review the
March 2011
March Beer Reviews Saint Patrick’s Day Season Just when the days start getting longer and the temps reach a balmy 40 degrees, the icy cold winds snap back to remind us it’s not over yet! We have a wee bit more to go. But on the flip side, March is upon us, which brings one of the best reasons to get out and taste some seasonal brews and listen to traditional Celtic music. Many Irish pubs and non-Irish pubs have great food, music and seasonal brews to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. I have even heard it called Saint Patrick’s Day Season in an advertisement. Wow —it’s now a season, like winter or spring. Don’t you just love marketing! A good time will be had by all at your favorite local venue. Check out places like Billy’s Tavern, Annie O’Rourkes, Burns Irish Pub, Amalfi on the Water and the Waterworks Pub, just to name a few. I wonder if Saint Patrick knew his doings would become a national celebrated day. Little is known about the Saint, other than
By Richard Ruggiero
A graduate of Siebel Institute for Brewing Studies in Chicago, Ruggiero worked as a consultant across the east coast setting up micro-brewery on Long Island, N.Y. called James Bay Brewing Company. In 1995 he relocated to Rockland, Maine to build Rocky Bay Brewery which closed in 2007. He is now the brewmaster at the new Shag Rock Brewing Company in Rockland, located at Amalfi’s Restaurant on the water.
he was born in fourth-century Roman Britain to a wealthy family. At the young age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. Apparently he was called by God in a dream to flee from captivity and return to England and become a priest, where he was later called back to Ireland as a Bishop. And the rest is history! He must have really loved beer! I thought of just reviewing the traditional St. Patrick’s Day beers, such as Guinness and Harp and such. But then I thought there are so many other Irish-style beers out there that aren’t in the limelight due to limited marketing or availability. These other less well known beers have just as a distinctive flavor and style as the mass-market beers. So I decided to go a little outside the box. The first beer in review this season is Murphy’s Irish Stout. This stout is actually brewed in Country Cork Ireland to the original recipe by Murphy’s Brewery since 1856. Unlike its counterpart, in comparison Murphy’s is a lighter and semisweet style stout. Its unique flavor comes from using special caramel malts in the mash. This specialty malts are said to give Murphy’s a resemblance to chocolate milk. When poured into the glass, the first difference I noticed from other stouts is the light carbonation this beer has compared to other brewed styles, which I love. This light carbonation makes the beer less filling and the malt flavors come through very clean, not masked
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by over-forced carbonation. This stout is delivered into the glass black as cappuccino, with a remarkably thick creamy head that is almost spoonable. The aroma of coffee, roasted malt and a hint of licorice come into play, and as with the aroma, when consumed these flavors of roasted malt, coffee and a hint of licorice all play their part very well; none of the flavors ever overpower the others. This stout is very smooth, very creamy and very easily drinkable! What I really love about this beer is that it’s full bodied without being too heavy; I could drink many pints of this beer without being shipwrecked. Do yourself a favor: purchase the Murphy’s that comes in the nitro widget can — the nitrogen provides a creamy cascading experience that is very entertaining to watch and taste. Overall a very delicious beer and well worth the search. The second beer in review is kind of outside the box a bit, not being Irish in descent, but still in the Celtic realm, and has become a popular style during Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States as well as Ireland and the UK. It’s the Scottish Ale Style. I recently had the pleasure of sampling a Scottish ale brewed by Atlantic Brewing Co. in Town Hill, Southwest Harbor, Maine. Right under our feet! Macfoochie’s Scottish Ale, bravely named after the owner,
and served in 22-ounce bottles. Atlantic Brewing Co. started brewing unique beers in the heyday of the microbrewery renaissance, and has grown in demand quite successfully over the years. This beer pours strong into the glass with a rich dark mahogany brown, with highlights of ruby red. The aroma of black currants is followed by the nose of peat smoked roasted malts, with some dark earthy fruity aromas. This ale is full bodied with a smoky sweet taste of roasted caramel malts, and a great warming of alcohol, with a slight bitter finish of heather. The mouth feel is quite smooth and right where it needs to be for this style. Who says you have to go to Europe to get a good Europeanstyle beer! This beer is very unique, smooth and quite different from mainstream beers. A must try in your search for unique brews, and readily available at most good retail outlets. If you notice the label, the sheep look a little nervous by the Scottish shepherd standing in the center of the herd! (La’ Fhe’ile Pa’drag) Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, enjoy!
Try our New Domino’s Inspired Chicken Happy 9th Birthday to Skylar Prior!!
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