Maudite

Posting note: Every link posted today is worth visiting! - There is so much to learn about Halloween beer!

So for the 31st post to The Beer Man on Halloween eve, the 31st day of October, I will share the preeminent Halloween brew. I reviewed list after list after list after list of beers that were recommended for Halloween both to see which ones I have previously had as well as to try a few new ones for the postings during this themed week at the blog (you may see multiple references to Dead Guy Ale and to Hobgoblin and maybe a couple of others). By far the most prominent and most common brew was Maudite from Unibroue Brewing in Canada (if you do nothing else from this post, watch the video on the Unibroue site about this beer!). What, the Great White North has a devilish, when hell freezes over, great brew for this occasion? PRECISELY!

Here is one GREAT description/story of Maudite: The Canadian brewery Unibroue makes a beer inspired by an old legend involving eight lumberjacks who made a deal with the devil to fly their canoe home for the holidays. As they sailed across a moonlit sky, one of the lumberjacks freed himself from the devilish deal by invoking the name of God, which made the flying canoe crash. The beer's name, Maudite, means "damned" and the label features a painting of the flying canoe. It's similar to a Belgian dark ale, strong, complex, well-balanced and completely delicious.

Here is a Beer Advocate review. Here is a review from RateBeer.

I have held back a number of pumpkin brews that I have had and you faithful readers will see them sprinkled throughout the year and possibly with another themed week next fall. If the last two years are any indication of what to expect, there will be many new pumpkin brews and an amazing pumpkin beer festival to attend again at the Elysian!

Punk'n

Punk'n beer is brewed by Unita Brewing. I tried this beer this week as part of my Halloween themed week and I enjoyed it.

Here is a Beer Advocate review of Punk'n.

Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale

Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale is a seasonal release from Anheuser-Busch and I first tried this when it was released. I always enjoyed this beer but there were not a lot of pumpkin brews around. Now I feel like I am surrounded by pumpkin beers through the fall each year. Here is a review from the Beer Advocate. Here is another review from The Brew Site.

Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

In a pumpkin-centric week I must return to the Elysian for another pumpkin beer. I had the Night Owl last night and I really enjoyed it. I had small tastes of it at the last two pumpkin beer festivals but never a full bottle.

Here is a Beer Advocate review.

Belzebuth Pur Malt

Disclaimer - I am not a beer critic and I try new beers for the adventure, not to review them.

Phew, since that is out of the way, this is one of three beers that I will never have again even if given the chance. It was definitely an adventure trying this brew though and I did so in the fall of 2006. You want to know the other 2? You will just have to read the blog for the next couple of years and I guarantee that I will share them at some point. Still pretty good at well over 1000 beers and counting that I only have three of them.


OK, enough with that stuff, how does this beer fit with the theme of the week? I saw it listed as a possibly Halloween related beer (Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter is highly regarded in the world beer community) at one place and then I sought out a few descriptions and reviews of the beer. So Belzebuth is apparently french for Beelzebub or the Devil. People dress up like devils for Halloween - there is the connection. Don't worry I will expand on this later in the week.


Back to the beer - this is one of the strongest beers I have ever tried at 13-15% alcohol content (based on different sources, I remember it being 13% but that was 5 years ago so I can't be sure)!!! So you think you want to try more than one of these? Good news is that I have only seen these in 3-packs, yes that is right, 3-packs and I remember the bottles being small, probably 8 - 10 oz each - which compared to regular 4-5% 12 ounce beers would be like picking up a 9-pack??? Even with the array of great bottle shops in Seattle I haven't seen this beer and I think I would remember it!!!


Here is a review from The Opiniated Beer Page. Here is a review from RateBeer.

Elysian Burn the Witch (Honey Ginger Pumpkin Ale)

Burn the Witch is a specialty brew from Elysian Brewing that I had with my meal while I attended the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival earlier this month. It is currently on tap at the Tangletown location according to the Elysian website.

Here is a review from RateBeer but I don't have a picture to share.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Rogue Brewing, has a perfectly named beer to go along with the theme of this week, Dead Guy Ale.
I first tried this brew while visiting friends in Laramie, Wyoming a few years ago. Here is a Beer Advocate review of Dead Guy Ale.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

I know that this is the first beer that is a repeat of the parent brewer, Dogfish Head, so far on The Beer Man. Since it is a Halloween themed week I am going to share a few pumpkin beers and a few other ghoulish concoctions. This beer, Punkin Ale, is a very good one, I even found a site that listed their top ten pumpkin beers and this was their #1. This was one of the pumpkin brews available last weekend at the Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Festival but not one of the ones I tried while I was there.

Here is a Beer Advocate review of the Punkin Ale.

Hobgoblin

Since it is nearly Halloween, I thought I might start a theme week for beers. Be on the lookout for pumpkin beers in the days to come and maybe just a few surprises...you will just have to wait and see what is in my bag of tricks and treats!

