The Gong Show

I attended a beer tasting event called Beerchus (punning on Bacchus, but for beer) at Columbia University on Friday. It was a great event, and I want to write about it to report on the beers tasted. The theme of the night was American microbrews (though the definition of microbrew in this context was very loose).

1. Anchor Steam – San Francisco, CA: This a classic and is in wide distribution, so I don’t have too much to say about it. Not too heavy and even a bit creamy in the aftertaste.
2. Dale’s Pale Ale – Lyons, CO: This beer proves you can’t judge a beer by it’s packaging. It’s in a can… and a pretty ugly designed can at that! The brewer’s justification for using a can is that it is best possible protection against oxidation from sunlight, even better than a brown bottle, which makes sense. It was surprisingly malty for a pale ale to me. Also, much darker in color than I expected. At 6.5% alcohol content it’s no surprise that this beer left a warming acidity in the aftertaste. I highly recommend Dale’s; I’ll certainly pick up a sixer for the apartment.
3. Wolavers Oatmeal Stout – Middlebury, VT: This one was a great find. The Wolavers Oatmeal Stout is much more bitter/acid compared to the sweetness of the Samual Smith Oatmeal Stout. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some coffee beans dropped in the brewing process. It was heavier than most stouts, one could call it a fork-and-knife beer. Very muddy, and not too hoppy. This would go well paired with some sweet nosh, like dark chocolate, to balance out the bitter.
4. Purple Haze – Abita Springs, LA: I have to preface this commentary by saying I’m not a big fan of fruit in my beer. When I order a hefe at a bar, I always order it NFL (No Fucking Lemon). So, needless to say I was not interested in this raspberry-infused junk. I wouldn’t have drank it, but it was from Louisiana, so I thought I should finish my glass out of respect. Kidding aside, this tasted similar to raspberry-flavored seltzer water. It’s funny too, because I like Abita Amber and Turbo Dog. Oh well. On to the next one.
5. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale – Chico, CA: Winter seasonal beers from microbrewers are very hit-or-miss. Sometimes they are just ambers with some nugmeg and other Christmas spices, and sometimes they are dark, rich full body beers (often porters and stouts) designed to keep you warm in the winter. The spiced beers are trash in my opinion, and the dark porters and stouts are pretty darn good. Celebration ale was closer to the later than the former, mainly because of it’s 6.8% alcohol content is good for keeping you warm on a winter’s night. That being said, it was neither a porter nor a stout, just a tasty deep amber ale. It smacks of bitter caramel and toffee in the aftertaste.
6. Brooklyn Monster Ale – Brooklyn, NY: Unfortunately, I missed this one! I was off in another part of the tasting room watching people participate in a Hall-of-shame tasting contest that involved beers like Colt 45, Coors Light, and other trash. I’ve never tried the Brooklyn Monster Ale, so I’ll have to pick up a six-pack and see how it fits into the good company it had at this tasting. Oh well. Looks like it packs a wallop at 10.8% alcohol content.
7. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale – Portsmouth, NH: This pumpkin ale is incredibly blunt in delivering pumpkin flavor. Both the smell and taste distinctly remind me of when you first lift the lid off a pumpkin that is about to be carved… that fresh pumpkin aroma is so distinct. Considering my stance on fruit in beer, I was not a big fan of this one, but at least the label delivers on its promise.
8. Red Hook ESB – This was the last beer of the night for good reason… it’s an Anheuser-Busch product, and I think everyone was too drunk to care or notice at this point. It was kind of a waste as a closer, but that didn’t stop me from drinking it. Not much to say about this one… tastes just like every other Red Hook ESB I’ve had; in other words, this was not a particularly unique choice.

Overall it was a great night. In retrospect the Dale’s Pale Ale was my favorite, but during the event I was singing the praises of the Wolavers Oatmeal Stout.