Victory Brewing Company St. Boisterous Hellerbock

Yay, it's spring beer time! And is there anything better to drink in the spring than a Maibock? When you're done with the barleywines and imperial stouts but not quite ready for hefeweizens and pilsners, it's hard to beat a nice, golden bock. Victory Brewing Company makes some of the best German style beers this side of Germany, so it should be no surprise that their take on the Maibock/Helles bock is totally on point. Made with Noble German hops and decocted German malts, St. Boisterous is exactly what I crave in the early spring: clean & refreshing, yet full-bodied and hearty. It's got a lemony tang and malty sweetness that hit you up front, and then the hops take over with their crisp, grassy bitterness. Very, very nice - and overall one of Victory's most underrated brews. At seven percent alcohol, this may be a little "strong" for a session beer. So be careful if you're drinking more than one or two. The alcohol is, as they like to say, "well-hidden". They don't call it "boisterous" for nothing.

victorybeer.com

Stoudts Gold Lager

I’ve never really preferred blondes, but sometimes an exception has to be made. And it is coming up on spring! It’s time to start thinking about warm days and clean, thirst-quenching brews! Stoudts Gold Lager is pretty close to the best light-colored beer I’ve ever tasted. It’s absolutely phenomenal. A Munich style Helles lager with sweet malts and crisp hops, Stoudts Gold is a legendarily quaffable beer. I would recommend it to both the most discriminating beer snob I know and the Coors light drinker next door. It’s truly a beer for anyone who loves beer. And while a number of craft breweries like to offer up some kind of “better” version of corporate swill as a concession to the mainstream, that’s not what Stoudts Gold is. It’s A+ drinkability should not be confused for a lack of flavor or character. At Stoudts they take pride in their German heritage, and for sure their version of the Helles lager is in the classic style and of the highest quality. It’s clean and refreshing but not “watery”. And what balance! The malts blend biscuit/cracker notes with a fruity sweetness, and the floral hops cut straight through for a refreshing tinge of bitterness. This beer is great with German food - or any food for that matter! I will probably spend all spring and summer seeking out more craft-brewed “light” beers, and none of them will compare to this. It’s been years since I’ve purchased any beer by the case, but come spring I will indeed buy an entire case of Stoudts Gold. I could drink this stuff all day, any day.

http://www.stoudtsbeer.com

Appalachian Brewing Company Pennypacker Porter

With just six weeks left until we depart for tropical vacation 2012, my wife and I have been dieting hard in preparation for the beaches of Riviera Maya. Operation Beach Body has not been fun. But one day a week, we do partake of a cheat meal. Yesterday’s cheat meal, at the Appalachian Brewing Company pub in Camp Hill, was one of our most rewarding yet. Buffalo bleu cheese balls and Canadian poutine for starters, followed by cheddar ale, burgers, and onion rings. Zeppole for dessert. We had been anticipating this meal for several days, and it did not disappoint. But perhaps the most pleasant surprise for me was my choice in beverage. I’ve been going to ABC for six or seven years, and I’m sure I’ve had the porter before. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized how good it was!

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of porters. I might not be an authority on IPAs or Belgian dubels, but I know a good porter when I taste one. And while some of the more highly rated porters in the craft beer world are among my personal favorites, I tend to favor a more subtle, “classic” taste. I don’t need a porter to be unusual or daring or extraordinary. I just need it to taste good. ABC’s porter, named after one of our commonwealth’s former governors, gets it totally right. Brewed in the classic English style, this medium bodied black ale has a subtle toasted flavor with a modest hop bitterness at the finish. Compared to stouts, which are generally dryer and more bitter, porters ideally mix a roasty flavor with a touch of sweetness. ABC’s version does exactly that. The malt profile blends sweet notes of caramel with hints of chocolate and coffee, and all in all it’s as drinkable as any dark beer I’ve had in a long time. While not a year-round offering at ABC, it’s a beer I will hereon order every time it’s available. I compare it favorably to Bell’s Porter, which is my #1 favorite porter in the world. If you live in south central Pennsylvania and you haven’t had the Pennypacker Porter on draught, you definitely ought to give it a chance. I might go back and get a whole growler of the stuff. Or maybe two growlers!

http://www.abcbrew.com

Arcadia Brewing Company Big Dick’s Olde Ale

Don’t let the junior high humor of the beer name fool you – Big Dick’s Olde Ale is no joke! It’s the latest in a long line of Michigan beers to hold an honored position on my fridge’s beer shelf, and it’s exactly the kind of thing I like to drink this time of the year. An olde ale in the classic English style, but in a lot of ways reminiscent of a Belgian, Big Dick’s is impossibly smooth for a beer that’s nine percent alcohol. Like any good olde ale, it’s full-on, over-the-top malty with a nice influx of boozy flavor. But overall, it’s also one of the most nicely balanced olde ales I’ve had. Caramel, brown sugar, and dark fruit notes mix for a pleasantly prevailing sweetness, while a mild hop bitterness and a substantial alcoholic bite add nice touches of complexity. By all means, this is a big beer. But it’s not a scary kind of big. It’s an easy-drinking ale – almost too easy drinking considering the ABV! I’ve had a few olde ales in my day, and this one is in the B+/A- range for the style. If you’re not quite ready for a barleywine but want to try something like a barleywine, give Big Dick’s a chance.

