Raison D'Etre

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Raison D'Etre - 8.0% ABV

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

"A deep, mahogany Belgian-style brown ale brewed with beet sugar, raisins, and Belgian-style yeast. We began brewing this one at our brewpub in 1996 (we began packaging and selling it sometime in 1998) as the answer to the question, "What beer should I enjoy with a wood-grilled steak?" Raison D'Etre fits the bill, tasty and as complex as a fine, red wine."

Now after just reviewing the first big Belgium style Abbey Ale (Brother Thelonious) I feel the need to point out 2 things. The first being Belgium yeasts really do add a unique and different flavor to a beer then many other strains of yeast. The second being there are really 2 kinds of Belgium style beers. Those that more strictly follow traditional recipes, and those that brew in the tradition of Belgium style beers but get a bit....craz and uniquey. This most definitely is in the latter category. Raison D'Etre is a pretty unique beer and you'd be hard pressed to find another similar to it. I mean how many have you had that were brewed with raisins in it?

This one pours to a nice pretty deep amber color with a smaller head and decent carbonation. A really nice beer to look at, and smell. You get aromas of spice, brown sugar and of course fruit aromas with a spicy raisin aroma being rather pronounced. As for taste once you try a sip you get the spicy yeast flavor as you'd expect from Belgium yeast (so I'm told), but then you get the tart spiced raisin and fruit flavors coming through. Not overpowering though which is good. Finishes with a malty slightly bitter yeast flavor. A very interesting flavor profile and unique brew for sure. The spicy fruity flavors compliment the yeast and malt flavors and they work well together without one really taking over the others I thought. Now as it was brewed with strong malt and yeast flavors I thought it might be a bit stronger then it was taste wise. Which can be a problem as it is 8% ABV but it does not taste like that strong of a brew. So watch how many you have at once. Now this particular brew was crafted in particular to go with grilled foods like burgers and steaks or game meats. Supposedly the strong meaty grilled flavors help to balance the brew more. Lucky for me I had some little flat iron steaks waiting to be grilled up to test the theory. Honestly the nice hearty and rich meat flavors did go well with it, ad they did add another level of balance to it all. Definitely would stick to heartier meats though as opposed to poultry or seafood on the grill. On it's own it's very nicely balanced and very interesting/refreshing. When paired with the grilled foods it does balance out even more and take on different flavor notes. I found it to be a very good beer and definitely a must try the next you grill some red meat.

Brother Thelonious

North Coast Brewing Co

Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale - 9.3% ABV

Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

"Like a Belgian “Dark Strong Ale”, the beer is rich and robust with an ABV of 9.3%. The package is a 750 ml bottle with a traditional cork and wire finish or 12oz 4 packs and features a label picturing the jazz master himself."

So this one is a Dubbel, which is a name for Belgium style Trappist beers. Now traditionally only beers brewed in actual Trappist Belgium monasteries can be called Trappist beers, and there are only a select few that are exported. There's some random beer trivia for ya. So most "Belgium Style Abbey Ales" are interpretations of them. Dubbels and Tripels are simply different styles of Abbey Ales if I read correctly. A dubbel having more alcohol then a normal abbey ale and a tripel yet even more. You get the picture. They're all interpretations on traditional abbey ales. Some obviously better then others. Would love to go to one of the real Trappist monasteries one day.

This particular dubbel pours to a thick murky brown color (almost all abbey ales are varying shades of brown/black) with a thick frothy head. It had aromas of fruit, roasted malt, and yeast come through. Very nice aroma but not as strong of an aroma as other dubbels I have had. The flavor follows suit and is what you'd expect. A nice medium body with upfront flavors of toasted caramel malt, tart dried fruit, and almost a brown sugar sweetness flavor. Finishes with a slightly sweet toasted bread flavor and hints of over ripe apple. Honestly a bit too sweet for me with out enough bitterness to balance the sweetness. Reminded me of some overly sweet porter wines or barley wines I've had where the dry sweetness just overpowers everything else to a degree. Only has a slight carbonation which also serves to not help cut the sweetness enough for my tastes. It's a good beer and definitely worth trying but there are better abbey brown ales/dubbels out there. There are worse though as well. For me personally though I prefer one a bit more balanced since most good abbey ales are not cheap.

Anchor Steam Beer

Anchor Brewing Company

Anchor Steam Beer - 4.9% ABV

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

"Anchor Steam derives its unusual name from the 19th century when "steam" seems to have been a nickname for beer brewed on the West Coast of America under primitive conditions and without ice. The brewing methods of those days are a mystery and, although there are many theories, no one can say with certainty why the word "steam" came to be associated with beer. For many decades Anchor alone has used this quaint name for its unique beer. In modern times, "Steam" has become a trademark of Anchor Brewing."

