The Stats:

• Somer Orange Honey Ale
• Brewery: Rogue Brewery (Newport, Oregon)
• Style: America Pale Wheat Ale
• ABV: 5.2 %
• Serving Style: 22 oz Bottle from Village Beer Merchant ($7.99)

While I’ve always supported and admired Rogue Brewery, I never considered myself in their key demographic.  They, along with breweries like Stone Brewing Company, seem to make some ‘hardcore’ beers.  Types that are heavy on the hops, flavor and generally alcohol.  What I’ve realized is that I generally don’t like those types of beers (I’m working on it).  That said, I do love any Rogue style that has a picture of a girl on the bottle; their Chocolate Stout and Half-E-Weizen are both delicious.

So when I saw a bottle with a girl that I didn’t recognize, the Somer Orange Honey Ale, I had to try it.  The name alone sounds like a summer seasonal beer, but according to Rogue’s website, they will be releasing it year round.

Opening the bottle you immediately get a faint smell of orange, similar to other wheat/wit biers you may have tried elsewhere.  Pouring into the glass it had that lovely cloudiness that good wheat beers have.  With the first sip that orange flavor is subtle and doesn’t taste like someone poured orange juice into your beer.  The beer has a strong carbonation, almost like a soda, which makes this beer definitely a good candidate for a summer beer on a hot day.  I didn’t get a lot of flavor from the honey and the alcohol is barely existent at all, sadly many of the spices used in brewing get lost in the wheat-y body.

If you don’t enjoy “fruity” or “lighter” beers, there really isn’t anything about this that will convert you.  However, if you enjoy a Blue Moon or Shock Top, then I would highly recommend the Somer Orange Honey Ale.  It has a really nice smooth and mild flavor that would be a great “girlfriend beer”, or maybe a good beer to slowly introduce someone to the world of microbrews.  At the same time, it’s brewed with quality ingredients (like every other Rogue style) that any true beer fan can appreciate.  So, if you are at your local beer store (or even Wegmans), I would suggest giving the Somer Orange Honey Ale a try before the summer is over.  It will be around for the winter time but it would definitely shine more in the summer time with a good BBQ or summer party.

Matt Brewing Company in Utica, NY

Most beer fans are very familiar with the Saranac line of beers.  Saranac brews are produced by the Matt Brewing Company which is out of Utica, NY.  I have been a fan of many of their beers throughout the years, but the Pomegranate Wheat and Adirondack Lager really have won me over.  Since I enjoy two of their more popular beers, I decided to give their Irish Stout a try.  Now I must admit, I generally don’t spring quickly to a stout (I prefer to drink my beers rather than eat them), but when I do I generally stick to a pint of Guinness which seems to always hit the spot.  The disgusting weather outside not only depressed me, but also gave me a hunkering for a hearty, meal-replacement beer.  I opted for the Saranac in hopes that it could hit the spot that Guinness usually does.

The first things I noticed when I poured it into the pint glass was the consistency and the smell.  The consistency seemed a little lighter than the average stout, and certainly less viscous than Guinness.  Considering stouts usually aren’t my cup of tea, I was feeling good about the beer.  The smell was extremely distinct.  It basically smelled like a freshly brewed cup of coffee and being the coffee freak that I am, I figured this was the second sign that I was about to enjoy.

The first few sips basically validated what I had figured from pouring it.  It definitely was a bit thinner, and dare I say drinkable than previous stouts that I’ve tried.  The aroma of coffee from before stayed true as the stout had a roasted coffee taste.  The deep, roasted taste however was much less than I had anticipated from the distinct smell, yet still seemed to linger on the back of the tongue.  The stout actually was fairly light and refreshing.  I would recommend giving it a try if you want to experience a stout without eating, but this almost disappointed me a bit.  As I mentioned I don’t gravitate towards stouts often, but when I do I want it to be a STOUT.  Maybe the smell of coffee got me a little too excited, but the flavor I felt lacked a little compared to some of the other options.  That being said, I still can’t get enough of Saranac’s Pom Wheat and Adirondak Lager.

