Oliver's & Marcelle's Caribbean & US beer adventure

In October and November 2007 Oliver and Marcelle travelled to the US and the Caribbean. Here are some of the local brews they tried along the way.

Most of the information was taken off the bottles so is lacking in some respects, particularly about the alcohol content. In some cases our tasting notes are lacking, owing to our alcohol consumption at that point. Where the beer was tasted on tap, we've tried to fill in some of the gaps from information on the internet.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

BREWER: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico, California
ALC/VOL: 5.6%
TASTED: 24/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Pig'n Whistle bar and restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California
PRICE: $US6/pint on tap
TASTING NOTES: Nice. You'd have a hard time picking this from Little Creatures Pale Ale in a blind tasting. This bar also had on tap Pilsner Urquell, Newcastle Brown Ale, Widmer Hefeweizen, Stella Artois, Peroni, Bass Pale Ale, Boont Amber Ale (from Anderson Valley Brewing) and Jake's Pumpkin Ale.

Boont Amber Ale

BREWER: Boonville, Anderson Valley, California
ALC/VOL: Not known
TASTED: 24/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Pig'n Whistle bar and restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California
PRICE: $US6/pint
TASTING NOTES: Red/copper. Bitter and malty. Spicy. (Cloves? Allspice?) Unlike any beer we've tasted.

Widmer Hefeweizen

BREWER: Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Oregon
ALC/VOL: 4.9%
TASTED: 24/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Pig'n Whistle bar and restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California
PRICE: $US6/pint
TASTING NOTES: Served with a slice of lemon on the glass, which adds to the experience. Without lemon it would not have had much aroma. Great sessional beer. Marcelle: "Tastes cloudy." Oliver: "Like a muggy day of beer." (When transcribing our tasting notes, it was clear to us, as it's probably clear to you now, the alcohol was getting to us by this stage.)

Jack's Pumpkin Spice

BREWER: Anheuser-Busch, Fort Collins, Colorado
ALC/VOL: 5.5%
TASTED: 24/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Pig'n Whistle bar and restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California
PRICE: $US6/pint
TASTING NOTES: It's 9pm after cheesy chicken parma (Marcelle) and lasagne (Oliver) at Miceli's Italian Restaurant, just off Hollywood Boulevard. The beer is presented with cinnamon sprinkles, but what would it taste like without those sprinkles? Copper colour. Keeps its head. Marcelle: “Spicy, even without the smell. A dessert beer. Shove your stout for dessert.”

Dead Guy Ale

BREWER: Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon
ALC/VOL: 6.5% or 6.6%, depending on your source (the official website appears not to list the alcohol content)
TASTED: 9.30pm, 24/10/07
TASTING VENUE: Holiday Inn
TASTING LOCATION: Hollywood, California
PRICE: About $US4.50
TASTING NOTES: Stop at liquor store to buy a cleanser. Very few are available by the bottle (most are in six-packs only). The US long-neck is 650ml, compared with the Australian equivalent of 750ml. Drunk. Drunk while watching California (still) burning on Larry King Live. Shock! Trailer burnt down. Nothing left. And Lou Dobbs on CNN asks, is al Qaeda responsible for these fires?*

Back to the beer … no alcohol content noted. However, what the bottle does feature is a pig and a fire. Does this mean it's good with barbecued pork? We've no idea, even having pondered it for the better part of six weeks. Here's a picture of the pig and the fire:

Oliver: Tasty enough, but rough around the edges. Marcelle: Soapy and not real nice. Oliver: Nice enough … a big, malty beer.

* During our visit there were large bushfires in California. Lou Dobbs, a CNN talk-show host, investigated whether al Qaeda was responsible for the fires. Truly. If you ever have the chance, you must experience Lou Dobbs' show. For the Australians out there, think of Alan Jones or Andrew Bolt on speed and with their own prime-time TV show.

