Abbey Brewing Monks’ Dubbel Ale (8/10)

New Mexico’s Abbey Brewing Company has been producing beer since 2005.  The Dubbel Ale reviewed here wasn’t produced until 2013 (or at least wasn’t a year-round product sold outside the state).

The Benedictine Monks of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert own 84% of the Abbey Brewing Company.  The monks are involved in the brewing of the beer, selection of materials, etc.  It’s probably one of the few Belgian style ales in the USA that can legitimately say an abbey produces it.

The beer pours a slightly cloudy coppery amber color with finger thick off-white head.  The aroma is malty and sweet, with a , and the flavor is very pleasant.  It’s malty, slightly sweet, with a malty caramel note to it.  It’s a very drinkable beer.  It’s also not terribly expensive.  The bottle pictured here was $6.99 and will most likely be recycled when I brew my next batch of beer.

I’m rating it an 8 out of 10.  There aren’t enough ratings on Beer Advocate or Rate Beer for comparison, but if you extrapolate from what’s there, they’re in line with my 8/10 rating.


Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Malty and sweet
Spice Level:  Low
Hops Level: Low
Dominant Flavors: caramel malt
ABV:  7.6%
IBU:  Unknown
My Rating: 8/10

Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple (10/10)

Brouwerij Van Steenberge of Belgium produces a number of my favorite beers.  Gulden Draak 9000 is a Belgian Quadruple Ale.  As a beer style, the Quadruple is probably my favorite, and Gulden Draak 9000 is undoubtedly one of the better Quads on the market.

It pours a very slightly cloudy coppery amber color with very little head. The head, as you can see in the image at the left, leaves behind a patchy, web-like lacing on the glass.

The aroma combines the typical Belgian bouquet of fruit, spice, and alcohol.
The flavor is exactly what you’d expect for a Quadruple, combining sweet malt, fruit, spice, and a minimal hops presence.  Despite its 10% alcohol content, it’s not an especially warming beer.  The finish is sweet and fruity, and lingers a little bit.
This is one of those occasions where Beer Advocate, Rate Beer, and I all pretty much agree.  Beer Advocate gives Gulden Draak 9000 a 92 or “outstanding” rating.  Rate Beer gives it a 95 overall.  For me, this beer is a perfect 10 out of 10. 

The only thing I’d change about Gulden Draak 9000 is that I’d like to find it on every bar and restaurant’s beer menu.

I had this particular draft sample at the Giant Eagle Market District at Kingsdale in January 2014.  The bottled version is often found in gift sets and as a single in various shops around town.  I’ve purchased it in the past at The Andersons General Store near Sawmill, Whole Foods in Dublin, and at Kenny Road Market.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Sweet
Spice Level:  Medium
Hops Level: Very Low
Dominant Flavors: Fruit, Spice, Sweet Malt
ABV:  10%
IBU:  Unknown, but I’d estimate < 20
My Rating: 10/10

Brew Dog – Dogma (8/10)

Scottish brewery Brew Dog produces this unusual ale, brewed with honey, kola nut, poppy seed, and guarana.  If you’re not familiar with Brew Dog and you have cable television (maybe satellite), look for the Esquire Channel.  The show named “Brew Dogs” features the two men who founded this brewery.  They tour the USA, meeting brewers, brewing unique beers with them, and showing you the best bars and breweries in the cities they visit.

But I digress.  Pictured here is the second (or maybe third) bottle of Dogma I’ve ever had.  That should tell you something about this beer. 

The aroma is delicious, reminiscent of a Belgian dark ale.  You’ll find honey, dark fruit, a hint of spice, and malt.  The color is almost pitch black.  The head is finger-thick and a beige color. 

This is a beer that improves in flavor both with age and temperature.  A bottle that’s a few months old and in the 46-50 degree temperature range tends to have a sweet, complex flavor profile.  Below that range it tends to be somewhat bitter and unpleasant.

I’m rating it an 8 out of 10, which is comparable to Beer Advocate’s 81/100 and a bit below RateBeer’s 95/100.

ABV:  7.5%
IBU:  Unknown, but estimate 25-30
My rating:  8/10

Zauber Dog Days of Summer Beer Festival

Zauber Brewing on Fifth Avenue has been running little mini-beer-festivals monthly since the weather got warm enough to warrant it.  This month’s event, the Dog days of Summer, was held on July 19 in the Goodwill parking lot next door to the Zauber brewery on Fifth Avenue.

