Yerevan lager

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a beer that you've likely never had.

On the rare occasion that I get to a Middle-Eastern restaurant, I'm often interested in trying something new. In this case, I spotted a beer list with several beers I'd never heard of (including "Bule Moon"...), so I opted for one to go with my kabob.

What I ended up with was Yerevan Premium Beer, imported from Armenia.

Named after the capitol city, Yerevan is considered a European Pale Lager (think Stella Artois or Heineken) that pours a hazy, light gold. The carbonation is a bit light, as is the mild 4.6% ABV alcohol content.

Likely brewed with wheat or rice, this beer has very mild flavors that are slightly sweet, a little citrus, and actually reminded me of a sweet white wine. 

This actually wouldn't be a bad summer beer, but I really think you need to keep this beer cold to maintain the flavors. If it warms up to room temp, I'm thinking it would start to get REALLY sweet - and not in a good way.

Bottom line, you're unlikely to find this, and that might not be a bad thing. It's a bit of an oddball that's fun to try, but not worth seeking out on purpose. 

If anyone else has tried Yerevan, we'd love to know what you thought.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Centennial IPA

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian, ever the IPA lover, has an IPA that he's not quite a fan of.

Okay, that's not entirely true. I'm actually more lukewarm on this one, but you may enjoy Centennial IPA from Founders.

American IPAs, with typically very strong hops flavors and bitterness, can come in a range of flavors from fruity grapefruit or lemon (my favorite), to pine, to grass to a "resin" flavor. 

This one falls into what I'd consider to be the pine category. Some people LOVE this flavor, so don't shy away from it because of me. 

It pours a dark gold color with good carbonation, and a higher 7.2 abv alcohol content. It almost wants to be fruity, but didn't quite get there for me. It's slightly sweet with a bitter aftertaste, and lots of hops.

The fact is, Founders makes some REALLY great beer, and you can taste the quality in this one. While it's not my favorite, it's a great example of a pine-esque IPA, typical of styles traditionally brewed in the eastern US. 

If you like IPAs or pale ales, and don't care for grapefruit flavors, you'll definitely want to give this one a try. Beer geeks will love it. 

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Hard Wired

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a coffee porter that'll get you wired.

It was a chilly night here in Maryland and, after a hearing a performance of a Bach concerto, a good dessert and a smooth porter sounded like just the perfect thing to finish off this elegant evening.

And there it was on the restaurant's beer list: Hard Wired Coffee Porter from Left Hand Brewing.

As you can expect from a porter, it pours a dark, opaque black with a tan head and good carbonation from the addition of nitrogen (which will give the beer a creamier consistency). It's a mild 6% ABV, which is also typical of porters.

There's a nice coffee aroma, which continues into the taste, along with mild, sweet chocolate and toffee. It also has a slightly bready taste (also typical of porters) with a very mild bitterness and a slightly dry finish. 

Overall, it's a really nice porter that has the potential for really big, overpowering flavors (coffee, especially), but is nicely balanced and nothing seems to overwhelm the other flavors. 

What really helps this is the nitro addition, which we've found actually mutes the flavors slightly. I suspect the coffee would be more pronounced if you poured this beer straight out of a bottle.

Bottom line? If you normally drink coffee, this is a great beer to try, particularly with a rich, chocolatey dessert. The flavors would complement each other nicely.

Who's up for trying this beauty? 

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

HopNose

How can you appreciate beer when you can't drink it? With these.

Recently, we came across these cool, hops-scented air fresheners from HopNose Hops Scented Air Fresheners, and figured we'd give them a try.

When you think of a hops scent, you're likely to think back to the big IPAs in your past, with that great citrus or pine aroma. 

But in their raw, harvested form, hops have a much more complex smell, often with subtle nuances and earthy tones that transform into those great flavors during brewing. And WOW, do these air fresheners capture that perfectly!

"We went through probably 100 different tries to get the scents correct," reports Paul Wartman, Director of Business Development. "They're so aromatic and accurate that a lot of breweries will actually hang a few HopNose fresheners around the tasting room."

A big room is one thing - so what's it like hanging in your car? 

To be honest, the first day is a bit overwhelming. Don't get me wrong - it's a pleasant aroma, but I found I needed to crack a window. But by the next day, it had mellowed to a welcome companion on my daily commute, with nice hint of grapefruit and resin permeating the cabin.

Bottom line? Definitely a fun gift for you or the hop head in your life. 

For more info and purchasing, click the link above or go to HopNose.com.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric 

Boulevard Radler

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a beer that wouldn't typically go well with February's weather.

Like much of the country, the Maryland area has been experiencing an odd, but not entirely unwelcome, mild winter. In fact, last week saw an unseasonable 75 degrees.

So when looking through the beer selection, I skipped over the wonderfully seasonal stouts and porters, and reached for the Cranberry Orange Radler from Boulevard Brewing Company

So what's a "radler" beer? 

