WTF Ale. A malty, robust, jobless Recovery Ale! We’re not quite in the Red, or in the Black… Does that mean we’re in the Brown?

A big Ol’ Imperial Brown Ale to help you with your slipperly slide on into springtime. Rich, smooth, dangerous & chocolatey.

Alc. 7.83%
O.G. 1.072
64.20 I.B.U

How can a malthound like myself not love this beer? Big and tasty, this may be one of the best beers I’ve ever had.

Drinkability

Heavy without being overly so, this is a full bodied beer that pours a deep translucent red-brown. It’s smooth and malt-forward with a mild hop bite and a crisp dry finish. Bold flavorful malts are highlighted by hop perfection. There is nothing heavy or harsh about the mouthfeel of this beer. It’s full, but never more full than it should be. As far as drinkability goes, sheer perfection!

Predictability

Imperial browns are not a common style. Imperial stouts, imperial IPAs, and other imperials flood the market, but this is one of the first imperial brown ales I’ve ever consumed. That said, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. It poured clear with absolutely no haze in my Weyerbacher snifter. The aroma was sweet and malty, with a hint of floral hops. Based on the appearance and aroma, this was a lot like what I formulated in my mind before sipping… but better. I could not have predicted how perfectly the flavors would mesh or how great the beer is.

Affordability

Not really sure how much this beer runs, as I received it in a trade. I looked up prices online and saw that a bottle ranged from $4 to $8 most places it was available. I personally this it would be every bit worth $10. A great beer in a 22oz bottle is well worth spending a few bucks.

Overall Enjoyability

What do you think? If you’ve read up to this point, you know that I love this beer. At nearly 8% ABV, it’s surprising that there is little in alcohol taste or warmth, but it’s a good thing. There is no need for that type of taste with all the other perfectly complimentary flavors. Too big to be a session beer, but I’d gladly try to prove myself wrong with that assessment. This is the type of beer I could drink year round. I can picture myself sitting around a campfire with WTF in my snifter or staring out the window at the snow with a pint. I can’t say this enough, this is one of the best beers I’ve ever had. Love, love, love, love, love it.

thepaintedman rates this:

I purchased some The Flying Mouflan on a recent lunch break trek to Troegs. It was so good it revolutionized how I will review beer from this point forward!

I now present you 4 abilities of beer: Drinkability, Predictability, Affordability, and Overall Enjoyability. I’d define each for you, but I think it’s better to simply present these abilities of The Flying Mouflan to demonstrate how this works!

Drinkability

The Flying Mouflan pours a rich brown with a thin, but frothy head. It feels hearty and a little bit chewy in the drinker’s mouth. Full bodied, it is a malt-forward beer that doesn’t forget about the hops… in fact, some may argue that it’s actually more abotu the hops than the malt, but not for this malty beer lover. The alcoholic warmth is evident, but not overwhelming like a winter warmer or an old ale. As is true with most big flavored barleywines, this is not a session ale by any means… especially at 9.3% ABV.

Predictability

Not your average barleywine, but would you expect something dull from the Trogner brothers? Big flavor is key for any good barleywine and this delivers in that department. The strong hop aroma and flavor makes it more of an American style barleywine than the style the Brits prefer. I’m not certified beer judge (yet), but I think this beer would get serious serious consideration as a top choice in the American Barleywine category.

Affordability

In a bomber bottle, a single will run you $7.50 at the Troegs Tasting Room. That’s $7.50 for roughly 651 mL, or 22 oz for the metrically challenged. I think 34 cents per ounce is a fair price. Good beer ain’t cheap, that’s always important to note.

Overall Enjoyability

Beautifully up front hop aroma, bold flavors of malt and hops, a dry but not too dry finish, and an interesting twist of sweetness from the cane sugar used in the brewing process make this a yummy treat for the big beer drinker. This is by no means for the Mike Gourleys, Kevin Hendersons, or Scott Pasquales of the world (PBR, Miller, Lite, and Busch Light, respectively). Thoroughly enjoyable, but only one at a time… unless you need a little help falling asleep one night.

thepaintedman rates this:

Before I begin, two quick housekeeping issues for my readers… first, I am postponing the 10 in 10 until next week. I have a good deal of things to throw in there, but haven’t had the chance to put them together. Second, there are only a few more beer posts likely on this site, as my beer commentary will be moving to my new site due to launch in March sometime. One more thing, unrelated to the site, but important to beer folks… Weyerbacher was forced to pull Zotten from the shelves due to copyright issues: read about it here. Thanks, now read on…

Saturday, February 13, 2010 marked the first full meeting of the Beer Snob Bible Club. The first scheduled meeting a few months back became just a small hang out of 3 of us with the beer and not much Bible. Last week, however, was different… a successful meeting of Christian men who want to drink a couple of pints and discuss their faith.

