Revelry

The word "Imperial" has a particular place in the history of beer.  According to the Oxford Companion to Beer, at pages 478-479, the term "Imperial" was reserved for beers specifically made for the royal courts of Europe.  The most well known example of an imperial beer is the Russian Imperial Stout, which was produced by English breweries (such as Henry Thrale's brewery) in the 18th century for the court of Catherine the Great.

What was once reserved for the privileged few soon became available to the masses.  Beginning in the 1980s, English and American craft brewers began brewing the imperial stout for everyone, not just kings and queens.  Soon, American brewers began to "imperialize" other beers.  Their efforts led to a change in the meaning of the word.  No longer did it mean "reserved for the court."  Instead, it meant an extreme version of a beer style.  As Garrett Oliver noted in the Oxford Companion to Beer, "[a]ny beer stile that has been given a dose of steroids is now said to have been 'imperialized, a term that brings to mind the sudden attainment of superpowers by a comic book hero."  Craft brewers have been working like Stan Lee to produce beers of epic strength, pushing the limits of IBUs and ABVs.

While most "imperial" beers tend to be IPAs or Russian stouts, there are some craft brewers who are seeking to create heros with less likely origins.  One such beer is Revelry, an Imperial Red Ale produced by Jim and Jason Ebel, the brewers at and owners of Two Brothers Brewing.  There really are no standards or guides for an Imperial Red Ale.  Just amp up the hops and/or the malts.  This does provide an opportunity for some creativity when it comes to brewing a particular beer. 

The Two Brothers Revelry pours a nice burnt red color.  This Imperial Red Ale is definitely hop forward, with the aromatic elements principally comprised of the citrus and pine notes.  While the hops are the first elements one senses in the aroma, there are also malty, caramel-like tones.  As for the taste of this beer, the Revelry presents a good balance between the hops and malts used to produce the beer.  This balance is also rounded out by a sweetness and a boozy nature that definitely comes out in the finish. 

An Imperial Red Ale, like the Revelry, pairs well with meats, from beef or steak dishes to lamb or even pork.  It would pair well with these proteins, regardless of the cooking method used.  Grill or oven, the balance of malt and hops will complement the flavors of the meat.  The malty and sweet nature of this beer could also pair with somewhat spicy foods, such as curries, and substantial dishes, like stews or and chilis.

This bottle of Revelry was given to me, so I do not know how much it would cost.  I have not seen many Two Brothers beers around where I live, but I know they are generally available in the Midwest, especially in Chicagoland, where Two Brothers is probably the largest, independent owned brewery in the region.

ENJOY! 

Oskar Blues G'Knight Red IPA

A few months back, I was wondering the aisles of a local beer and wine store, looking for wines to pair with courses for one of our wine club dinners.  As I was looking for Riesling Sekt Trockens and Marsannes, I came across a display and beer tasting for Oskar Blues.   Located in Longmont, Colorado, Oskar Blues is one of the craft brewers to fully embrace the use of cans for its beers.  At the time, canned beer was seemingly the province of the Anheuser-Busch or Miller.  You were more likely to find Busch Light or Budweiser cans, than any craft beer.  Although I do not know whether Oskar Blues was the first craft brewer to can its beers, I do know that its beers are perhaps most the most commonly associated with cans rather than bottles. 

Back to that beer tasting, I did what everyone else did ... sample the whole range of Oskar Blues beers.  I was very familiar with some of the brewery's standards, like Dale's Pale Ale and Mama's Little Yellow Pils.  There was one beer that I had not seen before.  It was the G'Knight, an Imperial Red Ale.  I've tried all sorts of imperial beers, from imperial porters to imperial white beers, but an imperial red beer is rather unusual. I have previously tried a couple of Imperial Red Ales, like the Nosferatu and the Monstre Rouge, and, I decided to give the G'Knight a try.

Oskar Blues brewed this Imperial Red Ale in tribute to a fellow Colorado craft beer pioneer and Vietnam vet who died fighting a 2002 wild fire outside of Lyons, Colorado.  The brewers describe their “Velvet M-80” as "a hefty, dry hopped double-red ale with a nose full of aroma, a sticky mouthfeel, a malty middle and unctuous hop flavors." 

