Founders Brewing Company – Dirty Bastard

Founders Brewing Company – Dirty Bastard

Founders Dirty BastardThis big baby isn’t for the faint of heart or the light beer drinker. Darkest brown/ruby in the glass with a thick, creamy head. Layers upon layers of maltiness. Smoky, caramel and chocolate laced, a little sweet with a slightly bitter end that I enjoyed.

Brewed by:  Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI

Style: Scotch Ale

Alcohol by Volume: 8.5%

Color in the Glass: Dark brownish red

International Bitterness Units: 50

Format(s): Bottle, on-tap

Ideal Glass: Pint glass

Cheers,

Veronique

10 Summer Beers for the Craft Beer Enthusiast

10 Summer Beers for the Craft Beer Enthusiast

Summer BeerI’m a wine lover and a big fan of refreshing wines that pair well with my summer dishes but I’m also Canadian and inherently, I believe, that means I grew up quenching my summer thirst with beer. I’ve developed a soft spot over the last few years for craft beers and especially think the summer releases from some of my favorite brewery are stellar.

  • 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat: American wheat beer. Light with watermelon notes from the brewing of the beer with real watermelons. $1.80 for a 12-ounce can.
  • Brooklyn Summer Ale: English Pale Ale. Not overly hoppy and perfectly quenching on a hot day. $8.99 for six 12-ounce bottles.
  • Dogfish Head Festina Peche: Berliner Weisse in style. Fruitiness from peaches with no sugary flavor. $9.99 for four 12-ounce bottles.
  • Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale: Light but with a nice hoppy kick. $9.99 for six 12-ounce bottles.
  • Goose Island Sofie: Fermented in wine barrels with citrus peel for a citrusy flavor with a little effervescence. $10.99 for four 12-ounce bottles.
  • Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale: Hoppy and malty, this ale available year-around now has floral and peachy flavors. $1.70 for a 12-ounce.
  • New Belgium Rolle Bolle: Light summer ale with citrusy notes that we need in the northeast. $12.99 for twelve 12-ounce bottles.
  • River Horse Summer Blonde Ale: Light, crisp and refreshing – perfect for summer. $9.99 for six 12-ounce bottles.
  • Samuel Adams Summer Ale: Wheat ale with lemon and peppery notes. $8 for six 12-ounce bottles.
  • Victory Summer Love: American wheat beer style. Crisp, citrusy hops. $9.99 for six 12-ounce bottles.

Do you have any favorites that I’ve missed? If so, please leave me a comment!

Cheers,

Veronique

New Jersey Beer & Food Festival

New Jersey Beer & Food Festival

NJ Beer Fest 3The New Jersey Beer & Food Festival takes place at Crystal Springs 6/14 – 6/15. This weekend-long celebration of craft beers also coincides with Father’s Day June 16 making it the perfect destination with something for everyone: beer lovers, golfers and families, with two top US ranked spas and the Biosphere indoor/outdoor pool complex as well.

The two days of beer fest events include the “NJ Chefs & Brews” walk-around reception on Friday 6/14 (8-11pm, $95), with six chefs serving food paired with six New Jersey and New York beers. Participating chefs include Timothy Fischer and pastry chef John Sauchelli of Crystal Springs, Mike Carrino of Pig & Prince Restaurant & Gastrolounge (Montclair), John Halligan of Park Steakhouse (Park Ridge), Carlo Carbonara of Bottagra (Hawthorne) and Eric Levine of Morris Tap & Grill (Randolph).

NJ Beer Fest 9On Saturday 6/15, the ” Beer and BBQ Fest” tasting event gives attendees the opportunity to try 135 beers from 50 breweries including many craft brews from New York and New Jersey paired with delicious barbeque in a picturesque outdoor setting (3pm-7pm, $75 early bird, $85 after June 1st).

Also on Saturday 6/15 starting at 9am golfers will have the chance to participate in the “Brews & Birdies” golf tournament on the resort’s award-winning Wild Turkey and Ballyowen courses. Tastings of craft beers will be available on six holes of the course ($195 for golf and beer tastings). Other activities include a free outdoor grilling class Sat. 6/15 10-11am by Crystal Springs chefs in the resort’s lovely Chef’s Garden and free daily tours of the wine cellar, which is the deepest, most extensive collection in the Northeast US situated in over an acre of underground space and featuring some of the most prized bottles, rare vintages and perfect score 100-point wines.

All weekend, the resort’s two main restaurants, Crystal Tavern and Restaurant Latour, will each be serving special tasting menus paired with craft beers. Crystal Tavern features a three-course “Highlands” menu while Restaurant Latour offers an eight-course tasting menu in addition to a three-course prix-fixe and a five-course vegetarian Garden Menu.

On Sunday 6/16, the beer festival will wrap up with a special Father’s Day Lunch 12-4pm in the Chef’s Garden, a beautiful outdoor restaurant surrounded by a lush garden full of herbs and vegetables used in the resort’s restaurants. Three chefs will each prepare a course that will be paired with a different craft beer ($70 inclusive of food and unlimited beer; lunch menus sans beer will be offered to those under 21).

Reservations for all events can be made at www.njbeerfestival.com or by calling 973-827-5996 x 3.

2010 Goose Island Beer Co. Sofie

2010 Goose Island Beer Co. Sofie

Photo by Goose Island Beer Co.

Photo by Goose Island Beer Co.

I enjoy beer as much as wine. There, I’ve said it. I’m Canadian, it’s in my blood. Having said that, this is the first beer I’ve felt the urgency to formally review. It’s likely my favorite beer of 2012.

I love Goose Island beers and what first attracted me to Sofie is that it’s boasted as the “champagne drinker’s beer”. I love Champagne, I love beer – how could I not love this brew? The answer is – I adore this Saison-style beer.

Sofie is fermented in wine barrels with citrus peel and that’s evident after the first sip. The flavors are citrusy with pleasant effervescence and peppery vanilla notes on the finish.

Brewed by:  Goose Island Beer Co., Illinois, USA

Style: Saison, Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale

Alcohol by Volume: 6.5%

Color in the Glass: Cloudy golden with greenish hues, creamy-white head

International Bitterness Units: 25

Malt: Pilsner, Wheat

Hops: Amarillo

Format(s): Bottle, on-tap

Ideal Glass: Wide-mouth glass, tulip