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week of beer my weekly thoughts on craft beer skip to content week of beer my weekly thoughts on craft beer home about week of beer november 20 2012 november 21 2012 tags barrel aged beer belgian ale brown ale captain lawrence craft beer dogfish head firestone walker pumpkin ale thanksgiving beer the bruery beer thoughts in lieu of a formal blog entry i thought i d share the beers i am bringing to thanksgiving dinner this year they aren t meant to be the perfect pairings for turkey the ultimate statement on the past year in beer or even the best beers for your thanksgiving table these are simply the beers i want to share right now captain lawrence brown bird brown ale elmsford new york style american british brown ale ibu bitterness 25 abv alcohol 4 8 malts canadian pale english crystal german munch german roast hops columbus sterlings goldings why i selected this beer brown ales with their warm flavors and roasted malt taste like autumn in a glass to me while the brown ale style is of british origin brown bird is a product of american brewing creativity using canadian english german malts and english american hops captain lawrence brewery was founded in 2005 by scott vaccaro and has become renowned for their barrel aged ales and wild sour ales it takes a skilled brewer to brew such complex beers so his relatively simple straightforward ales are equally well crafted if sometimes under appreciated dogfish head raison d etre milton delaware style belgian strong ale ibu bitterness 25 abv alcohol 8 0 malts pale crystal chocolate hops warrior vanguard other raisins beet sugar belgian yeast why i selected this beer dogfish head brewery s motto is off centered ales for off centered people and one of the earliest beers that founder sam calagione brewed for his brewpub was not a strict by the recipe belgian dubbel traditionally a somewhat strong malty mildly spicy brew with notes of chocolate and dark fruit and a style not commonly brewed back in 1996 by american brewers he added raisins and beet sugar to enhance the flavors already present in the style while at the same time creating something entirely new i also personally find that dark belgian style beers pair nicely with the traditional thanksgiving side dishes of stuffing candied yams and cranberry sauce the bruery autumn maple placentia california style spiced vegetable beer ibu bitterness 25 abv alcohol 10 0 malts unknown hops unknown other yams vanilla spices maple syrup why i selected this beer the one purely american style of beer that isn t a variation of a historically european beer is pumpkin ale it was likely brewed by the pilgrims with real pumpkins but maybe not the pumpkin pie spices we now associate with the style and revived by american craft brewers in the late 20 th century taking this a step further the rue family namesake of the bruery used yet another thanksgiving staple yams 17 lbs per barrel in place of pumpkin along with pumpkin pie spices and maple syrup and then fermented it using their house belgian style yeast for another level of complexity a beer such as this shows the best in american craft brewing innovation and creativity firestone walker double dba paso robles california style barrel aged imperial bitter ibu bitterness 29 abv alcohol 12 0 malts two row maris otter pale munich crystal chocolate hops magnum styrian golding east kent golding why i selected this beer when i visited firestone walker about eight years ago we walked into an empty tasting room where the only person on staff that day had to turn on the lights when she realized she had visitors in the years since firestone walker has garnered a cult like following not only for their delicious flagship double barrel ale a british inspired bitter a k a pale ale finished in oak barrels but for a series of experimental barrel aged blended ales partly inspired by the barrel aged blended wines made by their family owned winery double dba basically doubles the recipe and strength of their double barrel ale and then ages it in american oak barrels to add more layers of flavor and complexity vanilla oak smoke to an already delicious brew making this an excellent after dinner sipper to savor last round there are a few themes in the list above all the beers are relatively low in bitternes s and have little hop presence in their flavor this is intentional for two reasons one i find for pairing sake that the savory fall flavors and seasonings on a thanksgiving table call for maltier beers and that a strong bitterness would simply overwhelm the meal two if i am introducing new beers to anyone who might not be much of a beer drinker more often than not bitter beers can be a real turn off and give a bad first impression that they may never look past all the beers are american brewed i love beers from all over the world but thanksgiving is an american holiday yes canadians have their thanksgiving too but that is celebrated on a different day and i m more than happy to break out some great canadian beers then so why not celebrate with some of the creativity and innovation american brewers have brought to the beer world last is that i truly enjoy all of the beers and want to share what i enjoy with others