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Oh Christmas Parm, oh Christmas Parm ...

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Bottled up!

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You know all that cool, automated, bottling stuff you see on a brewery tour? Yeah, got none of that sh#% ... but it's gonna get done!

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Vanilla beans split, muslin bagged, and dropped into carboy. Honey Vanilla Porter on schedule

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Porter in the carboy, snowboard boots standing by #winterready

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Natural vanilla bean, raw, wildflower Carlisle honey, roasted barley and dark crystal malt, Columbus and Chinook hops, London ale yeast ... Cole Honey Vanilla Porter is happening!

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Melvin Memorial in October. D.C. French leaves a final salute for the ages.

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Going Rogue tonight ... I can see pumpkins from my house!

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Knights In Limbo

The Ale-Chemist is out of exile.  I’d say back by popular demand, but this is the inter-webs where all falsehoods are strictly forbidden.

So, my return pairing is a growler of Long Trail Limbo, and the Netflix anime Knights of Sedonia.  Since season 2 of Knights was recently launched, I feel the growler is justified ... more content, more beer!  I only wish the anime was on par with the beverage.

Limbo, like Knights, throws a lot at you right off the bat.  The anime is a mecha-hybrid with plenty of Gundam and especially Evangelion touchstones. Season 1 manages to hold things together with the teen pilots vs aliens theme ... season 2, not so much.  Limbo is a bit of an IPA-hybrid.  The Vermont brewery goes on a hops road trip to bring in varieties from as far away as Australia.  Limbo, doesn’t rewrite the book on IPA form and content, but it shows a more adventurous side than the mecha-template used by the Knights writers.

If you’re determined to watch all 24 episodes of Knights, there’s plenty to like, but not love.  The art style uses color very creatively.  The characters are rendered in an almost black-and-white.  Hair color and environments, make things pop a little more, and blues and reds make the battle scenes pop.  Too much time is spent on the relationships ... romantic and otherwise ... between the central characters.  Some are boilerplate teen angst, and then there’s the reconstructed, weird science kind.  Is my motivation to save my floating, cobbled together, home “planet” ... or find out how to snuggle with a sentient tapeworm?!

Beer. Please, god, let’s get back to beer!  At 7.6 ABV, Limbo can chase away troubling thoughts quickly.  It pours more golden than amber in the glass and does have a bit of an orange glow.  The taste and aroma is citrus forward too. Juicy is a good way to describe it.  Limbo packs 80 IBU’s but it doesn’t feel THAT hopped up.  Everything is working together so nicely, the hop bite is soft not sharp.  Long Trail makes many outstanding beers, but this one might be their best.

So, as a pairing, Limbo and Knights may not sync so well, but hey ... it’s the journey not the destination.

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Impact Player

Sometimes you gotta go big or go home. That's especially true with pumpkin beers. If you go too subtle and pastoral, the whole thing can dissolve into a case of twee-brewing. Pumpkins make a big statement in the natural world.  They're big, orange, and obvious.  Beers that tap into this vibe should be likewise.  Enter Southern Tier's Imperial Pumking.

I'm pairing this one up with Mobile Suit Gundam Seed.  No points for subtlety in that anime either. The giant mech's have names like Freedom and Justice not Alex and Ani!  Big themes.  Big personal demons.  Big battles.

Southern Tier has had great success with Imperial Pumking, because they weren't afraid of big flavor, and high ABV.  Actual pumpkin is used in the mash along with traditional pumpkin pie spices.  It pours a deep straw-yellow in the glass, and immediately hits you with a blast of nutmeg before you even take a sip.  An aggressive pour will give you a foamy white head, but it doesn't last long.  I like it a bit on the frosty side, but the flavors most definitely become more pronounced as this strong ale warms up.

Let's talk a little bit about the high ABV (8.6%). That's a serious kick for a festive beer.  You want to have fun with this beer, but you must respect it.  A quaff or two goes a long way.  You need to sit back and enjoy the mellow after a glass.  And honestly, there's so much to enjoy, what's the rush!  Forget that shot of vanilla vodka for the pumpkin pie and ice cream effect, you have all you need right here.  I love how this beer just sort of pulls you into a harvest glow.  It's even better with the natural light of a crackling fire.

Another reason I like to pair this beer with Gundam Seed is that despite the cosmic setting of the anime it really is pretty down to earth. In the end, it's the human connections that truly move us.  Athrun's ties to a tiny mechanical bird and his friendship with Kira make a far bigger statement than the most powerful gundam.

So, Autumn is here.  Pumpkin beer is the beer of the moment.  Imperial Pumking is a terrific choice to make the most of it.

