The Malted Barley, Westerly, Rhode Island

 

 



 

This past week, my gilfriend and I took a trip out to eastern Connecticut for a short 2 night vacation. We stayed near Foxwoods, and decided to really "play it by ear" for the entire trip. Tuesday morning, after eating breakfast at an amazing spot called Kitchen Little in Mystic, CT we decided to explore some towns near where we were staying in the North Stonington, CT area. We turned right instead of left off the I 95 exit for Foxwoods, and drove until we came to the village of Westerly, Rhode Island. This quaint little coastal town is just a 15-20 minute ride from the hotels and casino areas. 

 

After a short 15 minute ride, we ended up in the village of Westerly. I was really looking for a bar that served good craft beers, and had a really "chill" atmosphere. While driving, my girlfriend shouted out, "Hey, that looks like it might be a beer bar." I looked over to my left, and like a beacon in the night I saw a sign that read, "The Malted Barley". I was sure that this had to be a craft beer bar, and once my girlfriend and I got back to the hotel room, and I did a little research I saw that I was exactly right. Not only was this a craft beer bar, but it was a craft beer bar that had 36 beers on tap! I was completely consumed by my enthusiasm, and my girlfriend quickly grew tired of me talking about all of the beers I was looking forward to trying later that night.

 

We arrive at The Malted Barley at around 6:30 pm. Upon entering, the frst thing that struck me was the very casual, warm feeling you got as soon as you walked in. There was already a decent crowd there, and the locals and staff all welcomed us with smiles as we entered. The front area of the establishment was lined with tall round tables, that had 4 bar stools around each table. The fairly long bar was also lined with bar stools, as well as locals that were chatting away and sipping their malt beverages. The decor was very warm and simple, with different types of brewery signs, and beer nostalgia hanging sporadically around the walls. It was as though the bar was saying to me "hey man, we're all friends here, so take a seat and order a beer." I am not one to argue when a bar talks to me, so I quickly heeded its advice.

 

As we approached the bar, we were greeted by an incredibly outgoing and warm bartender with excellent tattoos. Being tattooed myself, I love going to a drinking establishment that proudly hires men and women that are clearly inked. Yeah, I am slightly biased here, but it does make me feel more welcome. What was also great was how much the bartender knew about beers. I listened attentively as he made suggestions to a couple sitting next to us at the bar. "Well, if you like hoppy, bitter beers, you should try this. It's a Sixpoint Resin Ale, and it's one of the best IPA's I have ever had." What a great suggestion, and the guy knew his beers. He shot the shit with me on many occassions about New Paltz, NY (the town I went to college in), and different beers we've tried. He was incredibly personable. And yes, I know it's his job to be personable, but he was personable in a way that made you feel like the guy really wanted to talk to you about beer. You could tell he enjoyed working there, and you could tell he took pride in his beer knowledge.

 

When the bartender handed us the beer/cocktail/food menu, I was quickly flabbergasted by what I saw. First, my girlfriend was completely satisfied with the selection of house cocktails, and the selection even made ME want one (I'm not a liqour drinker). Secondly, the beer list was a colossal representation of everything delicious in beer. There are 36 beers on tap, and even more selections in bottles and cans. I had never, ever seen Lagunitas Sucks on tap until I came into this bar. The menu was laid out by style of beer. This struck me as an excellent idea, and it makes it really easy for people looking to try specific styles. What also struck me was how well rounded the beer menu was, which offered a generous selection of every style you could imagine. I sampled two beers from the local brewery (and by local I mean a half mile from the bar). The brewery is known by the name Grey Sail Brewing. I had a pint of their smoked porter, as well as their Anniversary Imperial Pilsner. The smoked porter was excellent, with a rich dark roasted character and a significant amount of smoked notes. The brew also had a sweet maly backbone, with hint of chocolate and coffee. Overall, and excellent smoked porter. The imperial pilsner was also a fantastic offering. There was definitely a strong malt presence, which was balanced well with the aroma hops. A nice biscuit finish, with a slight bite from the hops made this a damn near perfect brew. I also had the Rogue Chocolate Stout, as well as the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA. The Rogue Chocolate stout didn't offer any surprises for me. It was full bodied, and had strong notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and caramel. The Cali-Belgique IPA by Stone really threw me for a loop. It had a nice amount of lemon zest up front, followed by a sweet malt backbone, and a beautiful clove and pepper finish. The beer reminded me of the offspring of a belgian witte and a west coast IPA. After having the beers I enjoyed, I wished I had the time and tolerance to try everything they offered here. Any style of beer you like, The Malted Barley has got you covered with multiple options!

