In Praise of Cask Beer

So here it is the end of February and I'm wondering what happened to the New Year. We're eight weeks into it and it seems as if we were just watching Bowl Games. Don't get me wrong, the older I get the less I like Winter. And if we are one day closer to Spring than that makes me happy.

You know what else makes me happy; good beer. I had the chance last weekend to go to a Cask Beer Festival in New Haven, Mo. It was hosted by 2nd Shift Brewing. Its brewer Steve Crider was joined by brewers from seven other St. Louis area micro-breweries. Each brought a keg of cask ale. For the uninitiated cask beer is hand pumped and served at cellar temperature. To me it becomes more flavorful and takes on a slightly different personality than when it's cold.

Joining the festival were Charleville Brewing in St. Genevieve, Exit 6 Brewery in St. Charles County and Urban Chestnut, Schlafly, Four Hands, Perennial Artisan Ales, and The Civil Life from St. Louis. Each of the brewers are experienced and know exactly what they are doing. So, it was a joy to sample all of the casks and meet some interesting people who share a love for craft beer. If I had to pick a favorite (and this is really tough because they were all good) I would pick Crider's hoppy offering named "Brew Cocky" and the two casks brought by Charleville; German Chocolate Cake Stout and a Dozen Roses. Right there with them is Urban Chestnut's Old Tjiko. It tasted like a Christmas Tree in a glass. If I were to try all of these again, I am sure I would have a different favorite. so please, don't get me wrong the rest of the breweries participating had very good beer too.

Bottom line is this was one fun time and very relaxed with no need to worry about driving home after the festival because the ticket included a room for the night and a BBQ for dinner and hearty breakfast the next morning. 2nd Shift when you do this again later this year I will be there. You knocked it out of the park!

Six Row Delivers a Unique Beer

I like beer. I like bacon. But until tonight I had never thought of them as being paired.

Six Row Brewing Company in midtown St. Louis combined the two and came up with a unique brew. It was called several names but the one I like is Piggy Porter. The beer was on cask. The brewers took a cask and used the already good Six Row Porter as a base. Then for the last few days they put in a half pound of very lean smoked bacon into the cask. The result was a drinkable beer.

I wasn't sure what to expect. The smokey smell was immediately noticeable. But, when the beer hit my tongue it was subtle. The beer was the same Porter that is already served year round at Six Row, but it wasn't overwhelming. My expectations had been that the beer might punch me in the mouth with the bacon flavor.

My only criticism of it was that it was slightly salty. (Go figure. Bacon has a lot of salt in it). And the beer was a little too cold to be called Cask beer. In fairness to Six Row and it's brewers, they had to keep it cold until earlier in the afternoon to keep it safe.

Bottom line is this beer went fast and I look forward to the next time the folks at Six Row do this again.

Brew Pubs and Breweries in STL

In the past several weeks I've had the chance to re-visit a few of the micro-breweries around St. Louis and some are doing a great job and others may not be around too much longer. I will write more about the various locations as time permits. (Gee what is free time)?

Urban Chestnut Brewing is the latest member of the St. Louis brewing family. I visited them on a recent Friday night and was not impressed. I know it is early and the brew team is still working out the bugs in their production. From a beer drinker's point of view, the service was outstanding. The bartenders know their stuff and were willing to share their knowledge of the product.

I was able to sample all of their new offerings that evening and settled on a Pilsner. The Pilsner was nice, but it was not by any means the best I have had. Apparently, the philosophy of the brewery is to serve styles that are popular in Germany. There are many fine German brews. But, this is St. Louis and many craft beer drinkers want bigger beers despite what they tell you. I sampled the half IPA Urban offers and found it disappointing. In fairness to the brewer I am a hop head, so I am biased. But, why bother making the half IPA, when there are so many other styles on which he could have focused?

I wish Urban Chestnut well but this brewery may be too sophisticated for the average micro-brewery customer. The night I visited, Urban Chestnut was crowded and I didn't hear too many complaints. So, I really hope I am wrong in my assessment and this venture is around for quite some time.

Check Out This Beer

I stopped by the Schlafly Tap Room on my way home from work this evening. Now, I do this frequently when I work on Saturday. But, tonight there was a new beer on tap. The innkeeper asked me if I had tasted the Imperial Stout. When I told him no, he poured me a "taste". I was sold and I have to tell you, I've had some fine beers in my life but this creation may be my new "favorite". The Schlafly Imperial Stout is 10+ percent alcohol by volume and aged over Bourbon barrels that Schlafly buys from a Kentucky distiller. The bottom line is this is one tremendous beer. It is a little pricey, but then you get what you pay for. Great Job Schlafly!

First of the Season

Christmas is only three weeks away and I had my first taste of a Christmas Ale last night. I was able to sample Schlafly's Christmas Ale and it was every bit as good as I remember it being last year. I am color blind but my neighbor H tells me it is amber in color. Hints of Orange Peel, spicy hops and Cloves are present from the time it hits your tongue. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate this year's batch a 4.

I plan to sample a number of other brewers Christmas and Winter Ales and will blog my findings as I find and taste them. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Ho-Ho-Ho!