Portland, Oregon loves to talk of having a great amount of craft breweries. And they do – they’ve got the most craft breweries located within the city limits of any city in the world. They are not, however, the only Portland city with a solid craft beer reputation.

Portland, Maine has, in the Mainer tradition, been quietly building a solid craft beer culture. With nationally renowned breweries, such as Allagash and Gritty McDuff’s, working hard alongside regional favorites such as Geary’s – while also providing a base for a handful of prospective new breweries – Portland is helping to make Maine a craft beer haven. In fact, the state is in the top five in the nation when it comes to craft breweries per million residents. In terms of volume, the largest producer in Maine is Shipyard Brewing Company. With a portfolio of over 60 beers, including their lines brewed under Peak Organic and St. John Brewers, they turn out quality beers quickly.

Shipyard’s Export Ale is the brewery’s flagship beer. A golden/blonde ale, it is light and crisp. Slightly sweet malts are finished with a very light dash of distinctive, slightly grassy hops. It is not overly flashy, nor does it beat you over the head with single-note tastes. It’s not a golden goddess, it’s the blonde-next-door.

With a number of breweries opening, as well as current breweries expanding their distribution horizons, Maine looks to be a state to keep an eye on for the near future of craft beer.

Shipyard Export Ale is currently available in single bottles for in-bar consumption, and in 6-packs for take out.

Pennsylvania beer laws sometimes get a bad rap. While they are some of the most ill-reasoned beer laws in the United States – the “case law” is widely renowned in the circles of beer geekery as one of the most convoluted beer laws in existence – they’re far from the harshest. Many states still have a cap on the allowable ABV, although many have been gradually increasing the limit, or “popping the cap”.

One such state is Georgia, a state which in 2004 repealed a 70-year-old law limiting the ABV of all beers in the state to 6%. They raised the cap to 14%, still restrictive, yet not as prohibitive as the former mark – under the previous law, most of the beers I have reviewed were not available. This not only allowed the importation of high-ABV beers, but the in-state brewing of such beers. There to take advantage of this was Terrapin Beer Company, who proceeded to drum out a constantly expanding portfolio of mid-range ABV beers.

One of their long-time standards, from before the cap was raised, is SunRay, an unfiltered German-style wheat beer. Brewed with local Tupelo honey, it has a slightly sweeter, smoother taste than many unfiltered wheat beers. It maintains the banana and clove flavors that typify the style, but with a sweeter malt backbone than many sister beers. It also has toned back the slightly acidic notes that usually accompany the unfiltered wheat styles. Unfortunately, this also produces a slightly oily mouthfeel, where normally the style has a very crisp feel. Overall, it is a solid beer, a slight departure from the typical wheat, but well worth a try. SunRay is currently available in bottles for in-house consumption and 6-packs for take-out.

And just remember, our beer laws may suck, but all in all they could be a heck of a lot worse.

Sometimes an acrimonious split can produce some good things. Other times, it can produce some downright awful things – just ask Pete Townshend.

Three years ago, the Pennsylvania craft beer scene saw a somewhat nasty split when Bill and Nancy Barton parted ways with Tom Kehoe. At that time, they were partners in the operation of Yards Brewery in Philadelphia. The split was looked at with some curiosity and some worriment – Yards was synonymous with Philadelphia beer. However, out of the split came two new companies – Yards, headed by Kehoe; and Philadelphia Brewing Company, headed by the Barton’s. Instead of being detrimental to the beer scene, the split produced two separate, viable, talented breweries.

One of the newest year-round beers to come from either of these companies is PBC’s Fleur de Lehigh. It is a beer that has drawn quite a split reception, that people seem to either love or hate. Some of this certainly stems from prior allegiances, but that can’t account for all of it. The aroma is a bit different from many golden ales due to the inclusion of a number of components from off the usual beer playing field. In play is flora such as lemongrass, ginger, rhubarb, rose hips and chamomile. The ginger stands out in the nose, but the taste is a mix of all the ingredients. It is thin-bodied, with a little more carbonation than is normally expected in a golden ale. The beer is also unfiltered, which leaves some sediment in the bottom of the bottle, an unwelcome surprise to those not alert of the fact.

Overall, Fleur de Lehigh is a decent beer, quite pleasant in the summertime. It will definitely not please everyone, but certainly needs to be tried. But much like the split that it was born from, you can’t judge it too much before giving it a shot.

Fleur de Lehigh is currently available in bottles for in-house consumption and 6-packs for take-out.

