Shipyard Mint Chocolate Stout

Cold weather to me could mean many things. A nice fire built in the fireplace, a marathon of a tv show we've been meaning to catch up on (in my case Homeland), finally beating those video games that we haven't had time to play and delicious dark and refreshing beer.

Last night as I cruised through half of season 2 of Homeland, I cracked open a bottle of beer that I had been saving for just a night: Shipyard's Mint Chocolate Stout.

After being disappointed by the somewhat lackluster Stone Collaboration Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout I decided to give Shipyard's brew a try. I was left with a much better taste in my mouth thanks to my favorite Maine brewer.

To start, Shipyard's Mint Chocolate Stout was frothy after being poured into my mug. Always a good thing. The first smell I noticed was a spearmint aroma with a hint of coffee.

The taste was that of chocolate with a mint aftertaste. Toasted malt and barley also came through, as well as some coffee flavors.

If you're expecting this beer to taste like a scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream then you will walk away disappointed. I learned from my last experience to not hype up the beer too much and instead appreciate it for what it does well. In this case, a good chocolate stout with a slight mint flavoring.

At times while drinking Mint Chocolate Stout I felt overwhelmed with how strongly the beer smelled of mint. It was a little oversetting, but after getting used to it, the beer stuck with me as one of the better mint chocolate beers I have tried.

If you're looking for a new beer drinking experience and have a love of mints, look no further than Shipyard's Mint Chocolate Stout.

Mint Chocolate Stout was brewed in Maine by Shipyard and has an ABV of 9.0%. It is available in most beer stores although I picked up my bottle from Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage.

Schlafly Oatmeal Stout

So while finishing up the last two episodes of season 1 of Homeland, I decided to enjoy a light, but tasty beer in the form of Schlafly's Oatmeal Stout.

You might remember Schlafly as the same company who won my award for best Pumpkin Beer of 2013 after doing a blind tasting of six different pumpkin beers with Tom and his mom.

Prior to drinking the pumpkin ale they brewed, I had never heard of the company Schlafly. So when Kurt of Bullseye Wholesale Beverage posted on his Facebook page that he had some Schlafly products available I didn't hesitate to take a drive over and pick up a six-pack of their Oatmeal Stout, especially after how much I loved their pumpkin ale.

Being a stout it was dark brown in color, almost bordering on black. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle, it had a small amount of head that was a little less than what I would have liked, but just enough for me to enjoy.

My first impression upon smelling Schlafly's Oatmeal Stout was a delicious blend of coffee and chocolate mixed in perfect harmony.

The taste was also well balanced and was everything I would expect from a stout. Coffee and Chocolate were the most prevalent of the flavors I tasted and a malt aftertaste was noticeable minutes after taking each sip. Beer Advocate members who reviewed this stout also tasted raisins and oatmeal (obviously) in the beer as well.

Overall I enjoyed Schlafly's take on an Oatmeal Stout and I would gladly drink more of it in the future. I still have a couple of bottles left, so whenever I'm in the mood for a good stout I'll be prepared!

Schlafly's Tap Room is located in St. Louis, Missouri. Their Oatmeal Stout is 5.7% ABV and perfect for anyone who likes darker beers, especially those with rich flavors that break the unconventional mold of the average beer. 

Give Schlafly a try, you won't cry!

Our Special Ale 2013 (Anchor Christmas Ale)

In the spirit of getting the Spadanuta Family Christmas Tree last weekend, I decided to drink a beer that was very festive in appearance. It even says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year on the bottle's label. Thanks to Erica for getting me this one.

Before you is a beer created by Anchor Brewing Company for the last 39 years. It's called Our Special Ale and this one was their 2013 edition. This offering is truly special each year as every batch is brewed using a different recipe from year to year.

Right out of the bottle the smell of Christmas spices is evident and the dark color of the beer alluring. I was expecting it to be lighter in color and more like an IPA since there was a Christmas tree on the label and I always associate IPAs with a fresh pine scent.

 
The aroma of Our Special Ale is so complex that it was hard for me to put a finger on all the different smells I was experiencing. I associated the smell with a variety of holiday treats you might enjoy, including gingerbread men, molasses cookies and the delicious caramel and toffee bars my aunt likes to make each Christmas. There was also a sweet maltiness that was noticeable as well.

This is beer form? Yes please.

