Rob's Review of Dogfish Head Fort

Billed as "the world's strongest fruit beer" at roughly 18% alcohol by volume, Dogfish Head's Fort is one of the most off-centered beers in existence. It is also very, very rare. In the State of Ohio, it's alcohol level renders it illegal for sale. When the off-centered Brewski Brothers were presented with an opportunity to try it, we jumped at it. Needless to say, drinking it is quite the adventure. And quite the challenge.

Dogfish Head brewed this strong ale with over one ton of a combination of Oregon and Delaware raspberries per batch. It is released once a year only in 750ml bottles in December. It pours a cloudy amber color. In fact, it looked like unfiltered apple cider. There was no head to it whatsoever. It had an overwhelming raspberry/alcohol nose to it. On the palate, I found it had a slight apple quality to go with its yeasty raspberry liqueur flavor. There were also notes of ripe cherries and slightly tart strawberries. I assumed that Dogfish Head used some wheat malt, as there was a distinct wheat bread body to it as well. My thoughts during the long, very warming finish: "Holy cow, this is the Barry Bonds of lambics. A raspberry wheat barleywine on steroids." It isn't super sweet (mostly due to the alcohol) even with a ton of raspberries in each batch.

Fort is so powerful and incredibly massive, it literally takes your breath away momentarily. A punch in the gut, of sorts. It imposes its will upon you. Lewdly stated, it is a felonious palate rape. My advice to you is to keep away from any open flame while drinking this intimidating nectar. Also, plan on in sleeping in the next day. Kudos to the fine people at Dogfish Head, who once again make something massive and totally unique. The have raised the bar in the world of extreme brewing and the Brewski Brothers cannot wait to see what's next.

Recipe: Red, White & Bleu Burger

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday weekend. In the patriotic spirit of the season, the Brewski Brothers would like to share their own very special recipe...

Red, White & Bleu Burger

2 pounds ground top sirloin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced red onions
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
OPTIONAL: 4 strips smoked bacon, sliced tomato

Preheat grill and shape the ground sirloin meat into four large patties. Lightly dust each side of patties with salt and pepper mixture. Place the patties on the cook for 5 to 6 minutes before flipping sides. Mix the rosemary into the bleu cheese. Next, put 2-3 tablespoons of crumbled bleu cheese in the center of each patty, then cook for another 5 to 6 minutes (for medium burgers, longer if desired.) Toast the buns (or Kaiser rolls) on the grill. Keep an eye on them or use a warming rack if you have one. Place bottom buns on a plate and top with the shredded romaine lettuce. Place burgers on the lettuce (with 2 strips of bacon and sliced tomato if desired) and garnish with red onion slices. Then, top off with a nice dousing of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and place top buns on sauce. Enjoy!

Serve with Beer Chips and a Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre.

AleFest 2008: Charlie's Top Three

Well... What a day! Road trips are always fun, but when there's over 150 beers to choose from, it becomes an inebriated shindig. Before all of the alcohol consumption in the day was able to catch up with me, I tried the beers I was looking forward to most first. There were plenty of top notch beers present to fill a top three, but my top three are three beers I have yet to try that I was able to sample.

#3) Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Unibroue really knows how to make a fine Belgian strong ale, and Trois Pistoles is certainly not an exception. The beer appeared a deep red in my glass with a beige/brown head. The aroma is incredibly complex giving off a very vinous, sweet quality with hints of prunes, figs, wood, raisins, some ginger, and a lovely yeasty-ness. The flavor is very similar to the nose in its complexity and sweetness, yet there is added depth with a licorice quality to it as well. The sweetness of this beer is very nice, but not at all cloying. The 9% alcohol is warming, but not at all overpowering. This is an incredible effort from Unibroue.












#2) Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

This was definitely the beer I was looking forward to having the most. Due to it's very high alcohol (at least 13%), it can't be distributed to Ohio. Even the look of this beer in the glass was impressive. There really is no other way of describing its look other than motor oil... and its consistency felt about the same too. What an insanely huge beer! The aroma was laced with plenty of alcohol and also gave off plenty of bourbon, some dark malts, and chocolate. The flavor is marked by plenty of bourbon, dark maltiness, dark chocolate, toast, vanilla, and alcohol. This beer was delicious. So why is it not my #1? Well, I found the bourbon/alcohol content in the flavor a little overpowering. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, but that slight bit of imbalance keeps it at #2.






