Barley's Point of Origin

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Ugh. What a liver-killing weekend. After drinking for 15 solid hours yesterday (mostly Burger, some cheap piss lager and 5 different beers from Staas brewing - their DIPA upcoming for a review), my liver was about to pack up and leave. So, what to do today? How about North Market's Micro Brew Festival? Sounds good.

Like last year, we helped out our friends at Barley's and poured for them. So, as I was barely able to look or stand straight, it was time to prime my liver and get to it. Barley's had their Hoptoberfest, Infinity Grand Cru, Bloodthirst Wheat, Scottish ale, and the show stopper, the Bourbon Meyer (a Bourbon BA Russian Imperial Stout with peanut butter and chocolate). A couple samples of their brews to refresh my memory of the fantastic flavors that are in each and parts of a soft pretzel, and BAM, good to go. 14 or more different brews were consumed while pouring and chatting up different brewmasters, dancing with my pouring partners for the fuck's sake of it (we had volunteers at 2 other tables dancing with us at one point).

After the festival ended, we headed over to their brew pub for some grub, a pint and a growler. Gabe (brewer/wholesale/dept of awesome) recommended we try this, a Belgian Golden ale that's been aged in the brewery for one year. He said it keeps getting better and better. Well, with Gabe's description, we now are sitting at home with a growler of this nectar.

This is a gorgeous golden color that's perfectly clear with a small amount of white head. Looking at this more, it has some small bubbles coming up as a reminder that, despite this being aged for a year, this has some carbonation. The aroma on this is sweet, Belgian candi sugar, with some esters of the yeast permeating in perfect harmony with the sweetness. It's not the banana/clove/bubble gum esters most Belgian yeast strains have, no, this is more of the esters that are given off from Trappist ales. The flavor on this though.... holy gold Batman. There's a rush of sweetness with some dark stone fruit with some banana that fades as this slithers down your throat. This is interesting. There's so much going on with this to where each sip is giving off different flavors, it's hard to full describe aside from awesome. This finishes dry, like a good wine. With the amount of sweetness, I figured there would be some stickiness to the mouthfeel, but not really. Gabe was right. It improves with age and has a certain fruitiness about it. The 7.6% ABV makes it smooth drinking without being overly boozy.

Once again, Barley's is amazing.  If you haven't been there, make it a point to visit them next time you're in Columbus. Whether it be for one of our many sports teams (The Buckeyes, The Crew, and The Blue Jackets all rule, btw), business or any other reason, seriously, get your ass to Barley's for the beer and the amazing food (we cannot speak enough of the Sauerkraut Balls)

As I take another sip, again, the profile has changed. It's good.

4.8/5 caps


-Nathan-


As we were walking up to the festival, we were passed several people who were doing their daily/weekly/whatever runs, walks, or bike rides in Goodale Park. I noted that, while they were possibly ridding themselves of the damages incurred from drinking all day yesterday or otherwise just being healthy, we were choosing to heal ourselves from the debauchery that was yesterday by attending a beer festival. Because sometimes, that's just how you gotta roll. I'll also note that while I rarely have a hangover any more, I woke up to a hell of a headache this morning. Two Excedrin and two cups of coffee later, I was ready to pour some beer and rub elbows with some of the best brewers in the state. (Also, said pretzel and several samples had me right back on track.)

Mind you, last year after the same festival, we enjoyed a pint of this in Barley's Ale House. A year later, we revisit this golden beauty. Nathan nailed the appearance perfectly. Honestly, it tastes like liquid gold as it slides down your throat. What comes to mind when I take a sniff is golden raisins, even though it neither tastes nor smells like raisins (thank goodness; raisins are one of the few foods I really despise). Can someone please explain that to me???? Seriously. It tastes nothing and smells nothing like raisins, and yet, that is precisely what comes to mind when I smell or even think of this beer. Aroma-wise, it smells just like Russian black bread. Like the stuff you can only get in Russia, because the ingredients here are just different enough to make it a completely different beast in the States. Or probably any other country. There's a honey/molasses note that is prevalent in the nose. Perhaps it's Belgian golden candi sugar. If so, I want to put that on my cereal. Oh wait, I don't really eat much cereal. Ummmmm, there is currently a mini-mosh pit breaking out behind me. I've completely lost my train of thought. It has completely derailed. Where was I? About to take a sip? Oh. Yeah. That's it.
Let's do that.
Let's make that a thing.
So, taking a sip, once again, it's like liquid gold sliding down your throat. Yes, there is some oh-so-faint banana, some vague esters, but this is the smoothest bit of liquid gold I've had in a long time. There are notes of honey and orange that appear on occasion. It's smoother than a velvet Elvis. Every now and again, you might, just maybe get a hint of something peppery on the back of the palate. But it is enveloped and cased within this liquid gold. I'm pretty sure Gabe, Angelo, Kyle, and Adam have somehow managed to liquefy gold and put it into a keg. And keep it in a liquid state for a year.

