Canediguerra Bohemian Pilsner, Alessandria, italy at Il Punto, Bologna

Date:  Sept. 30 , 2018

The Story— We return to our quest in Europe for “God Beer in Bad Beer Cities”, but with a tiny handful of exceptions (see Geneva) there really aren’t many “Bad Beer Cities” in Europe any more.

We were drawn to Bologna to investigate FICO Eatily World — the world’s largest agri-food court, billed as the Disney of Italian eating experiences.   You can read of our experiences there in other posts, but in short, Eatily was fine, but Bologna was beautiful.  More sheltered porticos than anywhere else in the world allow exploration in rain snow or sleet.

Il Punto is a bit of a walk from center Bologna, but we managed it fine as part of an evening pub crawl.  Taxis a plentiful, affordable, and, in our experience honest, so that’s an option if the bus system seems like too much work to master.   Il Punto would be a gem in any city and is one of the star attractions of the good beer scene in Bologna.   Taps are thoughtfully chosen and a substantial bottle list allows you to sample a range of local and Italian beers.

We had tasted the Canediguerra Bohemian Pilsner at Mondial de la Bierre in Paris a coule of weeks before and thought it was fine.  But closer to the brewery and undoubtedly fresher, this was a superior beer.   It Punto’s keg poured just like an authentic German pilsner.

The Beer—  It starts with a very clean malt with just a hint of the Juicy Fruit/Honeysuckle sweetness that characterizes so many good German pilsners.  Saaz hops run fairly sweet and softly earthy while providing spicy balancing hops over the clean pale authentic pils malt.

Value — Good.  Beers aren’t cheap in good Italian beer bars.  This one cost us 6 bucks for a quarter liter, which in context, wasn’t bad.

All this week we feature HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE 2018–  Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.”  The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.)   We’ll shift back to great American beer finds next week.

About these posts:  We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year.  The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings.   Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

Heavy Seas (Baltimore, Md.) AmeriCannon American Pale Ale

Date:  Sept. 29 , 2018

The Story— Hugh Sisson served featured great beer when he managed his dad’s “Sisson’s” restaurant near Federal Hill in Baltimore.   He took the next step in 1989 when he opened  and brewed at Maryland’s first brew pub.

We’ve known Hugh for many years.  He’s a fine brewer, a great guy and an impressive Shakespearean actor.  The stage skill made him a rock star at the long-running tasting series at the Brickskeller.  Hugh left Sissons in 2005 to open Clipper City brewery which now brews under the Heavy Seas label.

Hugh intended Clipper City to be a refuge of drinkable smooth beers in an age of increasingly aggressive craft beer flavors.   As the brewery shifted to Heavy Seas, the sails shifted and now the brewery produces a remarkable range of beers with rich, complex and even occasionally challenging flavors.   Some soft spoke beers remain, but the headliners are full flavored and even brash.

AmeriCannon is a play on Heavy Seas’s Loose Cannon — a big, bold IPA.  This one, the brewery assures us, won’t leave you a loose cannon if you drink a few.  A combination of double-dry-hopping of Centennial with Lupolin powder Simcoe hops gives much of the aroma and flavor, but you have to go to the website to find out that the Warrior, Cascade, and Palasade hops are the ones that are broadening and deepening the flavor.

We first found the AmeriCannon in a bottle earlier in the year and liked it.  To get the full flavor, though, try to find this gem on tap.  We found it at Lock 72, a local-oriented restaurant and bar in Potomac, Maryland.   Lock 72’s half dozen draft beers seem kind of skimpy in these days of dazzling arrays, but the six are nicely chosen to blend a range of locals with styles that can pair well with their very impressive menu.

The Beer— Rich blend of double dry hopped Centennial hops and Simcoe lupulin powder gives a big rich and ranging fruit flavors of citrus, tropical pine & spice riding on top of a firm but very clean malt foundation.  The hop powder here seems to play more of a supporting role than it did in the bottle.

Value —  Good.   The bottle at $2.50 would be a bargain if it tasted better.   The “pint” at Lock 72 sets you back $7 which is fair enough for a beer this good and in this good condition, but it does fall short of a bargain.

COMING UP –  Tomorrow we return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE 2018–  Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.”  The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.)   We’ll shift back to great American beer finds next week.

About these posts:  We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year.  The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings.   Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

DuClaw All Roads <Lead to> Centennial Double IPA

Date:  Sept. 28 , 2018

The Story–.  DuClaw started as a small, but very good, brew pub in Bel Aire, Maryland.  It moved to a larger brewery, and moved again when sales outpaced production.  It now brews in Baltimore in a state-of-the-art modern facility.   The consistent thread, however, has been that DuClaw has brewed beers worth seeking out.

