It's a Longshot, but...

So my favorite beer maker right now is Samuel Adams. I'm not singing the praises of the Boston Lager (it's good but not my favorite), but the Boston Beer Company is doing something right. They are giving people what they want. Full flavor and choices. The funny thing is the first time I had a Sam Adams was 10 years ago and I hated it. Now, I can't get enough of everything they make. My wife made me try it again, and because of that I have to go back and re-try everything I didn't like a decade or more ago, because now I might like it. Damn woman. I am on a mission to try everything that the Boston Beer Company has ever brewed. I won't get it all, but in the past year, I've gotten damn close. We put away 16 different brews from them in ONE DAY! One glorious, hazy, I wish I could remember it day. But that's not what we are here for today...

Focus, let's talk about 3 limited time only beers from Sam Adams. I'm talking about this year's Longshot home brewing contest winners. New Hampshire's Michael Robinson won a spot with his Old Ben Ale. Ben Miller of New Mexico got his with Mile High Barley Wine Ale, and Jeremy White, a Sam Adams employee, made it with his Lemon Pepper Saison. Now, I've heard of ale, but what the f**k is a "saison" you may ask. I know I asked.

A saison is a type of ale that found it's beginnings in the French speaking regions of Belgium. Originally brewed in the autumn and winter for consumption during the late summer harvest. Now, of course, we brew it when we want to drink it when we want. Thank you Wikipedia.

Speaking of types of beer, do you know what the difference between an ale and a lager is? Because those really are the only two types of beer there are. Everything else is a sub-category of those two. The question is do you like to be on the top or on the bottom? Not you sicko, I'm talking to the yeast. Ale is made with a top fermenting yeast and is fermented at a higher temperature (64 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and lagers are made with a bottom fermenting yeast at cooler temperatures (52 to 58 degrees typically). Now the twist on all of this is the lambic beer. Lambics, true lambics, are made with only wild strains of yeast and rely on "spontanious fermentation". So as you can imagine, true lambics are hard, if not impossible to come by.

Stop distracting me...back to the Longshot winners. Let's start with the Old Ben Ale by Michael Robinson. Here is what the bottle tells you, "Brewed with a blend of five malts and American hops, this well-balanced, English style Old Ale has fruit and raisin notes with a hint of caramel in the finish. Full bodied and slightly sweet, this brew is the perfect ending to a fine meal or to enjoy on a cool evening." Caramel in the finish? No, the caramel will kick you in the naughty bits. The first sip of this beer struck me as malty. Really, really malty. It has a full mouth feel to it, meaning that it really coats the mouth with a caramel flavor. Imagine breaking the chocolate off of a Riesen, melting it down and drinking it. It's not a bad thing, but I wouldn't drink this on a hot day. I would imagine it would be like drinking a glass of ice cold milk on a hot day. Not the best feeling in your gut. Fruit and raisin notes? Maybe on the back end, but it is really covered by the malty, caramel texture of the beer. I'll give you the raisin notes, but it's like a handful of Sunsweets after a glass of water. Bottom line is that it's not a bad beer, but I like mine more crisp, generally speaking. Not 6 pack worthy to me, but I'll drink 2 and be happy. Mike's Old Ben Ale weighs in at a respectable 9% ABV(alcohol by volume).

Ok, next up is Ben Miller's Mile High Barley Wine Ale. Why didn't Ben Miller make Old Ben Ale? Who knows, maybe he doesn't think he's that old, but Ben made this for his 100th batch of home brew. Here's what the bottle tells us, "Ben brewed this ale to mark his 100th batch of home brew. The beer is rich and malty with a hint of caramel and plum brewed with citrusy American hops and a blend of six varieties of malt, the sweet and dark fruit notes in the beer linger on the palate." Feelin' fine with barley wine. This is a good, yet heavy beer. Like the Old Ben Ale, this is definitely full bodied and gives you the same full mouth feel, very similar to the Imperial Series from Sam Adams, but we'll review that later. This beer, while malty and heavy feeling, did have more sweetness to it thanks to the plum flavors. This bad boy fills us out with 9.8% ABV.

Finally we'll talk about Jeremy White's Lemon Pepper Saison. This one, far and away was my favorite out of the Longshot 6 pack. The bottle tells us that this beer is, "Pale in appearance, this ale is light bodied and effervescent with an interesting combination of both fruity and spicy flavors. The initial sweetness of vanilla and citrus notes from the fresh lemon peel is followed by the spiciness from the grains of paradise. The finish is slightly tart yet refreshing." This one is reminiscent of a hefeweizen (unfiltered wheat ale) that has been filtered. Add to that the citrus notes from the lemon peel and the spice notes from the grains of paradise and you get a beer that is fresh, crisp, and refreshing, if not unoriginal. To me this is the beer that you drink on a hot summer evening, while mowing the lawn, or just because you like to drink beer and want to drink more beer. Mmmmmm...beer. The saison came in at the lightest alcohol content at 6.4% ABV.

So there you have it, the 2010 Longshot winners. Go find the 6 pack and try it for yourself, I think you'll enjoy it.

In the beginning...

I like beer. I mean, I really like beer. I like booze too. Now don't get confused, I'm not a drunk (most days) and I don't have an alcohol dependency, I just really enjoy alcohol. There are so many different types of beer and whiskey and gin and rum and vodka and wine and tequila and...well, you get the idea. The thing about it is that every good alcohol has it's own unique character, it's own uses (aside from getting us drunk) and it's own personality. I want to talk about those things, character, uses, and personality. I'm no sommelier and I don't have a formal education on food or drink, but let me break down my qualifications for you. I'm a farm kid raised on Bud, MGD, and Old Style. While those were my staple beers, I've grown and moved and traveled all over the world to broaden my horizons. I've served 11 years in the Marine Corps thus far, and for anyone who knows Marines, you know I have had a drink or two...today...while typing...where the hell are my pants? So bookmark this page, come back often, learn a thing or two about what to drink and why. Now let's get piss drunk on the good stuff...and find my pants...