A day before Valentine’s Day, the intention was to drink Yards Love Stout and discuss Galatians 5:1-15. During the two weeks prior to the meeting, I searched and called and found that Love Stout is only being made available via kegs this year. A huge disappointment, the only other “love” themed beers I could find (with the help of Greg from Frank Smith’s) were Voodoo Love Child and Two-Hearted Ale. VLC didn’t really fit the theme and is quite an expensive beer. Two Hearted is a great beer, but since I am not an IPA guy, I decided that the remainder of a case would sit in my house altogether too long. Instead, I deviated from the theme when purchasing the replacement beer and used the opportunity to buy a case of a beer I’d wanted an excuse to buy a case of, Weyerbacher Fireside Ale.

The choice was a good one… and it seemed to go over quite well to all of the snobs and burgeoning snobs in attendance. Beer Advocate and ratebeer both consider the style of this ale a “smoked beer”. So we looked together at the BCJP style guidelines for 22B “Other Smoked Beer”, discussed how the beer was similar to the German Rauchbier style, despite being an ale. Then we tasted the beer. All of us enjoyed it, some noting hints of bready flavor and texture, others highlighting the smokiness, and still others discussing the alcohol warmth. After some discussion, we began to look at the context of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Through a nice, deep discussion, what we ended up keying on the second part of Galatians 5:6, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Everything centers around love, whether it be how we worship, how we work, or how we treat people everyday. What Paul was aiming at was how the church in Galatia was overly concerned with everything else, forgetting the most important piece… LOVE.

And after we prayed, we finished our beers. After warming some, there weren’t many new flavors we found in the beer, but the smokiness seemed much stronger, as did the alcohol warmth. My father, a novice in the world of beer snobbery, even commented on how he could really taste these flavors after the beer warmed a bit.

Overall, it was a great first event. Good beer, great discussion, and even greater fellowship. If you live within a shot of Reading, PA, email me. You are all welcome to join us!

Next month, we’ll be drinking something from Stegmaier, saluting how March comes in like a lion (brewed at the Lion Brewery), and sharing about the Lamb (it is Easter time after all).

Thanks for keeping up with us! Before you leave, check out how Weyerbacher makes one of my favorite beers, Heresy:

I decided to do a third (yes, 3rd) post in one night. Sorry to inundate you, but if you don’t like it then just go away! Well, actually, please don’t… I like the attention, otherwise, why would I have my own website?

Anyway, I’m wifeless tonight, so I decided that rather than cleaning the house or doing something productive, I’d lay in bed, watch American Idol auditions and drink a beer. Tonight’s beverage: Magic Hat’s Winter Seasonal, Howl Winter Lager.

Rather than my usual exhaustive review (based on the review style of sites like Beer Advocate and Rate Beer), I decided to go with a casual review in the style of one of my favorite beer blogs, Lost in the Beer Aisle. Check him out, he’s much less snobby than me. When the new site launches, I will be using the official BCJP rating system, but for now, enjoy the lack of elitism…

So, first off, I am drinking this beautiful dark lager in my stainless steel stein that I received as a groomsman’s gift. It’s a great mug, though it doesn’t give me much ability to analyze the beer’s appearance. Let’s just say that it’s quite dark.

The aroma is sweet and malty, with a fruitiness. The flavor matches… and, like most lagers, it’s smooth. In fact, it’s very smooth!

Dark and flavorful, but with chugability. Technically, it’s a schwarzbeir… which means it’s a German dark lager. It’s true to style, which is to say that it is creamy but not heavy, very drinkable, and moderately carbonated.

Like darker beers, but not beers that are too heavy? Prost!

Thomas Hooker Brewery’s Nor’Easter Winter Lager to be specific… this malt-forward Christmastime session brew is just right for watching football on a cold, Winter Sunday afternoon. At 5.8%, it won’t get you drunk too quickly, but should help keep you warm while the snow falls outside your window.

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

Just by looking at this beer, I can tell it’s up my alley. The deep color is almost brown, but not quite, with a reddish tint. It’s appearance is similar to a brown ale like Newcastle, translucent and well-carbonated. It pours with a nice head and maintains a thin head throughout the entire drinking experience. On my notes, I wrote, “Beautiful! – my kind of beer.”

