Session #20: Beer and Memories - Bass Ale

It's that time again, time for the Session... This month's topic/question, hosted by Bathtub Brewery, is...

"Is there a beer that reminds you of a specific memory?

If you’re thinking, “Huh?” then you might want to craft your response along the lines of “Whenever I drink [insert brew here] it reminds me of that day …” Or perhaps it’s the reverse. Oooooh."

This is a fun topic, and a challenging one... Many a good times were had over a pint of beer in my past. I suppose I could hearken back to the time period in my life when my courtship with beer began...

College Days and Bass Ale
Unfortunately my college days were sometimes more about quantity than quality. I didn't always drink for flavor, and I didn't always practice what I now 'preach' when it comes to responsibility and moderation. That being said, in a sea of low end beer drinkers, I was still an island of quality, at least when compared to my friends that would feast on Natural Ice from the can. BLECH! As I neared the end of my days living in the dorms at UCONN, I started to transition from what I could afford, to what I could enjoy.

(Note: The photo on the right happens to be younger version of me, at a wedding, enjoying a Bass Ale, just a year or so after college... Just happened to stumble upon this old photo, had to scan it in and post it... Too funny!)

I look back now and laugh when I remember my friends mocking me for enjoying Bass Ale while they guzzled some flavorless swill from a funnel. Granted, Bass Ale is not exactly the best beer in the world, but it's still leaps and bounds above the likes of Bud Lite and Red Dog. BLECH! I guess Bass Ale was the "gate way" beer for me, that eventually led me to better beer in the years that would follow.

Bass has had, and probably always will have, a special place in my heart. Despite its current place within beer-dom, Bass still garners respect in the craft beer world, often imitated with home brew recipes and at local brewpubs, Bass must still be doing *something* right...

It's still a good old standby for those times I find myself in a bar or eatery with a limited selection. And it's also in my subconscious, always serving as a benchmark of, or a baseline for, quality. If I try a true craft beer and say, this is OK, but honestly its no better than a Bass, then I know it's just an OK beer.

When I think about Bass, I remember my youthful follies and my gradual ride to maturity and responsibility. I guess you could say I "grew up on Bass" if you think about it in that context. I now associate Bass with cozy local pubs, good friends, and great conversation. I also fondly remember my own home brew being compared to Bass, all good memories, and over all, a respectable beer.

Session #19 - Deutsches Bier

The Session is a monthly event for the beer blogging community which was started by Stan Hieronymus at Appellation Beer. On the first Friday of each month, all participating bloggers write about a predetermined topic. Each month a different blog is chosen to host The Session, choose the topic, and post a roundup of all the responses received. For more info on The Session, check out the Brookston Beer Bulletin’s nice archive page.

September’s Session, hosted by lootcorp 3.0, topic is Deutsches Bier - German beer...

Here's the "Ale Wife" dressed up for Halloween a few year ago... Prost!

Every year, a good friend of mine (Mike) would host an Oktoberfest party, every year that is until the build up to his first child about two years ago. This will be the third year in a row (if memory serves) with no party. How sad, but it's the sign of the times in my little circle of friends, we're all either having our first child or getting a divorce, thankfully no one has done both...

Mike's party was always a lot of fun, Mike would share stories of his time in Germany in his earlier Air Force days. There would be a little German music, food and beer of course, and plenty of good friends.

In an attempt to bring some fun back to Oktoberfest last year, I invited some of the guys out to East Side Restaurant for some German goodness. Over all, it was a pretty good time, check out some of the crappy video clips here. If you're ever in CT, and looking for something out of the ordinary, try this place out. Authentic German food, beer and atmosphere. A little diamond in the rough, as the neighborhood kind of stinks, but the place is fun. The night reminded me of a training deployment I went on much earlier in my military career.

We were down in Florida, supporting some Aviation training at Patrick Air Force Base. On a down day, we decided to go to Disney, Epcot Center in particular. You maybe asking yourself, what would a few red blooded American military guys do at Epcot on a down day? We spent the bulk of the day and evening in what we called "Germany World" but most would call "Biergarten Restaurant". (Side Note: Mike, the guy who hosted the Oktoberfest parties was sitting across the table from me... Go figure...)

It's sad really, I've traveled the world with the military, but have only gotten as far as the base bowling alley at the now closed Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, while waiting for the final flight home from the Middle East. That being said, I vaguely recall a pretty good beer selection there. At any rate, Disney's Biergarten Restaurant was more German than my time in Germany...

Meanwhile, back at Epcot... I'll never forget that moment when we were more than a few steins of tasty German beer into our evening. I can still hear the loud chants of "Zicke-Zicka, Zicke-Zicka, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi! Zicke-Zicka, Zicke-Zicka, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi! Eins, Zwei, Drei G'Suffa" And as we clinked our huge glass mugs filled with beer together, the bottom of mine opened up and dumped what must have been close to a gallon of dark German beer all over everything we had on the table. We ruined a good camera that day, but on the lighter side, I won the yodeling contest, and my buddy won the German dance contest, dancing with the saucy German girl in the traditional Dirndl.

I guess I've really only blogged about watered down Americanized German culture, and not so much about the beer so far. Sorry...

