Volume 17 Issue 2

Strange Roots Experimental Ales Millvale & Gibsonia, Pennsylvania

Ancient Vortex (Rare Club Exclusive)

Strange Roots Experimental Ales will forth some amazing results, and a recently released Grand Blu, a collab be a new name to many of you, but small amount of Draai Laag’s bottles with House of 1,000 that uses some of our members will recall their saw wider exposure through Shelton penicilium roqueforti, responsible mixed-culture Agent Orange with Brothers. But as Dennis was looking for the distinct character of blue persimmons and apricots which we to move into exploring a wider range cheese, accompanied by additions featured in 2018, or this Pennsylvania of beer styles (and, let’s be real, we of peaches and fermented in casks brewery’s previous name: Draai can’t consistently spell Draai Laag for 11 months. The brewery’s been Laag Brewing Co. Dennis Hook either), the brewery became Strange surveying and testing local wild started Draai Laag back in 2011, self- Roots in March 2018. microflora for brewing possibilities, engineering an $800 brewing system with one key highlight being their and bootstrapping an operation that Rest assured, Dennis is still Park Series of beers—fermented with focused heavily on complex sour ales doing beers that are way, way out yeast and bacteria harvested from local Pittsburgh-area parks. Dennis and bringing in local ingredients and there. He’s been building his brewing mentioned projects with foraged microflora. And that small-batch, capabilities for around 20 years, pawpaw fruit and mayapples. We out-there approach—Draai Laag’s since he was 17 years old and his mom got to learn about fruit and other system at the time made only two agreed to let him brew (as long as he barrels of beer at once—brought wouldn’t drink any, relying on of-age (Continued on reverse page) neighbors for SPECIFICATIONS feedback)— and as Strange Style Belgian-style Dark Ale w/ raw cacao Roots looks & candi sugar, conditioned to the future, on cacao beans he’s looking Alcohol By Volume 9.2% to push the Serving Temperature envelope 52–59° F even further. Suggested Glassware , Tulip, Goblet, or Pinot Strange Roots ingredients that we had no idea were Strange Roots Ancient Vortex pours up layered caramels and toffee, growing in Pennsylvania. a dense, mostly opaque golden- bringing forth a huge amount of brown, capped by light tan foam that darker malt character—without Which is kind of the point. Strange sticks around for a good while after stepping into that full-on roast and Roots continues the traditions the initial pour. There’s definitely coffee of a stout. There’s a pleasant of Draai Laag while giving Dennis a bit of a reddish hue present, and underpinning of vinous, fruity and company even more room to this Belgian-style dark ale overall alcohol that helps streamline the explore. We’re pumped to be able provides a reddish-brown glow when feel here as well, along with those to offer an exclusive release that held up to the light. The foam’s bittering elements mentioned in the Strange Roots put together for the persistent, leaving behind dense aromatics: clove, even a touch of Rare Beer Club: a Belgian-style dark lacing along the edges of the glass. peppery phenols, burnt sugars (think: ale brewed with raw cacao and candi A dark, colorful beer with nice visual crème brulee crust), and maybe sugar, and conditioned on cacao presentation overall. even a hint of oak tannins. There’s a beans. If you’re near Pittsburgh, the ton to dive into with this beer, and brewery has locations in Millvale and Generous aromatics are present as it warmed we found all sorts of Gibsonia. Tell Dennis we said hey! from the first pour of Ancient additional details: candied orange, Vortex. Expressive caramels, burnt spice cookies, hints of licorice and Ancient Vortex sugar, and plenty of dried dark fruits char and toast... It’s a brilliant beer lead. This dark ale leans heavily on from Strange Roots: one of the most We’ve enjoyed any number of great an expressive quadrupel approach, unique quad-ish beers we’ve ever releases from the folks at Strange with that massively malty and tried. Roots Experimental Ales over the creamy Belgian style forming the past few years, and we wanted to core framework here. The cacao Aging & Pairing Notes: work with them on an exclusive beer throughout is a pleasant chocolate for the club—something that would undertone. There are welcome The caramelization levels on this are showcase what they’ve been working touches of char and licorice and bitter pretty substantial, such that we’d be on in the realms of bigger beers and clove, providing a nicely bitter edge inclined to go easy on cellaring this. special adds. The result is Strange to counterpoint the core malt focus. It’s blended to be consumed on the Roots’ Ancient Vortex: a Belgian- There’s also plump fruit and maybe fresher side. As far as food pairings style dark ale brewed with raw cacao a hint of oak underneath?—lots of go: the emphasis on caramel and and candi sugar, and conditioned cherry, strawberry, and currant. The fruit makes this feel prime for dishes on cacao beans. The malt-forward aroma expands quite a bit with some using pork—say a simple bone-in emphasis of the quadrupel-like, time to warm. chop alongside sautéed apples. For Belgian-style ale leads, with potent desserts, look to a creamy vanilla levels of caramelization, brown Like the best Belgian-style quads, counterpoint. sugar, and dried fruits amplified by this big beer feels especially light subtle acidity and fruit. The cacao’s and vibrantly textured as a whole. super smooth. The first sip of Ancient Vortex offers

