Astonishing Tales of the Sea

It's the end of another long day. The kids are asleep and we put out the cat. Time to sit down, have a beer, and ponder the deeper questions of life. Tonight, while sipping on a Great Lakes beer we ponder the ultimate bizarro question: Which is better - Edmund Fitzgerald or Edmund Fitzgerald?

By this I mean, of course, the beer versus the song. I know. I just blew your mind.

The Beer

Typically, a picture accompanies beer reviews as a sort of psuedo-verification that I'm actually drinking the beer and not just stealing lines from Beer Advocate. My digital camera's four-year-old memory card is full (after awhile you assume these things never reach capacity) and I'm too lazy to delete a few pictures to make room for a beer that's relatively easy to find so just take my word for once.

The handcrafted porter, Edmund Fitzgerald, is simply one of the finer porters out there. It starts slightly bitter, comes through the middle with a malty, coffee flavor and finishes a bit sweet. The brewers at Great Lakes get everything they can out of the barley, hopes, yeast and water. Sticking to the "Bavarian Purity Law" can often result in boring beer. You won't find that here.

The Song

The song is technically "The Wreck of the..." but let's not argue semantics. Made famous by the Seinfeld bit ("I think Gordon Lightfoot was the boat"), we all know the song is a tribute to the boat that sank in November 1975 in Lake Superior. It was the second biggest hit of Mr. Lightfoot's two hits. [Editors note: despite the lyrics, the Edmund Fitzgerald was actually headed for Detroit when she sank.] The History Channel eventually covered the search for the wreck and the recovery of the ship's bell, which rang upon breaking the waters (probably to be expected but still gives me chills).

None of that matters. This song is so great because it's the first song that really made my heart break so it's also the first song that helped me understand that music is more than music. The song is also a great story - the efforts of the captain, the courage of the crew, the wonder of November gales on the Great Lakes. I still get kind of queasy thinking about the cook saying he can't feed the men. I've never been much of a sailor but this song (and Deadliest Catch) help me understand that it takes balls.

The verdict

In true Motor Trend-type fashion, we call this one a draw. Both are outstanding but neither would likely be here without the actual Edmund Fitzgerald. So, crack open a handcrafted porter from Cleveland, turn on some Gordon Lightfoot, and think about all of those who gave their lives, particularly those 29 brave souls who traveled aboard the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

Release the Hounds

If you live inside the Beltway then you probably know about Franklin's in Hyattsville, MD and you know about Mad Fox in Falls Church, VA. The two couldn't be farther apart both geographically and aesthetically. Franklin's is more like a pub, the clientele is exactly what you would expect from  a brewpub located near a liberal arts university (hippies), and the place is frequently loud-ish. Mad Fox is literally on the opposite side of the map. It's warm and dark wood feels like you walked into an A-list restaurant, the clientele is what you would expect from Norther VA (lobbyists, lawyers), and it's rather quiet.* What do these opposites have in common? Great beer.

We'll briefly touch on the food since Mad Fox is both brewery and restaurant though we know the only real priority is the beer. Overall, the food is quite good. It started slow with the miniature soft pretzels that were little more than little pieces of bread with salt. The fish and chips, made with a kolsch-style beer batter, was spot on. The Cheesesteak Panini, served to the trusty assistant, looked exquisite.

Stir-About Oatmeal Stout. It's a good time of year to be drinking the Oatmeal Stouts and the brewers at Mad Fox rise to the occasion. Sir-About is rather malty with a good, solid coffee finish - something we consider critical to any good Oatmeal Stout. It's certainly full-bodied but not heavy so there's always room for another round.

Festivus Ale. It's like drinking the Feats of Strength. If you like spices this is the beer for your. Brewed with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg this beer will send your taste buds over the edge. It makes for a good compliment to the Sir-About.

Reynard Black Saison. Mad Fox's "Belgian inspired dark Saison" is the best of the bunch. It's brewed with 8 different malts, according to the beer menu, and fermented with a French farmhouse yeast. It tastes mighty fine and goes right to your head if you're not careful, according to our trusty assistant.

If we have one regret it's that we didn't start with the sampler. Four beers, 4 ounces each, of your choice is definitely the way to start. From there you can make your choices on full pints - one you sampled or something new. It's the best way to get a full sampling of brews in one visit. So, I guess we needed an excuse to come back we have it.  

*Mad Fox may have been quiet because we visited during the awkward dining hours between the lunch and dinner rushes. A quick visit their Web site indicates that it's not always easy on the ears - New Year's Eve, for example, looks like it will be a blast.

Three Little Beers

How we're spending the afternoon inside the cubicle. Sure beats working.

Part I

Part II

The Real "Old Dusseldorf in A Long Neck"

Thomas Magnum, the protagonist in what is arguably one of the coolest television shows based in Hawaii, is convinced that Robin Masters and Johnathan Q. Higgins III are one in the same. For our loyal readers who are too young to remember, Magnum, PI is about a private investigator working for an anonymous rich guy in exchange for free room and board - and apparently unlimited use of the coolest Ferrari ever produced. His island clients are always extremely attractive women and his friends are so cool that one owns a helicopter. If all of that is not enough, his refrigerator is always stocked with beer - Old Dusseldorf, to be specific.

This leads us to a theory. Robin Masters is to Higgins what Old Dusseldorf is to Maui Brewing Company. In  the last episode Higgins admits (and then maybe recants) that he is the famed and anonymous Robin. To which we argue that Old Dusseldorf is really just a cover for Maui Brewing Company. MBC wasn't around in the '80s. Then again, Magnum met Robin Masters more than once and heard his voice a couple of times each season.

