Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Ubu is more than just an Adirondack

Evening all!

Tonight we begin the first of two reviews of the Lake Placid Brewing CompanyLake Placid Brewing Company is the culmination of two people who loved the craft of beer and took up residence in a small pub in (you guessed it) the village of Lake Placid.  The flagship beer of the brewery, Ubu Ale, will be the subject of tonight's review.  This is, literally, a presidential beer and I highly recommend checking out the Lake Placid Brewing Company website for the full story.  After reading it, I was excited to see what could be so special in this bottle (though, given the president in question and his taste in women, perhaps I should have approached it a little more cautiously...)


Now that you see the label of the beer (and if you know what an Adirondack village is) you know where I went with the title.  It's simple yet effective.  This is the flagship of the brewery and it stands on it's own two feet.  The label is a little 'busy' if I want to get picky.  A solid tone label with the Adirondack chair and the title would help it stand out a bit.  Now what's under the cap?


You'll notice the beer has little to no head.  I was somewhat surprised at that considering it's described as an English Strong Ale and I would expect a little bit more in such an ale.  The smell was very distinct to stat with, first with a molasses sweet smell with the scent of chocolate.  This quickly faded to the background and provided a hint of the smell for the rest of the tasting.

Upon taste, I was impressed with the smooth, rich, malt flavor.  Described by Lake Placid Brewing Company as deep garnet red but really looking more brown, it certainly delivered on the flavor I would expect with a beer of reddish hue.  It reminded me of dark chocolate; balanced in sweetness and bitterness that felt genuine.  When the beer is described as being complimented by just the right amount of English hops I have to agree.  Hardly over powering but certainly there in adding depth to the beer.  The beer left behind a stickiness which resembled a scotch ale both on my palate and in the glass but with less bite.  

This beer belongs beside you, certainly in an Adirondack chair, relaxing by the camp fire or as a colder day on the beach begins to end.  It's much more refreshing than it's darker hues would suggest, and it has a level of complexity which is astounding given it's relatively simple ingredients and description from Lake Placid Brewing Company.  The beer deserves a French on the PINTRS and I can't wait to drink the rest of them!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Hurricane Kitty Lacks a Category

Good evening all!  First a little admin news.  My blog was recently reviewed! Check out the review at The Kindle Blog Report to see the review.  Now, on to today's review.

We're sampling another brew from the Keegan Ales.  Last time I was more than pleased with their Mother's Milk and today we're trying Hurricane Kitty.


Hurricane Kitty is billed as an India Pale Ale (IPA).  Keegan Ales gives a great description of the beer's history and flavor, so I'll display that here:

"This brew is a coppery and heavily hopped India Pale Ale. Named after brewmaster Keegan’s grandmother whose driving earned her quite a reputation with local police racing her six children to and from a local Long Island beach ferry during the 1960′s, Hurricane Kitty is the undisputed family favorite. We try to make the hop bill read as aggressively as her driver’s record."


With a beer that has as rich a history as this one I was quite excited to see what makes Hurricane Kitty different than your run-of-the-mill IPA.


The aroma of the beer was nothing unexpected.  There was a tinge of sweetness along with some citrus backgrounds.  The Frosted Mug states the beer's head hangs around much longer than you'd expect.  Seeing this for myself was pretty interesting.  It's not a large head but it certainly hangs there and adds to the taste on the first swallow.  The color is a deep coppery color, so still nothing too surprising here.

About that first taste.  The IPA flavor is dead on with the exception of refreshness.  The beer has a very distinct bitter citrus flavor which will hang around your taste buds for awhile.  There's also the malt sugar flavor interlaced within this bitterness but it doesn't come through quite strong and is well overpowered by the bitterness.

This is definitely an IPA, but nothing else.  Where Mother's Milk was unique and flavorful, Hurricane Kitty is predictable and found lacking.  I don't hate the beer, so I'll be given it a US PINTR in the system.  I just wish there was something more, or something more unique, to enjoy.