Weyerbacher Merry Monks Tripel (8/10)

Weyerbacher Brewing Company is located in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Merry Monks is a Belgian-style Tripel that the Weyerbacher web site says features “Pilsner maklt combined with an abbey yeast strain [which] yields a remarkable and complex flavor packed with notes of spice, banana, and pear.”  It’s bottle conditioned (in the bottled version) which supposedly imparts a creamier and more effervescent carbonation.

The beer pours a clear gold color with white head that dissipates over time, leaving behind no lacing.
The aroma is that of fruit and cloves, as Weyerbacher’s description implies.

The flavor is sweet and spicy, with plenty of fruit, malt, and spice notes to keep your palate occupied. Hops takes a back seat in this one, as it should in a good tripel. The finish is clean and nicely balanced.
Rate Beer gives Weyerbacher Merry Monks Ale an 88 overall.  Beer Advocate rates it 86-80 (very good to outstanding).  I’m rating it 8 out of 10.

I sampled this beer on draft at The Daily Growler in Upper Arlington, but it is widely available around town at retailers.  I’ve seen it at The Andersons General Store in Dublin, Giant Eagle Market District in the Kingsdale Shopping Center, Grandview Carryout, The Hills Market in Worthington, and Whole Foods Market in Dublin.


Flavor Profile:

Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Sweet
Spice Level:  Medium
Hops Level:  Low
Dominant Flavors:  Fruit, spice
ABV: 9.3%
IBU:  Unknown
My Rating:  8/10

Unibroue Eau Benite Tripel (7/10)

During a visit to Savor Growl a little while back, the cashier noticed I had picked up a couple of Unibroue products and asked if I’d noticed Eau Benite on the shelf.  I hadn’t, so I went back and grabbed the last bottle.  Tonight, I opened it up.
Unibroue’s corking process is pretty impressive.  It always seems to take a lot of extra effort to uncork one of their brews, though the end result is generally well worth it.  Eau Benite was no exception.

The beer pours a cloudy yellow gold with 2-3 finger thick coarse white head that sticks around for a minute or two before dissipating to almost nothing.  The head leaves behind thick rings of lacing that quickly reincorporate into the beer, leaving behind a clean glass.

The aroma is primarily yeasty, with the usual Belgian fruit and spice notes taking a back seat.
The flavor is unusually dry for a tripel.  There is virtually none of the usual sweetness.  I get yeast, malt, and something bitter (maybe hops, but not a strong hops).  Hiding well beneath that you’ll find Belgian spice and fruit notes.  The finish is relatively clean with minimal aftertaste.  As it warms up, the fruit flavor picks up, but so does the bitterness.

Carbonation is fairly intense in this one, much like a champagne.

Beer Advocate rates this a 90 or 97, which classes it in the “outstanding” and “world-class” range.  Rate Beer gives it a 91 out of 100.  I don’t like it as well as a number of other tripels, such as New Belgium’s, Victory Golden Monkey, or Karmeleit.  I’m giving it a 7 out of 10.  It’s not bad beer at all, just not something that particularly appeals to me.  For the price, I’d much rather have two or three New Belgium Trippels.

As mentioned earlier, I purchased this bottle at Savor Growl.  I’ve not seen it at other retailers in town, but Unibroue’s products are pretty commonplace in Columbus.  It’s likely you’ll find a bottle elsewhere if you look carefully.  This bottle was priced at $10.99 and is the standard “bomber” size.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Dry
Spice Level:  Low
Hops Level:  Low
Dominant Flavors: Malt and possibly hops
ABV: 7.7%
IBU:  Unknown, but would estimate at around 15-20
My Rating:  7/10

5 Rabbit Paletas #2 Watermelon (8/10)

This fruit flavored wheat beer hails from 5 Rabbit Cerveceria of Bedford Park, Illinois, near Chicago.  The 5 Rabbit brewery lends a Hispanic flair to their beers and naming, including this brew.  “Paletas” refers to a Hispanic street food which includes frozen fruit juices and spices.  Their Frozen Guava Pop was reviewed last week.

