See the Fantastical Snake Woman!

The Shmaltz Brewing Company is an odd little duck. They seem to have two lines - Jewish line and Carny Line. The Jewish line has stuff like the Re-Jew-nevator and Barmitzah. The Carny Line (smells like cabbage...small hands as Austin Powers would say) has a crazy freak show clown as its logo. This beer, the Coney Island Albino Python, is a member of the freak show line - promoting itself as being a "white lager". I've heard of white ales...but white lager? This indeed could be a freakshow I gotta try.

Appearance - An opaque golden color with a white foamy head that bellows up, then quickly simmers down. Very little carbonation going on this thing. You can see the yeast sediment before you pour it out. 3.5/5.0

Smell - Lemon, ginger, coriander, spice. As expected for the white aspect of the style. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Very different than I expected. There is a lemon taste to it, but it mixes oddly with the yeast (but not in a bad way). It subdues the citrusly lemon flavor to the point where you only hit the sharp lemon hit at the end of each taste. You also get an interesting ginger and wheat flavor with it too. While odd, I kinda like it. I think is the contribution of the "lager" aspect of the beer. 4.0/5.0

Feel - A bit thick, but coats the mouth well. The lingering aftertaste is ginger in nature, but it mixes with the yeast a bit odd...not sure I cared for that. 2.5/5.0

Drinkability - It's different that's for sure. There were aspects I really enjoyed (flavor and aroma), but the feel itself didn't sit right. I think if this was readily available, I'd have it again, but not one I'd go out of my way for. 3.0/5.0

Santa Rosa - Not the NM one...

I was at the Active 20-30 International Convention in Santa Rosa, CA last week. Northern California is a lot of fun - lots of breweries and wineries, plus I've got a bunch of family and friends out there. I had heard about Russian River Brewing, and was glad to actually get a chance to visit it. I got to go there twice, so instead of a buttload of posts, we'll just consolidate into one fat post.

The brewery itself is a chill place - could tell that there were some definite regulars who frequent there. The first night we swung in, I got a pint of their Consecration - a 10% ABV American Wild Ale (i.e. sour style). Thursday, we came for my buddy's birthday and had some tasty beer bites as appetizers and started off with a pitcher of the Little White Lie, their Belgian White Ale. Followed that up with a pint of Pliny the Elder, then got a mega-sampler of beers that we ended up sharing with the table.

Pliny the Elder was probably one of the best beers I've ever had. I had heard a lot about both this one and Pliny the Younger, so definitely had to try it.

Appearance - A creamy head with medium carbonation and a golden amber color. Pretty standard looking for the IPA style. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Lots of piney hops - definitely the most definite feature of the aroma. 4.5/5.0

Taste - Hoppy, but not bitter. Some citrus and a lightly bitter aftertaste. The mix of the malt and hops are perfect. As mentioned in previous Imperial IPA posts, I get the impression that Imperial IPAs are either over the top or delightfully subdued. This fits into the latter. The hops are flavorful and the bitterness is perfect - 5.0/5.0

Feel - Extremely smooth, not as bitter as I would expect. Aftertaste is refreshing and has a good amount of flavor. 5.0/5.0

Drinkability - I think I would have this thing on tap at my house at all times. 5.0/5.0

My notes for the other two beers aren't terribly complete - talking with friends and family precluded good note taking! But here's the brief on them:

Little White Ale - a Belgian style White Ale. Refreshing with a nice kick of spice that you would expect in any Belgian style beer. I would say that the amount of spice and coriander in this beer is more than most other Belgian beers I've had. Definitely drinkable - if you like a lighter beer, try this one.

Consecration - an American Wild ale. If you are wanting to try something...unique, I would suggest grabbing a pint of this one. Sour...but not so bad as the Lips of Faith that I had from New Belgium. I think one pint was enough of this, but was worth a try for sure. At 10% ABV, will definitely kick you in the butt. The local guy who suggested this called it their "weird beer" - can definitely see why.

DOUBBBLLEEE WHITE!!

Thanks to the Albuquerque Beer Geek who took this picture...I couldn't find something better, so go check out his website and give him some credit for being a beer bad ass. I have seen this at Quarters, Jubliation, etc... for a while and hadn't bought it, until Jeff Taylor (brewer at Marble - great guy) told me that if you don't get it now, you ain't gonna get it. Saw it at Quarters and grabbed it while I could.

This beer poured a soft, cloudy orange with a nice foamy white head. It just looked really tasty, which was only enhanced with the lovely fruity smell. Lots of citrus, orange, spice...not overly strong, but just smelt delicious. You get all of these tastes too - lots of orange, citrus, coriander, spice. Marble blended all of these flavors extremely well and made a smooth brew in the process. The flavor fills your mouth and you get a nice sharp crispness at first taste. Not terribly carbonated, so you're not going to get really bloated. The aftertaste had some good malt flavor to it and I enjoy it sticking around for a bit. Definitely a beer I'd get again, just wish they had it on tap all of the time!!!

Appearance - 4.5/5.0 - Soft orange, cloudy, nice foamy head
Smell - 4.5/5.0 - Fruity, orange, citrus, spice. Nothing overly strong, but enjoyable.
Taste - 5.0/5.0 - Really smooth citrus flavor, good Belgian representation, orange, spice, coriander.
Feel - 4.5/5.0 - Smooth with good mouth coverage; Not overly carbonated with a sharp crispness at the front; malt aftertaste
Drinkability - 4.5/5.0 - Hmmm hmmm good. Would definitely get this one again

Duel of Wit/White

Last month's Beer of the Month Club came with two white ale/witbiers (I lump them together and I'm sure I will get crap for that, but they are really...really similar and makes my life easier): the John's Grocery Generations White Ale and the Joseph James Brewing Alpine Wit. Armed with a cold glass, I tackled the two beers.