Radlers, better known as shandy (think Leinenkugel's), are actually beers blended with soda. As a result, they're very light, easy-drinking and typically fruity deliciousness. Perfect for warm weather!

The beers used are typically something lighter like a wheat beer or lager, and Boulevard uses an unfiltered wheat beer in this case. It pours a pinkish-orange with good carbonation and a light alcohol content of 4.05% ABV.

As you can imagine, it's full of fruity flavor - mostly blood orange with mild cranberry. There's also a slight sourness to it, along with a little bready wheat beer flavor, but none of the flavors are terribly overpowering. 

This one is considered Boulevard's cooler-weather radler, so it should still be available for another month until their lemon radler starts being distributed.

It's definitely one I'd recommend to the casual beer fan, particularly if you like fun cocktails or even sweeter wines. Beer geeks will love this, too - it's just easy drinking tasty fun.

Who's up for trying one?

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

JavaHead Stout

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a breakfast stout with dessert.

My wife and I were out the other night and decided to stop by a local place for some amazing dessert and a tasty beverage. 

I had my heart set on a chocolate tart with raspberry sauce topped with chocolate ice cream, so which beer did I go with? JavaHead Stout from Troegs Brewing.

Originating in England, oatmeal stouts like this one are dark, malty beers made with a variety of grains - including oatmeal. This addition not only creates a heavier beer, but actually adds a toasty, slightly bready flavor that complements the beer. They're even sometimes referred to as a "breakfast stout".

As you'd expect from a stout, it pours an opaque black with good carbonation. What's not expected is the higher 7.5% ABV alcohol content, but it doesn't taste like it.

What you do taste is some mild chocolate, roasty malt, and mild hops. The coffee is actually the best part - when so many brewers will choose a heavily-roasted coffee (that gives a lot of strong, bitter flavor), it seems as though Troegs went with a milder, "regular" roast. 

In the end, it's loaded with a lot of great flavors that don't seem to overpower each other. This is definitely a beer I would recommend to both the casual beer fan and the beer geek, too. It's just that good.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Lot 6

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has an evolution of an IPA from, well, Evolution.

A few weeks ago, on the recommendation from some friends, I got my hands on some of Evolution's Lot No. 3 IPA. And it was really delicious.

So when I found their Lot 6 double IPA, I jumped at the chance to see if it enhanced everything that was great about #3.

"Enhanced" is really the key word here, as everything is cranked up several notches by the extra hops that have been added. Lots of grapefruit, a little lemon, and slight pine in the aftertaste. It's slightly dry, VERY bitter, and has a solid 8.5% ABV, so the alcohol content is on-par with other double IPAs. 

There is definitely a lot of BIG flavor (and bitterness) in this beer, and it's enough that I'd be hesitant to recommend this to a casual beer fan. Hop heads should make a beeline for s bottle, though. Personally, I prefer the #3.

Anyone else do this head-to-head battle? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Kilt Flasher

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian is surprised by a rare seasonal beer.

Last February, I was invited by Devils Backbone to be among the first to taste a rare batch of their wood-aged Kilt Flasher - and it was delicious! So when I came across some Kilt Flasher on tap,?I had to try this rare treat.

Kilt Flasher is a Scotch ale (sometimes also called a "wee heavy"), which is an older style of Scottish beer that's darker in color (and higher in alcohol) due to the longer boil on the malted grains. 

Given the beer's dark, dark, red color and 8% ABV alcohol content, it's very traditional.

What's also traditional is the taste, which is a sweet, malty flavor with hints of a raisin flavor. It's also a little bready with a dry finish. It's a tad bitter, but not in a hoppy way.

Unfortunately, Scotch ales aren't brewed too often, so there isn't a mainstream beer to compare to their unique flavor. It's definitely worth a taste, particularly if you enjoy something like a brown ale. It's a rare treat to enjoy on a chilly, winter day!

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Evolution

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a local beer with a big reputation.

Over the last couple of years, word has spread around Maryland about Evolution Craft Brewing. But because of its location on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay, I'd really only had a taste here and there at festivals.

It's only been recently that I started to see it in our area, but several friends (and online beer geeks) had told me to find some of their Lot No. 3 IPA.

So on a recent trip to the beer store, I happened to see a bottle that was calling my name.

It pours a dark gold color with good carbonation. It's a solid 6.8% ABV, so the alcohol content is slightly higher than other IPAs.

The taste that immediately hits you is the grapefruity hops, with a little pine, and even a little lemon or orange mixed in. It's even slightly sweet, which helps balance the flavor. The thing is, this beer is very hoppy and fruity, but isn't absurd in its potency. It's actually very balanced and drinkable.

