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Tuckerman Headwall Alt
Posted by: | CommentsThe last time I climbed a mountain is well documented (feel free to read all about it here). But Mount Monadnock, the New Hampshire bunny slope I so triumphantly scaled, simply cannot compare to the reigning New Hampshire beast — Mount Washington.
Mount Washington is the kind of place where, all winter long, record-setting temperatures are recorded by some unlucky fellow whose mother never needs to remind him to stay buttoned up. Outside of getting one of the tacky “This Car Climbed Mt Washington” bumper stickers that plague New England, I’ve never come up with a good reason to visit Mount Washington. That is until now, when I discovered the Tuckerman Brewing Company in Conway, NH.
Named for Tuckerman’s Ravine, the brewery aims to brew beer inspired by the “majestic solitude and beauty” of the legendary Ravine. By the way, if anyone knows why the Ravine is so legendary, please comment and let me know!
Newport Storm Hurricane Amber Ale
Posted by: | CommentsThis might just be the only positive review of Hurricane Amber you’ll be able to find online. At least, I haven’t been able to find any others.
Newport, RI is home of boating, music festivals, and lots of drinking. The city is also home of the Coastal Extreme Brewing Co., “RI’s only Microbrewery and exclusive brewers of Newport Storm Hand Crafted Beers”.
Newport Storm Hurricane Amber Ale is getting trashed on the big beer rating sites, but I wanted to try the beer for myself. I grabbed a bottle, strapped on my life vest, and dove into the eye of the Storm.
There’s nothing “extreme” about this Coastal Extreme brew; in fact the hops are present but pretty mild, and they’re matched by a toasty malt that dominates the finish. It has a nice color, fairly clear body, and a soft but carbonated mouthfeel. The aroma floats from malt to nondescript beer, but the flavor and the balance between hop and malt is really pretty good.
Hurricane Amber would be a great beach or boat beer — a fact not lost on the brewers, who go out of their way to offer this craft beer in cans (beach and boat friendly) as well as bottles.
Maybe some of the poor reviews are simply old? It’s entirely possible that Newport Storm has refined its brew to address some of the criticism. But I suspect this beer has just been panned as being too simple. The toasty malt and smooth finish are uncharacteristic of many ambers, but relegating the bitterness to a supporting role adds to the drinkability and made me want another.
Holy Grail Ale
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As someone who has memorized the entire script to the dead parrot sketch and knows a thing or two about silly walks, I can forgive you if Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale found its way into your shopping cart the very same day you discovered such a beer existed.
But I’ve avoided the beer, until now.
Did I think it would taste like Spam? Was I afraid of a good taunting? Would Tim the Enchanter blast me away for drinking the beer? Of course not. I stayed away because I was worried the Holy Grail Ale would be like the giant, wooden rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail — funny looking and quaint on the outside, but ultimately empty.
I’m pleasantly relieved to report the Holy Grail Ale is actually quite good. The beer is not the explosive failure I had feared — no beer equivalent of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that you could easily drink three of these beers, though no more, and no less. Three shall be the correct number thou shalt drink, and the number of the drinking shall be three. Four shalt thou not drink, neither drink thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.
Okay, now that I’ve alienated everyone who played varsity sports in high school, the geeks and I can hang out and talk beer.
Harpoon Imperial IPA (Leviathan Series)
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It’s hard to imagine the same brewery that came up with last night’s ho-hum Brown “Session Ale” could create such an in-your-face beer as tonight’s Imperial IPA from the Harpoon Leviathan series.
So instead of imagining, let’s trace how it happened.
Back in 2005 and with the help of guest brewers Jason and Todd Alstrom — the guys behind BeerAdvocate.com — Harpoon brewed a strong, dark wheat “wine style” ale called Triticus — part of their 100 barrel series.
Last summer, Triticus resurfaced when Harpoon released the big beer as the first of its new “Leviathan Series”. The Series is billed as “an exploration in brewing big beers for adventurous palates” and an excuse to “experiment with stronger flavors and bigger beers”. They’re still limited release brews; each beer in the Leviathan Series will be brewed in 120 barrel batches.
Harpoon Brown Session Ale
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Drinking a beer was the last thing I wanted to do this evening.
I’ve nursed a headache most of the day, and this evening it erupted into a full-blown migraine. For the past few hours, I’ve been flat on my back in the dark.
So for a couple of hours tonight, the integrity of this year-long project rested on my wife’s shoulders, who delicately checked to make sure I didn’t nod off for the night and forget to drink my beer. Everyone should have such a caring partner, especially one who reminds you to drink beer.
I grabbed a Harpoon Brown “Session Ale” from the refrigerator because 1) it was already cold, and 2) I wasn’t expecting much from this beer and therefore wouldn’t feel bad if the article you’re reading came across as thin and lifeless as I’ve been feeling this evening.
The Harpoon Brown Session Ale poured a dark amber color, with a soft but fluffy head. The aroma was flat, a one-dimensional caramel malt. The taste is also fairly light, but not bad. It actually reminds me of a mass market brew — watery and sweet, with caramel malt as the dominant flavor.
The Brown Session Ale is simple, drinkable, and light bodied. I think I grabbed just the right beer for tonight. It lives up to the label “session ale” because it would be easy to drink several of these without getting silly or tired of the taste.
But for my purposes, Harpoon Brown seemed to help with my headache. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to write this much without the headache shifting into the background.
Restorative power of beer? Not likely — it feels like my brief reprieve is coming to an end. See you on IPA Monday.
