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.

Hoppy New Year!

This year for Christmas I received a gift to supplement my beer drinking hobby: a beer tasting and hop appreciation kit. Just as the gift is intended to do, I started to consider what hops are and how they contribute to creating a beer. Beers are often described as hoppy, but for those who don't know what a hop is, this can be difficult to understand.

As you may already know, beer is comprised of four main ingredients: hops, malt, yeast and water. Hops, or Humulus Lupulus if you want to be technical, are small leafy cones of flowering plants used for flavoring and stabilizing beer during the brewing process. The bitterness of hops are used to counteract the sweetness from the malt, creating a well balanced brew. The bitterness, flavor, and aroma of beer are all greatly affected by the hops. There are several different hop varieties used for brewing beer, and there are several methods of adding the hops, which all affect the complexity of the beer.

The point at which the hops are introduced to the beer creates a varying impact on the final product. Hops added at the beginning of the process create a bittering affect, hops added 15-20 minutes prior to the end of the wort boil contribute to the overall finish of the hop flavor, hops added at the end of the boil are used for aroma, and a process known as 'dry hopping' is used when hops are left in the beer for days while it ferments, providing another layer of complexity that adds additional flavor and aroma to beer.

The beer kit contains 13 jars of processed small pellets of common hop varieties. They are labeled by name, region, common styles of beer in which they are used, and include detailed descriptions such as "a mild and pleasant bite with a delicate floral aroma that is almost musty and leaves a clean bitterness." Smelling the hops while tasting a beer helps your mind and taste buds distinguish the ingredients in the beer.

The moment I received the gift, I cracked open one of the jars, inhaled deeply, then proceeded to eat one of the pellets. It was immensely bitter and dry and absorbed all the saliva from my mouth. The more I chewed, the worse it got. I had a strong inclination to spit the thing out, but seeing as how I had already committed, I forced myself to see it to the end, despite the awfulness. I immediately realized that eating the hops was NOT the intended purpose of the kit. They should really include a warning about that. Nevertheless, it was a good learning experience. So, here's to a new year and my new tools for learning more about beer.

VaVoom: A Night of Art and Music

Most of you who read this are already familiar with McNellies. But what about that curious blue building next door, The Continental? Another downtown Tulsa hot spot, the Continental is an upscale venue that provides a relaxing atmosphere for a night on the town. On Wednesday, December 26th, The Continental is hosting VaVoom, a feast for your eyes and ears. A collection of original artwork by one of Tulsa's most creative and unique artists, Vanna McAllister, will be on display for one night only. Musical guests Valerie Eskridge and Steve Liddell, two of Tulsa's jewels, will be performing an acoustic music set for the show. The energetic passion these artists bring to the table will satisfy your artistic appetite and leave you hungry for more.

Vanna's colorful eye-popping artwork is genuinely one of a kind. The main focus of her work is generally a female figure, with much of the emphasis on the face. She incorporates words, phrases, or song lyrics in her prints that add to the complexity of her work. She describes her art as a visual diary. Her illustrations are inspired by certain events that have affected her life, and her emotional responses to these incidents. Her heart felt sketches stimulate a reaction and leave the viewer searching for the story behind the art.

While you're perusing Vanna's art, you'll experience the pleasure of hearing the melodious vocals of the exceptionally talented Valerie Eskridge, followed by Steve Liddell. The captivating presence of these musicians will have you perk up and draw your attention to the stage with interest. Their funky vibes will light up the Continental for a transcendent experience you won't want to miss.

The Continental is known for attracting an eclectic mix of local talent, and VaVoom is no exception. The brilliant art presented by Vanna, Valerie and Steve is a treasure that you must experience for yourself. If you can't wait for VaVoom to check out the art, you can get a preview of Vanna's work at www.vannamcallister.com. The opening reception begins at 8pm and lasts throughout the night. It's the perfect chance to wind down after the Christmas holiday and have a relaxing evening with friends, art and music.

Beer Specials for Disaster Relief

Thousands of Oklahomans have gone without power over the past week, but McNellies was lucky enough to make it through the ice storm unaffected. Many people camped out at the pub enjoying the food, lights, warm heat and cold beer. When a natural disaster strikes and people turn to the pub as their save haven, one concern to be had is walking away with a hefty bar tab. Luckily, McNellies has had (and still has) some pretty decent specials to choose from this month.

Shiner Black, a Bohemian black lager is on special for a mere $2.00. It's a rich deep dark black/brown color, light to medium body and has a slight chocolaty malted flavor. It's not highly complex and seems rather flat, but for two bucks it's not bad.

Flying Dog Old Scratch is our other special, available on draft for $3.75. This Colorado brewed lager features a ruby amber color, medium body and a decent amount of alcohol, at 5.3%. It has a very smooth drinkability, fermented at a medium temperature to give this brew both ale and lager characteristics. There's a slight carmel trait which is particularly appealing. I find this beer to be very easy and enjoyable to drink.

The specials are likely to change before the month is over, so I'll do my best to keep a current update. I would have liked to have gone in more detail or perhaps posted a picture, but I'm one of the unfortunate ones still without power, writing from a computer at the library, and my session is about to expire.

