Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse

This next beer is the result of a collaboration between Hans-Peter Drexler of Weissbierbrauerei Schneider and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. It comes in two forms, one brewed at each of the breweries, and the two have slightly different hopping regimes. Both are called Hopfen Weisse (”Hop Wheat Beer”); when made in Kelheim the full name is Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse. This one is dry hopped with saphir (have I been in a rut recently?). In case you are curious, when made in Brooklyn it is called Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen Weisse and it’s dry hopped with amarillo and palisade.

The Hopfen Weisse is a very cloudy tangerine yellow. It has a bit of off-white head. The aroma is much like you would expect from a hefeweizen: strong clove and banana and some bready, wheaty, and toasty malt notes. In this one, however, there is a distinct citric hop aroma. The nose is delicate but remarkably complex. The already carefully balanced hefe character has found a hoppy companion.

The flavor delivers on what the nose promises. Likewise light and delicate, it is a dance of wheat breadiness, yeast clovitude, and hop citricity (that’s right). There is just a hint of alcohol warming, not enough to tell you that it’s over 8 percent by volume. A bit of sweetness keeps the alcohol at bay to let the cloves and exotic fruit flavors shine. That sweetness refrains from hanging around long enough to be cloying, maintaining the delicacy of this beer.

As my friend Jan says about this one, “Nom, nom, nom!”

Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse

4.3 (3-8-9-5-18)

P.S. In case you were wondering, that is my saphir single hop homebrew in the backgroud waiting to get racked.

IPA Week: Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA

While Mikkeller is officially located in København, Denmark, head brewer and co-creator Mikkel Borg Bjergs refers to himself as a “gipsy-brewer” for his habit of brewing in facilities located around Europe and the world. The Simcoe Single Hop IPA, for instance, was brewed at the De Proefbrouwerij in Lochristi, Belgium.

The Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop has a rich hoppy aroma that draws your attention from across the table. A thick citrus and delicate floral hop nose dominates, rich and round and full. Just a hint of toasty pale malt comes through as well. A generous pillow of creamy beige head sits atop a very hazy caramel-colored beer with plenty of chunks of yeast at the bottom.

A bitterness that is quite strong but not at all sharp hides the delicate hop flavor to some extent. Light citric and flowery hops meet the tip and sides of the tongue while the pervasive bitterness rides up the middle. Just sweet enough to give a solid creamy palate, this beer avoids being overpowered by the hop bitterness or the active carbonation. The problem with beers that have amazing aromas is that no matter how good the flavor is it will always be just a little bit disappointing. Likewise with the Simcoe Single Hop: the wonderful flavor is overshadowed by the near-perfect aroma.

Overall an incredible IPA. Despite being almost 7% alcohol this beer has a great delicate character that makes it way too sessionable. If I had several around I’d easily get myself in trouble.

Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA

4.3 (4-9-8-5-17)

IPA Week: Saphir Single-Hop Organic Homebrew

Today I finally brewed the beer that has been several months in the making. It is an all-organic single-hop saphir India pale ale. Saphir hops have this other-worldly fruity character to them that I was hoping to capture in full with this brew.

It started out with Northern Brewer’s organic light malt extract to provide most of the fermentables. To that I added a pound each of Briess’s organic cara-pils, caramel 20L, and caramel 60L malts. These adjunct malts will provide body and solid malt flavor to balance the hops. Caramel (also known as crystal) malts are roasted while still wet, allowing the enzymes to work breaking down the starches into sugar which then crystallizes within the kernel. Cara-pils (also called dextrin malt due to its high dextrin content) is the lightest variety of caramel malt. It is roasted just long enough to crystallize without allowing the sugars to caramelize. The 20L and 60L malts are left longer, converting more of the sugars to an unfermentable form and darkening the malt (creating Maillard by-products), in this case increasing the color to 20 or 60 degrees Lovibond, respectively. I did what’s called a mini-mash with the three pounds of grain, steeping them in the water as I waited for it to raise to boiling.