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

The mild, pleasant aroma has literally nothing offensive about it. While the aroma does not jump up your nostrils like some bigger beers, the subtle sweet and malty notes certainly whet the appetite and augment the flavor.

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

What a great beer, sweet and rich, but not too heavy. The flavor remidns me of one of the best beers I had last Winter, Anderson Valley Winter Solstice. Malt, malt, malt! On the Hooker Brewing site, they describe the beer quite accurately:

Brewed to celebrate Winter in New England, Nor’Easter Lager possesses a Hearty Malt flavor delicately accented by mild winter spices.

Palate/Mouthfeel:
thepaintedman rates this:

This beer has a wonderful mouthfeel. It is slightly chewy and quite rich. There is a sweet finish and no dryness to the beer at all. That isn’t to say that dryness can’t be a good thing, but with this beer, it’s easy to see that a sweet palate can be more than satisfying.

Overall:
thepaintedman rates this:

This is a great Winter lager. As a fan of the sweeter, richer winter beers (as opposed to the Pacific Northwest style Winter ales with big hoppy flavor), this one is a perfect choice. If you want to know if you will like this beer, take in mind that Newcastle Brown Ale is my go-to beer and I typically lean towards malt-forward ales and lagers, If this is you, then grab a case of this NOW!

Or, head over to Frank Smith Beverage in Pottstown and grab a mixed Winter case. Mine included this, Stoudt’s Winter Ale, Lancaster Winter Warmer, and Breckenridge Christmas Ale.

Lancaster? Warm? This time of year? No, not the actual city, I assure you that it’s quite cold and snow-covered there. However, the great craft brewery in that the city smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania’s Amish Country is currently sharing a bit of warmth with all willing to imbibe in this great English style Old Ale.

First, a short lesson in beer. What is an Old Ale? wikipedia defines Old Ale as:

Old ale is a term commonly applied to dark, malty beers in England, usually above 5% abv, often also called Winter Warmers; also to dark ales of any strength in Australia. Sometimes associated with stock ale or, archaically, keeping ale, in which the beer is held at the brewery. American brewed old ales will tend to be of a barley wine strength.

Beer Advocate expands on this:

Rich dark amber in color to a very dark brown; near black. Tamed aromatics. Although bittering levels can greatly vary, expect common fruity, vinous, intense malts and sharp alcohol characteristics. The often racy but mellow attitude of the beer may also include acidic notes, raisins and black currants. Vintage varieties may have a low level of oxidation. Stronger versions may have similarities to a port wine. Brewers may also inoculate a portion of the batch with Brettanomyces lambicus and age for an extended period of time to achieve an old-school acidic character.

In layman’s terms, an Old Ale is a dark, malty, English style strong ale, usually in the 5-8% alcohol range. It’s usaully heavy and strong. A Winter Warmer is an associated style, Beer Advocate says:

These malty sweet offerings tend to be a favorite winter seasonal. Big malt presence, both in flavor and body. The color ranges from brownish reds to nearly pitch black. Hop bitterness is generally low, leveled and balanced, but hop character can be pronounced. Alcohol warmth is not uncommon.

Many English versions contain no spices, though some brewers of spiced winter seasonal ales will slap “Winter Warmer” on the label. Those that are spiced, tend to follow the “wassail” tradition of blending robust ales with mixed spices, before hops became the chief “spice” in beer. American varieties many have a larger presences of hops both in bitterness and flavor.

Now that you are in the know, I present to you Lancaster Brewing Company’s Winter Warmer

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

Dark, though not quite black (just a little bit of light sneaks through, but not much). Pours with a foamy head. Slightly oily, leaving some residue on side of pint glass.

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

I read someone’s review of this beer when they stated that there wasn’t much aroma. I scoff at that. The aroma is big and beautiful. There is no real trace of hops, as the malt is the big player here. Chocolate malt jumps up into your nose, followed by hints of spice and a faint alcohol odor. Big and beautiful, as I said.

Flavor
thepaintedman rates this:

Like the aroma, the flavor is big. The first sip hits you upside the head with a bittersweet dark chocolate-like flavor, paired with a nice touch of body warming alcohol. In terms that the nerd in me can relate to, the dark chocolate flavor is the Batman here and the alcohol kick is the Robin. There is not a lot of sweetness here, as the flavor is akin to that of a heavy dry wine. As noted by Beer Advocate, the stronger Old Ales can have many similarities to a port wine.

Palate/Mouthfeel:
thepaintedman rates this:

This beer is chewy, but not as heavy as one may first assume. It’s dry throughout, with a very dry finish. Overall, this ale feels very English in your mouth (if that makes sense to anyone other than me). Think of it, as far as mouthfeel goes, like a dry barleywine.