MonthlyClubs.com® 800-625-8238 Volume 17 Issue 2

Broken Bow Brewery Tuckahoe, New York

Chloe (Rare Beer Club Exclusive)

Broken Bow Brewery is situated in Broken Bow founder Mike LaMothe online for a small fee. The brewery’s located the small village of Tuckahoe, New started homebrewing around at 173 Marbledale Road in Tuckahoe—readily York in the state’s Hudson Valley. 20 years ago, back in Stamford, accessible via either the Bronx River or This is southern Westchester County, Connecticut. The homebrewing Hutchinson River Parkways, or an easy walk a little over 15 miles from midtown interest sparked a business idea from train stations nearby. If you do end up Manhattan. Tuckahoe’s name, since around building a brewery within making the trip up to Tuckahoe, be sure to you asked, translates to “it is globular,” the family, and today many of Mike’s tell the folks at Broken Bow that The Rare and was used by Native Americans family members work in different Beer Club says hello! Also: leave some time to refer to the area’s bulbous roots. parts of the company, including in your visit to spend in Broken Bow’s beer We’re super-excited to showcase his parents and siblings. (The garden (usually open April through October, this up-and-coming brewery— brewery’s named after the town weather permitting). Play some cornhole, which opened its doors in August in Nebraska where Mike’s mother snag some empanadas from License 2 Grill 2013—to our thirsty Rare Beer was brought up.) Distribution of nearby, and enjoy some at one of the Club members. We’ve been their core line of cans has been finest up-and-coming breweries in the beer- digging everything so far from slowly expanding across New savvy state of New York. these folks, from the core York, and the brewery’s a Broken Auger Lager and short train ride up from NYC. Chloe Broken Heart Stout to their most potent barrel-aged For those curious to visit the As one of two Rare Beer Club exclusives stuff. This month, we are family brewery and tasting this month, we’re thrilled to have gotten able to offer up a Rare Beer room over at Broken Bow Chloe, a rum-barrel-aged coconut Baltic Club exclusive from Broken (maybe to check out our Bow Brewery, showcasing their Great American Beer (Continued on reverse page) what we think the brewery Festival-medal-winning does especially well with Old Split-Foot strong ale), SPECIFICATIONS their Chloe—a decadent they’re currently open Style coconut Baltic porter aged 5pm–8pm Thursdays, Coconut Baltic Porter in rum barrels, packed 1pm–10pm Fridays and aged in Rum Barrels with barrel-aged and Saturdays, and 1pm–8pm Alcohol By Volume malty expressiveness. on Sundays. (The tasting 9% This seemed a perfect room’s closed Monday Serving Temperature introductory beer from through Wednesday.) Tours 52–59° F this impressive brewery in are offered Fridays and Suggested Glassware the Hudson Valley. Saturdays and can be booked Tulip, Snifter, , or Nonic Glass porter from the folks at Broken Bow. We’ve keeping things light. As this warms a bit almond: like the orgeat syrup and, frankly, all been loving the big beers we’ve had the in the glass, we start to get more of that the other aspects of a good mai tai minus the chance to sample from these folks, and charred character from the rum barrels, lime. This is rich, rewarding to dig into, and a this offers up a number of the aspects that along with the roast and malty sweetness of very satisfying nightcap worth sharing. Give this brewery is doing great. The rum barrel the base porter. It’s malt-focused but never it a little time to warm up for the best results. comes through smoothly, with a nice degree heavy, packed with an abundance of fruit, of caramelized complexity to it. That Baltic- caramelization, and toast. Aging & Pairing Notes: style porter core is well structured, a subtly bitter edge beneath the sweeter parts. And There’s a touch of pepper and baker’s While present, the caramelization levels on the coconut’s contribution is subtle, adding chocolate. Maraschino cherry. Sweet this are on the restrained side right now, so a roundness of umami-like mouthfeel that toasted coconut. a bit of oxidation and sherry-like character adds one more dimension to this delicious from further cellaring time should fit right release. Medium-light levels of carbonation lend in. Just go easy, and check after six months themselves well to this beer, and it’s rounded or so. For food pairings, the core notes of Broken Bow’s Chloe pours a rich brown- and sweetness focused but streamlined brown sugar and dried fruit have us looking sugar color; deeply roasted and dark at the with a subtle, vinous alcohol warmth. This to chili-rubbed pork, bread pudding, or core but with softer, honeyed tones around is dense, big, but poised overall and layered crème brulee. the edges. There’s a decent cap of off-white in a manner that’s super smooth and foam here, in spite of the high ABV, and explorable. The ripe red fruits counterpoint it leaves behind some tiny-bubbled lacing the caramelized sugars, toasty barrel char, around the perimeter. There’s a whole lot and sweet vanilla. Coconut’s a secondary of aromatics present here from first pour: element for Chloe, contributing almost dried fruits and caramel and a touch of as much to the texture of this beer as the candied apple, a vibrant ripeness of fruit flavor, and there’s an overall vibe of toasted

