"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to prosper."
Internet consensus attributes this quotation to Benjamin Franklin, one of the smartest men and biggest bros ever to walk this Earth. We believe in this quotation. We want everyone to love and appreciate beer as much as we do.
Beer writers typically approach their craft scientifically. They dissect a beer and analyze its component parts—appearance, smell, taste, mouthfeel, drinkability. This approach, though of course valuable, presents beer drinking in such scientific a way as to lose sight sometimes of the fact that drinking is first and foremost a social exercise.
Our approach to beer writing will emphasize the social nature of beer drinking by encouraging you and your friends to sample and discuss beers together. It is through the discussion of beer with friends that you will learn to truly respect and enjoy beer in all its diverse forms. In this spirit, we have assembled a panel of five friends, all with their own unique tastes and preferences, to sample and talk about beers with us. Through this conversational approach that underscores the subjectivity of individual tastes, we hope to introduce to our readers an expanse of incredible beers.
(Our panelists this week are John Shennan, Brian Powers, Carl Woock, Bryce Spaulding and Garrick Sheldon.)
We could not rightly begin our first column but with a trip to the best beer bar in Brunswick—or elsewhere, for that matter—Lion's Pride. Our apologies if throughout the semester this column seems to turn into a shameless advertising pitch. We just really love Lion's Pride.
The seven of us decided that we would all order the same first drink so that we could compare notes. Lion's Pride primarily features Belgian beers, so we of course wanted to begin with a Belgian beer. For the purposes of the column, we asked our server for something that would generally function as an introduction to Belgian beers for someone unfamiliar with the sort. After sampling a half dozen beers, our tastes took a patriotic turn when we settled on something brewed right here in America - Weyerbacher Merry Monks (Easton, PA; 8 percent ABV). Though American by birth, Merry Monks is brewed in the tradition of the Belgian Triple, and thus met our needs.
While waiting for our drinks to come, we took pause to enjoy what unbeknownst to us was open-mic night. Despite the critics among us—Carl—the open-mic performances offered a nice twist on the normally quieter Lion's Pride excursion.
Drinks arrived and our server dropped some beer knowledge on us, providing background information on the Weyerbacher brewing company. Based out of Easton, PA, they produce exceptionally good beers that are widely available in bars and stores like Bootleggers. Their beers include Double Simcoe IPA, Old Heathen Imperial Stout, Blithering Idiot Barleywine, and the phenomenal oak-aged Heresy Imperial Stout.
As we began to drink, "Wild Thing" was performed with an accompanying flute. A discussion of our beer followed. Garrick intelligently noted that the glass was shaped like a tulip... or maybe like a belly dancer. Beyond the glassware, we all tended to agree that while not overly complex, Merry Monks is a great introduction to the Triple style and to Belgian beer more generally. The beer is crisp, pleasant in its sweetness and in its slight fruitiness (apricot or peach —a split decision), and the alcohol provides a warming kick on a cold night. This beer will much more likely draw you into the style than push you away. Halfway through the first beer Eric commented that he already felt the fairly high ABV. Featherweight.
Relaxed and thoroughly satisfied with our first beer of the night, we decided to branch out and explore new beers according to our personal preferences. Meanwhile, someone rocked the open-mic with a fascinating rendition of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."
The second round of beers turned out to reflect well the diversity of our tastes and of the Lion Pride draught list. Though all deserving of comment, limited space requires that we focus only on a few.
The draught list featured several rare Smuttynose small-batch series beers. Smuttynose brews no more than thirty barrels of these beers for release, so we felt compelled to take advantage of them while we had the opportunity.
Garrick ordered the Smuttynose Terminator G-Bock because it most closely resembled his nickname ("G-Babes"). The G-Bock's sweet caramel and vanilla flavors coupled with its syrupy consistency produced consensus satisfaction, and had Carl declaring it a "Vermont breakfast in a glass."
Will ordered the Smuttynose Brett and I, Brett being a more unusual variety of wild yeast. We aren't too familiar with the style, but it produced a pleasant floral aroma and flavor, coupled with some sweetness and slightly sour fruit tones.
Bryan ordered the Smuttynose Triple, which made an interesting point of comparison to the Merry Monks. The Smuttynose Triple was oak aged which added a dimension of flavor that, in our opinion, put it a step above the rest.
Other beers not yet mentioned include Bryce's Moinette Blonde (wonderfully balanced though overpowered by the intensity of some of the other beers), John's Stone Ruination IPA (hops, hops, and bitter hops), Carl's Young's Chocolate Stout (think, chocolatey and only slightly roasted), and Eric's Stone Double Bastard (intense levels of about every flavor conceivable in a beer).
We concluded the night by sampling each other's beers and voting for our favorites. Bryan's Smuttynose Triple, Will's Smuttynose Brett and I, and Carl's Young's Chocolate Stout finished first, second, and third.
Taste buds satisfied and wallets lighter we decided to call it quits at Lion's Pride. We had experienced some creative musical performance, but more importantly some creative, delicious beer. We encourage you to do the same.
The Bowdoin Orient has a promotion in partnership with Bootleggers Beverage Warehouse in Topsham, Maine. This week only, Bowdoin students can receive 10 percent off Smuttynose Triple, Smuttynose Brett and I, and Young's Chocolate Stout upon presentation of a Bowdoin ID.