Author: Ken Carman

Without intent, I have collected well over 1,000 beer bottles since the early 70s. When something finally had to be done about the cheap paneling in this old modular, I had a choice. Tear down the walls while, oh, so carefully, replacing the often rotted 1X3s. Or: cover them with… The Bottle Collection.

Written by Ken Carman

I haven’t seen this in the stores for about 5 years, but to be honest: I don’t go looking for it. That’s not necessarily a neg comment, more “not my style.” I remember it as a typical English pale of the lighter variety, essential Brit version of a lager like Bud only with an ale yeast. Preferable, but not my style. Copper with a hint of orange. I remember a light palate to the mouthfeel with a faint hint of malt. Low carb: to be expected. Hops low. Not much of a nose: faint malt and hop sense with fruity background, too long ago to liken it to anything. Clarity was good, rocky head, if I remember right.

Looking over comments at Beer Advocates I’m wondering if, like the beer they describe, my memory might be a tad hazy. OR, maybe I had an old bottle where some of the nuttiness/caramel character faded? I really didn’t notice hops, I do remember that, which I’m guessing is a good sign it may have been an old bottle. I did note that those who had had it on tap in England had a far better experience.

If you are expecting a typical lighter pale ale that you might get in England: have at it. Not me. I’m too deep into aggressive to buy it again, unless I’m trying to impress a Brit visitor, or not offend anyone.

Brewed by O’Hanlon’s Brewing Co. Ltd./Great Barton Farm, Clyst St. Lawrence, in England. Near Exeter and Honiton.

Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay, Salt City and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

The Topic: Beer Snobs

Having dealt with a few pro-brewers and highly ranked BJCP judges with attitude problems, I know there is such a thing as a “beer snob” among craft beer lovers, competition judges and homebrewers. In fact I know one pro-brewer, no names mentioned, who thinks every time someone writes something on his brewery it has to be positive: essentially a promo. You may have read my comments before where this same highly ranked judge and pro-brewer would loudly lecture everyone during competition about how they should judge every, and any, beer. Or the highly ranked judge whose first comment to me when I questioned his ruling that a green apple taste was “always a defect,” because Pomme: which uses apples, might have that taste, he insisted there was “no such beer” as a Pomme. (Wrong.) And he then claimed I had “inferior taste buds.”
Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Written by Ken Carman for Professorgoodales.net

Ken Carman is a BJCP judge; homebrewer since 1979, club member at Escambia Bay Salt City, Salt City and Music City Homebrewers, who has been interviewing professional brewers all over the east coast for over 10 years.

The Topic: Is “Small” Better?

Can’t say I didn’t enjoy, though it’s annoying as all hell when we pay well over $100 for some hotsy totsy Dallas hotel and they demand more money just to go web surfing. Hell, I’ve stayed in $26 motels in northern Georgia and gotten “free” internet. If they can include it in the price at $26, you know damn well it can’t be that hard at well over $100.

Beer? Yes, this is about beer. We were at Bluebonnet, a competition in Dallas, Texas. This was a few years ago. This is a huge competition: well over 2,000 entries and they want three bottles per entry. That’s well over 6,000 bottles to check in, register, take off the labels, hopefully not break while you relabel them and sort them into categories and then off to each respective table.

Continue reading “Brew Biz: Werts and All”

Saturday, September 1st, second Beaver River Beer Tasting @ Beaver River Lodge. We had about 50-60 tasters over a 3-4 hour period and about 30 different beers. One of the best we had was a Belgian-style Cherry that had been oaked, and I must admit a lot of folks liked my new brew, a cyser called Crabby Patty. Brewed at the “Brewed Anywhere but Beaver River Brewery.” It’s a LONG story. Berkshire Brewing in Mass. was represented by a “Sour Mash” IPA that had been kept in a “famous Tennessee” whiskey barrel. Gee, wonder who THAT could have been, maybe you, Mr. Daniels? And we had Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero. Salt City Brewers, out of Syracuse, were represented by one “I don’t wear NOTHIN under my kilt” Mark Franey: minus kilt/with pants THIS TIME… and K.T.. He brought a GREAT Brown Porter, better that the Schlafly Porter we also tasted.

I kept the pictures as big as I could so you might be able to see the labels. On to September 22nd in Stillwater on the western side of the reservoir! And, yes, you CAN drive there, unlike Beaver River. Starts at 12. If you so desire Riverboat to Beaver River leaves at 12:30. So if only interested in a little “tasting,” you’re certainly welcome!
Continue reading “Beaver River Beer Tasting #2”

profiled by Ken Carman for professorgoodales.net

Nose: orange, chocolate, deep roasted grain sense, hint of alcohol.
Appearance: Obsidian, dense, no light shines through, big brown head.
Mouthfeel: a bit chewy, alcohol accentuated by what may be a lager yeast: not inappropriate for the style but a tad out of balance. High gravity with hint of unfermented: mostly roasted, malts. (They tend not to “ferment,” sugars less accessible.)
Taste: other than the slight out of balance a very impressive brew. Multiple roasted malts blend into a fine symphony of flavor. Not a beer one would want to drink a lot of, unless one has no need to go anywhere and doesn’t mind the morning headache. Chocolate obvious, not as much orange… but this is blood orange peel: which is more likely to add to the bitter than any actual orange taste. That also affects balance a bit to the negative, though not much.

I really enjoyed this beer. Of all the High Peaks series this may be one of the best. I really hope they bring it back. I lucked out: I found a few stores that still had it.
Continue reading “Beer Profile: High Peaks Saranac Chocolate Orange (Baltic) Porter”

Thought I’d share some info and pictures on my three beer tastings I do in the Adirondacks every year. Here you see the first one, held August 25th, 2012.

I would have a few clearer, closer, pictures of the bottles and cans, but they really didn’t come out very well. We had just under 30 beers, Here are a few….
Continue reading “Beer Tasting #1, Behind Norridgewock, Beaver River, NY”

If you are anywhere near the Adirondacks this August, or September, the Beaver River Beer Tastings are set for the weekend before Labor Day, Labor Day and September 22nd. For more information please click here.

The first picture is the Norridgewock Riverboat: one way people attending can get to Beaver River. The next is part of downtown Beaver River, and the third is the location of the first tasting.

Continue reading “Pictures from the Beaver River Beer Tastings”