The beer pours a very cloudy orangey gold with a white head that lasts a while, leaving behind thick sheets of lacing.

The aroma has a strong watermelon note with a hint of banana from the wheat beer.

The flavor starts with a strong hit of watermelon followed by a sweet wheat backing. Hops has no business in a beer named after what is essentially a popsicle, and the 5 Rabbit brewmasters make sure it takes a back seat here.  You’ll have a hard time finding it in the flavor.  It is extremely easy to drink and the watermelon flavor is prominent but not overwhelming, pretty much the way you’d want it to be.

Both Rate Beer and Beer Advocate have too few reviews of the beer as of this writing to quote an actual rating yet.  If you extrapolate from the few ratings already posted, it gets something in the 75-80 range.  That’s consistent with my own 8 out of 10 rating for this beer.

Since this is a draft-only and somewhat limited-edition brew, you are probably only going to find it in Columbus if you’re a bit lucky.  I tasted it last year when it was offered at The Daily Growler in Upper Arlington.  You won’t find it on store shelves, though it might make an appearance at growler stations around town.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Malty
Spice Level:  Very Low
Hops Level:  Very Low
Dominant Flavors:  Watermelon, wheat
ABV: 3.5%
IBU:  16
My Rating:  8/10

Zauber Brewing Company

Zauber Brewing Company’s taproom in Grandview opened earlier this year.  It’s located on Fifth Avenue, across the street from McDonald’s and next door to the Goodwill facility (which provides parking after 5pm for Zauber patrons).

The taproom itself serves no food, only beer and mixed drinks.  In addition to its own brews, Zauber also features beers from other Ohio (and non-Ohio) craft breweries.

Unfortunately, as of this writing in May 2014, Zauber’s brewing capacity isn’t up to 100% yet.  They’re currently producing only two or three kegs for the taproom per week, and these are tapped on Thursdays.  If you want to sample their products, you’ll want to visit on a Thursday evening.  If you just want to visit, enjoy good craft beer from a variety of breweries, and a good mixed drink, you can go there any lunch or dinner time.  I’m told that by summer they should be offering up their beers on a regular basis, and probably even filling growlers.  They’re also planning to start having a monthly weekend food and beer festival in the Goodwill parking lot. The first of those was held on May 10 and featured Jeni’s Ice Cream, Schmidt’s Sausage Truck, and others.

Although Zauber doesn’t offer any food in its taproom, they do have arrangements with a number of food trucks.  The trucks park out in front of the taproom and offer their foods to patrons inside, and those who walk up outside.  During the week of this writing, the food truck schedule included Flat Top Pizza Co., Tatoheads, and Aromaku.  It’s also common to find The Paddy Wagon out front, too. This makes Zauber’s taproom a great place to sample not only their beer, but local food truck cuisine as well.

When I first encountered Zauber Brewing Company’s products at a beer festival, I was immediately impressed that they didn’t go the usual “pale ale” route.  Zauber offers a wide range of German and Belgian beer styles, including:

• Magnum:  A Belgian Copper Ale, similar to Belgian trappist ales
• Vertigo:  A Hefeweizen
• Oktoberfest:  A German Oktoberfest-style beer
• Berzerker:  A Belgian IPA
• Stodgy Brown: A German Ale beer
• Kitschy Kolsch:  A German Kolsch style
• Portergeist:  A German Porter
• Buxom Blonde:  A Belgian Blonde Ale
• Myopic Red: A German red Alt beer
• Ominous:  A Black Belgian Ale
• Roggen Rye:  A German style Roggenbier

In my experience, the staff at Zauber have always been friendly, providing good and fast service.  They’ll provide recommendations about the available beers and let you know what’s happening with the brewery.

