Wexford Irish Cream Ale

*NOTE* This post was intended for St. Patrick's Day 2008, but job stuff got hectic and prevented me from posting it. Here it is in its entirety. I kept the post date the same, as it was started on that day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Be sure to have one on your friend The Beerocrat tonight...and drive safe.

My St. Paddy's Day beer of choice is my attempt at getting an Irish (or at least Irish-style) beer that wasn't a member of the Guinness family. My choice: Wexford Irish Cream Ale, which takes its name from Ireland's County Wexford. According to the can (yes, this beer is canned, which is not uncommon amongst imported beers and even U.S. craft breweries), Wexford Irish Cream Ale's recipe is based on a similar one brewed in the eponymous county back in 1810. Thames America, one of the American importers, says that the recipe was then used by five generations of the family-owned Wexford Ale Company. It is now brewed by Greene King Brewing Co. in Suffolk, England. Hey, at least it has Irish roots. (Thames America's Wexford site)


Here come the limited stats:

Wexford Irish Cream Ale
BREWERY: Greene King Brewing Co., Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England
STYLE: Irish Cream Ale
FIRST BREWED: 1810, according to the can
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 5%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

I got the brewery, first brewed info, and ABV from the can, which can also be found on importer Thames America's Wexford site. Through that site, I sent an e-mail to get the rest of the missing pieces.

Like a lot of well-known beers imported from the British Isles, Wexford has a widget full of nitrogen placed inside during the canning process, which gives it a burst of creaminess to the flavor and allows you to bring the pub experience home with you. Wexford's widget looks like this, which is similar to Guinness' can widget in size and shape:


Apparently, its the first widgeted Irish Cream beer sold in the US. (Thames America's Wexford site)

The beer itself was a translucent amber color. The tan head exploded in the bottom of the glass, even when I poured it slowly (probably on account of the nitrogen). It flowed downward, much like a Guinness does. Its nose had a bit of grainy-hoppiness to it. The taste was creamy and grainy, almost velvety; it was very rich for an amber ale. The finish was nice and faint with no hoppy aftertaste.

Overall, this is a well-done beer. Considering that it was the closes thing to an Irish beer that I could find (no Beamish), I may just have this every March 17th.

Sláinte!

Old Peculier English Ale

This beer came via the recommendation of a beer-loving employee of Cost Plus World Market: Old Peculier English Ale. He liked it because, according to him, its taste would change after each sip of the beer. I was intrigued, so I picked one up the next time I was in the store.

Remember when I reviewed Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale and mentioned Paul Theakston's family brewery that was bought out by Newcastle in 1987? Old Peculier is brewed by that brewery, originally started by Robert Theakston and John Wood in 1827 in Masham, North Yorkshire, England. They originally set up their brewery in the Black Bull Pub. T&R Theakston takes over the Lightfoot Brewery in 1919 (I like that it was allegedly because Lightfoot always beat Theakston at cricket). In 1974, they took over the Carlisle State Management Brewery, which was the only state-owned brewery in the country. After a 17-year battle, Scottish & Newcastle bought out the brewery in 1987, but four of the brothers Theakston regained control in 2004. (Theakston Brewery history)

Now, I thought it was strange that the beer was spelled Old Peculier with an "e", seeing as how it is spelled with an "a". However, what I didn't know is that a Peculier is "a place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of a person or body other than the bishop of a diocese." So this beer is essentially named in honor of the old Peculier of Masham, founded in 1741 (the label and the bottle cap illustrate the Peculier's seal). I don't know when the beer was first-brewed (Wikipedia says the 1890's, but then again, it's Wikipedia). (Reference.com "Peculier" entry, the bottle)


Here are the stats:

Old Peculier English Ale
BREWERY: T&R Theakston Ltd., Masham, North Yorkshire, England (under authority of Scottish & Newcastle)
FIRST BREWED:
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 5.6%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

The ABV came from Theakston's Old Peculier webpage, but that's it. A call to Scottish & Newcastle Importers of San Rafael, CA, may be in order.

