Put some laps on these

Image directly from Gaffel's web site

Beer Diary #8 - Jim | Then and now

4 April 2008, 10:00 p.m.
Location: Home

At last, it's time for the premier of the fourth and final season of the SciFi Channel's updated version of Battlestar Galactica. The highly lauded show has been on hiatus for nearly a year, and that's a year too long for anyone who watches the show. Before you sneer at me for being a sci-fi nerd, go out and rent the first three seasons of this show on DVD. Then, tell me you're not hooked and jumping on the small but sturdy BSG bandwagon, joining the rest of us who are already following the final chapter of the BSG story. Even if you're not a sci-fi fan, you'll get addicted to the dark drama, which is laced with contemporary social and political commentary and conveyed by a superb cast. You too will want to see the survivors of the Twelve Colonies reach Earth. And, you too will desire the answer to the colossal burning question: Who is the final Cylon?

Five good reasons to watch Battlestar Galactica

To grease my BSG viewing gears, I grab a Bell's Hopslam from the fridge. I wish I had cellared some of the six pack I bought because, for me, the 2008 Hopslam has a sharper hop edge than it did last year and could use some mellowing. It is also drier to my palate and doesn't carry the sugary back and peachy nose it had in its inaugural batch. Still, Hopslam is beautiful stuff, a pineapple-scented bomb that improves with each sip. I nurse my pint through the entire gripping BSG episode, letting the tranquil buzz slowly permeate my frame.

5 April 2008, 8:00 p.m.
Location: Broad Ripple
The Usual Suspects
The Corner Wine Bar

The Redhead and I end a working Saturday with dinner in Broad Ripple at The Usual Suspects. I rarely drink a beer with dinner (I know what you're thinking, Brewmaster's Table people: Sacrilege!), but a Bell's Oberon feels like the right pairing with my entree: potato fritters. Besides, we're dining alfresco, feeling the remaining tendrils of warmth from the setting April sun, and the Oberon suits Spring's ushering in of more pleasant days.

The server brings out the Oberon with my salad. The wheat ale looks exactly like it did last year with its orange/golden tint and slight white head. The nose carries that same clove character the beer had in 2007, so I expect that this 2008 Oberon will be similar to a visit with an old friend: comfortable and familiar. Yet the first sip brings more spice and sweetness than last year's batch brought. The 2008 Hopslam tasted a bit different from the 2007 release, and now I get the same experience from the Oberon? Larry Bell, what's going on up there in Comstock? Not that I'm complaining, 'cuz I'm a longtime member of the "different is better" school of thought. Oberon is not normally the sort of beer I'd be yearning to stock my fridge with, but I'm smitten with the 2008 edition.

After dinner, we venture next door to the Corner Wine Bar, a place we find ourselves returning to with some frequency given that it's where we had our first date. We find an open table in the pub half of the restaurant and sit next to a rambunctious group of ladies in their mid-20's who have all the hallmarks of a bachelorette party crew, only sans the penis-themed accoutrements that you normally see these groups toting around. Despite the smoke and the noise, we still settle in comfortably with the lively vibe.

The Redhead goes with her favorite libation: a vodka martini, dry with olives. I look over the beer choices, which are not many but impressive nonetheless: Three Floyds Gumballhead, Founders Pale Ale, Chimay. Once again, I see another acquaintance from the past waiting for me on the draft beer menu: Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale. I first had this superb Clipper City brand at the 2007 Phoenix Theatre Brew-Ha-Ha. This American IPA pours with a cloudy amber color and thin off-white head. Like the Hopslam, Loose Cannon is all pineapple in the nose; however, it also has a faint sweaty funk that the Hopslam doesn't have. It's flavor is heavy on the pine notes with a light caramel and molasses back. The mouthfeel on this beer is medium, and at 7.25% ABV, this IPA is a little more drinkable than some of its heavier hopped cousins. All good, like it was last summer at the Brew-Ha-Ha. A good candidate for a formal KOTBR review.

I see now that visits to familiar places still bring something new each time you go to those places.

"You're going to a TOPLESS bar?"

…this is what every friend and co-worker asked me when I said I was heading to BARcelona Tapas for the next installment of the Knights of the Beer Roundtable.

