Category: Drink

Who knew pumpkin beer would be such a win?

I saw a reputable brewing company heavily promoting via social media their pumpkin beer’s availability in mid-August — without irony. Seriously. OK, what I’m trying to say is, they were trying to get me jacked up about pumpkin beer while I was in the middle of my summer vacation.

It didn’t work at the time.

And, OK, we’ve all seen pumpkin creep into our lives sooner and sooner each summer and we all have to acknowledge that we as a society here in New England sort of shift to fall overnight, so breweries kind of need to be ready with the pumpkin for that first cool night.

Now that the air is crisp and cool and downright chilly at times, I’m ready to consider the universe of pumpkin-flavored beer. It’s a universe that, to me, is almost diabolical in how hit-or-miss it is. For every one that tastes delicious, you have another that is sugary pumpkin syrup. In beer form, that’s not a good thing.

Enough with the snark; there is something pleasing, comforting and delicious about a well-balanced, spicy, slightly sweet pumpkin ale. First, of course, pumpkins are seasonally appropriate but if brewers are careful with the sugar, it just works really well. But it seems it is hard to amp up the pumpkin without amping up the sweetness.

The success of a pumpkin beer is in its subtleties. You want the aroma of pumpkin and spice. You want a lingering flavor of roasted pumpkin-y goodness but there’s probably a reason why you don’t just see pumpkin juice on the shelves of your local grocery store.

I tend to like a pumpkin beer on the heavier side, like a pumpkin stout or porter, such as Harpoon’s Imperial Pumpkin or a full-bodied Smashed Pumpkin Ale by Shipyard Brewing Co. I think the earthy taste of pumpkin pairs well with rich malts and deep flavors — that way the pumpkin adds to the complexity rather than overpowering the brew.

That said, lighter- and medium-bodied pumpkin brews like Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale or Roadsmary’s Baby by Two Roads Brewing Co. are also quite pleasing. Again, for me, their success is tied directly to subtle sweetness, rather than in-your-face sugar and spice. I do not go for the cinnamon-sugar rim — not because it tastes bad — but if you go that route, regardless of the brew, I just don’t think you are going to actually taste and appreciate the beer; the cinnamon and sugar takes over.

The good news is that you have a lot of choices to work with.

Homecoming by Able Ebenezer Brewing Co. in Merrimack is a nice choice that features big pumpkin flavor but without the sometimes dominating flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and other spices.

The Toasted Pumpkin Ale by 603 Brewery in Derry, on the other hand, is another great, unique and well-balanced choice that is aged on vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks. This one has a little higher ABV at 8.2 percent, which helps the beer stand up to a little extra sweetness from the vanilla and cinnamon. The pumpkin still shines through for sure.

Of course, then there’s the Southern Tier Pumking, which is big, syrupy, and sweet, and which I should probably hate, but I love, so go figure.

I think the message here is simple: Go out and explore pumpkin beers this fall and don’t get down if you don’t like one or two. Move on to the next one.

What’s in My Fridge
Sip of Sunshine by Lawson’s Finest Liquids (Waitsfield, Vermont) I haven’t had this one in a long time so it was almost like being reintroduced to an old friend. This is just a wonderful brew. It’s juicy and hoppy with lots of floral aromas and tropical flavors. This beer just works any time. Cheers!

Featured photo: Courtesy photos

Campfires, backyard firepits, s’mores — and port

It may not officially be fall, but in some places the trees are beginning to blush and the evenings are now calling for jeans and sweatshirts. The air is crisp and “pick your own” ventures have changed from berries to apples. It is a beautiful time of the year and the perfect time to relish those opportunities to gather around a campfire or backyard firepit after the sun goes down. Break out the graham crackers, marshmallows and Hershey chocolate bars and create that sublime evening treat. And what do we want to sip with such fare? Port, of course!

