Hill Country Beer Club
Thirteen Colonies
July 18, 2008
In celebration of the 232nd birthday of our United States of America, this month’s selections represent breweries among the original thirteen colonies (or states that were once part of the original thirteen). Although none of these breweries were in business at the time of our nation’s birth, we owe it to the men and women of the thirteen colonies (and the French!) for giving us the freedom from the evil clutches of the British Empire to make these beers possible. If they would have lost the fight, who knows, maybe we’d just be drinking more domestic porters and English ales… hey, that doesn’t sound so bad.
| Brewer | Beer | Vintage | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redhook Brewery | Blackhook Porter | 2008 | 86 |
| Victory Brewing Company | Prima Pils | 2008 | 85 |
| Terrapin Beer Company | Rye Pale Ale | 2008 | 87 |
| Dogfish Head Brewery | 60 Minute IPA | 2008 | 86 |
| Dogfish Head Brewery | Indian Brown Ale | 2008 | 87 |
| Victory Brewing Company | Hop Wallop | 2008 | 87 |
| Allagash Brewing Company | Tripel Reserve | 2008 | 86 |
| Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat) | Three Philosophers | 2008 | 86 |
Who Offered: FATBOY, NOSS, PHATMEAT, RYAN, SANTA, WESTEXANS, WILKERSON
Summary
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86
|
Redhook BreweryBlackhook PorterPorter | 5.23% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: RYAN |
Inspired by an 18th century London porter recipe stolen by Blackhook the Pirtate, Blackhook looks as dark as the underbelly of one of Blackhook's submerged victims but drinks as dry and crisp as the bodies he left strewn along many Caribbean beaches. The addition of a small amount of highly roasted black malt provides an ebony color and toasty flavors of a seared parrot without the heaviness associated with a classic stout.
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85
|
Victory Brewing CompanyPrima PilsPilsener | 5.3% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: FATBOY |
Prima, named after the first of Primus's creations (think Transformers here, people… look at the back of your score sheets) was the first to carry the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. What few people know is that Primus, much like God, was a beer lover and created Prima as his first, and only, transformer to assume the form of a hop cone. So Prima is, in a way, our patron Transformer of beer. In honor of Prima and a wild night of getting the Autobots smashed on Hop Wallop, Victory Brewing dedicated this beer, heaped with hops hiding under its full, frothy head. All-German malt subtleties linger beneath the long dry finish of this elegant Pils.
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87
|
Terrapin Beer CompanyRye Pale AleAmerican Pale Ale | 5.3% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: PHATMEAT |
One day the Terrapin Beer Company brewed an extreme version of an American Pale Ale. So extreme that all the frogs in the land had come from far, far away to see it for themselves. It was then that Terrapin realized the true threat that these toads imposed on their operations. So they hired a secret fraternity of ninja assassins to sneak the beer out from their Georgia brewery. Fearing their own lives, the ninjas sent a cute little turtle to sneak in and save a bottle for posterity. So the turtle threw on his little straw hat, marched into the brewery, tossed a bottle in his little hobo bag and headed west. The result of his bravery is a beer with a floral and citrus aroma with a big malt background with enough rye flavor to cleanse your bittered palette.
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86
|
Dogfish Head Brewery60 Minute IPAIndia Pale Ale | 6% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: WILKERSON |
Dogfish Head’s flagship beer. Thanks to the recent removal of 18 tanks at the Dogfish Head Brewery as a part of an expansion project, these flagship beers have actually been hard to come by lately. So, why do the call it “60 Minute”? Does it take 60 minutes to drink? Does it take 60 minutes to sober up? Ah… now I think we're onto something. 60 Minute IPA is a truly powerful East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character: citrus, cedar, pine & candied-orange flavors. Although the East Coast doesn't have a chance in a hop battle with the West Coast, Dogfish Head could give them a run for their money. Just not with this one. They’d have to pull out their 90 or 120 Minute for that bout, or tag-team it with Victory Brewing.
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87
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Dogfish Head BreweryIndian Brown AleBrown Ale | 7.2% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: SANTA |
Our second Dogfish Head of the afternoon is their mutt brew, Indian Brown Ale. If a Scotch Ale, an IPA, and an American Pale all drank each other, got a little tipsy and got pregnant, this is what would pop out. Leave it to the Dogfish Head folks to entertain the idea of mating beers. And what exactly is “Dogfish Head”? Get your mind out of the gutter… but no, there aren’t even that many dogfish in Delaware. The brewery is actually named after Dogfish Head, Maine. Ever hear of the rabid dog-wolf crossbreeds roaming around the woods in Maine? Could they also be cross-breeding their dogs and fish? By the way, get to drinking your samples, and see if you can catch the notes of molasses, coffee, ginger, raisinettes, and chocolate. Dessert is next.
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87
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Victory Brewing CompanyHop WallopImperial/Double IPA | 8.5% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: SANTA |
Ready for a long-winded story? Horace ‘Hop’ Wallop of Downingtown, Pennsylvania headed west a broken man. For a certain Miss LuLubelle Lager had left him, thirsting for more. Drawn by wild tales of the riches of the gold mines, Hop pressed on westward. His last nickel spent on a prospecting pan, Hop's hunger and thirst got the best of him. Two fistfuls o' barley and three of some wild and wayward hops tossed in the pan with some clear water was to be his meal. But sleep overcame him and he woke to a bubbling, cacophonous concoction. Overjoyed with the beautiful ale that he had made, Hop realized the secret of the 'green gold' he had discovered in those fresh hops. As Victory’s annual homage to the fresh hop harvest, Hop Wallop is a fragrant experience that delights the taste buds.
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86
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Allagash Brewing CompanyTripel ReserveAbbey Tripel | 9% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: NOSS |
What in the heck is a Belgian-style brewer doing in Maine? First of all, the town of Allagash is actually 350 miles northwest of Portland, and the Allagash River doesn’t even run anywhere near it. So we have Belgian poserss on the Atlantic coast that think they’re on the border of Quebec? That’s okay because they make great Belgian-style beers, like this golden hued tripel ale. Now, Tripel doesn’t mean three of anything, really… it’s just a sign of strength. A Tripelwas originally a beer brewed by some Trappist abbey in Belgium in 1934, which they first called a “superbeer”. Yes, this is when the world finally started seeing some really great beers. Then, many years later, some guy named Rob Tod (Tod - not Todd, William), opened this brewery in 1995 and made something that tasted good. So there ya go. This strong, yet lively, ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with subtle suggestions of banana and honey surfacing from its deep and complex palate. Enjoy this Tripel's remarkably long and soothing finish, because you’re about to experience an American Quadrupel (yes, as in more than three).
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86
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Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)Three PhilosophersAbt/Quadrupel | 9.8% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
Quadrupel!… now you’re drinking something a little stronger. Three Philosophers is a remarkable limited edition strong ale brewed by Brewery Ommegang in response to a home brewer’s description of his dream beer. Realbeer.com, some website, hosted a contest called “Create a Great Beer.” Brewery Ommegang was chosen by Realbeer.com to brew this Belgian-style ale for the winning essayist. Noel Blake, a home brewer from Portland wrote the winning description for what his “dream beer” would be like. He named the beer based on an unpublished manuscript by William Blake (no relation) called "An Island in the Moon." So if you don’t like it, his name again is Noel Blake and his address is 6110 SW 45th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97221. And if anyone has the balls, it would be great if you could give him a call right now at (503) 977-2818 and let him know we’re drinking his beer.