Club Corner
Beer of the Month Club November 2024
PORTERS AND STOUTS As the nights get longer and colder, it’s time to break out the dark beers. This month we’ll be mostly focusing on the darker and richer end of the spectrum, with a fun light bodied porter to round out the bunch. Porters have been around since the early 18th century, originally made, so barmen could pull from a single cask instead of the typical tactic done by the porters of the time, which was to mix the lighter and heavier styles on tap that day together to cut the higher ABV beers. These new beers used malted barley and a touch of hops to create a stronger dark ale without being overly boozy. The adjective “stout” was first applied to beer as early as the late 17th century, and had usually denoted a stronger style of beer. The word became intertwined with porter over time as there were a wide range of strengths, and the stronger ones were regularly called “stout porters”. Over time, there became a slight difference in these two beers, with stouts normally being introduced to nitrogen to give a smoother, creamier mouthfeel and having a wider range of strengths, while porters tend to not be nitro’d and stick generally between 5 to 7 percent ABV. With the rise of craft brewing, these styles underwent a renaissance in the start of this century with an eye towards experimentation and having great shelf life. While not the craze it once was, these beers are still some of the most exciting being made. Cheers! Justin Malesheetz Beer Buyer Dokkaebier Chuseok Porter Oakland, CA USA This beer is brewed for Chuseok, a major Korean harvest festival that is celebrated on the 14th through 16th day of the 8th lunar month. It is a light bodied porter brewed with pumpkin, rice, persimmon, cinnamon and ginger. Molasses in color with notes of ginger, persimmon, and coffee on the nose. Soft on the palate with the fruitiness of a good cup of coffee, toasted barley notes, and an earthy and spicy finish. $5.99 per can / $141.74 per case Suggested Food Pairing: Minestrone soup, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, japchae Perennial Take 10 Imperial Stout St. Louis, MO USA Brewed with peanut flour and salt, fermented with chocolate sauce, and steeped on whole roasted peanuts. A deep black with a nose that shows notes of chocolate and sea salt. Lush and mouth coating with flavors of toasted peanuts, mocha, and a salty pretzel like finish. $9.99 per can / $235.59 per case Suggested Food Pairing: pour over ice cream, chocolate icebox pie Brouwerj de Molen x Jopen Sin and Remorse Imperial Stout Bodegraven, South Holland, NL A multi-grain beer made with 38% rye, 24% oats, and a small amount of wheat. Opaque black with a nose of baking chocolate and black coffee. Malty and soft without being cloying. Notes cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate graham crackers on the palate with a long chocolatey finish. $10.99 per bottle / $130.13 per case Suggested Food Pairing: Pork mole, South Indian beef curry, black forest cake, braised short ribs Midnight Sun T.R.E.A.T. Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter Anchorage, AK USA Brewed with pumpkin, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Black with notes of baking spice, chocolate, pumpkin bread, and black coffee. Boozy and luscious on the palate where the clove and nutmeg stand out along with a dark chocolate fruitiness on the finish. $6.99 per can / $152.18 per case Suggested Food Pairing: Chocolate babka, pumpkin pie drizzled with chocolate sauce
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Beer of the Month December '23: Dunkels
Continuing on from last month's theme we are closing out the year with a tour of a great winter style from German; the Dunkel. While it can be used to describe any dark beer (dunkel is the German word for dark) there is a prescribed sub-style based out of Bavaria using dark toasted malt and lager yeast to make clean, round beers with moderate to low hop bitterness and notes of nuts, fresh baked bread, toffee, licorice, and chocolate, without ever veering into dark roasted coffee, spice, or fruit. This style can be considered one of the first in the world to be codified and regulated, as most beers of the time of the first purity laws enacted by the Holy Roman Empire in Munich and Bavaria were proto-dunkel dark lagers. Dunkels are all malt forward but can range from Dark amber and slightly hoppy (Negra Modelo is a Munich style dunkel) to rich dopplebocks and hefeweizens. Most Dunkels are also relatively low in alcohol and pair nicely with grilled sausage, pork chops, and mushrooms as well as hearty stews and game dishes. Prost! Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel Andechs, Germany Brewery Notes: Soft roasted malt notes and a touch of dried fruit accompany an accentuated caramel aroma. Full-bodied and velvety, strong but with a pleasant malt aroma. It has a readily discernible sweetness accompanied by roasted cocoa notes and a slight hop bitterness. With a strong finish, the Doppelbock ends on a lasting, semi-sweet chocolate note. $4.99 per bottle Armistice Funcle Dunkel Califorinia, USA Brewery Notes: A rich and toasty dark lager that’s redolent of toasted bread crusts with a hint of malt sweetness. $4.99 per bottle Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel Bavaria, Germany Brewery Notes: Dark with a golden-brown gleam when held up to the light, and with a warm aroma and malty taste, while summoning up coffee taste sensations on going down. It is brewed from five types of malt (two of which are torrified dark), and it is only lightly hopped. $4.99 per bottle Fair State Brewing Key to Happiness Minnesota, USA Brewey Note: A traditional German style of beer that’s not often available in the US. Dark, malty, and crisp. $3.99 per bottle Original Pattern Brewing Door To Nowhere Munich Dunkel California, USA Light and crisp with notes of toast, cocoa, and root beer $4.99 per bottle Schonramer Altbayerisches Dunkel Petting, Germany Brewey Note: Roasted malt aromas and scents of fresh farmer's bread dominate. When you first drink it you taste bread, then chocolate, followed by licorice and a pinch of vanilla in a full-bodied slightly bitter aftertaste. $5.99 per bottle
