Ale

Jul 05 2014

Omission Pale Ale

In our quest to find beer that tastes like beer and happens to be “gluten free,” we are now batting .667.

The latest? Omission Pale Ale, from the folks at Widmer. It’s the second of three that passes – and it passes with flying colors.

Quick refresher: Acupuncture doc suggests I cut back on the dairy and cut OUT gluten. I love me some gluten. This is gonna be bad, right?

Well, in addition to all the other things I can drink, there’s always wine (which has been on equal footing with beer in my book, and with my stomach, for a long time). Yes, it’s possible to be a beer snob and a wine aficionado. Or at least that’s what I tell people.

Anyway, here goes nothing: or, something, actually…the review!

Omission Pale Ale Review

Taste

Why I prefer pale ales to IPAs in about one word: malt.

Or at least what tastes like malty caramelly sweetness. Not too sweet, but it’s gotta be there.

With most IPAs, there’s almost too much bitterness for me – but that’s okay every once in awhile. Just not now, while I’m still recovering from the gluten-free diagnosis.

This Omission Pale Ale has the malty richness up front. Mildly sweet. There’s some hop to it, but it’s not crazy. But really clean on the finish. Definitely nice work.

Profile

The website – which you can visit here – says it’s a “hop forward American pale ale.” But again, and I can’t emphasize this enough, it is NOT OVERLY HOPPY. 33 IBUs. 5.8% ABV. Four different malts may do something to offset the impact of the Cascade hops.

It is – like the Prairie Path we reviewed yesterday – crafted to remove gluten. So they can’t guarantee that it has removed all the gluten, but it’s close enough that they share the test results.

Value

Probably $9.99 – I don’t think I picked up my receipt, because I paid cash and was in a hurry and also got a 12-pack of Leninenkugel’s Summer Shandy to go with and got out of there for $26 with tax and most of the other craft beers are around $9.99 at this store and sorry about the run-on sentence.

Metasip Grade: A-

I think this is on par with the Prairie Path from yesterday. It’s beer – not just gluten-free beer, this actually tastes like beer. Worth a try.

Jul 04 2014

Prairie Path Golden Ale

Second of two gluten-free reviews. I mean, the beer is gluten-free, not the review. But the review is gluten-free, too.

After trying a beer that made me want to run for the hills (after running for the mouthwash), I needed something that actually tasted like beer. So I found it, in this winner from Two Brothers: Prairie Path Golden Ale.

This review, then, really isn’t gluten-free: I’m not going to focus on the fact that this is brewed to remove as much of the gluten as they can. Nor am I going to tell you that people who have celiac and/or are gluten-free have told me that this is their beer of choice. No, I’m just going to review this beer for what it is. BEER.

To the review!

Prairie Path Golden Ale

Taste

“Complex malt character,” according to the Two Brothers website. Yup, I like a malty mouthfeel with my ale. The hops (Saaz and Golding) give you a little bit of bitterness on the finish. It’s a sweetheart of a beer, people. Really works – easy drinking for all.

Profile

5.1% ABV. 25 IBUs. I’m starting to think that 25 might be right in MY IBU wheelhouse.

Value

In Chicago, $8.99 for a six-pack is about right. But, yeah, if you have to pay more, pay more.

Metasip Grade: A-

A couple more things about this beer: Two Brothers actually posts the gluten testing results on their website. Beer Advocate, a site we enjoy, gives this only an 80. Ratebeer, whose numbers I (sorry) don’t understand, gives it a 37.

I don’t think the low ratings are worthwhile – but you’re free to tell me I’m wrong. Do so in the comments below.

AND, note that we’ve taken a look at other Two Brothers’ stuff. Take a look at one such review here: Two Brothers.

Jul 04 2014

New Planet Off Grid Pale Ale

First of two reviews on beer consumed by a newly crowned, gluten-free beer snob.

I feel that I’m going to need to address two subjects in this review of the New Planet Off Grid Pale Ale. Subject 1: Why am I becoming a “gluten-free beer snob?” Subject 2: Why is a beer that I call “awful” getting a low, but passing, grade?

Subject 1 is pretty simple, really. A couple trips to the Minute Clinic, then the doctor, then the acupuncturist…lo and behold, I may have gluten intolerance. So, doctors’ orders, down with all gluten.

This may impact my work here on the Metasip site.

Most of my favorite beers have some of the gluten. Darnit! Gonna have to do quite a bit of trial-and-error. (You can recommend cider if you’d like – not sure it’s really my thing yet. For some, though, cider can be really hip.