Several food trucks were on hand, including the Paddy Wagon, Explorers Club, Loops, Schmidt’s Sausage Truck, and the Herb’n Food Truck.

There were raffles, dog biscuits, and water dishes for the dogs.

The Lovetown Mavericks provided great live music throughout the event as well, playing a mix of music from the past and present.

Actual Brewing featured their Rye IPA, Berliner Weiss, and Saison.

Zauber offered their Stodgy Brown Ale and Buxom Blonde Ale.

Although it was an overcast day, there was no rain for at least the first 90 minutes of the event (I left after that) and the temperatures were very reasonable.  Turnout was light for the first half-hour, then picked up after that.

I had a FetaFire sandwich from Loops, which was good.  My wife loved their Chicken Gyro.

Later, when the Schmidt’s truck showed up, I had a bratwurst and a cream puff.  Those were excellent, as usual.

On the beer front, I sampled two of Actual Brewing’s beers.  The first, Curiosus, is a German style Berliner Weisse beer.  It’s got a tangy, sour note to it like fresh lemon juice.  I didn’t find it to be unpleasantly sour, but others disagreed.  I think it’s a nice summer beer.  The second Actual Brewing beer I tried was their Ingenuity Ale, a lemongrass Saison.  This was a nice beer also.  It wasn’t too hopped-up, or too plain.  The lemongrass added a nice flavor element to it.

I also sampled Zauber’s Stodgy Brown Ale, which is one of my favorite beers from this brewery.  It’s got a nice malt-forward character with some roasty, smoky elements to it.  Hops are used to balance out, but not overwhelm, the malt.  It’s quite nice and very easy to drink.

It would have been nice if some other Columbus breweries had made an appearance, but it was a fun event nevertheless.  I am looking forward to their August event.

Below are some photos taken at Dog Days…

First, a shot of the Lovetown Mavericks rocking the festival:

A shot of the Chittenden vet clinic table on the left and Actual Brewing on the right:

The Schmidt’s Sausage Truck, serving up their signature German food and Cream Puffs:

An unfortunately blurry shot of The Paddy Wagon and Explorers Club:

The Loops food truck (also a blurry shot, not sure what was going on with the cell phone camera):

And Zauber’s table:

The Herb’n Food Truck:

A Schmidt’s Bratwurst and Cream Puff, and a cold Curiosus Berliner Weisse from Actual Brewing… could summer get much better?

2014 Beer Guide

If you have the opportunity, pick up a copy of the Columbus Alive (free newspaper) 2014 Beer Guide.  It’s available at a number of Columbus area stores and restaurants, such as the Zauber Brewery on Fifth Avenue and The Winking Lizard.  A lot of the material is also available on their web site, linked above.

Inside the pages of this year’s edition, you’ll find:

• Beer Guide: Belgians 101, Your Guide to the New Trend in Town – an article about various Belgian beer styles, listing examples of each
• A guide to a few of the beer shops in town
• An article about the growth of the brewing industry in Columbus
• Advertisements for a number of Columbus breweries, tap houses, and bars showing happy hour specials and events

It’s fair to warn you, though, that the paper does cater to a number of taste and lifestyles that every reader might not agree with.  You’ll find advertisements for adult entertainment venues and other things.  Those things don’t bother me personally, but I know some readers could be upset by them.
Among the things you’ll learn in the issue:

• Columbus had 45 craft breweries in 2011 but has grown to 76
• Ohio is 12th in the nation for the number of breweries but 33rd in the number of breweries per capita
• The Ohio Taproom will be having a Craft Beer Night on September 5 at the Ohio Expo Center Bricker Building from 4-7:30pm featuring samples of beer from Actual Brewing, Seventh Son, Homestead, and Hoof Hearted Brewing

You’ll also see photos of Bodega, The Barrel & Bottle, Savor Growl, House Beer, and more.

Sideswipe Elegant Hoodlum Smoked Stout (8/10)

I recently read an article in one of the “free” Columbus newspapers that talked about Sideswipe Brewing.  Sideswipe was founded by Craig O’Herron, a black-belt martial artist who turned his brewing hobby into a business after returning to the USA from Thailand.  Sideswipe officially opened in 2013, so it’s a very new entrant to the Central Ohio craft brewing scene.  As you’ll see in a moment, while Sideswipe might be a new to the market, its products appear to be first-rate.

