Review: Cali-Belgique

I was happily surprised to see a note on BeerAdvocate that Cali-Belgique from Stone was in stock. I heard from friends that this beer started out as a one-off, but was so popular that Stone is brewing it year-round. A 22-ounce bottle was $6 at Total Wine & More on Aug. 20, but I heard it was part of a special order, so don't be surprised if they are out of it.

Stone calls this a Belgian IPA, which, according to BeerAdvocate, is a style Belgian brewers started making after having hoppy American beers. The key to these beers is Belgian yeast, which adds its special spicy, earthy -- even funky -- notes to beer. So now Stone makes a Californian (Cali) version of a Belgian (Belgique*) beer that was inspired by hoppy American beers like Stone's regular lineup. You can call this the circle of life.

From my notes:

What a beautiful beer. It's bright gold in color with a large sticky white head. The aroma spicy and lightly hoppy. It has a similar taste of spice and general Belgian beer flavors. Mild levels of hops for a Stone beer, which takes little getting used to. But after wrapping my mind around it I like it. There is still a good hop presence, but it a non-Stone way.

Overall this is a very good beer and a neat departure for Stone from their normal hoppy brews. This is a beer to seek out.

*Note: You may see this beer labeled Cali-Belgique or Cali-Belgie. Why? As usual, Stone writes a lot of notes on the back of the bottle. They explain that they don't want to alienate Belgians, some of whom speak French, some of whom speak Flemish. So about 50 percent of the bottles are Cali-Belgique and 50 percent are Cali-Belgie.

Review: IPA "Finest Kind"

The Smuttynose Brewing Co.* from Portsmouth, N.H., is a relatively new arrival in Florida.

But I remember having their beers years ago at the Cock & Bull Pub when it was still on Main Street in Sarasota. I guess they stopped distributing at some point but decided to come back. Welcome back!

They call their India Pale Ale "Finest Kind." I don't know why. But I can say that this is some fine beer.

From my notes:

This beer pours golden in color with some sediment and a big head that reduces to a layer of foam in my glass. It has a light aroma of bread and hops. The taste is nicely hoppy and bitter, with a light malt touch. It's quite bitter, actually. Good smooth body.

Overall this is a fine IPA and I can see why it's highly rated. This is a beer made for fans of hops, but it's not too extreme for the rest of the beer world.

*You have to love their logo: a smuttynose seal.

Review: Sparkling Ale

When I saw this bottle of Bell's Sparkling Ale on the shelf, I thought it was a low-alcohol beer like Cooper's Sparkling Ale. But at $2.50 per 12-ounce bottle, I realized it must be something different. Reading the label set me straight. This is a Belgian Tripel, a strong golden ale usually brewed with coriander and dried orange peel. Bell's is almost 9 percent alcohol. They say this is their take on a glass of "bubbly."

From my notes:

It pours a nice golden color with a big head that quickly reduces to a ring of foam in my glass. It has a fruity and lightly spicy aroma. Nice. The flavor is lightly spicy and rather sweet, with light malt notes and a light flavor of alcohol. The body is nicely fizzy.

Overall this is a pretty good Tripel.

But if you want to try a great Tripel, check out Abbey Triple from Sprecher in Milwaukee. I bought a bottle at Total Wine & More in March. Great stuff.

Review: 13th Anniversary Ale

Stone makes some mean beers. They're not for the craft beer newbie.

As I've written about before, I'm very excited to have Stone's 13th Anniversary Ale after reading their comments that it's the hoppiest beer they've ever made. That's like Barrett Rifles saying they've made their biggest gun yet.*

From my notes:

It's very, very deep red with a big foamy light brown head. The aroma is hoppy, of course, and even spicy. A depth of hops, if that's such a thing. The strength of the beer must be controlling some of the hops, because this isn't slamming me with hop aromas. The taste is barleywine-like. Big, warming malt flavors (toffee, caramel, biscuit) combine with huge hop flavors (spice, citrus, floral) to make a really big, hoppy beer. A smooth and creamy, even oily, body. Slick.

You might as well call this a barleywine, and this is a good one. Seek it out.

I bought two 22-ounce bottles ($7 each) at Total Wine & More on University Parkway. I'd be surprised if it's still in stock, though, because I hear they only had one case of 12 bottles.

*I see that Stone uses 4.5 pounds of hops per barrel with this beer. Samuel Adams used 6 pounds of hops per barrel for their LongShot Double IPA. Take that, Stone! And for those keeping score at home, a beer barrel holds 31 gallons.

Review: Hoppin' To Heaven IPA

Hoppin' Frog Brewery from Akron, Ohio, is another new arrival in Florida. It seems we're getting a lot of new beers these days! As our former president said, "Bring 'em on!"

I bought one of each of their three beers that were available at Total Wine & More off University Parkway. These beers had better be good, because they are expensive. From $9 to $12 per 22-ounce bottle, to be exact.

