Dominion Winter Brew 2003 - a review

John Pollack, the manager of The Old Vine (a wonderful wine, beer, and artisinal cheese shop in Baltimore) recently turned me onto a marvelous beer.

It's this year's (2003) Dominion Winter Brew.

The back label states: "This year's Winter Brew is a reproduction of the classic Polish porters. We used a traditonal lager yeast to ferment this high gravity beer. Our brewers used a combination of German malts and Polish hops to create this unique beer." The rest of the label continues on in Polish, I would suppose repeating this description.

At 5.8%, it's not the high gravity to which some of us have become accustomed, but the 'bite' of alcohol was obvious in this beer, not unpleasantly. It pours dark red/brown, with good legs, and an honest dark tan head. The aroma combines hints of licorice and woody spice with wafts of sweet chocolate. The flavor continues the chocolate theme but contributes roast coffee and malt sugar. There is alcohol present in flavor, almost like a shot of coffee liqueur. The finish is roasty and bitter, again with a warming alcoholic bite.

I drank this with lentil soup and a slice of dense German pumpernickel. Delicious ... even if that pairing did mash together elements of "old Europe" with "new Europe".

I might compare the beer to Baltika Porter, or to Utenos Porter from Lithuania, or to the late lamented Polish Okocim Porter, or, even closer in style, to the similarly discontinued Swedish Pripps Carnegie Porter, although not as strong as the Okocim's 8% and not as roasty and bitter as the Pripps. (By the way, those last two beers were discontinued by their respective breweries soon after being absorbed by Carlsberg. I sent an email to remonstrate but, of course, there was no response.) ... or to New Jersey's Perkuno Hammer and offerings from other US micros. As with IPA and porter, it's American micros that once more are coming to the rescue of an endangered breed of beer.

With my surname of Cizauskas, I might disagree with the designation "Polish Porter". For even with the use of Polish harvested Lublin hops, I would presume the modifier Baltic to be better and Lithuanian to be best. Labas!

Halloween Costume Beer Dinner

It's a Halloween Beer Dinner, Wednesday 29 October,at the Sputnik Cafe in Crownsville, Md. Located just outside of Annapolis, the Sputnik Cafe, when not hosting beer or wine dinners, is a funky, Asian-American fusion-esque restaurant, with BOTH a good-wine list and a good-beer list (bottles only).

1397 Generals Highway
Crownsville, MD
410-923-3775
www.sputnikcafe.com

$40 with costume
$50 without!
reservations required

The dinner features 6 beers from wholesaler Legends, Ltd, paired with a 5-course dinner, planned by the three chef/co-owners. I'll be providing the commentary.

Beer 1
Moorhouse's Black Cat

Beer 2
Schneider Wiesen Ede-Weisse
Paired with roasted beets and purple potato salad, tossed with Chinese mustard vinaigrette.

Beer 3
Buergerbrau Wies'n Marzen
Paired with Chicken & apple sausage skewers.

Beer 4
Moorhouse's Pendle Witches Brew
Paired with Monkfish with milk-cooked corn, chilis and coconut.

Beer 5
Unibroue Maudite
Paired with slow-braised lamb, onions, leeks.

Beer 6
Unibroue Anniversary 10
Paired with platter of mead-glazed artisianal cheeses.

Home Brewers Gain Equality

An important milestone was reached this day twenty-five years ago.

From the Association of Brewers:

On October 14, 1978, President Carter signed House Resolution 1337. Senate Amendment 3534 to that resolution called for equal treatment of home beer brewers and home winemakers. This law allowed for brewing up to 100 gallons per adult or up to 200 gallons per household per year. [200 gallons is the approximate equivalent of 88 cases of beer.] The amendment was proposed by Senator Cranston of California, Senator Schmitt of New Mexico, Senator Bumpers of Arkansas and Senator Gravel of Alaska.

From the repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933 (and of course earlier during Prohibition) until 14 October 1978, it was illegal to produce beer at home, although legal to do so for wine. A stenographer's unintended omission on the 1933 bill produced this insalubrious result.

For nearly 44 years, no congressman would find it politically expedient to demand the right to homebrew for his or her constituents... until January 1977 when Barber Conable, courageous House Republican from New York, would introduce bill HR 2028. Alan Cranston (as stated above) Democrat of California, introduced the bill in the Senate.

This would eventually become HR 1337/SR 3534 in 1978 and be signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. The law did not actually legalize homebrewing: it revoked the federal tax on homebrewing. Legalization would require state-by-state approval, as provided under the 21st U.S. Amendment. Only Alabama and Georgia explicitly still forbid the practice.

In 1981, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company began its operations - founded by two homebrewers - and the craft beer revival had begun in the United States.

Oktoberfest in Virginia

October 11, 2003
Shirlington, VA.

I may have missed a few but these were the participating breweries at Capitol City Brewing's 5th annual Octoberfest in Shirlington, VA, this past Saturday: Abita, Allagash, Becks, Brewers Alley, Brooklyn Brewery Capitol City Brewing, Chimay, Clipper City, DeGroen's, District Chophouse, Fordham, Founders, Gordon-Biersch, Legends, Old Dominion, Otter Creek, Raven, Richbrau, Rock Bottom, Sam Adams, South Street Brewing, Spaten, St. Georges Brewing, Summit Station, Troegs, and Weeping Radish.

With the wealth of choices to be had, I needed a plan. So initially, I reconnoitered for any cask ale or kellerbier. I failed, knowing that a hop up I-95 to Racer's in Baltimore for its Real Ale Challenge would have solved that problem.

But this was an Octoberfest celebration after all, so my fungible plan became a mission to sample the fest biers, ignoring, unfortunately, many other fine choices. I didn't get to them all but there were a few that really stood out.

Legends (the Richmond brewery, not Legends, Ltd., the Scottish/English beer importer) was pouring a pleasant fest: good color, medium body, and lingering toasty malt sweetness in the finish. There were a lot of hops in the aroma and flavor. That's not a traditional flavor aspect of marzens but definitely a 'New World' interpretation and one that found its way into several of the beers there.

Sam Adams, was one I didn't want to enjoy, but really did. A fairly dark beer for a maerzen, yet pitching a good malty aroma, palate, and finish. A fantastic brew and my favorite of the day. [UPDATE: Great American Beer Festival winner.]

Interbrew's Oktoberfest, err, Spaten, was also delicious. Everything seemed spot-on: nice amber-orange color, good aroma, hint of toastiness, and good finishing malt sweetness. Very clean: there were a few beers that day with strange astringent finishes. This, by the way, was not the beer poured at the real Oktoberfest in Munich, which is lighter in color, flavor, and body. This is brewed specifically for the export market.

I went back for seconds of Richbrau's Oktoberfest. It showed wonderful toasted malt in the nose, flavor, and finish. Malt lingered in the finish without being cloying.

And then there was Victory's Fest. This has proven hard to find in our area this year, so it was pleasure to taste it at the Festival. The flavor was luscious and high-kilned malty, almost like toasted marshmallow. Superb.

The festival was well organized, and ran smoothly. A German-music playing band and dancers (well, they were doing Austrian dances, the leader said) and German food (well, so the sign said).

As it was

I trod upon my carpet of gold

While the reds, the browns, the enduring greens

bespeckle the pathway beneath my feet,

Casting autumn's prism in all its glory.

• Poem by my mother, Genovaite Cizauskas
• Photo from a happy day. My stepchild and I enjoying an autumn day.