Last post we left off on the Porters, which by the way gave me
an insane taste for a Breckenridge Vanilla
Porter, a simply lovely beer! But I digress! Onward to the next phase of
Ales, starting with (drum roll please):
Red Beers: Originally from Belgium,
the red beer is a more acidic, reddish half-brother of the browns. Often
filtered and sometimes pasteurized the reds get their color and flavor from the
wooden tuns they are aged in.
Saisons: A summer seasonal beer
from Belgium, this very light and refreshing ‘blend’ can be found nearly year
round these days! Originally intended as a ‘thirst quencher’ for the local
farmers, Saisons tend to be on the orange or amber side with a dry, citrus
flavor that can truly quench the thirst!
Scotch Ale: One of my favorites!
Fairly high in alcohol (upwards of 8%) and intense in flavor, Scotch Ales can
be very malty and full bodied! The alcohol flavor gives it a clean finish and
the relatively small use of hops make these Ales very pleasant indeed!
Scottish Ales/Scottish Light Ales/Scottish
Heavy Ales/Scottish Export Ales: basically, all variations of the theme
mention above in the Scotch Ale; ranging from lower alcohol, to low bitterness,
to heavier, more robust flavors. Try one of each to gauge your taste buds!
Now here is something a little different, the Stouts come in 5 different major
categories: Irish Dry, Sweet (Cream), Oatmeal, Foreign and my favorite, the
Imperial Stout. Stouts generally are black in color with the exception of the
Oatmeal and Imperial stouts which can vary from a rust color to black as
midnight!
Dry Stouts: Notably the drink of
Ireland, the dry stouts tend to be lower in alcohol with a bit of a bitter
finish from the roasted barley. The Dry Stouts are famous for their heads (when
poured properly from one of our friendly bartenders) and is most known for Guinness!
Foreign-style Stouts: Like the Dry
Stout there is very little hop flavor to this brew, but the alcohol is just a
tad higher!
Imperial Stouts: With a rich malty
flavor and a very balance hop, this is a perfect winter brew with alcohol
contents exceeding 8%! That will warm you pallet!
Oatmeal Stouts: With a very nice
caramel/chocolate character, this moderately bitter brew can be luxuriously
silky as it goes down! It is the addition of the oatmeal to the brewing process
that creates the luxury!
Sweet Stouts: These stouts are just
that! Sweet! Most Sweet Stouts contain various types of sugar and even milk
which gives them a very soothing, comfortable finish! You have to get a Southern Tier Crème Brulee when
it is available!
Strong Ales: Just what the name
implies; aged ales that range in amber to brown in color and can push the
limits of alcohol at nearly 11%! Malty in flavor with a smooth finish, the
Strong Ales can be a real treat!
Well, that wraps of the Ales for now. I know there are a few
I did not mention; but I tried to keep the list to the more popular types that
we server! As always, please feel free to ask our friendly staff or managers
any questions! Test their knowledge and experiment with your tastes! You will
find that it can be a lot of fun!
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