DrFermento.Net

My blog is long in coming this week because my computer hates me.  Well, all computers hate me, and I think it’s because they don’t drink beer.  I’ve tried to ease it into the lifestyle by adorning it with my favorite beer stickers, but alas, I think it just made matters worse.  In sum, my blog this week is the product of at least four different computers.  Just thinking about it makes me thirsty.  That required a trip to

The primary focus in the Alaska beer world is the anxious countdown to the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival (GABBF) (January 18/19 at the

and The Whale’s Tail in the Hotel Captain Cook.  Even if you want to attend the SubZero gig and can’t because it sells out by at least three yesterdays ago, these are other fine choices to ring in the festival. 

All of our local breweries and most of your favorite breweries will be represented at this year’s GABBF.  The festival runs two days and a special Connoisseur’s Session will be held between 2 – 5 PM on Saturday the 19^th.  I’ve been fielding a lot of questions about the event. People remain confused because this year, the pricing is a bit different.  The regular Friday January 18^th 5-10 pm and Saturday, January 19th 6-10 pm sessions are $30.00 each night.  For regular annual attendees, note the time differences this year.  What’s confusing the issue is the Connoisseur’s Session on Saturday.  This is an entirely separate session with a separate ticket and cost.  This is also what’s pushing the more familiar Saturday time back to 6:00 PM. 

The cost of the Connoisseur’s Session is $40.00.  The session runs from 2:00 – 5:00 PM.  The last pour of the session will be at 4:45.  The floor will be cleared and if you want to return to the regular festival starting at 6:00 PM, you’re going to have to shell out another $30.00.  Some quibble that to hit the entire scene, struggling beer lovers would have to shell out a total of $100.  My response is:  “Go buy $100 bucks in beer and stay home and watch TV, then.”  Grow up.  I know I could easily drink a hundred bucks worth of beer at the festival over three days, especially when you consider some of the heavy hitters that will be on board. 

What separates the Connoisseur’s Session from the rowdier, more densely packed regular sessions isn’t just breathing room.  First, the session is sponsored by the Alaska Brewer’s Guild, and part of the $40.00 ticket price directly benefits the Guild.  If you don’t know what the guild is, suffice to say that it’s a membership driven, brewery and brewpub participating entity that combines all of the forces of good beer management in the state and focuses it on ensuring that local

Here are a few teasers among the many that will be served throughout the festival:  Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barley Wine; Avery Old Jubilation and Hog Heaven; Stone Brewing Company’s 2003 Old Guardian Barley Wine and 2005 Double Bastard; Lagunitas Hop Stoopid; Great Divide’s Old Ruffian Barley Wine; Flying Dog Brewing Company’s Horn Dog Barley Wine and Gonzo Imperial Porter; Elysian Brewing Company’s Bye Bye Frost; Dogfish Head’s Olde School Barley Wine and Chateau Jiahu;  and Big Sky Brewing Company’s  Old Blue Hair Barley Wine and Biere de Noel.  What excites me just as much as these tried and true brands are a couple of new entrants this year including 21^st Amendment (

The best way to assure your attendance in any of the events is to buy your tickets online.  Hit www.auroraproductions.net, click on the GABBF logo, then go to the “Purchase your tickets online” tab.  Another upgrade this year is that the event is going to be capped at less than what capacity was in years past, so there’s no doubt the event will sell out.  The LAST thing you want to do is fight for parking (you should be taking a cab or getting a designated driver anyway), shuffle through the cold to the

Thanks once again to Rob Weller of Specialty Imports, beer lovers in Alaska are again sitting pretty on a hoard of product from North Coast Brewing out of

The Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale, a 7.6 percent alcohol clear, pale golden beer poured tall in my goblet, but only left a thinnish white head that raced to the edge of the glass and held.  True to form, the aroma is fruity, slightly peppery and a light dusting of grain and light malt underneath.  The hop aroma is very low, allowing a caramel-like sweetness reminiscent of candy sugar to emerge. Some of the Belgian yeast was evident in the nose as well.  I knew I was in for a treat. 

The flavor is initially spicy, slightly tart and finding the booze is a cinch.  Clean, dry, light grain notes form underneath and are surrounded by moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness that extends deep into the finish.  Indeed, some of the sweetness may originate for light candy sugar.  Pranqster finishes dry and clean, save the bitterness that hangs around a bit too long.  What makes the beer prankish is the wallop it packs if consumed in any quantity.  The light, crisp, almost airy mouthfeel with ample carbonation and just a hint of alcohol warming make it even easier to pound.  This is a very nicely done beer with a great overall mixture of elements.  I could do without some of the deep, extended bitterness, but it’s certainly no defect.  The stuff is sold in six packs, so it’s more dangerous still. 