I used only one type of hop for bittering as well as flavor and aroma: saphir. This is a relatively new variety coming out of Germany, intended to replace the hallowed Hallertauer Mittelfruh (the variety used in classic Bavarian Oktoberfestbier). Saphir has a wonderfully delicate herbal and citric aroma (great for brewers) and an incredible resistance to disease and pests (great for growers). I added three ounces at the start of the boil to give a solid bitter foundation. After half an hour I threw in another ounce, and again after another fifteen minutes. These should allow the flavor of the hops to come through significantly. Just before stopping the boil I threw in half an ounce and I’ll dry hop with the last half ounce to ensure the presence of the intoxicating aroma of the saphir.

Like all good American IPAs I used Sierra Nevada’s yeast. Beer Calculus predicts it will end up being around 6.4% alcohol and somewhat leaning towards bitter and hoppy. I can’t wait to see how this turns out…

Saphir Single-Hop Organic IPA
6 lbs. Organic Light Malt Extract Syrup
1 lb. Organic Cara-pils
1 lb. Organic Caramel 20L
1 lb. Organic Caramel 60L
3 oz. Organic Saphir 60 min.
1 oz. Organic Saphir 30 min.
1 oz. Organic Saphir 15 min.
1/2 oz. Organic Saphir 1 min.
1/2 oz. Organic Saphir dry-hopped
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast

IPA Week: Dogfish Head 90 Minute

Dogfish Head, from Milton, Delaware, is a strange brewery (if you couldn’t tell by the name). They make some of the strongest and strangest of American craft brewing. They make forties of “Liquor de Malt” and have a beer called “Golden Shower”. They put strange ingredients in beer and make historic replica brews. They also have perhaps the most acclaimed series of India pale ales in the United States (East of the Rockies, at least), their 60- 90- and 120-Minute IPAs, so named because they are “continuously hopped” each minute for 60, 90, or 120 minutes.

The story goes that when Dogfish Head started making these so-called continuously hopped beers they rigged up a machine that would shake a coffee can with a hole in the bottom just enough to empty the can after an hour. Nowadays I imagine their system is fancier.

The 90-Minute Imperial IPA is a barely hazy amber with a thick straw head. The nose is strong but delicate. Initially sweet with toasty pale malt, it grows into a serious flowery aroma. Daffodil and lavender are followed by a light peach character.

The peach and toasty sweetness continue on to the first taste. A smooth bitterness tries its hardest to take over but the malt obstinately balances it out. Floral and herbal hop flavor dominate as it moves to the back of the tongue and into the aftertaste. The bitterness lingers a little longer, but a hint of mouth coating holds it just at bay.

A playful and delicate beer, remarkable for one at 9 percent alcohol.

Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA

4.1 (4-8-8-4-17)

IPA Week: Houblon Chouffe

All the beers from Brasserie d’Achouffe in The Ardennes of Belgium are named something with “chouffe”, Flemish for gnome or elf. Today I’m having Houblon Chouffe, or “Hop Elf”. This beer is labeled a Dobbelen IPA Tripel, so it’s a hybrid style that takes inspiration from both American Double IPAs and Belgian tripels.

The Houblon Chouffe is a turbid yellow gold. The head is massive, pillowy, and white. The aroma is complex and compact, a wonderful marriage between an IPA and a tripel. The tripel character is just a bit more prominent, possibly because the bottle is not entirely fresh (thank you, Iowa ABD). The nose is strongly peppery, with toasty malt and an herbal and earthy hop presence.

The taste is immediately a bit bitter and a bit alcoholic. Some pale malt flavor comes out as well. Earthy hops provide a background that indicates it really is half of an IPA. It grows just a little sweeter through the taste, and it’s not too active so the palate is quite creamy.

All in all a tasty beer.

