The Sounds Inside My Mind

Here’s my review for Saranc’s Caramel Porter.  I liked it more than most BA reviewers.

Saranac Caramel Porter

B / 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | drink: 3.5

Poured from a chilly bottle into a pint glass. The beer has a dark brown color with some hints of ruby in it. There is a thick head of light brown bubbles. There is a little bit of lacing, but not much. It’s too dark of a beer to see if there is any carbonation rising within. The aroma is a good mixture of roasted malts and caramel sweetness. The beer has a very strong caramel flavor, it overpowers almost everything else. It’s not like a caramel malt, but more like the center of a piece of candy. It’s a bit surprising, but enjoyable. The caramel hits you as soon as the beer touches your tongue and lasts until you swallow. Near the finish is a bit of toasted malt sweetness that is distinctly separate from the caramel flavor. All of the sweetness contributes to a tangible film that coats your mouth. There is a lot of carbonation that you can feel on your tongue. Having one of these beers is enjoyable; it would pair especially well with some chocolates. More than one may be a bit difficult; the high levels of sweetness and the thick mouthcoating would grow tiresome.

My first Pitch the Pint night at the Lion’s Pride was an excellent experience.  The place was virtually empty, which surprised Nissa and I, but it meant that we could kick back and have an hours long conversation about beer with Leigh and Ryan (our gracious hosts for the evening) and close down the bar.  We left with a few glasses, which was very generous, and got to tour the behind the scenes areas (VIP access!).  It was a really special night, and other great memory I’ll associate this excellent beer bar.

I reviewed three beers over the course of the evening. They aren’t very wordy, but I only wanted to jot down quick tasting notes so I could get back to the conversation.

d’Achouffe Le Chouffe

A / 4.35
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4

Reviewed from my notes. Poured from a bottle into a Le Chouffe goblet. It’s a golden orange beer with a thin white head. It’s translucent and has lots of carbonation bubbles visible within. It has a very nice earthy yeast aroma; there may be a hint of fruit in it as well. It has a great grassy, wheat like taste. There is a hint of alcohol in the finish. It’s spiced to perfection. It has a heavier body than I expected, and a plenty of carbonation. It’s a bit strong, but very good to drink. An excellent beer.

d’Achouffe N’Ice Chouffe

B+ / 3.8
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

Reviewed from my notes. Served in a La Chouffe goblet. It has a medium brown color, opaque, with a thin skim of grey bubbles. I couldn’t detect much aroma, but it was served pretty cold. It has a slightly sweet flavor, with some caramel notes. There is a lot of carbonation and a medium body. Overall, a pretty interesting beer that was fun to drink, but I don’t think I’d order too many. I’m glad I got it on tap instead of in a bottle.

De Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte

A / 4.4
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Reviewed from my notes. Served in a tulip glass. The beer is colored somewhere between gold and orange. It has a nice, thick white foam head. There isn’t much carbonation visible in the glass. There is a slight earthy yeast aroma. You can taste orange and coriander as well as some candy sugar sweetness in the finish. It is an interesting mix of flavors, complex like a glass of champagne. It has a less-than-medium body and a near perfect mouth coating (just enough to leave you wanting another sip). This beer is highly drinkable. I could stick with this all night. Everything by De Glazen Toren is so good!

There was some great stuff on tap last night that we didn’t get to try.  Good thing we’ll be back in Brunswick on Saturday!

If you’re like me and are constantly seeking out the interesting beers available in Portland, you’ve probably heard about what happened at the Great Lost Bear over the past two Thursdays.  On January 7, the Bear advertised that they would have the Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada collaboration small beer Limb & Life, followed by a keg of Life & Limb on the 14th.  What happened was that the wrong keg was tapped, so that Life & Limb was poured on the 7th and Limb & Life on the 14th.  I was one of the few people who suspected that there was something amiss on the 7th, as what I ordered certainly didn’t taste like a small beer (although it was better than the first glass of Life & Limb I had, in December at Novare’s Beer Geek Christmas).  Unfortuantely for me, I was unable to attend the event on the 14th to get to try the Limb & Life, so my search for that elusive beer must continue. Don’t feel too bad for me though, I missed it because I was flying home from a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas.  I found a nice surprise in my in box when I returned.  In the weekly Bear’s Growl (the Great Lost Bear’s newsletter) explaining the mix-up, I was featured as one of the folks who brought the mistake to light.  I also got quite a nice compliment thrown in for good measure.  Thanks GLB!