Port is the perfect drink to pair with fruit, cheese and everything in between — even s’mores! Port can stand on its own, sipped slowly, bundled up while gathered around the firepit in the backyard. Port is a fortified wine at 20 percent alcohol. It is simply wine produced from grapes that are fermented, with the addition of some spirits, typically brandy, which stops the fermentation process. Port is produced wherever wine is made, including the United States, Australia, India, Argentina, Canada, and South America, but authentic port is unique to Portugal. It all started over the wars that the British and French were constantly engaged in. The British needed a source outside of France for their table wines. They turned to Portugal, but these wines were unstable and not favored as much as the French wines. It was already a common practice to add some spirits to lesser wines to fortify the mixture to extend its life while traveling; wines like Madeira come to mind. Port wine takes its name from the city of Oporto, where the Douro River meets the Atlantic. The Douro River valley was and still is known as the home of some great vineyards upriver, and these grapes along with the added brandy give port wine its unique flavor. In fact, only Portuguese-made port can carry the identifying term “Porto” on the label. And, as is obvious from reading the labels on the bottles, the British became involved in the exportation and sale of this marvelous product, hence the port labels of Taylor, Warres, Graham’s and others!

Port is a red wine, with one notable exception — white port, which is made from white grapes. Ruby port is a young, inexpensive wine, deep red in color and aged for only about three years. Vintage port is a blended harvest, placed in oak casks for several months, then bottled and aged for 20 or more years. Late bottled vintage port is made from grapes grown in a specific year, aged in oak for four to six years, then bottled. Tawny port with a reddish-brown color is aged in casks for several years, some for up to 40 years! Port wine labels carry a lot of information, so much so that an entire column could be devoted to it.

But let us begin our tasting of port wines! Taylor Fladgate 2014 Late Bottled Vintage Port (originally priced at $19.99 and reduced to $16.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets) has a beautiful ruby-colored rim sitting atop a deep purple-black body. On the nose there are rich jam-like notes of currants and blackberries, along with light spice. To the tongue, the same fruit comes through with light tannins of leather, followed by a long finish. This is a superlative “entry-level” port at an appealing price. According to the Taylor Fladgate website, it is blended from some of the best ports produced from the 2014 harvest. By all accounts this is a young port that has been in oak casks for six years and is ready to drink now.

Our second port is Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Old Tawny Porto (originally priced at $27.99, and reduced to $24.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets). It has a slight amber cast to its rich reddish brown color. To the nose there are notes of dried cherries and hazelnuts, all coming from its time within oak casks. It is ripe, rich and full to the mouth, with a silky palate of chocolate and butterscotch. Its long finish is to be savored.

So bundle up, light those firepits, roast some marshmallows to make s’mores, and savor these wonderful ports made for these moments. Pick up a bottle of each and send your reviews to the Hippo!

Featured photo: Courtesy photos

Like a root beer float but with actual beer

I know, you can basically taste the pumpkin in the air right now. It is as if someone fired off a giant cannon filled with pumpkin spice the second September rolled around and now pumpkin flavor has permeated every nook and cranny of existence in New England.

Doesn’t matter where you turn: pumpkin.

I went to take the kids out for ice cream last week at a local spot and I know it’s hard to believe, but there was pumpkin ice cream on the menu. (And it’s quite good, OK?)

Full stop, though: This isn’t a story about pumpkin beer.

This is a story about the magic that occurs when you pair ice cream with beer. I’m not talking about beer-flavored ice cream. We’ll get to that at some point, too, I’m sure, but I’m talking about an ice cream float with beer.

This is a thing you can do. In fact, this is a thing you should do.

Am I saying you should take your $22 four-pack of some highly coveted double IPA and make ice cream floats with the beers? No. I’m not saying that and I feel like it’s more your fault that I had to say that.

This is where a malty beer is going to shine. Something like a Guinness would, of course, be spectacular, but you shouldn’t feel limited to that. I do want you to think about porters and stouts if you decide to go down this path — or a roasty, toasty brown ale, such as Kelsen Brewing Company’s Paradigm Brown or the Flapjack Maple Double Brown Ale by Henniker Brewing Company.

You can get creative. Have some fun with it. I love coffee stouts and porters and so I will take The Roast by Henniker Brewing Co. or or the Narragansett Coffee Milk Stout and pair them with coffee ice cream. Hello. That just makes sense to me and my taste buds appreciate it.

