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

A Rathskeller in an Unlikely Place

The Maryland State House Press Corps is a largely tight-knit group of reporters who slog through a 90-day General Assembly session that can feel like nine months in the desert.

While many of us compete for the same stories in the pressure-cooker environment of breaking news, there's a camaraderie that brings us together at the end of the day. From the reporters at the big dailies to those who write for the smaller community outlets and niche publications, many of us enjoy friendships outside the newsroom.

One recent weekday, an unnamed journo decided to bring a couple brews for co-workers to enjoy after deadline. It was a simple act that spawned a new tradition: The Booze Caucus.

Yes, politicians love to form caucuses -- small subsets within the legislative body (there's one for African-Americans, women, veterans, freshmen, and the newly formed Tea Party Caucus) -- so why not us?

And so the Booze Caucus -- since renamed the Ale Fozzies (it's an inside joke) -- was born. The only question was "Why did we not do this sooner?"

For the six years I've been in the "bullpen" and beyond, there's been a mid-session party/happy hour for the press corps and the beer usually flows heavily at the conclusion of the legislative session.

But the establishment of an official caucus that "meets" weekly is a new, and long overdue, phenomenon.

The rules are simple.
1) "Meetings" are held Thursday night AFTER deadline.
2) "Members" sign up to bring sample beers for other participants. Anyone is welcome to participate. You do not have to partake in order to be a member.
3) The beer must be eclectic. Brand names, such as Bud, Miller, Yuengling, etc., are not welcome.
4) Lawmakers, staff, lobbyists are not invited.
5) Know your limits. It's obvious but can't be overstated.

So with that brief introduction to this exciting new initiative, I'll be highlighting in subsequent posts some of the selections that have so far made the Ale Fozzies a smashing success.

Today's beer originates on the far end of Long Island

A rare Dogfish Head disappointment

More often than not, Dogfish Head delivers on its motto of "Off-Centered Ales for Off-Centered People." I've sampled more than a few of their brews and have usually come away quite satisfied.

Several months ago, the founder and owner, Sam Calagione, was featured on a Discovery Channel series, called "Brewmasters," which gave beer lovers an inside look at some of the brewery's unique creations (one is brewed with tea leaves, another with crystallized ginger)

Their Indian Brown Ale is one of my favorites, and DH's Raison D'Etre isn't far behind. The Milton, Delaware-based brewer also produced the highest content ABV I've ever had. The 18% Fort is made with pureed raspberries and straddles the line between beer and whiskey!

So it was with high expectations that I bought a four-pack of Aprihop, an IPA brewed with apricots. Usually I'm not a Pale Ale fan, but I thought Dogfish Head could deliver with a flavorful taste with a fruity undertone that somewhat balanced the beer's hoppiness.

But I found that while Aprihop wasn't excessively hoppy, the Apricot was hidden. I expected the sweetness of the fruit to really bring the beer to a higher level, but I just didn't get the flavor I hoped. Still, it was a quality beer and one that I would recommend to IPA fans. It just didn't reach the exceedingly high bar set by Dogfish Head, in my opinion.

Rating (out of five mugs): 2.5 mugs

Brewer's Delight

After a long day of class that capped off a long week of work with very little sleep, I was pretty pumped to meet a friend (who happens to be taking the multimedia journalism degree program at American Univ.) for drinks at Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery and General Store tonight.
Despite being only a few minutes from the University of Maryland campus where I spent four years of my life, Franklin's had somehow stayed off my radar. I had only ever been once in a work capacity when I didn't get to sample their homemade brews.
I don't think I'm going far out on a limb by saying brewpubs often deliver some of the best beers out there. They're fresh, smooth and full of flavor. You can buy the same beer bottled and it just doesn't taste the same.
And Franklin's didn't disappoint.
My first glass was called Hammer of the Gods, presumably an homage to classic rockers Led Zeppelin. This 8% ABV stout had a subtle chocolate overtone, went down smooth and was a soothing contrast to the delicious appetizer we ordered -- Nickel Curves, lamb sliders on housemade buns, topped with tzatziki. It actually took me a while to polish this one off, probably because of the higher ABV, but that simply allowed me to enjoy it more.
My friend's first selection was an intense Double IPA called Hop Madness that wasn't my cup of tea. But I'm not into hoppy beers. So don't expect many IPAs to come up in future reviews.
Being a place we probably won't go to all that often, we each ordered a second beer. He got the Bombshell Blonde, a rather unimpressive pilsner that was pretty tasteless and a letdown after the first round. I got the Rubber Chicken Red, which was again solid, but not as good as the first choice. It had a little more bite to it, but still went down very smooth.

Ratings (out of five mugs):
Hammer of the Gods: 4.5 mugs
Hop Madness: 2.5 mugs
Bombshell Blonde: 1 mug
Rubber Chicken Red: 3.5 mugs

Overall: 3.5 mugs (with a bonus 1/2 point for the excellent sliders)

Shaking things up...

Talk about a failed experiment.

I thought it would be fun to start a blog highlighting different classic rock songs each day. And while I do love classic rock, I grew bored of randomly picking one song and trying to stick to a cohesive theme day in and day out. That only took three weeks.

Let's hope this next one has a longer life span.

And it should -- because it will give me an excuse to drink beer. Not that one is needed.

Before you get any false impressions, dear reader, let me be very clear. I'm not an alcoholic. Far from it, in fact. I don't have the tolerance of my college days, but I do enjoy a good brew every now and again.

Yeah, I'm a beer snob. Miller or Coors? No thanks, I'll take an ice tea or a glass of wine. (It's important to have standards.)

So, what's on tap? (Yeah, that was a pathetic line). Hopefully, I'll offer periodic reviews of some eclectic cold ones that I have recently sampled with the intent of spreading some beer love.

First, a few housekeeping items to set the stage for my mission ahead. I tend to favor darker beers and largely shy away from IPAs. But I do like to mix it up every now and again, and I hope the following reflects that.

Favorite domestic beer: Ellie's Brown Ale (Avery Brewing Company)
Favorite import: Chimay Red Ale (Belgium)
Favorite standby: Yuengling (Hey, I grew up in Pennsylvania)

So, there you have it. A primer for what I hope will be a fun journey down the suds highway. As Ben Franklin put it best, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."