Fuller's Vintage Ale

The year was 1997 when Fuller's brewery of England released the first edition of their Vintage Ale. Every subsequent year in November, Fuller's has released a new edition of the award-winning brew. There are many characteristics about this beer which make it so exceptionally outstanding.

The packaging is the first thing that catches your eye. The single bottle comes in a ornate deep crimson colored box, giving the indication of a high class product. Open the box and you'll pull out a 16.9 ounce brown bottle of the Fullers Vintage Ale, with a issue number marked on the front of the label. Included in the box is a small card with a guide to the previous Vintage Ales that form the classic range. Essentially, the beer is the same each year with slight variations.

Only one batch of the beer is made each year, and it's much sought after by beer aficionados. My bottle was numbered 86,998 out of 100,000, so although it is a limited edition, it's not that hard to get your hands on a bottle. The price tag may be off-putting to some; it goes for $14 a bottle at McNellies. If you're willing to splurge a little, it's well worth it.

The Fuller's Vintage Ale is one of the most complex and flavorful beers I've had the pleasure of drinking. It's a beautiful deep velvet color, and features a full-bodied, smooth and creamy texture. Slightly sweet with hints of fruitiness and citrus fused with caramel and spicy notes are some of the taste words that came to mind as I drank the bottle. The alcohol content is rather high at 8.5%, which creates a nice warming effect. A pleasant lingering aftertaste followed each swill of the liquid.

The Vintage Ale is bottle conditioned, reaching it's peak condition in three to four years. The only way I'll be able to properly enjoy this ale is if I happen to come across an edition from 2004. I know myself well enough to know that I can't hold onto a beer of this caliber for four years without giving into the temptation of cracking it open. I'm weak, what can I say?

Frosted Glass

Last night I overheard some guy asking for a frosted glass with his beer. When he was told we don't have frosted glasses, he seemed astonished. "But you're a beer bar!" he exclaimed. He was drinking Heineken Light, by the way.

I was tempted to approach the fellow and explain to him we don't have frosted glasses for a reason. The reason being that BECAUSE we are a beer bar. Drinking a beer that's overly chilled has multiple negative side affects. It numbs your palate, masks the flavor, interferes with the aromas, and alters the serving temperature. Pouring your brew into a frosted glass causes water condensation on the inside of the glass, diluting your beer. Condensation on the outside of the glass also occurs, leaving your beer lying in a soppy puddle.

Not everyone will understand or care that drinking beer from a frosted glass is improper. But even if we did want to suit those people, we don't have the space to chill our glasses. In addition to the 60 draft beers McNellies carries, we have another 297 in bottles. Storing 357 beers is no easy feat. Also, keep in mind, for each bottled variety, we stock at the very least 8. If you do the math, that's 2,376 cold bottles of beer we are storing in our coolers, plus 60 kegs, as well as back-up kegs. So, yeah, our coolers are pretty much full.

Ephemere

It doesn't happen very often where I drink a beer I've never had before and say, "Euerka! This is my new favorite!" Well, this happened recently, or at least I thought so at the time. And, to be honest, I didn't actually say eureka.

Late one night after we closed the bar, a co-worker and I decided to split one of the newer beers we have at McNellies. We picked out a large bottle of Ephemere by the Canadian brewery, Unibroue. Unibroue has a reputation for producing an exotic collection of outstanding ales. The Ephemere is one in their series of fruit-based beers, this one being apple. Although I highly enjoy other beers by Unibroue, I didn't expect I would like this fruity flavored brew. We cracked it open and I must say, I was floored. I absolutely loved it. I raved about it to anyone who would listen, and went to the liquor store the following day and bought every bottle on the shelf (which, for the record, was three). I couldn't wait to share the tasty beverage with my friends and family.

The Ephemere is packaged in a 25.4 ounce pressurized bottle with a cork. The enchanting label features golden foil lettering and a female pixie perched upon colorful vines with mountains in the background. The beer is brewed with apple juice, coriander, and curacao. The heavy aroma of green apples can be detected from a few feet away. It pours a straw yellow color with a full frothy head, which diminishes fairly quickly. There seemed to be a high amount of carbonation, with lots of bubbles in the glass, having a spritzy quality. The apple flavor was very dominant, but it wasn't as sweet or offensive as I would have expected. I found it to taste more like a beer than many of the other fruit beers, which often demonstrate a sticky syrup quality.

I don't know the actual translation of the word Ephemere, but ephemera is listed in the dictionary as "things that exist or enjoyed for only a short time; something transitory; lasting a day." This seemed to prove true when I drank the beer for the second time. I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't get the same thrill I had the first time. Perhaps it was because I had low expectations the first time I tried it, whereas the second time I had high expectations. Whatever the case, I find the name of the beer to be very suiting.

Breck beer

Yesterday I picked up a flier for an art reception taking place this weekend. I was told the artist who had dropped them off was "real cool," kind of in a sarcastic manner. He said he was from "Breck." As in Breckenridge. I've never been to Breckenridge myself, so I'm not familiar with the lingo, but I am familiar with the beer. At least one of them, anyway: the Breckenridge Avalanche.