The Brother Thelonious is a Belgian  style abbey ale weighing in at a hefty 9.4 percent alcohol.  According to the brewery, “North Coast Brewing is proud to be associated with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (www.monkinstitute.org) and is pleased to contribute $2 to the Institute for every case of Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale Sold.”  Well, being the beer philanthropist that I am, I can see this is a very worthy cause that I’ll be in strong support of, although I have no strong affinity for monks or jazz.  I’m just a sucker for good beer. 

The beer is entirely alluring in the glass.  It pours a beautiful, crystal clear chestnut brown with sparking highlights throughout.  The head is tan, dense and full of loose, large bubbles.  In my sample, an almost chalky sensation wafted off the top first, along with a slight earthiness which was entirely appropriate for the beer.  This was fallowed by hints of the dark malts and fruits.  I could tell the beer was going to edge toward the sweet side.  Mr. Booze was easy to find lurking below the surface, even in the scent. 

Expect an initially tart sensation in the flavor followed by alcohol flavor and heat.  Look for some spicy notes, plenty of rich, dark malt and more decided bitterness that lingers and extends into the finish. Sweetness comes about late in the game with hints of dark candy sugar.  The amply carbonated beer is on the light side of the palate for style, and definitely warming.   Again, the extending bitterness sets the beer off just a bit for me.  A bit more smoothness would be appreciated.  I’m not complaining and will buy more of this great beer.

Old No. 38 Stout holds a warm spot in my liver because I fell in love with this beer years ago when Inlet Distributors brought the beer in and I was introduced to perhaps my first big American style stout.  Back then, my style exploration was limited, but the beer was robust enough to shake me awake and understand that different interpretations always await the beer curious. 

This is a black and opaque stout with a full, lasting deep tan head.  After the head throttles back, fruitiness greets the nose, followed by some sweetness, the aroma hops and the full contingent of dark grains. 

Old No. 38 is a rich, complex, sweet, fruity and delicious stout.  Okay, in my opinion, it’s quite sweet.  Roast and black patent malts become obvious, but mixed evenly with fruity elements, followed by just beyond balancing bitterness and a very feint dry chocolate element and dry finish.  The mostly full mouthfeel is spiced with decent carbonation. 

It’s one of those beers that’s “not quite what I remembered.”  This doesn’t imply defect, change or any distraction from the beer’s overall quality, but sometimes, when I revisit a beer after years, because my palate’s changed, I think I get too hyped up for the new sample.  I’d easily drink more and more. 

The Old Rasputin Imperial Stout was a forerunner in the imperial stout style in the early days when brewers strived to make something different, but with some historical roots.  This beer has scored admirably over the years in the multitude of ratings around the world, so it remains a contender. 

Rasputin pours solid black with a dark brown, rocky head that fades to a full cover through the remainder of the sample.  The booze is right up front in the nose, but not inappropriately so.  It’s expected.  The nose releases big fruits and big, bodacious black elements.  Some hop aroma seeps through. Alluring, sweet elements follow.  A light dustiness swirls around the edges.  Hints of chocolate round out the flavor.  Figs, plums and a strong vinous character define the beer.  It’s worthy. 

Black Patent and roast inspired bitterness come forth first in the flavor, followed by the malt’s full, rich complexity, then some hop-borne bitterness to follow through the dry finish.  All of the malts combine nicely and the chocolate character rounds it out nicely.  Absent is the anise/licorice character that disagrees with me, so the beer finishes clean.    Needless to say, Rasputin’s a full, heavy beer.  I’d call it smooth, but with some squeaky elements along the sides of the tongue and cheek.  The alcohol is warming. 

Stupid me; I failed to pick up perhaps one of the picks of the North Coast litter, a bottle of Le Merle, a 7.9 percent Saison.  This beer was featured prominently at the front of the store, and I saw it when I walked in, but quickly got distracted and forgot about it.  I’ll catch it next week. 

If you want to explore the beer as fully as possible, plan on attending the North Coast Beer Dinner at Suite 100 in South Anchorage (in the Dimond area, just behind and below Borders Books on the corner of Old Seward and Dimond) on Wednesday, January 16^th, just before the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival kicks off.  Long time

Sacks Café and Restaurant (328 G Street: 907-274-4022) is celebrating good beer this month with a January 16 (5:30 – 8:00 PM) featuring of four great Belgian ales along with a combination platter of delectable starters prepared by Sacks’ consistently adventurous chefs.”  I’ve been in

Anchorage since 1979, and it took me until last summer to finally visit this tight, squeaky clean little venue with a respectable, mostly local tap line.  The closest I’d got to the restaurant is glancing through the windows during dashes between the Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company and Glacier Brewhouse or Humpy’s.  I think what kept me out of there was one of the venue’s finest qualities; it’s quiet, intimate and so nicely appointed, I guess I felt I didn’t belong.  It just didn’t seem like the place to saunter in and haul up to the bar for a couple of pints.  Mabe that’s because typically I’d preloaded elsewhere and didn’t want to drift in between mostly very well dressed people with beer on my breath.  Anyway, some business associates hauled me in there for lunch this summer and I instantly shed my misconceptions about the place.  The food was absolutely top-notch, and despite it erring on the healthy side (Fermento needs his MDR of sugar, fat and alcohol), it was amazingly good, artfully prepared, competently served and very quickly enjoyed. I’m overdue for a re-visit.  The January 16 event will feature Grotten, Koningshoeven, Tripel Karmeliet and Urthel.  You’re definitely going to want to call for reservations.