If you’re a fan of German and Belgian style beers, you’ll definitely want to check them out.
See their web site for current news and taproom hours, but as of this writing the taproom is open at the following times:

• Mon-Tue: 4pm to 11pm
• Wed-Thu: 11am to 11pm
• Fri-Sat: 11am to 1am
• Sun: 11am to 10pm

Zauber Brewing Company
909 West Fifth Avenue
Columbus, OH 43212

The Week in Beer News–May 17, 2014

Following are some beer-related news items and articles you may find interesting:

• Gizmodo tried out Lollyphile’s beer-flavored lollipops and shared a video review of them.
• Gizmodo worked with Sixpoint brewing to produce the “beer of the future” called Hop Tech 431
• NBC News shares a story about Frederick, Maryland’s Beer Bacon Music Festival
• Statistics showing which countries drink the most alcohol per person if you ignore people who don’t drink
• A new smartphone app called “WhichBeers” can use your smartphone’s camera to look at the beer on the shelves in front of you and help you pick out a good one, using a database of reviews
• First Coast News answers the question “Does drinking beer actually give you a beer belly?”
• Want to make your favorite grilled meat healthier?  Marinate it in Stout before grilling.
• Five myths about storing, aging, and drinking beer
• Gluten Free beers that actually taste good, according to the Huffington Post
• A company’s working on a “beer brewing appliance” that will help you automatically make beer at home
• Two tips for buying the best tasting beer no matter where you shop
• Forbes lists the top 10 fruit beers
• In Florida, a man admits to killing his friend over the last can of beer
• In Delaware, there was a craft beer and soft shell crab festival
• According to CBS News, America’s craft beer craze is causing a hops shortage
• The Washington Post tells us what to expect from Flying Dog’s new Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale
• You might remember an old pop song called “Mmm Bop” by the band Hanson.  If so, perhaps you’ll enjoy their beer “Mmm Hops”.  You can buy it online.
• Yahoo shares a list of the Five Cities to Find America’s Perfect Pint of Beer
• WKYC shares a story about Thirsty Dog’s success in Akron, Ohio
• To get the best flavor, use a chilled glass with room temperature beer, rather than with cold beer
• How to survive your next beer festival according to the Los Angeles Times
• The World Beer Festival will be in Cleveland in June (14th) this year
• Dogfish Head has released a Wasabi infused beer
• Ohio craft beers will be “going mobile” via taps in the bed of a truck
• A Cleveland artist’s gallery was raided for giving away beer
• The real causes of a hangover, according to USA Today

5 Rabbit Paletas #1 Frozen Guava Pop (6/10)

The 5 Rabbit Cerveceria produces a range of beers with a Hispanic flair to the names and sometimes to the beers themselves.

This particular brew is part of their “Paletas” line, named after a Hispanic street food consisting of frozen fruit juices and spices.  5 Rabbit plans to produce several such beers in the coming years.  They’re intended to be wheat beers for drinking during warm weather.

The beer pours a very cloudy pink champagne color. It has a thin white head that dissipates fast. and leaves behind virtually no lacing.

Guava comes through in the aroma and mildly in the flavor. For the most part, the flavor is rather tart and malty. It’s not at all hoppy. The finish is clean. There seems to be a lot of carbonation.   Overall, it’s not what I’d expect for something named after the Hispanic equivalent of a popsicle.  It’s far too tart for my taste, though it’s not a bad beer.

Beer Advocate and Rate Beer have very few ratings for this one, given its limited reach.  Both give it something in the  70 out of 100 rating (if you calculate an average of what’s there as of this writing).  That’s a bit higher than my own 6 out of 10 rating, but more samples on their end might put the ratings into line.

This beer is sold in draft form only, and is something of a limited edition, so finding a bar or restaurant offering it may be difficult.  I tried this beer at The Daily Growler in Upper Arlington, but that was some time ago and it is probably no longer  available there.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Sour
Spice Level:  Low
Hops Level:  Extremely Low
Dominant Flavors:  Tart guava, wheat
ABV: 3.5%
IBU:  16
My Rating:  5/10

New Belgium Trippel (8/10)

New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado, entered the Ohio market on December 16, 2013.  Although they have a very wide product line, only a few of their beers entered the marketplace. 
The brewery’s web site says “Our Trippel Belgian Style Ale (pronounced triple) opens with a bold blast of hops that slowly gives way to the fruity esters implied by our Belgian yeast strain.  In the Belgian tradition of brewing singles, doubles, and triples, Trippel is the strongest with the longest fermentation.  Remarkably smooth and complex, our bottle-conditioned Trippel is spiced with a trace of coriander.

