TnDC Field Trip #13

Off to watch the Auburn Tigers play in the OutBack Bowl. We made a trip to WOB (World of Beer) where they host over 500 beers on draft and bottle (my squeeze found it on her iPhone). The selection at this place is phenomenal! They even have deals on seasonals that are rotating out. They didn't have my 1st choice which was the Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale so our tender offered up Frosted Frog by Hoppin' Frog. Man this beer was a good'en at 8.6%abv. My partner in crime had a homemade "fruity" beer of a house wheat with a splash of lambic, little did he know she is a girl that likes the "full" lambic experience. We learned of other Guinness mixer drinks such as a "Dirty Hoe" (with Hoegaarden) and "Dirty Red Headed Hoe" (with St. Louis lambic), but her favorite came in the form of a "Chocolate Raspberry" (Young's Chocolate Stout and St. Louis Lambic) layered out. Needless to say as OK played Stanford we had happy mouths. Then onto Tampa Bay Brewing Company in Ybor. Merry with her iPhone has become quite the navigator. When we got downtown we happened upon the OutBack Bowl parade. I had to try this place just to see what it was like. It's still run by mom ans son and I met the Head Brewmaster, David Doble (the son) and he was a heck of a nice guy. My 1st beer and for me a name that still makes me laugh out loud, Jack the Quaffer porter! We all know what the actual term means but the urban dictionary has it defined a little differently. Next was Old Elephant Foot IPA, and to end the night Moose Killer barleywine. If you're in Ybor you have got to go sit and enjoy the brew and ambiance of TBBC. On the way home once again the iPhone navigator got us out of the ghetto twice and tomorrow we will be continuing our coverage from the 2010 OutBack Bowl.

Our Tastes-- DogFish Head Sah'Tea

The last DFH beer I have to try, Sah'Tea. A 9th century inspired beer that we'll be having in a tulip glass. Pouring a bright quickly dissipating white froth this beer has notes of caramel, ginger, honey, cinnamon, juniper berries and chai tea. It's made the "Finnish" way by dumping white hot rocks into the wort to give a pronounced caramelized profile. The taste a mouth full of clove, bananas, cardamon, nutmeg, orange peel, with a tart unsatisfying overall flavor. My face hurts as I type from the astringent tightness between my gums and cheeks! Maybe I shouldn't have saved this one for last. The Enabler brought up a good point during this, we need some Utopias to wash this stuff out of our mouths. Color is the most exciting aspect of this brew. A nice golden orange. I grasp at my cods as I take drink after mouth punishing drink. Made with German Weizen yeast you'll lose yourself in the complexity of the aroma and flavor as you look for the metaphorical life ring for your palate. 9%abv. This beer left me with a "taste dickey"on my tongue.

Brew Batch #37 Québécois Quadruple Wheat Wine

Keggin' another one! 2&12/2 Cong into a keg and the other half into 24 long necks with gold crowns. FG 1.010+0.000 @63F to give about 9.8%abv. Tried a little shot glass of it and it promises to be a winner as it ages in the bottle.

Brew Batch #38 Brown Ale

Knocked out a batch to put into my soon to be empty keg. NB has a new one out called Caribou Slobber that seemed to fit nicely into my schedule. An American brown ale with a little more hop to it than it's across the pond cousin. OG 1.050+0.000 @56F. Should end up being a nice fresh session beer in February.

Our Tastes-- Samuel Adams 2008 Longshot Traditional Bock

I'm just now trying this beer from last year's winners and if memory serves me Alex Drobshoff placed in a couple of different categories, so they were sure to pull one of this cat's entries. This traditional bock seems to encompass what I've come to enjoy in this type of beer. It pours a deep dark copper with light head. There is a definite malt backbone to it from either the Munich or Veinna malts. There is a sweet nose of banana or fruit bread, fruitcake? Taste is titillating plums/raisin with a tartness of cherries. The malt backbone and low hop allow the sweet part of the taste to linger on the palate throughout. 6.8%abv and I'd buy it if it were a commercial (I mean his own label). Here's a list of the guys he beat out since McDole's Double IPA was placed in this year's due to last years hops shortage for his recipe:
Alex Drobshoff of California Traditional Bock
Michael Robinson of New Hampshire Espresso Stout
Aaron Schenk of North Carolina German Pilsner
Chad Warner of Massachusetts English Brown Ale

End of an Era

Batch #18 Wicked Merry's Berry brewed on 8/27/06 is being finished off as I type. This only leaves a few batches still in bottles that I will hammer away on while I am waiting to transfer, keg and carbonate the other batches. Amber Waves, Steam Style and of course a ton of RR that I can just let get better. Maybe I'll do this one in kegs for Melonhead next year so she'll have something to gnaw on for football season.

Our Tastes-- Chateau Jiahu

The next to last DFH beer that I have in my possession to try is Chateau Jiahu. Being sick has put my taste buds on hold for a few weeks, but I'm on the mend. I've always been curious about this beer for the history behind it. It poured up a dark champagne hue in our snifter glasses with about the same consistency in the bubbles and head. The nose is slightly tart with hints of honey and apples. Mouthfeel is medium with the same taste as the nose. This recipe was identified by molecular archeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern preserved in pottery jars found in a 9000 year-old village (Jiahu) in Henan province of China. DFH used "pre-gelatinized rice flakes, Wildflower honey, Muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers. The rice and barley malt were added together to make the mash for starch conversion and degradation. The resulting sweet wort was then run into the kettle. The honey, grapes, Hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers were then added. The entire mixture was boiled for 45 minutes, then cooled. The resulting sweet liquid was pitched with a fresh culture of Sake yeast and allowed to ferment a month before the transfer into a chilled secondary tank." It was truly a wonderful experience. With it's price and 8%abv, it's probably not the best session beer but I'd buy it again fo' sho.