Subject 2: Grading on a curve, or not. Our theory at HQ is this: if it’s in a store, it has passed some series of tests. Some distributor finds it worthy enough to get it into a store near us, and, therefore, it HAS to be passable. I’m not going to give something an “F,” nor will I plan to go into the “D” range very often. “C-,” for now, is going to be the lowest grade. Bringing us to the review…

New Planet Off Grid Pale Ale Review

Taste

If “sorghum” and “brown rice” are your thing, I’m going to recommend you stay away from beer and go find a vegan restaurant that will fry up a little of both with some garlic and shallots. Neither belong in beer.

Aftertaste like a bad shopping mall Chinese restaurant buffet.

Profile

I think it said 5% ABV. Frankly, I don’t want to pull the bottle out of recycling to find out.

Value

I once read a column from the legendary movie reviewer Gene Siskel who said something along the lines of “if the movie is bad, walk out. Your time is more valuable.” So the price – $7.99 – is irrelevant; three sips, followed by mouthwash, and I had to move on to something else.

Metasip Grade: C-

We’ll find “Beer” not “Beer…that isn’t bad for gluten-free.” This doesn’t even qualify as the latter.

Jun 21 2014

Temperance Gatecrasher IPA

Editor’s Note: Friend of Metasip John Kayaian weighs in with a quick review of one of the new entrants to Chicagoland beer: Temperance, and, specifically, its Gatecrasher IPA. We add a few notes here and there, so it makes more sense to do this in quasi-interview format. Here goes.

Dave: What are you drinking today?

John: Gatecrasher, from Temperance Beer Co. in Evanston, Illinois, USA. It’s an English IPA. I’ve had this beer many many times, as it’s one of my top three IPAs in the whole dang universe.

Dave: Wait a minute, if you drink IPAs, and you drink them a lot, this one must be pretty darn good if it’s in the top three. So, what’s it like?

John: For starters, it pours a slightly hazy golden orange with a crisp snow white head, just like a good IPA should. True to the English origins of this style the malt is quite present, but kept in check by a well-balanced hop bitterness.

Dave: The website says that this beer “gets into the sold-out show without a ticket.” How does it do that?

John: Balance. The Midwestern American execution of this particular IPA is evident in the sweet, tropical, citrus aroma. Grapefruit, apricot, a little mango. Overall, its a damn good beer. One of the most well-balanced IPAs I’ve ever had.

Dave: Back to the top three. What are the other two in your Troika of IPA Awesomeness*?

John: So the other two – in no particular order – are Revolution Anti-Hero and Temperance’s limited-availability Threeway.

[Editor’s Note: you can only get Threeway in Evanston venues – Union and Space, the pizzeria and concert-hall combo, and Temperance’s own tap room.]

Dave: What rating would you give it, then?

John: 4.5 stars out of 5.

Dave: Can I have your Temperance hat?

John: No.

Metasip Grade: A-

Expect to pay $7.99 for a six-pack in stores in and around Chicago.

*We haven’t trademarked the term “Troika of IPA Awesomeness.” Yet.

Jun 06 2014

Wells Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale

‘ello, guvnah.

There’s folks that say a beer made to taste like something that isn’t beer, isn’t really beer. To such critics the Brit brewers at Wells – makers of Wells Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale – likely would say, “Piss off.”

I, however, would say, “Hold off a moment.” Granted, there are plenty of sweet or savory or otherwise un-beery libations that would best be left in the bottle. Don’t even get me going on all the macrobrewed swills that end in “A-Rita” (unholy alliances of beer and margarita not fit to water your lawn with).

Then again, flavored beers can be fabulous, in the right brewmaster’s hands. Look at those crazy Belgians and their delicious lambics. Coffee stouts abound, and many of them are darned dandy drinks (quick question: is it okay to drink coffee stouts in the morning? No? Damn).

Then there’s this sweet ale, modelled after a classic British dessert. Is it worth a tipple, or should you wish it a hearty cheerio and throw it in the Thames? Let’s have a go, shall we?

Wells Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale

Taste

If you’ve ever dug into this ale’s namesake, you know it’s strictly for folks with a serious sweet tooth. Half the big brown lump is sugar, and then mashed up, super-sweet dates. Might as well rip open a bag of brown sugar, grab a spoon, and dig in.

This ale doesn’t go that far. It very wisely reins in the diabetes-inducing sweetness so the bitterness of the hops can pop through—it’s a nice balance that reminds you you’re drinking beer, and not liquid sugar.

Profile

5.0% ABV. The IBU count stands at 40—probably a good number, to balance out the sweetness

Value

At my local pub (literally 212 steps from my front door) it’ll put you back $5. Great value; however, Wells has cut the bottle down from 12 ounces to 11.2 ounces (cheeky bastards–I’d be miffed if the label weren’t so gosh-darned adorable).

Metasip Grade: B+

This would be a fantastic beer to go with a fruity dessert, like an apple crumble or peach cobbler—or skip the actual dessert and just knock back the Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale to finish off your meal.