Elegant Hoodlum pours black with a finger-thick tan head that doesn't last long.
The aroma is malty, chocolaty, and contains a hint of coffee and smoke.

The flavor starts malty with a smoky, roasted grain note to it. The finish is mildly bitter.

The smoky elements are subtle and contribute to the flavor rather than dominating it.

This has all the elements I enjoy in a good stout.  It’s hearty, thick but not syrupy, malty but with a perfect balance of bitterness, and with a hint of smoke to add some complexity.  It’s a very well-executed beer and my hat is off to Sideswipe for producing it.

This is a new enough beer that Rate Beer and Beer Advocate do not yet have many ratings for it.  (Mine was the first on Rate Beer and the third on Beer Advocate.)

I purchased this bottle at Savor Market on Indianola. I've also seen it at Kenny Road Market.

According to their web site, the beer may also be available at Ale, Wine, and Sprits of Powell, The Barrel and Bottle, Celebrate Local, Country Carry Out, Crafted Drafts, Gentile’s Wine Sellers, The Hills Market, Palmer’s Beverage Center, Weiland’s Market, and World of Beer at Easton.


Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Malty
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level: Low
Dominant Flavors: Dark malt, coffee, unsweetened chocolate, smoke
ABV:  7%
IBU: 
My Rating: 8/10

The Pub at Polaris

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to visit The Pub at Polaris.  It’s been on my list of places to visit for a couple of years now, since I attended the Dayton AleFeast.  At that event, the Dayton location of The Pub (it’s a chain) had paired their Shepherd’s Pie with St. Bernardus Abt. 12 beer.  I’ve never been a big fan of Shepherd’s Pie, but The Pub’s version of the dish is excellent.  I’ve craved it several times since.

The Pub attempts to replicate (at least in appearance) the English pub experience in the United States.  I know from conversations with actual people from England that this isn’t a perfect replication by any stretch.  They play mostly Top 40 style American music, rather than traditional English pub music.  They serve a few beers from the UK, but many more from Europe and the U.S. as well.  And there are items on the menu that you probably won’t find in a “real” English pub.  So you might call it a “Pub-like” experience.

That being said, I had the opportunity to sample two items off the menu during my visit.  The first were the scotch eggs.  These are hard boiled eggs, wrapped in sausage, then coated with a bread crumb mixture and deep fried.  They’re server with a sweet and tangy mustard.  I found them unusual and delicious.  My wife didn’t.

My main course was the Shepherd’s Pie I’d been wishing for.  The portion size was ample, though I had no problem eating it.  The beef, lamb, and vegetable mix on the bottom was moist and tasty.  The mashed potatoes above that were warm and not dried out.  The top layer had cheese and breadcrumbs.  It was even more delicious than I’d remembered from AleFeast, and I look forward to going back to have it again.

Adam, our server, was very knowledgeable about both the menu items and the beer available.  I would imagine that the selection changes periodically, but during my visit they had drafts from Bass Ale, Boddington’s, Fuller’s, Old Speckled Hen, Belhaven, Guinness, Hoegaarden, Palm, Stella Artois, Angry Orchard Cider, Budweiser, Dogfish Head, Kentucky Ales, Samuel Adams, Yuengling, and a few seasonal/rotating items.

Bottled beer is also available.   During my visit you could have ordered Amstel Light, Chimay Red Label, Corona, Crabbie’s, Dos Equis, Duvel,  Heinekin, Innis & Gunn, Kaliber, Labatt Blue, Lindemans, McEwan’s, Newcastle, Red Stripe, Saint Bernardus, Samuel Smith, Schneider, St. Peter’s, Weihenstephaner, or Well’s beers in bottled form.  They also had bottled beers from Abita, Avery, Bell’s, Breckenridge, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, Great Divide, He’Brew, Left Hand, Magic Hat, New Holland, Ommegang, Oskar Blues, Rogue, Shiner, Sierra Nevada, Stone, and Two Brothers (along with the usual macros).

Draft prices outside happy hour range from $3 for a Bud Light to $5.95 for some of the more-expensive drafts.  Bottled beers ranged in price from $2.95 for the macro brews to $10.95 for some of the imported/craft beers.

On Monday nights, they do a “Monday Night Nosh” offering traditional British comfort food starting at 5pm “while supplies last”.  You can order Jacket Potatoes and Meat Pies for $7.95 each.