Not topless. TAPAS.

Simply put, the American version of tapas (tä'päs) is just a fancy term for shared “small dishes”, or appetizer-like courses meant to be split among a group of friends. Our Roundtable outing at BARcelona was no different – we walked in to find a group of strangers and fans eager to discuss good beer with us. The more the merrier, I say! The dishes at BARcelona range from tomatoes in spicy tomato sauce, to goat cheese on crusty garlic bread, to smoky garlic chicken wings with jalapeno mayonnaise . Everything we sampled was good, and there was a LOT to go around.

Typically, topless tapas bars aren’t known for their stellar beer selection – most of the attention is on the wine and sangria. But since BARcelona is headed up by the illustrious Dean Wilson (the “Deano” in Deano’s Vino), we knew we stood a good chance of some above-average beer choices. Even though most of the draft beers had a decidedly domestic tilt, we did find Bell's Oberon on tap for a warm-up in addition to a listing of more adventurous bottled beers. (Here’s hoping that the lists grows and stabilizes as the restaurant settles in.)

Our reviewed beer of the evening was Delirium Tremens, a pretty well-known Belgian ale (and the one that was featured in the first-ever HBG photo shoot). Like Jim mentioned, this beer is definitely one that gets better the longer it warms up, so I took my time with this one (due in part to the fact that I accidentally poured the biggest head on my beer that I have ever seen.)

This beer starts out with a big carmel apple nose, and follows up with a cotton candy finish and sneaky ABV that reaches out and punks you in no time flat. A thoroughly enjoyable beer, but Belgian ales have stiff competition in the land of the Beer Geeks – so while I give this one a solid 4 mug rating, it’s not at the top of my list.

I didn’t do as much socializing as I wanted to do with the group, so I’ll belatedly thank the following: the groupies and guests who were wholly unexpected but welcome back any time; our server, who handled a somewhat rambunctious group with relative ease; Gina and Mike, for being such good hosts to the newbies; Jim, for not taking my picture; and Deano, who brings the party with him wherever he goes.

Even to a topless tapas bar.

Time to Weizen Up

There are so many wonderful micro, craft, and imported beers available that it is easy for even the biggest of beer geeks to get confused from time to time. Even though 98% of the beers can be classified as ale or lager, both include a wide variety of beers, creating dozens and dozens of sub-sets. Because of this, it can be difficult to know the difference between a witbier, a hefeweizen, and an American pale wheat ale. And even within the American pale wheat ale sub-sub-category, there is a wide range of options.

Let's take, for example, three APWA's that I have consumed on tap in the past month: Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat (from a recent trip to Chicago), Bell's Oberon (recently reviewed here), and Three Floyd's Gumballhead. (the subject of our most recent review). Three beers with the same classification, but three beers with completely different identities.

The 312 Urban Wheat is a fine beer that is perfect for better-beer beginners. You ever go to a microbrewery that doesn't serve the big domestic trio (Bud, Miller, Coors) and hear a waiter or bartender say, "You should try our Beer X...it's just like Bud Light". That's what 312 is to Goose Island, in my opinion. It's a very light colored, light bodied beer without any identifiable flavors in it. It's an ale pretending to be a lager. It's at the low end of the APWA spectrum and would probably garner a 2.5 mug rating from me.

Now take Bell's Oberon, which I gave a 4 mug rating to back in April. It is still an easy drinking beer but with more depth and flavors than the 312. It is more complex and has more flavor. An exclusive Big 3 drinker would have to take a bigger step up to get to this beer compared with the 312. It's the sort of beer that this beer geek keeps stocked in his beer fridge and doesn't fear sharing with non-beer geeks.


Which brings me to Gumballhead, the American Pale Wheat Ale from Three Floyd's in Munster, Indiana. I should say right off the bat, I'm no stranger to Gumballhead. But this is the first time I've had it one tap. And we all know that beer on draught and beer in a bottle has different characteristics. It pours with a cloudy, light amber appearance. The beer wasn't over carbonated, which is not surprising from a bar whose manager really knows beers, so the pint didn't pour with a huge head. The aroma was a mix of citrus fruits, juicy and sweet. And, if you are in the right frame of mind (as Jim was), you would even swear that you could smell bubble gum. I'm sure that's completely unintentional. In terms of taste, it has a great wheat taste without the wheat aftertaste. There are a number of fruity hints. And a fair amount of hop bite to it without being super bitter. Like Jim, I give this beer a 4.5 mug rating. Gumballhead is close to being a Hefeweizen, which American Pale Wheat Ales are descended from.