So this is the first brew from Anchor brewing out in San Fran that I've had. I've heard and read a lot about Anchor brewing and how they really helped spearhead the craft brew revival out on the west coast years ago. Kind of a shame I hadn't tried them until now as I see why this brew has such a reputation behind it. You really need to go to their site and read up on this an the process behind it. Very fascinating. It's a lager brewed at ale temperatures. And the head of Anchor Brewing is the heir to the Maytag family. As in Maytag washers. Go figure.

The beer pours a deep clear copper color with a nice frothy head. Thanks to the aggressive hopping it goes through you get very strong aromas of woody pine, floral hops, and citrus spice. Now due to that aggressive hopping it goes through I expected a rather bitter beer like a double IPA. It isn't that bitter at all. You get flavors right away of the hops, caramel malt, and grain but none are over powering or super heavy/bitter. Very well balanced. I got a lingering nutty yeasty malt flavor after the initial burst of hop and grain flavor. After having 2 of them I must say it gets better each time you drink it with more flavor notes picked up. Being the hybrid lager/ale that it is I found this is great chilled or at room temperature with different flavor notes coming out more in each temperature. Kind of hard to nail down the flavors and smells as they change based on it's temperature. I found that to be one of it's best characteristics though as it keeps you coming back for more. At least it did for me. I found this to be a truly remarkable craft beer that has very good depth and complexity. Easy to see why it has the reputation that it does. You owe it to yourself to try this one if not simply for it's very unique history. Suppose I should try some of their other beers too.

Czech Style Pilsner

Gordon Biersch Brewing Company

Czech Style Pilsner - 5.3% ABV

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

"Czech Style Pilsner is a celebration of hops. It was first brewed in the Czech town of Pilsen in 1842 using special yeast smuggled out of Germany by a Czech monk. The region surrounding Pilsen is famous for its hops. Pilsner was the first clear golden brew: beers before it were dark and cloudy. We use imported Bavarian Hallertau and Tettnang aroma hops along with the finest pilsner malt."

Found this one at the new liquor store I recently came across. Crista actually picked this one out so we split it. Aren't I nice sharing my beer heh? It pours to a nice golden color with just a small head. Looks like a pilsner to me heh. I noticed aromas of spicy floral notes and of course the hops are really popping. Bit of a grain smell too. Nice amount of carbonation as well. Once again, looks like a pilsner. As for taste it's pretty much what you'd expect from a damn good pilsner. Nice crisp taste with a flavor burst of hops and grains that finishes with a slightly malt flavor. Nice and crisp, dry, and has a good balance of the floral hops and sweetness/bitterness. A very well balanced and satisfying pilsner. It's what the so called king of beers should taste like, a real pilsner. A great beer to have with some burgers and chips watching a game on a weekend afternoon.

Avalanche Amber Ale

Breckenridge Brewery of Colorado

Avalanche Amber Ale - 5.4% ABV

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

"Subtlety. That's what makes our Avalanche amber ale such a treat. We blend pale and caramel malts – and just a kiss of bittering hops – to create a refreshing-but-flavorful, any-time beer. Aromas of pale grains, a semi-sweet middle and a clean-as-Colorado-snow finish make this our best-selling beer."

For such talk about subtlety from them I'd have expected.....well....subtlety. This is supposedly an amber ale but I swear half the time I was thinking is smelled and tasted almost like a red lager. Anyways, this amber ale does pour to a nice amber color so at least no false advertisement there heh. It actually has a nice creamy white head but mine had died down by the time I got the camera. It doesn't have a really strong smell but what I did get aromas of were sweet malt, spice, and slight hops. As for taste you do get the sweet, slightly bitter, caramel malt flavor up front and a mild bitter fruity hop aftertaste. The flavors were rather mild as was the aroma. The taste was almost a little watery as if the flavors had been thinned out some. Nothing fancy or great but nothing bad. So as I said before I was expecting more subtlety. More.....something. It's not bad but it just didn't live up to the self proclaimed hype I thought. I do like it and it is good but not extraordinary. Worth giving a try though. Have their Vanilla Porter in the fridge so hopefully that one will have stronger more dominant flavors and kick it up some.