The brewery isn’t afraid to take chances, and some of its riskier attempts haven’t made it to our favorites list  “Sweet Baby Jesus,” its chocolate peanut butter porter broke new ground and won a bronze at the Great American Beer Festival, so even if it you don’t like it you have to respect it.

All Roads <Lead to> Centennial Double IPA is a Centennial romp.  Centennial is a hop that has enough breadth of taste to work well as in a single hop beer, but it’s also gentle enough not to build to excess.   DuClaw has brewed a fine range of IPAs over the years, but this example of complexity within a context of simplicity is one of their best.

The Beer—  Chewy caramel malt has to struggle to make its way through the soft complexity of the Centennial hops, but the malt’s enough to keep it drinkable.  Watermelon, grapes, slight lemon, stone fruit and scattered flower petals rest on that sweet malt as it continues to drink well.

Value —  Very good.   At 8%, you can buy one of these instead of two of something lesser.

COMING UP –  For the next few days, we’ll feature more great American beers. Later, we’ll return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE 2018–  Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.”  The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.)

About these posts:  We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year.  The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings.   Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

Tattered Flag (Middleton, PA.) El Rey Dorado

Date:  Sept. 27 , 2018

The Story–Tattered Flag is in an unlikely brewery town – Middleton is a small Pennsylvania town, but unlike most of the towns that cradle small craft breweries, there’s not much of a historic district and no evident place to stay after you’ve drunk the Flag dry.

Drinking the Flag dry is a challenge, too, because they have a still that produces spirits that our friends tell us rival their beers.  We wouldn’t know.   We have one liver each and we’ve dedicated each to beer and ale.

Tattered Flag is worth a visit, though, even if you pass on the spirits.   The brewery is below ground but a big viewing area lets you know you’re drinking in the brewery.  It can get crowded, but a large space upstairs takes the overflow at busy times — you’ll find a seat.

We think of the the El Dorado Hop featured in today’s beer as a newbie, but it’s been around for almost a decade.   It’s well-suited for a single hop beer in that brewers use it for both bittering and flavor.  It has enough breadth of flavors so it doesn’t have to be matched with other hops to create good complexity.   When it is used in conjunction with other hops it tend to accentuate tropical flavors, but we thought that Tattered Flag’s version showed lots more of interest.

The Beer–A nice El Dorado showcase in a skillful IPA – Tropical, yes, but so much more: earth and pine, some spice, and lots of ripe citrus.  This one finishes with yeast and hop bitter.  The balance invites a return and happily, the 5.7% ABV allows it.

Value — Very good.   American brewers understand IPAs and even though single hopped beers are a bit chancy, Tattered Flag wins the lottery on this one.

COMING UP –  For the next few days, we’ll feature more great American beers. Later, we’ll return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE 2018–  Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.”  The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.)

About these posts:  We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year.  The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings.   Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

4 Hands Zellige Moroccan Coffee Stout 

Date:  Sept. 26 , 2018

The Story— We sometimes wonder what the guys at the Budweiser Belgian-owned plant in St. Louis think of the craft breweries that are growing up under their not so effective canopy.  Schlafly kicked open the foliage door many years ago and several others have joined since.  A fair share of these have found national distribution, and 4 Hands seems to be pretty easy to find in the East.

This week seems to be our week to feature beers we shouldn’t like but do.   We were overjoyed with the Anchor spiced Christmas ales when they first came out and celebrated the spicing in a series of tasting in the late, lamented, Brickskeller restaurant in Washington.   But four or five years into it, most of the possibilities had been exhausted– except for Anchor’s brave new innovations year after year.   But for us Pumpkin is passe and we happily pass when we can on many of the spiced ales.

Enter a Moroccan Coffee Stout from 4 Hands.  It shouldn’t be this good — but the spices and the coffee blend rather than fight and nothing here seems tired or trite.   I still wouldn’t buy this by the case, but a big tip of the hat for brewing a beer I shouldn’t like, but actually covet.

The Beer–Rich, chewy, coffee and chocolate sipper.  Cinnamon coffee and chewy malts start with herbs.  Chewy chocolate holds well even very late.  Ellie could have done without the suggestions of pumpkin, but found the spice delicious: “it all works out well.”

Value — good.  Worth it for the interesting take on dark and spicy.

COMING UP –  More great American beers. Later, we’ll return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE 2018–  Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.”  The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.)

About these posts:  We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year.  The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings.   Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.