Happy Hour is from 3-7pm.  During that time, you can get $3.95 appetizers from a list that includes curry chips, young’s bbq crisps, beer-battered onion rings and mushrooms, the pub double dip (hummus and spinach/artichoke dip), spicy cheese dip, pub pretzels, or buffalo chicken.  Drink specials include $3 schooner draughts, $4 three olives vodka and premium well drinks, $5 select wines, and $6 martinis and favorites.

(Note that the above specials were active at the time of my visit in July 2014.  As this review “ages” it is likely that things will change, so plan accordingly if you choose to visit.)

Our visit happened during the early afternoon on a Saturday, and there were plenty of free tables.  I understand it can be busy during happy hour and on weekend nights.

I very much enjoyed the food, beer, and service at The Pub and look forward to returning again soon.



The Pub at Polaris
1554 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
(614) 761-7829
Official Website

Hours of Operation (as of July 2014):
Monday through Thursday – 11am to 12 midnight
Friday and Saturday – 11am to 2am
Sunday – 11am to 11pm

Cost Plus World Market–Polaris

I had the opportunity to visit the Polaris location of Cost Plus World Market.  In addition to all the usual World Market products like food, furniture, wine, lamps, etc., they also offer a nice selection of craft and imported beers.

The staff at this location were friendly and nice, but didn’t hover or push… exactly what I like to find in a store.

On the shelves, I found products from a lot of the more familiar names in the craft beer scene such as Rogue, Southern Tier, Founders, Brooklyn Brewing, Samuel Adams, Great Lakes, Thirsty Dog, and New Belgium.  I also found imports from the UK, Japan, Italy, Germany, Belgium, China, Thailand, Mexico, and India – among others.  A lot of Ohio breweries are represented on their shelves as well, including Fat Head, Jackie O’s, Rivertown, Great Lakes, and Mt. Carmel.  I counted over 200 unique beers on the shelves.

The store offers bombers, multi-packs, and even a create-your-own six-pack deal that allows you to mix and match several beers in a single purchase.

In addition to craft and imported beer, you’ll also find beer mugs and beer gift sets.  They had several of the Monty Python Holy Grail/Ale gift sets which included two bottles of Black Knight Reserve bundled with a ceramic Holy Grail cup.  (The price on that particular set was under $28.)

Cost Plus World Market – Polaris

1331 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
Phone:  (614) 431-7007

See their web site (linked above) for current hours, but as of this writing:M-F 10am to 9pm
Sat. 9am to 9pm
Sun. 10am to 7pm

On my visit, I saw beers for sale here from:
21st Amendment
A'Chouffe
Abita
Anchor
Asahi
Atwater
Avery
Ayinger
Bell's
Bitburger
Boddington's
Breckenridge
Brew Kettle
Brooklyn
Chimay
Columbus Brewing Co.
Coopers
Crabbie's
Czech Rebel
Dogfish Head
Dos Equis
Epic Brewing
Fat Head's
Flying Dog
Flying Monkeys
Founder's
Goose Island
Great Divide
Great Lakes
Green Flash
Guinness
Hayward's
Heavy Seas
Huyghe (Delirium Nocturnum, Delirium Tremens)
Jackie O's
Kentucky Ales
Kingfisher
Kona Brewing
La Rossa
Lagunitas
Lake of Bays
Left Hand
Lion
Modelo
Moretti
Morland
Mt. Carmel
New Belgium
New Holland
North Peak
Omission
Ommegang
Orkney (Skull Splitter)
Orval
Pacifico
Paulaner
Pilsner Urquell
Pyramid
Revolution
Rivertown
Rogue
Samuel Adams
Samuel Smith
Sapporo
Sea Dog
Singha
Southern Tier
Sprecher
St. Sebastian
Staropramen
Stella Artois
Theakston
Thirsty Dog
Tommyknocker
Troeg's
Tsingtao
Unibroue
Van Steenberge (Gulden Draak)
Victory
Warsteiner
Weihenstephaner
Well's
Young's

Goose Island–The Ogden (7/10)

Chicago’s Goose Island brewery is known for a number of beers, including their various pale ales and their Belgian style beers.   The Ogden is Goose Island’s version of the classic Belgian Tripel style. 

According to Goose Island’s web site, The Ogden is named after the man who opened Chicago’s first brewery, and also served as its first mayor.  It’s brewed with 2-row malt and hopped with Brewer’s Gold, Citra, and Saaz hops.  It’s fermented with a Belgian yeast to improve its complexity.

