Tasting Tuesday: A beer made with scrapple

For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian has a beer that's a strange duck, er, pig.

It started innocently enough with an email from our friends at Donno's Higher Ground Tattoo (Bryson City, NC). "We can't get this here, but we think you need to try it." They also sent a link to Dogfish Head's Beer for Breakfast stout - made with scrapple.

For those of you not located in, or adjacent to, the great state of Pennsylvania, scrapple is a local delicacy made of cornmeal, spices, and pig parts formed into loaves, then pan fried into a hard, greasy patty. It's an acquired taste, and definitely not for everybody.

However, Dogfish Head uses 25 pounds of it to brew their Beer For Breakfast Stout, a 7.4% milk stout that's said to also feature maple syrup, spices and cold-pressed coffee.

The result is a black, opaque stout with mild carbonation. The big flavors in this are the coffee and LOTS of smoke. There is a lot of sweetness from the malt, and maybe the maple syrup, but I don't get much maple taste. I also get an odd spice that I'm thinking is either sage or pepper from the scrapple.

Oddly, there's a salty aftertaste that shows up about two seconds after you swallow it, and the finish isn't great - I actually feel like  the inside of my mouth has a fine coating of grease with a weird chemical aftertaste.

The coffee is good, but overpowering, and you'd likely never know this was made with scrapple - just that something doesn't seem right.

So I'm not a fan, but I've talked to several other beer friends, and am wondering if I ended up with a bad batch because they can't get enough of this stout. To me, it's disgusting (I really might pour out the rest).

As we always say, everyone's tastes are different, so give this one a try if you come across it. At the very least, it's a great conversation starter that makes for a great story.

Nonetheless, we appreciate the suggestion from the folks at Donno's (check them out for your tattoo & piercing needs), and definitely won't hold this against them. In fact, we might have to save a bottle for you guys.

Do you have a suggestion for a beer we need to try? Drop us a PM or email us at FrankAboutBeer@gmail.com. We'll even try your home brews. 😎🍺

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Here's why we're thankful for YOU

Friends, as we sit here on the eve of Thanksgiving, we can't help but look back on the past couple of years and reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. 

Beer, yes, but also the breweries and pubs who continue to be awesome hosts to us. Most importantly, however, we're most thankful to you, the friends of Frank About Beer..

It's been AMAZING meeting so many of you in our travels, or at Beer Club, or even at the dentist's office (yes, really) and becoming not only fellow beer lovers, but friends.

One we're particularly thankful for is Joey, a longtime fan of Frank About Beer who Christian had the pleasure of meeting at this year's Sykesville Chili & Beer fest. We'll let him tell the story.

The beer gods must have been looking out for us that day because Joey and I were paired up to pour beer for DuClaw Brewing Co. Joey's an avid homebrewer, and by the time I'd arrived at the tent, he'd assembled the taps and had the lines routed properly through the cooler and ready to go. 

At this point, I was admittedly nervous. 

After all, I figured out pretty quickly that Joey was incredibly knowledgeable about beer. The bar of beer knowledge had been set pretty high - and we hadn't even started pouring beers yet!

As it turned out, I had nothing to fear. We quickly fell into a rhythm, slinging glasses of Sweet Baby Jesus (DuClaw's peanut butter porter) and The Funk (blueberry wheat) while working the crowd like madmen! Calls of, "HALLELUJAH that's good beer!" were balanced with calls to the crowd to, "get DOWN with The Funk!" amid off-key strains of George Clinton and Parliament. 

Then we came up with the idea of a Beer Fest exclusive - a black & tan made from the two beers. It was christened "The Funky Jesus," and word spread up and down the block.

We had a line that stretched across the street, and doubled back on itself. My voice was used up by 3pm.

But wow, did we have fun. And we hadn't had a drop to drink! This was taken care of shortly after the end of our shift when the two of us, accompanied by Melisa from GrogDog, worked our way through the beer tents, all the while stopping to take photos with fans and toasting this great event.

The thing is, there are a lot of Joeys that we've met over the years - and many, maybe like you, who we can't wait to meet. 

So THANK YOU for your continued support, comments, and friendship. We are unbelievably thankful to have you with us. 

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Tasting Tuesday: Short's Huma Lupa Licious IPA

Have you ever trusted a store clerk for a beer recommendation? For Tasting Tuesday, Christian did just that.

While on a trip to Ohio, I needed to stop off and pick up some beer to bring to a friend's house. A quick search led me to Meijer's, a midwest chain of stores where you could pick up dress pants, a vacuum cleaner, and lunchmeat in one trip. And, much to my surprise, they have a pretty good craft beer (and wine) selection.

It was while I was perusing the local beers that I noticed a young gent nearby restocking the Coors Light. After a few minutes of watching me inspect several bottles of beer, he put down the silver box, and said, "Nah - that one's not very good." He then walked over, and handed me a bottle of Short's Huma Lupa Licious IPA. "This one's to die for."

Named for the hop blossom, Humulus lupulus, this IPA is built around some strong hop flavor - but keep reading.

It pours a dark, hazy gold color with good carbonation and a strong, fruity aroma. And at 7.7% abv, the alcohol content is on par with most IPAs. 

The taste is really complex, with a slight bit of pine and citrus flavors (mostly grapefruit and orange). The key to making this work is the mix of malts, which gives a sweet flavor to balance out the strong hops. It's hoppy, but not overly bitter despite its high 96 IBU bitterness rating.

As it turned out, the guy had great taste. This was a very drinkable beer that is one I would recommend to any fan of pale ales & IPAs. It's delicious, but I honestly think you really need to like hops to enjoy this one. 

Unfortunately, this is the only beer I've had from Short's, but it's great enough that I'll be on the lookout for others the next time I'm in the midwest. And you should, too.

