Allagash Gargamel Review
Gargamel is a limited edition Belgian style ale from Allagash. After primary fermentation Allagash added Brettanomyces yeast and aged it French Oak wine barrels with local raspberries for over 18 months. Sometimes we almost feel bad writing up a beer we know you all can't buy. This is one of those times. This beer is simply incredible but unless you already own a bottle the chance of you trying it are quite low. This beer was available for sale at the brewery only. The beer starts out with an amazing sourness that is immediatly followed up with an incredibly complex Belgian funk with a distinct earthiness. Describing the flavor of brett yeast can sound aweful to those who haven't had it but there's nice notes of earthy hay in the finish (trust us it's a good thing).The fruit adds to the sourness but the beer never feels like a "fruit beer". We got 4 bottles of this (they only allowed each person to buy 2 bottles so that's all we could get). We're down to one bottle left and when that goes it's going to be a sad day. The good news is that this is the first beer in a line of limited release barrel aged beers from Allagashs so we're excited to see what else they come out with. Dogfish Head Squall IPA Review
On a beer run to pick up some beer to have with some BBQ we saw this new beer from Dogfish Head. While the name may imply a totally new beer the actual reality is this is an unfiltered, bottle conditioned version of their 90 Minute IPA. Dogfish Head beers tend to have fairly strong yeast notes to begin with so we weren't sure how this would be. The short answer it's good. It doesn't blow our minds but it's worth a try. The Squall IPA feels a bit hotter than regular 90 min IPA, this may be a product of the bottle conditioning. There is a predictable sweetness that comes with many Dogfish beers but it's not overwhelmingly sweet. A nice balance of hop flavors helps round of the overall flavor of the beer. We're not sure we'd buy this again over regular 90 Minute but it's worth buying a bottle to give it a go.Father's Day Gift Guide 2009 - Dads Love Beer Too!
Getting the perfect Fathers' Day gift can be tough. Fortunately for you we've rounded up some of the best craft beer gifts out there to help you and your dad have the perfect Fathers' Day. We've got the best craft beer of the month clubs, homebrewing kits and beer glassware. We did the work, so all you have to do is look like a great son or daughter.
Beer of the Month Clubs
You like beer and you dad does too? Beer of the month club gifts are very affordable. You can order a single month for as little as $35 or a full year so there's a perfect club for every budget. We've pulled together three of our favorite clubs to give you some options. What's better than sitting back each month and drinking some new craft beers with your dad?
To help you out we've put together a quick comparison guide of the best beer of the month clubs!
| Clubs of America | World Beer Club | ||
Sign Up Today |
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What do you get? | 12 12oz. Beers 4 different styles | 12 12oz. Beers 4 different styles | Options from 9-24 bottles per month 4 different styles of beer each month. |
Subscription Options | 1-12 Months. | 2-12 Months or Month by Month. | 1-12 months or Month by Month |
How much does it cost you? | $34.95/month Just for DrinkCraftBeer.com readers! We got you a great discout. When buying, use this code for great savings: | Original Microbrewed Beer Club: $34.95/month International & Domestic Variety Beer Club: $42.95/month International Beer Club: $46.95/month Just for DrinkCraftBeer.com readers! We got you 2 great discounts. When buying, use these codes for great discounts: | Microbrew Sampler: |
Sign-Up Today | | | |
Home Brewing Kits
Even better than drinking with dad can be homebrewing beer with dad. Homebrewing beer is really easy... no we mean REALLY easy. If you can make pasta you can homebrew and it's a great activity to try out with your father. We've even put together a full tutorial, How to Homebrew Beer. Here's all the gear you need to get brewing!
| Brewing Kit | Ingredients | Books |
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Glassware
So maybe your father already has all the beer he needs but you want to make each beer a little more special? Here's some great beer glassware options to make that happen.
Best New England Breweries Poll
In honor of craft beer week we thought we'd do something a little interactive. Each day we'll be posting a new poll asking all of you what your favorite brewery is from each New England State. Once that's done we'll be putting up a special feature on each state with the winners of each poll as well as some of our personal favorites. Drop by each day, and vote, and don't forget to pass it on to your friends.
So take a quick second and vote for you favorite on the left.
Voting Schedule: Polls will go up at noon each day and close and noon the following day.
Tuesday: Massachusetts (You chose Harpoon Brewery as the winner!)
Wednesday: Connecticut (You chose Thomas Hooker as the winner!)
Thursday: Vermont (You chose Long Trail as the winner!)
Friday: New Hampshire (You chose Smuttynose as the winner!)
Saturday: Maine (You Chose Allagash as the winner!)
Thanks to everyone for your votes!
Craft Beer Week 2009
Hey all,
Are you excited? No? Well you should be! American Craft Beer Week kicks off today, May 11th, 2009. We'll be filling you in all week long on events around New England and beyond. But most importantly, this week we've decided that we're going to keep things a bit more local. Now don't run away if you're not from New England. A lot of the beer we'll be featuring this week can be found around the country, and let's not forget beer trades.