As far as homebrewing goes, I've only brewed two German beers at this point. I brewed a successful batch of Witbier. A very tasty brew that did not last long in my fridge. A refreshing beer perfect for the warm weather, seasoned with coriander, bitter orange, and hops of course. I really enjoy this style of beer when done right. If you want an excellent Witbier give Allagash White a try... Good stuff! Don't forget to pour it properly, see the robots in this post for details.

The other "German" beer I brewed is still a work in progress. It was originally suppose to be an Oktoberfest inspired Ale, but I later found out the recipe was closer to an Altbier. I'll let you know how it goes once the conditioning phase is all said and done. You can read up on the saga of "Franken-beer" in some of the recent posts on this blog. By the way, I bottle this beast today... Wish me luck!

OK, so there's a mixed bag of some what inter-related anecdotes that in some way connect to German beer. At any rate, this is how German beer has "become intertwined in (my) life"...

Auf wiedersehen!

The Session (Aug 2008) Celebrate one gift from God by enjoying another

I've been a little dormant on the blog for a week or so as I have had more pressing matters in my life. My wife (the "Alewife") gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, he is a handsome, happy and healthy young lad, and we feel truly blessed to have him in our lives...

A tired yet proud father after three solid days spent in the hospital...

That being said, while taking a break from the feedings and changings that seem to take place every two hours, I did a little beer blog surfing and stumbled upon this month's Session.

Enjoy that special beer you normally only open on your wedding anniversary or birthday. Either way, tell us about it. Why is it a beer you may only drink once a year? Why is that brewery’s annual release the one you selected?

This was the last Chimay Blue on the shelf, and it was covered in dust... A little vintaged, but I wonder how good of a find this was? Either way, a great beer to enjoy on my boy's one week birthday!

I actually HAVE a birthday to celebrate, and instead of hitting up an anniversary beer, I chose a dusty bottle of Chimay Ale Grande Reserve that was hiding on a lonely shelf at the local package store. (Vintage October, 2006) Apparently Chimay Blue ages very well, this one sure was delightful! The idea of quality beers made by men of God really appeals to me on many different labels. And I could not think of a better way to celebrate my baby boy's one week birthday then by enjoying one gift from God in celebration of a greater gift from God. Read more about my thoughts on beer and Christianity here.

I'm all class, with my Target brand "Dirty Monk Pub" T-Shirt and my Simpsons's Duff Beer hat, the perfect outfit for sipping a truly magnificent Belgium Ale, made by real honest to goodness monks.
Take note of the feeble attempt at growing a beard during my "paternity leave", all it does is show off my double chin... Time to rethink that idea...

Beer: Chimay Ale Grand Reseve

You gotta love men of God that make beer to enjoy and to raise money for charity...
Read up on the holy men of the Notre-Dame de Scourmont abbey in southern Belgium.

Some words from Chimay:

75 cl, 33 cl (25.4 fl.oz., 11.2 fl.oz.), 9% alc. vol.

Named Grande Réserve in 75 cl (25.4 fl.oz.) bottles, it is principally distinguished by its character of a strong beer.

This is a beer whose fragrance of fresh yeast with a light, flowery rosy touch is especially pleasant.

Its flavour, noticed when tasting it, only accentuates the pleasant sensations perceived in the aroma , while revealing a light but pleasant touch of roasted malt.

This top fermented Trappist beer , refermented in the bottle, is not pasteurised.

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Style Description from our friends at BeerAdvocate.com: On the same path as the Belgian Dark Ale but obviously higher in alcohol with more of an all around character. The alcohol character can be deceivingly hidden or can be very bold and in your face. Look for lots of complexity within a delicate palate. Hop and malt character can vary, most are fruity and some many have mild dark malt flavors. Phenols will range from minimal to high and most will be light on the hops. All in all most are spicy and alcoholic. Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 7.0-15.0%

(In this case, 9 % abv)

I don't have the right glassware for this sort of beer.
The closest thing I have is an old glass from a tropical drink enjoyed in Hawaii. Is this blasphemy?

How was it served? From a bottle
Glass: A unique glass, lets call it a brandy snifter, yeah that's it... It's the best glass I could find!
Location of tasting: In the dining room and the office
Reviewer: Bryon

Good stuff.... nuff said!

On to the Review

Holy cork batman!

1. Appearance - Dark and cloudy amber/carmel brown with a light tan head with some lacing.
Fabulous head retention.

2. Smell - A malty smell with some cherry undertones. Reminds me of those cherry filled chocolates. (A note on smell - I have a very limited sense of smell, that comes and goes, so my opinions on beer smells should be taken with a grain of salt... That being said, my nose must have been working that day!)

3. Taste - Malty, sweet like raisins bread and a hint caramel with some nutty and oak undertones. Damn tasty, better when it's not so cold, only slightly chill this brew. As it warms the flavor improves, but hints of the alcohol sitting beneath the surface become slightly more detectable.

4. Mouthfeel - Medium to heavy bodied, perhaps a little chewy, and moderately carbonated. Crisp yet creamy. Goes down fairly easy, but should be savored.

5. Drinkability - I love this beer. I could easily enjoy a number of these, so keep them coming, but be there to cut me off, as the delightful flavor masks the 9% ABV. Sip this baby, enjoy it, love it, think about the Monks and how you hard earned money spent is helping them with their charity work, then enjoy the beer some more... God bless these monks, they can brew...

Drinkability Scale from 1-10: 9 (A religious experience!)