A Taste of Scandinavia

You don't often see a Norwegian beer on tap at a suburban Baltimore restaurant.

But there aren't many restaurants with as vast a draught beer menu as Frisco Taphouse and Grill in Columbia. In total, there's 52 beers on tap. That's right, 52!

Many of those were eclectic craft brews that I had never heard of. So, I was sort of going blind. But I saw Nogne Brown Ale that I figured was worth a shot, since it seemed so far afield.



In fact, Nogne, which translates to "naked island," is Norway's largest supplier of bottle conditioned ale and the first and only producer of unfiltered sake in Europe, according to its web site. Founded by two home brewers in 2002, Nogne produces 20 different types of beer and 5 different kinds of sake.

The brown ale poured a dark brown, almost black, which is more fitting of an English ale that it mimics. Taste of mild chocolate overtones and slight caramel/toffee. Surprisingly hoppy for a brown ale that usually are smooth and a very low alcohol content of 4.5%. But the body comes up a tad short, hurting the overall taste.

Users scored it a B+ on Beer Advocate and a surprisingly high 92 on RateBeer, which I think is a tad high because of the surprisingly hoppy notes and lackluster taste

Rating (out of five mugs): 2.7

The Religion of Beer

On this Shabbat evening -- the night before the Jewish Day of Rest -- it seemed apropos that I sample a beer to fit the occasion.

Rejewvenator from He'Brew.

(OK, I didn't put that much thought into it. That's just what I happened to have in the fridge left over from earlier in the week and it was a bigger bottle enough for the missus and I to share.)

Almost as soon as I opened it, the smell of grapes hit me -- and upon looking at the bottle, indeed, this seasonal release is fermented with Concord grape juice. The half-doppelbock, half-Belgian-style Dubbel pours a beautiful amber color and the 8.2% ABV isn't overpowering. While the grape smell is powerful, it's just noticeable enough on the palette without being over the top. (Which is good, because, who wants a fruity beer)

It also paired well with the pot roast I made -- yeah, I made pot roast in the slow cooker today since I was off. NBD.

It scored a modest 85 on RateBeer.com and received an average user rating of 3.33 out of 5.

I'm also intrigued by some of the other He'Brew ales:
-- Origin, an Imperial Amber Ale brewed with Pomegranate Juice
-- Jewbelation Fourteen, a 14% ABV that uses 14 different malts and 14 different hops (It's in celebration of their, you guessed it, 14th anniversary)
-- Vertical Jewbelation, a new blend of all seven He'Brew beers aged in 6-year Rye Whiskey barrels

All in all, Rejewvenator is a solid brew that's worthy of a Mazel Tov!

Rating (out of five mugs): 4.2

Going Publick

The best thing about our newly created "Booze Caucus" is the ability to sample new things without having to pay a dime for it, since one or two members sign up each week to supply suds for everyone.

That's how I came upon Southampton Publick House, a Long Island brewery that I had never heard of. According to their web site, they have three staples: Double White Ale, Altbier and a classic India Pale Ale. They also boast four seasonals and another four high-end selections.

One of my colleagues brought in the Biere de Mars (6.5% ABV) and I thought it hit the spot: light, not too hoppy and a hint of citrus flavor that made it very easy to drink.

I was surprised that it only received a B-plus user rating on BeerAdvocate.com. I'm going to score it better and plan to put it in my summertime beer rotation.

Rating (out of five mugs): 3.9