The smell complimented the taste perfectly and it had a very rich and robust flavor with a sweet aftertaste. Nutmeg and gingerbread flavors stuck with me throughout the drinking process, while caramel and molasses also came through with each sip. Simply put, I loved Our Special Ale and couldn't get enough of it. Before I knew it my glass was empty and I was down to my last sip of this delicious beer. 

One thing is for certain though. I will be drinking this beer this time again next year.

Anchor's Our Special Ale is only sold from November to mid-January each year and has an ABV of 5.5%. I highly suggest it to any beer lover looking for something new to try or anyone who loves the aroma and taste of holiday spices and Christmas cookies.

Phil tested, Phil approved for your holiday enjoyment

Take the Black Stout: A Game of Thrones inspired beer

Winter is coming!! Or at least the final showdown in the console war between Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One. The third and final episode in South Park's "Game of Thrones" trilogy airs tonight at 10 PM on Comedy Central, so what better way to send off Matt and Trey's playful nod to Game of Thrones than to talk about a Game of Thones inspired beer?

Called Take the Black Stout, this Belgian Dark Ale was brewed by the Brewery Ommegang located in Cooperstown, NY. It stands at 7% ABV, is brewed with star anise and licorice root and is as dark as the carpets of the palace were after the Red Wedding took place.

Robert Baratheon tested, Robert Baratheon approved

In addition to the licorice root and star anise, Take the Black Stout is also brewed with chocolate, caramel and roasted barley malts. This results in a variety of flavors that start sweet, become hoppy and finish with a roasted fruity taste. It could also be described as earthly.

To simplify, Take the Black Stout has the hoppy aroma and taste that you would expect from an IPA with chocolate and caramel flavors coming through as well. There is also a sort of raisin like flavor and aroma that accompanies it throughout the drinking process. The roastedness makes up the majority of the aftertaste. 

Needless to say I enjoyed drinking Take the Black Stout out of my gold rimmed Ommegang goblet as I watched the first two episodes of South Park Game of Thrones. If the beer was this good every night for the members of the Night's Watch I wouldn't hesitate in joining them, well maybe if it wasn't for the White Walkers and their zombie minions wanting to decapitate us at any given moment.

Almost worth dying for

Unfortunately, if you're hoping to try a bottle of Take the Black Stout it will be very hard to find. It was released at the beginning of November and only one batch was brewed by Ommegang. Such is the story of all their limited must-have beers. If you're lucky though you may be able to find a bottle at a beer store hidden on the shelf among all the commoner beers.

South Park's final Game of Thrones episode which pits the boys against one another to try to get an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 as part of a 96% off Black Friday deal airs tonight. HBO's Game of Thrones is expected to come back late April or early May 2014. Until then happy beer hunting and try your best not to cross the path of Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons.

 

2013 Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage Beer Raffle

This year Big John and the rest of the Ronk Beverage crew decided to hold another beer raffle...this time on Friday, November 1, 2013. Their last raffle, which occurred in March of last year, was a huge success and an event that I immensely enjoyed. This year they upped the ante and had 72 bottles of beer to raffle off to their favorite customers.

The majority of the beers at the raffle were aged for one or two years and came from Big John's own personal collection, which he had been saving just for this raffle. Bourbon County, Founders, Brooklyn Brewery and Sierra Nevada were just some of the great breweries that had themselves represented.

Before the raffle began at 10 PM, everyone was welcome to come into the store and enjoy a free glass of Palm beer as they discussed their favorite beers with other beer lovers in attendance (we even got to keep the glass after the raffle was done!). 

Eagerly awaiting for the raffle to begin

Everyone was given 24 (I think that was the number) raffle tickets and was able to divide them up as they chose, to have a better chance of winning the beers they were interested in. If you got your ticket pulled you were entitled to buy the beer you had won. Some of the more highly desired beers included Bourbon County Coffee Stout, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Firestone Walker's 16 Anniversary Ale and Sierra Nevada's Barrel Aged Bigfoot. Tom and I divied our tickets up and the raffle began shortly after we were done.

Big John gave another one of his heartfelt speeches that was both brief and right to the point. He thanked everyone for coming out and said little else besides: "Let's get to the raffle!"

With the help of his girlfriend Lindsay (who also works at Ronkonkoma Beverage) they pulled ticket after ticket and called the numbers on each. Every winner excitedly came up to the table full of fabled beers and redeemed their prize.

Both John and Lindsay had a blast while raffling off beers

The raffle lasted a little under an hour, until all the beers were claimed. I'm about 99% sure that everyone in attendance walked away with at least one prize, while there were a lucky few people who came away winning multiple rare beers. 

