The First Creation of Shmaltz Brewing Company ( Dedicated to Crafting Delicious Beer and Delicious Shtick… L’Chaim!) I bought this beer after seeing it around. The label made me laugh, it had a cheeky coolness to it that made it a must-try beer and I am glad I did. It’s 12 ounces of goodness

How Does it Smell? POUR, COLOR?: The Beer poured a caramel light brown with a creamy thick head, and it was mostly clear. It’s a good looking ale, not heavy on carbonation.

Taste? The hops were assertive on first taste with a minor malty sweetness to it. If you let this beer warm up some the taste improves and more character develops.

BODY? This beer has a light body for a brown ale.

FINISH: This beer finishes with a slight bitterness to it, a well put together bitterness.

Drinkability? It has an OK bitterness to it.

What about the packaging? The label is a cool, New York inspired piece of art, well designed.

Comic Pairings? This beer would go good with Fantastic Four, due to the Blue Eyed Thing. He is a Jewish character I could see drinking this beer.

As for food, a good pastrami on rye would be good with this beer.

I would of liked a little more flavor but beyond that, it was a decent brew.

Some info from the brewer.

Genesis Ale:

Our First Creation

Crisp, smooth and perfectly balanced between a west coast style pale and amber ale, with a supple malt sweetness and a pronounced hop flourish.

Malts: 2-row, Caramel 40L, Dark Crystal, Munich, Wheat

Hops: Warrior, Centennial, Cascade, Fuggle, Willamette

“4 Stars…This lovely ale deserves a wide interdenominational audience.” - San Diego Union-Tribune

Popularity: 8% [?]

So my friend, iZathrez on twitter (who posts so very little) swings by to raid my comic book collection, suggests that it was a good day to taste a new beer, which is weird for him, but as it turns out he just wanted to see my beer spot… So, we took the trip there and spent way too much time looking around the beer section. A pink elephant kept catching my eye but I continued looking around anyway. I was looking at Flying Dog bottles, as well as Brooklyn Beer, Chimay, and other various beers. I see him pick up the bottle, with the pink elephant and out of the corner of my eye, I swear he was talking to the bottle, but I let that go and we decided to purchase it. Got Lunch for my wife and kids, sorted through comics, put the kids down for their nap and sent the wife out to do what she does well, SHOP.

I pulled out my favorite glass (thanks Beer Utopia), my friend bought one just to try the beer with (I am getting him a proper glass for Christmas) and we went forth, to try this Delirium Nocturnum. And man let me tell you, this was one of the best choices, beer-wise, we have made in some time.

Delirium Nocturnum is from Brouwerij Huyghe, Belgium. It has been in business since the 1500s and is still a small family owned operation. Delirium Nocturnum is a dark ale of 8.5% alcohol. It is a triple fermentation ale using 3 different yeast strains and 5 different malts. Incredibly well-balanced for ale this high in alcohol, the bouquet has an aromatic sweetness. The body is bursting with flavors of raisins, bittersweet chocolate, and aniseed. The finish is long and develops into a hoppy aftertaste.

Now first off, I have to admit we tried it wrong. We chilled it down, not doing the research which basically said “should be served at room temperature.” **Note to future me, research your beer for 5 seconds before you try.** Now on to what we thought…

How Does it Smell?: POUR, COLOR?: The beer poured this brilliant brownish garnet ruby color, while the head contrasted it and had a great cream color. When the sun hit this beer it was just stunning. As you brought the glass up for the first taste you could smell a slight fruit sweetness.

Taste?: The taste was just amazing. We just got quiet as we drank it, because it was cold, we had to think about the flavors. There was a sweetness to it, with a dark and mysterious fruity undertones at first. Chocolate eventually came out. Drinking this beer cold, as we did, I found this beer to be very balanced and I’m curious how the taste will be at room temperature.

Body?: This beer has a medium body feel, but it was so full of flavor, the carbonation was not that strong making it nice and smooth.