I won’t be making it to the Bear for tonight’s Harpoon showcase (although I’d love to have a Celtic ale, I missed out on it last year), as I want to attend the Pitch the Pint (aka Grab the Goblet) event at the Lion’s Pride.  If you’d like to subscribe to the Bear’s Growl, sign up here.

Luigi relaxing in his favorite chair/water dish.

Two years ago today, Nissa and I took a drive to H.A.R.T. in Cumberland and came home with a new friend.  Luigi was a stray found on the streets of Lewiston who had been living at the shelter since September.  When we met him, one of the volunteers opened up the binder with all of the cats listed in it, and Luigi walked over and sat on it.  We decided that this outgoing young man was the guy for us!  The vet estimated his age to be between 1 and 2 years, as his actual birthday is unknown.  So today, we celebrate his 3-4 year birthday.  As a special treat, he’ll get some extra food for dinner, and probably a saucer or two of skim milk.  Adopting shelter cats has been one of the most rewarding things we have done; I highly recommend that anyone with a little extra love to give consider adopting a cat.

I’ve reviewed at least ten beers over at Beer Advocate since the last time I shared a review on this site.  You can catch up with all of my reviews here.  Here are three highlights from the recent batch.

Brooklyn Monster Barleywine

B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4

Reviewed from my notes. Enjoyed on 12.30.09 in my Uprising Chalice at Novare Res.

Dark red/ruby color. Thick tan foam.

Yeast and grassy hop aroma.

Some toffee sweetness up front. Mild dry hop bitterness in the finish and in the aftertaste. Some alcohol, but not as much as I’d expect from a 10.8& ABV.

Fuller body. More carbonation than I expected.

I’ll enjoy this generous pour for a while, but I don’t think I’d order more than one in a row. It’s very drinkable, but I don’t want to over do it.

Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale

A+ / 4.65
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

Served from a cellar temperature 22oz bottle, split between two pint glasses. It has a translucent golden orange color, with a pretty head of pure white foam. It leaves some good lacing on the glass. The aroma is all hops, both citrusy and woodsy. As you would expect, the flavor is also dominated by the hop character. It starts out dry, then builds to sharp bitterness that lingers on after you swallow. You can detect some alcohol, especially in the finish and aftertaste. There are flavors that remind me of fruit and forests. This is as good as an IPA can get. It has a medium body and a higher-than-average amount of carbonation. It leaves a coating to your mouth that evaporates while you let the bitter flavors linger. This is an impressively drinkable IPA. There are hops everywhere, but I never grow tired of them. I wish I had more than this one bottle.

Anchor Our Special Ale 2009 (Anchor Christmas Ale)

A / 4.3
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

Poured from a cellar temperature bottle into a pint glass. The beer is a translucent dark brown, nearly black, with hardly any light penetrating it. There was a huge head of brown foam. As it dissipated, it left some impressive lacing. There is a hearty malt aroma with a hint of pine hops. The flavor reminds me of a great porter. There are some toasted caramel malt flavors and a smooth finish with just a touch of hop bitterness. It has a body lighter than the color would lead you to believe. There is plenty of carbonation. The beer is highly drinkable; I could keep drinking it all night, the only things stopping me are the price and my desire to hang on to some bottles to cellar for a year or two.

I’ve created a Twitter account that will be used exclusively for updates related to this blog.  You can follow it by visiting @SoundsInside.  I’ll let my follower’s know when a new post has been published to this site, as well as other interesting tidbits related to The Sounds Inside My Mind.  The most recent update from this account will always be displayed in the sidebar, underneath my main Twitter account’s recent tweets.