The Breckenridge Brewery was opened in February of 1990 by Richard Squire, who had a vision to ski all day and drink great beer every night. Over the past 17 years, his dream has turned into a reality, growing his business from a small brewpub to one of the most thriving craft beer breweries in the nation. The Breckenridge Brewery produces five brews year-round, and three seasonal varieties. Although most people probably associate the word 'avalanche' with winter and therefore would think it to be a seasonal brew, that's not the case. The Avalanche is available all year, and is the number one selling beer from the brewery.

The Avalanche is an amber style ale. The web site states an aroma of pale grains, but I thought it smelled more like socks. There was minimal carbonation in the brownish amber colored beer, and a head that diminished very quickly. A nice mixture of sweet malts and bittering hops made for a very smooth, well balanced beer. It had a taste of prunes and caramel with a clean, dry finish. Overall, I thought it had a pretty good flavor, although it was hard to get past that foul aroma that was hitting my nose. It did, however slightly diminish as the beer had time to air out. Although it wasn't one of my favorite beers, I'd be willing to drink it again.

If you want to give this one a shot, you don't have to travel to "Breck" to get one; it's available at McNellies. I might suggest holding your nose.

Sam Adams Utopias

Often customers peruse through the beer list at McNellies and are shocked to find a beer priced at $125. When I point to the colossal 3 liter (101.4 ounce) bottle of Chimay Jeroboam placed atop the beer cooler, people understand the price is based on quantity. So I can imagine the astonishment people would experience if we carried the strongest and most expensive beer in the world, Samuel Adams Utopias. Last week, thanks to an avid beer enthusiast, I had the pleasure of drinking this exclusive brew.

When I first heard about the Sam Adams Utopias, I thought it to be pretty unbelievable: a beer with 27% alcohol and a suggested retail price of $120-$140. How is this even possible? Once I started to research this beer, I learned of the intricate details which went into crafting such an elite beer. It's the most unique and complex in a series of brews by Sam Adams, known as "extreme beer." The mission of creating extreme beers was to challenge the definition of what beer is, and "to go where no beer has gone before." I think it's safe to say, mission accomplished.

Nothing about this 2007 release of Utopias resembles traditional ideas of what people think of as beer. The 24 ounce handcrafted bottle is a collectible brew kettle with a beautiful copper finish and two sliding doors that open to reveal Sam Adams. A limited release of only 12,000 bottles were released worldwide, each bottle listing the production number on the bottom. Included with the purchase of the bottle is a custom designed Riedel crystal snifter glass to further enhance the essential characteristics of the Utopias. The specialty bottle and glass alone account for a substantial portion of the costly price of this exquisite beer.

Samuel Adams Utopias is definitely a beer to be savored. The recommended serving size is 2 ounces at room temperature, ideal for an after-dinner drink. The beer is composed of a blend of brews using an extended aging process, some aged 13 years in a variety of casks, which add to the unique and complex flavor. The finest all-natural ingredients are used, including a selection of Bavarian Noble hops, hand selected by Sam Adams brewmaster, Jim Koch.

If I had been given this beverage without being aware of what I was drinking, I probably wouldn't have guessed it was a beer. The Utopias pours a beautifully rich, deep amber color and no head whatsoever. The beer is uncarbonated and the aroma has an alcoholic sweet smell. It has a warm, sweet flavor, tasting similar to a sherry or cognac. The beer is brewed using maple syrup, which distinctively stands out. It has a delicious flavor that immediately hits the front of the tongue and has a pleasant long-lasting aftertaste. If the alcohol content wasn't so high, I would have desired to drink much more than the recommended 2 ounces.

You won't be able to find this beer at any retail liquor store nationwide, but if you must try this beer, the going rate on Ebay is $250. Perhaps they call it Utopias because in a perfect world, everyone would be able to afford to drink this beer.

New Beers Resolution

"Someone" gave me a bunch of crap for my last title, "Hoppy New Year," which I thought to be very clever and funny, but this person seemed to believe it was cheesy and predictable. So, in order to further amuse/spite this person, I felt the need to use another "clever" title for my entry. That being said, I'll move on to the point: McNellies resolves to have new beer specials for the month of January.

Currently we have Warsteiner Dunkel on draft for a special price of $3.00. It's a traditional dark German lager that has a rich, refreshing quality. There is a roasted malty flavor, with subtle traces of hops. The texture is not too thick or heavy, and the color is a dark coffee-like brown. The alcohol content is 4.9%, features little carbonation and a nice, clean finish. Overall, a pretty tasty beer.

Beginning on Monday, Jan 7th, McNellies will have a new Russian beer on special each week. The first beer will be 16.9 ounce bottles of Bogemia, a pale lager with a rather high alcohol content, at 8.4%. I've never tried this beer, but according to reviews on ratebeer.com, I'm led to believe it's not the tastiest beer out there.

Following the Bogemia, one of the Red East beers will be on special; unfortunatley, I didn't catch if it was the Classic or Extra. If you want to read up on the Classic, you can view my previous blog entry on that one.

For the final week, Snow Cougar will be on special. The Snow Cougar is another pale lager, with a slightly dry and bitter quality. It's been a while since I've tasted this one, but from what I recall, I thought it was okay. The name stands out more than the beer.

Make your new years resolution to drink new beer. And hoppy, er, happy new year.