To start it all off, a beer with a whole lot of "character" is up first, Hobgoblin. Just poke around their website and tell me this beer doesn't have a persona!

I first tried this beer in England in 2007 while visiting friends there. Here is a Beer Advocate review.

Brrr

Brrr is a seasonal beer from Widmer Brothers and will be available again soon. It is available from late October -January.
I have this beer each winter and I am sure I will have one this winter as well. Here is a review from The Beer Advocate.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Brewing is one of the most prominent non-major brewers in the US. The Pale Ale is their flagship beer and is easy to find in most places in the west and it is distributed throughout the rest of the country but I haven't looked for it in the south or east coast before.
I first had this beer in Colorado several years ago. Here is a review from the Beer Advocate.

Keystone Light

Keystone Light is the beer that has probably been the longest since I have tried it, over 10 years! I don't have any real desire to have it now but there wasn't anything really wrong with it either. Anyone who remembers television commercials in the 1990s will probably remember the "Bitter Beer Face" as the Keystone Light commercials of the time. You can watch one of them below.

Here is a less than glowing review from The Beer Advocate.

Castle Lager

I have ventured back to Africa for another beer, Castle Lager. I first had this beer early in 2007 while traveling through East Africa but the beer is more prominent in Southern Africa. This is one of the largest beer brands in Africa and the largest in South Africa.

This is a beer that I have not seen here in the US or even locally at the stores in Seattle.

Elysian Dragonstooth Stout

To complete Elysian weekend, which was inspired by my attendance at the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival they hold each year at their Capitol Hill location, I am sharing about Dragonstooth Stout today. This is another beer I tried shortly after I moved to Seattle in 2008.

The pumpkin beer festival was great, I really enjoyed the beers I tried but I don't remember the lines being that way last year when I attended. I did go earlier in the afternoon last year though. Here is a Beer Advocate review of Dragonstooth Stout.

Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA

This was the first Elysian brew that I tried after moving to Seattle in 2008. The Avatar Jasmine IPA is a very good beer and since I will be visiting the Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Festival I am sharing this post today.

Here is a Beer Advocate review of this beer.

Elysian Men's Room Original Red

I think this will be a themed weekend revolving around the Elysian Brewery. I will be attending their Great Pumpkin Beer Festival on Saturday. Today's post is about The Men's Room Original Red, one of their specialty brews and I tried this beer in September. I have seen it a few places but I originally found it at PCC.
Here is a review from Beer Advocate.

Southern Tier Oak-aged Unearthly Imperial IPA

I was inspired for this post by the beer I had last night, not this one but another Southern Tier creation, which will wait for another day to make the blog. I had the (long name) Southern Tier Oak-aged Unearthly Imperial IPA in May, 2009. This was a special birthday present to myself as I went to the Big Star Beer Market, which was near where I used to live and picked out a couple of more lavish beers. The picture below is of the non-imperial version and the picture is linked to a nice article about some other beers of theirs. I have been a huge fan of oak-aged brews as they have grown during the last 5 years or so and this one did not disappoint. Here is the description of the beer from the Southern Tier site:

At the Southern Tier Brewing Company, vigorously hopped beer is our standard and inspiration. We continue a commitment to innovation with an aggressive offering. Oak Aged Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste of this oak aged brew into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Oak Aged Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely.consider it an immoral act to blacken an ale. We suggest they don’t rely on conventional standards. Allow the darkness to consume you. Cheers!9.5% abv • 15.7ºL • Imperial India Pale Ale • 22 oz

The review here at Beer Advocate echoes my sentiment that this is an excellent beer. You should look for this one and if you don't see it, ask about it and watch for it when it does come to a beer store near you. It only has limited availability.

Imperial

Imperial was one of the first beers I ever had. While I was traveling in Costa Rica in 1997 with my soccer team I came across this beer. Imperial is everywhere in Costa Rica, it is the dominant brand there. The second time I had this beer was a total surprise for me. I was visiting friends in Melbourne, Australia in 2007 and this was available in the bar that was hosting a film shoot that one of my friends was assistant directing.
Here is a site for Imperial. Pura Vida!

Labatt Blue

Labatt Blue is brewed  by Labatt Brewing in Canada as part of Anheuser-Busch InBev.  I am fairly certain that I first tried Labatt Blue in 2002 while living in Fort Collins, Colorado. Here is a Beer Advocate review and a RateBeer review.

Dogfish Head Black & Blue

This was one of the most expensive beers I have ever had but one that I can say was one of the best I have had and definitely worth it. Dogfish Head makes some amazing beers and I am always excited to try them but the Black & Blue was a special one. I had this beer at Cafe Vino in Fort Collins, CO. I have also seen it here in Seattle at a couple of beer stores but I can't remember which ones specifically at the moment.
Here is a RateBeer review of the Black & Blue.