Same goes for chocolate lovers. Grab a Chocolate Milk Stout by Great North Aleworks or the Black Cat Stout by Portsmouth Brewery and pair them with vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or coffee ice cream, for that matter.

Milk stouts, which are a little sweeter and smoother, are another great choice for beer floats. Take a Left Hand Milk Stout and pair it with some quality vanilla ice cream. That same approach would work with drier stouts, like the RVP by Great North Aleworks or the Granite Stout by 603 Brewery.

I haven’t tried it but I see absolutely no reason why a bourbon or rum barrel-aged stout wouldn’t work here, like the RIS Bourbon Barrel by Stoneface Brewing Co. or the Zwart Bos by Throwback Brewery.

Really, it’s up to you. Think about the flavors you like in a beer (and in ice cream) and make some of your own magic. You’ll never go wrong using vanilla ice cream as your base, but coffee and chocolate ice creams can add a different dimension, especially when paired with a similarly chocolate- or coffee-flavored brew.

For that matter, take some of that pumpkin ice cream I mentioned and pair it with a pumpkin porter and, well, now we’re talking.

Procedurally, the process is simple. Take a frosty mug and fill it with the ice cream of your choosing. I mean, not the whole way but pretty close. Then, simply pour the beer — very slowly — over the ice cream. Grab a straw or a spoon or both and enjoy.

What’s in My Fridge
Subhunter Imperial IPA by Flight Deck Brewing (Brunswick, Maine)
This is an aggressive beer at 9.1 ABV, but it doesn’t drink like that. It even says that it’s “dangerously drinkable” on the can and that is 100-percent accurate. This is a really nice imperial IPA that is a little more malty than you might expect. This is one to seek out. Cheers!

Brewers Association to host drive-thru and virtual hybrid event

Back in May, the New Hampshire Brewers Association reimagined a traditional brewfest as an online event with livestreamed chats, trivia and more with local brewers. The event was so well-received that the association has created a new event to build on its success: a drive-thru and virtual tasting hybrid event where participants can purchase a “mystery mixed pack” of New Hampshire craft beers online, featuring selections from more than a dozen breweries.

From noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, Backyard Brewery & Kitchen in Manchester will host curbside pickups. You won’t know what style of beer you get or which brewery it’s from until you come pick it up, although separate mixed packs of IPAs only are also available for the same price, Brewers Association Executive Director CJ Haines said. Participating breweries come from all over the state, including Manchester, Nashua and Concord, but also along the Seacoast and up in the Lakes Region and the White Mountains.

“Since you preorder them, you still get that element of surprise because you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Haines said. “None of the packs are going to be the same sets of beers.”

The drive-thru entrance will be set up in the back parking area of Backyard Brewery, where staff will direct you to the curbside pickup tents. Each mystery pack you purchase includes special tasting classes (two with each six-pack and four with each 12-pack) and access to the virtual portion of the event. Festival T-shirts and sticker packs can also be preordered.

After you order your mystery beer packs, Haines said, a Facebook group link giving you access to the virtual tasting will be emailed to you up to 48 hours in advance. From 4 to 6 p.m. later that same day, staff members of the breweries represented in the mystery packs will be logging on to a livestream, while festival goers can share their own comments and photos to the group.

“The brewers will talk about their beers and might tell some stories behind them,” Haines said, adding that the content will still be available after 6 p.m. for those unable to tune in. Tickets for $5 each are also available for people who want to skip buying the mystery beers. All proceeds benefit the New Hampshire Brewers Association.

New Hampshire Brewers Drive-Thru/Virtual Tasting event
When: Saturday, Sept. 12; curbside beer pickups are from noon to 4 p.m., and virtual tasting is from 4 to 6 p.m.
Where: Curbside beer pickups are at Backyard Brewery & Kitchen (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester)
Cost: “Mystery Mixed” packs are $35 per six-pack or $65 per 12-pack (IPA-only packs also available); ticket includes specialty tasting glasses (two per six-pack and four per 12-pack) and access to the virtual portion of the event (participants will receive a link sent to them upon their ticket purchase). Tickets to the virtual portion only are also available for $5.
Visit: bfest.in/nhbg