Finish: The finish is pleasurably long, with fruity lingering notes. It builds up, eventually, into a nice hoppiness as the description I read said it would.

Drinkability: This beer was bittersweet with all the proper hints of things all through it, this beer is a must drink, I will have this again properly.

What about the packaging? The Pink Elephant is brilliant, even though I swear my friend was talking to it. The bottle has the ceramic-like coating with the Elephant logo on it. It was a great looking bottle and I had a hard time letting go of it, but the wife said I had to get rid of it. I guess it’s just to the list of the many excuses to buy it again.

Comic Pairings: It was agreed that the Best Comics for this beer was Grant Morrison’s Doctor Who. This is not a beer for Marvel or DC, it’s not for superheroes, a little too refined for that. Before “The Invisibles,” before “Doom Patrol,” before “Animal Man,” even before “Zenith” — there was “Doctor Who.” Grant Morrison cut his teeth on the comic versions sprung from the TV version, writing three stories that 20-some years later, people still talk about.

As for food, don’t hate me, I would love this with a really good pizza, my friend wanted it with a really good roasted Cedar plank Atlantic salmon and red potatoes.

Anime Pairing: I would love to drink this while watching FLCL. FLCL (フリクリ, Furi Kuri^?, also Fooly Cooly) is an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records. FLCL’s odd style, hyperactive pace, convoluted, esoteric plot, and tendency to break the fourth wall sets it apart from other contemporary anime. It has an abstractly designed storyline about growing up and losing the childish viewpoint of life that all people once had, and seeing the true reality of the world.

Availability
It’s available in 12oz and 750 ml bottles, year-round. Serving types had: bottle (435), on-tap (13), growler (3).

Some Info on the beer can be found here http://www.delirium.be/

Brewed by: Brouwerij Huyghe In business since the 1500s, Brouwerij Huyghe is still a small family owned operation in Belgium

Style | ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale |  8.50% ABV

Other Notes:
Très dense en goût, elle s’oppose en caractère à sa consoeur blonde. Very dense taste, it is contrary to his character consoeur blonde. Elle reflète d’un caractère plus dur et plus corsé et qui fatalement ne rassemble pas spécialement les mêmes amateurs que la traditionnelle “. Elle est à la fois forte en goût, amer d’écorce et de houblon, ainsi qu’en saveur alcoolisée. Son évaluation finale n’arrive qu’en fin de dégustation, avec une prolongation assez longue de son amertume. Chaude et veloutée, elle plait généralement au vrai connaisseur, mais ne la prive pas de découverte auprès des curieux pionniers de bières de caractère.

http://www.delirium.be/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_Nocturnum

Popularity: 7% [?]

The Brewers Associations Beer Pairing Chart

We have talked about beer pairing before on Beer Utopia but I came across a handy chart at beertown.org, the Brewers Association site, and I thought it was worth sharing. You can download or order a hard copy of the chart and I would encourage you to do so.

In addition to pairing suggestions for many styles of beer, the chart shows the beer’s relative alcohol content, flavor, bitterness, and color. As if that weren’t enough, it also lists the proper serving temperature and glass wot use for the style.

There are also some general pairing guidelines on Beer Town’s seasonal beer page.

Match strength with strength. It is simply common sense that delicate dishes work best with delicate beers, and it is equally true that strongly flavored foods demand assertive beers. Intensity of flavor may involve many aspects: alcoholic strength, malt character, hop bitterness, sweetness, richness, roastiness and so on.

Find harmonies. Combinations often work best when they share some common flavor or aroma elements. The nutty flavor of an English-style brown ale and a handmade cheddar cheese; the deep, roasted flavors of an imperial stout and chocolate truffles, and the rich, caramelly flavors of an Oktoberfest lager and roasted pork are all examples of this.

Consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat (spice) and richness. This may seem a little complicated, but it really is quite straightforward. Specific characteristics of food and beer interact with each other in predictable ways. Taking advantage of these interactions ensures that the food and beer will balance each other, each giving you a desire for a taste of the other.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Beer and steak

Beer pairing dinners seem to be all the rage lately. More and more people are beginning to realize that the complex flavors of beer can compliment more than backyard barbecue fare. If you’ve ever been to a beer pairing event, you know that the chef likes to describe how the thus-and-such flavor of the beer brings out this particular flavor in that particular dish. It can sound a little complicated and pretentious to your average beer drinker.

So, here is a list of simple beer pairing suggestions, abbreviated from an already short and simple list from SeattlePI.com:

The basic concept is to take the character of the food (sweet, bitter, spicy, etc) and either compliment it with a beer with a similar character or choose a beer with a contrasting flavor profile. The key, I think, is to experiment because there really are no wrong answers.

In the end it comes down to personal taste. For instance, Mexican food would generally be paired with a light lager but I really enjoy drinking Modelo Dark with Mexican dishes. Besides, if you say a certain beer pairs well with a certain food because the flavor profile of the beer compliments the spices in the food, your less-beer-educated friends aren’t likely to argue. They’ll just think you’re a beer geek and what could be better than that?

Popularity: 11% [?]

Following about ten days of malicious and extraordinary insanity, my wife and I were finally able get a hold a moment where we could relax. My beautiful bride had the joyous and uncanny idea of visiting my favorite pub, Gaslight Brewery. The Gaslight, as we call it, is located a block northeast of the South Orange train station and west of Scotland Avenue. It’s a big place with a very good selection of bottled Belgian beers, German beers, ciders, and meads. The pub is a minuscule stroll from my favorite Comic Book store, so it’s fundamentally ideal!

We ordered the fish-n-chips that day, which I had with the pub’s Bulldog Blonde, a Golden or Blonde Ale. It is one of their standards, but a very good brew. It has a fantastic golden color with a slight sweetness to it, lightly malty, with a small hoppy taste and a great light aroma. A good starter but not the star of the evening.

My second beer for the evening, the beer that brought a tear to my eye, that actually lived up to its name was Gaslights Perfect Stout. It’s a Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout and here is what I think of it.

Smell after brought to table- There was just a great aroma which had a great hoppiness to it without being overpowering.

Appearance- This was just a really good looking stout. It was as black as a moonless cloudy night sky, with a nice dense contrasting nitro head on the top. A perfect Guinness commercial pales in comparison to the sight of this beer.

Taste and mouth feel- The taste, OMG! It was that good. This beer was a silky smooth wonder, with this astonishing coffee and malt flavor with subtle molasses sweetness to it and the texture made it embracing.

Alcohol: This beer was subtle in it’s alcohol, I could drink it all night.

Pairings: Pairing with food, well this is a hard one for me, I would like this with roast chicken and some steamed veggies and if with a dessert, a piece of Coffee Cake or a Chocolate Cheese Cake would work for me.

Comic Pairings: I would Pair this with DC comics: Final Crisis : Revalations Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Philip Tan, Jeff De Los Santos and Jonathan Glapion; Covers by Philip Tan. In issue #1 With the end of creation nigh, Crispus Allen must embrace his role as The Spectre by exacting God’s vengeance on some of the DC Universe’s most vile sinners. But even as Allen struggles with his duty, a new threat is arising – one that only his former partner, Renee Montoya, a.k.a. The Question, can help him fight! And in issue #2 The Question’s been marked for death by The Spectre! How will Renee escape the grasp of the Spirit of Vengeance? Can either of them stop the immortal Vandal Savage once he has the Spear of Destiny? Plus, the return of Batwoman! A dark book with smooth art, goes great with this Perfect Stout.

Drinkability – This beer made me shed a tear, I believe, it was so good, so familiar and overwhelmingly full of flavor. This stout, I held, made me so wide eyed and hopeful. I now barely remember any stout that came before this precious moment, all the past stouts I drank were but illusions. I give my compliment to the brew master.

