Sam Adams Heaven or Helles
Light and golden blonde, this seemingly innocent brew is hellishly drinkable. ‘Helles’ translates to bright in German, befitting this fresh lager.
I arrived at Old Town Beer Exchange in downtown Huntsville eager to find a good beer to review. My malty sweet tooth was in control, so when I saw Florence's Singin' River had a doppelbock out, I immediately knew I would be taking a crowler of Orchestrator home with me.
Shortly after getting home, the crowler was popped open and the clear copper brew was poured into a glass. I may have been a bit timid with the pour but I expected a little bit more than the very thin cap which never quite melted away. It seemed to be mostly made up for the fact that it left plenty of white lacing on the glass.
I got a general sweet smell when I first brought the pint glass to my face. As I drank more, I could discern caramel and a bit of booze. I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of aroma. I decide to leave the crowler on the counter to warm up in hopes of eliciting a stronger aroma on my second glass. Sure enough, the aroma bloomed as it warmed. The caramel still dominated, but I started to pick up some vague dark fruit aromas (kinda plum-ish) along with a char affectation to the caramel sweetness. The warming definitely helped. It wasn't a night and day difference, though. The second glass seemed like a more fuller experience.
Beer is made of these core ingredients: barley/malt, hops, water, and yeast. In this blog post, I'll be writing about malt and some of what I've been reading in Robert Moser's Tasting Beer. First off, barley is the grain of choice for making beer, although other options exist. But regular old barley isn't in a good condition for releasing starches for making alcohol. Barley first needs to be malted.
First, barley is soaked in water for about 24 hours, or until it reaches 45% water content. The grain is pulled from the water and allowed to cool and dry. During this process, the grains will start to sprout. This growth and cracking of the shell is vital to getting what brewers want from the malted barley. The grain is then kilned to complete the drying process and to roast the grain to the desired darkness. It is possible to create two different malts of similar color but different flavors by varying the moisture content during kilning. If roasted dry, there will be a sharp, biscuit-like toastiness. If roasted moist, there is more of a toffee-like richness.
Light and golden blonde, this seemingly innocent brew is hellishly drinkable. ‘Helles’ translates to bright in German, befitting this fresh lager.
Breezy, fresh and invigorating. As the saying goes, it’s “cool as a cucumber”, but that’s something quite unexpected when it comes to beer. We began with the brisk yet flavorful German Gose style, brewed with salt and coriander for a slightly tart sparkling taste and hint of pepper.
For Terrapin’s 14th year anniversary, we thought we would celebrate with a Tart Belgian Red Ale.
Check 1,2. Czech 1,2…Is this thing on?
We’re excited to announce our newest year round beer, Sound Czech Pils.
Pillar to Post was the first beer that was brewed at TrimTab, on New Years Day 2014. With an average brewday clocking in at around 15 hours, Pillar to Post is the most demanding beer to brew in our portfolio. It is a celebration of specialty grains.
On May 9th, 2013, Alabama governor Robert Bentley signed the legislation that legalized homebrewing in the state of Alabama, making it the last state in the union to do so.
This brown porter base is loaded with tons of roasted malts giving it a plethora of flavors from coffee to chocolate to toffee. Coconut is added to the boil and to the aging tanks putting a tropical twist on this traditional style.
We blended this English-style barleywine with grape must for a distinct, vinous character that pairs well with slow braised dishes or acoustic folk rock. Notes of plum, pear, grape, red wine, fig, honey, and rock candy blend into a complex, slow sipper.
We brewed this imperial stout to be big, bold and strong, like a bear-hugging Russian wrestler. A thick body using oats and lactose is complimented by plenty of complex chocolate, cocoa, and caramel undertones, before finishing on a balanced roasty note. (Description provided by company)
his Franco-Belgian style Farmhouse Ale has an effervescent body and a light straw color. Rabbid Rabbit, with it’s light malt body, augmented by spices, is a complex and frothy beverage with a deceptively high alcohol content. (Description provided by company)