Saranac Black & Tan

Ladies and Gentlemen, I think I’ve found a loophole! My “one a day” challenge keeps me focused on individual beers, so the joy of beer tastings and beer samplers are right out of the question; so too are any “mixed” beers, which would technically be blending two or more separate beers.

But the Matt Brewing Company’s Saranac line has done me a favor, blending an Irish Stout with an “all-malt German-style Amber Lager” to create a single beer — Saranac Black & Tan. This stout and lager blend may be the closest I come all year to having two beers in one session.

What is a Black & Tan? It’s a mixed beer, half dark and half pale.

Simple, right? Sadly no — and if I leave it at that, I’ll get hate mail and snide comments, so let me delve a bit deeper.

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Hop Ottin’ IPA

Let me wish you all a Happy Memorial Day, and pass a quick word of thanks to those who served our country so that we all can freely — among many other things — enjoy good beer.

Today is also IPA Monday, so I’ve decided to use this day of gratitude to enjoy Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s excellent Hop Ottin’ IPA. The last two generations of my family have served during wartime, and I’m sure they’d agree that beer makes a fine tribute! Especially a beer named for hard work.

The Hop Ottin’ IPA label explains:

Hop lovers, your dreams have come true! Hop Ottin’ is Boontling for “hard working hops,” and they’re swurely hard at work in this brew. Hop Ottin’ starts with a robust floral aroma, which winds into a deep and complex body. In an intriguing balance, sun-drenched malts coat rich hop undertones. At length, the hops prevail, with a satisfyingly crisp finish. Hop Ottin bites like a can-kicky bluetail (Hop Ottin’ bites like an agry rattlesnake looking for a fight).

(Fans of Anderson Valley Brewing Company are guaranteed to have at least a passing understanding of “Boontling” — but for those not in the know described this made up dialect in my review of Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. But think of it as a dialect created by Anderson Valley, CA, residents to confuse visitors in the late 1800′s.)

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Pretty Things Saint Botolph’s Town

The Massachusetts-based Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project pays tribute to towns on both sides of the sea with this “rustic dark ale”.

As explained on the Pretty Things website:

The name “Saint Botolph’s Town” is in tribute to our great home in America: Boston. The original Boston in Lincolnshire, England is an abbreviation of “Botolph’s Town” or “Botolph’s Stone”.

See, who says you can’t learn anything by drinking beer?

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Allagash Tripel

The Allagash beers have been a pleasure, and I may have saved the best for last when I opened up the Allagash Tripel this evening.

Allagash Tripel poured a pale gold. Perhaps the goblet was too wide-mouthed for the beer, as it produced only a thin white head. My initial pour was very clear, but I added yeast from the bottle and the beer became very hazy and opaque.

The aroma was herbal and yeasty, filled with tropical fruit — but the most compelling quality of this beer is its complex taste.

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Beantown Nut Brown – Boston Beer Works

With another pair of tickets to see the Red Sox, my wife and I found ourselves at Boston Beer Works for a second time this week. We had arrived two hours before the game thinking we’d get some food before going into Fenway, but the bar was already full and a long line wrapped around the block. Undeterred, we waited and eventually lucked into a pair of seats at the bar.

Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale was getting a lot of attention from the patrons again, but Friday was much warmer than Tuesday and it seemed the most popular beer was the Haymarket Hefeweizen — much to the consternation of the bar staff, as the frothy wheat beer took a longer to pour and garnish than anything else on tap.

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Last Consumed:

My wife and I usually select a Christmas Tree during the weekend after Thanksgiving, and we were thrilled to discover the farm down the road from us is selling trees this year. She and I stopped by the farm while walking our Boston Terrier, Caesar, who helped us sniff out a good one. After my wife and I dithered over the best tree for several minutes, Caesar weighed in with his selection by lifting his leg on a plump Fraser Fir.

I hope that means he liked it.

The tree went up on my shoulder, I carried it home (drawing chuckles from several people driving by), and our Christmas season officially began. We’ve been listening to Christmas music, drinking hot chocolate, and generally sickening all humbugs spying through our windows.

So it should come as no surprise that I’ve selected the “Hoppy Christmas Ale” from Belgium’s Brewery De Ranke. The beer — Père Noël (imported by Shelton Brothers) — intimates the reason for Father Christmas’ jolly cheeks and rosy nose; the label depicts Santa embracing the frothy, 7% ABV Strong Pale Ale.

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