 

 

The last, but certainly one of the most important aspects of this bar I would like to address is the food. I can some up the food these guys offer with just one word...pretzels. YES PRETZELS! The Malted Barley's food menus consists soley of pretzel options. Don't get me wrong, these aren't your run of the mill frozen, salted, dried out desperate imitations of a bavarian treat. Quite the contrary indeed. These pretzels are made with fresh, homemade dough, and stuffed or covered with fresh ingredients. Some of the pretzel options are; Asiago and Parmesan, Mozarella and Tomato stuffed with a side of pesto, and the Cheddar and Jalapeno stuffed pretzel. Not to mention, they also offer an array of "pretzel sandwiches" which are served on pretzel buns! Seeing this food menu made everything else in the bar seem that much MORE perfect. I mean, come on...an menu comprised of nothing but pretzel options in a beer bar? Well, hell, that is damn near perfection as far as I am concerned. I had the Jalapeno and Cheddar stuffed pretzel with a side of apricot butter paired with the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA.  If this wasn't complete perfection, it was at least the closest I had every come to it as far as taste is concerned.

 

So, I am going to end this review here. Please, go check out the menus at The Malted Barley, and also check out Grey Sail Brewing's website as well. Rhode Island has a lot of creative, and inspirational things going on. You can tell they pride themselves on community, and really try to help each other out. So, I am going to show how much their warm hospitalty effected me by doing the same! Cheers!

 

Troeg's Nugget Nectar

 

 

So this is the second Troeg's beer that I've reviewed on this blog, the first being Mad Elf a few month's ago. Troeg's is yet another testament to how booming the craft industry in Pennsylvania has become!This wasn't my first encounter with Nugget Nectar, despite its elusive release schedule and distribution. I managed to get my hand on a couple of six packs of this brew last year as well, and I had very fond memories of the hop characters of the brew. When I saw it available at my local distributor again I had to pick it up (and I am lucky to have 3 amazing distributors within a 10 minute drive that can get really rare stuff). It's a very satisfying, hybridish brew that holds back no punches at all with their hop characterization. A lot of people call it an "IPA", but the truth is it's a hopped up red ale (think Lagunita's Imperial Red). So, before I give away anymore about this gem, read the full review below:

 

Name: Nugget Nectar

Brewery: Troeg Brother's

Location: Hershey, PA

Style: IPA? Imperial Red Ale
ABV: 7.5%
Price: $15/6 pack
Packaging: 12 oz bottle

Appearance: Pours a beatifully clear reddish/dark amber hue, with a copper piping brightness when held up to the light. The beer pours a solid 2-3 finger thick cream colored head. The head provides spotty lacing on the glass that sticks around for quite some time.

Aroma: A lot of pine/skunky cannabis notes on the first scent. A lot of piney resin on the nose, with muffled citrus notes.

Taste/Mouthfeel: A moderate amount of carbonation on this one, and a medium body that leaves a generous, lingering mouth coating. This is total resin galore! A ton of pine and resin on the front of the tasting, followed by more pronounced citrus notes (orange peel mainly) in the middle, followed by a sweet malt finish. A nice bitterness up front, but not at all overpowering due to the welcomed balance of the sweet malt characters. A beautiful breadiness in the finish, reminiscent of biscuit/biscuit dough.

Overall: 9/10 Definitely a bitter beer, but not nearly as bitter as one would think drinking a beer that touts "93ish" IBU's. What really quells the bitterness is the focus of the malt in this brew, and it's also what impressed me the most. You still get the pine and resin of the nugget, warrior and tomahawk hops up front, but the malt characters quell it enough for you to fully appreciate the complexity of these hop varieties. I would suggest this one for hop heads, as well as those that enjoy a delicious sweet malt character in their beer. Although the beer is bitter, the malt balance will leave those of you that are into a more balanced beer scratching your heads with this one. Personally, I remember this being far more bitter last year, and I was expecting a slightly more bitter offering. However, Troeg's has once again offered us all another balanced, beautifully crafted ale! Cheers!

Full Sail's Pale Doppelbock

 

I am apparently a late bloomer when it comes to west coast breweries outside of the borders of California. Once I discovered Rogue over a decade ago, it took me about four years before I allowed myself to explore more deeply into other non-Californian west coast craft brews . Well, recently I found a brewery that also hails from Oregon, and can seriously give Rogue a run for their money (or market share). That brewery is Full Sail from Hood River, Oregon. Yes, they've been around for 25 years (slightly longer than Rogue), and I am completely aware of how late I am in discovering them, but I am just grateful I finally got into their brews. Oregon is a bastion of amazing breweries, and I completely fell in love with Full Sail over the winter after purchasing a six pack of their Wassail winter warmer ale.  A fantastically spicy, peppery winter warmer that deserves far more than the 86 beer advocate gave it. Well, I'm not here to review that beer, however, I am here to review their Pale Doppelbock. So, here it goes...

