Beer Tasting-Wine World-March 14

T his was Wine World‘s first beer tasting of 2014. There was a broad range of tastes for this one. The most often mentioned lighter brew was the Avery White Rascal White Ale. This has been a very popular part of Wine World’s beer tastings over the years and there’s a reason.

On the dark end of the brew list several people said they would only drink one but the Well’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale was pretty darn good. On the Love it or Hate It side there was the Anderson Valley Keelbarlin’ Pale Ale. Amazingly this brew only has 40 IBUs. This is one super hoppy brew. This is in the same style of many West Coast breweries: Hoppy and bitter. The hop heads loved it. The lighter brew crowd, no.

For me I had to give a thumbs up for the White Rascal and for the Sticky Toffee (I would be one of those that would only drink one). I really liked the other dark brew that many tasters mentioned: Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. I’m all in on that one.
Where: Wine World, 133 Georgia Ave., North Augusta, SC
803-279-9522

When: Friday, March 14, 2014, 5-8pm
Cost: $5 per person. You get a $2 rebate with the purchase of 6 bottles of the featured brews.

Here are the brews to be presented (click to see more):

1. Stevens Point Belgian White
2. Avery White Rascal White Ale
3. Weltenburger Barock Dunkel Weiss
4. Anderson Valley Keelbarlin’ Pale Ale
5. Bell’s Smitten Golden Rye Ale
6. Stone Go To IPA
7. Belhaven Scottish Ale
8. Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
9. Well’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale
10. B Nektar Necromangocon Mead

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Here are the detailed brew notes:
Stevens Point Belgian White | Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Point Belgian White is a smooth refreshing and distinctive beer brewed in the tradition of Belgian Style White Ales. Our recipe boasts the finest barley and wheat malts, white wheat, rolled oats, and Noble Hallertau and Saaz hops — naturally flavored with a hint of Curacao orange peel and coriander. The result is a light-bodied beer renowned for its signature golden-white haze. Try it with an orange slice. Available year round. 15 IBUS. MALTS: Pilsen, Raw White Wheat, Red Wheat Malt, Oats. HOPS: Saaz, Hallertau. ALC 5.38%. Link to brewery website: Stevens Point Brewery

Avery White Rascal White Ale | Boulder, Colorado
And it now available in cans! A truly authentic Belgian style wheat or “white” ale, this Rascal is unfiltered (yup, that’s yeast on the bottom) and cleverly spiced with coriander and Curaçao orange peel producing a refreshingly zesty classic ale. Food pairing: Spicy Thai or Mexican dishes provide a level of heat and spiciness required to balance the semi-sweet, citrus flavors found in White Rascal. Our favorites are pad thai, green curry, blackened codfish and ceviche. Available year round. Hop Variety: Bravo, Sterling, Hersbrucker. Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Wheat. ABV: 5.6% IBUs: 22. Color: Cloudy white. Link to brewery website: Avery Brewing

Weltenburger Barock Dunkel Weiss | Germany
The world´s oldest dark beer. They can claim that because this is a monastic brewery, with the monastery being founded in 45 AD and it’s brewery being founded in 1050. That’s 1000 years of brewing… sort of. The monastery, located on the south bank of the Danube near Weltenburg. Over 2,000 years the monastery has had its starts and stops as the world changed but in 1913 they become a monastery again and lucky for us the brewery is still in existence. Here’s how their website describes it. “A true experience of flavour. Full bodied, with fine malt aromas. slightly bitter with some sweetness, creamy and with the warm colours of amber, intensive flavour and fragrance. Brewed in traditional monastic manner, its one of the great beers.” ALC 4.7% . Winery: Weltenburger

Anderson Valley Keelbarlin’ Pale Ale | Boonville, California
ALC 4.2%. IBUs: 40 IBU. This is one hoppy brew. People either loves this one or hated it depending on their view on hoppy beers. The amazing part is there is no mention of this brew on their website. Must be pretty new. Link to brewery website: Anderson Valley Brewing

Bell’s Smitten Golden Rye Ale | Kalamazoo, Michigan
Drawn from one of our oldest recipes, Smitten Ale began as part of a series of rye beers at our Eccentric Café. The combination of sharp citrus & resinous flavors from the hops with the earthy, rustic overtones of the rye malt contribution yield an interesting take on the American Pale Ale. ALC 6%.–From their Website. Link to brewery website: Bell’s Brewery