Corn Husker Lager

BREWER: Heartland Brewery, New York
ALC/VOL: 4.75% (is this the world's only beer thats alcohol content is expressed to two decimal places?)
TASTED: 26/10/07
TASTING VENUE: Heartland Brewery Restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Under Empire State Building, New York
PRICE: $US5/pint during happy hour
TASTING NOTES: A malty lager. Light-copper colour. Reasonably bitter. Hints of honey. Not a very lagerish lager. It's more aley because of its fruitiness. Nice enough though.
WEBSITE: www.heartlandbrewery.com

Harvest Wheat

BREWER: Heartland Brewery, New York
ALC/VOL: 4.5%
TASTED: 26/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Heartland Brewery Restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Under Empire State Building, New York
PRICE: $US5/pint during happy hour
TASTING NOTES: Cloudy and light of body. Taste-wise, a hint of honey is all that's on offer here.
WEBSITE: www.heartlandbrewery.com

Smiling Pumpkin Ale

BREWER: Heartland Brewery, New York
ALC/VOL: 5.5%
TASTED: 26/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Heartland Brewery Restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Under Empire State Building, New York
PRICE: $US5/pint during happy hour
TASTING NOTES: Very, very spicy. Cinnamon/clove. Sessional beer. It's even the colour of pumpkin. Nice.
WEBSITE: www.heartlandbrewery.com

Farmer John's Oatmeal Stout

BREWER: Heartland Brewery, New York
ALC/VOL: 6.0%
TASTED: 26/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Heartland Brewery Restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Under Empire State Building, New York
PRICE: $US5/pint during happy hour
TASTING NOTES: Tight, creamy head. Smells like a bushfire has just been through the glass (is al Qaeda responsible for this, too, Lou Dobbs?). Creamy taste and floral aroma. Rich and thick and delicious. Marcelle: “Tastes like slurry.”
WEBSITE: www.heartlandbrewery.com

Virgin Islands Pale Ale

BREWER: Under licence by Shipyard Brewing, Portland, ME, for St John's Brewers, St John, US Virgin Islands
ALC/VOL: 4.5%
TASTED: 31/10/2007
TASTING VENUE: Stateroom 8068
TASTING LOCATION: Aboard Norwegian Dawn, off St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
PRICE: $US3.50
TASTING NOTES: Slightly cloudy. Intense sweet, floral nose. Smooth. Strong mango/apricot/peach flavour. Good bitterness. Lacy head. Marcelle likes it. So does Oliver.
WEBSITE: www.stjohnbrewers.com

Carib Lager

BREWER: Carib Brewery (St Kitts and Nevis) Ltd, Buckley's Site, St Kitts
ALC/VOL: 5.2%
TASTED: 1/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Stateroom 8068
TASTING LOCATION: Aboard Norwegian Dawn, off St Kitts, St Kitts and Nevis
PRICE: $US2/275ml
TASTING NOTES: "Premium Caribbean beer", mon! Thin, pale head. NQR. Smells like urine. Tastes not much better. In all other areas, inoffensive. Having said that, it's streets ahead of Crown Lager. Didn't tip it out; mind you it's only a 275ml bottle. It was drunk in air-conditioned comfort, which may not be a fair environment in which to taste a Caribbean lager.

Banks Caribbean Lager

BREWER: Banks (Barbados) Breweries Ltd, Barbados, West Indies.
ALC/VOL: 4.7%
TASTED: 2/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Stateroom 8068
TASTING LOCATION: Aboard Norwegian Dawn, between Jamaica and Aruba
PRICE: $US3/ 330ml
TASTING NOTES: This comes in a plastic bottle. Costs $US3 at a bar. Would have been $US6 a six-pack duty free. Very pale. A bit Carlton Cold-ish. A quaffer with low bitterness and light on the malt. Also tasted on tap after snorkling off Barbados. It was popular with the Americans. Enough said.
WEBSITE: www.banksbeer.com

Balashi

BREWER: Balashi National Brewery
ALC/VOL: 5.0%
TASTED: 4/11/07
TASTING VENUE: The Paddock bar
TASTING LOCATION: Oranjestad, Aruba
PRICE: $US3.75 (?)
TASTING NOTES: Apparently the brewery purifies its own water. Pale pilsner colour. Thin head. Slightly fruity nose. Good quaffer. Slightly malty and nicely bitter. Good beer for a great climate. The Dutch influence shows through in this beer.
WEBSITE: www.balashibeer.com

A strange surprise

We're thousands of kilometres from our Australian home, on a cruise ship somewhere between Aruba and Jamaica, drinking a Samuel Adams Boston Lager. But as this label attests, you're never really far from home. Can you imagine our surprise at reading on the label “5c refund at collection depots when sold in South Australia”? Even more intriguing was the next line: “Contains approx 1.3 standard drinks in Australia.” That was of little use. We needed to know how many standard drinks it contained in the middle of the Caribbean.