Admit it - we just blew your mind.

It took long enough but MBC found its way inside the beltway and we've been soaking it all in. MBC comes in cans rather than the preferred long neck but we won't let that take away from the overall experience. In no particular order here's a snapshot of our mini-line up from best to worst (psst - the worst is pretty damn good).

Is this the real Robin Masters?

Coconut Porter. This beer is one of our all time favorite porters and it comes with the price tag to back it up. Chocolate and a hint of coconut in both taste. Aroma is the opposite. $13 and change for a four pack makes it something to cherish but it is worth it.

Bikini Blond Lager. If Budweiser was made by a craft brewer this would be the result. It's crisp, refreshing but with better flavor than Bud. We have a couple left but this is a summer brew. The heat and humidity returns to the DMV in early April so we'll keep these with our preferred stock until spring.

Big Swell IPA. Strong finish to our line of Maui Brewing Company. An IPA that holds it's own against any other out there. It's not in the 90 Minute IPA realm but neither is the price. We have several in stock but expect them to be gone before Sunday expires.

Is this the real Old Dusseldorf?

Who Need's A Blog?

With the twitters and Untappd we've been long wondering if the blog is really even necessary in 2011. Sure, it allows the random beer geek to wax poetic about aspects of beer the general consumer rarely considers - but to what end? The other beer geeks are going to try anything new regardless. The consumer is going to get bored with technical jargon and go back to "manning up" on Miller Lite.

Today we're going to share our insights on Firestone Walker's Reserve but we're fairly certain it can easily be summed up in 140 characters or less and properly registered as something we've tasted through our untapped account. If we're so inspired we'll rate the brew on untappd, which links to twitter saving us the hassle of redundancy. So, we're going to make a fair attempt to sum up this brew in exactly 140 characters because otherwise there's nothing particularly interesting about this brew.

Bland aroma and bland flavor. It has a mild porter-style, roasted chocolate finish and good looks with a caramel-nut colored head. There's some lacing though I still don't know why lacing matters. It  has a body that looks like a mix of dark chocolate and coffee. Way over - 263 characters.

Like the cute weather girl - all looks no substance. Accurate but way under - 52 characters.

Walker's Reserve is disappointing primarily because you expect a "reserve" to be special. It's a fine beer but by no means special. So close - 131 characters.

Walker's Reserve is disappointing primarily because you expect a "reserve" to be special. It's a fine beer but is by no means special. Beer. Nirvana - 140 characters.

There you have it. We have scientifically verified that there is no need for this or any other blog.

Ride a Pack of Dogs

Coffee has its roast monkey and artisanal brewing has its gypsy. The concept behind Stillwater Artisanal Ales is actually quite cool. Two guys in Baltimore decide to start brewing together but a conventional brewery, even a small one, requires a lot of start up capital. Rather than go through the mind melt these guys rent available brew space where ever they can to get crazy with their brews. Get a little more on them from this nice little piece in the WCP.

Stillwater's Farmhouse Ale comes in a beautifully labeled bomber. This beer is like good, old fashioned, in your face rock n' roll. You can take it at face value and really enjoy it but your better off listening to it over and over to really understand the groove. On its face, Farmhouse is a very good beer. Pay attention to the details and it only gets better. 

You can smell the wheat right off, which is a strong indicator of the performance of this beer.  By and large you know what you're getting. It's crisp, light, and savory. The subtle undertones are there if you care to pay attention. We mentioned the wheat aroma but there's a hint of musty, white grapes too. It almost smells old, which is awesome. The flavor is fruity but earthy. It's in the saison family but is not really a normal saison - the spice pallette is not quite there, which is fine. The best thing about this bomber is that we have another one in the basement.

These guys always have Stillwater Ales in their tour rider.

Sixpoint None the Richer

It was just over a year ago that we introduced you to Brooklyn's Sixpoint Craft Ales. Our seven loyal followers might recall the Sixpoint response to when they'll be schilling their wares in the DC area. We'll save you the click. "Well, we can't promise anything soon...Once we can take care of our folks here [NYC], then we'll maybe consider DC."

Good News! The folks in NYC are well fed and Sixpoint is available in the DMV. We know this because we're sitting at home sipping on a Righteous Ale that was purchased by our TA at the local Whole Foods. If you prefer first-person verification then rest easy knowing we conquered Bengali Tiger this past week at RFD.

Rye bread is awful but rye ale is good. It perplexes our tiny little brains that this grain, with it's multitude of health benefits, can make bread inedible and at the same time be a key ingredient in some brews. The guys at Sixpoint have a unique respect for the heartiness of rye - so much so that they threw it in an ale and declared it a righteous brew. Any good beer is more than the sum of its ingredients and that theorem holds true for Righteous Ale.

The Righteous Ale pours hazy with a copper color. The head maintains the copper hue and goes away in short order. This brew starts spicy and finishes sweet with maybe a hint of caramel. The carbonation  is a little more than moderate but is by no means overpowering. It's medium bodied with a dry finish leaving you thirsty for a second can. 

Speaking of cans, Sixpoint has joined the movement (actually, since they're new to DC we don't know if they ever used bottles). Righteous Ale comes in four packs but they're 16 ounce cans. If that ain't righteous nothing is. There is something cool, in a Dukes of Hazzard Lynyrd Skynyrd kind of way, about drinking from the larger can. It makes the beer taste better but if Righteous Ale came in a 12 ounce can we would still recommend it. So, you go back to surfing the interwebs and we'll head to the fridge for another round.