Fellow Beer-ers and Beer-ettes,

It seems we have been focusing recently on a ‘back to basics’ for beers, and thus I shant disappoint. From New Belgium, a company which in spite of relative youth delivers fine and innovative beers consistently, comes Mighty Arrow Pale Ale. It’s a medium-bodied, medium-hopped pale ale, and it’s just an even-keeled representation of the BJCP guideline. That’s not to say it’s mediocre by any means.

With a perfect copper hue and a rich complement of hops, this is the one that’s the Great Equalizer: Aroma is not too bitter, not too sweet. The blend of Cascade and Amarillo hops makes the mouth water a little before tasting. Nice body, doesn’t stick around too long, and finish isn’t perfect but fairly even, ending with the sweet and bitter notes ping-ponging back and forth.  Bit of a citrus flavor at the end.

It’s a shame I’ve heard there’s a short run of this beer. It’s not the biggest, baddest beer to come from New Belgium, but there’s something to be said for a nice drinkable pale ale.

During an inebriated trip to Cost Plus World Market upon a winter’s eve (last Monday, yes I walked), I stumbled through the aisles seeking to add to the dwindling beer supplies in my fridge. Before me I saw the usual seasonal samplers, the ‘Winter Pack’ which looked promising, and then a newer, more specific ‘Holiday Pack!’ Intrigued, I looked at the contents. They all seemed to be from a tiny Brewery in the UK called ‘Shelton Brothers’, I didn’t know it, and they seemed to have goofy holiday-related titles, most of them reasonably imaginative- then one caught my eye.

Santa’s…Butt. Jesus. Lord. That’s…crazy. Why would someone buy a beer entitled ‘Santa’s Butt’, I thought? What compels someone to think, ‘Hey, that’s an awesome name for a beer!’? I stared at the others- Bad Elf, Reindeer Revolt, Warm Welcome…Santa’s Butt.

And it’s a porter! Scatalogical references aside, I don’t want to think of Kris Kringle’s frozen, hairy, sweaty, North Pole ass when I’m drinking a porter! It’s supposed to be a sweet, malty chocolatey experience, and it’s admittedly now slightly tarnished by this lewd title.

With a bit of trepidation, I poured this strange brew into a fresh pint glass. Before me was a medium-bodied Engish Porter (looked like one, anyway). I expected a small tan head, but it dissipated pretty quickly. I served it after waiting some time out of the fridge to get ‘er up to 50º or so, but even then, the aroma wasn’t great. Down the hatch it went.

It has a slight chocolate start as I expected, but it didn’t last long. English Porters are far more bitter than the American Variety, but I still expected a little more sweet than roast. I don’t fault the brew for being loyal to the style, but it just falls into the generic category. The body is light enough to drink the whole 16.9-oz. bottle in one sitting (and the 6.0% ABV is light enough), but with the bitter quality, I’d recommend enjoying Santa’s Butt with a strong cheese or even steak to help it along. Ridgeway Brewing has done a decent, honest English Porter, but only the unappetizing name separates it from the rest.

Happy Holidays to All,

Sarge out

Sweet Jesus, those nuts in Maine have done it again.

Folks, the Sarge doesn’t just take on the run of the mill ales, stouts and lagers. No, sometimes he needs his face kicked in by something entirely new and original. But this isn’t always the most cost-effective route given the high cost of dentistry. So a more figurative approach is in the Sarge’s favor. Enter Allagash Curieux: a golden Abbey ale aged in bourbon barrels.

Now I know what you guys are saying. I’ve had an Oak-Aged ale before, it’s called Oaked Stone Arrogant Bastard. Granted, this beer ain’t exactly reinventing the wheel here, but it’s giving the drinker something Stone doesn’t- a strong, full-bodied ale that’s got a bourbon back without killing your tastebuds in the process.

The thing that’s separating this beer from its West Coast Oak-Aged counterpart is its style right off the bat. It’s a light Abbey Tripel, nothing too far off from the standard fare of these brewers. The only thing setting this apart is, according to the brewer, it’s been aged for two months in Jim Beam barrels. Allagash is now known from coast to coast for their original Belgian ales all labeled by batch, and this one’s no different (I recommend #520 from earlier this summer). Just like any of Allagash’s other 750ml batches, the uncorking process nearly calls for its own celebration. Surely this is one to be enjoyed in a thick goblet like so many other great Belgian styles. It has a rich, opaque yellow golden hue with a dollop of head that stays firmly in the glass while drinking. The aroma is another matter altogether.