Stone Go To IPA | North County San Diego, California
This is a very new release. March 2014 to be exact. “Since Day One, we’ve been abundantly forthright and fully transparent about our lust for hops. It’s led us to craft many an IPA, most of them imperial—some intense for their time and all timeless in their intensity. For Stone Go To IPA, we are embracing our hop obsession in a new way, funneling an abundance of lupulin-borne bitterness into a “session” IPA delivering all the fruity, piney character of a much bigger IPA. To accomplish this, we employed “hop bursting,” a new technique wherein an irrational amount of hops is added during the final phase of the brewing process to coax out extreme flavors and aromas while also imparting a burst of desirably pleasant bitterness. The result is an Alpha-acid-rich beer that fans can enjoy more of without missing out on the assertive hop character you, like us, crave. So, sit back and go two with your new everyday go-to IPA and bask along with us in the glory of the almighty hop.”–From their Website. ALC 4.5%. Link to brewery website: Stone Brewing

Belhaven Scottish Ale | Scotland
Malty and hoppy, we at Belhaven love the classic Scottish Ale and we’ve been brewing it longer than any of the other beers we produce. Delivering a sweet, smooth and creamy finish, Scottish Ale has a stunning ruby colour in the glass. Magic. ALC 5.8%.–From their Website Link to brewery website: Belhaven Brewery

Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout | Boonville, California
This one is on their website. Darkness. The deep ebony color, voluptuous mahogany head and bold, roasty flavors in our Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout are what serious beer drinkers expect from this style. Aromas of freshly baked bread, espresso, and dried cherries meld seamlessly with rich toffee flavors and a creamy mouth feel to create an unparalleled drinking experience. Pair it with french onion soup, pulled pork sliders, smoked meats, chocolate desserts. Smoked Gouda, Havarti. ALC: 5.8%. 14 IBUs. MALTS: Pale Two-Row, Crystal (40L & 80L), Roasted Barley, Munich, Chocolate, Oats. HOPS: Columbus, Northern Brewer. Available year round in draft and bottles but only January-March in cans.
 Link to brewery website: Anderson Valley Brewing

Well’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale | Bedford, England
Created by the Master Brewers behind Banana Bread Beer and Double Chocolate Stout, Wells & Young’s new beer is based on the quintessentially British dessert Sticky Toffee Pudding. The 5% ABV beer is brewed using natural accredited mineral water and the finest ingredients to combine the rich flavours of Sticky Toffee Pudding with traditional ale to create an indulgent beer.

Karl Ottomar, Head Brewer at Wells & Young’s explains: “Our dessert ales have been a huge hit across the world and we wanted to add a new, unique flavour into the mix. Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale was a natural fit, combining a quintessentially British pudding with our brewing expertise to create a rich, smooth beer with all the warmth and aromas of a dessert but without being overly sweet. This is very much a beer first and a dessert second, it is brewed with our trusted pale ale malt and a secret blend of complex sugars. The initial sweetness of Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale is tempered by a gentle bitterness from two of England’s most traditional hop varieties- Fuggles and Goldings. This delivers the sweet taste of caramel and toffee along with a smooth and robust aftertaste”.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale was launched just in time for Christmas, which was perfect timing as it matches perfectly with all the festive favourites including roast chicken and pork, cheese and cranberries, and rich fruit cake. —From their press release. Link to brewery website: Wells & Young’s Brewing Company
B Nektar Necromangocon Mead | Michigan
Pronounced: Necro-MANGO-Con. ABV: 6%. Carbonation: Very light. Availability: We’re expecting to make this a year-round offering, but that will be dependent on the demand. It will slowly be released to all our markets starting March 25th, 2013. Label Description: Here’s what’s on the label. “Swallow this… Many years ago, a mysterious book was discovered by a group of friends in a Ferndale, MI basement. A translation of its contents revealed the recipe for an ancient beverage using mango juice, honey, and black pepper. What they didn’t realize was that creating the beverage had dire consequences. Stricken by fear after its compleation, the friends tried to contain the terrifying forces into this very bottle. Once opened, however, no one can say for sure if it can be conquered. Defend your soul or join us…” Link to brewery website: B Nektar