Overall:
thepaintedman rates this:

Not a session ale by any means, but if you want a pint to warm you up on a cold night, this is it! Heavy in all the right ways, but not too heavy that it is sickening or hard to finish (like some heavy imperial stouts can be).

While the Imperial Pumpkin Ale wells are running dry, there is much to rejoice about in the world of Weyerbacher (I’d be more likely to lament my inability to consume any more Autumnfest until Fall 2010, but the Pumpkin seems to be quite a favorite of the masses).

First, we can turn our seasonal taste buds to one of the best winter brews in the land, Weyerbacher Winter Ale. Sweet, but not too sweet. Hearty, but not heavy. Tons of carbonation, but somehow it’s not overpowering or distracting. A great, malt-forward winter warmer, Winter Ale has what a good cold weather seasonal should with some surprises (as with all Weyerbacher beers).

And when you can’t find this beautiful winter neo-classic, you’ll know it’s time to seek out some Fireside Ale. Originally called Charlie, Fireside Ale is a brown ale that is robust and strong (around 8%). By any name, this is a beer leaving nothing to be desired. Having read that it will be available in stores in January, I am gearing up to buy some from my local distributor as you read this, only a month and a half in advance…

So, whether you are excited for some Winter Ale or Fireside Ale (as I, obviously am) or if you intend to go out and grab some award-winning Quad or the infamous oak aged Insanity, Weyerbacher is calling your name!

Who would have thought that you’d have to drive to North Carolina to try beer made in Colorado? Well, now that he Outer Banks are teeming with Fat Tire (and other beers from New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, CO), I had no choice to review this beer I’d vaguely remembered trying once before.

After a few bottles, I realized that I either had been wrong and never tried this before or had tried it before I truly love beer, because I can’t believe that I’d forget how awesome this wonderful amber ale is. Toasty, balanced, and flavorful… a beer that easily creeps into my top 10 (if I had such a thing).

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

This beers screams, “You will fall in love with me” to a Yuengling Lager drinker, like myself. A light amber color with fantastic clarity and little head. The carbonation appears moderate, with little bubbles occasionally starting from the bottom of the glass floating up to the top just waiting to tickling my lips… (aside: I may sound a bit too into the appearance of this ale, don’t ya think?)

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

There is a very faint hop aroma and a powerful malt forward scent. There seems to be some diacetyl, as the ale smells buttery. That said, there is also a distinct aroma of toasted bread or warm biscuits.

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

How a beer can achieve such a full body and yet steer clear of being a heavy beer that scares away the Summer beer drinkers is beyond this reviewer. The toasty aroma is followed up by a wonderful toasty flavor… buttered toast may not sound like what you want your beer to taste like, but trust me, it is. There is a good hop balance, but hops are not the stars of this dance. Straight and to the point, Fat Tire is a big, flavorful, refreshing 4 season beer.

Palate:
thepaintedman rates this:

This ale is well carbonated, perhaps a bit more than I’d prefer… but maybe that extra carbonation helps keep this beer from getting heavy. There is a crisp finish and an overall pleasant mouthfeel.

Overall Rating:
thepaintedman rates this:

Ever had Toasted Lager by Blue Point? This is what it SHOULD taste like.

Great Brewer’s says this of Stoudt’s Blonde Double MaiBock:

A rich, full bodied, deep golden-blonde lager. Stoudt’s version of the German classic style is brewed with the finest 2-row malt and a subtle amount of noble hops.

Whether you call it maibock or helles bock or just about anything else, this is a fantastic beer.

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

This is a near perfect helles bock, as far as looks go. It has a deep gold color, beautiful clarity, and a thick, creamy, white head… just as the style notes in the BJCP Style Guidelines say it should.

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

The malt aroma could be more prominent, but is certainly not mild. There is no diacetyl or fruity aroma, which is good. Also, there is virtually no hop aroma, which is appropriate, but I’d prefer just a hint.

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

The Pils malt is the unmistakable flavor in the beer. There is a noticeable, albeit mild to moderate hop bitterness. There is a dry finish to the beer, though it still goes down smooth.

Palate/Mouthfeel:
thepaintedman rates this:

This maibock is well carbonated and relatively creamy. It has a medium body and a very clean feel.

Overall Rating:
thepaintedman rates this:

One of my favorite Springtime beers. A refreshing and crisp beer with full flavor, Stoudt’s Double Blonde MaiBock is a must buy during the month or so it’s out each year. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely you’ll find a case until next April.