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Keeping It Real On The Farm

Full disclosure, I've already sampled a few Octoberfest brews and it's mid-August.  It's been cool and, man those malty pints tasted great, but the summer harvest is in full swing, and I'm not throwing in the towel on hot weather beers.  I can't think of a better case in point that the Farm House Ales series from Vermont's Long Trail Brewery.

The Farm House 12-pack is a craft beer geek's gold mine.  You get an American IPA, a Session IPA, a Black Rye IPA, and a White IPA ... 3 each, and each one a different, and winning drinking experience.

I'm pairing these beers with the terrific agriculture-based anime, Silver Spoon.  The intelligence and heart that makes this anime so special is also present in each of the beers. Silver Spoon is a fish out of water story about a high school kid from a well-off, high achieving family who decides to go to an agricultural high school to escape the pressure-vise applied by his overbearing father.  What he discovers is the farm life has challenges and complexities far beyond the bucolic image.  A lot like the craft beer business!

So, let's take the American IPA, and lift a glass to Hachiken, the protagonist of Silver Spoon.  It features Falconer's Flight hops, and is a refreshing, down to earth IPA. It has a hoppy bite, but a mellow malt undercurrent. It's depth, like Hachiken's, is subtle, but intense.

The White IPA is pure Aki ... she's the female lead character in Silver Spoon.  Much more than just a love interest for Hachiken, Aki likes to keep things light, but takes things seriously.  The beer does too. Real nice citrus burst, and a hint of coriander.  This beer has a terrific Belgian saison vibe.

The Black Rye IPA belongs to Komaba.  He's the athletic farm kid carrying the hopes of his family, and his school on his shoulders. The beer is dark in color, but light on its feet with the help of the rye.  Very easy drinking.  Unfiltered, but clear in its purpose, it's the most complex beer in the box.

For me, the surprise beer of the bunch is the Session IPA.  A bitter, and dry wake up call for your palate.  I really liked it, but I'm going to compare it to the the least likable character in Silver Spoon, Hachiken's dad.  He's a total dick, but he gives the story a strong foundation in the real world. The Session IPA, dials down the alcohol, and punches up the flavor profile.  You take a sip, and look at the glass, and say, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that!"  You'll feel the same way about Hachiken's dad!

So, lot's to talk about this time thanks to Long Trail and Silver Spoon. Good reasons to get back to the farm. 

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Heavy Metal Comic Relief

Massachusetts-based Clown Shoes is the frat boy of the craft brew crowd in these parts ... and you know what?  I'm good with that.  I may only want to hang out with them occasionally, but when I do, it's usually an entertaining experience.

Take their take on Scotch Ale, is a little number called Ride The Lion. It's a Wee Heavy that packs a roar that Katy Perry would appreciate. Hold on now anime fans I haven't forgotten my mission to merge the worlds of craft and Crunchyroll ... I'm pairing this beer with Full Metal Panic, with a nod to comic relief sideman Kurz Weber.

Ride The Lion is a big, boozy, malty, bourbon barrel smackdown.  It pours a sort of apricot amber in a pint glass, and you immediately get hit with a big whiff of BOURBON! And wait til you take a sip. It's like Knob Creek booked a flight to Edinburgh and decided to stay for a bit.  The ABV checks in at 11%, and honestly that feels a little low!  

This is purely a sit down an appreciate ... or criticize ... the brewer's art beer. You DON'T want to drink it quickly, and its malt statement is so heavy it doesn't pair well with a meal. I know a lot of Scotch Ale fans like a little essence of peat in their Wee Heavy, but you won't find much of that here. It's the classiest boilermaker you'll ever have!

Ride The Lion is for the knowledgeable craft beer fan who's got a good idea what's in store before the purchase.

As for my friend Kurz Weber from FMP, well, he's the loud but lovable sidekick to our hero Sousuke Sagara. Where Sousuke is most interested in saving the world, Kurz just wants to get laid. I think that pretty much describes the Clown Shoes philosophy too.  Refreshing and brash, but probably not your first choice for a partner. Glad to have them around though.

One big plus about Clown Shoes that anime fans can bond with is their amazing art style. Their labels are like the cover of a vintage issue of Heavy Metal magazine (for those of you who remember magazines) or the graphics on a 70's era stoner van. I love 'em!

Every now and then we all need to let our freak flag fly. 

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Craft Brewing's Laws of Equivalent Exchange

Back from a brief break. The Full Metal Ale-Chemist has other full time responsibilities. Anyway ....