Yeah I know I am going a bit overboard here, but, yeah, it was that good. I want to make that a regular in my beer consumption and I wonder how it will hold up in a growler. Good to the last drop, it was it was a Perfect Stout.

Popularity: 10% [?]

It seems that some people have only recently discovered that drinking beer with a meal can actually enhance the dining experience. I came across an article titled Move over wine: Pairing beer with dinner the new trend and it struck me as odd that a drink that has been a mealtime staple for thousands of years could be considered part of a new trend. At least it wasn’t called a fad.

I think it would be more accurate to say that beer pairing dinners are a new trend. Certainly there seems to be a rise in the number of beer pairing gatherings at which people are fed a multi-course meal with a different beer at each course. But I think this is part of a larger trend of people discovering that there is more to beer than the tasteless industrial beers that dominate the US market. This coincides with the rebirth of the American microbrewery that began back in the early ’80s and the slow but certain introduction of “craft” beers to the average American palette. The fact that Budweiser has just added an amber ale to their offerings is proof that the taste buds of America are maturing.

Wine has accompanied meals almost as long as beer has. So why have wine pairing dinners been around for so long while beer pairings are considered a novelty? In the parlance of our market-driven society, it’s a branding issue. Wine in general is seen as sophisticated and complex and by extension, so are those that drink it. Beer, on the other hand, is seen as an inexpensive medium for delivering a buzz to sports fans and college kids. A fine meal deserves a fine wine while beer is only worthy of backyard barbecue fare. This image of beer and beer drinking was advanced, or at least reinforced, by the high-dollar marketing campaigns of the major American breweries.

Thankfully the craft beer movement has started to gain momentum and people are increasingly giving good beer some respect, including pairing it with fine food. After all, beer is just as complex wine, if not more so. Beer is made from more ingredients than wine which gives it a versatility which wine can’t match, as noted by a chef in the article.“They can’t really manipulate wine enough to give you unique flavors such as chocolate stout. I just couldn’t imagine chocolate wine or anything like that.”

I am not saying that beer is better than wine. That’s like saying pie is better than cake; it’s a matter of personal preference. When made by those dedicated to their craft, both wine and beer can be exceptionally tasty libations. I am glad, however, that beer is starting to get some recognition as a sophisticated accompaniment to good food.

If fine dining isn’t your thing, don’t forget that beer can be paired with other pleasures like comic books, as Utopian gservo discovered, or even a backyard barbecue and a good football game.

Popularity: 6% [?]

A German Hefeweizen brewed by Brooklyn Brewery, New York

Commercial Description:
Brooklyner Weisse is a Bavarian-style wheat beer, unfiltered and chock full of spicy esters that evoke hints of cloves and fruit, some say even bananas. The beer is made with a traditional weizen yeast strain. The malt mix is half malted wheat and half barley malt. The hops are Perle, from Germany. Bitterness is low to medium. 5.1%abv.

Smell after Pouring: This beer has a very good smell after pouring, it’s hits you a.s.a.p. and says drink me Poozer (a poozer is a New Green Lantern recruit, or at least that’s what their drill sergeant Kilowog calls them but I digress).

Appearance: This beer looks great after its poured. You get a good foamy head with a slightly cloudy look, which is nice to look at. Nuff’ said.

Smell after sitting a minute: After pouring and you take a moment to let it breath, it’s gives off a slight fruity smell uncannily merged with spices.

Taste: This is a very nice tasting beer, light and a little refreshing. There is a nice balance of hops and malt which gives it a good character.

Mouth feel: This beer is very good cold. It’s got good flavor cold and it if you drink it slow it subtly changes on you, which is very nice in the end.

Alcohol feel: Not too strong, rather relaxing, does not hit you.

