The Brew Basement

Name: Rauchbier - Weizen (Wheat)
Brewer: Aecht Schlenkerla
Style: Rauchbier
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: March 21st, 2008
Original Tasting: April 12th, 2008
My second beer from Aecht Schlenkerla (their Weizen) started off a bit differently then the last. It was apparent that this brew was going to be a heck of a lot mellower then the Aecht Urbock. The flavor of […]

Name: Rauchbier - Urbock
Brewer: Aecht Schlenkerla
Style: Rauchbier
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: March 21st, 2008
Original Tasting: April 12th, 2008
After popping the cap on this brew, there’s no doubt what you’re dealing with here. Smoke, and a whole hell of a lot of it. Powerfully smoky smells came off of this brew. I was reminded of a roaring campfire […]

Looking for a good smoked brew? They’re a bit of an elusive breed, to be honest. In your typical US beverage store you’ll find stacks and stacks of lagers, row after row of pale ales, but not very many smoke flavored beers. It’s a simple fact that if you find yourself in the mood for […]

Name: Smoked Porter
Brewer: Alaskan Brewing
Style: Rauchbier (Smoked Beer)
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: November 28th, 2007
Original Tasting: March 31st, 2008
Check out that picture - it’s not too bad of an award haul for a single beer, wouldn’t you say? Alaskan Brewing’s Smoked Porter picked up yet another medal at this year’s Great American Beer Festival - a bronze […]

Name: Red and White
Brewer: Dogfish Head
Style: Beats the hell out of me
Vintage: 2008
Bottled On: N/A
Cellared On: 3/13/2008
Original Tasting: 3/15/2008
One of my big regrets last summer is that I didn’t get a chance to cellar any of the original vintage of Dogfish Head’s Red and White. It sold out pretty fast here in Upstate NY. I […]

Name: Fort
Brewer: Dogfish Head
Style: Fruit
Vintage: 2007
Bottled On: November 7th, 2007
Cellared On: February 22nd, 2008
Original Tasting: February 29th, 2008
Not seeing this beer in the store when it first came out last fall, I simply thought upstate NY had missed the boat on this brew. As you can imagine, I was surprised and overjoyed when I walked […]

That sure didn’t take long.
It was just this fall that archaeologists told us about their discovery of an ancient alcoholic chocolate drink that was brewed thousands of years ago in Central America (Be sure to check out Zythophile’s take on the story). Wasting no time at all - they must have started planning as soon […]

It’s the first Friday of the month! That means it’s time for The Session, when beer bloggers from across the web all saddle up to the bar and write about a common topic. This months Session is being hosted by Wilson over at Brewvana, and the topic is that strong German beer we all (or at […]

 
Name: Celebration Ale
Brewer: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Style: IPA/Holiday Brew
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: November 17th, 2007
Original Tasting: December 6th, 2007
I already wrote all about this beer last week when it won the head-to-head Christmas beer tasting.  If you haven’t read that article yet, this brew narrowly beat out my vintage 2004 Celebration Ale in a taste test cage match. Just to stay […]

 
Name: Our Special Ale (Christmas Ale)
Brewer: Anchor Brewing
Style: Not sure - a porter perhaps?
Vintage: 2007
Cellared On: November 3rd, 2007
Original Tasting: November 10th, 2007
Beer geeks everywhere know the holiday season is upon us when Anchor’s Our Special Ale starts showing up on the shelves. The recipe for this brew remains a closely guarded secret, and each […]