St. Patrick’s Day means time for beer and stout
Wow! Setting the clocks forward dispelled global cooling overnight. I’m staring out at all the yard work the winter has fomented. Fortunately the ground is too wet to start this grueling task, so I decided to watch the Big Ten, MAC and EWL wrestling regional tournament. Happily I can report three Delaware stalwarts, Bobby Telford formerly St. Mark’s, now IA; Ryan Wolfe, Caravel, Rider; and Alvontae Drummond Milford, McDaniel U. moved on to the NCAA championships. Brent Fleetwood CR, CMU, came close with a fourth-place finish at MAC. While watching these events I had you folks and St. Patrick’s Day in mind, so I am writing under the influence of beer.
Tried a couple of Shandys (beer mixed with juice, fruit flavoring or soda) from Travelers Brewing, Poured at 40 degrees, Forbidden Traveler Apple Ale is a wheat and Realapple (like Realemon) brew. Poured an inch head. The nose was apple and crisp. Not my cup of ale. Illusive Traveler Grapefruit Ale brewed with wheat plus grapefruit showed slight orange-tinted with a nice 2-inch head and aromas of wheat ale with citrus. On the palate more grapefruit showed up but still lemony. The finish is tart, not bitter. Well made, but again, not for my buds. I’m more of an IPA or APA man myself. APWA American Pale Wheat Ales are OK when they are very cold and the wheat nose is reticent.
Brian Boru Old Irish Red from 3 Floyds Brewing Co., Reilly’s Red Ale from Devils Backbone Brewing, Conways Irish Ale from Great Lakes and my local fav Dogfish Head Kelley’s Irish Red Ale are the best examples of Irish Red Ale. Kelley’s is an IPA. They normally produce it for St. Paddy’s Day but so far, ratebeer.com says it is not available. The Dogfish site does not say. If you can locate some, it is worth the trek. Ruby red color, hop nose that is less pronounced than the 60- or 90-minute ale. Subdued malt but some pleasing hints of toffee in the finish.
Of well-regarded Dogfish Head Stouts, two I’ve sampled are Worldwide and Chicory. Website www.ratebeer.com awarded Chicory 95. That’s rare praise indeed. Dark ruby-colored it has coffee, hop, and licorice nose. Finish is a bit coffee bitter. I enjoyed the Worldwide far more. Reminds me of aged Port wine. High 18 percent alcohol by volume. Very dark with roast barley nose and flavored with molasses and caramel. NB, this is made to age. Mine was from November 2011. Also, ACV is not the same as proof. The proof here would be 36. One bottle for two people may be enough. About the same as five cans of Bud. If I could only have one label, as big a fan of Sam Calagione as I am, it would be a Founders Breakfast Stout from founders Brewing in Michigan. Made from oats, it has bitter and sweet chocolate plus coffee from Sumatra and Kona; 8.3 ABV. Coffee and chocolate are two of my favorite flavors, and they really elevate this stout. Add in some maple syrup and lots of malt flavors and a creamy mouthfeel. Plus, I can drink an entire bottle without nodding off. I went after it because it achieved a 100 rating. Lived up to expectations. Reminded me of Blot Out the Sun, from 3 Floyds Brewing Co.
Finally, I chose my special beer for last. It was initially chosen in response to the few who have written using language that offended my dog Sandi. Arrogant Bastard Ale from Strong Brewing Co. is a 7.2 percent IPA. I initially chose it due to this statement from them. “This is an aggressive ale. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory - maybe something with a multimillion-dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multimillion-dollar ad campaigns make things taste better.” The beer backed up the brass, and it goes great with colcannon, corned beef and soda bread.
