Yet Another Beer Show

As of February 11th, the city and surrounding area of San Francisco have started their annual celebration of beer. There are literally hundreds of events around the bay area that are beer themed from dedicated festivals to beer float (ice cream) nights. Not all can be attended, for both time and health reasons, but the variety ensures that you will have the opportunity try many new beers.

An event that I attended on a whim, based on friend’s recommendation, was the Social Kitchen and Brewery Nano Brewfest. The nano brewer is somewhere between a home brewer and a micro brewery. These are brewers who are trying to put their foot in the door, so the general public, restaurants, beer distributors, etc know what to expect.

Most of these people waited in line for over an hour to try some of SF's up and coming home brewers.

There are some limitations to being being a nano brewer. First and foremost, you cannot make a monetary profit from your beer. The state of California, and more specifically the city San Francisco, has some strict limitations on who can sell their beer for profit. Special licensees are needed to produce and distribute beer, a process that I was told from many present nano brewers usually took more than a year and a half. Its actually easier to move your brewing facilities out of San Francisco and just “import” your beer into the city through normal distribution channels. Till then these brewers are promoting as much as possible at their own expense to make contacts in any industry.

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Tonight, I picked up dinner at The Pour House (web, Facebook) in nearby Westmont, NJ. It’s a great beer bar with an overflowing and ever-changing list of beers by the bottle and on tap for the great pleasure of your taste buds. Plus, there’s excellent service and great, “step up from typical” bar food. So go check it out.

Per a recommendation from the bar, I tried Smuttynose’s S’muttonator, which is part of the breweries “Big Beer Series.” This beer is a German Doppelbock, which essentially translates to being heavy on the malts. I mean, it literally translates to “double bock,” but that’s beside the point. The point is the malts. And this beer has them!

Poured into a Chimay-style goblet, the S’muttonator had a deep reddish brown, almost mahogany color to it. There was about a finger or two of frothy, tan head and a good amount lacing. Roasty scents played alongside hints of toffee on the nose, both partnering with a tad bit of noticeable alcohol on the nose. There’s a yeasty, bready scent as well, but in just the right amount.

This brew’s ABV alternates with each year of production, and this 2010 was listed at 8.5% ABV, which is big for your typical beer, but hides within this heavier double pretty well. The flavors flowed logically from the nose, which strong malts that lent a bit of bitterness and a slightly warming alcohol sensation. There’s light carbonation, which is just enough to scrub the mouth and get you ready for the next sip!

I didn’t know it at the bar, as this was a draught pour, but the bottle is pretty awesome, with Smuttynose putting some mutton right on the label. Points for that!

All in all, Smuttynose’s S’muttonator is a rich, warming, and enjoyable beer. It’s only available on a seasonal rotation, but you shouldn’t have too hard a time finding it. And hell, if you’re in the neighborhood of Westmont, NJ, swing on down to The Pour House and grab a glass while they still have it on tap!

Hello, friends. It’s often, here at Yet Another Beer Show, that two of us will sit down and review a beer before you, on camera. What about those times when we’ve explored a new beer on our own? In that vein, here’s a review of a beer I’ve been enjoying this evening after the Super Bowl.

George Washington’s Tavern Porter by Yard’s Brewing Company is a warm, rich, and somewhat sweet Porter. It’s a fun beer to drink, because it brings a fairly high alcohol level to a rich and robust set of flavors, but it’s an enjoyable and delicious combination of typical malts, slight hops, and tasty notes of molasses, as well.

Legend has it that Yard’s has based the recipe on a recipe Washington developed “to satisfy his field officers” that is said to originate in Robert Hair’s brewery, the site of which was just a few blocks down from where Yard’s brewery stands, today. I’m not sure how proven the legend is, but it’s a nice story to accompany the stately label, which feature’s good ‘ol George’s head and classic, Colonial lettering.

You’ll pick up a few hints of chocolate and sweetness on the nose, but they don’t reign supreme in the taste, which is actually a warming, roasty, and almost “milky” balance. It’s comforting to drink and easier to drink than the color might suggest. The elevated alcohol content (7.0% ABV) should give you pause and puts this in the category of more of  a sipping beer, however, and that’s a good direction to follow.

I thoroughly enjoyed the beer and recommend it to you, especially if you like Porters. If heavier beers are not your forte, the medium carbonation might help you out, here, and it’s still worth a whirl. Pace yourself and enjoy the complex flavors. Don’t be afraid to try this brew cold, despite its deeper color or heavier ABV. It drinks like a slow-paced, yet dark, lager, with a lot of intricacies to its flavor.

Good show, George!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and most importantly Merry Beermas! Have one on us (as in, one we recommended), and have a safe and awesome holiday!

Plus, stay tuned for our Beermas Spectacular.. err.. our 12th Day of Beermas!

We’ve recently reviewed three of the brews recommended in a recent AV Club Chicago run-down of classically great Christmas Beer. Read the run-down from The AV Club Chicago.

Jewbelation 14 is a favorite of Steve and JT’s from just before our Beermas Extravaganza. It’s a 14% alcohol barleywine from Schmaltz Brewing and boy, is it ever good! Check out our review of Jewbelation 14.

Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale was just reviewed, today, by Chris and Colin. While it doesn’t get as high marks at Jewbelation, it’s a great twist on the traditional winter seasonal that will raise a few eyebrows amongst your friends these holidays. Watch our review of Santa’s Private Reserve.

Abita Christmas Ale got similar marks from Kasey and Colin as it did from the folks working the bar at The AV Club, who note the beer is worth “two and a half ho’s.” They go on to note that “it’s a nice, solid ale at any other time of the year, even winter, but it falls a bit short for a Christmas Ale,” which we agreed with in our review. Watch us talk about Abita Christmas Ale.

Stay warm this holiday season and stay safe! Happy Holidays!