The beer pours a slightly cloudy gold with finger-thick white head that lasts a little while.  Carbonation is almost champagne-like.
The aroma delivers a mild clove element and the usual Belgian spice.  There’s even a hint of banana in it. 

The flavor starts with a  short burst of hops, which quickly gives way to the malty, very slightly sweet, spicy flavor of a traditional Belgian tripel.  At 25 IBUs, this isn’t an overly-hopped beer, but hoppier than is typical for the tripel style.

Personally, I prefer New Belgium Trippel to the flagship Fat Tire beer.  Not too surprisingly, I also prefer it to their IPAs, and the three “Lips of Faith” brews they brought into Ohio this go-round.  I am, however, very much looking forward to their Abbey (double) and Lips of Faith Cascara Quad arriving here in Ohio.  As much as I enjoy New Belgium Trippel, I much prefer their Abbey and Quad.  If you have the opportunity to try those, I heartily recommend it.

Beer Advocate rates New Belgium Trippel a 92 or “outstanding”.  Rate Beer gives it a 94 overall.  I like it well enough to rate it an 8 out of 10.  There are tripels I like better, but those cost far more than the $2.99/bottle this 22 ounce bomber cost me.  For the price, it’s an excellent beer.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Malty
Spice Level:  Medium
Hops Level:  Low to Medium
Dominant Flavors:  Citrus, Malt, Hops, and Spices
ABV: 7.8%
IBU:  25
My Rating:  8/10
Approximate Price:  $2.99 as of this writing

Dogfish Head Burton Baton (4/10)

The Dogfish Head folks make several of my favorite beers.  I love Ta Henket (their Egyptian inspired beer), Chateau Jiahu (based on an millennia-old Chinese recipe), Palo Santo Marron (brewed in Palo Santo wood), Noble Rot (uses a wine fungus), Festina Peche (brewed with peaches), and Raison D’Etre (brewed with raisins).  Since I like so many of their beers, I’m always excited to try one I haven’t seen before.  Since I’m also a fan of oak-aged and barrel-aged beers, Burton Baton sounded like it might be up my alley.  On the other hand, it’s brewed as a pale ale with definite IPA tendencies, and I’m simply not an IPA fan… try as I might.

Burton Baton pours a medium (slightly reddish) brown with a thin white head that dissipates slowly and leaves behind ring-like lacing. 

Its aroma is decidedly hoppy, enough so that I get very little else from it.

The flavor is primarily that of an IPA, which is to say that it’s quite hoppy and bitter.  The oak aging comes through in the form of a slight vanilla note hidden under the boatload of hops at the front.  The finish is bitter, as you’d expect for an IPA.

As I’ve come to expect from the hop heads at Beer Advocate, Burton Baton rates a 92-94 out of 100 there, or “outstanding”.  Similarly, Rate Beer is giving Burton Baton a 99 out of 100.  If I was an IPA fan, I’d probably agree with them.  But I’m not, so it only gets a 4 out of 10 from me.

I tasted this particular beer at The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road in September 2012.  I’ve seen Burton Baton at various area beer festivals, on draft occasionally at local restaurants and bars, and in bottled form at some local retailers. 

Although Dogfish Head beers are pretty easy to find at most area retailers, Burton Baton is a bit more difficult to locate.  I have seen it on the shelves at Palmer’s Beverage Center and at Whole Foods in Dublin.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Bitter
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level:  High
Dominant Flavors:  Hops bitterness, oaky vanilla
ABV: 10%
IBU:  70
My Rating:  4/10