Taking A Sip of a Mother's Milk

Hey everyone! Wow it's been awhile, but that's okay because we're back with fervor and a passion to drink.  Just look at all the beer in this fridge begging to be sampled!.

Tonight we're bathing in the beer teat that is Keegan Ales, located in Kingston, NY. That's right, I said teat, because one of their stand-out brews are Mother's Milk, a oatmeal milk-like stout.

The bottle is nothing special, but it's not hiding what it is.  I like the label for it's crisp, modern-like lettering.  But what's it look like when the cap gets popped?

Gorgeous, that's what.  Seriously, this is a MILF of a beer as far as milk stouts go.  Pour is rich, dark, molasses, chocolate liquid that came smooth.  The color is pitch black...or is it? When people think opaque beers, Guinness comes to mind.  This is more like trying to look through a worm hole, where a caramel-tinge is being sucked in.  The head had a soft caramel color throughout and immediately piqued my interest.  And the aroma! Very inviting, malt and slightly sweet with a hint of bitter.

What's in the taste, because that's where it counts right?  No disappointment that's for sure. First is an undeniable smooth taste that comes with an oatmeal milk stout. Also an enjoyable malty sweetness.  What's in it that may come as unexpected?  I think hints of coffee are an incredible addition.  Did I mention bitter chocolate? I know I didn't, but I will! It's there, part of that sticky sweetness and part of the acceptable bitterness.

So where does Keegan's Mother Milk stand in our PINTRS?  I feel comfortable giving this a French rating, as it really stands out against other, simpler, less-inventive milk stouts.  Bravo Keegan Ales! 

Talk About Tail

Welcome all for another edition of Good Brew Hunting!

Our brew today hails from the West Coast, brought to us by Mendicino Brewing Company. While the company's website leaves something to be desired as far as design, it is full of information on their beers. They have two breweries, one north of San Francisco and one at Saratoga Springs, NY.

Today our tasting from Mendicino is Red Tail Ale.  Red Tail is considered the brewery's flagship beer, brewed as an amber ale. Of note is the brewery's use of bottle conditioning their beers, whereby fermentation continues in the bottle after bottling by adding active yeast right before capping.  So what's behind the plumage of this Tail?

Poured, the beer has a nice light brown tone. Best way to think of this is your common acorn color. The beer's head is actively bubbling at the pour and is of similar consistency to your common amber ale. There's nothing of note regarding the beer's aroma, perhaps slightly floral but that may be a stretch.

The beer does shine on taste. First sips are a delicate balance of sweet and hoppy bitterness. You don't have to go too deep in the flavoring before sensing the caramel in the brew either. The carbonation is also perfectly blended for a beer with full flavor.

There isn't too much more to say about Red Tail Ale as it really isn't complex for an amber ale. But it strikes me as the perfect foundational beer for a brewery to stand upon. This is the flagship of Mendicino Brewing Company for all the right reasons. In closing, because it's such a solid performer as an amber ale, I give it a UK rating.

Copper Sinks with Saranac

Good Evening All! Time for another beer review in my quest to test some of the best out there.

Saranac is one of the more recognizable of the American craft brewers, owned by the FX Matt Brewing Company and is located in Utica, NY. Saranac and it's history is well described in the FAQ at the top of the Saranac website and I encourage those of us interested in the history of the brewery to turn there.

What we poured this evening from Saranac was their India Copper Ale. Described as taking India Ale to "the next level," Saranac didn't do anything particularly ingenious in this one. They state that this brew is the product of careful paring of malts with the traditional hoppiness of an India Ale. Well let's see what that actually means for our taste buds.

Here's the pour. You'll notice the beer has the typical medium copper tone, but isn't too shaded. The head on this one is light and bubbly, nothing too serious or complex. Taking my first sniff of the beer it gives off a mild aroma, again nothing too complex. If I could say anything about the aroma, it was slightly bitter but not unexpectedly in an India Ale.

When I took my first sip, I noticed a lot of flavor. A nice, hefty punch inside the mouth. As I finished my sip (or gulp, really), the beer left what could best be described as a slight metallic taste in my mouth. Reminded me of copper, really, but that's pretty much the style of the beer anyway. A note: if you take a bigger mouthful of this beer, I experienced a tangy or bitterness towards the back corners of my mouth. Really interesting when compared to a sip. Do both and see what you think.

The beer retained a delightful fizzy-ness with each swallow. It really felt like an end-of-autumn beer. What wasn't retained? My continuing interest in the brew's actually flavor with each continued taste. It just lost my interest. It didn't retain what I would have characterized as a flavorful beer after a third of the glass was empty.

As I stated, there was nothing particularly amazing with this beer. It targeted to India Ale category and hit all the marks. But it didn't do anything to separate itself from the pack. I was waiting for it, but it never came.  For that, the India Copper Ale from Saranac only stacks up to a US on the PINTRS. Till next time!

-JDM