"ale" news and stories

Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale - Beer of the Week

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Jan 17th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale beer bottle Photo: familynight, Flickr

It was an arctic winter night and snow was tumbling down, as fluffy as freshly grated Parmesan. There was no way I was slogging to my local bar for a nightcap. I reached into my fridge. "It's time for a stomach warmer," I said to myself, retrieving a Smuttynose Wheat Wine.

Ever since I could legally order a beer, I've been savoring brews from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, brewery Smuttynose. They're an East Coast stalwart, makers of lip-smackers such as the English-influenced Shoals Pale Ale and the citrusy Finestkind IPA. But the brewers really let their hair down in the Big Beer Series, devising burly beauties like the S'Muttonator Doppelbock, Belgian-style Farmhouse Ale and Wheat Wine Ale.

When the hybrid brew -- it's like a potent barley wine with a large percentage of wheat, which adds a softer, richer mouthfeel -- was released in 2005, it was the first commerically bottled take on the style. Accolades were almost instant: Wheat Wine Ale won a gold at that year's Great American Beer Festival.

Filed under: Drinks

Nebraska Brewing's Mélange à Trois - Beer of the Week

COMMENTS 1

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Jun 25th 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Maggie Hoffman / Serious Eats

Though I've lived in New York for nearly 10 years, I'm a Midwesterner at heart. I'm proud of my Dayton, Ohio, heritage, even if it requires me to answer asinine questions. "Did you grow up with cows on a farm?" is a common inquiry, one that requires me to point out that the metropolitan area has nearly 1 million residents -- of whom very few moo.

So I can understand husband and wife Paul and Kim Kavulak's consternation. "People ask us, 'Are you really from Nebraska? Is there corn and rice in your beer?'" says Kim of their Nebraska Brewing Company, which operates under a simple precept. "We want to show people that good beer can come out from this part of the Midwest."

While Nebraska may not be known as a brewing powerhouse, the Kavulaks are doing their best to alter that perception. Since launching their Papillion brewery in November 2007, they've turned out terrific brews such as the spiced Infinite Wit, IPA-Tripel hybrid Hop God and the English-style Brunette Nut Brown Ale. But brewer Paul has hit his stride with his barrel-aged reserve series.

Filed under: Drinks

Nectar Ales' Black Xantus - Beer of the Week

COMMENTS 1

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Firestone Walker
Brewing Company.

Joshua M. Bernstein has written about brews, bars and booze for Gourmet, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, ForbesTraveler.com and The New York Times.

Sometimes you can teach an old bird new tricks.

Since 1987, California's hummingbird-themed Nectar Ales (founded by Humboldt Brewing but bought by Firestone Walker in 2004) has focused on super-quaffable session brews such as the caramel-hoppy Nectar IPA and its flagship, the full-bodied Red Nectar amber ale. These are beers that focus on flavor, not a high-proof punch that sends you sprawling.

But Nectar Ales has finally busted its low-alcohol template with its coffee-infused, bourbon-barrel-aged Black Xantus imperial stout (named after a Mexican hummingbird species). It's the brand's inaugural over-the-top, 22-ounce release.

"We have been working on this stout recipe for four years, patiently tweaking things until we were satisfied," says head brewer Matt Brynildson. "I've also spent time with the folks at Joebella Coffee, who are our local roaster. After learning about the agronomics surrounding coffee and the art of roasting, the lightbulb went on."

Filed under: Drink Recipes

Beer Trivia: The Best Domestic & Imported Beer Quiz

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Sep 1st 2009 @ 4:54PM

Test your knowledge of beer, whether domestic or imported with Slashfood's beer quiz.

Beer Trivia

Now retired, which is the world's strongest beer?

Dogfish's 'Raison D'extra'
Hair of the Dog's 'Dave'
Samuel Adams' 'Triple Bock'
Lijiang Yinjiu

True or False: Beer is the most popular beverage in the world.

True
False

Which country has the most individual beer brands?

Mexico
USA
Belgium
Germany

Who was the first American to brew lager?

John Wagner
Sam Adams
John Miller
August Busch

Which is the fear of an empty glass?

Ophidiophobia
Cenosillicaphobia
Hydrophobia
Chemophobia

How long did Prohibition last?

12 years, 2 months, 4 days
15 years, 5 months, 5 days
14 years, 10 months, 21 days
13 years, 10 months, 19 days

Which is the best-selling brand in the Western Hemisphere outside of the United States?

Brahma Beer
Corona
Red Stripe
Cerveza Cantina

Which brewer ran an ad campaign that claimed its beer was 'Good For You'?

Miller
Guinness
Busch
Heineken

Which brew is known as 'The Champagne of Bottled Beers'?

Budweiser
Coors
Corona Extra
Miller High Life

Red Stripe is the national beer of which country?

Honduras
Jamaica
Cuba
Puerto Rico

To whom did Anheuser-Busch send the first case of Budweiser beer produced after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933?

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Herbert Hoover
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Which city gives its name to the lightest, palest styles of lager?

Bavaria
Munich
Plzeň
Bohemia

Which is the most popular style of beer consumed in the world?

Ale
Stout
Pilsner
Lager

In Great Britain alone, what is the estimated amount of beer lost in people's mustaches and beards each year?

24,502 gallons
15,423 gallons
23,116 gallons
19,683 gallons

Women account for which percentage of beer consumption in the USA?

Filed under: Quizzes, Drink Recipes

Budweiser takes a cue from politicians: Patriotism sells!

COMMENTS 9

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Aug 18th 2008 @ 4:00PM

Anheuser-Busch would like me to believe I am reading too much into it, but around the time of the InBev buyout, Budweiser commercials began elevating the patriotism pushing "The Great American Lager" slogan like a comforting pat on the shoulder to say, "Everything will be alright." Maybe its just a coincidence: A-B reminds me the slogan was launched before InBev's bid was finalized. Or maybe marketing knew something I didn't. Either way, hammering home the "King of Beers" at this point might just come a little too close to reminding us of our new European overlords.

Unfortunately, however, slogans require an extra step of association, so for their latest offering, Bud is simply throwing the word "American" right into the product name. A-B chose to debut spots for their forthcoming Budweiser American Ale during the Olympics. (I caught one during a massive 8 hour Olympic-watching marathon -- a near Phelpsian feat, if I do say so myself.) And though Olympic coverage represents an ideal opportunity to court a massive audience, it certainly doesn't hurt that it's served with a side of patriotic pride.

Budweiser American Ale also had been in the works well before the InBev buyout: It's intention is to edge in on the growing craft beer market, hopefully grabbing Anheuser-Busch a piece of the action while wooing some attention back to their flagship. Reasserting Budweiser as the "Great American Lager" is definitely a nice segue into introducing the next great "American Ale." But A-B marketing has got to at least be thinking, Don't you love it when a plan comes together! Naive isn't a word that comes to mind when I think of the big boys down at Bud, so I bet the more this whole InBev/patriotism thing feels like a coincidence, the better job they're doing.

[Photo Credit: budweiser.com]

Filed under: Business, Drink Recipes, New Products