HopHeadSaid
  • Blog
  • pintsandpairings
  • ABOS

Stouts

3/15/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
If you're not a stout fan my list below will change your mind.  I've broken them up into two categories: In Bottles and On Nitro, for your convenience.  Some of these stouts taste great out of the bottle while others are just plain amazing with the soft touch of nitro

In Bottles

Picture
1. Yeti (any version, also my favorite)  Great Divide Brewing Co. 2  The Czar, Avery 
3  Extra Export, De Dolle
4. Velvet Merlin, Firestone Walker
5. KBS (Kentucky Bourbon Stout), Founder's 
6. Speedway Stout, Alesmith
7. Milk Stout, Lefthand
8. Worthy Adversary, Fulton

On Nitro

Picture
1. Old Rasputen, North Coast (my favorite) 
2. Murphy's Irish Stout
3. Guinness
4. Double Chocolate Stout,  Youngs
Pairing Suggestions for Imperial Stouts:
1. Smoked or grilled game.
2. Desserts.
3. Grilled Veggies.
4. Shellfish.
0 Comments

beer.review: English Dry Stout, Anacapa Brewing Co.

2/28/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
The weekend is almost here and there is no better way to celebrate it than with a tasty beer.  If you are going to be in Ventura this weekend be sure to stop in at Anacapa Brewing Company (472 E. Main) and try one of their new beers called English Dry Stout.

The beer poured opaque black with a dark tan head.  The cascading carbonation down the side of the glass was so mesmerizing that I almost forgot what I was doing and I nearly skipped the second step in my tasting procedure.  Don’t shortchange yourself here; take the time to smell the beer before you taste it.  If I had jumped to the tasting step I would have missed the mouth-watering aromas of cola, licorice, molasses and smoke that were wafting out of this beer.

This beer had the palate-consuming quality that marks a great craft beer.  It covered all my taste receptors from the front to the back of my mouth starting with sweet malt up front that gave way to bitter chocolate.  The bitter chocolate then gave way to subtle coffee notes. Then just before I swallowed, the lively carbonation gathered up all those flavors, before any one of them could dominate, and washed them down. This carbonation also cleanses your palate and leaves your mouth refreshed and ready for another drink. Be careful though, this medium bodied, dry beer is easy drinking and at 5.9% it is certain to catch up with you.

There was a fair amount of lacing (lace pattern on the sides of the glass) left by the beer’s head as the beer was consumed. Think of lacing on the glass the same way you do about anything lacey, it does little to conceal or cover-up, but it looks pretty and lacing on the glass is no different.  Lacing has little impact on the overall taste of the beer but it adds another layer to your visual enjoyment. The amount of lacing left on the glass can be impacted by the style and cleanliness of the glass in which it was served.  If you want to see some good lacing use a tulip shaped glass.*

I gave this beer my top ranking (Stock This One!) which will be pretty easy to do since you can get a growler filled with this delicious goodness right there at the bar. If this review prompted you to visit Anacapa Brewing Company so you could taste their English Dry Stout be sure to let them know you read this review.

Tip: Growlers are great if you want to bring craft beer to a party or keep on hand for the big game but here are a few things you will want to keep in mind.

  1. Double check the cap to make sure it is tight.  Can you think of anything worse than pulling your growler out of the fridge only to find out that there was a slow leak and you now have a half-gallon of flat beer?   Flip top style caps are the best but most growlers come with screw on caps.
  2. Growlers will keep your beer fresh for quite a wile IF the growler was clean and it was kept at serving temp or below.
  3. Initially, they may seem like an expensive addition to your bill but many pubs offer discounted beer prices on growler refills.
  4. Once you open the growler you will want to consume the beer as soon as possible.  It will go flat the same way a half filled two-liter bottle of soda will.
  5. Last but certainly not least. There is no other feeling like walking out of the pub with a half-gallon bottle of beerJ
* I am certain there would have been more lacing if this beer had been served in a tulip shaped glass instead of the nonic tumbler style pint glass. This is probably the most common criticism I have of brewpubs in general.  I want to see higher quality and/or style appropriate glasses used in all pubs. Traditionally a stout would have been poured into a nonic tumbler, but is that the best vessel for this lively American version?  I think not! I know there are good reasons the nonic tumbler style pint glasses are so common.  They hold a lot of beer, they are easy to clean stack and store, they are sturdy and cheap to replace.