Red Stripe Lager

BREWER: Desnoes and Geddes Ltd, 214 Spanish Town Road, Kingston, Jamaica
ALC/VOL: 4.7%
TASTED: 7/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Stateroom 8068
TASTING LOCATION: Norwegian Dawn, between Jamaica and Aruba
PRICE: $US4/341ml from street vendor
TASTING NOTES: Yellow, apple-cider colour. No head, although that could be the glass. A smokey nose. Marcelle: “It's disgusting. ” Oliver: “Look to Red Stripe if you need to quench your thirst. Keep looking if you want a memorable beer.”
WEBSITE: us.redstripebeer.com, www.redstripe.net

Bar Harbor Real Ale

BREWER: Atlantic Brewing Co, Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine
ALC/VOL: Not known
TASTED: 8/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Pearly Kings Pub, Norwegian Dawn
TASTING LOCATION: Somewhere between Curacao and Jamaica
PRICE: $US4.50/12 fl oz (355ml)
TASTING NOTES: Dark, yellowish head, reminiscent of sarsparilla soft drink. Burnt nose, to the extent it almost smells like a porter or a stout. This beer is malty and stouty (Oliver said this was good. Marcelle said it was not so good). It's smooth, with a tight head, is lightly carbonated and nicely balanced, with a good, bitter finish.

Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale

BREWER: Atlantic Brewing Co, Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine
ALC/VOL: Not known
TASTED: 8/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Pearly Kings Pub, Norwegian Dawn
TASTING LOCATION: Somewhere between Curacao and Jamaica
PRICE: $US4.50/12 fl oz (355ml)
TASTING NOTES: “America's original blueberry ale,” trumpets the label. Doesn't look like blueberry. Doesn't smell like blueberry. Dark, honey colour. Not much nose to speak of. Doesn't taste like blueberry. Does taste like an average homebrew. Slightly harsh. Lingering unpleasant taste that doesn't leave you wanting more.

Caybrew

BREWER: The CI Brewery Ltd, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
ALC/VOL: 5%
TASTED: 8/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Stateroom 8068
TASTING LOCATION: Norwegian Dawn, off Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
PRICE: $US4/33cl from street vendor
TASTING NOTES: "The lager beer of the Cayman Islands." Malty and a bit like Heineken. Tastes like straw, and not in a good way. No head, but let's put that down to the glasses. Marcelle (as always, erudite): “Awful.” Oliver: “Tastes like the horse pavillion at the Royal Show smells.”
WEBSITE: www.caybrew.ky

* We have since found out that this had only been brewed since March 2007. We hope that practice makes perfect.

Sol Cerveza Especial

BREWER: Cervezeria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Monterray, Mexico
ALC/VOL: 4.5%
TASTED: 9/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Stateroom 8068
TASTING LOCATION: Norwegian Dawn, off Cozumel, Mexico
PRICE: $US1/325ml
TASTING NOTES: A Mexican in Cozumel said this isn't drunk with lime. It seems that Corona is to Mexico what Foster's is to Australia. Deeper, more amber colour than Corona. Thin head (glass again?). Easy drinking. Passes the “enjoyable in the Mexican heat and in the comfort of our cabin” test. Light body. Light carbonation. Low bitterness. A sessional beer. One of Marcelle's favourite beers ever is Corona, and one of her favourite beers on this trip was this. A bit of citrus might be a good thing, despite what the Mexican said. The same Mexican said his mother enjoys what sounds like a cross between a beer spider and a bloody mary.