#1) Columbus Brewing Company Barleywine.

What a pleasant surprise! Why doesn't CBC bottle this stuff?! The normally mild, but tasty, brewery really nailed it with this big brew! This is an incredible American style barleywine. Going the route of Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada, this is an incredibly hoppy barleywine and could possibly even be described as an imperial IPA. This beer was a surprise right from the pour, which produced a surprisingly light golden orange color with a moderate off white head. After talking with the CBC representative on hand, we found that this beer is brewed with a new style of hop called a Summit hop that packs a hefty 14.5 alpha acids. The hops are definitely present in the nose with some malty caramel. The flavor first gives a very fleeting caramel, malty sweetness that is quickly counteracted by loads of hops. The hops also add lots of citrus notes and I picked up a hint of mango as well. My first impression was that this is definitely a barleywine, but the more I drank it the more it seemed like an imperial IPA. This beer was incredibly delicious and I would love to see this stuff bottled around Christmas time or in the dead of winter.

It was a good day.

Brewski Book Club Summer Selection

Susan Hurst's review (Library Journal, May 1, 2005), "Brewing Up A Business: Adventures In Entrepreneurship" by Sam Calaglione :

For those who like their business advice mixed with tales of the trials and tribulations of starting a new business, this book will go down as smoothly as a pint of Immort Ale, one of Dogfish Head's signature brews. While chapters cover much tried-and-true territory, including entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, leadership, and employee relations, Calagione manages to keep the advice he dispenses fresh by relating it to his own often humorous experiences in starting what is now one of the fastest-growing breweries in the country. Stories of hand-delivering beer from a U-haul in dicey neighborhoods and securing labels with rubber bands after running out of glue attest to both the author's determination and his anything-goes entrepreneurial spirit. Solid writing and a no-nonsense style coupled with a welcome avoidance of business jargon make this an enjoyable and practical read for anyone either interested in the brewery business or thinking of creating his or her own start-up.

Brewski Bro Rob agrees.

It is an eye-opening book on entrepreneurship that deals with focusing on your strengths, being an effective leader, efficient communication, learning how to brand your corporate image, listening to your customers and employees and staying true to your personal ethics in the business world. Sam Cataglione shares how the little-brewery-that-could found its market niche, while overcoming many trials and tribulations. He manages to integrate many stories from his personal and business life and shows how he was able to vault Dogfish Head from America's smallest commercial brewery to a profitable, critical success without selling his soul. Sam writes in a conversational, personable style that is earnest, honest and even self-effacing at times (i.e. see Chapter on "How Sucking Is Good.") An enjoyable read that is useful to anyone who wants to start a business or improve skills for their current job.

AleFest 2008: Rob's Top Three

On June 28th, the Brewski Brothers yet again let the rubber meet the road as the royal WE roadtripped it to AleFest at the Aladdin Shrine Temple. AleFest featured over 150 different beers from 50+ breweries. It was as if we had died and gone to beer heaven. We were most excited to try a few beers that are unavailable in Ohio, either because of a lack of distribution or due to the beers containing more than 12.0% alcohol by volume (the maximum allowed under current Ohio laws.)

Rob and Charlie, the Grand Poobahs of the Brewski Brothers, were able to drink a lion's share of beer. Here are Rob's "Best In Show."

#3. Gulden Draak by Brouwerij Van Steenberge (Belgium)

The first thing that I noticed about it was for a Belgian Tripel, it was extremely dark in color. I found it to be reminiscent of holiday potpourri in its aroma. Lots of cinnamon, caramel, cocoa, apple cider and spiced fruitcake in the nose. Sweet, slightly acidic on the palate. Finishes with a yeasty/bready, somewhat alcoholic zest. The alcohol becomes more present as the beer warms up. At 10.5% alcohol by volume, this is quite a commitment if you purchase the 750ml bottle. Usually tripels are well-suited for a chilly autumn evening or as a wintertime nightcap, but I could enjoy Gulden Draak in the summertime as well with some spicy barbeque right off the grill.