We're talking about a recent addition to the Oskar Blues Brewery's line of terrific offerings ... a nitro can version of it's Old Cub Scotch Ale.  My anime pairing is the original Fullmetal Alchemist series with a special shout out to the other Elric brother, Al.  Like all of the Oskar Brews line, the final product comes in a can ... and since Al's spirit is welded to a suit of armor, the two have a lot in common.

  Also at work here, the laws of equivalent exchange (to create something, something of equal value must be lost).

In the case of nitro Old Chub, that something is carbonation.  The nitro injection when you pop open the can triggers a cascade of action that gives this beer a creamy, substantial head.  The complex, extra-malty character that makes scotch ale, scotch ale, comes in waves as you take your first sip. The mouth-feel is like velvet, there's hardly a trace of any carbonation. That flatness allows the malt flavors to occupy your complete attention, but the refreshing, ahhhhhhh, of the non-nitro version is missing. There's your equivalent exchange.

It's not that I prefer one version of the beer over another, it's just that they are two very different drinking experiences. If I'm looking for a complex, yet refreshing beer on a hot summer day, I'm going to go with the traditional Old Chub. If I'm enjoying a tasty summer meal on a lovely night with the A/C off and the windows open, bring me the nitro!

Choice.

Equivalent exchange.

Two major factors in a great beer, and a ground breaking anime series.

Cheers to both.

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Lemony Gansett and a Series of Kawaii Events

On the Vineyard this summer they're rockin' the retro Narragansett can that Robert Shaw famously crushed as the crusty shark fisherman in "Jaws."  The rest of us are getting a far more cuddly concoction: A shandy featuring Del's natural lemon flavoring ... talk about Kawaii!

Hey, I grew up in Massachusetts and Gansett is one of my first beer memories. It's what was considered starter beer. Which makes the whole shandy thing a bit silly, since Gansett lager was basically a shandy before the lemon squeeze.  Anyway, seeing that tall 16 oz can with the old school packaging is both reassuring and refreshing ... and so is the beer!

I'm not pairing this beer with any particular anime because, like the tchotchkes we collect from our favorite shows, this brew is a passing fancy, not a standard bearer.  Narragansett has a hard earned seat at the craft beer table, but it's not quite leading the conversation.

So let's talk about the Del's shandy.  It picks us some serious Rhode Island cred by pairing with another RI legend.  It's best straight from the can, ice cold.  It is feather light, but well balanced.  You know you're drinking beer, but it's the lemony aftertaste that stays with you.  It's 5.0 ABV, so a 16 oz can will let you know you've had one.  It's so refreshing, though, on a hot muggy day ... like today!

I'm really glad that Narragansett is back, it's part of our New England identity.  It also tastes great with our local seafood dishes.  In fact, anything that tastes good with a hit of lemon, will taste even better with this shandy.

So snuggle up to your Ein plushie and pop a can.  On second, thought, it might be a little hot for that! 

[mikestand5]

Enter The Craft Beer Otaku

Beer geeks and anime otaku I have found the elixir for our obsessions, and it is called Dragon's Milk!  Michigan's New Holland Brewery has conjured up a bourbon barrel stout that will leave you in a blissful state of wonder and appreciation.  It's a beer that throws open the gates for conversation and camaraderie with its silky drinkability and complex character.  

Sounds a bit clubby doesn't it?  That's why it pairs up perfectly with Genshiken.  If you love beer and anime you want to talk about it, argue about it, and yes, obsess about it.  Dragon's Milk with its potent 11% ABV encourages you to sit your buns down and start thinking creatively. Of course the Genshiken gang, without a doubt, would focus on the hidden meanings of Kujibiki Unbalance, you, however, can steer the conversation anywhere you like. Dragon's Milk is a social beverage that works best as a shared experience.

So what do we have in this earthy ale that could even get George R. R. Martin to pick up the pace?!  Well, it's a rich, malty, wonder that pours jet black in a pint glass with very little head.  Carbonation and hops are very muted in this beer.  In some ways it tastes a lot like home brew just before bottling.  Dragon's Milk, however, gets to spend some quality tome in bourbon barrels before it's delivered to you, and man, what an impact that makes! Right after you pop that cap you'll start looking around for Grandpa's highball!

I'll say it again, because it's key to the experience, this is social beer! Enjoy it with good friends and good food.  Take your time.  Appreciate the fact that this stuff wasn't slammed together in some corporate lab. New Holland isn't new to the craft brew world, and the care and experience shows.  Pat your craft beer store on the back if they carry it, and encourage them to seek it out if they don't.  Surprising friends with a four-pack at your next cookout is a good idea too.