So did it live up to the raves? It sure did. This was a really good west-coast-style IPA, and one that I'd recommend to beer geeks and casual beee fans as well. You definitely have to like a hoppy beer, so if that's not your flavor, skip it - but definitely try one of Evolution's other offerings.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Key porter

For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a porter from one of Baltimore's newest breweries.

For several months last summer, we'd been hearing good things about Key Brewing Co. But it wasn't until October that we were finally able to track some down. One sip of their Spot Buy IPA made me realize that the beers from this new brewery were no joke.

So when I came across their Rye Porter recently, I had to give it a try. As expected, it pours a dark, opaque black with a tan head and good carbonation. It's a mild 5.5% ABV, which is also typical of porters.

The taste is predominantly dark chocolate with mild coffee. It also has a bready taste (also typical of English porters) with a mild bitterness and a slightly dry finish. 

Overall, it's a good porter. To be honest, I'm not sure that the rye adds much to the flavor, so don't let that dissuade you from trying this. I had it from a can, but I think this could be really nice on tap to really bring out the flavors a bit more, maybe even on nitro to give it a creamier body.

As with other beers I've had from Key, this one makes for a very drinkable beer. If you're in the Maryland area, it's definitely worth looking for.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

DragonsMilk

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a beer that'll warm you up on a cold day.

Recently here in Maryland, we had a streak of chilly, breezy days with lots of winter fun including freezing rain and sheets of ice. Perfect weather to stay indoors, right?

Right. So since I wasn't going anywhere, I decided to open a bottle of New Holland Brewing's Dragon's Milk barrel-aged stout.

With an alcoholic content of 11% ABV, it was a good thing I wasn't going anywhere, either, because it's one that'll catch up with you. It pours a dark black color with mild carbonation.

The first thing you notice is a strong, welcoming vanilla aroma. This finds its way to the taste, which also has a pleasant coconut flavor and even some mild, dark fruit flavors. You actually don't get much bourbon until you swallow it, then it shows up in the aftertaste and warms your throat. One thing I noticed is that if you inhale a little before swallowing, the extra oxygen really brings out the bourbon taste.

I've recently become a big fan of bourbon-barrel aged stouts, and this is one I'd keep in mind. It's a bit too dry for my taste, but its mild bourbon flavoring makes it a great introduction for anyone wanting to give this style a try. 

What's your favorite barrel-aged beer (or bourbon)? Let us know in the comments so we can look out for it. 

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Ellicott Mills Marzen

For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a German-style beer that's survived disaster. 

It was the night of Saturday, July 30th, when severe thunderstorms blasted their way across central Maryland. Within minutes, what was a minor inconvenience to most of us turned into a raging flood that roared its way through the historic town of Ellicott City. Cars and slabs of sidewalk piled up at the bottom. Businesses were wiped out. Two people perished.

Ellicott Mills Brewing Company was one of the hard-hit businesses. The staff spent months repairing the basement, foundation, and first floor of the brewery. It's only been a few weeks since they've been reopened for business.

So on a recent trip there, I made it a point to stop by the brewery where Carrie the bartender met me with a warm smile and a pint of their Marzen.

Marzen, a German-style red ale (similar to an Oktoberfest), is a malty, easy-drinking beer. This one pours a dark, reddish amber with good carbonation. These tend to be around 5-6% ABV, and that's about where I would guess this one to be.

The taste is a malty sweetness with a slight hoppy bitterness, which is spot-on to this style of beer. And it's deliciously smooth. 

If you're in the area, check out this cool, little town and this brewery full of European-style beer amazingness. You definitely want to stop in for a few pints - and the great vibe.

Cheers!

Christian and Eric

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian has one of the best Imperial Stouts he's had in a good, long while.

Imperial stouts (sometimes also called Russian Imperial stouts) tend to be boozy, English-style stouts with a more pronounced hops flavor. They were originally brewed for the Russian monarchs who, at the time, preferred the British beers, but also wanted a higher alcohol content since they were used to distilled spirits like vodka. Because travel across Europe took a while, the Brits added extra hops, which helped keep the beer fresher for longer.

Put all of these together, ratchet it all up several notches, and you get Ten Fidy from Oskar Blues. 

Named for its high alcohol content of 10.50% ABV, this thick, blacker-than-black  stout pours like a 50-weight oil out of the can. It settles nicely into a glass with good carbonation and a dark brown head.

As expected, you taste a lot of sweet maltiness, along with a smoother, milk chocolate and vanilla flavor, along with some subtle coffee and dark fruits (like raisins). You also get a mild creaminess from a little bit of oatmeal that's added in the mix. But the biggest flavor is a great, booziness that warms your chest, and stays with you in the back of your mouth.

Don't let that scare you - like most beers from Oskar Blues, this one has a lot if big, complex flavors going on but mixed with a drinkable smoothness. 

That being said, this isn't for everyone. Most wheat beer or lager fans are likely to shy away from this one. But if you like stouts or porters, this one will blow your mind.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric