Dugges Ale and Porterbyggeri - "Syrligt" sour ale (Sweden)

I saw today's beer sitting on the warm shelf at Whole Foods and decided to give it a try, mostly because I've never had a Swedish beer before, but also for the two main ingredients - rhubarb and lingonberry. I had no idea what lingonberry is (Wikipedia shows it's the fruit of the the lingonberry bush, which is native to the Scandinavian region and used a lot in traditional cooking) but I am familiar with rhubarb.

A rhubarb plant.

Rhubarb is a kind of vegetable plant whose stalks are edible, and resemble tart celery. I remember my grandmother used to grow rhubarb, decades ago, and make pies with it. It's most often mixed with sugar for desserts, and so when I saw a beer with it, I had to try.

The beer itself is made in southern Sweden by Dugges Ale & Porterbryggeri, and imported / released by Stillwater Artisanal. The "Syrligt" is a 4.5% sour ale, which is a genre I haven't really explored here on the blog - but it's one that's gained popularity lately, so I figured I should perhaps investigate. Sours are a genre of beer intentionally made tart, acidic, or sour. When brewing first started, thousands of years ago, wild yeast was all that was available - and as a result of the natural variables in that wild yeast, most beers were sour to a degree. Modern brewing techniques have eliminated those variables, so we have beer as we know it. And with the surge in craft brewing around the globe, the sour style has been recreated for today's beer drinkers. Let's give this a shot.

It pours a nice orange color, with some fizziness and a slight head. It throws an interesting lemon aroma. And, as advertised, this beer is sour; mind-blowingly so. There are some sweet berry and lemon flavors throughout, with a massive tart / sour mouthfeel - kinda like those old candies, the Atomic Warheads. There are some malty and sweet flavors on the finish, and the aftertaste is very tart and lasts for a long time.

They weren't kidding when they said sour. I think this beer could have been better if it was slightly less sour, but I like how light it was (4.5%) and relatively easy drinking. I'm glad to have tried this, and I think for $4.99 for a single, it was a fun little experiment. If you like sour - give this a spin!

Molly Pitcher Brewing Co. - "Redcoat" ESB

A few weeks ago I was back in Carlisle, PA, and I stayed at my usual digs -  a very fine B&B on South Hanover Street. It's right across the street from Molly Pitcher Brewing Company, now in its third year of operation. I reviewed the brewery about a year ago and interviewed Mike Moll, head of operations. I had a nice time there, and am glad that Carlisle finally has its own brewery!

So when I returned recently, I noticed a lot had changed. First of all, their operation has increased dramatically, with huge fermentation tanks replacing the chest-freezer setup they had last year. They also have expanded their bar area (which is good since this place can get busy) and adjusted somewhat their seating. But one of the biggest changes - and one of the most welcome changes, since I live about 90 miles away - is that they now sell bombers. Now I can take my Molly Pitcher beers to go! They were doing a rather generous promotion, so I grabbed 4 bottles on my way back to DC. Today's beer is one of them - in fact, two of them, since I bought two bottles. I believe this was $6.99 - not a bad deal at all!

It's their "Redcoat", a 5.5% ABV English ESB. ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter or Extra Strong Bitter; but don't let the name fool you - it's not bitter at all. The style, sometimes called an English pale ale, originated in England a few hundred years ago, as an alternative to the very mild beers of the time. While an ESB isn't necessarily bitter by American craft brewing standards, it stood out at the time as more flavorful and tangy than the usual ales. The archaic style has made a comeback recently, and as a fan of the style, I was pleased that Molly Pitcher took up the mantle to craft an ESB. Let's dive in.

The beer has a dark red color in the glass, and generates thick, tan foam. The nose is thin, but has some malty characters to it. When candled, it's a clear red.

What struck me immediately is the smooth, pleasantly malty character of the beer. It starts out very malty and flavorful with a slight metallic tang, and develops a mild hint of hops throughout. The beer is full flavored, with some hop profiles and a deep, sweet, bready malt character on the finish. It has an herbal aftertaste with an undercurrent of hops, which is also very nice.

This beer is also pretty light, at 5.5%, so it's easy drinking as well. This is also part of the historical style; bitters were always meant to be easy to drink. In fact, there was even a watered-down version called "boy's bitters" that was around 3% ABV. Luckily this isn't watered-down at all!

Overall, I liked the flavor profile of this a lot, and I think Molly Pitcher has another winner in the "Redcoat". It's tasty, easy-drinking, and a nice throwback to an old English style of beer. It's worth a try! I am also very interested in reviewing their Espresso Stout, which I had on draft at the brewery and was delicious. I grabbed a bottle of that too, so a review will be forthcoming in the fall.