Tom, who only was interested in the Barrel Aged Bigfoot and the Firestone 16 Anniversary Ale (there was only one bottle in the raffle) ended up winning the 16 Anniversary Ale (so lucky!) and buying a four pack of Sierra Nevada's Narwhal Imperial Stout.

Tom was more than happy with his winnings

I ended up winning a bottle of the 2012 Stone Collaboration beer Mint Chocolate Imperial Stout (which I was ecstatic about) and DevESTATEtion by Sierra Nevada. Big John also ended up letting me buy unclaimed bottles of Sierra Nevada's Harvest Ale and Avery Old Jubilation Ale. 

 John Sr. and Lindsay ringing up some of the lucky winners

Tom and I had a great time and there was nothing but smiles among the crowd of people who showed up at Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage on November 1, 2013. Needless to say, they held yet another successful beer raffle this year with many happy customers who had the chance to bring home beers (and they did) that are no longer available to buy in any beer store. I still think however that the biggest smiles that night belonged to all the employees of Lake Ronkonkoma Beverage.

Thank you for the great time John and crew. You know I will be there every time you decide to have another beer raffle and I will always blog about it.

Your Friend,

Phil Spadanuta

The beers I took away from 2013 Ronkonkoma Beverage Beer Raffle

Pumpkin Beer Showdown: A Blind Tasting of the Final 6

Pumpkin beer should be in a class of its own with how many different types there are and the varying flavors of each. It's one of the most popular fall beverages among both beer connoisseurs and people who are just looking to get a delicious glass of Pumpkin Spice beer at John Harvard's Brew House. Brewing companies have noticed this rising popularity of pumpkin beer and as a result more and more companies are producing their own pumpkin beers. By stepping into the pumpkin beer brewing spotlight, they too hope that they can share in having their product be a part of the coveted pumpkin(beer) pie that everyone loves getting a taste of. This year Tom and I decided to do a blind taste test on what we considered the top 6 pumpkin beers that were offered this year to truly decide, without bias, which were our favorites.

  The contenders for best Pumpkin beer of 2013

We narrowed it down to these six (listed from left to right):

1) Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, 8.0% ABV

2) Ithaca Country Pumpkin, 6.3% ABV

3) Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, 7.0% ABV

4) Wolavers Organic Pumpkin Ale, 5.35% ABV

5) Harpoon UFO Pumpkin, 5.9% ABV

6) Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale, 8.0% ABV

 

To do our blind test we poured a 3 ounce glass of each beer, labeled with a number corresponding to which one it was, and each tried them at our leisure and compared them. It's the first time either of us has done a tasting of beers without knowing what we were drinking as we were drinking it. This is a great way to taste test beers because neither of us could form opinions just based on the name alone and which ones we've liked in the past.

 Waiting to be consumed and gain recognition for their greatness

The whole process was interesting because I thought I was going to be able to pick out each of the beers based on their flavor...boy was I wrong. Since I couldn't figure it out I had to go by taste alone. We even had Tom's Mom take part in the tasting as well so she could give us a third perspective on our favorite pumpkin beers. 

Tom with his flight of beers

These are the notes I took, based on what everyone said on each of the beers we drank.

1) Schlafly:

Tom's Mom - That one had a bit of an unusual flavor. (Ranked 6th)

Tom - Tasted borderline repulsive. (Ranked 6th)

Phil - Sweet and delicious, almost like a rich pumpkin pie. (Ranked 1st)

2) Ithaca: 
Tom's Mom - This one is nice, but not the best. (Ranked 2nd)
Tom - Definitely not the best, but not the worst, above average. (Ranked 3rd)
Phil - Very plain. Nothing particular that I liked about it. (Ranked 6th) 

3) Dogfish Head:
Tom's Mom - Not Bad. (Ranked 3rd)
Tom - Delicious pumpkin spices. (Ranked 1st)
Phil - Tasted more like a coffee beer. Good variety of spices, great flavor. (Ranked 4th) 

4) Wolaver's:  
Tom's Mom - The others are better than this one. (Ranked 4th)
Tom - Kind of plain. (Ranked 4th)
Phil - I noticed a taste of cinnamon. A light beer, not overpowering. (Ranked 3rd)

5) Harpoon UFO:
Tom's Mom - It's got a nice taste. This one's my favorite. (Ranked 1st)
Tom - Delicious and not too sweet. (Ranked 2nd)
Phil - Good, but the flavor is not enough especially when compared to the others. (Ranked 5th)

6) Weyerbacher:
Tom's Mom - A little off taste, not too good. (Ranked 5th)
Tom - Another one that was repulsive to me. (Ranked 6th)
Phil - Strong and satisfying. The spices were sweet too. (Ranked 2nd)       

Picking out my favorites

So to rank our beers I've come up with a points system. (1st = 6pts, 2nd = 5pts...5th = 2pts, 6th = 1pt). Here are the results:

1st place - We have a tie between Harpoon UFO Pumpkin and Dogfish Head Punkin both with 13pts.