 

Beer Name: Full Sail 25th Anniversary Pale Doppelbock

Brewery: Full Sail

Location: Hood River, OR

ABV: 9%

Price: around $8/1pt 8oz. bottle.

Packaging: bottle (1pt 8oz)

Poured into a tulip glass

 

 

Appearance: A bright amber color, indicative of a lager. A finger thick cream colored head, with a slight caramel tint. The head leaves spotty lacing behind on the glass.

 

Aroma: Bread and peppery hop notes on the nose, as well as some caramel and slight brown sugar. Also, some mild spiced fruit notes.

 

Taste/Mouthfeel: Moderate amounts of carbonation, and a medium body. Sweet bread notes up front, with mild pepper in the middle. There is a slight alcohol bite on the finish (hardly even noticeable) followed by a nice, lingering hop bitterness. Think of a more spicy, peppery lager with a larger bittering hop finish. The malts shine in this brew, and the bread/biscuit sweetness is really this star.

 

Overall: 8/10 I really enjoyed this brew, but I was expecting more of a full body There was an unexpected hopiness to this on the finish, which I found a bit misplaced but intriguing and enjoyable. This beer reminded me of a traditional British IPA crossed with a lager. Sweet, spicy, with a medium body. It was very drinkable, and very dangerous with a 9% abv. If it wasn't for the slight bite at the end, I would swear to heaven I was drinking a session lager. Overall, a successful brew that has you scratching your head afterwards wondering just what style of beer you just drank. Worth trying, and I would definitely try again. Cheers!

Keegan Ales, Keeping it local!

When I first got into craft beer, it was due to my initial love affair with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That was almost 15 years ago, well before breweries began popping up in the Mid Hudson Valley of upstate New York. I became quickly hooked on many west coast brewers, mainly Anchor and Sierra Nevada. There was no locally brewed option back then, and there weren't many regionally produced beers either.

10 years ago Keegan Ales was born in Kingston, NY. They quickly became a "go to" spot for local, fresh, handcrafted ales and lagers. Besides Hyde Park Brewing Company, Keegan was one of the first breweries in the Dutchess/Ulster county area to offer good food, great atmosphere, and a solid line of beers for the populace to indulge in. I recently stopped in there (it had been about a year since my last visit) to see what's new with Tommy Keegan and his crew. Let me just say, I was impressed yet again with how timeless this place really is. The atmosphere always stays the same, their mainstay beers stay the same as well, but they always offer you something new and different on the tap lines and in the kitchen. Here's a review of how our visit went.

My father and I pulled into the parking lot at around 12:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon in early February. As we pulled into our parking space, I gazed across the parking lot at an adjacent building and saw a sign that read "Keegan Home Brew and Mercantile Exchange". Holy sh#t! Keegan Ales now has a home brew and merchandise store right next door to the brewery. The staff in the shop are very knowledgeable (the guy I spoke to for 45 minutes brews during the week at the brewery). The shop is also staffed by home brewers who know what they're talking about. They have malt extract as well as grain malt for you to choose from. This makes the transition from extract, to partial grain, to all grain brewing possible. The people staffing the store will walk you through what you need, and can answer any questions you might have about home brewing. The store offers any kind of grain malt you could think of, including roasted, pale , and rye malts to name a few. Whatever you are looking to brew, theses guys have you covered! The store also offers Keegan Ale merchandise such as beer, t shirts, hats and other nick-nacks. They are also offering home brew classes for just $20, and home brew starter kits for just $85! A conveniently located shop for those of us that get inspired having a pint in the tap room next door! I plan on taking some classes there, and buying my home brew kit from them soon.

After out 45 minute nerd out session at the home brew shop, my Dad and I sauntered back across the parking lot to get some lunch and brews at the brewery tap room/pub. The first thing that strikes you when you walk in is the glass wall to the right that gives you a full, panoramic view of the actual brewery. You can gaze out, while sipping your beer and see where it was produced. It's really a great idea, and like everything else at Keegan, it's clearly designed to get people interested in the art of brewing.

The second thing you notice walking in is the non-posh, working class feeling you get from the tap room/pub. If there's one thing I hate while enjoying a beer (especially with the elite catching on to the craft beer craze) is pretentious assholes lurking around while I am trying to enjoy my beer. Beer is a working class drink, and I don't want to hear some douchey day trader spouting off about how much he made in the market this past week. I would rather hear people vent about shitty bosses, callused hands, and trying to make ends meet. This place is exactly that. You can tell Tommy Keegan and crew bust their asses to bring you their labor of love, and they clearly want to share it with people that bust their asses as well.