Please let it also be noted that Barley's, for me, at least, is a must-see on any tour from out-of-towners. A very relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere with beers and food that deserve a fuckton of pretense? My kinda place. [Note: the aforementioned fuckton is in metric, not standard units.]

4.9/5 Only because I'm more of a silver girl than I am gold (although apparently I do like gold going down the gullet. Yes, that is what she said)

-Jennie

Food Pairing: Barley's mussels. Even Nathan, who despises seafood, was contemplating ordering some tonight.
Music Pairing: "Apache" Sugarhill Gang
Cheese Pairing: A small-batch local habanero jack

Fiery Foods Fest 2014

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We returned to the North Market Fiery Foods Festival this past weekend. This marked our second time there (see previous Fiery Foods Festival post for reviews on beers from Elevator and mead from Brothers Drake). The Wargos and our family decided to tag team the event again. We picked up 3 hot sauces, a hot pepper jam, and talked with Ed Currie, the mad scientist who created the current world's hottest pepper (Carolina Reaper).

After having some gut wrenching, painfully hot pepper and cheese pizza, we decided to mellow out with some good beers.

Seventh Son
Humulus Nimbus Pale Ale

Unfortunately, we did not get a picture of this. The mind was not working with a gut full of pain. We picked this up at the festival (they were the only brewery who was in attendance, for some reason). They had two selections, a brown ale and a pale ale. I figured, having a stomach full of intense pain, a pale ale would be easier to drink and more soothing. Mind you, sometime soon, we'll have to redo this review, as at this moment, my senses were askew, due to the heavy onslaught of habanero, ghost, scorpion, and other hot peppers. [Side note: Nathan entered the hot pizza challenge, which entailed eating an entire pizza that was made of crust, cheese, and really hot peppers, such as bhut jolokia, Trinidad scorpion, and possibly Carolina Reaper. He made it through 4 pieces before he tapped out. To be fair, Jennie had two bites of this vile concoction and was sidelined for two days.] This poured a nice golden, amber color with decent amount of white head. A faint aroma (again, possibly because of the flogging my senses recently lived through) of hops and caramel. This was smooth drinking (and helped sooth the beast that was wreaking havoc on my previously iron stomach). Hop heavy, being grapefruit and tropical flavors with a nice caramel backing that blended perfectly, not too hoppy, not too malty.  Medium body, with a light lingering of hops on the backend. A slightly sticky finish that didn't linger. We're definitely interested in trying more of their brews (especially as they're local. And trust us, try the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, their American Strong Ale. That deserves some love from Hopsus).

Suggested Pairings:
Music: White Stripes, "Ball and a Biscuit"
Cheese: Monterey Jack. Just not pepper. Please, dear cheese gods, no peppers required after that hellacious pizza experience. Crackers, minimal cheese, and copious peppers do not equal pizza. Please find Mikey's Late Night Slice for their ghost pizza challenge next year.
Food: Shrimp California Roll. Eat the pickled ginger. Trust us on this, especially if it's at the Fiery Foods Fest.

4.2/5 caps

After we finished our Annual Assault of Capsicum, we decided to head over to Barley's Ale House (across the parking lot from North Market) for a beer. Well, as is tradition between the Wargos and our family, one pint turns into more.

Barley's Ale House
Bourbon Meyer Buckeye Stout

(Barley's Bourbon Meyer- Photo by Nathan Shadley)

 Angelo is a God among men for concocting this beer (well, this and Beastie Boysenberry.... but that's another post that has not been written). As we walked in, he happened to notice us as he was filling a pint and we were waiting to be seated. He asked if we had tried this yet; well, needless to say it ended up being our first beer there.