1. Salt glass
2. Add ice
3. Add lime juice
4. Add salt
5. Add tomato juice to halfway
6. Fill with Sol
7. Drink (Tabasco or English (Worcestershire?) sauce optional)

 

Anchor Steam Beer

BREWER: Anchor Brewing Co, San Francisco, California
ALC/VOL: Not known
TASTED: 15/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Shana and Ed's
TASTING LOCATION: Tiburon, San Francisco, California
PRICE: $US3.50/pint bottle from supermarket in Tiburon, San Francisco, California
TASTING NOTES: "Made in SFO since 1896." Deep amber colour. Very bitter. Like an English bitter. Reasonably light carbonation, which means it's easy drinking. But the bitterness would get to you after a few.
WEBSITE: www.anchorbrewing.com

Liberty Ale

BREWER: Anchor Brewing Co, San Francisco, California
ALC/VOL: 6.0%
TASTED: 15/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Shana and Ed's
TASTING LOCATION: Tiburon, San Francisco, California
PRICE: $US3.50/pint bottle from supermarket in Tiburon, San Francisco, California
TASTING NOTES: Light copper colour. Good head. Colour of Coopers Sparkling Ale back home. Slightly cloudy. Malty and quite bitter. Fruity. Very nice. Guest reviewer Bryce: "I like this."
WEBSITE: www.anchorbrewing.com

Mt Tam Pale Ale

BREWER: Marin Brewing Co, Larkspur, California
ALC/VOL: 5.5%
TASTED: 15/11/07
TASTING VENUE: Shana and Ed's
TASTING LOCATION: Tiburon, San Francisco, California
PRICE: $US3.50/pint bottle from supermarket in Tiburon, San Francisco, California
TASTING NOTES: Ed, who we were staying with, is a part-owner of the brewery that makes this beer. Bottle-conditioned. Intense, orangy aroma. Rich, caramely flavour. Golden/apricot colour. Cascade, Columbus and Amarillo hops.
WEBSITE: www.marinbrewing.com

Great White Beer

BREWER: Lost Cause Brewery and Cafe, 617 Fourth Street, Eureka, California
ALC/VOL: Not known
TASTED: 16/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Sea Chest seafood restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Cambria, California
PRICE: $3.75/12fl oz
TASTING NOTES: Honey/straw coloured. Quite carbonated. "No preservatives." Marcelle: "Delicious taste. Stone fruit? Disproves my theory that beer with cute labels are shite." Oliver: "Tastes like a bunch of flowers. Musky. Quite nice". Both agree it doesn't taste like wheat beer. Contains unmalted wheat. Label indicates it is brewed with coriander and a secret blend of humboldt herbs that give it a "delicate citrus flavor", but we couldn't pick that.

Firestone Double Barrel Ale

BREWER: Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Robeles, California
ALC/VOL: 5.0%
TASTED: 16/11/2007
TASTING VENUE: Sea Chest seafood restaurant
TASTING LOCATION: Cambria, California
PRICE: $3.75/355ml
TASTING NOTES: Brewed with the "Firestone union" process, presumably similar to the Burton union system. Firestone is copper coloured. Subdued nose. Perfectly balanced, tasty beer. Not overly bitter. Light carbonation. The best beer Oliver tasted on this trip. Tremendous.
WEBSITE: www.firestonebeer.com

2007 Harvest Fresh Hop Ale 11th edition

BREWER: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, Chico, California
ALC/VOL: 6.7%
TASTED: 16/11/07 — last beer tasting of the trip
TASTING VENUE: Moonstone Landing hotel
TASTING LOCATION: Cambria, California
PRICE: $3.75/24 fl oz from supermarket in Tiburon, San Francisco, California
TASTING NOTES: Deep roast/amber colour. Marcelle: “One of the prettiest-coloured beers I've ever seen.” Fairly subdued nose. Very long-lasting head. Quite bitter. Label: “Fresh hops are richer in natural hop resins, producing unmatched aromatics and layers of spicy sweet notes that hop fanatics like us dream of all year.” That may or may not be true, but there are flavours in this beer that Oliver has never tasted before. Subtle, stone-fruit nose. While very bitter, it's well balanced, with a very bitter finish. Almost-ripe stone fruit flavour and a bit tart.
WEBSITE: www.sierranevada.com