ALERAISERS

The Beer Of the Week for 9/30/2010 is:

21st Amendment Brewery’s “Back In Black”

This weeks BOW comes from a San Fran Brewery we recently discovered and by which we have been pleasantly surprised.  This particular beer is a good one to transition us from the bright, light, and hoppy beers of summer to the big, dark, malty beers of fall and winter.  It is from the vein of an emerging new style of beer–Cascadian Dark Ale, a style of which I am a big fan!

From the Box:  ”Inspired by Paul Revere’s midnight ride, we rebelled against the British style IPA, embraced the more aggressive American version and then recast it in bold, brave, defiant black. Our Black IPA is a Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of the expected.”

This beer pours like the lable reads: “BLACK”.  Its as dark as you’ll find an ale with medium but hearty tan head that leaves decent lacing.  It smells of dark roasted malts underneath citrusy, earthy hops.  The flavor is much more balanced then one might expect after being confronted by a distinctly hoppy aroma.  Up front there is a nutty, malty flavor with hints of citrus and pine and an evenly balanced bitter finish.  The mouthfeel is medium to full with good carbonation.  This is a good beer for all occasions.  Its hoppy character fits into those summer events, but its dark, malty half will be good all winter long.  I highly recommend giving this one a try.

21st-amendment.com

4.2/5.0

Purchased at Twenty-Nine Package on Lawrenceville, Hwy in Lilburn, GA

The Beer Of the Week for 06/17/10 is:

Terrapin’s Side Project Volume 10  “Capt’n Krunkles Black India Pale Ale”

Yup…like moth to a Bug Zapper, those three little letters get me every time…IPA.  I’ve returned to Terrapin for this weeks BOW not only because Im a big fan of their locally crafted brew, but because I really like beer that is outside of the mold, and Im especially fond of interesting new IPAs.

Terrapin’s side project beers are one time brews that give brewmaster Brian “Spike” Buckowski a chance to spread his wings and show off the art in his science.  Terrapin’s Side Project Volume 10 is Capt’n Krunkles  Black India Pale Ale, and its exactly what you think…a blackened ale with with an adventurous bite.  This beer pours black as a moonless night… literally!  I held it up to the light to try and catch a glimpse of color around the edges, but the only glimpse I got was one of total eclipse.  It has a good two-fingers of stained foamy head that left lacing to the last drop.  It smells of dark, chocolate-coffee malts and mild, “citrusy” hops.  It tastes much the same.  If you’ve ever chewed on a dark-roasted coffee bean or black patent malt, that that is what you have here.  This beer has a medium body, mid-light carbonation, and a clean bitter finish.   I have to say, that I really like the balance of the dark malts with the bitter of an IPA(although I would normally expect more hops in an IPA–think, hoppy porter).  This beer is in the vein of an emerging new “Cascadian” style of beer that I really enjoy.  Big dark, hoppy beers are something the home brewers have been playing with for years, and its nice to see that influence creeping into the market place.

3.8/5

Purchased at Twenty-Nine Package on Lawrenceville Hwy.