Wee Heavy

Samuel Adam's

Wee Heavy Scotch Ale - 10.0% ABV

Rating: 2.5/3.0 out of 5.0

"Samuel Adams Wee Heavy was inspired by both traditional Scotch ales and Scotch whiskies, for a combination of deep roasted flavor and earthy smoke character. Traditional Scottish ales vary in intensity with the strong ales known as Scotch Ale or “Wee Heavy”. To create our own version of the style we added peat smoked malt to bring the unique flavor of Scotland to this complex and satisfying brew."

This was my first beer from the Sam Adam's Imperial series beers they have. Given my love of Sam Adams and their brews, and the notion that their Imperial Series are supposed to be a cut above the rest, I had high expectations for this brew. It unfortunately fell a "wee bit" short on them. It pours to a luscious rich dark brown color akin to a stout. It had a delicious aroma of sweet caramel malt and scotch smoke. I smelled it many times enjoying the aroma before trying it. Was like sniffing a smokey scotch or whiskey really. Once you sip this brew though your taste buds are immediately bitch slapped in the face with a big up front burnt malty smoke flavor. I mean the smokey flavor basically gives you a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the tastebuds. After the aroma I was expecting more complexity and subtly from this beer like a good scotch. At first I instead got a sucker punch of smokey burnt malt flavor, which is also more prominent due to the low amount of carbonation in the brew. More carbonation would've cut it a bit at least. Definite eye opener. Once the big upfront taste mellowed out there was a more balanced flavor of sweet smokey caramel, peat, and dark fruit earthiness. Almost porterish. I found this brew to be a bit clumsy and lacking in balance though. I mean it starts off so damn strong and in your face and then tries to balance itself but doesn't really get there. Just seemed off balance. While the beer does finish much stronger than it starts that up front blast of the burnt malt is a wee bit heavy to get over fully. It just lingers there reminding you each time you take another sip you're gonna get bitch slapped again. This one just needed a bit more balance. A definite sipping beer and not one to marathon through. On a second tasting I raised the rating a bit more but it's still not up to my expectations from a Sam Adam's beer.

Philadelphia Pale Ale

Yards Brewing Company

Philadelphia Pale Ale - 4.6% ABV

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

"Not to be boastful, but we honestly believe that all other ales pale in comparison to this one. Brewed with pilsner malt, Philadelphia Pale Ale is crisp and hoppy, bursting with citrus flavors and aromas."

So as the description said it's a Pale Ale but brewed with pilsner malts. Rather different. Nice frothy head with a more subtle aroma of citrus and pine. Doesn't really blow ya away with the aroma. As far as taste goes this one is pretty solid. It's a bit hoppier for a regular Pale Ale. Tastes and looks almost like a pilsner I think. It has a crisp and clean hoppy citrus taste right away with a slightly bitter floral and malt flavor lingering. It's a bit misleading as you think it's a Pale Ale but tastes more like a slightly hoppier Pilsner. Regardless of what you call it this is a very good party/hanging out beer. Nothing fancy perhaps but if ya want a good beer to just chill with or share at a party this one will do. Not a high ABV percent either so you can pound down a few with no worries of falling over. Hopefully.

Yards Saison

Yards Brewing Company

Yards Saison - 6.5% ABV

Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

"Saisons were historically brewed to keep the farmhands happy and hydrated during the warm summer months. Crafted using Belgian pilsen malt and candi sugar, this golden Belgian style ale is a refreshing change from your usual beer lineup."

So this one pours to a hazy burnt gold color. Like most Saisons I've had the beer opens with a big yeasty and spicy aroma that fades to cloves and banana/tropical fruit. In terms of aroma very enticing. However I have to say I am a bit disappointed. When you sip it you immediately get this very dry and I thought a bit overly sweet taste. Not much spice up front like you'd expect given the aroma you smell. You're expecting something that never quite shows up fully. Very little hop flavor to cut some of that dry sweetness. If you like that sort of flavor then you'll probably enjoy this more than I did. The beer does mellow out and finish with a nice crisp and slightly peppery tropical fruit taste. So it finished better then it started. All in all a good beer don't get me wrong, but just a bit lacking in depth and balance. Especially compared to other Saisons such as the one from Heavy Seas I tried earlier in the week. Worth trying but if I had my choice I'd go with other Saisons with a bit more balance.

A good brew but due to the slight issue with balance I'm going to give it just a 3 out of 5.