Then, of course, there's the beer on tap! That day I had the barley wine ale called "Super Kitty" (12%abv), "Black Eye" black IPA (6.5%), and the "Swarmin' Hive" honey vanilla porter. The Super Kitty was strong, very strong. I could really taste the alcohol, and it had an almost barrel aged flavor to it (like whiskey). However, it was quite delicious and very dangerous indeed. The Black Eye was my favorite, combining strong floral hop characters with roasted malts. This created some complex flavor profiles, with the aroma hops hitting you up front and fading into a dark chocolate/roasted coffee character, and finishing with a lingering hop bitterness. The Swarmin Hive was also quite delicious, with neither the vanilla nor the honey being too overpowering, and there's a great balance between the roasted malt sweetness and hop characters as well.

The food is also killer! My dad and I ordered the Nachos, Carrot Ginger soup, and soft pretzels. Everything was fantastic, and the Carrot Ginger soup was to die for. It was sweet, with a nice amount of spice from the ginger. An excellent soup for the winter doldrums, and it paired well with the Super Kitty barleywine ale which complimented the bold flavors of the soup well.

If you haven't been to Keegan, I don't know what the hell you are waiting for. Go check out their website at www.keeganales.com to see their menu, and what they currently have on tap! Organize a group of friends, and head on up (or down) to Kingston for an overall amazing time, with a brewery that promotes local business as well as the DIY (do it yourself) ethic of craft brewing! Cheers!

Lagunitas Sucks Ale

 

 

To say that  I love this brewery would be an understatement. Since I first had my first tasting of Hop Stoopid over two years ago, I've been pimping this brewery around as though I owned it myself. They're masters of the manipulation of hop profiles, and manage to get some of the most complex hop aromas and tastes on the planet. They've mastered IPA's in all of their forms, and I tell anyone who asks me for a good IPA to try anything Lagunita's has put out. Hop Stoopid, Maximus IPA, IPA, Lil Sumpin Sumpin, Lil Sumpin Sumpin Wild, and the Imperial Red Ale are all some of my favorites on the planet. When I want hops, I want Lagunitas. It's as simple as that.

 

I've heard about Lagunitas Sucks Ale for the past couple of winters, but before this past winter I had yet to get my paws on a bottle of it. I asked my local distributor if they would be getting it in a week after its release in December, and they couldn't tell me jack shit. So, I waited patiently...very patiently. I went to the distributor every single day for three weeks straight to see if it had come in yet. Then, one glorious Wednesday evening I went on to the beer distributor's website and saw Lagunitas Sucks listed as one of their beers recently added to the roster. Sure enough, I ran down to the store the following day and quickly swiped up a six pack of it. I was like a little kid, boring the hell out of my girlfriend by going into great detail of my excitement about mynew acqusition. Surely, she couldn't have cared less, but I needed someone to share my excitement with. So now, I will share it with you, my trusty readers who will appreciate the love I have for this brew, and this brewery. Alas, let my review begin...

 

Name: Lagunitas Sucks Ale

Brewey: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Location: Petaluma, CA

Style: Double/Imperial IPA

ABV: 7.85%

Packaging: 12oz bottle

Price: $13/6 pack of 12 oz bottles

 

Appearance: Beautiful bright copper hue, with a thick, creamy white 2-3 finger thick head. Loads of lacing on this one that sticks rather firmly to the glass.

 

Aroma: A graefruit explosion on the nose! Load of citrus esters (grapefruit, orange peel and lemon zest). Also floral hops aromas, reminiscent of orange blossoms. Also some mild sweetness on the nose.

 

Taste/Mouth feel: Medium bodied brew, with plenty of carbonation and a dry mouth feel. The citrus hop characters really add to the dryness of the beer, and give it an almost dry Riesling type of mouth feel. I am also getting a moderately thick mouth coating, especially on the roof of my mouth, which also rolls over my tongue toward my throat on each sip. Beautifully complex citrus notes up front, which fade slightly to allow candied fruit esters to settle in for a bit before a clean, bitter hop finish. The candied fruit esters are reminiscent of fruit esters you'd get from Belgian ales. A very complex flavor profile, as well as mouth feel.

 

Overall: 10/10 This has taken the lead as my new favorite brew from Lagunitas. If you like hops, you'll want to marry this beer on the first sip. The aromas, taste, and mouth feel evolve and tease you with each sip. It's an insanely clean, dry, crisp beer that bombards you with citrus esters, and a medium bodied malt sweetness. If you like Lil Sumpin Sumpin, this beer will surely throw you for a loop. Highly recommended. Cheers!