Oh, as for the difference between a witbier, a hefeweizen, and an American pale wheat ale, let me share how I understand them. Witbier is a Belgian Ale that is heavy on wheat and often spiced with coriander, orange peel, or other flavorings. If you moved the Witbier to Germany, removed the added flavorings, you'd have a strong Hefeweizen. Now take the beer to America, use yeasts that don't add the banana and clove flavors found in Hefeweizen, and you have an American Pale Wheat Ale.

KOTBR Review #15: Bell's Oberon

For review #15, the Hoosier Beer Geek's Knights of the Beer Roundtable took on Bell's Oberon, an American wheat ale, at Deano's Vino in Fountain Square. It's spring arrival is highly anticipated by it's fans to the point that tapping parties were held all around town. Three knights posted their reviews and here's a brief look at their thoughts:

Jim's review gave Oberon a strong 4 mug rating.

Because of its drinkability, Oberon would be a good "gateway" beer for those who are interested in trying out more craft beers... among lighter beers, it's the best I've been able to find.

Jason's review gave it a 4 mug rating as well.

...it is an enjoyable beer. And the best part is that it will likely be enjoyed by all levels of beer drinkers, both novices and snobs.

And newest Knight Mike rated the beer at 3.5 mugs.

It tastes like what a good American style beer should taste like. A full bodied, truly tasty Budweiser. Without the (magical horse crap).

To find out what "magical horse crap" is, and for more from our Knights, be sure to read the posts.

Goodweiser

Despite the overwhelming success of my first attempt, I decided that it would be in the best interest of those folks who take the time to read these reviews if I actually knew what I was doing. I popped "how to review beer" into Google, and came up with this article at beeradvocate.com. The following review was written using their advice.

1) Stop, think and drink!

Oops.

Knowing that Chris wouldn't be attending, I decided to try out his favorite, Bell's Oberon Ale, as a warm-up beer. No need to stop or think on the warm up beer, right?

The thing is, the only time I drink is at HBG (or KOTBR) meetups, so one beer is usually just enough to cloud my thinking. By the time I was about halfway through beer number two, we decided to review the Oberon.

Wait! I hadn't stopped or thought.

2) Respect brewers

Ok. Respect, Brewers. But go Cardinals.

3) Form your own opinion

You might be surprised how hard this is to do when you're drinking with a group of folks who are all sharing their opinion of a beer. In order to form my own opinion, I try to not listen to anyone except myself. I'm pretty good at that, anyway.

4) Keep style in mind

I was wearing a black sports watch with brown shoes. The beer wasn't wearing shoes.

5) Senses

Apparently I lost mine, at some point. More about that in a moment...

6) I've formed my own opinion to skip every other step except...

7) What to look for

This gets broken down like this:

Appearance: The beer had a cloudy amber tint. Light got through... but the beer wasn't clear enough to see through the glass.

Smell: Oberon has a very light sweet smell, maybe a little bit fruity, but indeterminate as far as a specific fruit.

Taste: You know those Budweiser commercials where George Clooney does the voice over and he says things like "Budweiser is a full bodied American ale that tastes like Jesus' own supply of magical (hops, yeast, malt, barley, whatever) grown in fields fertilized with the manure of magical horses"... He sells it really well, right? And then you drink the beer and it's sort of like "I'm not tasting the magical horse crap.. wait.. yeah I am."

Bell's Oberon is the beer he's actually talking about. It tastes like what a good American style beer should taste like. A full bodied, truly tasty Budweiser. Without the MHC.

Mouthfeel: Light. Like any light beer you've drank.

Drinkability: Easy. Too easy.

It's at this point that my notes read like the tracklist for a Bob Seger EP:

Trashed in an hour.
Man, I'm gonna feel dumb tomorrow.
I only had four.
Chased with a Carmel Macchiato and PB and J.
Vomit?