Tonight I decided to drink their Hoppin' To Heaven IPA. My notes:

Pours a lovely deep copper in color with a sticky head that quickly turns into a thin layer of foam. Very strong citrus and earthy hop aroma. The taste is -- no surprise -- very hoppy. Big hop flavors mix with a honey sweetness and earthiness and finish with big bitterness. The flavors are so big I'd almost describe this as a Double IPA. A slick and oily body, thanks to the hops. Overall this is a very nice hoppy IPA. An Ohio beer that reminds me of California.

This is an excellent beer. Though at $9 per bottle, this isn't one I'll be buying often.

Beer haul: Cigar City, Stone, Hoppin' Frog and Bell's

After being alerted on BeerAdvocate that Stone's 13th Anniversary ale was in stock at Total Wine & More, I had to get some. (Remember, Stone calls this the "hoppiest beer we've ever brewed.") Sure enough, a phone call confirmed that they had 22-ounce bottles in stock for $7 each. So I headed over on today.

Not only did they have the anniversary ale, they also had Stone's Cali-Belgique ($6), their take on a Belgian IPA.

I also picked up a new Cigar City beer: Bolita Brown ($10 for a 750 mL), their double English brown ale that's 9 percent alcohol. Cigar City beers sell fast, so get them while you can at your favorite beer store.

I also bought three bottles of Hoppin Frog, an Ohio brewery that's a new arrival here. Pricey stuff for 22-ounce bottles: I hope they're good. The three: B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher Oatmeal Imperial Stout ($10), Hoppin' to Heaven IPA ($9) and Mean Manalishi Double IPA ($12!).

Finally I bought a 12-ounce bottle of Bell's Sparkling Ale, a Belgian triple that they compare to champagne. And no, we're not talking about Miller High Life.

All these are new beers for me. Exciting stuff.

New arrival: Magic Hat

Beers from the Magic Hat Brewing Co. of Burlington, Vt., are in Sarasota. So far I've only seen their flagship, No. 9, at the Cock & Bull Pub in Sarasota. Magic Hat sent our entertainment editor a press release (and a beer!) that also said No. 9 is at The Distillery and The Lost Kangaroo Pub in Bradenton.

No. 9 is a good beer. Spicy and Belgian-like, and easy to drink and very approachable for those who aren't beer geeks.

Charity beer tasting in Sarasota

Morton's Gourmet Market, 1924 S. Osprey Ave. in Sarasota, is hosting its annual Celebration of Brewing event on Saturday, Aug. 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will benefit All Faiths Food Bank.

They say they'll have beers "from around the world" and "beer-friendly cuisine," which I would argue is pretty much all food because beer is so versatile, far more versatile than wine. (Check out the menu for Mattison's Brooklyn beer dinner to see what I mean.)

I also hope the international selection of beers isn't just the usual Bud-Miller-Coors suspects with Heineken and Corona thrown in.

There will also be cooking demonstrations with Morton's chefs and a charity raffle.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call (941) 955-9856 or visit mortonsmarket.com for more information and to buy tickets.

Details on Mattison's beer dinner

To update a previous entry, Mattison's Forty-One restaurant, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, is hosting a five-course beer tasting dinner on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. They are featured beers from Brooklyn, an awesome New York brewery. They supplied details on the menu:

Grilled Peach Salad: 
shaved prosciutto, bitter greens, goat cheese fondue and 
honey-thyme vinaigrette
. The beer: Brooklyner Weisse

Shrimp Cocktail: 
jerk-ginger marinated shrimp, avocado relish and preserved lemon cocktail sauce
. The beer: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Fish and Chips: 
Brooklyn beer tempura-fried grouper, fingerling potato chips,
 caper/garlic remoulade and malt vinegar syrup. The beer: Brooklyn Lager



Pork Tenderloin Medallions: 
herbed-caraway crusted pork medallions, apple/pancetta braised cabbage and
roasted pork demiglaze. The beer: Brooklyn Local 2



and for dessert:

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout Brulee served with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

The event is $40 per person and reservations are required. Call (941) 921-3400 or go to mattisons.com to buy tickets.

Review: Theobroma

Dogfish Head likes to brew "high concept" beers. Like Pangaea, which uses ingredients from all the continents, including water from Antarctic icebergs.

Here's their description of Theobroma:

This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC. As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into 'food of the gods') is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from our friends at Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).

I love beers like this and have always been impressed with Dogfish Head. So I had to pick up a 750 mL bottle when I saw it at Total Wine & More. It was $14, expensive.

So I opened it tonight. I'll spare you my detailed review, which you can read here.

After drinking about eight ounces, I was getting a bad feeling in my stomach and did something I've never done before: I poured the rest of the glass down the drain.

