Hill Farmstead/ Alchemist Collaboration: Walden

I was delighted to see this on tap at the Farmhouse last week. It was originally released for the Vermont Brewer's Festival while a second batch was brewed to be released elsewhere, according to the Farmhouse staff. It is described as an extra pale ale, lower in alcohol content with all the characteristics of an American pale ale.

Alcohol Content: 3.8%
IBU: ?
Malts: ?
Hops: Motueka, Amarillo, Simcoe

Price: $3.50/ Half; $6/ Full
Medium: Full pour (12 oz) into a tulip/ snifter

Aroma: Light malt sweetness, generally clean. Hops are accurately representative of a pale ale with a distinct presence but overall balanced with the malts. Hints of grapefruit, tangerine citrus, and floral notes. Lightly toasted bread in the background supports the pleasant hop aromas. Some earthy or dry vegetal matter follows the citrus tones - can be described as lemongrass.
Appearance: First glass poured was super hazy with a milky consistency. The bar manager noticed and came over with another beer poured before I could have a chance to comment on the first glass. Clear indication of an unfiltered beer that was knocked around in the beer cooler before tapping. Still, the second glass was naturally hazy but with a much better color and orange/ gold glow. Carbonation was steady with a near-white head formed to the rim. Lacing leaves behind rings of foam indicated by each gulp of beer - a beautiful sight for an empty beer glass.
Flavor: Malt sweetness is moderately low but manages to stay on the palate with the hop flavors. Amarillo provides tangerine-like citrus qualities and the overall bitterness is soft and pleasant. Maltiness remains low and is otherwise bready or a similar cereal grain. Aftertaste remains bitter while the hops and carbonation result in cleaning up malt sweetness in the finish.
Mouthfeel: I was told calcium chloride and gypsum were added to the brewing water, which helps play up a nice clean bitterness. Moderate body with a prickly sensation from carbonation. Cold, smooth start with a soft, dry finish. Slightly chalky.
Overall Impression: True chemistry from the collaborative efforts of Sean Hill and Jon Kimmich to create a sessionable beer with all the hop flavors and character American's are thirsty for. The beer is well balanced and showcases a new hop variety that I have never heard of before (Motueka).

Vermont Brewer's Fest Beer & Chocolate Pairings W/ Lake Champlain Chocolates

I decided to put up a post this week regarding the chocolate and beer pairing event I attended at the information tent during last weekend's brewer's festival. I was fortunate enough to have tickets to both sessions that day, which meant an afternoon of learning followed by an evening of beer gluttony. I also volunteered for our local homebrew club, the Green Mountain Mashers. John and I ran into some good friends as well as a few other homebrew "know-it-alls". The following is basically copied from a printout I received at the pairing event - I thought some people would like to see it if they didn't get a copy:

Pairing 1: Zero Gravity & Otter Creek Collaboration, Berliner Weiss (3% ABV) with Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Carmael. The sour wheat beer is traditional to Northern Germany and is very light with a tartness resembling champaign. Sea salt highlights the dairy and lactic sourness of the chocolate. Together the beer's high sour lifts the cooked dairy flavors of the caramel. I noted the seas salt giving a kick in the last bite.

Pairing 2: VT Pub & Brewery Lake Champlain Chocolate Stout with Organic Vanilla Truffle. The beer is a rich, dark, smooth and sweet; a full bodied milk stout brewed with Madagascar cocoa nibs roasted at Lake Champlain Chocolates. Organic butter and heavy cream pair well with the milk stout. Deep roasted, chocolate flavors blend nicely with the Madagascar bourbon vanilla. The pairing is sort of self-explanatory with the use of chocolate in the beer.

Pairing 3: Alchemist Heady Topper (8% ABV) with (1) Dark Chocolate Orange Peel & (2) Dark Covered Almond. A variety of citrus, bitter, and sweetness of pineapple are led by a piney aroma in the beer. The orange peel in the chocolate creates a citrus bomb. Balance of sweet and sour notes. The chocolate almond's bitterness complements this big beer by boosting the roasted almond notes.

Pairing 4: Wolaver's Organic Oatmeal Stout (5.9% ABV) & Cordial. The cordial piece is showcased by the oatmeal stout inside a thin dark chocolate shell. They do this by cooking the beer down only slightly, to highlight the oatmeal and malt flavors and aid in a thicker consistency. This was by far the best chocolate of the night. You have to eat it in one bite as the beer easily flows out of the thin shell. This is also a 100% organic food and beer pairing!