2nd place - Another tie except this time between Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale and Ithaca Country Pumpkin both had 10pts.

3rd place - A third tie between Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Schlafly Pumpkin Ale with 8pts each.

To me it seems that the statement "like mother like son" holds true in our pumpkin beer tasting as Ithaca, Dogfish Head and Harpoon UFO were ranked as the three best by both Tom and his Mom.

I on the other hand appreciate different tastes and enjoyed the Schlafly, Weyerbacher and Wolaver's the most. 

Since we only had a test group of 3 different tasters I've consulted Beeradvocate.com for the number ranks (out of 100) for all the beers that were part of our tasting for a better understanding of where other people place them when compared to one another.

Beer Advocate ranks (average):

Dogfish Head Punkin - 89

Harpoon UFO Pumpkin - 81

Ithaca Country Pumpkin - 84

Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale - 78

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale - 88

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - 94

Looks like the Beer Advocate community agrees more with my choices haha. It just goes to show that everyone has different tastes and ideas of what makes a pumpkin beer good. What's even better is that I thought I was going to pick Harpoon UFO Pumpkin as my favorite since it consistently has been every year and I couldn't stop talking about how great it was. It came as a huge surprise when I found out that I ranked it 5th out of 6, which Tom thought was hilarious.

With the ever growing list of new Pumpkin beers that come out each year it's hard to keep up sometimes. Breweries even tend to put a slight variation on their Pumpkin beer formula, which results in a different experience drinking the same beer each year. As a beer blogger I hope to share with you some of my insight as to which pumpkin beers out of the list of hundreds are worth spending your hard earned cash on!

Please comment on my Facebook (Phil Spadanuta) or my twitter (@philchesteak) and let me know what you think of this post. Have you tried any of our final six and have input to give? Is there any pumpkin beers that you feel deserve recognition that we may have skipped over trying this year? Any and all comments are welcomed and appreciated.

If you'd like you can also check out my post from last year of The Top 5 Pumpkin Beers of 2012.

Thanks guys and keep it here at philchesteakbeer.blogspot.com for all of my opinions on the craft beers that you must try in your lifetime!

 

Beast Bitter

A knight's worst dream is a bitter beast waiting for him in that final throne room as he tries to reach the princess in peril, or if he's a bit more on the selfish side, a room filled with treasure. However, if you switch the order of the words you are left with Beast Bitter, which has a completely different meaning and is instead a beer that will have the knight(you) and the dragon(your mortal enemy) partying until the wee hours of the night as they discuss past relationships and how they both hate their jobs.

Beast Bitter is the second Middle Ages Brewing Company beer I am reviewing that my amazing friend Erica got for me on her trip to Syracuse, NY. Beast Bitter is an Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB) more on the malt end of the spectrum which results in a fruity and toasty tasting beer.

  Every time I try a new beer this is the beautiful sight I'm greeted with

Poured from a 12 oz bottle Beast Bitter is a nice amber orange color and smells of citrusy hops and toasted grain. I took a sip and the most noticeable flavor was that of toasted grain, which perfectly complimented the smell. As I continued drinking I began to notice some citrus notes with a non-overpowering bitter after taste. The carbonation was also well done and made the beer as good as it was and without it, Beast Bitter wouldn't have had the bite to it that I liked so much.

Beast Bitter is not overly inventive or as different as some of the other beers I've tried, but instead a beer for beer lovers to enjoy that want a nice standard beer that is consistently good, and at 5.3% ABV it packs a little more punch than most commercially successful beers.

Great from start to finish, I will be drinking this again in the future, right after I get a decent chestplate and shield so I could make the journey to the magical land of Syracuse, New York feeling prepared for the monsters that await me there.

 Instead of Mead they should have been drinking this in the Middle Ages

Beast Bitter is brewed by the Middle Ages Brewing Co. located in the upstate town of Syracuse, NY, where castles and dragons are abundant.