'Tis The Season To Drink Beer

Many breweries produce a special holiday brew in spirit of the season. The Rogue brewery of Newport, Oregon, creates Santa's Private Reserve to commemorate the Christmas season. This brown bottle features a festive red, white, and black label with a cartoon Santa raising a glass as if to say “cheers.” Or maybe that's “ho ho ho.”

Santa's Private Reserve is an American amber ale with brewmaster John Maier's trademark top-fermented Pacman yeast. An abundance of Chinook and Centennial hops are used, which give this brew a pronounced aroma and added bitterness. There's also a mystery hop added, which Maier calls the 'Rudolph' hop. The brew pours a deep reddish translucent color and features a thick off-white foamy head that leaves considerable traces around the glass. The flavor hints of herbal, smoky tones with a touch of citrus and molasses. The beer leaves a hoppy pine taste lingering on the back of the mouth. It has a heavy body which is very complex, with 6% alcohol. Rouge prides themselves in producing brews that have no chemicals, additives or preservatives, creating a nice clean taste.

The Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale is available in limited edition silk screened 12-ounce and 22-ounce bottles during the winter months. If eggnog doesn't float your boat but you want to feel festive with your booze, you can raise a glass of this Rogue beer, just like Santa.

My Goodness, Where's My Guinness?

A few days ago a lone bandit robbed the Guinness brewery in Dublin, making out with 450 kegs of Guinness, Budweiser, and Carlsberg. Apparently the suspect drove into the brewery at St. James Gate, hitched his truck to a fully loaded trailer and drove away. This heist is the largest in the 248 year history of the brewery.

I wonder where might one hide this lofty loot? Ireland isn't a large country, about the size of Indiana, plus it's an island. This must be one pretty shrewd thief to conceal such a huge shipment of beer barrels. This guy is getting away with bloody murder! Someone send out the lions!

Green's Tripel Quest

A slew of new and interesting beers have recently arrived at McNellies, and one that caught my attention was the new line by Green's from Belgium. There are three varieties of the brand: Tripel Quest, Endeavor Dubbel, and Discovery Amber. Green's boasts all natural, gluten free, organic products. They are marketed towards those with gluten (wheat) intolerance, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. I don't fall into any of these categories, but the idea of an organic beer was appealing nonetheless. I contemplated which style I would drink, and since they were all the same price I decided on the one with the most alcohol, which was the Tripel Quest, at 8.5%. My mama didn't raise no fool.

I found the description on the label to be intriguing. A tag was attached to the top of the bottle that read, "No barley. No Wheat. All Natural." Green's makes their product with millet, rice, buckwheat, and sorghum. The backside of the label states that Green's beers DO NOT contain: crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya beans, milk, lactose, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulfites. I read this and thought it to be rather puzzling. No crustaceans? Really? I could have sworn that all beers were made with crustaceans. Foolish, foolish me. I'm not sure why they felt the need to overly state what the beer did not contain, and deduced the list was for the allergy prone drinker with paranoia.

The Green's Tripel Quest had a taste unlike any beer I could compare it to. It reminded me of a highly carbonated port wine more so than beer. The taste was very clean, effervescent, sour and tangy, with a sweet aftertaste. I thought it to be very tasty and full of flavor, with a long solid finish. I don't know how I would feel about drinking it on a regular basis, but I suppose if I fell into the category of the target market and my options were limited, I would consider it satisfactory.

Fullers ESB

Last night I went the the 'other' Irish pub in Tulsa. They have a decent enough beer selection with 15 brews on tap. There was nothing I hadn't tried before, so I had the pleasure of drinking one I already know and love; Fullers ESB.

The Fuller's ESB (Extra Special Bitter) is an English ale with a robust malt and hop character. It pours a deep amber bronze and features a medium to full body. The taste has soothing and mellow toffee flavor with traces of fruitiness. Ironically, the ESB isn't particularly bitter, as the name would have you believe. The sweetness of the malt is balanced with the bitterness of the hop, creating a well balanced beer that has consistently won this brew numerous awards including "World Champion Bitter" and "Best Strong Ale" from the US Beverage Tasting Institute and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), respectively.

Fullers is brewed at Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, a district in West London. Griffin brewery is England's oldest independent brewery and is known for creating an excellent range of exceptional products, including the Fuller's London Pride, their flagship beer, Fuller's London Porter, Fuller's Vintage Ale, and Fuller's 1845, all (usually) available at McNellies.

Thanksgiving Day Fun

I'm not known for my superb cooking skills, so when it came time for Thanksgiving dinner with my family, I didn't have much to offer. Most people brought over something: turkey, pumpkin pie, broccoli casserole...the typical traditional dishes. I decided my contribution for Thanksgiving would be to bring beer. I picked out six different varieties from my refrigerator and brought them along to have a beer tasting with the family. My grandfather warned everyone to be careful, or we could end up like that one lady who recently ran over five people. I assured him that six beers split between seven people was hardly going to cause anyone to unknowingly plow over five people, much less hit a curb.