#2. Columbus Brewing Company Barleywine (Ohio)

This latest offering from CBC was quite a surprise in a good way. CBC makes good beers, but I think they kind of play it safe. With this barleywine, they decided to swing for the fences. It pours a sunset orange in color. It is rather hoppy for a barleywine, like Stone Brewing Company's Old Guardian, but it is less sweet and more piney with its hoppiness. I got a lot of bitter orange and ruby red grapefruit on the palate, followed by a huge mango presence. It almost tastes like a hybrid of a double India pale ale and barleywine. The 10% alcohol is well hidden and the hoppiness gives it a crisp, refreshing finish.

#1. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (Illinois)

Brewed especially to commemorate Goose Island's 1000th batch, the Bourbon County Stout is something to try before you die. If 1000 batches doesn't sound like much, most commercial breweries (including Goose Island) produce 310 gallons of beer per batch. The color of the stout is black like 10w-30 motor oil and pours with the same consistency. I describe the head as thick and its color is like saddle leather. Quite noticeable on the nose is the toffee-scented bourbon aroma. The entire batch was aged for five months in bourbon barrels, to impart the flavor of both oak and bourbon in the imperial stout. Also there is quite a bit of burnt marshmellow, campfire and vanilla on the nose. A bunch of licorice, vanilla, coal, dark chocolate, espresso and bourbon on the palate. It was like getting hit over the head with an iron frying pan with flavor. This Goose Island brew is powerful, thick, yet velvety and sweet. I would best summarize the Bourbon County Stout by saying it is "like laying naked on a bearskin rug next to a roaring fire in the dead of winter" in a bottle. Not that I've ever done that...But with its alcohol somewhere in the 13%-14% range, Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout may encourage such naked acts of randomness and utter madness. Cheers!

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hope Ale

Way back in 1980, before we Americans could enjoy the plethora of microbrews we have available to us now, Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi started what we know as the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. This brewery truly enjoys their hops and they use nothing but whole cone hops. In fact, Sierra Nevada uses more whole cone hops than any other brewer in the world.

Their latest venture with the hop includes a trio of beers... the Harvest Ales. The three beers showcase hops from around the world. The Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale, as the name implies, uses hops from the southern hemisphere... all from New Zealand. The three hops this beer showcases are Pacific Hallertau, New Zealand Motueka, and New Zealand Southern Cross hops. This is the only brewery I know of that uses fresh hops from New Zealand, and I am not familiar with the last two styles of hops used.

The beer pour a lovely deep copper color, with a moderate, off-white head and nice lacing. The aroma is a wonderful bouquet of fresh, floral hops with a slight bit of caramel malt. The flavor is very fleetingly sweet followed by a grape fruity and slightly piney bitterness with fairly light body and a nice crisp, bitter, lingering finish.

I'm not so sure the hops add too much uniqueness to this IPA, but it is certainly a wonderful beer to drink and very well balanced... and at $5.99 for a 24 oz, it's not too bad of a buy either.

Brewing/Bottling Day

Alight, so this event took place over a week ago, but we've been busy, busy, busy with business. Anyway, last Saturday we bottled our Hopalong Hefner Hefe and got to brewing our Paleolithic Imperial Double Pale Ale.
All went well with bottling and it should be just about ready to drink. It's been conditioning in the bottle for about 8 or 9 days now and we may crack open a few to see how it's developing. We expect to have exhausted the supply by the weekend.Once done with bottling we transitioned right to our Paleolithic. Laid out in the picture below is the majority of the ingredients used. The recipe included loads of malt and about 5 oz of high alpha acid Columbus, Galena, and Spalt hops.



We're expecting this beer to hit anywhere from around 9-11% alcohol and the IBUs should be well over 100. Over the last week, I've smelled nothing but hops coming out of my closet as this monster fermented. Fermentation is finally slowing down and bottling will most likely occur this weekend. We expect to be drinking this mammothly brutally beast come fall time.

We also visited Ale Fest here in Columbus this past Saturday and we'll be posting our thoughts later in the week. Also, some more beers we will be brewing shortly are: Pompous British IPA, a Stormy Night Porter (not going to give all the details on this one, though), a very special Belgian strong ale, and of course, a barleywine.