Cheers!

Rogue Chipotle Ale

All my friends (well anyone who has even eaten anything with me) know that I am, for the lack of a better phrase, a hot sauce freak.  I love hot sauce on just about anything and everything that can handle it.  I had long sworn by Franks Red Hot but within the past few years my sauce of choice has been without a doubt Chipotle Tobasco hot sauce.  For those of you who are not familiar, Chipotles are smoked jalapenos and the smoking process brings out a deep, rich flavor and spicy profile from the pepper and is absolutely amazing in chili!  This all being said, hot peppers and beer do not particularly seem like a logical (or remotely appetizing) combination.  I had my first taste of a hot pepper beer a few years ago when a local brew put attempted a jalapeno and Anaheim chili beer.  It wasn’t particularly great, but it definitely opened my eyes to the possibility of a combination sent from the gods, beer and hot peppers.

As I was reading through the latest Draft Magazine, which is one of the leading magazines on beer and food in North America, I noticed Rogue Brewery’s Chipotle Ale was being reviewed.  I have tried many of the Oregon brewery’s beers in the past, and never have been disappointed.  Rogue Brewery is one of the many West Coast micro-breweries pushing the limits on what actually entails as a delicious beer.

One thing that stood out immediately from the Draft Magazine’s review, was the incredibly high score their Chiptole Ale received.  Many times, innovative or “different” beers do not receive high grades with professional tasters.  So when when I saw their score for this unique beer, I knew it had to try it.  I went out and found one of the Rogue’s traditional 22 ounce bottles to give it a whirl.

As soon as you open the bottle, the smell of the Chipotle peppers is extremely apparent.  The first sip proved to back up what the nose was telling me, the peppers were certainly not just a back note of flavor.  The beer almost tasted like a creamy, liquid form of the Chipotle hot sauce that I love.  It is an amber style ale that was fairly heavy in flavor, although I would almost describe it as a cream style ale.  It has a very creamy like texture and its fantastic on the palate.  The Chipotle flavor definitely is the main thing you taste, however, the creamy texture cools the tongue to a point where even people who do not love very spicy foods could enjoy the beer.  That being said, if you can’t handle say, at least a solid medium wing, the beer would be much too spicy to enjoy.  In addition to the creamy texture, a faint hop aftertaste hits you to even further elevate the heat.  I could not have been more pleased with my beer choice.  The Chipotle ale obviously isn’t a beer that you are going to drink all the time, or drink a ton of at one time for that matter.  However to compliment a spicy meal (such as great Thai or Indian food), the beer was phenomenal.  It was very much deserving of the 95 out of 100 score that the professional tasters at Draft gave it.  If you are a fan of spicy wing, spicy food or hot sauce in general, this beer is a must try.

Enjoy and Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

After my first sip of the beer, I felt like it was a pretty standard Bavarian style wheat beer.  Seemed to have the smooth mouth feel, the familiar warm feeling and a bite of spice to end the sip.  However, as the beer warmed up a bit towards room temperature, the flavors became a bit more intense.  It is a little bit lighter than my favorite wheat beer (favorite beer of any kind for that matter) Hoegaarden and the bite of the spice exemplified the look.  The notes of clove and banana were there, but not quite as heavy as some other Bavarians on the shelves.  The beer sports an alcohol content of about 4.8% which is also slightly lower than other beers in it’s category.  If I have a choice, I would opt for a Hoegaarden or heavier wheat given the chance, yet this beer was very enjoyable and easy to drink.  The Kellerweis may actually be a nice introduction into Bavarian wheat style beers if you generally are a lighter beer drinker.  The lower alcohol content and the only subtle use of spices could prove to be enjoyable to almost all beer drinkers.

Those of you who have read to this point are now in for a treat, a little bonus if you will.  As I mentioned above, I tried this beer out while watching some hockey and enjoying a few snacks.  My favorite snack is without a doubt Guacamole.  I have spent many a year perfecting my Guacamole recipe, and this will be the first time I have shared the recipe, so damn it, feel privileged.