Belgians are a difficult style to put your finger on. There is no definitive “Belgian” beer, despite what many breweries will try and sell you. Like any other nations, the Belgians produce a wide variety of styles, all with their own distinct twists that will make them differ from the traditional American expectations of a style. Typically, an American’s idea of a “Belgian” will be the dubbel or tripel styles.

Many breweries have long dabbled in Belgian styles, but it wasn’t until recently that American breweries have start to experiment with crossing American styles with Belgian styles. Stone, Terrapin, Victory and Green Flash have all produced differing results from trying to cross American I.P.A.s with Belgian dubbels and tripels, but Flying Dog has been the one that seems to have hit on the best formula so far, with their 20^th anniversary beer, a Belgian-Style I.P.A. they call Raging Bitch.

Technically, the beer is simply an over-hopped version of their Snake Dog fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. Be warned, though, this means there is a great taste difference. Where as Snake Dog is a hoppy mongrel, Raging Bitch has more body, with the signature taste imparted by the foreign yeast – a slightly sweet mix of tastes of banana, clove, sugary fruit esters. Whereas many dubbels maintain this taste, the Bitch finishes it with aggressive Amarillo hops, providing a bitter, citrusy finish.

Be warned, this may not be the beer for you. It is strong, and it is unforgiving. But it is worth a try. Raging Bitch is available in bottles for in-house consumption as well as six-packs for take-out, and will be here for the foreseeable future.

There is a prevailing myth that aluminum cans always hold a lesser beer. For a while, many craft beer fans have shunned cans of beer, saying they change the taste of the product.

There is a current trend towards cans in the craft beer community, though. Many brewing companies are working canning in to their production lines, and for good reason. Cans keep out the main enemy of beer — light. Regardless of the color of a bottle, there will always be some light making its way in, which can skunk the beer. Cans are greener — they use less energy to produce and transport, and are more often recycled than glass. Cans weigh less than glass, and canned beer chills faster than bottled beer for when you’re in a pinch. You can take cans many places bottles are not allowed, or are just particularly ineffective to have.

While a number of craft breweries such as Surly and Pennsylvania’s own Sly Fox have been dependent on canned distribution for their beers for quite a long time, the root of craft-beer-in-a-can is found coming from Oskar Blues brewing, and their Dale’s Pale Ale. Dale’s can be seen as either a big-flavor pale ale or a malty British IPA, depending on how picky you are about styles. It has a better balance than many IPAs, with a much more solid malt flavor up front, but also has more of a hops bite to it than your average pale ale. The taste is accompanied by a rather refreshing aroma of citrus and pine from the hops. It’s a very smooth, mellow drinker, medium bodied but won’t weigh you down.

Many breweries are starting to jump on the can bandwagon, including Lancaster’s own Lancaster Brewing Company, which is starting to distribute their Kolsch in a can. But if you want the granddaddy of the canned beers, and a pale ale long recognized as not just the best canned pale ale, but one of the best overall craft pale ales in the country, you should come down and pick up some Dale’s Pale Ale.

After much deliberation and planning, we have decided it is necessary to close our doors for a few days. We try to ensure that we are never closed — even through the Blizzards of 2010, you could still walk your way inside our doors. Some very important renovations are being done to the interior. There are a couple that you will probably notice, and the big one you might not notice, but we’ll try to show off the changes as much as possible.

So, while we will miss you very much over the weekend, we are looking forward to seeing you again on Wing Night: Tuesday, July 6. Enjoy your holiday weekend and, please, have a cold one for us as we are taking care of these changes.

Brendee’s Irish Pub will be closed Saturday, July 3 through Monday, July 5.

In our last blog, Drew talked about seasonal beers, and in particular, one of our all time favorites, Bell’s Oberon. This week I want to discuss a classic Old World European brew, Spaten Premium Lager.

First opened in 1397 as the Welser Prew and renamed The Spaten Brewery in 1622 (after the company’s owners at the time, the Spatt family) Spaten epitomizes the Bavarian brewing tradition. Spaten has been brewed using the same recipe and practices since 1894, in strict accordance with the German Purity Laws (which govern all German beer production). Using barley malt grown in Bavaria and Hallertau hops grown in Munich, Spaten presents as a pale colored, light bodied beer that is common to the German Pilsner style. The crisp taste has a hint of citrus and makes for a refreshing summer beer.

Available on draft for $3.00 per pint, Spaten will be featured at Brendee’s for at least the next month as they are a sponser of this year’s FIFA World Cup. Come join us for the matches and enjoy a Spaten Premium Lager, or any of the other 16 beers on tap.