The first thing to hit me is a pungent malty citrus tone, then a sudden punch of whiskey. I thought, is this really what I’m smelling? I expected only an essence of bourbon at most. I thought I’d have to practically pretend the whiskey was there. The malty froth is quite thick on the palate, and has a flavor complexity so diverse it’s daunting. The old world woodsy note is the most prevalent, which is a nice way to downplay the obvious alcohol you’d otherwise taste at 9-12% (every batch’s ABV is varied…ah, handcrafting). The finish is the nicest part of the ale, with the oakey flavor mellowing out to only give a hint of sweetness, maybe even vanilla as a finale.

I’d recommend this brew with a hearty meal in spite of its sweet, lighter notes. Eating a bit of smoked gouda along with this just won’t just cut it. Try it with duck or boar…or buckets of tofu for you veggies out there.

Sarge Out.

Utah colleges pushing for ban on beer commercials

The Associated Press

Article Last Updated: 08/08/2008 12:32:34 PM MDT

PROVO – College officials in Utah are among those calling for an end to beer commercials during televised NCAA sporting events. 

Representatives from Brigham Young University, University of Utah, Utah State and Southern Utah have signed letters urging the ban. 
   

The effort is called the Campaign for Alcohol-Free Sports TV. 

So far 60 Division 1 college presidents, 240 athletic directors and 101 football and basketball coaches have signed letters. 
Advertisements for cigarettes, guns, nightclubs and gambling are already prohibited college sporting events.

Folks, let’s have a quick word about stouts. We know they’re ales made from roasted barleys, some good noble hops and yeast, but as I’ve indicated before, most microbreweries have compromised their craft to appease a wider audience’s palate. The folk at at Harviestoun come from good stock, hold themselves to a higher standard, and yes, they really do get it: stouts ain’t always sweet.

That’s not to say there’s not sweetness in this Black Ale, or any other stout- but I should say that the very title ‘Old Engine Oil Black Ale’ is not so much intriguing as simply unappetizing. Wow. I mean, lots of things come to mind here: Can this be used as engine oil in my vehicle in light of a severe oil crisis worldwide? Was this brewed with engine oil as a component? Did they ferment the brew in a 5.0L engine from a Crown Vic?

In the non-racial sense, this ale is [b]black[b/]- entirely opaque. It’s a color not unlike Guinness, though I served this ale at cellar temperature (49º) to get a little more flavor. If I recall, Guinness is normally served ice-cold. and carbonated with nitrogen. There’s a very light, sweet, almost citrusy and pungent aroma in the Black Ale. There’s also a very light ring of head that, like many good stouts, have a yellowish tinge to it. The very texture is lightly carbonated, but the robust flavor has a ‘goes up your nose’ feeling like many Rauchbiers I’ve tried.

It’s advertised as Viscous (eww), Chocolately, and ‘Roasty’. In a way, it caputres all three, though I’m not totally sold on the aftertaste. I’m left with a slightly sour tang after each sip which lingers- and I’ve experienced this with many stouts. Though not unpleasant, it’s not as ‘even’ on the finish as I would have hoped.

At 6%, it’s not quite on par with an Imperial Stout’s ABV%, even if it’s flavor is. I wouldn’t recommend drinking this without its pairing with a good meal, something very meat n’ potatoes. Also, the time of year isn’t quite right for this beer (unless you’re in Alaska) as a heavy, stout-like beer. It’s a heavy Imperial Stout that complements many things, but due to its thickness, the sun is not one of them.

Sarge Out

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1967155420080519

Sorry, You Are Out of Ammo…

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Two Belgian beer fans have launched a video game named ‘Place to Pee’, which allows players to slalom down ski slopes or kill aliens while relieving themselves at urinals.

Werner Dupont, a software developer, and Bart Geraets, an electrical engineer, got the idea while drinking Belgian trappist beers, they told Reuters Television at a local festival on Sunday.

“This thing had to be invented by Belgian people and that’s what we are,” they said.

The ‘Place to Pee’ booth is designed for two users at a time and offers two games — blowing up aliens in outer space or skiing down a virtual slope. Gamers hit their target by aiming at sensors positioned on either side of the urinal.

A specially designed paper cone allows women to play too, the inventors say.

Their ‘Place to Pee’ logo resembles ‘Manneken Pis’, the little urinating boy fountain that is among Brussels’ top sightseeing attractions.

(Reporting by Marine Hass and Yvonne Bell; Writing by Julien Ponthus)

The Sarge cannot even BELIEVE this. It’s got my heart racing so much that I need a beer- if I could still AFFORD ONE IN THIS STATE. PRAY this doesn’t pass!