except the autumn maple which i have actually yet to try so let s hope it is as tasty as it sounds i ll report back next week on that one till then happy thanksgiving keith leave a comment from barrel aged belgian ale brown ale craft beer pumpkin ales thanksgiving beer week of beer november 13 2012 november 13 2012 beer thoughts yes yet another new craft beer blog by me after starting my beer writing with an almost monthly pint of knowledge and not quite finishing my year of beer i finished the beers but not the blog though one of these days i ll actually translate my handwritten notes into a full 365 entries for the 365 beers i tried back in 2010 i m aiming for a weekly post that sums up beers i ve tasted that i d like to share places i ve visited that serve great beer upcoming beer events and some thoughts i may have on beer over the past seven days or so i ve recently moved to fairfield county connecticut so my posts will focus on mostly on beers available in this area not necessarily brewed locally but can be purchased here and places and events nearby southern western ct westchester nyc mostly beer tasted the first connecticut brewed beer i tried since moving to ct was half full s pumpkin ale half full is a new craft brewery opened 2012 based in stamford ct and their pumpkin ale is a draught only fall seasonal pumpkin beers can be very divisive some people can t wait to fall to arrive each year to find their favorite pumpkin beers on the shelves and other craft beer drinkers just can t stand them i m in the first group and i ve tried dozens of pumpkin ales over the years the two key factors for me are the choice of spices and amount of spices this is a very personal consideration meaning the ideal choice and level of spice for me may be quite different from what you like that being said half full s pumpkin ale has a really nice blend of spices i can taste nutmeg cinnamon and vanilla among other flavors and a spice level where i taste a really nice malty amber ale with delicious pumpkin pie spices rather than a glass of liquid pumpkin pie i m a big fan of drinking local if you can but only if that local beer is worth drinking and this beer certainly is i highly recommend seeking this one out before it s gone for the season check half full s website for a beer map to locations serving their pumpkin ale though i suggest calling ahead to any establishment listed to confirm also according to their website if you want to grab a growler a 64 oz jug hand filled at the brewery for your thanksgiving dinner they will be open on wednesday november 21 st from 4 to 8 p m beer places great beer destinations aren t always bars or breweries coalhouse pizza in stamford ct is a great pizza restaurant that just happens to have an impressive selection of 54 craft beer taps served in 16 oz mason jars as well as a nice list of beer by the bottle i got a chance to go there for the first time last night for a belgian beer class and was impressed by the beer selection delicious appetizers very cool jazz murals on the walls and truly friendly patrons and staff they also have a beer club that costs only 20 to join for the year entitling you to a complimentary beer on tuesday nights i m looking forward to returning soon to try some of their amazing looking pizza for dinner beer happenings just a few highlights of local events in the coming weeks november 19 th deadline for entries in the coalhouse pizza homebrewer s competition entries can be dropped of at either coalhouse pizza in stamford ct or maltose express in monroe ct judging takes place december 4 th november 29 th 7 p m charity concert with the stationary set at captain lawrence brewing company in elmsford ny 10 entry great beer great music great cause december 8 th beer s cup of joe stouts porters oxford ct based beer importer b united is offering an educational and tasting class at their facility at 10 30 a m nothing like starting your saturday morning with some tasty brews last round it is now mid november and the last of the fall seasonal beers oktoberfests harvest ales wet hopped ipas and pumpkin beers among others are becoming as hard to find as orange and red leaves still clinging to maple trees these days the winter beers are already taking their place with winter warmers and christmas ales already filling the shelves grab your favorite fall beers while you can especially for enjoying with your turkey dinner next week because it may be next september or august or july given how early seasonal beers seem to be released these days before you can find it again cheers keith leave a comment from craft beer pumpkin ales recent posts week of beer november 20 2012 week of beer november 13 2012 archives november 2012 categories barrel aged belgian ale brown ale craft beer pumpkin ales thanksgiving beer meta create account log in entries feed comments feed wordpress com blog at wordpress com subscribe subscribed week of beer sign me up already have a wordpress com account log in now privacy week of beer subscribe subscribed sign up log in report this content view site in reader manage subscriptions collapse this bar loading comments write a comment email required name required website design a site like this with wordpress com get started