So, Jennie had a conversation on Facebook awhile back (that she doesn't fully recall) whence it forthcame. It seemed to be early fall, and several people had chimed in about peanut butter porters and stouts. Two homebrewers and a professional brewer professed to brew their own idea of what this should entail on their next brew venture. One ended up being Jennie's Birthday Brew, a peanut butter porter. The other that we've seen come out of this ended up as Bourbon Meyer Stout.

This poured a deep, rich, opaque brown with a small amount of creamed coffee head. The aroma was fantastic! Peanut butter-heavy with some oak, vanilla and bourbon notes lending a welcoming addition. Mike and Trish wanted to drown in the aroma (our words, not theirs, but theirs were quite similar... Mike actually did take forever to smell his portion and waited to actually drink it for a long time, which, if you know Mike, is rather unlike him. Trish waited even longer. Peanut, at our side, just complained about how Jennie had overly hopped the porter for her Birthday Brew, even though he only has tasted -- and will taste -- the wort). The flavor is almost like the aroma. Peanut butter-heavy, with gentle flavors of cocoa, wood and bourbon. This isn't overly boozy, which we find rare with barrel-aged brews. This drinks smooth with very light carbonation. A nice dry, woody finish tops this off to make something all other barrel aged stouts should be judged against.

Suggested Pairings:
Music: The McCoys, "Hang on Sloopy"
Cheese: An entire cheese plate, replete with grapes and strawberries to recollect your favorite PB&J
Food: Sauerkraut balls from Barley's Ale House #1

5/5 Caps

We decided to stick around for another one, and the Wargos ordered the Christmas ale.

Barley's Ale House
Christmas Ale

(Barley's Christmas Ale- Photo by Nathan Shadley)

It's February. It's cold. We've hit a record number of snow in Central Ohio (as of the 15th, it's the 4th snowiest Winter on record with 45.8 inches so far, 5 inches behind the #3 spot, which was 1909-1910). With that being said, it's still a good time for a Winter Warmer style. Me (Nathan) personally, I'm not a huge fan of the WW style; it's too overdone nowadays. But regardless, when a beer is placed in front of me, I will not complain.

This poured a deep garnet color with a small amount of white head. The aroma on this is deep and complex. Malt-heavy with the typical WW spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, being the most common) lending a nice addition, but not overwhelming. The flavor is similar to the aroma, being malt-driven with hints of the spices. The spices don't try and overwhelm this (a problem I have with most Winter Warmers), which was pleasant. This is one of the best Christmas Ale/Winter Warmer styles I've had.

Suggested Pairings:
Music: Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite"
Cheese: Butterkasse
Food: Ham with pineapple. Or a turducken. Because why the fuck not?!

4.6/5 Caps

As we were leaving, we decided to pick up a growler for later on in the evening. I tried the Aphrodite, but thought it would be too much clove for Jennie's liking (I love clove; Jennie's not a big fan). I decided to go with a classic.

Barley's Ale House
Centennial IPA

(Barley's Centennial IPA in Growler- Photo by Jennie Koeper)

We took this growler of Centennial IPA back to the Wargos where we had dinner (pretzel burgers and a salad). The stomachs were still reeling from the atrocious pizza from earlier, so we decided to tame the lion, so-to-speak, with some more good beer. Good people drink good beer, eh, Hunter?

This poured a gorgeous copper color with decent amount of white head. The plastic, summertime themed cups we poured this in made me forget that it was bitterly cold outside. Damn deception. An
IPA in a summertime cup is a warm feeling.... Damn this winter. Hopsus, we supplicate you to please --PLEASE!!!!!!! -- save us and bring us into Spring, with new life forming and the bitter cold fading away. Regardless, I seem to be getting sidetracked. The aroma on this was nice earthy and citrus tones with a very dank note. The flavor is fantastic. Caramel and biscuit malts lend themselves perfectly to the herbal, earthy and citrus notes from the hops. We're familiar with the Centennial hop strain, but the hop characteristics being so complex must be from the blend of Williamette and Fuggle being in there as well. This is fantastic. This is smooth drinking with decent carbonation (even after 5 hours in the growler). This has a nice balance to it that leaves the tongue longing for more. There is a slight resiny feel to the finish. According to Barley's website, this is 7.6% ABV with 71 IBU.

Suggested Pairings:
Music: The Damned Things, "We've Got A Situation Here"
Cheese: Wisconsin sharp Cheddar, as long as they're not beating the Buckeyes in [insert sport here]
Food: The beer cheese dip with pitas, available at Barley's Ale House #1

4.8/5 Caps