My recipe has the same core ingredients that almost every guac recipe sports, however give mine a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed.  Also, make sure you note that I adjusted the spice levels to my personal liking, so use this as a base and tweak away friends.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe (slightly soft to the touch) Hass Avocados
• 1 lime
• 1 large shallot (about 2-3 T diced)
• 1 medium Roma tomato (or a few cherry tomatoes)
• 1/2 jalapeno (seeded and diced)
• 2-3 T Cilantro (chopped)
• 2 t sea salt
• 1 t pepper
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t red pepper flake
• 1 t (small drizzle) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Cut avocados in half, score with knife and scoop out into a bowl
2. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top of the avocado
3. Mash the avocado with the lime until desired smoothness (I prefer a few chunks of the avocado left)
4. Seed then dice 1/2 jalapen0, dice shallot (can substitute red or white onion on preference) and chop cilantro and mix into avocado
5. Cut tomato in 1/2, squeeze the juice and seeds out, dice and add to mixture
6. Toast salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder and pepper flake for 30 t0 60 seconds over MH heat, or until the fragrances are released from the spices
7. Add the spices and drizzle of EVOO and mix thoroughly

As I mentioned, feel free to add and subtract from the spice amounts depending on taste.  The toasting of the spices is key to releasing the true flavor of them and YES the cumin is necessary!  Give it a try and I’m sure you won’t go back to your old guac recipe.

Cheers and enjoy!

River Horse Brewing Company in Lambertville, NJ

This article marks the start of what I am debuting as Beer Porn.  As I’m sure many of you are, most food lovers are also passionate about truly flavorful and unique beers.  As mentioned in many of my earlier posts, I love trying craft beers I have never had before.  Sometimes I end up finding hidden gems, and sometimes I end up tasting something that resembles what I envision being made in a garbage can in the backwoods.  That being said, no one can debate the fact that the United States offers more fantastic craft brew options than any other country in the world (Don edit: I totally agree, just go watch American Beer).

Taking my passion for great beers, I felt that everyone would enjoy hearing about new and unique beers on Buffalo Eats.  It’s obviously important to understand that as with food, everyone has slightly different beer tastes.  I generally steer toward heavier, unfiltered styles but I haven’t met a type of beer that I have ever legitimately hated.  Given a choice when out in Buffalo, I usually grab myself a Bravarian style wheat, yet recently have become more enamored with some of the hoppy delights breweries are pumping out.  Make sure you take this into consideration when hearing my thoughts, and I hope everyone enjoys the new Beer Porns on the site.

The first beer I chose to “test” is from the River Horse Brewing Company in Lambertville, NJ and was reccomended to me from my father.  River Horse offers what they call a Belgian style ale called Tripel Horse.

Tripel Horse Belgian Ale

The first thing I noticed when getting myself a bottle of Tripel Horse is that it proudly advertises its highly intense alcohol content of 10%  While most craft brews (average 5%) are a bit higher than the average American ale (around 3 1/2%), 10 percent is quite high and it definitely caught my attention after finishing the bottle.  That being said, most beers with that high alcohol have a much stronger and harsher alcohol taste.  The Tripel Horse is surprisingly smooth and easy drinking.  The mouth feel is thick and luxurious and almost seems to coat the inside of your mouth a bit.  The brewing company describes the beer as a fairly “dry” beer and this was noticeable.  It have a crisp clean finish and only a very faint back taste of hops.  Usually when I describe a beer as having a “crisp” taste, it usually means it was quite hoppy, yet this certainly wasn’t the case here.  The beer is brewed with hints of vanilla and that taste definitely comes through pretty heavily when drinking.  I would highly recommend giving this beer a try, especially to anyone who enjoys a hearty, warming beer.  If light lagers are your style, stay far away from the Tripel Horse.  However, it’s perfect for the cold Buffalo winters and the 10  percent alcohol content certainly helps put on your “liquid sweater.”