Alchemist Celia Saison

As the name implies, The Alchemist Celia Saison is primarly geared towards gluten-free individuals. The story goes that Jennifer Kimmich, wife of founder and brewmaster John Kimmich, was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in 2007. This led to the creation of the Celia Saison, a farmhouse ale that went on to win a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for gluten free beer. This is their offering...

Alcohol Content: 6.5%
IBU: ?
Malts: None, (Sorghum)
Hops: Celia
Yeast: Belgian strain
Adjuncts: Curacao Orange Peel

Price: $8/ four pack 12oz bottles
Medium: Pint glass

Aroma: Fruity sour/ tartness reminiscent of lemons and orange peels or orange zest. Very appropriate for the base style. The hop character was very eccentric and something I was not used to. Peppery, spicy notes probably come from hops and are enhanced by the phenols from fermentation. Phenols become more apparent as the beer warms.
Appearance: Sparkly at first with lots of carbonation noted from the sound it makes while pouring and tiny effervescent bubbles during the session. Thick, long-lasting white head is typical from the use of sorghum in normal barley-based beers. I assume this to have a profound effect on head retention in an all sorghum beer. Color is brightly golden orange with moderate haze. Wet looking or oily lacing. Unfiltered.
Flavor: Strong blend of fruity and sour fermentation characteristics supported very minimally by a sweet sorghum flavor. After tasting a small sweetness, I had to make sure that sorghum can provide some of this character and I believe it does. Nonetheless, the sweetness is dominated by acidic fruitiness of lemon and orange zest. Bitterness is generally spicy. I detected a faint solventy or alcoholic flavor but this could have been accentuated or confused with its distinct phenolic character. Very sour and balanced more towards the bitterness and fermentation.
Mouthfeel: Lightly bodied with a warm, prickly alcohol. Prickliness may be more from the strong acidity, which helps give a perception of balance to the dry finish.  Very highly carbonated, also aiding to the crisp, dry finish. Its light body has an interesting watery and oily texture that counteract each other but still allow for easy drinking. Moderate degree of puckering or astringency - from phenols or acidity? As the beer warms, it becomes more fruity, sour, and phenolic in both flavor and mouthfeel.
Overall Impression: I was very impressed with the Celia firstly because it was a great representation of the base style, Saison, and secondly because it was simply a terrific beer for my first gluten-free experience. I wanted to think of it as a Saison and compare to other competing barley beers. The result is it matched up very well. Perfect for the summer sun to come. This one caught my eye at Healthy Living Market in South Burlington.

Alchemist Heady Topper

After being hit by Hurricane Irene, the beloved Alchemist Pub & Brewery is no longer with us today; However; John and Jennifer Kimmich continue to run their revamped brewery/ cannery with the Heady Topper being their one and only staple. This delightfully crafted American Double IPA is loaded with American Hops, yet is one of the most drinkable IPA's I have come across.

Alcohol Content: 8.0%

IBU: ?

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

Medium: 16oz can poured into a pint glass

Price: $13.00 for a 4-pack of 16oz cans

Aroma: Even upon opening the can it releases a pleasantly strong floral and citrus of grapefruits and oranges. After pouring it into a glass I noticed the strong grapefruit-like aroma become more sour/ tart. The hop presence is never quelled throughout the entire session. The malt profile is almost impossible to put a nose to.

Appearance: Poured for a super hazy, golden copper to orange color with a very small white head and little retention.  Tiny bubbles are constantly flowing throughout, suggesting a good amount of carbonation.

Flavor: Pale sweet malts upfront with a slight caramel sweetness. The caramel notes actually get stronger or become more apparent in the middle and linger a bit within the bitter hop finish. Hop profile is floral, grassy, and resiny/ dense becoming more citrus-like and grapefruity in the finish and aftertaste. Not overly dry and possesses some mouth-watery effects on the sides of the mouth/ tongue. Definitely hop balanced with a lingering sweetness that may be overlooked by many.

Mouthfeel: Moderate body with a moderately strong carbonation. Some degree of alcohol warmth giving it a bit of a hot mouthfeel (subtle). The mouth-watering effects balance the resiny coat of dry hops nicely.

Overall Impression: Freshness is key to this one - They highly recommend drinking it from the can and not pouring it into a glass to ensure the intended hop experience. I will note that the hop profile became more grassy and less grapefruit-like/ citrusy during the session. At $13.00 for a 4-pack of 16oz cans its definitely still worth it. Extremely drinkable and a great experience for any occasion - beach friendly too!