Disappointment at Chez Henri

Squid isn't a crustacean.

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Caffeine Cocktails

Deep Ellum was, fairly recently, doing a cocktail of hot coffee, Cabin Fever maple liqueur, and (I think) a dollop of mint cream. I would imagine this will come off the cocktail list as the weather warms, but you never know.

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Best Beer Store in Boston?

Yes, I replaced Nick over a year ago. I didn't take your comment as a knock on our selection. I just wanted to address a couple of your comments from the perspective of someone on the other side of the counter. Cheers!

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Best Beer Store in Boston?

Yes, the selection at Bauer is limited—by the amount of space in which I have to work. With that in mind, I attempt to change up the selection fairly regularly. I do what I can to keep it interesting and keep people coming back to see what's new.

As to the racks of warm beer at other stores, refrigeration is expensive, and most stores wouldn't refrigerate their entire beer department even if they could afford to. Just be glad that they've chosen to fill those warm shelves with beer, rather than another 15 (more) brands of cheap vodka. Also... most stores keep their excess stock of "cold" beer at room temperature, refilling the coolers as the cold stock sells down.

Just a little perspective.

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Yebisu-Japan's Finest IMO

I'd have to disagree about their white ale being one of the best on the market. Admittedly, it's not my favorite style, but it just seemed to me that there are equally good, if not better, and far fresher versions available from domestic producers such as Allagash and Ommegang. The domestic ones are generally significantly less expensive, too.

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Can we Discuss Cider here?

The Newton's Folly line at Trader Joe's is simply private-label Woodchuck, BTW.

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beer noob tried Southern tier

As to the last beer mentioned, I suspect you're thinking of one of the seasonal variations of Ephemere.

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Substitute for Liefmans Goudenband?

I would actually say that Duchesse de Bourgogne is sweeter than Liefmans Goudenband, and perhaps less complex. Rodenbach and Rodenbach Grand Cru are certainly more tart (I hate to use the word sour, as I feel it turns people off of these beers if they've never had them before). The same brewery that produces Duchesse de Bourgogne also produces a wonderful, if somewhat under-appreciated, beer called Vichtenaar. I think Vichtenaar would appeal to fans of Goudenband even more than Duchesse might.

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Rotation Beers for your fridge

As I work in two positions where we sell alcohol, the selection in my fridge varies greatly from week to week. At this time, I have the following in my fridge:

Offshore IPA
Ipswich Ale
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot '07
North Coast Old Stock Ale '07
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Avery Mephistopheles Stout
Vichtenaar
Dogfish Head Immort Ale
De Dolle Oerbier

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Rotation Beers for your fridge

I'll throw in my support of Prima Pils as a delicious, fresher-than-import, pils. I wish it sold better where I work, but it just sort of sits there, so I'm rotating it out of our selection for now.

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indy - omg, lacking

It's not that we don't carry some good wines. Hell, we carry some *really* good wines at (generally) competitive prices. It's just that the buyers are really more focused on the $4-6 price range than anything else, 'cause it's what sells the best.

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indy - omg, lacking

If it makes you feel any better, TJ's doesn't really feature a decent selection of good, local craft beer in MA, either. The only worthwhile thing we carry in 6-packs is Smuttynose (and Magic Hat, which is debatable). We have a couple interesting regional choices for Belgian-style beers—two Ommegang selections and Allagash White—but these are off the radar for most of our customers. The situation's not helped by the fact that our buyers are far more focused on finding a good deal on some cheap, terrifyingly bad, unknown wine than bringing in beer that might appeal to savvy consumers. Oh, and based on what I've read in our weekly product updates (and their decision to name our spring seasonal, a "German-style pilsner," Hopfest), they know fuck all about beer. ;-)

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sam adams: is it serious beer?? which are best and which are your faves??

Is it "serious" beer? I would say that, yes, the Boston Beer Co. is very serious about the beers they produce. Is it craft beer? Yes, technically. Is it good craft beer? Well, maybe some of their products are. I do enjoy their Double Bock and Black Lager quite a lot, though they're rather hard to find compared to many of their other products. There are many beers that I've never had, simply due to a lack of interest from store/bar owners, even here in Boston, where people seem to believe the stuff is brewed. However, the Boston Beer Co. has taken many lessons from large-scale brewers like Anheuser-Busch and SAB Miller, and are rapidly approaching the production ceiling for craft brewers (if they haven't already reached it). That's not to say they can't exceed that capacity and still make quality products, but I'm a bit skeptical of any company's ability to expand beyond a certain level and still truly innovate. Of course, if anyone can do it, I expect it would be the BBC. Quadruple Bock, anyone?

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sam adams: is it serious beer?? which are best and which are your faves??

You'll likely find that, with age, the character of Triple Bock evolves from bright and balsamic to subtle, smooth, and very much like soy sauce. ;-)

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Favorite Beer in America?

I finally had Yuengling while at my friends' wedding in NJ earlier this month, and I just can't see what all the hype's about. I'd honestly just assume drink some PBR, if I'm going to drink something so flavorless and uninspired.

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Recent Beer Discoveries?

A co-worker took a trip to Burlington, VT last weekend, and brought me a growler of Magic Hat's Chaotic Chemistry as a thanks for recommending they visit the American Flatbread brewpub in downtown Burlington. I'm really looking forward to cracking that open.

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This is my summer of canned beer

Do the Hobgoblin cans use a widget, as many other canned UK beers do? I'm not a huge fan of the widget, and would probably avoid these cans if they used one. Of course, I have never seen Hobgoblin in anything but dusty old clear bottles, which means I've never found it in a state I was willing to risk buying.