This beer poured an almost-solid dark ruby red that revealed itself after a moderately-sized half-foamy half-bubbly light tan head. It stayed for a little bit, then quietly retreated. In its wake was a very fruity and slightly chocolatey/nutty aroma that wafted to about an 18-inch radius. The taste did not drastically change between sips like for the Cost Plus employee, but it was an interesting taste. While the initial taste was a weak bubbly grainy taste, once I swallowed it, an explosion of fruit and nut occurred in my mouth for about two seconds before fading out to another grainy taste without the carbonation. For a second, I thought that I tasted bubble gum (!) in a fleeting moment. It's finish was a very light grain that was not intrusive and was very pleasant.

This is a very interesting beer, and I highly recommend it as a change of pace from the usual lager or ale. It certainly has an interesting character.

Cheers!

Black Sheep Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale

The end is here! We have reached the top of the countdown!

The number 1 beer on the "Clean Out the Fridge Countdown" is a beer that honors the great pioneers of wacky British comedy, Monty Python. It's...Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale! The bottles claims that it was "tempered over burning witches," but in actuality, it is brewed by Britain's Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire. The history of the brewery isn't very long; it's only been around since 1992, started in Masham by Paul Theakston. However, his family has been brewing in Masham for six generations until the family brewery was bought out by Newcastle in 1987 after an arduous seventeen-year battle. Determined to continue brewing in Masham, Theakston built a new brewery and has brewed several different ales, including Holy Grail. That beer was released in 1999 in recognition of the 30 year anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus. And yes, according to The Foot crushing the Black Sheep logo on the bottle, it's official. (Black Sheep History, Eurobrew's Holy Grail page (US Importer))


Here are the stats:

Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale
BREWERY: Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire, England
FIRST BREWED: 1999
CALORIES/SERVING: per 500 mL bottle
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 4.7%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

I got the first brewed and ABV info from the beer's website on Eurobrew (you can also get the ABV from Black Sheep's own website).

This beer has a very alcoholy aroma to it when I poured it, but it wasn't strong enough to be smelled from a short distance. It poured a rich clear amber color with a white foamy head. When I tasted it, it definitely had a very hoppy flavor with strong hints of the underlying alcohol and rich grains. In spite of its hoppiness, it finished relatively cleanly, not leaving that much of an aftertaste in my mouth. It tasted like it had more alcohol in it than was shown on the websites.

It's a pretty decent ale with a good flavor and finish. Do yourself a favor and silly walk over to your nearest pub/liquor store and try out Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale if you're a Python fan. You don't even need to fight the Black Knight to get it.

Cheers!

Young's Old Nick Barley Wine

I have always been interested in having my share of barley wines, so I decided to choose one for the number 2 spot on the "Clean Out the Fridge Countdown:" Young's Old Nick Barley Wine. This beer comes from across the pond, which is most apparent in the moniker "Old Nick," what the Brits have nicknamed Satan, The Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, or The Devil. (When I first heard of Old Nick, I thought they meant Santa, but I guess I just needed to rearrange some letters.)

Barley wine (alternately spelled barleywine) is a style of strong ale dating back to 18th or 19th century Britain. It actually originated out of Britain's constant wars against France, where true patriots always drank British ale over French wine. Therefore, to compete with France's high ABV wines, the Brits created a new beer style that had between 10 and 12% ABV. Apparently, the style wasn't called barley wine until 1903, when Bass created the name to describe their No. 1 Ale (I don't know what the style was called before). Since then, the style has become popular worldwide, with many US craft brewers, including Full Sail, Rogue, and Sierra Nevada, brewing their interpretation, usually naming it something beginning with "Old." (CAMRA - Barley Wine, Behemoth Brews: Barley Wine)

Young's was borne out of an inn in Wandsworth, The Ram, that was started in 1533 and added brewing in 1581. It changed hands a couple of times over the next three centuries until it was bought out by Charles Allen Young and Anthony Fothergill in 1831, establishing the Young's brand at The Ram and 80 other taverns. The Ram (a Dorset horned ram, to be exact) was registered as Young's trademark in 1893. When the brewery celebrated its sesquicentennial in 1981, Queen Elizabeth II showed up for the celebration. In 2006, Young's partnered with fellow brewer Charles Wells to create Wells & Young's Brewing Company Ltd. Under the agreement, The Ram brewery was sold and brewing of Young's was moved out of Wandsworth. (Young's History: 1533-1581, 1582-1831, 1832-1890, 1891-1981, and 2006)


Before we continue, I should note that this beer review may not be that accurate due to the fact that it expired in November 2006. It originally wasn't my beer; it is one of my wife's brother's beers he left over at his parents' house. I acquired it at some point a couple of months ago.