I hate to give a bad review to a beer from such a great brewery, but this beer was bad. The flavor is mainly of bad chiles and a bit of cocoa.

I'm thinking of trying to get a refund from Total Wine. But I think the beer was exactly as Dogfish Head intended it and not spoiled. Should I just chalk it up to experience?

Review: Z Lager

Fort Collins is a new arrival in Florida. Total Wine & More stocks several of their beers. I had to pick up the smoked one, Z Lager.

Smoked beers are a fairly old style, since historically all grain was malted over wood fires, imparting a smoky flavor to the grain. The first time I had a smoked beer (Rogue's Chipotle Ale) I thought it was the worst beer I'd ever had. But the smoky flavor grew on me and now I love the style. The level of smoke flavor varies from brewery to brewery.

My notes:

This pours a nice copper/mahogany in color with an off-white head that reduces to a thin layer of foam.

Its aroma is lightly smoky.

The taste is also lightly smoky, with a nice malt flavor. It's balanced and not a big smoky mess.

Smooth and creamy body.

Overall this is a nice smoked beer that's subtle enough to be a beer to drink regularly and introduce people to the style.

Review: Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale

Fresh hop beers are relatively new. Instead of using dried hops, brewers use hops right off the vine, which gives the beer a more resiny and floral hop aroma and taste. You have to be quick, though, because hops degrade rapidly in a few days if they aren't dried. I've seen more western brewers do fresh hop beers, I'm guessing because American hops are grown in the west, particularly Washington. Rogue has brewed a fresh hop beer, Hop Heaven, where the hops were picked only hours before being thrown in the brewing kettle.

Fresh hops are only available in the fall. But Sierra Nevada decided to do a fresh hop beer in the spring/summer. To do that, they went to the southern hemisphere. They use fresh hops from New Zealand in this beer. Hence the name: Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale.

I don't consider this a true fresh hop beer because Sierra Nevada dries the New Zealand hops before shipping them to their California brewery. On the 24-ounce bottle's label, they said the hops were picked, dried, shipped and used in a little over a week's time. But still, the hops are dried and aren't truly fresh.

This is the second year Sierra Nevada has brewed this beer.

From my notes on the 2008 brew:

An almost-glowing copper in color with a large foamy head that is rock-solid.

The aroma is all about the hops: It smells of citrus, and, well, hops.

The taste is nice and bitter and hoppy, with just enough malt flavor to provide a slight amount of balance. If you aren't a hophead, though, this might be a bitter bomb.

The body is fine -- possibly even a little light.

Overall, this is a fine fresh hop ale. Probably for hopheads only, though.

I think the 2009 "vintage" isn't quite as bitter as the 2008 brew. It has a real depth of hop flavors and bitterness, but it isn't shockingly bitter. But then, my taste buds may have been further ruined by a year's worth of drinking primarily hoppy, bitter beer.

It's still a lovely hoppy beer. And the 24-ounce bottle looks like a bottle of malt liquor, albeit one that costs $5.49 at Total Wine & More.

World of Beer Sarasota-Manatee micro-update

As I've noted before, World of Beer is planning on opening a new beer bar on University Parkway in southern Manatee County in September. To recap the details: 30 taps, 500 beers, nonsmoking.

They're on Twitter now, and posted that they are planning a grand opening celebration with free food, live music, giveaways and beer. No specifics on date and time, yet.

Review: Hop Ottin' IPA

It's been years since I had Anderson Valley brews. I visited their brewery in Boonville, Calif., in 2003 during a beer pilgrimage. It's a couple of hours north of San Francisco. And yes, there's not much there. A lovely rural area. They are a recent arrival in Florida, which is great.

Anderson Valley's beers have an illustration of a bear with antlers on them. The label says "The legendary Boonville beer." Bear + deer = beer. Too cute.

California breweries love hops. Not just to make beers bitter, but to give them lots of hop flavors. Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery in NYC, even suggests calling Double/Imperial IPAs "San Diego Pale Ale," after the city that really developed the style.

I bought Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin' IPA during a recent trip to Total Wine & More.

My notes:

A deep copper in color with a big foamy head. Nice.

The smell is all hops. Big citrus and floral aromas.

The taste is wonderfully bitter and hoppy. There's a bit of malt balance, but only a token amount. But as I've written before, who cares? Hops, hops and hops. A real depth of hops, likely from several varieties.

A slick and oily body.

Overall this is a great American IPA. It's very much an example of California's love of hops. A must-have, even at a bit more than $10 a six-pack.

Beer tasting dinner in Sarasota

Mattison's Forty-One restaurant, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, is hosting a five-course beer tasting dinner on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. They are featuring beers from the Brooklyn Brewery, an awesome brewery. It's $40 per person and reservations are required.

Call (941) 921-3400 or go to mattisons.com to buy tickets.

Thanks again to H-T Assistant Business Editor Gerard Walen.