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November Beer of the Month
While having a pilsner or ale is nice any time of year, these shorter days and crisp weather always has me reaching for something darker and richer. This month we have two selections in different styles of darker beer from the cooler corners of Europe from producers known for their quality. To Øl have solidified their reputation making great beers in a range of styles and in collaborations with the likes of Pohjala, Jackie O’s, and Mikkeler. Starting out as a home brew project in 2005, they became a full time commercial project in 2010, brewing their beer at various breweries before getting their own facility in 2019. Fantome was started in 1988 with founder Dany Prignon and his fathers interest in ancient local table beer recipes from around the area and their own local history. They have gained a cult following for their saisons with unique and delicious combinations. Cheers! PlumpJack Team 2021 To Øl / Koppi Coffee Roasters Bourista Origin: Denmark This collaboration with Koppi Coffee Roasters is a decadent, mouth coating stout aged 21 months in bourbon barrels and maturated with roasted Costa Rican coffee beans. Rich notes of coffee, toasted peanut, rich milk chocolate, and bourbon with a slight fruitiness on the finish. Great on its own, but would also be great poured over ice cream for a delicious float. Beer Style: Imperial Coffee Stout Abv: 13.1% Suggested Food Pairing: Black forest cake, marbled cheesecake Fantome Chocolat Dark Version Origin: Belgium A darker Saison-style Belgian ale brewed with cocoa powder from their local chocolaterie Defroidmont and chili powder, which provide a slight warmth and an almost root beer-like finish to the golden raisin and sour cherry flavors. This beer is begging to be paired with a hearty stew! Beer Style: Belgian Ale Abv: 6% Suggested Food Pairing: Pork or chicken mole (pumpkin or another yellow squash can substitute as a vegetarian option)
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December 2022 Beer Of The Month Club
Holiday Beers This month we have four different beers to cozy up with from three different breweries bringing you three different styles across two countries divided by a common language. First up an English Winter Warmer in the form of a Nut Brown Ale imported from Oxfordshire. From Connecticut we have a Double Dry Hopped Hazy Double IPA with holiday spices and a Double Pastry Stout meant to invoke spiced eggnog. Finally an imperial stout from Oklahoma with cacao nibs, chilies, Christmas spices, coffee & vanilla beans. Happy Holidaze -Sam Ridgeway Brewing - Warm Welcome Location: Oxfordshire, England Winter warmers are a common offering in England for the holiday months. Ridgeway’s winter warmer is available to us in the form of a Nut Brown Ale. Full of flavor for a style thats light in body, Nut Brown Ales are malty, nutty, and thirst quenching with a slight hop bite. Beer style: Nut Brown Ale 6% abv Serve 40-45° F Abomination Brewing - Gingerbread Fog Location: North Haven, CT A double dry hopped hazy double IPA with spices. Fruity and Juicy like most Hazy IPAs tend to be with a slight spicy gingerbread character that slowly creeps in with each sip. Fun! Beer style: Spiced Hazy Double IPA 9.1% abv Serve 40–45° F Abomination Brewing - Santa’s Black Blood Location: North Haven, CT An imperial Pastry Stout with eggnog spices. Chocolatey, spicy, and a bit creamy. A full bodied decadent slow sipper that will not disappoint anyone with a sweet tooth. Beer style: Imperial pastry stout 13.3% abv Serve 45–55° F Praiirie - Christmas Bomb Location: Oklahoma The holiday version of their infamous BOMB! Another spiced Imperial Stout with cacao nibs, chilies, christmas spices, coffee, and vanilla beans. Note: This beer is different every year. If you like stouts and haven't tried Prairie’s offerings, I recommend trying anything from their amazing line up. Top notch! Beer style: Holiday Spiced Imperial Stout 13.0% abv Serve 45–55° F
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Beer Of The Month club October 2022
Põhjala Porters! Specifically Baltic Porters are an interesting style. Unlike traditional Porters that are brewed with traditional ale yeasts, Baltic Porters are brewed using lager yeasts. Baltic brewers tried their hand at making their own version of the Imperial Stout and ended up creating the Baltic Porter. So technically, the Baltic Porter is almost a lager version of an Imperial stout that has made a name for itself around the world as a style. Pohjala is from Estonia, at the edge of the gulf of Finland in the Baltic sea. They know Baltic porters well and tend to brew them in the fall months as things cool down and nights get longer & darker. Variations on a theme. On top of being a go-to for a traditional Baltic porter, Põhjala are also playful and have fun with modern treatments of their beers, so to really have fun with the style I’ve lined up some variations for you all. Öö meaning “night” is one of their standard straight forward Imperial Baltic Porters and in my opinion, the best of them. Killer example of the style! Pime Öö meaning “dark night” is the Imperial Stout counterpart to Öö and a great example of what happens when a Baltic brewery focus’s on brewing an Imperial Stout. Baltic Porter Day was brewed for Baltic porter day this year. It’s an imperial Baltic Porter aged in Palo Santo wood, a hard dense wood with very unique characteristics. Jätku leiba is an Imperial Baltic porter brewed with toasted rye flakes & aged in Bourbon and American Rye Whiskey barrels. Yum! .
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