Drinkability: I was surprised by this beer! I was not expecting much after drinking Brooklyn Brown Ale. In hindsight, I was underwhelmed. My review of that is here. I would drink this beer again definitely. It made me want to visit the Brooklyn Brewery.

Comic Pairings: If you can’t tell from an Earlier statement, I can see this beer in the warriors bar on Planet OA, home of the Green Lantern Corps. That is the DC comic I would pair this Beer with — Green Lantern Corps, which is a fantastic Monthly Series.

Food Pairings: I would like this beer with a good sandwich, but also a taco, or a burrito, and not that Taco Bell Crap either.

More Info on this beer can be found here:http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/

Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1987 by by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter. The pair hired Milton Glaser to design the company’s logo. Glaser had been the creator of the world famous I LOVE NY logo.

In 1994, Garrett Oliver was hired as the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery. In 2003, he published his book “The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering The Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food”, which has earned national acclaim.

Popularity: 10% [?]

J.W.Dundee is a different kind of beer, it’s a Lager Flavored with Honey. It’s not the only Honey Lager in existence but it’s rare, for me, and it’s different from the normal beers out there. It’s made by Dundee Brewing Company, formally known as J.W. Dundee, of Highfalls Brewing Company in Rochester New York.

Smell after Pouring: After the pour the Lager had a honey and hops smell, lightly reaching out to me to let my nose to see.

Appearance: Original Honey Brown Lager lived up to its name with a Honey Brown color with a white semi frothy head

Smell after sitting a minute: The Beer opened up a little more after sitting a little, giving more of a honey smell to my nose.

Taste: After the first sip of the beer, which had a pleasant chilled temperature, there was a slight sweetness of taste of honey which danced on the beginning of the tongue, which led into a gentle hoppy bitterness on the middle of the tongue. There was no after taste. The beer was consistent pretty much through and through.

Mouth feel: This beer was very smooth, nuff’ said

Alcohol feel: The alcohol feel was enough to let you know it was there, but I was not there to hurt you

Comic Book Pairings: For me this is a beer for a fun comic or an insane one. I would have this beer with any of the Deadpool series from Marvel comics (except the new one, I have not read it yet). Mind you, there are a few beers that could go with Deadpool, this is a definite.

Food Pairings: For me this beer would go great with fish ‘n’ chips. I mean as close to real British fish and chips as you can get. There is a place, A Salt & Battery, in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York, that I would love to take a bottle or 2 to. Weirdly enough, I had this with a piece of warm blue cornbread I had made earlier that day, it fit very well also.

Drinkability and Repeat Drinkability: This is a beer I can drink again, not a regular, but every once in a while, or when the moment suits me.

More info on the Brewery

http://www.dundeebeer.com/

Dundee Brewing Company does something pretty decent…

Dundee “Save the Honey Bee Program” supports research efforts to eradicate Colony Collapse Disorder. The program is designed to bring attention to the plight of honey bees and support research efforts to eradicate the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In 2008, a portion of every Dundee beer sold in the U.S. will be donated to the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees. http://www.dundeeforthebees.com/

WHY ALL THE CONCERN? BEE CAUSE.

Honey bees are disappearing due to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. That’s important to us at Dundee because bees do more than make honey, they also pollinate many of the foods we depend on.”

About The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees
The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees is a charitable research and education foundation dedicated to preserving and protecting honey bees to ensure a quality food supply and environment. Sponsored by the American Beekeeping Federation, the foundation provides educational opportunities to help advance public appreciation of honey bees, advance the beekeeping culture, improve pollination, and conserve biodiversity. For more information on the foundation, visit www.honeybeepreservation.org.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Yes, I am serious and I am over 21. I am a Comic Book reading adult. I like a good quality beer with my comics occasionally. I am not saying to open up a beer for every comic you read, it’s just nice, now and then. You see a great part of drinking craft beers is that craft beers have so many niceties reminiscent of good modern comic book stories. An uncanny craft beer can compliment a spectacular comic just like it could compliment a amazing meal. Here are three examples.