The first weekend in October brought the highly decorated microbrewery, Dogfish Head, to Coles on Elmwood for weekend of draft beer tastings.  When I first found out about the Delaware based brewery, which has been in existence since 1995, were making a trip to Buffalo I was very excited for two reasons.  The first is that I have only had a chance to taste a few of their unique and tasty concoctions and the second was they chose the perfect place for the event.

I arrived a bit early for the Friday night tastings on purpose, solely so that I had some time to order myself a side of Coles fries before tasting.  I told my friends that we had to get there early so that I could ‘clear my palate.’  In reality, I will do just about anything for an order of Coles crispy fries.  After the fries were polished off I headed upstairs to the tastings.  The staff had everything laid out well, About 12 brews lined one side of the room.  Tables with plenty of information about their different beers was scattered about the room.  Their booklets were not only helpful, it allowed you to decide which drafts to give a try, but also informative and a surprisingly good read.  The brewery’s claim to fame/slogan is they produce “off-centered ales for off-centered people.”  Most of the beers are fairly complex with multiple flavors (much like wine) and therefore the descriptions helped with determining hints of flavors along with the background stories of the beer.

The tastings each cost a set number of tickets that you had to purchase at the door.  The tickets were only $.50 each and the drafts were anywhere from 2 tickets to 6 tickets for a 5 ounce glass, depending on the type you choose.  At first that may seem a bit expensive, however combining the quality of the beer and the strength of the beer, it was well worth spending the money.  Whenever you can’t decide if you want to pay that extra dollar or two to try a new quality beer, remind yourself of the words I also tell my friends, “Life’s too short to drink cheap beer!”

The first two drafts I decided to try were the Festina Peche and the Theobroma.

Festine Peche Left & Theobroma Right

The Festina Peche is described as a “neo-Berliner Weisse fermented with loads-o-peaches.”  It is only released in the summer time and is a light and refreshing 4.5% ABV summer brew.  It started out with slight sour taste.  It had the mouth feel and taste of a pinot grigio wine.  Then it ended with an intense peach kick.  The peche was light and crisp and perfect for summer drinking as well as would go great with grilled chicken or fish.  I would recommend this beer for people who generally drink a light American lager.  It would be an excellent way to smoothly and slowly transition into worlds of flavor.

The second beer of the first trip to the taps I tried was the Theobroma.  I probably made a bad choice into jumping right into a much stronger beer (10%ABV) but it sounded fantastic.  The Beer is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, honey, and chillies.  DFH says that this recipe dates back to 1200BC.  The Theobroma had a much darker taste than it appears.  It was deep, rich and complex and the beer finishes with a spice on the tongue.  You can really taste the cocoa powder as well as the chilies in the aftertaste.  This beer is one of the breweries limited, small-batch releases and is bottled and sold starting in November of each year.  For those who enjoy a nice, dark hearty winter beer.  Be on the look out for the Theobroma when it is released.

The next round to the taps had me tasting the Sah’ Tea and the Immort Ale.

Sah' Tea left and Immort Ale right

The Sah’ Tea is also one of the brewery’s limited releases.  It is bottled in June and has an alcohol content of 9%.  This beer is brewed with rye and then fermented with a German wheat yeast (both of which can be distinctly tasted).  It has a very strong tea aroma and actually tasted much lighter than it appeared.  The tea taste (which the beer is also brewed with) is subtle, yet noticeable.  It has the mouth feel and a bit of the taste of an unfiltered wheat beer.  This was one of the two beers that I fell in love with and would encourage everyone to give it a try.  The balance between the flavors was fantastic.