Here are the three reviews I wrote for the beers I got to try at the Novare Res event held this past weekend.

Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb

B+ / 3.8
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5

Reviewed from my tasting notes. Served in my 20oz Uprising Chalice at Novare Res. It pours an incredibly dark ruby color with a thick, tan, foam head. It smells slightly sweet, with an earthiness to the aroma. There are hints of spices and maple. There is a definite sweetness up front in the taste, and it has a dry, alcoholic finish, but the sweetness remains throughout. There are spruce and maple flavors. There is also a hint of coffee bitterness. It’s a very robust flavor. It has a very full body and low carbonation. As for drinkability, it’s a pretty sweet beer–a bit too much for my tastes. Still, I consider this a good beer. I would order it again and would certainly pick up a bottle if I happened across one.

Del Borgo Duchessic

A- / 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Reviewed from my tasting notes. Served in my 20oz Uprising chalice at Novare Res. This excellent beer pours a peach/orange color. It is slightly cloudy. It is very interesting looking. It has a yeast aroma, along with some citrus. It is a very good fruit smell. The main flavors are of peach and grapefruit. There’s a bit of sourness to the finish. It tasted a bit chalky at first, but as I drank it, this went away. I think the beer may have been too cold at first and as it warmed, this chalkiness went away. The approach to cellar temperature really improved things. It has a medium body with no detectable carbonation or coating. It feels great. The drinkability is equally impressive. This beer has just the right amount of sourness. I’m really glad I got to have this beer!

Mikkeller Black

B / 3.65
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3

Reviewed from my tasting notes. Served in my 20oz Uprising chalice. I knew I wanted to try this beer, but I didn’t really know much about it. Russ, my server, described it as “roofing tar with sugar.”

Appropriately, this beer is black like the night. There is a brown foamy head that leaves impressive lacing. There is a coffee bean bitterness to the aroma. It’s malty and robust. I summed up the taste as strong, dark, bitter, alcoholic. That seems to cover it, except for the syrupy sweetness that instantly hits you as you taste the beer. The 17.5% ABV is also very present in the taste; lots of alcohol. It leaves a sugary coating in your mouth. The body is very heavy and has low carbonation. I could only drink one of these in a sitting, and I’ll probably never order one again. It’s a strong, intimidating beer. I probably should have been better prepared for what I ordered and not made it my last beer of the night. Order this one carefully.

There are still a few special beers available at Novare.  If you haven’t stop by yet to try them, do so soon!

This afternoon, Novare Res opens its doors for a very special event.  They are presenting a line-up of kegs and bottles that the beer drinking public of Portland haven’t seen since…well, since Eric hosted his one year anniversary event at Novare.  Most of the beers on offer are extremely rare, all will be excellent to sample.  I don’t think my wallet will allow me to try as many as I’d like!  Some highlights include bottle pours of Sam Adams Utopias and De Struise Earthmonk; there will also be kegs of Birra Del Borgo Duchessic Ale, Mikkeller Black and Draft Bear, Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb, Smuttynose Oaked Farmhouse, and a 2006 cask of J.W. Lees Harvest Ale that has been aged in sherry barrels!  I’ve been looking forward to this event since it was announced, and once the beer list was posted, it’s been nearly all I’ve thought about.