I went to bed regretting everything I had ever done, but woke up the next day ready to go to work without any problems. Is this a miracle beer? Perhaps.

I give it 3.5 mugs. Not my favorite, but a trustworthy standby.

A Midsummer (or early...or late...or spring...or fall) Night's (or day's) beer

In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon is the king of the fairies. At Bell's Brewery, Oberon is the king of beers. It is reportedly Bell's best seller and one of the most anticipated beers every spring. Don't believe me? There were at least a half dozen Oberon tapping parties last week around Indy, all well attended.

Oberon is an American Pale Wheat Ale, a beer type that combines the best of Hefe Weizens and IPA's, combining the full yeasty flavors of wheat beers with the bit and smoothness of pale ales. A deliciously light combination that is easy to drink and easy to love. Perfect for barbecues, baseball games, yard work, and front porch sitting.

It looks like a summer evening before a storm: cloudy with lots of yellow-orange color. The head pours like cumulus clouds: big, white, and foamy. The smell is like driving by an orchard with the car windows down: light, fruity fragrance. The drinkability is like playing in the yard and having a sweat bee sting you: incredibly enjoyable with a itty bitty bite that doesn't distract you. And the feel in your mouth, like a beer after a day of working in the yard should be: clean and crisp with no annoying aftertaste. The taste is like a summer garden: a delightful melding of flavors that are hard to individually identify. And like a bakery, with light yeasty flavors. And like a brewery, with it tasting like beer and all.

Okay, so I'm not Shakespeare. Big deal, you wanna fight about it? But trust me on this, it is an enjoyable beer. And the best part is that it will likely be enjoyed by all levels of beer drinkers, both novices and snobs. Jim said it best that this is a great starting point for those first trying craft beers. And you will most likely find Oberon's sitting next to my stash of Hopslams in my beer fridge.

Bell's Oberon Ale

Well, it looks like I get to lead off with the review this week.

We convened at Deano's last Thursday night after a bit of a hiatus to review Chris's "Precious," Bell's Oberon Ale. And, wouldn't you know it, we reviewed the Oberon without Chris, as he had to spend the evening at home taking care of the young'un. We did, however, get Chris's blessing to go ahead without him (that is, according to Jason, so Chris, it's all Jason's fault if we in fact didn't get your permission).

Oberon, which is an American wheat ale, has become Bell's best-selling beer. It's not hard to see why that's so. Oberon pours to reveal a medium head. The beer itself is a cloudy golden color with a slight orange tinge. The nose is slightly citrusy but not powerful. It feels refreshing and clean in the mouth, leaving a slight bitterness but not unpleasant bitterness behind. The flavor is smooth, not cloying, and reminds me more of a lager rather than a wheat ale. But behind the smoothness is a bit of heft, a little bit of power that you don't commonly find in most lighter beers. It is that heft that sets Oberon apart and makes it stand out from its counterparts.

Because of its drinkability, Oberon would be a good "gateway" beer for those who are interested in trying out more craft beers. This is the beer to take with you to the track this May or to the grass picnic area behind the outfield at Victory Field this summer (or, if you're a soccer fan like me, to the Toyota Park parking lot for tailgating festivities). Oberon will be available until September.

My rating: A solid 4 mugs. It's not my favorite beer, but among lighter beers, it's the best I've been able to find.

Next roundtable

Where: Deano's Vino

When: Thursday, March 29, 8:00 p.m.

A little birdy told me that Bell's Oberon will be on tap.

Be there or be square, kids!

Oberon is coming (just not soon enough)

Ah, I know you all felt summer in the air this week. On Tuesday, it was so nice that Jason hosted a cook-out. And definitely in the mood for summer, I called Courtney to see if he had any Oberon in yet. Unfortunately, The Taste of Summer won't ship until March 25. So if this wonderful warm weather has you smacking your lips, you have to wait a couple more weeks.

Mini-Kegs of Oberon

Yesterday, I found the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer afternoon spent by a pool.

I guess these mini-kegs (1.32 gallons) of Bell's Oberon are going like hotcakes. The keg equals out to about 14.5 bottles, and runs roughly the same price as two six-packs ($19.99).

I got mine at my favorite beer store, The Hop Shop, and there were a few more in stock.