Woody Creek White

Flying Dog

Woody Creek Belgian White - 4.8% ABV

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

"Woody Creek is light and refreshing for a reason, so be careful not to overpower it with heavy foods. Flavor notes: Refreshing and light citrus notes with subtle wheat, coriander, and orange flavorsPairs with: Light cheeses; Asian foods with wasabi and ginger; light shellfish; fruity desserts"

Another brew from Flying Dog. This is their summer seasonal so it'll be gone soon to make way for their fall seasonal. This one pours with a golden yellow color and a slight head, but rather active carbonation. It has aromas of wheat and yeast off the bat with aromas of clove, banana, lemon and orange peel, and some coriander. Rather typical of a Belgian Wheat I think. You taste the wheat and citrus right off the bat. The citrus and wheat flavors linger and give to the clove, coriander, and a slight floral taste I think. This one is very crisp and refreshing and a good representation of Belgian Wheat beers. You could easily have a few outside at a BBQ.

Raging Bitch

Flying Dog

Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA - 8.3% ABV

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

"The American IPA hoppiness or Belgian funk of Raging Bitch can be brought out with food.Flavor notes: Sweet malt body contrasted with pine and grapefruit hop flavors and exotic fruit yeast notes.Pairs with: Wasabi, ginger, jerk, Cajun, or cayenne; tangy cheese with fruit; dark chocolate"

So this brew is from Flying Dog which is another Maryland brewery. They started out in Denver actually and their HQ is still there but their brewery is in Fredrick Maryland now. Go Maryland! This brew has a nice coppery color and is a bit hazy. There's a nice thick head that comes with it. Instantly I got aromas of tropical fruit, strong floral hops, citrus, and a bit of spice. Being an IPA you taste the hops right off the bat but they're not as prominent or strong as other IPA's. You also taste the sweet malt flavor, citrus, and spice. Nice and smooth with a lingering bitter hop taste but it is smooth and not overwhelming. The mixing of an IPA with Belgian yeast works here.

Dubbel Cannon

Heavy Seas Brewing

Dubbel Cannon Belgium Style IPA - 7.25% ABV

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

"A variation of our Loose Cannon IPA fermented with a Belgian Dubbel yeast. Tangy hops and a spicy aroma."

This is yet another wonderful brew from Heavy Seas brewing. The Dubbel Cannon pours to a deep amber/copper color with a thick and smooth head to it. It has a sweet malty, clove and cinnamon up front flavor that finishes with an earthy and citrusy overtone. Very unusual for an IPA I think but quite likable. The flavor makes me think of a delicious blend of light licorice over malty sweet toffee almost. Again, not a typical IPA but a very welcomed change of pace, and also very refreshing and well balanced.

Red Sky at Night

Heavy Seas Brewing

Red Sky at Night Saison - 7.5% ABV

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

"Brewed in the style of Belgian farmhouse ales – using a unique Belgian yeast and authentic Belgian candi sugar. It is a potent and spicy ale with deep complexity. Pairs well with Thai cuisine and mussels."

So this brew is one by Heavy Seas brewing company. Formerly Clipper City Brewing. They're a Baltimore native craft brewery that really puts out some interesting brews. This particular beer pours a nice golden color with plenty of carbonation. You immediately taste roasted malt, clove and spice. However the peppery malt and clove taste quickly open to an earthy flavor with hints of fruit such as apple finishing it off. A very nice addition to the Saison beer family, and it makes for a great spicy summery brew. Originally Saisons were brewed for European farm hands as a refreshing fruity ad crisp beer to parch their thirsts. So it's a great summer to early fall style of beer and this one fits right in. If you have this with food though you definitely do not want something mild in flavor or this beer will over power it as it is a bit more.....spicy then most Saisons. Then again it helps it stand out more from the pack I think.

Pipeline Porter

Kona Brewing Company

Kona Pipeline Porter - 5.3% ABV

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

"Pipeline Porter is smooth and dark with a distinctive roasty aroma and earthy complexity from its diverse blends of premium malted barley. This celebration of malt unites with freshly roasted 100% Kona coffee grown at Cornwell Estate on Hawaii’s Big Island, lending a unique roasted aroma and flavor. A delicate blend of hops rounds out this palate-pleasing brew."

This beer as you can see pours a nice dark rich brownish black color. Well unlike many beers that are brewed with coffee this one smells and tastes like it. You instantly get the coffee aroma and also aromas of dark chocolate and malt. It's nice and rich but not as much so as a stout. I've heard if you use a tulip glass you'll get a bigger head and the aromas stand out even more. Once you taste it you immediately get that nice dark coffee flavor. Again many "coffee" flavored beers I've had you can barely tell there's any coffee flavor in it. With the pipeline porter the coffee flavor is there right off the bat and it lingers for a while, but it's not too strong. You also get flavors of brown sugar and roasted sweet malt as you'd expect. I really liked the lingering bitter sweet taste. Sort of like an espresso but in your beer heh.

Hurricanes, Beer, and Soup Oh My!