Houblon Chouffe

3.7 (5-8-6-4-14)

IPA Week: Car Trouble Double

My car died today in a big cloud of black smoke. It’s been something of a phoenix in the past but I don’t think it will wake up from this one. In mourning I am having a pair of India pale ales.

First up, from Central Waters Brewing Company in Amherst, Wisconsin, the Glacial Trail IPA. Central Waters has been making major progress towards becoming an eco-friendly brewery, installing 24 solar power panels as well as loads of energy-efficient equipment and building with recycled materials.

Glacial Trail is topped by a pillow of the creamiest head I have seen in a while. It has a healthy opal haze as well as plenty of yeast sediment. The hue is a beautiful gamboge. An herbal and citric nose opens up as it waits, revealing lemongrass, basil, sage, lemon, and orange. A bit of floral hops come through as well. The aroma is delicate but not mild; that is, you have to lean in to get it but once you do the hops take you for a ride. This IPA is most certainly fresh.

A significant earthy bitterness greets you immediately and doesn’t let up. Initially it is quite direct down the middle of the tongue, but it widens as the citrus flavor joins in. A bit of pale malt sweetness is present as well, probably from a light crystal roast. Quite bitter, with a bit of lingering sweetness, and very sessionable. And when I said it has the creamiest pillow of head I wasn’t kidding: at the end of the glass that’s still at least a centimeter tall.

Next up is the IPA from the brewery that brought you Moose Drool, Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula, Montana. Theirs is called simply Big Sky IPA.

When asked to describe the Big Sky IPA my go-to response is “it’s a grapefruit punch to the face.” That might not sound pleasant but it is. Now that I’m tasting it ‘officially’ I notice that there is also a significant earthy hop character like pine, especially on the nose. Brilliantly clear and a tawny amber color, this IPA has an off-white head that quickly fades to nothing, the antithesis of that of the Glacial Trail. The aroma is strong with grapefruit citrus and some pine, with a bit of caramel breaking through the hops.

The taste is where the grapefruit character is almost overpowering. So citric it is just short of sour, and with a light fruity sweetness, this beer tastes exactly like eating a grapefruit. The sharp hop flavor is offset by a relative lack of bitterness and a shade of toasty sweetness. In a moment your mouth has neutralized most of the hop flavor and a mild citric aftertaste remains. The quite strong carbonation action doesn’t help make this an easy drinker, but I’ll have another if you will…

Bonus rating! When I was at Papago Brewing, a beer bar and sometime brewpub in Phoenix, I purchased a bottle of Rogue 10,000 Brews. I thought I had lost the review forever until I gave up hope. Then, while disc golfing, I discovered where I had hidden it. So here it is. (And just to generate buzz, it is this beer that made me decide to make the single hop saphir pale ale that I will brew this week.)

Made by Rogue Ales, the Ten Thousand Brew Ale has the look of cider: a milky cider brown that fades dramatically from light to dark. The nose is rich with exotic fruits like mango and pomegranate, and floral, slightly sweet, and alcoholic. The aroma reminds me of a brandy old fashioned.

The taste is just a bit too sharp. Very intense at first, it mellows and opens up as it warms and breathes. The 10,000 Brew has a spicy and fruity alcoholic flavor, something like a strong mixed (fruity) drink. A rich maltiness backs it up, with a lingering sweet malty and fruity flavor. Significant bitterness at first and also lingering and with a solid mouthfeel, this beer is quite complex. It moves from alcoholic to fruity to bitter to fruity again to musty to bitter again as I let it sit on the tongue.

Maybe you can see why I was disappointed that I lost this rating for several months?

Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale

4.0 (4-9-7-5-15)

Central Waters Glacial Trail IPA

3.9 (5-8-7-4-15)

Big Sky IPA

3.3 (2-7-7-3-14)

IPA Week: Millstream Iowa Pale Ale

I will continue with IPA week by tasting another midwestern India pale ale, this one from Millstream Brewing Company in Amana, Iowa. Founded in 1985, Millstream is one of the oldest microbreweries in the country. Amana is a German town and Millstream is therefore a lagerhouse. That doesn’t mean they don’t do good work on ales: in particular their banana-fueled hefe is quite tasty. But this isn’t wheat week, though I do like that alliteration…

The cleverly titled Iowa Pale Ale pours an opalescent copper with a bit of creamy off-white head. Citric hops (definitely cascade) stand out on the nose, with a backing of earthy ones (probably fuggles). A bit of toast comes through as well in the delicate aroma.

A bit of pointed bitterness greets you on the tip of the tongue. This migrates to the middle, growing into an earthy and herbal flavor. Meanwhile, a mild sweetness builds on the sides of the tongue, joined by some citric hop character. Neither the bitter nor the sweet flavor is too strong, balancing out to a very sessionable beer. All I would ask for is a bit more prominent hop flavor.

Millstream Iowa Pale Ale

3.3 (4-7-5-4-13)

IPA Week: Boulevard Double-Wide

The Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri has released a number of special-edition beers called the Smokestack Series. Tonight I will try the Double-Wide India Pale Ale. This is the bigger brother of their Single-Wide that I reviewed a little while back.

The Double-Wide pours a lusciously hazy deep caramel copper color with a thick, frothy tan head. The nose is full of hop complexity: pine and a rough floral aroma dominate, with significant notes of herbs and citrus. The grapefruit character of Pacific Northwest hops is assertive. A rich malty aroma matches the hops, manifesting as caramel and toast as well as raisins and prunes. There is but a hint of the sharp alcohol, but it’s hard to notice for the pine.

On the tongue the Double-Wide is slow to attack. First I notice a bit of caramel followed quickly by grapefruit and other citric hop flavor. Later the herbal and piney hops come, bringing along a significant but not overpowering bitterness. The citrus and herbs circle the caramel and raisins while the bitterness grows softer and eventually fades.

This beer is serious yet playful, strong yet drinkable. As much as I love their Single-Wide, Boulevard has worked a miracle with the Double-Wide.

Boulevard Double-Wide IPA

4.2 (5-9-7-4-17)

New Milwaukee

I just realized I forgot to post about my trip to Milwaukee two weeks ago. Too bad, because somehow (just as I did with the Rogue Ten Thousand Brew I got in Arizona) I lost the page of reviews I took at the Sprecher Brewery. Well, easy come, easy go. The brewery tour was good but the guide was a little misinformed. Maybe they’ll be kind enough to send me a case of beers and I’ll rerate them. I do have a bottle of the barleywine that I’m going to sit on for a little while.

Kyle directing beer flow.

I also visited the Silver Creek Brewpub in Cedarburg where my brewing school buddy Kyle works. They were doing an overnight brew of their Octoberfest. That was quite entertaining, if a little tiring after spending all day at the Locust Street Festival.

I’ve had a number of their beers (this time and before) but only remembered to write notes for one, the Imperial Maibock. I think I’ve made it clear that maibock is one of my favorite styles, plus you’ve gotta respect imperials, so I knew I was in for a treat.

Head brewer Steve checking the gravity.

This one pours a hazy golden amber color with some off-white head. The nose is delicate – toasty and dry with some hints of caramel. On the taste the spicy herbal hop character comes out, followed by some sweetness as caramel and toast. They’ve managed the great balance between the hops and malt that defines a maibock. It gives just a bit of a mouthcoating without being too cloying, the mark of a good imperial.

Silver Creek Imperial Maibock

3.6 (3-6-8-4-15)

Iowa High-Proof Beer Sales

Tim Hynds over at Sioux Brew posted the numbers on the top selling strong beers in Iowa for the first half of the year. The top seller? Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo, outselling the second place Bigfoot (also from Sierra Nevada) by a factor of two to one. That in turn outsold third place Spaten Optimator by a factor of almost 3 to 1. Way to go Sierra Nevada, and keep bringing your big beers into Iowa! We appreciate it.