However, if I had to pick a glass style (and I did) I would choose a short-stemmed tulip shaped glass commonly used for Belgian beers.  For me this glass does it all.  The shape creates a small opening at the top, which helps to hold a thick head.  The thick head prevents the aromas from escaping too quickly and provides another level of complexity throughout the beer.  The small opening also channels the aromas directly to your nose as you are drinking the beer. As the beer is consumed the shape of the glass also promotes a lacing of the thick head on the sides of the glass. Often there is a small etching in the bottom of the glass.  The etching causes a cascade of bubbles to rise up the middle of the beer adding to the beauty of straw or amber colored beers. For darker beers, the tulip glass gives you the opportunity to view (the same way a wine taster would) the visible spectrum of colors that can range from garnet to black.

Cheers!

1 Comment

    Categories

    All
    101 Beer Trail
    10 Things You Should Know
    14 Cannons
    Advent Calendar
    Advent Calendar Pairing
    Afc East
    Afc North
    Afc South
    Afc West
    Ahi
    American Light Lager
    American Pale Ale
    Anacapa Brewing Co
    Appetizer
    Artichoke
    Asain
    Asian
    Bad Beer
    Bass
    Beer
    Beer Bars
    Beer Bloggers
    Beer Blogging Friday
    Beer Colors
    Beer Gear
    Beer Pourn
    Beer Swatches
    Beer Trail
    Belgian Golden Strong
    Best In Fest
    Biere De Mars
    Bohemian Pilsner
    Bold City Brewery
    Book Review
    Books
    Booze
    Booze Beats Bitesc09b82b735
    Bread Pudding
    Breweriana
    Brewery Highlight
    Brooklyn Brewery
    Bud Light
    Burger
    Cake
    California Beer Festival
    Carrot Cake
    Casa Agria
    Casa Pacifica
    Cbf
    Chicago
    Chicken
    Chocolate
    Coasters
    Contest
    Cookies
    Coors Light
    Craftbeer.com
    Crostini
    Curry
    Deep Ellum Brewing Co.
    Dessert
    Distillery
    Dr. Seuss
    Duchesse De Bourgogne
    Ecards
    Egg Rolls
    Elysian
    Enegren
    Enigma
    Esb
    Festival
    Figueroa Mountain
    Firemans Brew
    Firestone Walker
    Five Threads Brewing Co
    Food And Brew Festival
    Football
    Four Points
    Framboise
    Fruit Cake
    Gift Guide
    Gifts
    Giveaway
    Great Divide
    Happy Hour
    Hefeweizen
    Holiday Beers
    Homebrew
    Hops&horrors
    Infection
    Infographic
    Institution Ale Co
    Interview
    Ipa
    Island Brewing
    Kickstarter
    Lab Brewing
    Ladyface
    Ladyface Ale Companie
    Leashless Brewing
    Limoncello
    Lindens
    Lists
    MadeWest
    Madewest Brewing Co
    Mai Bock
    Miller Lite
    Mission Street
    Movies
    My List
    Nfc East
    Nfc North
    Nfc South
    Nfc West
    Nfl
    Ninkasi
    Nonsense
    Ojai Valley Brewery
    Pairing
    Pale Ale
    Phestival Barrel House
    Pictures
    Pilsner
    Pintspairings
    Poll
    Porter
    Posters
    Press Release
    Print
    Radio
    Rail Ale Trail
    Ravioli
    Red Tandem Brewery
    Re:Find
    Review
    Russian Imperial Stout
    Saison
    Salmon
    Santa Barbra Brewing Co.
    Session IPA
    Snowflakes
    Spirits
    Stella Artois
    Stout
    Stouts
    Style Profile
    Style Survey
    Summit Brewing
    Sundowner Brewery
    Sun King Brewing Co.
    Superbowl
    Surf Brewing
    Sushi
    Tacos
    Tap
    Telegraph Brewing Co
    The Big Game
    Theme Song
    The Session
    Tom And Sandy
    Top 10
    Trader Joe's
    Trappist
    Tuna
    Twisted Oak Tavern
    Two Trees Brewing
    Unfiltered
    Vcbuzz
    Vc Reporter
    Ventura
    Ventura Limoncello
    Video
    Wandering Wino
    Westo Beer
    Wine
    Wolf Creek Brewery
    Yeti
    Yuengling
    Zombies

    Archives

    May 2018
    June 2017
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

All Content © Curtis Taylor 2010-2020