A Malty Brew for Barack

Okay, to address the obvious first, clearly the picture to the right is not the actual bottling of Gordon Biersch's recent Obama-inspired beer. However, since this is the first brew I've discussed that is not bottled or canned in any way, I had to improvise, and any picture that somehow features Obama, Dave Chappelle as Sam L., and beer is awesome in my book. Moving along.

GB's actual Barack beer is called Inaugur-Ale (hyphen and all). Before I pass judgment on the brew itself, I need to explain a bit about Gordon Biersch itself. Gordon Biersch is a magical, magical place constantly hiding just under ther radar of mass recognition - it exists as a limited chain almost always located exactly where I need them to be. GB's are more elaborate and better funded than most single restaurants or bars while managing to avoid that streamlined or generic feel associated with the massive national food industry chains like Applebee's and the like. Each individual brewery/restaurant has a staggeringly unique look and feel, both in general and, more interestingly, from each other - some have giant pillars and huge glass walls just between restaurant tables and brewing equipment (DC), others hide the brewing and instead go for a more traditional resaurant look (VA), and still others are dominated by the bar and more reminiscent of a dive bar than a Cheesecake Factory (CA) - but they're all, in a word, awesome.

Most Gordon Biersch locations have agreed upon what may seem like a supreme self-indulgence - they only serve GB-produced brews, and depending on what seasonals are available this limits the diner/drinker to a mere five to seven choices. Luckily, I've had every one of these at some point or another, and they are all simply fantastic - particularly the hefeweizen, but that's another post for another day. Regardless, such a strict limit on variety automatically makes it a big deal whenever a seasonal or special brew is announced and released (almost always accompanied by some needless but entertaining launch party - I've been to two and they're usually about the same as any other night, but it's hard to improve on amazing).

This seasons attempt is the aforementioned Inaugur-Ale. Available as of the Wednesday preceding Inauguration Day, the brew had an extremely limited release - just a handful of kegs were made, and I'm fairly certain that it's already no longer being served. And, as much as I hate to tarnish GB's generally glowing record, I can easily say that the Inaugur-Ale is the least delicious beer I've sampled from them yet. Gordon Biersch apparently decided they wanted to experiment with a recipe that was far more malty than anything they've produced before, with a variety of results - it's one of those unique beer experiences in which you're shocked at first sip, annoyed by how overwhelming a single flavor is in the next two or three, increasingly okay with it as you work your way through it and discover the underlying tastes and balance, and finally ultimately disappointed as you finish that all of that is hidden under that first oppressive (in this case malty) layer.

Note, please, both the context and syntax of that review - first of all, the worst Gordon Biersch brew is still far better than the best of some other breweries, and I must reiterate its status of "least delicious" as opposed to, say, "worst" offering. It simply didn't shine in the way that the GB mainstays and even the traditional seasonals do. Granted, this was such a limited release that they clearly couldn't devote the time and money in reseaching and refining the brew, and you can't really blame them for experimenting with something new. It's limited publicity (it wasn't actually on the menu at any point during its availability, as far as I could tell) also led to another of my complaints - every GB beer and the entire food menu have been tinkered with for years to create an unbelievable food/beer balance, where every meal has at least one brew that either perfectly complements it or notably enhances the experience as a whole, and every seasonal is released with a special menu of new food offerings tailored to the brew's recipe and taste. Limited releases such as the Inaugur-Ale receive no such fanfare or special treatment, and thus was left with a noticeable and disappointing lack of synergetic (yeah) accompanying app/meal choices. Again, with any normal brew this would not be much of an issue, but relatively to the amazingness that is all of Gordon Biersch's other beer options it quickly becomes significant.

So, long story short, Gordon Biersch is generally awesome; their Inaugur-Ale was disappointing, but its no longer available anyway, so GB has gone back to being all amazing. Find one online, go, and understand.

Gordon Biersch Inaugur-Ale
Overall Rating: 5/10

Yet Another Fruity Post

This is an important piece of trivia that is very important to both myself and anyone reading this blog - I love fruity beers. Judge me all you want, but in general, if done correctly, I think there is huge potential for fruit flavorings to improve brews drastically (particularly in the drinkability department - try drinking five or ten of something straightforward and heavy like Old Chub or Guinness back to back, then try the same with something light and fruity like Purple Haze, and you'll see precisely what I mean). The significant downside to this is the likelihood of the fruit flavoring to overwhelm or completely drown out the more subtle aspects of the brew. In fact, this is so common that I find it almost impossible for fruity beers to skew heavily toward terrible or amazing - they simply consistently fall in the "pretty damn good" category (though there are of course exceptions, see my post on Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale).