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This is my summer of canned beer

You can get a lot of other English and continental macro beers in cans, as well, such as Bass and Becks. That's not to say I recommend picking any of them over the likes of the Oskar Blues beers, but they are an option.

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Sam Adams Boston Lager Review (4/2/07)

I assume they make kegs of their Double Bock, but I've never, ever seen it on tap. The Double Bock actually comes out sometime after their Winter Lager and is around until sometime after the White Ale is released. It's their least marketed seasonal, to the point that they don't list it in the matrix of beers on their seasonal packaging. If you haven't seen it yet, it's probably too late, as it's been starting to disappear from the Boston area already.

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What's been more available in US, Corsendonck Brown Ale, or Corsendonck Pale Ale?

Corsendonk Agnus is the Belgian name for Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale, and Corsendonk Pater is the same for Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale. I imagine the pale/brown nomenclature was devised to appeal more to those who need some base point of reference, though neither is anything like the pale ales or brown ales with which most US consumers are likely familiar. I'm not sure if the small (11.2-ounce) bottles sold in 4-packs are bottle-conditioned or not, but the large bottles certainly are.

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Who is digging barrel aged beer?

I've noticed that barrel aging is a very tricky art, one which a handful of our domestic craft brewers are really just starting to get a knack for, while others are still producing dreadful experiments. Fortunately for the latter, there's a huge market for these beers right now, so even the bad beers will mostly get sold.

Bourbon barrel–aged beers are particularly difficult to master, it seems. The flavors and aromas imparted from the previous contents of the barrel tend to overwhelm many of the more delicate characters of lighter styles, where darker, maltier styles (imperial stouts, Baltik porters, Belgian-style quads, etc.) take on these new flavors more appealingly. Wine barrels seem to work better for a wider variety of styles, though I've seen far fewer of these beers than I have those that are aged in Bourbon barrels.

I think, in time, we'll see some exceptional barrel-aged beers coming out of US craft brewers, or blends of "straight" and aged versions of the same beer. Don't forget that barrel aging is an art that has been practiced for centuries in other parts of the world, and a crucial element in the flavor profile of many styles. Given time, our brewers will undoubtedly get it right.

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What's been more available in US, Corsendonck Brown Ale, or Corsendonck Pale Ale?

According to their site, the Corsendonk beers are all brewed in the same brewery. I am not sure exactly how the Blonde/Bruin differ from the Agnus/Pater, aside from the former pair not being bottle-conditioned (draft only, perhaps?).

I'd really like to try their cheese some day.

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Sam Adams Boston Lager Review (4/2/07)

I haven't had many Vienna lagers that I was particularly fond of, but I do remember thinking Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager was pretty good. I'm really not much of a lager guy, though I enjoy a good kellerbier, schwarzbier, or double bock on occasion.

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Sam Adams Boston Lager Review (4/2/07)

I was just saying exactly the opposite this weekend. It's not often that I drink Sam Adams (except the Double Bock, which I drink lots of in the spring), but every time I do, I'm reminded that it does absolutely nothing for me, at all. I just don't get the hype surrounding this beer.

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What's been more available in US, Corsendonck Brown Ale, or Corsendonck Pale Ale?

I can't speak to their availability in NYC, but I know they've both been available here in Boston for at least five years, probably much longer. I see them around at most places with a better-than-average selection. Occasionally, one even comes across the Corsendonk Christmas Ale in the winter, which is a superb holiday beer. I don't often see them in the four-packs of little bottles; rather they're generally offered in the 750 ml bottles, and infrequently on draft.

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Trader Joes Hofbrau

TJ's exclusive/private-label beers are contract-brewed by the following breweries:

Gordon-Biersch - Hofbrau Bock, Vienna Lager, Bohemian Lager, Bavarian Hefeweizen, Oktoberfest, and Winterfest

Goose Island - Black Toad, Stockyard, and Trinity

August Schell - Frugal Joe's, Gila Monster, Fat Weasel, and Jumping Cow

Vintage Ale - Unibroue

I am not sure if there are any additional private-label beers available in other regions, but those are the ones available in the Northeast. There are a few more in the works, from what I hear. As to the quality of the GB-brewed beers, I think they're good for the price ($5.49 in MA), better than Bud at the same price, but nothing worth raving about. The annual release of Vintage Ale is an event of note, however.

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Beer Madness

FYI - Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale isn't a lager, hence the word "ale" in the name. ;)

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Best Beer to drink with Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner?

Well sure, if we're just after free beer, then I'm going to start calling all sorts of wait staff on their mistakes. There are all sorts of clueless bartenders out there who owe me free pints.

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Best Beer to drink with Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner?

I'm sorry, but I think you're being unrealistic in your expectation that the wait staff at a sushi restaurant (or say, an Irish pub serving Guinness and Harp) should be aware of the fact that Sapporo isn't actually brewed in Japan. It's a Japanese brand, and that's all most consumers really care about. Maybe the owners or alcohol buyer should be aware of this fact, but how often do the owners wait tables? My guess would be never.

As for retailers being aware of and open about such things, well... you're expecting a lot of people. I worked at a liquor store where I generally knew far more about the beer than the owner or manager did, as neither of them was particularly interested in such things (the owner could barely be bothered to keep the store well-stocked, let alone worry about if something was contract brewed or not). You will likely encounter a lot of this sort of thing, except in places that expend the time and money in hiring and further educating staff with an interest in the products they sell.

These are things people *should* know about the products they sell, but to most people their job is just that, a job, and they don't care to spend the extra time researching obscure facts about something they care little about once they go home.

Anyway, unless I'm at a very beer-focused bar or restaurant, I generally expect the wait staff to know more about the food (through sampling dialy specials and such) than the beer—assuming there's even anything worth drinking on the menu.

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