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

I’m the kind of guy who studies the calendar a couple times a week, marking the days until the winter is over. I am not a fan of the cold. I hate almost everything about the winter. The only exception is the beer. There are certain beers that you can only get this time of the year, and they tend to be some of my favorites. Case in point: Dogfish Head’s Chicory Stout. Notoriously, I’m a stout guy, and this one is in my top ten. It’s a terrific beer, and I have a sentimental attachment to it as well since it was the first true “craft” beer I ever had (Rehoboth Beach, 2005). Made from roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John’s wort, and licorice root, this is far from your run-of-the-mill stout. It’s one of Dogfish’s oldest beers, and it’s hardly a stretch to call it a craft beer “classic”. Even with the use of Cascade and Fuggle hops, it’s not bitter at all (21 IBUs). Dogfish describes its tasting notes as “creamy, roasty, peppery, dry, and chocolatey”, and I could not agree more. The coffee component, while noticeable, is far from dominant. It mixes nicely with woody chicory notes, a bit of dark chocolate, toasted malts, and a touch of black licorice. For whatever reason, this stout doesn’t get as much love from beer geeks as a lot of Dogfish’s other beers. It’s not a “big” beer. It’s not boldly conceived or particularly high in alcohol (ABV 5.2 percent). But you know me: I like simple, balanced beers just as much or even more than “edgy” concoctions. And having consumed a ton of stouts over the years, I’m certain that Chicory Stout is one of the best out there. Like any good stout, it’s roasty with subtle flavors of coffee and chocolate. On a drinkability scale, it’s pretty much unsurpassed on the Dogfish roster. A solid, delicious stout: what’s wrong with that? Not a thing! Buy it if you can still find it!

http://www.dogfish.com

New Belgium Cocoa Mole

It had been a while since I’d had a beer so mind-numbingly delicious that it made me jump out of my seat and do the jig out of sheer joy, but New Belgium is really onto something with their Cocoa Mole ale. Color me impressed! Part of NB’s Lips of Faith series, Coca Mole is so good it’s almost orgasmic. The concept is genius. Spice a beer with ancho, guajillo, and chipotle peppers, then balance all that heat with cocoa, cinnamon, and caramel malts. Whoever came up with that stroke of brilliance should have a statue erected in his honor. And the execution is every bit as good as the idea. The sweet and hot notes go together perfectly- making for a rich, bold brew that’ll sustain you on a cold, blustery day. At nine percent alcohol, this bad boy has serious bite – but that’s all part of the fun! I bet this would age remarkably well if you had the patience to cellar it, but if I buy any more bottles I won’t be able to resist drinking them right away. It’s just too freakin’ good! A bomber of Cocoa Mole won’t come cheap, but I guarantee it’s worth every penny you pay. Absolutely an A+ beer. Get it while the getting’s good!

http://www.newbelgium.com/

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer

As January nears its end, the winter warmer season is winding down. It’s soon time to start thinking about, gasp, spring beers! But I’ve got one last winter ale post for you. Pyramid has been in the beer-making business for 28 years – practically an eternity in craft brewing terms. And the Snow Cap, with good reason, is one of their best known beers. This warmer is different from the typical winter seasonal in that it’s crafted in the English style. And I sure do love my English beers! Notes of caramel, chocolate, burnt fruit, and roasted grain provide the main thrust of flavor, but there are plenty of Nugget, Willamette, and East Kent Goldings hops for balance and a crisp finish. And at seven percent ABV, the alcohol content is just right for a “warming” effect. While a lot of winter ales come off tasting “thin”, the mouthfeel on the Snow Cap is fuller and creamier (perhaps not stout creamy, but creamy nonetheless). All in all, this is what a winter ale should be. It’s smooth, balanced, and delicious. The flavor, while on the malty side, is no slouch in the hop department (47 IBUs). If beer geeks describe it as “solid” but “not extraordinary”, that’s hardly an insult. We’re talking about winter warmers. They’re supposed to be solid but not extraordinary. This might not be a “sexy” sub-genre of craft brewing, but in my book the best microbrewers are the ones that can make tasty versions of unassuming styles. From hereon out, I’m stocking up on Snow Cap every winter. It makes my short list of essential cold weather seasonals.

http://www.pyramidbrew.com/