Though not quite as reliable as blueberry, raspberry is definitely one of the more consistently successful beer/fruit fusions. And, accordingly, Great Divide has done an admirable job with their Wild Raspberry Ale. Like any above-average fruit-inspired brew, the raspberry taste is present with varying intensity throughout the drinking experience; it hits hard at first taste, then falls into the background to allow the more subtle elements of the ale to come forward, and finally returns in full force during the extended aftertaste. In terms of its execution of a fruit flavor, this is close to a ten out of ten.

The problem, though, with this beer is not it's choice or methodology of added flavor (as was the problem with the aforemention Punkin Ale), but instead lies in its underlying ale. Basically, Great Divide build an amazing raspberry structure on an unfortunately weak ale foundation. As soon as that raspberry flavor recedes mid-tasting, it becomes abundantly clear that if not for it this would simply be a subpar, unexceptional beer. It's a classic case of a brew hiding behind its hook - a drastic mistake in some cases (see Punkin yet again), and sometimes simply unfortunate, such as here.

Great Divide absolutely has the process to create a fruit-infused brew down. If it could only start improving its base formulas, the brewery could easily work its way up to being one of my favorites.

Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale
Overall Rating: 7/10

Hidden Punkins

Okay, like most people I look forward to the fall season, when pumpkins magically transform from garish "decorative" monstrosities avoided by nearly everyone to a ridiculously common ingredient in both decor and cuisine. Why? Pumpkin pie. And pumpkin cookies. And my personal favorite, pumpkin pancakes (thank you, by the way, random diner in Austin, for blowing my mind with your delicious pumpcakes - oh yes, pumpcakes). And yes, of course, if a flavor is able to be put in food, odds are some crazy person has taken it and stuck it in a beer at some point.

Luckily, pumpkin beers are generally fantastic. Unfortunately, Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale is not.

Rather than take advantage of the season to experiment with a flavor that is overwhelmingly ignored for the bulk of the year, Dogfish Head is clearly taking advantage of others' risks with a tame and ultimately very underwhelming seasonal brew. Essentially a subpar brown ale, the so-called "punkin" (which, by the way, is an adorable pronunciation to say aloud but should never be used in marketing something that successfully avoids being any kind of adorable in every possible way) exists only as a barely discernable aftertaste that causes far more of a "hmph." reaction than the likely desired "oooh!". When compared directly side by side with some of the other pumpkin-inspired beers of the season, this not only doesn't stack up, it noticeably disappoints.

As the unfortunate recipient of my lowest score yet (significantly, at that), I feel it deserves at least a few redeeming words. Taken exclusively as a brown ale, this probably would have fared slightly better, but it fails to stand out at all in that department. The "something special" that they've added does nothing but disappoint, simply because of the potential for it to be so much more amazing than it is.

It should also be noted that the $11 I paid for a 4-pack of bottles of this certainly did not help its cause.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Overall Rating: 3/10

Blue Moon (for Barack)

My drink of choice while following this year's election results was unquestionably Blue Moon. Though annoyingly macro in its origins (the "brewery" recently finally got its own website, and is no longer simply a small subsection of Coors' site), Blue Moon has been the most commercially available Belgian white beer everywhere I have lived in the last five years, and as a result has become another mainstay in my fridge (I know, I know, Blue Moon and Wild Blue are the only "staples" I've mentioned thus far, judge away, but they're more like guilty pleasures that I indulge in far too often). Thus, when it came time to plant myself in front of the television last night and watch Obama's crushing defeat of McCain, a sixer of Blue Moon naturally came with me.

Blue Moon is interesting for two very specific reasons. First, it is made by Coor's, and yet, oddly, I'd say it falls far more in the realm of delicious than, say, piss-esque (see: Coors Light). Also, it is definitely a member of the relatively small family of brews that is wildly altered by almost any change in the method of consumption. For starters, like most quality beers there is a notable difference between bottle and draft, but this difference becomes drastic with Blue Moon due to two factors: garnish and pouring method. As a Belgian white it clearly has plenty of wheat and sediment going into its production, and an inexperienced pour (or, even worse, drinking straight from the bottle) may result in a seriously diminished taste or texture experience.