The second draft of round two was the Immort Ale.  This is also one of their limited releases (which they were obviously showcasing) and is released in May.  I wouldn’t say that I didn’t like this beer, but it was definitely my least favorite of all the tastings that I tried that night.  The beer had an alcohol content of 11%, and you could certainly taste it.  It is brewed with peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, vanilla, maple syrup and then it’s aged in oak barrels.  The beer was extremely strong and heavy and the oak and smoke was the prominent flavor.  The first thing that my group thought when tasting was “wow, this tastes kind of like breakfast”.  I think it must have been the smoked flavor combined with the maple syrup, but that was all I could thing of while drinking it.  I thought the beer tasted a bit more like whiskey than beer, I would recommend this Ale for people who enjoy sitting back and sipping on some of grandpa’s cough medicine.

It was time for round three, and the hunger for some more Coles fries was starting to grow again.  The whole drinking beer as strong as wine idea was fantastic, however it the munchies grow exponentially quicker than drinking normal American lagers.  Round three took me to the Chateau Jiahu and the Black & Blue.

Chateau Jiahu left, Black & Blue right

Another limited release, the Chateau Jiahu is bottled in July and is a 10%ABV.  This beer is brewed with rice, honey, grapes and howthorne fruit.  The start of the taste has a distinct, smooth honey flavor.  The beer then switches gears and has a grape finish.  It was quite strange the first few sips I took, I felt like I was drinking a mixture of dark beer and wine.  But then it started to grow on me.  By the time I was finished with the glass I had become quite the fan.  The honey and grapes seem to compliment each other and create a great taste and easy drinking, extremely smooth beer.

The sixth beer of the evening was the Black & Blue.  The Black & Blue is another limited release that was debuted back in April.  DFH describes the beer as strong Belgium ale fermented with blackberries and blueberries.  The beer was very strong (10&ABV), more than I was expecting seeing that it was a fruit beer, but the massive amounts of berries they brew it with almost masks the high alcohol.  I would consider that a good thing, however this little sucker can sneak right up on you.  It tastes like refreshing summer beer than an intense ale.  I would recommend this beer to any fruit beer lovers, however beware of the alcohol bite (or just make sure your tasting in or near a great food joint)!

After finishing the pair of drafts from my third journey, I decided I was good to go for one more beer (of course I hadn’t planned on another trip, but hell, who plans on one more beer). It turns out that it must have been a stroke of genius by me to have another beer, or just a stroke of luck.  My final DFH draft taste was the Aprihop.

Spring Seasonal Release, Aprihop.

Aprihop is a seasonally released beer that debuts each year in the Spring.  It is an I.P.A. brewed with apricots.  It sports a 7%ABV, so it was a bit lighter than most of the limited release brews.  The Aprihop was by far my favorite beer of the night.  DFH has won a plethora of awards for their stunning I.P.A.’s and they did not disappoint with this offshoot.  It has a distinct, strong apricot smell and flavor, however the beer is not too sweet at all.  The apricots add just a touch of sweetness, which is different from most “fruity” beers which tend to be closer to a “carbonated water with fruit juice” taste.  The fruit taste is balances perfectly with the hoppiness the beer exerts.  They claim this to be a great beer for BBQ’s and summer, however I would claim that this beer is great for anytime and anything.  I couldn’t stop raving about the beer for hours due to the absolute perfect balance between the fruit and hops.  If you have never tried one of DFH’s I.P.A.’s I would strongly recommend giving this a try.  If you aren’t a huge hoppy beer fan or I.P.A. fan, this beer may just change your mind.

The long awaited Dogfish Head weekend certainly did not disappoint.  The beers they presented and showcased were unique, interesting, and for the most part delicious.  There is such a wide variety of choices that everybody was able to find at least one beer (and most people found 4 or 5) that they absolutely loved.  Next time your scavenging the beer store (we highly recommend the Village Beer Merchant) and can’t decide what to try.  Or perhaps your starring at the countless draft handles at the local pub.   Give a Dogfish Head beer a try and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed, just a bit drunker than anticipated!

Dogfish Head uses a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson (above) to sum up their purpose, and I think it fits great…

“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.  He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness.  Nothing is atlas sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”

Cheers!