Another fabulous beer is gracing our shores from across the Pond.  The Meantime Brewing Company an organization dedicated to reproducing historically accurate beers gifted us with Meantime Porter and Meantime IPA that I was so jazzed about because absent was the massive hopping associated with so many interpretations today.  They’ve just released Meantime Scotch Ale.  As would be expected, the brewers did their homework. 

The label reads:  “Between 1780 and 1850, the Scots developed a global export market for Scotch ale which traveled as far afield as the U.S.A, German, Jamaica, Canada, South America, Russia, Denmark, India, and

The beer is presented in a dark green 750 ml bottle with cork and bail finish.  The beer is darker than anticipated. It’s black and opaque and pours with a full, but fading tan/brown head that persists. 

The aroma is richly fruity and sweet with a hint of the eight percent alcohol that swirls within.  I searched for the oft present light smokiness, peat character and earthiness associated with a strong scotch ale, but it was tough to seek out.  Nice caramel notes emerge as the glass is swirled.  The nose is very enticing to say the least. 

The first sip releases a big blast of very rich maltiness followed by the perfect contingent of balancing bitterness that cleaned right up after the swallow.  Roast malt, moderate nuttiness and even some peated and smoke flavors follow.  As the nose hints, the beer is sweet, which just adds to the balance.  Dark fruits also adorn the flavor including some raisin and plums and even a hint of cherry.  The alcohol is just playful in the background telling me that as good as this beer is, it should be classified in the “dangerous” category.  The copious amount of roast barley lends a dry finish to the beer. 

The beer is full across the palate, but not cloying or sappy.    The beer is spendy, but it’s worth the price.  In my humble opinion, it’s one of the very best scotch ales I’ve ever tasted. 

At first bite, the beer provides an evenly balanced dark malt and roast element with a nice, balancing touch of bitterness.  The coffee’s there as well, and it blends nicely with the other components including fruitiness, a very slight edge tartness and sneaky alcohol that’s well hidden in the beer’s complexity.  The middle of the road mouthfeel nudges the full side, but the beer remains an easy sipper for something as dark as it is.  If you enjoy a “lighter” coffee stout, this would be a good pull.  Cappuccino might be a bit strong as a descriptor for this beer because the coffee’s not strong and the beer finishes sweet overall. 

As always, most of the killer new beers that wander into

Alaska end up at La Bodega first.  The

North

Coast beers are there, along with Dogfish Head Midas Touch Golden Elixer, Fort (a simply CrAzEEE 18 percent raspberry beer that used over a ton of raspberries in the batch), Raison D’etre and Chicory Stout.  Unibroue’s Quelque Chose (“Something Special”) is also in, but it’s not your run of the mill mulling beer (if anything from Unibroue could be called “run of the mill”).  These are 2002 vintage beers and there’s definitely room to argue that some aging enhances this beer’s character.  I have a number of years in my cellar, but oddly enough, never sample them side by side.  They only come out on very special occasions, and one at a time.  This is a beer that’s designed to be consumed across the temperature spectrum. It can be enjoyed on ice or slightly mulled.  I prefer it mulled because only then does the beer’s intense aromatic character of rich, red cherries come fully to life.  It’s cold out right now, my computer’s pissed at me, so maybe…

Dr Fermento Beer Calendar

01/16/07          SubZero Microlounge                           MSBC Seven Deadly Sins Beer Dinner                         6:00 PM            ??

01/16/07          The Whale’s Tail (Captain Cook)         Chimay and Schneider Beer Tasting                               6:00 PM      $55.00

01/16/07          Sack’s Café                                         Belgian Beer Tasting                                                      5:30 PM      $29.00

01/16/07         

01/18/08          Café Amsterdam                                  All seven MSBC 7DS beers on tap                                4:00 PM      Pay As You Go

01/18/08         

01/19/08          Eagan Convention Cener                      GABBF Connoisseur’s Session                                      2:00 PM      $40.00

01/18/07         

01/19/08         

01/25/07         

02/08/08          Snow Goose Restaurant                       Fur Rondy Homebrew Comp. Entries Accptd                11:00 AM         $$ Per Entry

02/09/08          Snow Goose Restaurant                       Fur Rondy Homebrew Competition Judging                   10:00 AM         Free

02/16/07          Tap Root Café                                    Ring of Fire Meadery Special Release                          8:00 PM           Pay As You Go/Cover TBD)