Dogfish Head Brewery - "Romantic Chemistry" IPA

Here we have another fancy spring seasonal from Dogfish Head. It's their "Romantic Chemistry", a 7.2% ABV IPA made with mango, apricot, and ginger. Kudos to Dogfish Head's graphic designers, who always come up with really attractive labels and box art.

It pours a nice deep honey color in the glass, generating an eggshell-colored head and looks burnt orange color when candled. It also throws some heavy citrus aromas. Interesting!

It's kind of as I expected - light, tart, bright and citric. However, the hops flavors are very subtle, which is a welcome surprise. I like the levity of this beer - the fruit makes it bright and summery, and it's very refreshing. The finish is soft and smooth, with little aftertaste, and no detectable ginger notes throughout the beer...which doesn't surprise me. In this regard, today's beer reminds me of a Foley Brothers beer I reviewed last year. And just like that beer, the ginger was a bit oversold. I'm sure it was in there, but the flavors weren't readily detectable. It's a little disappointing, since ginger is a good ingredient in beer and some, like Heritage's "American Expedition", do a good job of it.

Romantic Chemistry is readily available at supermarkets like Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, and also at specialty stores. I paid $12 for a 4-pack (Dogfish Head generally releases 4-packs, unfortunately) so the price-per-beer is higher than many other 12oz offerings. And while this beer is fresh, fruity and tasty, it's still kind of expensive for what you get in my opinion.

Uinta Brewing Co. - "Biere de Mars" ale

Now that the weather is (kinda) warming up, I figured it was time to try a lighter spring ale. Fortunately, those seasonal offerings are just starting to make their way to market, and a casual perusal of the beer aisle at Whole Foods on P Street shows both new spring stuff and remnants of their winter stock. But there was one new entry which jumped out at me - Uinta Brewing Co.'s "Biere de Mars."

It's billed as a 7.2% ABV spring ale aged in Chardonnay barrels. You may recall my mention of the oak-aging process in a wine post last year, but as a recap, wood barrels are often used to age wine, liquor and beer. The wood imparts certain flavors, and as beer mingles with the wood and absorbs those flavors, it can change the consistency and taste.

But then that leads me to what a "spring ale" is. It's not a term I've heard often, which is one of the reasons I was attracted to this beer. So a little research cleared up the issue - a spring ale is essentially a seasonal beer made back when beer was usually made in the home with materials grown on the family farm. The name of the beer, "March beer" in French, denotes when the beer was traditionally enjoyed. It was brewed using leftover ingredients from the harvest, and left to sit until March when it achieved the proper consistency.

Let's crack this open. It pours a nice amber color, generating a short, clingy white foam head.

It's not super aromatic, but has some fresh aromas and a little spice, Candled, the beer is pretty light with lots of little bubbles.

Wow, interesting. It's very malty initially, with some present but not overpowering hop profiles, and a light biscuity flavor. "Biscuity" is a flavor term used to describe a beer with an unleavened yeasty flavor - think a Royal Milk cracker. A little herbal cereal tastes round out the beer's flavor, and there's a particular light sweetness on the finish and aftertaste, reminiscent of white wine - yep, there's the chardonnay barrels making an appearance. I like the lingering sweetness on the tongue.

In the end, very pleasant and drinkable. While it's not unique or wildly different, in the end it's a good, well-balanced ale that's fresh and tasty. I like the biscuit quality of it a lot and the chardonnay influence provides a little bit of white wine sweetness which adds a lot to the experience. Overall, it's a refreshing spring beer that I would buy again. It's available at Whole Foods in bombers for $10.99, and I've also seen it on draft at various places. It's worth a try for sure.

Beer Flash: Charter Oak Brewing Co. - "Courageous Special Ale"

Here's a beer flash from New Canaan, CT-based Charter Oak Brewing Company. It's their "Courageous Special Ale", a 7.9% ABV American strong ale weighing in at 86 IBUs. For those of you unfamiliar - IBU stands for "International Bittering Unit", a unit of measure for how bitter a beer is. I have seen beers range from 25 IBUs (not at all bitter) to Mikkeller's "1000 IBU" imperial IPA (face-meltingly bitter.)

The Courageous Special pours dark red, generating a tan head, and when candled is sort of a light amber color, and cloudy. It tastes dark, a little bitter, like a good English bitters. It's malty at first, but then becomes sharp, aromatic, and strong, with a heavy hand of hops on the finish and a strong aftertaste of walnuts. Not super bitter, and just the kind of thing I'd expect to drink in a dark, wood-lined pub back in Warwickshire!