In Genshiken, Sasahara is our spirit guide into the otaku world.  He looks with both confusion and understanding at the nerdy outcasts who favor the tributaries off the mainstream.  If this blog has convinced you at all to watch the anime, I leave you with this: Dragon's Milk is Madarame's kind of beer.  Here's hoping you take the opportunity to find out what that's all about! 

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Welcome To The Neighborhood

Sierra Nevada's North Carolina beach-head is now almost fully established in Ashville ... the move East bringing easier access to their hop-centric brews to the original colonies and beyond.  Necessary? Maybe. I guess if Sam Adams starts building in Chico, the circle of life will be complete.  I'm gonna welcome S-N to the neighborhood none the less, and feature their "Nooner" session IPA in my blog this week.

Since we're talking about neighborhood, my anime pairing is Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi.  What better way to kick around a new visitor than to celebrate and needle all the things that make a community ... a community. Craft Beer and Anime have no shortage of characters.

So. let's consider "Nooner."  Bit of a saucy name, I guess Afternoon Delight might have been pushing it. "Nooner" has a BFF in Mune-mune from Abenobashi. Both are bold and shapely, and grab your attention immediately. "Nooner" is a session IPA. Low in ABV, 4.8%, but generously hopped.  Ms Mune-mune is also generously hopped, but in a very different way! Spending a hot Summer afternoon with these two is both exhilarating and exhausting.

You certainly could drink "Nooner" straight out of the bottle, but you're cheating yourself out of a breath of refreshing citrus.  Take the extra step and pour it in a glass. It's got a deep golden-yellow color, not thin at all.  The fairly aggressive hop assault comes from a combination of Sterling, Centennial, and Chinook buds.  Whole buds too, just like S-N likes it. Very light on malt, and just a basic ale yeast at work, "Nooner" is all about refreshment, and satisfaction (yeah, pun intended).

In Abenobashi, best buds Sasshi and Arumi deal with change happening all round them, and they do by serving up some over the top anime tropes and cliches.  In their expansion to North Carolina, S-N also finds itself in a bit of a craft beer fantasia.  They want to be seen as plucky pioneers bringing their brews East, but perhaps you've noticed the craft beer thang is pretty well established here. Carpetbaggery? Honestly, I don't think so, but S-N clearly has dreams of claiming an ever bigger slice of the market.  Good luck trying to pull that off though. That whole bigger is better thing doesn't always work out.

But let's drop the jaded view, and just enjoy a glass of "Nooner" together. It comes packaged with a bunch of friends in the 4-Way IPA twelve-pack.  I've already go my eye on the "Blindfold" black IPA.  I know, I know SO fickle! Hey, none of these beers are called "Commitment."

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Quality Bebop

If you're going to push the envelope a little bit on the idea of a craft beer/anime continuum ... best to have a glass of Trillium Farmhouse Ale at your side, and the 1st session of Cowboy Bebop on the screen. Edges are smoothed, conundrums are answered, and the conversation can be as exciting and unexpected as a jazz solo.

Ale-chemist that I am, I like to begin with the beer.  Farmhouse Ale is so beautifully made, it's damn near spellbinding.  Though years in the making, Trillium just recently celebrated its first anniversary as a full-time, full-bore brewery.  To have a product this good, this soon, is both inspiring and infuriating!  When you home brew you quickly learn how elusive consistency can be.  Even can't miss recipes can, well ... miss! Trillium has built a Farmhouse that can stand the test of time ... and in record time.

Which brings me to Cowboy Bebop, but more specifically, protagonist Spike Spiegel.  His character is built a lot like Farmhouse Ale.  Young, but tested.  Impetuous, yet considered.  Sadder, but wiser.  Spike is the guitar solo that powers an out-of-this-world bounty hunter saga. Farmhouse Ale is Trillium's consistent back beat, holding things together while leaving room for flights of fancy.

JC and Esther Tetreault have set the bar high for Trillium.  With Boston as a home base you're not going to succeed with craft brew smoke and mirrors.  Pour a glass of Farmhouse Ale and everything you need to know is quickly revealed.  It all begins with a golden, yellow, unfiltered simplicity. Follow that up with a wonderful Belgian-style yeast that likes to dance with the hops, but firmly takes the lead.  Just 6.4% ABV, so a pint won't throw an anchor on a summer night.  People, this is the beer to bring when you want to push friends away from the corporate blah.

It's the same reason I recommend Cowboy Bebop first to anyone curious, but not sold on the idea of anime.  Spike is the hook that grabs you right from that start.  The next thing you know you're digging on Jet, and desperately trying to solve the riddle of Julia. We'll save the Faye Valentine issues for another time!  

Quality Bebop is something we all need more of.