Ace In The Hole

Brewery:

Brooklyn Brewing

Brooklyn, New York

www.brooklynbrewery.com/

Name/Style:

Sorachi Ace/Saison/Farmhouse Ale

ABV(alcohol by volume):

7.6%

Sorachi Ace is unique(from here on Sorachi Ace will refer to the hop). This Saison is named after and brewed with a rare hop varietel known as Sorachi Ace. Developed by Japan's Sappro Breweries in 1988 it is known for its lemon zest/lemon grass quality in taste and smell. It certainly imparts those qualities into Brooklyn's one-off Saison. After being brewed with an initial dose of Sorachi Ace it is then put through a secondary fermantation where the ale is dry hopped with even more Sorachi Ace. Another unique aspect of the ale is the champagne yeast used. A unique Belgian strain that is light in flavor and blends easily with the other characteristics of the ale to the point of almost being unnoticable but for the large egg-white colored head and high level of carbonation. There really isn't a lot to say about the taste. As unique as this ale is it isn't very complex. Yet, it's simplicity gives it an aire of elegance and class. Delicate lemon grass mixed with a light malt and a touch of alcohol. Finishes dry, but because of the lemon it is also incredibly refreshing. The aroma is very much like the taste profile. Sunny lemon with a yeast that is clearly Belgian. Delicate and understated. 

I love this saison from Brooklyn Brewing. It is one of my two favorite Brooklyn has produced to date. I hope they reconsider only brewing this once and at least make this fine brew a seasonal.

Musical Pairings:

Christie Lenee writes and performs a genuine, soulful variety of acoustic music. Her tunes are many and can be soft and subtle or dynamic and dramatic. Rockin' or slightly ambient or mesmerizing and enchanting with technical finger-style wizardry. A few things are always certain about Christie Lenee, though. 

She is passionate. She can sing. 

And she can play the hell out of an acoustic guitar.

Artist:

Christie Lenee

Song:

Evolution

Artist:

Christie Lenee

Song:

She's Fine(Live at Skipper's Smokehouse Tampa, FL)

Introducing BrewSounds Recipes!

This is the Happy Birthday To Me addition of BrewSounds. To celebrate I decide to share a little mixed drink recipe I made up with everyone. It's cheap, sweet, and deliciously simple.

Many craft beer fans, including myself, preach "quality not quantity" and I couldn't agree more with that statement. It is also commonly said that nothing should ever have to be added to a beer to make it better. I also totally agree with that. You won't find any oranges on the rim of my Belgian beer anytime, anywhere. That doesn't mean we can't add anything to a good brew.

I can hear the "purists" tisking already.

My reason today for sharing my recipe is because birthdays are days to party and sometimes you need to jump into party-mode with both feet.

I'm talking about tearing it up, folks.

Introducing:

'Nanastephaner

(Name By Amber Landes)

Buy one bottle of Wiehenstephaner Vitus.

It is 17oz so you will be able to make three drinks from this.

Buy one half pint of Bananas Brand Schnapps.

Pour 3/4oz Schnapps into glass of your choice.

Pour 51/2oz of the Vitus into the glass with the Schnapps.

That's it!

Vitus is already a flavorful brew that holds its own with a 7.7% abv. The addition of Bananas Brand Schnapps kicks the banana flavor that is already prevalent in Vitus up a notch and boosts the buzz factor enormously. This will definitely get the party started right!

Now, do you have a favorite beer mixing recipe or beer concoction that you came up with yourself?

If so, share you recipe(s) and every week I will pick a favorite.

The winning recipe each week will be published in BrewSounds with full credit going to it's creator.

Only one rule.

One of the ingredients must be craft beer

You can submit entries by emailing me at brewsounds@gmail.com

Can't wait to see what you have come up with.

Cheers!

Did You Save Room For Dessert?

Welcome back for another dose of BrewSounds! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving this year. I know I had a great one. 

Now that Turkeyday is out of the way we can start to think about Hanukkah, National Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day, Winter officially beginning, Christmas, Boxing Day(for our friends to the north), Kwanzaa and The New Year. That's a lot of opportunities to have some great meals and finish them with a great dessert. Some like ice cream or pie or cake or some combination of the three.

And some like Crème Brûlée.

Brewery:
Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, New York
www.southerntierbrewing.com


Name/Style:
Crème Brûlée Imperial Milk Stout/Milk Stout/Imperial Stout


ABV(alcohol by volume):
9.6% 

Milk Stouts are delicious, but not for everyone. They don't actually have milk in them, but during the brewing process extra unfermentable sugars are added, like lactose, to give the Stout its creamy mouth-feel and sweet taste. So watch out if you are lactose intolerant or have a milk allergy. This beer would ruin your night.

For the rest of us Milk Stouts are a creamy, sweet, tasty alternative to the dry Irish/English Stout or the sometimes brutal and bitter Russian/American Imperial or American Double Stout. 

 To start, Crème Brûlée is one of the most aromatic brews I have ever encountered. As soon as the cap is off the whole room fills with the smell of rich vanilla. Once poured into my goblet the vanilla makes room for malt and the heavy presence of alcohol. This stuff smells amazing and like a headache waiting to happen at the same time.

The bottle recommends serving at 42 °F which is much colder than what I or most anyone would recommend serving a Stout, but I will oblige. 

At it's coldest Crème Brûlée tastes of strong vanilla bean with caramel malt, but an overpowering amount of alcohol and a bitterness that doesn't seem to fit in. I don't know why anyone, especially the brewery, would recommend serving this so chilled. I have noticed that all Southern Tier brews in bombers have that recommendation. As it warms Crème Brûlée goes from an unpleasant mess to a much more pleasing drink. The alcohol slips back considerably. The vanilla, bordering on disgusting when super chilled, is smoother and the bitterness, though still present, as it should be, is more at home because the 2-row and caramel malts make themselves more obvious. The body is middle of the road. Not thick, not thin. Overall this is one ultra flavorful and unique brew. 

By no means is this a balanced beer. Some love it. Some hate it. I am ambivalent. I enjoyed trying it. I will try it again and see if I feel the same, but I will certainly recommend you try it. Bring it to your next social gathering for the holidays and let everyone sample a little. I'm sure it will be a hit. 

Musical Pairings:

Artist:

Keelhaul

Songs:

LWM

360

Album:

II

Keelhaul are an amazingly talented and shockingly unknown band from Cleveland, Ohio. They play a mostly instrumental mix of rock-your-ass-off post-hardcore, good ol' rock, beer, math-rock, chicken, fart jokes and emotive slow jams. I am putting these two songs from their out of this world awesome second album II in the order that I felt my Crème Brûlée experience went. Shocking, jilting, out of wackness that changed to a more orderly form and finally ends in a smooth, comforting way. By the way, everything from these fellas is beer fueled. They love beer. And they put out nothing but incredible albums... Even if they do make us wait 5 years for one here and there.