Are you a fan of Short's? Tell us your favorite in the comments below - we'd love to know what you thought.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Tasting Tuesday:Ranger IPA from New Belgium

For this week's Tasting Tuesday, Christian tries an IPA that's available almost anywhere.

I recently found myself sitting at a bar at 11am, killing time while waiting on a friend. To my right is Luis, a 40-ish guy who's drinking a Corona without a lime ("It's too early for lime," he tells me), and the bartender, Lisa, takes a break from her early morning prep work to see what she can get me.

The bar I'm in isn't really a beer bar, but Lisa does a great job of walking me through the beer selection. To my surprise, they have Ranger IPA from New Belgium Brewing in bottles. I'm in.

I haven't had a Ranger in a long time, and I forgot what a solid beer it is. It's an orangey-gold color with good carbonation, and a nice 6.5% ABV alcohol content.

This one tends to have a fairly bitter taste, with a slight grapefruit flavor and bit of pine. There's even a little lemon.

Overall, it's a good IPA, but probably not one I'd recommend to someone who wants to try an IPA for the first time. It's really a tad too bitter for the casual fan, but IPA lovers will enjoy this one a lot.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Tasting Tuesday: Union Royal Farmhouse DIPA

For Tasting Tuesday, Christian tries a seasonal IPA that has a bit of everything.

As you probably realize, I'm a big fan of Union (Baltimore), particularly their Double Duckpin double IPA. So when I came across Royal Farmhouse DIPA, I had to give it a try.

This one is considered a Belgian IPA, due mostly to the Belgian pale ale malt that is used. This also has rye, spelt and oats. And five varieties of hops. See? A little of everything. 

But that's okay - if there is anyone that can work a pile of complex ingredients, it's Kevin the brewmaster.

This one pours a dark amber with good carbonation and a big 8.5% ABV alcohol content.

There is a lot of flavor going on. It's slightly sweet, but very bitter with lots of pine, a hint of grapefruit, and even a tad sour. There's no escaping the hops, though, and it's almost on the verge of being too much.

Overall, it's a good double IPA but, to be honest, it's not as good as their Double Duckpin, which is a high benchmark to match.

It's definitely a beer for hop heads, but casual fans may want to give it a pass. It's not that it's a bad beer - it's just BIG flavor that may not appeal to everyone.

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Tasting Tuesday: Pajama Pants by Union Craft Brewing

For this week's #TastingTuesday, Christian drinks a seasonal beer that's quite a bit out of season.

During the winter months, Union (Baltimore) makes Snow Pants, an amazing oatmeal stout that has a heavy, creamy texture (due to the oatmeal) and some mild hops flavor. The combination makes for a delicious, dark stout that'll warm you up on a cold day. And if that doesn't do it, the 8% alcohol content will make you feel nice and toasty in no time!

So when a friend handed me a can of Pajama Pants back in January, I got really excited. Why?

Because Pajama Pants, my friends, is Snow Pants on steroids, er, caffeine.

That's right - all the goodness of Snow Pants is enhanced with the addition of a medium-roast coffee known as, "Destroyer" from Ceremony Coffee Roasters (Annapolis, MD).

Pajama Pants retains the 8% ABV and mild carbonation (typical of a stout), and is completely opaque black.

You taste a bit of the malt, some mild bitter hops, and a very slight dark chocolate flavor with a mild, dry finish. The addition of coffee can sometimes overpower the other flavors of a beer, but I think it's the medium roast coffee that makes the other flavors stand out. In fact, you really only notice the coffee in the aftertaste, so you get this great beer up front, and are left with a toasty, warm coffee flavor once you swallow it.

Overall, this is a really good one, particularly for beer geeks. Casual beer fans may want to share this with a piece of chocolate cake - the flavors will complement each other nicely, especially if you're not much of a coffee fan.

All this, unfortunately, is a bit of a moot point. Being a seasonal beer, we're likely to not see Snow Pants for a few more months. And no word yet if Pajama Pants will be brewed again.

I, for one, hope it does. 😎

Cheers!

Christian & Eric

Tasting Tuesday: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Our friend, Janelle, with an aged bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - an amazing craft beer.

This #TastingTuesday, Christian shares a really, really special beer.

A few weeks ago, I got together with my friends, Brad, Kristy & their daughter, Janelle who had been saving me a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, which had been aging since November.

Friends, I have to admit something. For once, the beer geeks are right.

The thing with Bourbon County Stout (BCS) is that it goes on sale one day a year - on Black Friday. People wait in lines for hours. In Chicago (Goose Island's home), lines would be shorter for tickets to see the Bears win the Superbowl followed by a double-header of the Bulls winning the NBA finals after Jordan stepped out of a time machine sent from 1992. 

It's all a bit ridiculous. Yet here I am, in July, being handed a bottle opener and a bottle of BCS. And I feel like Ditka holding the Lombardi trophy in 1986.

It's the stuff of legend, and the truth is that it really does deserve that praise.

Being a stout, BCS naturally has a heavier body to it. It actually has nice carbonation, too. But what really makes this special is the aging in bourbon barrels, which Goose Island is well known for.

It may have been the aging, but the bourbon flavor was actually pretty mild. You get a lot of vanilla, chocolate, some coffee, and even a little bit if root beer. The taste is incredibly complex, with a myriad of flavors that keep showing up while you drink it. If it wasn't for a slight alcohol burn, you'd almost forget that it's 13.8% ABV.

Suddenly, I'm trying to justify camping outside a liquor store for this.

The truth is, I was incredibly lucky to have friends share a bottle with me. But I'd recommend this to any beer fan - if nothing else, see what it's like to taste one of the most complex beers you'll ever come across. It's all about the experience.

Who else has had it? We'd love to know what you thought.