Tag: 2008
Steve Stewart’s “Firth of Forth” Ale
by Paul Arthur on May.07, 2009, under 80/- (Export), ale, beer, scottish ale
Background: The 26th entry in Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series was guest brewed by Steve Stewart, head brewer and owner of Stewart Brewing in Scotland. Brewed with Scottish malts and American hops. Released February 11, 2008; 5.4% ABV.
Nose: Gentle caramel malt, light fruitiness, and not much else.
Taste: Cleanly malty, with moderate estery fruitiness and restrained hop bitterness. Some nutty, roasty, and herbal influences leading into a long, dry finish.
Overall: I quite like it. Very drinkable, full-flavoured but light-bodied.
Velvet Hammer
by Paul Arthur on Apr.21, 2009, under ale, barrel aged beer, beer, flanders brown ale, sour beer
Background: Purported to be the first in a line of barrel aged beers from the brewery, this bottle-conditioned Arbor Brewing product is a blend of a young Belgian-style ale with a three-year-old barrel-aged sour ale.
Nose: Indistinct dark dried fruit, strawberry esters.
Taste: Malty and earthy, with overtones of orange and light spicy phenols. Very, very light lactic sourness, and a light barnyard leather funk to remind us that our friend Brettanomyces came along for the ride.
Overall: If you happen to have two of the 240 bottles of this, I’d recommend cellaring one for another year or so to let the wee bugs do their work. It’s decent now, but some age should give it more complexity.
Jolly Pumpkin / Nøgne Ø / Stone Special Holiday Ale
by Paul Arthur on Apr.17, 2009, under ale, beer, herbed beer, spiced beer
Background: Collaborative brew between everyone’s favourite Michigan brewery, everyone’s second-favourite Norwegian brewery, and Stone. Brewed on Stone’s equipment, but the recipe was worked out via emails between the three head brewers and they all helped with the brewing. The recipe incorporates juniper berries from Italy (standing in for Norway, since they were unable to source any from there), white sage from California, and chestnuts from Michigan. In addition to the other spices, caraway seed was added as a complement to the 25% rye in the malt bill.
Nose: Green, herbal hops, followed by a touch of sage.
Taste: Lots going on. Very clear sage note, with spicy rye and juniper also quite evident. Caraway and a medium hop bitterness come through in the finish. Indistinct hop flavour; if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say an English hop variety. The 9% ABV starts to become evident after a few sips.
Overall: Very unique. Definitely not a session beer, but for an occasional taste sensation it’s quite nice. (Especially since I love sage.)