Secondly, Blue Moon with an orange wedge or peel added is, quite simply, a remarkably different beast. Not to say it is mindblowingly amazing (though it is quite good), the impression is made far more simply by the variance in taste - add an orange to a pint of Blue Moon and you essentially be drinking an entirely different drink as far as taste is concerned. More than any other beer, in my early days of trying every new brew I could get my hands on Blue Moon taught me to experiment with glass and garnish.

Again, I must reiterate that Blue Moon is generally average when taken as a straightforward Belgian white brew. It is in its potential variety that it gets its strength, and why it is easy to get through a sixpack rather quickly with a small collection of glasses and an orange while watching an elderly gentleman and a rather attractive yet dimwitted hockey mom lose a national election they were inexplicably a part of to begin with.

Blue Moon
Overall Rating: 7/10

What Would Jesus Brew?

Amazing.

A Classy White

I stumbled upon this Belgian white in a bar in D.C. this past Friday, and, despite already being a few beers deep, I distinctly remember being shocked at how impressive this brew both appeared and tasted.

Everything about Allagash White screams classy, from its atypical bottles to the fact that even at some random bar my beer came in a glass labeled and designed specifically for the brew. One can immediately tell that Allagash is trying very, very hard to stand out, and luckily for everyone it's completely worth the effort. Surprisingly robust for a Belgian white, Allagash's offering has the requisite wheaty flavor mixed with a strong, sweet aftertaste, all hidden under an incredibly thick foam (if poured correctly, of course).

Allagash has done an admirable job summarizing everything one could possibly want to know about all of their brews on their website, and, more interestingly, they are one of the growing number of brewers to list food pairings for their beer (a trend of which I am a huge supporter). They recommend pairing the beer with light salads and desserts, which I completely agree with, though I must add that due to its strong wheat flavor and lingering aftertaste it makes a surprisingly good companion to some heavier and spicier foods (read: wings) as well.

Allagash White
Overall Rating: 8/10

"Gets You Wild" Blue

Anyone who knows me at all should find this post wildly unsurprising.

Definitely a "love it or hate it" brew, Wild Blue has been an absolute favorite of mine from the moment I first tasted it in Anheuser-Busch's Brewmaster's Club at Busch Gardens Europe. Despite it's macro origins, this "fruity" lager easily rivals comparable micro offerings (such as Leinenkugel's Berry Wiesse, and many others). Though it can become a bit heavy in quantities more than a bottle or two, it is otherwise incredibly drinkable, with the only common complaint being that it tastes more like drinking juice or some kind of malt beverage than beer.

The above distinction is incredibly important, though, once one considers Wild Blue's very, very, inexplicably high alcohol content (a whopping 8%!), which easily sneaks up on you if you work your way through a few bottles too quickly, something that can easily happen due to its general deliciousness. More than once I have charged confidently through a full sixpack, only to blink and find myself in bed the next morning spooning... well, someone I'd rather not be spooning.

Wild Blue always has a place in my fridge, and probably will for a long time. Definitely buy it, try it, and love it.

Wild Blue Blueberry Lager
Overall Rating: 9/10

Vanilla Vanity

Vanilla is one of those flavors that everyone seems to get excited about when they see it next to some beverage that usually doesn't include it; from french vanilla coffee to Vanilla Coke to vanilla vodka, the applications usually meet with mild to wild success (especially Vanilla Coke, which in my humble opinion is the best soda in the history of... soda). I am absolutely no exception to this rule, and when I spotted a Vanilla Porter (sitting conveniently next to my staple, Wild Blue) in an Austin supermarket, I immediately snatched it up.

Despite its full-of-potential name, this offering from Breckenridge Brewery sounds a bit better than it is. Taken solely as a porter, it fares relatively well, with a solid taste and heavy, though surprisingly somehow bland, flavor. My major problem with it falls with the promised vanilla, which is completely lost in that heaviness, emerging only as an aftertaste not discernible until about a full five to ten seconds after sipping. While this is, admittedly, an interesting taste phenomenon that warrants a certain praise, I wasn't able to conquer that initial disappointment; I was looking forward to a vanilla porter, not a porter with a vanilla chaser.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter
Overall Rating: 6/10