The Alpine Wit from Joseph James (or Red Fox Brewing, apparently...) was really tasty. It featured a much sharper malt and spice taste than other white ales, such as Sam Adams, Mothership Wit or the other beer in this duel. It was also a darker beer than I would have expected, being more golden than other white/witbiers. There is a hint of sweetness, but it's contrasted by that sharp spice taste mentioned above. 5.1% ABV and a low low 15 IBUs.


The Generations White Ale was a bit more of the standard, with a few subtle differences from a Sam Adams type white ale. This beer was slightly sweet, but finished with a hit of spice on the back of your tongue. Like you would expect from a white ale, it's got that spicy aroma of coriander, citrus, etc... No aftertaste, so very clean.

But if I were to pick a victor of this duel, it would be the unique flavor of the Alpine Wit!

Alaskan Brewing Co

You can't go to Alaska and not have some Alaskan Brewing Co. I think it's actually state law, but you'd need to check that with Sarah Palin - she'd know.

Alaskan Amber was definitely my favorite of the bunch. It had a smooth malt taste with a really nice copper color and light body. Didn't have much of an aftertaste. Weighing in at 5.2% ABV, it's pretty standard for a good beer. Don't expect any bitterness with the Alaskan Amber though, as it only has 18 IBUs. The true first time I had this one was at a lodge where my wife and I went to a crab fest. Basically, all you can eat crab (I had about 3+ of those deals on the plate) and all you can drink Alaskan Amber. Here's my lovely wife posing with the delicious beer and crab.

Also had the pleasure of trying a number of other Alaskan Brewing's offerings.

The Alaskan Brewing White was a pretty refreshing white ale - same light citrus taste as you would expect with a white ale. It's definitely sweeter than other white ales, but it didn't get to the point of "sweetesy". A very tasty brew, especially if you happen to running around Ketichan and it's 82 degrees (never expected to get a tan in Alaska...)

The Alaskan Brewing Summerale is a new "regular" beer for Alaskan Brewing from what the bartenders were telling me. Got to try it at the Red Dog Bar...talk about a dive. Sawdust was all that covered the dirt floors. Plus, there was this old guy on the piano in there who called you a cheap bastard if you didn't tip him. We had just got back from salmon fishing...with no beer and the Summerale hit the spot. Just a little spice in it, but overall light and thirstquenching. Similar ABV and IBU profile as the Amber - 5.3% abv and 18 IBUs.

The Alaskan Pale Ale was ok - it had a nice crisp taste, but lacked much bitterness or hoppy-ness. Oddly, there was a sweet taste at the end, which surprised me. Only 24 IBUs in this guy...apparently in Alaska, only IPAs are allowed over 25 IBUs. Must be state law...

Lastly, the Alaskan Brewing IPA (which did have over 25 IBUs in compliance with Alaska State Brewing Code 25.123(b)) was pretty good. It had the characteristic sour & bitter flavor you would expect in an IPA. Like the Pale Ale, it had a light sweet taste at the end.

Samuel Adams White Ale

To be green or not to be green, that is the question. If you read the review of the New Belgium Mothership Wit, you'll remember that I didn't think that the beer was all that for the whole organic thing. You'll also remember that I preferred this brew, the Samuel Adams White Ale. It's not organic (or at least, not to my knowledge) and it's WAY less expensive. In fact, I got a 12 pack from Quarters last week for $7.99 because the Summer Ale is coming in as the current seasonal beer and the White Ale had to go!

Like most Belgium white ales, the Sam Adams White Ale has that cripsy, light taste with the flavors of coriander, spice and orange. The citrus taste is a bit more subdued in this one, leaning more to the malt than the Mothership Wit. There is a hint of bitterness at the tailend, but not much. It's got a really light body but really good flavor and it's very refreshing, especially on a hot day. The beer is at 5.4% ABV, so it is a pretty strudy brew.

While Sam Adams is not a microbrew by any means, it's a good solid beer for a good price. If given the choice between the Mothership Wit and the Sammy White Ale, I'm going to go with the patriot, not the hippie.

New Belgium Mothership Wit

Tina found this brew when she was at the grocery store and hadn't seen it before. I can't say I had ever tried it, so it made it a perfect specimen for this blog. Now, if you know much about New Belgium Brewing, you'll know that they are very aware of their carbon footprint and are all about alternative energy and sustainability and hippie crap like that. If you know me, I am not.

In fact, I will only care about conservation and sustainability if it is 1) easy to implement and 2) will require little or no cost to do. For example, Tina and I recycle...because I just toss the bottle into a bin and not the trash can. Easy, simple, no cost.

So, why would I go on a rant on green, hippie things? Well, the New Belgium Mothership Wit is a "USDA Organic" beer. This tells me that this beer will be more expensive than other similar beers, because being greeny costs too much and that cost needs to be passed through to us consumers.

The beer itself is a good Belgium white beer - very light and crisp. You can definitely taste the coriander and there are the flavors of citrus, orange and a touch of malt. There is a bit of a sour aftertaste that sticks with you a minute, but nothing that makes you want to brush your teeth. The beer is very refreshing, especially on a hot day where you want something cold and light.

Personally - I'd take the Sam Adams White Ale (which we'll see on here in due time), as I prefer the taste and price (which is easily a few bucks cheaper than the New Belgium). The Mothership Wit is not a bad beer, by any means. If you're a die-hard New Belgium fan, then you'll probably really like it and not mind paying an extra buck or two to make sure that the beer industry doesn't kill the planet a little bit more.