We started out with Pilsner Urquell. This beer was created in 1842 and holds historical significance because it is the world's first golden colored lager. Up until this point all beers were dark and cloudy. The brewery was founded in Pilsen, Bohemia, currently the Czech Republic. This style of beer is the basis of all the pilsner style beers, but it is the true original. There's a lot to be said about Pilsner Urquell, but for the sake of a shorter blog, I'll stop with that. The website is worth checking out if you're interested in learning more. The beer had a lot of fizz, almost like a champagne. It went down very smooth, but left a bitter aftertaste that most people found unpleasant. Generally I like this beer, but it tastes better on tap than in a bottle.

Next we tried Klaster Winter Lager, another one from the Czech Republic. The label on this bottle contains different shades of sky and baby blue which I found aesthetically pleasing. It had a light golden yellow color, moderate carbonation, and a medium body. The flavor was clean and malty, a bit sweet with a hint of honey. At 5.8% alcohol, it was pretty hearty for a lager. Most everyone liked this beer, and agreed that we would enjoy drinking it again.

Following the Klaster, we sampled Choc, the handcrafted Oklahoma original. Named after the Choctaw Nation, this brewery has been open in Krebs since 1925. Choc is brewed in small batches using "beer-perfect Krebs water," Liberty and Cascade hops, malted barley and wheat. It's an unfiltered American wheat, with a cloudy pale yellow appearance. It had an overly fizzy taste on the tongue and it didn't have a strong wheat flavor. Overall, we found it to be "not bad."

Next came the Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. This was one of the beers we had on special at McNellies this month "while supplies last." Supplies were not abundant, and we've run out. No big disappointment in my opinion. I thought this one to be pretty rancid. It tastes like cough syrup, and brought back terrible childhood memories. My sister, who has been sick, thought it was nice and claimed "it was a good beer for sick people," whatever that means (she was probably on medication). My dad countered, "It's a good beer for people who want to get sick." The aroma wasn't bad, but the taste was sour and pretty awful. Most of us decided we didn't like it.

I thought the Cherry Wheat was going to be the worst beer until we cracked open the Christian Moerlein Hefeweizen. This is a German style beer brewed in Cincinatti, Ohio. Before I had a chance to take a sip of mine, I heard the words "Bad" "Tart" "Yucky" "Eww" and "Gross," all from different participants. It was definitely the worst beer we tried. It had a strange flavor; very yeasty, to the point where someone said it tasted like cake. Three week old moldy cake. Although it was dreadful, I wouldn't write it off completely because I have a feeling the bottle was expired.

Lastly, we tasted the Pete's Wicked Ale. This is a reddish brown brew from Utica, New York. It had a smooth and luscious character with a good balance of malts and hops. It was very drinkable, with a hint of roasted caramel. There was no bitterness or strange aftertaste like some of the other ones we tried. I was glad to have this taste in my mouth for our final beer. Collectively, we rated this one as our favorite.

In the spirit of the holiday, I would like to give thanks to my attentive tasting crew.

Pub Run Pics

Is Ice Nice?

In last weeks issue of the Urban Tulsa, several of "the most tasteful beers, wines, spirits available locally" were reviewed. The 12 person tasting crew sampled over 30 beers and gave each beer a score based on appearance, aroma, palate and flavor. They used a point system, with 20 points possible for a perfect beer. The highest score they gave was 16.5 to Sam Adams Winter Lager and Lemp Standard Lager, which tied for number one. The review that I found the most shocking was their number six choice, Molson Ice, with a score of 14.85.

We've carried Molson Ice at McNellies for a long time, and it doesn't exactly fly off the shelf. Far from it. After reading the review I thought I'd give this beer another shot. I've had a poor opinion of the beer for a couple reasons. One is the fact that it's an 'Ice' beer, which reminds me of crappy domestic beers such as Miller's Icehouse, Bud Ice or Smirnoff Ice. Another reason I've been disinterested in the brew is because of the unimpressive label and green bottle. Green bottled beers always seem to have a skunky aroma, and I find it hard to get past this and enjoy the beer. I found an explanation for this green bottled phenomenon on a blog called Premium Bitter; see #5 if you're interested in reading about it.

So, what exactly is an 'ice' beer? The creation of an ice beer involves lowering the temperature of a batch of the final product to 32 degrees, then filtering out the ice crystals that form. This reduces the amount of water in the beer, and results in a higher alcohol content. The Molson Ice has an alcohol content of 5.6%.

I reached down to the bottom of the cooler, wiped the dust of one of the bottles and cracked it open. As I anticipated, the aroma was terrible. It smelled like my dirty running socks, but it slightly lessened after a few minutes. I poured it in a glass and observed the color had a clear pale golden shade, unlike the Urban Tulsa's description of 'amber.' There was a slight foamy head which quickly faded, and there was moderate carbonation. The taste was nothing too spectacular, pretty crisp and plain.

I would say it's Canada's equivalent to our basic domestic Bud Light. It wasn't as horrible as I anticipated, but it wasn't overly stimulating either. I'll agree with one reviewer's statement I read online," "I would drink it again. As long as I didn't have to pay for it."