The beer pours a pale gold straw color with finger-thick white head that lasts for quite a while.  The aroma is sweet, with citrus and hops notes.

The flavor starts sweet and mildly fruity, then the hops swell up to shut off the sweetness.  The lingering finish is bitter.  At 35 IBUs, it’s on the high end of the bitterness scale for a tripel (based on the BJCP Style Guidelines, which have the style in the 20-40 IBU range).  It leaves a thick layer of lacing behind on the glass.

In the end, I like The Ogden, but not nearly as much as I like Goose Island’s Pere Jacques (26 IBUs) and Matilda (26 IBUs).  I’m therefore rating it 7/10.

The Ogden is only brewed and sold in May.  According to the Goose Island web site, you probably won’t find it at any Columbus area retailers right now. 

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour:  Sweet with bitter finish
Spice Level:  Medium
Hops Level: Moderate
Dominant Flavors: citrus, hops
ABV:  9.0%
IBU:  35
My Rating: 7/10

Homestead Tenpenny Amber Ale (6/10)

Homestead Brewing Company is located in Heath, Ohio, in Licking County.  They produce several beers, including a porter, lager, IPA, pale ale, pilsner, and Tenpenny Amber Ale.  Their web site provides the following description of the beer:  “Our house Amber Ale, Tenpenny Ale balances sweet, caramel malt with a mildly bitter, fragrant hop nose.  Underneath those flavors lurks a powerhouse yeast that contributes the classic ale ester profile rather than the too clean flavors in modern beer.”

It pours a coppery amber color with a bit more than finger-thick off-white head that seems to last a long time.
The aroma is lightly hoppy and malty.
The flavor starts out hoppy (not overwhelmingly so but it’s definitely the dominant flavor) and then gives way to malty sweetness. It finishes with a combination of roasted grain bitterness and hops.  I’d describe it overall as being something like a less-hoppy IPA, perhaps along the lines of a Rogue Dead Guy Ale (which is also a 35 IBU beer, to give you a basis for comparison).

Rate Beer and Beer Advocate do not have enough reviews of the beer yet to offer their own rating.  For that reason, I’m going to give you two ratings.  The first rating is my official, overall rating of 6 out of 10.  This rating takes into account my own dislike of hop-forward beers.  The second is an unofficial rating, intended for those who enjoy IPAs and hoppier brews. You’ll likely find this to be an 8 or 9 out of 10, depending on how much bitterness you like in a beer. 

I purchased this bottle at Crafted Drafts for $5.19.  I haven’t seen the brewery’s products at other area retailers recently, so I can’t tell you where else you might find it.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Bitter
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level: Medium
Dominant Flavors: hops, malt
ABV:  5.4%
IBU:  35
My Rating: 6/10

B. Nektar Orange Blossom Mead (5/10)

The B. Nektar Meadery of Ferndale, Michigan, makes this Orange Blossom Mead.  It’s made with honey from orange and other citrus trees, then aged on American oak. 

As you can see in the photo at the left, it pours a very clear, practically colorless, headless liquid with no head at all.

Do you remember the “wax lips” you used to see around Halloween as a kid?  They had a very distinctive and memorable aroma.  This mead has that aroma in spades.  The aroma is a dead ringer for candy wax lips.  Somewhere behind that, I pick up a bit of honey and citrus.

The flavor is something of a cross between those wax lips, a sweet mead, and orange peel.  It’s a kind of strange flavor, to be honest, but not entirely unpleasant… but not as delicious as I expected it to be.

Rate Beer gives it a 75 overall.  Beer Advocate doesn’t have a rating for it.  I’m giving it a 5 out of 10, because it’s just too odd for me to really love it.  To put this in context, Brothers Drake’s Apple Pie Mead is excellent.  I love that mead.  This one is… just OK.  B. Nektar’s Zombie Killer Cherry Cyser is MUCH better.

I had this bottle at The Winking Lizard in 2013.  I’ve not seen it on store shelves in Columbus, but I’ve seen B. Nektar’s products at Weiland’s Gourmet Market, so you might try there if you’re in the mood to drink some wax lips…

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Sweet
Spice Level:  None
Hops Level:  None (thankfully… hops really ruins mead if you ask me)
Dominant Flavors:  candy wax lips, honey, orange peel
ABV: 14%
IBU:  unknown, but probably near zero
My Rating:  5/10