Maui CoCoNut Porter

Maui Brewing is probably one of the most remote breweries in the world. I have recently begun to see their products in my neighborhood at a couple of stores so I have had a few of their offerings. The first one I tried was the CoCoNut Porter.

I enjoyed this beer and I have gone on to a couple of other ones that they make. Here is a Beer Advocate review of the CoCoNut Porter. There is a lot of shipping costs inherent in having this beer outside of Hawaii so I expect a little steeper price tag than you may be used to, even compared to many imported beers.

Heineken

This is the first post about a mega-beer brand by The Beer Man. What is there that I can share with you about Heineken that you didn't already know? Keg-cans, ubiquitous green logo with big red star, it's from Holland, maybe the Beertender? You already knew about those, huh? Oh well, I give up trying to find new info to share. OK, I am going out on a limb and looking back through my memory to recall the first time that I had a Heineken. It was probably in 2002. In 2009 it was the 6th largest beer brand in the world.

Red Stripe

Hooray Beer! Red Stripe is a Jamaican beer famous in the US for its commercials. Their logo is a very "clever" yet intuitive red stripe across the bottle or can. What else could you ask for?

Here is a review from the Beer Advocate. I first had this beer 8 or 9 years ago in Colorado. I have never been to Jamaica so I don't know if this is popular there or not.

Honker's Ale

Today's post is about Honker's Ale from Goose Island Brewery in Chicago. This is a favorite of mine when I visit Chicago and on my last trip I visited two of their brewpubs. Here is a little info about the beer:

Style: English Style Bitter

Alcohol By Volume: 4.2%

International Bitterness Units: 30

Color: Golden Sunset

Hops: Styrian Golding

Malts: 2 Row, Caramel, Wheat, Roasted Barley

Here is a Beer Advocate review of it as well.

Rainier Beer

Rainier beer began being brewed in Seattle in 1884 and the brewery was sold and closed in 1999. The beer is now contract brewed by Miller Brewing and the Rainier brand is owned by Pabst Brewing.
Here is a pretty favorable review from The Opinionated Beer Page. I agree with this review and I enjoy this beer.  Here is a Beer Advocate review and a RateBeer review.

Isle of Skye Red Cuillin

This beer tour may seem to be pretty exotic both with where the beers are from and where I consumed them but it is really just random that it has begun this way.

I write briefly about whatever inspires me and since last week I wrote about Cascade Brewery in Tasmania, I thought about how that was the most southerly produced beer I have had. This made me think about the most northerly beer, which is actually probably produced by Alaska Brewing (those will be in future posts) but the most northern place I have been is the Isle of Skye in Scotland and while I was there I had a few brews from the Isle of Skye Brewery. In particular, their flagship Red Cuillin, named after the nearby Cuillin hills/mountains. Here is their description of the Red Cuillin:

Red Cuillin (4.2% ABV)The Skye Brewery`s much-prasied flagship ale. Reddish-hued, slightly malty and nutty in character, smooth to the taste. A multi-award-winning ale, named after the well-known hills of the Isle of Skye.

Pinkus Organic Pilsner

Not a special post tonight, just the most recent beer that The Beer Man has had. Tonight I am having the Pinkus Organic Ur Pils, from M. This beer is made in Germany so if you have been counting continents that beers in this blog have been from, we are up to 4 now! Here is a rating of the beer for those of you who are interested in this.

This was far from the first European or even German beer that I have had. In fact, beer #1000 was a German beer I had last month, while celebrating Oktoberfest at a German pub near my home, Prost!

Cascade Premium Lager

A picture on my digital photo frame just prompted my memory of this beer. The Cascade Brewery is just up the hill from the center of Hobart, Tasmania. I visited this brewery in November 2007 and tried several of their beers, along with having them in other places both in Tasmania as well as the rest of Australia. Visiting this brewery was the first thing I did in Tasmania, after I found a hostel to stay in when I arrived. I took a long walk up a trail along a creek to the brewery, where they have a stuffed Tasmanian Tiger (also on the logo for this beer, see above) in a display case. The Cascade Brewery is also the oldest brewery in Australia (below).

Tusker

Tusker Lager is brewed in Kenya by East African Breweries.  This is a beer that is not very common here in the US but anyone who has traveled to East Africa is definitely familiar with it. I first tried Tusker as the group I was traveling with crossed the border into Kenya from Ethiopia. A few of us walked from our camp to a storefront in the village and we each had a Tusker while we were there and I purchased a full case of Tusker to take back and share with the rest of our group who had stayed at the campsite. I had the opportunity to have Tusker only in the months of December, 2006 and January, 2007 but I have seen it at a store here in Seattle, The Beer Authority in Lake City. Here is a Beer Advocate review and a RateBeer review.