Final Crisis from DC Comics, all issues

Basically Final Crisis is the final part of the current DC Comics Crisis Trilogy from the mind of Grant Morrison — Final Crisis, featuring stunning art by J.G. Jones. Worlds will live and heroes will die in this epic tale spanning the beginning and end of the DC Universe! Hell the first issue begins with the Murder of a GOD. It’s a BIG story for 2008. “Can’t we murderers, madmen, and masterminds work in harmony just this once, to achieve something none of us ever have before?” – Libra

The beer I like to drink with this is Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale from Flying Dog Brewery. I loved this beer the first time I had it. It was the first beer to make me go WOW. Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale is brilliant amber in color and dry hopped with buckets full of Cascades for an unrivaled hop flavor and aroma. This is a true representation of an American-style pale ale, using the finest ingredients. Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale is what craft beer is all about.

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale, to me is the Crisis Level Story of Beers. It’s just one of those Great Tasting beers that really do not need a description beyond that and, for me it ,matches the Final Crisis story perfectly. It’s something to talk about. The Great thing about is Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale it’s a great beer for most Epic big comic storylines.

Any issue of the Current Astonishing X-Men Series From Marvel Comics

ASTONISHING X-MEN #25 Ellis and Bianchi’s first issue, Astonishing X-Men #25, was released in July 2008, and features the team relocated to San Francisco, with a base in the Marin headlands. ASTONISHING X-MEN #25 is a refreshing comic. The X Men don’t seem hated for a change. X-Men Working with Police, this is a new status quo for the X-Men. They are basically Super Investigations for the area.

I think Flying Fish Brewing’s Belgian-style Dubbel is the perfect beer for this comic. This Belgian-style Abbey Dubbel is an exceptionally complex beer with many interwoven flavors. This classic-style Abbey beer features an immense head with a fruity nose and a generous body. Malty in the middle, the beer features a clean, almondy dry finish and a slight alcohol warmth. My review of the beer is here .

Astonishing XMen Art covers your eyes like this beer covers you tongue, Rather nicely. The story is similar to the taste of the beer. The Belgian-style Dubbel has this slight coffee taste that perks up your tongue. The story like the beer is refreshing also. So if you get a moment, try reading an issue of ASTONISHING X-MEN, any issue past 25 and having this beer, it’s an experience.

Star Wars Legacy

Available from Dark Horse Comics in trades or Monthly issues This is the future of Star Wars, the continuation of the story that started in the original trilogy, and none of it has been seen before. Star Wars: Legacy is set 100 years after the Legacy of the Force series. The comics feature Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke Skywalker, who was trained as a Jedi but has abandoned the order. He apprenticed himself to the pirate Rav and lives among bounty hunters, smugglers and pirates. Cade has also dropped his last name. The series begins with an attack on the Jedi Temple and the overthrow of the Galactic Empire by a newly created Sith order.

Because this is a monthly Comic , you have to get a beer that’s produced all year long, and for this comic I can recommend a particular beer but a style of beer. When Reading Star wars Galaxy I recommend having a Coffee stout. Now I do prefer Maxwell’s Dry Stout , a classic Stout with roasted barley bitterness and a dense, creamy head. A touch of coffee adds to the rich, complex character, by Basil T’s in RedBank NJ. vfrDark roasted malts, such as black patent malt (the darkest roast), can lend a bitter coffee flavor to dark beer. Some brewers like to emphasize the coffee flavor and add ground coffee.

Star Wars Galaxy is the caffeine kick that Star Wars needs/needed to go forward. The Textures and taste of coffee stouts lends overall energy of the Star Wars Galaxy Universe. The Bitterness of the coffee flavor reminds me of Cade Skywalker, a brash character running away from his past, and his future at the same time. The Coffee stout style of beer is a dark Beer at Most Times and Star Wars Galaxy is dark, in a good, very readable way.

Popularity: 7% [?]