Beyond the Bottle: Go-To Glassware By Ken Weaver

Having received a bit of glassware over the holidays, my wife and stemless. A few wee and normal-sized nonics. And then the and I recently decided to wade through and reorganize our glass two things that I personally like drinking out of most, for different collection. (Most alcohol writers have more glassware than we reasons. The first’s for pragmatic ones: a pair of Riedel Ouverture know what to do with…) We’ve got three spots for glassware in the beer , tulip-like and a perfect combo of nicely thin but thick house: main section in the kitchen, a few windowed shelves in the enough that I haven’t broken them yet. The second are two small living room (for wine glasses and , so I can offset having to glasses from Dieu du Ciel! in Montreal, for more personal walk by how fancy I feel), and, thirdly, a nook for backup glassware. reasons. Ali and I snagged these up at the brewery’s 10th anniversary We did our best to Marie Kondo it up, trying to be mindful of what party back in 2008, when we were roadtripping to the west coast. actually sparked joy to use. They’re a little frou-frou and fragile—but they also hit the joy button and we should use them more. Some stuff quickly got banished to the backup nook: hefeweizen glasses, the Spiegelau glasses (both the shape and size What’s your go-to piece of ? Do you tend to reach of a rocket ship)… The more interesting part was what made it into for it because of functional or personal reasons? Are you glassware the prime kitchen shelves. What was our go-to glassware we used ambivalent? Chime in on Twitter at @RareBeerClub. all the time? Ken Weaver (@KenWeaver) is a beer writer, editor and cartoonist Here’s what those two shelves look like for us: A few thin, heavy- based in Petaluma, California. He makes a weekly webcomic—about a bottomed glasses. Two sets of glassware I designed for dysfunctional brewery/potion shop—at MassivePotions.com. the comic—flexible, medium-sized wine goblets, both stemmed

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