The G'Knight pours a nice reddish amber color, with a thick, slightly off-white foam.  The aromas are hop-driven, with some pine and resin up front, followed through by some sweeter elements, like caramel, which are from the malts used in the production of the beer.  The taste of this beer is very hop-centric.  The hop flavors are more toward the piney and resinous, rather than the citrus.  What is interesting is that, while I found there was a lot of hoppiness to this beer, some reviewers seemed more preoccupied with the malt flavors.  To them, the beer was more malt-driven than hop driven.  While I could definitely taste the bready and caramel flavors provided by the malts, I would not classify this red ale as a malt-driven beer.  I guess this is to be expected given reviewing beers has a substantial subjective component to it.

In any event, the G’Knight is a rather big beer, with an 8.7% ABV and 60 IBUS.  The beer is sold in four-packs for about $10.99.  For detail about the craft beer pioneer and Vietnam Veteran for whom this beer is dedicated, check out: www.N3978Y.com.

ENJOY!

Great Lakes Brewing Company Nosferatu

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (or Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror) is a German expressionist horror film that, as most say, was an unauthorized adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula.  While Nosferatu and Dracula are classic horror movies that can still scare audiences, the main characters stand at two opposite poles.  At one end, there is the charming gentleman, Dracula, played by Bela Lugosi.  And, at the other end, there was the rat-like corpse, Count Orlok, in Nosferatu, played by Max Schreck.  And, while Great Lakes Brewing Company pays a nod to Nosferatu in the brewery's Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale, the craft brewer ends up producing a beer that is much more like Dracula.

Great Lakes has some amazing seasonal beers.  The Nosferatu is one of them, a "deep red stock ale" -- i.e., an Imperial American Red Ale -- that the brewer produces with a lot of hops that are balanced with the right amount of hops.  The hops used in this beer include both Simcoe and Cascade hops.  Each hop serves a function.  The Simcoe hops provide the bitterness while the Cascade hops provide some citrus flavors and aromas.  To balance the hops, Great Lakes use Harrington 2-Row malts, Crystal 77 and Special Roast Malts.  The end product is a beer with an ABV of 8.0% and an IBU of 70.

The Nosferatu pours a rather copperish-red color, something reminiscent of a particular day in late October.  The aromas of the beer seem to feature more of the malts than the hops, although the Cascade hops can be detected around the edges.  Those hops then emerge in the flavor, taking a prominent role in the taste of the beer.  This is where the beer takes on the character of Bela Lugosi.  The taste of the beer is very refined, beautifully portraying the piney flavors of the Simcoe hops against a backdrop of slightly sweet malt flavors, which give hints of caramel and a nice toasty, bread like finish from the yeasts. All of these aromas and flavors give rise to a beer that is more more noble, charming and entrancing ... qualities more found in Dracula than Nosferatu.

Great Lakes Brewing Company suggests that this beer is best paired with red meats, root vegetables and cheeses.  Personally, I think that this beer is best enjoyed as a digestif one Fright Night or one Black Sunday, when, as The Last Man on Earth, you succumb to The Addiction and The Hunger to go out in the Near Dark with a Blade to search From Dusk to Dawn for The Forsaken, Frostbitten, Rabid, Vampire in Brooklyn who goes by the name of Dracula, Blacula, or some other Vamp name like Martin, and who, according to The Queen of the Damned, the Son of Dracula and Dracula's Daughter, was last seen laying low at Salem's Lot in the Underworld with John Carpenter's Vampires, The Lost Boys, and the rest of The Monster Squad, after his attempts to steal the Lifeforce and drain the Innocent Blood from Van Helsing at the Bordello of Blood were thwarted by the The Fearless Vampire Hunters known as Vampire Hunter D and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

Well, until that happens ...

ENJOY and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

For more about Nosferatu and Dracula, check out Moviediva.  Also, for a post of the 70 best vampire movies of all time (according to someone other than me), check out Snarkerati.