Enjoy,

Jeff

The seasons play a big part in craft brewing. Every brewery has certain beers that are available at certain times of the year. Often, you’ll find that the maltier, heavier beers — stouts, porters and brown ales — are prevalent in the winter time, and the lighter beers — kolsch, blondes, pale ales, wheat beers — are more often produced in the summer time. Many factors affect the idea of seasonal brews. The changes in temperature, productivity of resources, methods of brewing and simple tradition all play a part.

Bell’s Oberon Ale is one such seasonal beer. Available only in the spring and summer, Oberon is an American wheat ale produced with Belgian malts and Czech hops. This combination leads to a crisp, clean wheat ale with some fruity and spicy flavors. Best served without the orange that many want to throw in wheat beers, Oberon is not as light and watery as many would expect. It is a medium bodied beer, a bit of heft, yet remains refreshing. It’s a good summer beer for those who want something a bit tastier than your mass-produced pilseners and thin wheat beers.

Oberon is available at Brendee’s Irish Pub on tap and in bottles, while still in season.

Convincing a person to step outside of their comfort zone can be difficult.  Transitioning to the rainbow of craft beers from the black-and-white world of big brews is a big step.  Where big brewing companies have long prided themselves in every beer being just like the other companies’ beers, but “better” through some indefinable notion, crafts live in the world of defined lines.  Where large brewers attempt to make the beer synonymous with the brand, craft brewers make it a point to differentiate the brand from the beer.  It’s not a matter of elitism, as big brewers have tried to say.  It’s a matter of the brewers realizing that, with the wide varieties they produce, you do not want a single beer to speak for your entire line – with the creative, wide-ranging (and sometimes strange) flavors, you can’t have someone taking one bad beer and thinking that’s all you produce.

Smuttynose I.P.A. is a beer that, like the Stone I.P.A. previously talked about, prides itself in being a hardy, fully American hopped brew. Unlike the Stone, the Smuttynose has aimed for a more floral hop character.  It pours out golden orange, like many I.P.A.s, but has a much lighter aroma too it, with a floral aroma over top of a slight citrus scent.  It uses Samtiam, Simcoe and Amarillo hops to finish off the pleasant malt flavor of the start.  It has a shorter, lighter, but snappier hops bitterness than the Stone – where the bitterness of the stone is a drumroll, the Smuttynose has a short snare shot.  It is a lighter-bodied I.P.A., without being watery.  The tap handle depicts two old men sitting in lawn chairs, and that’s exactly what the beer is – a lighter-drinking, more relaxed I.P.A.

While Smuttynose I.P.A. is the only part of the Smuttynose portfolio we currently carry, don’t take it as the definition of the brewing company.  They do a solid, wide variety of beers, including the Old Brown Dog that has made an appearance in bottles.  So if you try and don’t like it, don’t think that Smuttynose is not to your taste, just think that this particular beer they brew isn’t.  Then, the next Smuttynose that comes in, give it a try.  You might find that it’s a great brewery.

Smuttynose I.P.A. is available on tap for the foreseeable future.

Beer Festivals are wonderful things.  A mass gathering of the Brotherhood of Hops and Malts, they are a great way to tackle the world of craft beer and get to learn the breweries, the beers, and the people that populate this odd world.  There are, however, a number of cautions I will put out there.

First, don’t get drunk.  I know, it’s easy to do at a festival that’s centered around drinking.  Getting tipsy is fine.  Getting stupid drunk is not.  It will ruin the experience for you, your friends, and other festival-goers who spent their hard-earned money.

Second, look outside your zone.  Beer fests are your best opportunity to try something without the commitment of purchase.

Third, take friends.  It’s always more fun with other people.  Don’t just spend time with your friends, though.  Talk to other people while waiting in line for your sample.  You never know who you may meet, or may run in to down the road.

Lastly, be picky.  Read up on the festival, its past, and the attending breweries.  Don’t go to stinkers, and don’t support festivals that don’t further the craft beer world.

One brewery you will be guaranteed to see at any Eastern PA festival is Victory.  Their Storm King, a massive Imperial Stout that clocks in at 9.1% ABV, is a toasty monster of a brew.  It pours a rich blackish-brown color.  After the initial hops aroma and taste punch – an oddity in a world where hops usually finish off the taste instead of start it – it smoothes out into a velvety roasted malt taste with well-defined chocolate and coffee notes.  It is dangerously drinkable, as after one pint you might start losing a little feeling in your gums and lips, but you’ll yearn for more.  Victory is a great brewing company, sitting at the forefront of an army of Pennsylvania breweries, and this is one of their prime beers.  While HopDevil is regarded as their flagship beer, this is the one that sinks the other fleet.

I encourage you to check out Victory at any beer festival you attend.

Storm King is available at this time, on tap.