For some reasoning behind my excitement, be aware that the SA Utopias is a 27% ABV beverage that is more like cognac than beer and retails for $150+ a bottle.  The Earthmonk is only brewed once every two years and is limited to 5000 bottles; it is highly sought after.  The Duchessic is an Italian saison that has been blended with Cantillon lambic and sounds incredibly delicious.  The two Mikkeller beers are both very difficult to obtain in a bottle; to have kegs of them on hand is unheard of.  One is a black as night stout brewed with champagne yeast; the other is an impressive pilsner.  Although Mikkeller is Danish, both of these beers were brewed in Belgium at the De Proef Brouwerij.  The Life & Limb is the current hype beer in America.  Everyone wants to try it.  No one can find it.  Only four cases of bottles were delivered to Maine, two to RSVP and one each to Whole Foods and Tully’s.  It sold out almost instantly.  This is the first chance most of us will get to have it (and probably the last time until January, when it will be on draft for one night at the Great Lost Bear).  Smutty’s Farmhosue is one of, if not my favorite beer they produce.  Having an oaked variety available is like seeing your favorite band perform your favorite album in concert; it won’t be exactly the same as you remember it, but it will be a great experience.  Lastly, JW Lees Sherry is a close cousin to the JW Lees Port, perhaps my favorite beer of all time.  To walk into Novare tonight and not order it should be criminal. [Yes, I believe that, even with all of the other great beers available.  That's why we have Home Runners.]

The full list of beers, as well as other details, are available at the Novare Res website.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

B- / 3.3
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4.5

This award-winning beer has been poured form a chilled bottle into a 12oz “pint” glass. The beer is a very clear straw color, with a good sized white foam head that dissipated quickly. There are plenty of carbonation bubbles rising up in the glass. This aroma is a yeast and some grain, probably corn. The taste is typical of the style, with plenty of sweet corn grain and other malts; the hops a non-existent to the point that the brewer may have forgot to include them. Although the carbonation is above average, it doesn’t affect the mouthfeel negatively. There is a bit of coating and stickiness from the high sugar content, but it isn’t too bad. I find PBR to be exceptionally drinkable, if I am in the mood for it. I don’t get tired of it and usually only need to cut myself off when I know it’s time to prevent a hangover. This is my go-to beverage when I’m out on the town and don’t feel like spending much money. There is something reassuring knowing I can get a 16oz tall boy at nearly any bar in town; thanks hipsters!

Award information via the packaging and Wikipedia

Tomorrow is Repeal Day, the 76th anniversary of the ratification of the 21rst amendment, which repealed the 18th and made alcohol legal once again!  One way I’m honoring that great act is by buying and consuming some exceptional beers.

I made a trip to Downeast Beverage yesterday afternoon, whilst waiting for 4 pm to roll around and for Novare Res to open its doors.  I really shouldn’t go here alone, especially with a fat wallet, as I always see so many beers I want to purchase, and I usually end up buying most of what I want.  I limited myself to four bottles, all of which look to be exceptional.  I picked up a 750 ml of Fantome Noel, which is the third different Fantome selection I’ve added to my cellar since the fall.  It’s such a great brewery, I feel really lucky that I am able to find so many different Fantome products in Maine.

I also bought myself a bottle of Weyerbacher XIII, their anniversary beer from 2008.  I already had a bottle of the Twelve and the fourteen should still be on store shelves; once I pick one up, I’ll have a bit of a vertical going.  That’s pretty exciting!

Lastly, I bought two 12 oz bottles of J.W. Lees Harvest Ale.  One is from 2007, which I’ll save until 2017 so Nissa and I can drink it on our tenth wedding anniversary.  The other bottle is the port cask aged variety and it dates from 2005.  This is my favorite style of the cask aged series.  I’ll probably drink it soon, maybe for Christmas or New Years.

Tomorrow, on Repeal Day, Nissa and I will be traveling to a home in Biddeford to take part in the first meeting of the Southern Maine Beer Drinkers Group, a collection of beer enthusiasts who met on Beer Advocate.  There will be some exceptional beers on offer tomorrow.  I’ll do a full write up of what I got try after the meeting.

Finally, tonight is the First Friday Art Walk in Portland.  I’ll be headed out to the Two Point Gallery to meet the folks behind Rum Riot Brewing Company.  There isn’t much information on this group (at least not that I could find), but apparently they only offer there beers in two ways: on draught at a specific gallery on First Friday or in a bottle/growler by contacting the brewery directly.  I hope that their beer is good, as I’d love to think I’ve discovered a new source of excellent beer from right here in the Portland area.  If you get a chance, make your way to 564 Congress at 5pm and join me for a beer you most likely have never tried before.  Plus, it’s free!