegetarian friendly. Yes, this is one of the few times that even veg heads can enjoy something bacon related.

Hop-Ocalypse IPA

A hophead’s session beer! Whether you can pronounce it or not, you’ll love the distinctive flavor and easy drinking nature.

Alcohol: 5.8 % v/v | Color: Copper (~10.0 SRM) | Bitterness: High – 58 IBU

Ingredients: 2-Row Malted Barley, 20 lovibond Munich Malt, 60 lovibond Caramel Malt, Filtered Water, American, English & German Hops, Ale Yeast.

It’s been almost two years since I had this beer so I really can’t remember details. All I do remember is it was a really good IPA. The next time I see it somewhere I am going to have to give it another try. For some reason I keep thinking it reminded me of Big Hop, but that could because I am having a Big Hop dry spell. After this snow melt I will need to make a trip out to a Growler Hour.

For more information about this beer check out the Clay Pipe website and Beer Advocate.

Just click on the above images to read the reviews. Do you think I should bring back my beer reviews? I never thought I was that good at so that’s why I stopped. I didn’t know enough about beer to do is right.