Well as I type this the East Coast is prepping for Hurricane Irene. She's a category 3 that has since dropped to a 2 as it hit the Carolinas. By the time it hits me up here in MD they say it'll be down to a category 1 with 80-90 MPH winds. This coming less then a week after the 5.9 earthquake felt down in VA just 70-80 miles away from me in MD. And there's tornado warnings here now too for Sunday. Seems mother nature has decided to leave the West Coast alone for a bit and focus on the East. Lucky us. And since my family and I live right on the Bay we'll get the brunt of it. So it's time to do the normal disaster prep. Pull in outside stuff and fill the tubs with water etc.

Another measure I often take is make some food up ahead of time so there's food to eat if we lose power. Better to cook it now then lose power and lose the food. When Isabel hit us years ago my dad and I spent an entire afternoon after the power went out grilling meat and veggies so we didn't lose them. Was fun actually. Back when we had the 2 blizzards in 2009/2010 though I figured making some soups would be a good idea. Easy to make and filling and they'd keep for a while. Provided they weren't milk or cream based obviously. So I made this big ole pot of veggie soup. Was delicious and about as easy as you can get. Keeps for a long time too.

All you do is take equal parts veggie stock and water and bring to a boil. I prefer lower salt broth myself. Added some spices like garlic, oregano, white pepper, sea salt, some bay leaves, and fresh parsley. Just drop in some veggies and simmer for a few hours until any "harder" ones are tender. I myself add a bunch of fresh kale and spinach, cut up carrots, nice thick sliced onions, cut up leek, fennel, and for a little depth some cut up red bliss potato chunks. Some sort of beans or barley also work quite well. Though you can use whatever you want. Hard to believe that simply veggies with stock & water could be so filling and good but they are.

Now as for the beer part of the title...well what better way to handle a natural disaster then to sit out front, have a cold beer, and shake your fist at the sky or ground. Or maybe that's just me heh. Never said I was a smart one. In all seriousness though part of what got me into the mind set of changing this blog around was an idea I had. A friend of mine Matt is a big movie buff and loves taking pictures and posting them. He does all sorts of Facebook things like "30 days of movies," or "365 days of photos." Well while I love movies I ma not the film buff nor the critic he is. I am however a diehard craftbrew/microbeer lover. So I figured I'd do my own little photo journey into the world of microbrews. I'll showcase the good, the bad, and the downright oddball beers I come across. If you want to follow the photo journey, and maybe find a new favorite beer to drink, just follow my photo album on Facebook. If you're not already a friend send me a request and just mention your love of beer lol.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150762449415075.720413.649535074&type=1

Psycho's Pub Re-Launch

I figured as your life changes so should what you write about. I mean what you post/tell people is a reflection upon yourself right? So I decided if I wanted more positivity in my life I should focus on that and not the bad stuff that angers me or makes me want to slap someone. There's enough of that out there without me adding to it. Besides, who wants to hear me rant about stupid people anyways? Not like anyone reading this can't just walk outside and see stupid people for themselves. So I figured as I have been trying to change this place should change too.

So what to put on the menu then? Well I had been thinking about turning my blog into a source of random idiocy on my part. Any reading this who know me know that I am quite adept at saying and doing simply ridiculous and funny/stupid things. Figured turn this from a angst ridden blog into one of funny stupidity to get some laughs. I figured though Facebook would do for that. I mean you're not anyone until you have at least 500 friends there right? So what then to write about? What should I pour out onto these digital pages? Then I looked up at the title of my own blog and I felt rather dumb for taking so long to consider it. I named this place Psycho's Pub originally. You eat and drink at a pub. I love food and drink and cook myself and have worked for many places in the restaurant industry. Rather obvious isn't it? Turn it into a culinary blog. Seems there's more and more of them out there now a days as well. I figured though for my friends and family who always hear about the dishes I cook, the new beers and wines I try, and all the other culinary related topics in my life I could put them down here and share them. I even gave the place a spiffy new name to lighten the mood.

So welcome to re-launch of my pub where there will now be actual food discussion. I figure I'll mention new recipes I try. Any new styles of food or gadgets I may come across. New restaurants I try or new beers or wines I might try. Heck maybe even just some pictures of Tuesday night dinner perhaps. If it's food related though it'll wind up here. Feel free to use any recipes or ideas I might stumble upon and mention here. If it's successful though please give me credit......if it kills anyone or puts them into a coma I was never here. o_O So sit back and enjoy. Maybe you might even get inspired yourself to try something new, or even heaven forbid learn a thing or two. Anything knowledge gained from here though is by sheer accident though lol.