Here are the stats:

Young's Old Nick Barley Wine
BREWERY: Young & Co.'s Brewery PLC, London, England
FIRST BREWED:
CALORIES/SERVING: per 500 mL bottle
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 7.2%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS: Pale, Crystal
HOPS: Fuggle, Goldings
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

This information came from the bottle (ABV) and US importer Belukus Marketing's Young's Old Nick webpage (malts and hops). I may call them for additional info.

This beer poured a dark brown that was translucent if you looked hard enough through the glass (it's hard to tell because it's so dark). The head was an off-white tan-ish color that was foamy and light in appearance. I could detect a faint hint of dark chocolate in the beer's aroma. This trace was a lot more pronounced in the taste, which was a smooth mix of chocolate and alcohol. After a few more sips, a sweetness could be detected. The only problem is that I felt the alcohol was starting to settle, but I don't know if it was because the beer was expired or not. The aftertaste was creamy and not stale at all, even as I drank down to the higher alcohol parts. Like the Alaskan Smoked Porter, I began to feel warm inside while I was drinking this beer, probably because of the high alcohol content.

This is a pretty good beer. Like I said, it may not be a perfect review because of the expiration date, but the fact that it's still drinkable means that it can be kept well past it's Best By date like a fine wine. It has a Hell of a taste.

Cheers!

Whitbread Pale Ale

At number 6 on the "Clean Out the Fridge Countdown" is another beer from the Beers of the World multipack I grabbed from a BevMo! store: Whitbread Pale Ale. Its country of origin is England, so naturally it is an English Pale Ale style. What surprised me about this beer is the lack of information on it. I tried finding a product page about the beer, no luck. I tried searching on InBev's website (InBev brews this beer), no dice. I tried the US importer's website, and it doesn't exist. I couldn't find anything on Sam Adams' website either (they brew the US batch in their Cincinnati brewery). It's as if this beer doesn't really exist.

I do know, however, that Whitbread & Co. Ltd. was established in 1742 by Samuel Whitbread (his signature adorns the label) in swinging London, where and when this beer was first brewed. I also know that Whitbread has since expanded into many different other businesses, including hotels, coffee shops, conferencing centers, and the British TGI Friday's chain. They also brewed such beers as Boddington's and Mackeson Stout. I say "brewed" because Whitbread doesn't do it anymore; they sold their brewing operation to Belgian-owned Interbrew in 2000 for between £400-450 million. That's really all I could find out; if you know more, drop me a line by e-mail. (The bottle, Whitbread's website, BBC page on the Interbrew deal)


Here are the stats:

Whitbread (English) Pale Ale
BREWERY: InBev, Luton, Bedfordshire, England (a UK subsidiary of InBev, Leuven, Belgium)
FIRST BREWED: 1742
CALORIES/SERVING: per 12 oz. bottle
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 5.7%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS: Styrian Golding
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

The ABV came from the RateBeer website, and the hops and first-brewed date came from the bottle. I may be able to find info from the importers in Cincinnati, as well as ask them why they don't have a website in this day and age.

At first, I thought that the overly-bubbly head was going to dissipate before I could get a good picture, but I was wrong; it stayed there for around a minute and a half, going from carbonated and bubbly to light and foamy, staying its clean-looking off-white color. The beer itself poured a dirty reddish-amber, which was beautiful to look at in the light. The beer's aroma was that of equal parts grain and hop, which lent itself well to the taste, also a grainy-hoppy mixture. It wasn't overly powerful on either end, but still had enough of each to register on the taste buds. The finish was just a little hoppy, but it eventually faded away. Beer shouldn't linger any longer than it has to.

I don't know where you can find it on its own, but if you can, check it out. Honestly, I haven't had a lot of EPAs, so I don't know if there are better or worse ones. But, its taste isn't that bad, so give it a try.

Cheers!