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_8888028?source=rss

Higher state tax on beer?

ASSEMBLYMAN BEALL PROPOSES BIG INCREASE
By Mike Zapler
Mercury News Sacramento Bureau
Article Launched: 04/11/2008 01:34:17 AM PDT

SACRAMENTO – Joe Six-pack will have to pay a lot more to get his buzz on if Assemblyman Jim Beall has his way.

The San Jose Democrat on Thursday proposed raising the beer tax by $1.80 per six-pack, or 30 cents per can or bottle. The current tax is 2 cents per can. That’s an increase of about 1,500 percent.

Beall said the tax would generate $2 billion a year to fund health care services, crime prevention and programs to prevent underage drinking and addiction.

“The people who use alcohol should pay for part of the cost to society, just like we’ve accepted that concept with tobacco,” Beall said.

He added that the beer tax hasn’t been touched since 1991, and the increase then was meager.

But the freshman lawmaker will have to lift the legislative equivalent of a full keg of beer over his head to get his tax enacted. That’s because it would require a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and Senate – and then, because it’s a constitutional amendment, it would have to be approved by voters. Republicans say it’s a non-starter.

“I predict the shelf life will be very short,” said Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Sacramento, vice chairman of the budget committee. “It’s a piecemeal approach to the budget that completely avoids any discussion of spending discipline, which is fundamentally why we have the problem that we have.”

Mike Fox Sr., chairman of San Jose-based beer distributor M.E. Fox & Co., said Beall’s heart is in the right place. “He’s very dedicated in areas of health,” Fox said. “But a tax of that nature is far too grievous. The beer industry produces so much for the economy. He won’t get to first base with that.”

Dan Gordon, co-founder of Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., calculated that the tax on a barrel of beer would go from $6.40 to $89. “We would all be looking for jobs,” he said.
Beall said he’s targeting beer because his research showed that California undertaxes brew relative to other states, which he said isn’t the case with wine and spirits. But it’s also true that taking on the beer lobby will be hard enough for Beall, without letting it team up with the wine and spirits industries.

Beall, a former Santa Clara County supervisor, has focused heavily on underage drinking during his time in Sacramento. He is pushing legislation that would require the sweet alcoholic malt beverages known as “alco-pops” to include warning labels clearly stating that they contain alcohol.

And last year, Beall lobbied successfully to persuade the state Franchise Tax Board to tax “alco-pops” at the rate assessed to hard liquor products instead of beer – a move that was expected to raise the price of a six pack by about $2. The increase is scheduled to go into effect later this year.

That effort, however, did not require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature.
Contact Mike Zapler at mzapler@mercurynews.com or (916) 441-4603.

Ah, Bill Bill Bill….Not a sonnet nor Lady Macbeth can tame this dark $7 black tar of Gehenna! T’was a mighty dagger I saw before me whence I traversed the Food of Whole to find ye, O pitchmead from the House of William! Yeah, it was a dark, evil-tasting beer. Here’s what I thought.

Let’s backtrack a moment. Shakespeare was that tragically talented author who is still arguably the greatest author of the English language (although his was that fruity English with ‘th’ on the end of everything). The ‘tragedy’ I speak of is not his controversy in life or death, nor his inner demons he fought while writing all the sonnets, but rather the fact that his modern-day audience mainly consists primarily of uninterested, apathetic teenagers. Leave it to Rogue to make a beer honoring him…then to make another hideous glass etching in his likeness on the bottle. Let’s start by looking at the color of this thing: Black as hell, to say the least. It rates a Lovibond of 135 on the website, which is high even for a stout. Most definitely enjoy this out of a mug to really see it in full character. It’s a very decent wager that this could be blacker than some coffees. The head is what you’d expect- not very frothy, kind of jagged and brown-bubbly. The aroma gives hints of a good chocolate malty base but a tough roasted tug on the nose. The flavor is very unexpected- it’s easy to expect a light chocolaty taste but instead I’m graced with a tough, slightly bitter roast with a tiny hop structure balancing it out. The nose of this beer does not come close to dictating how it actually tastes. With an IBU of 69, it’s not exactly a bitter stout, but it just feels thick and meaty. The texture is the most important part of this beer, but the fact that it’s $7-9 a bottle at specialty beer stores or fancy grocers, it’s not exactly an everyday beer either. But then again, what really is nowadays? On a side note, I did try to read the Complete Works of William Shakespeare following consumption. Yeah, I still can’t figure it out.