Scaldis Prestige is a premium example of extraordinary Old World beer making

By Tim Rutherford

The packaging may look like a fine bottle of sparkling wine, but Scaldis Prestige is…beer.

Let there be no mistake, this is beer for wine drinkers. For the back story, allow me to quote from importer Vanberg & DeWulf’s website:

“In 2007 Hugues Dubuisson, who loves wine as well as beer, visited the legendary Burgundy Château, Hospice de Nuits Saint George. He managed to acquire an excellent barrique (cask) of the famous wine. When he arrived home, he bottled the wine and filled the empty cask with Scaldis Noël. After ten months of maturation, the results were remarkable. The red wine staining of the barrel married perfectly with the malt sweetness and peach notes of the beer giving flavors of cherry, oak, tobacco, Pinot Noir and bitter chocolate. Taking almost a year to make, Prestige de Nuits is fermented three times (in tank, bottle, and burgundy cask).”

Hugues Dubuisson is the eighth generation family-overseer of the traditional Belgian brewery Dubuisson (1769). The tradition and experience show in the beers and in the imaginations of a family that is clearly dedicated to looking forward while maintaining tradition.

Among the flavor characteristics noted above, I found this beer to be exceptionally well made, with attention to balance, smoothness and preservation of flavor nuances. There is sweet maltiness to be sure, a hint of fine wine and on the mid-palate I detected hints of honey and sweet, ripe pear.

13 percent ABV. SRP $40, 750 ml, cork and cage closure. A beer that can be cellared to develop further.

94 points: “If your taste for beer runs to extremely well made, Old World style beers, then a taste of Scaldis Prestige will immediately satisfy your hunger for a beer that eschews extreme beermaking and embraces classic attention to detail. Its aroma, flavor and character make this a celebratory beer to enjoy with friends over grilled meats or a big, baked Brie.”

  

Oskar Blues cans another classic

By Chuck Mobley

The sight of Deviant Dale’s, a new addition to the Oskar Blues section at Habersham Beverage, immediately piqued my interest during a recent shopping trip, and I confidently dropped the four-pack into my grocery cart.

Oskar Blues Brewery has a huge and hard-won reputation. Starting some 10 years ago with Dale’s Pale Ale, it has since produced several other highly-sought-after products, including Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Old Chub Scottish Style Ale and Ten Fidy Imperial Stout. The fact that these beers are canned is pretty much now irrelevant.

Deviant Dale’s has made an immediate and impressive addition to that record. Released just last year, it has already won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the American India Pale Ale category.

Once you pop open the can – a 16-ounce tallboy – it’s easy to see why. Rated at 85 IBUs, Deviant Dale’s is intensely, almost comically, hoppy. It boldly delivers the notes that hop heads are looking for – pine, grapefruit and an earthy grassiness. There’s a faint, and I mean faint, malt presence, but this is basically a delightfully bitter experience from start to finish.

At 8 percent ABV (alcohol by volume), Deviant Dale’s is not a session beer. Sip it, enjoy it, and maybe raise your glass, in tribute, in the direction of Lyons, Colo., where Oskar Blues is located.   

Buy this if: You’re looking for a hop bomb, and don’t mind paying $4 a can for the experience.

Leave it on the shelf if: You think Fat Tire or Sam Adams’ Boston Lager are hoppy beers.

Stats and Sites: $15.79 for a four-pack at Habersham Beverage; its grade is an 89 at beeradvocate.com (based on 250 reviews) and a 99 at ratebeer.com; go to oskarblues.com for more information.

Hartford Family wine dinner at 700 Drayton

Monday, May 7, 6:30 p.m., $85pp++. Reservations, 721.5002.
 

  Join winery vice-president Tom Rozner on this 5-course tour of Hartford Family Winery selections -- that includes several especially delicious Russian River wines.  

  Take a look at the full menu and wine choices here.  

  Hartford Family Winery was founded in 1993 as a result of Don and Jennifer Hartford's appreciation for the wines, the people, and the unique vineyards near their Russian River Valley home. Small and low-yielding vineyards deliver meager amounts of expressive and personality-rich wine. The single-vineyard Hartford Court Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays total as few as 93 cases up to about 800 cases. Likewise, the Hartford Old-Vine Zinfandels are produced in small quantities.

Join me, chefs and cookbook authors in classes at Kitchenware Outfitters

  The second quarter class list is out for Kitchenware Outfitters. Click here to see the lineup. Here are descriptions for the two classes I have remaining -- one with Chef Cynthia Creighton Jones.

  May 15, Cuisine of the Sun, $50: Chef Cynthia Creighton Jones (Cape Creations Catering) and Food and I know that there's nothing quite like the Provençal countryside in the spring, when the lavender is in full bloom and the wine is fresh and young. For this class we go exploring what has aptly been called "the Cuisine of the Sun." Chef Cynthia will start the evening with Tapenade (Caper & Black Olive Spread), Mesclun Aux Chapons (Mixed Salad with Garlic Croutons), followed by Merou a La Provençale (Baked Grouper). Finish the evening with classic Sabayon with Fresh Seasonal Berries. I will mate and pour lush wines of the region.

  Tired of ho-hum lean ground beef and burned burgers? This next class is part ramping up the backyard burger and part grilling seminar with the Big Green Egg and Weber charcoal grills.

  June 7, Beyond Beef on a Bun, $45: Just in time for your summer grilling, I fire up KWO's Big Green Egg and Weber grill to take the burger beyond plain old beef on a bun. I'll offer Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers, Andouille and Beef Burger with Spicy Mayo and Caramelized Onions, and Turkey Burgers with Tomato Chutney, Olives and Feta. I will also grill up a variety of other burger toppings and accompaniments. And because nothing is more perfect with a burger than a good beer, I'll give you a taste of some of my favorite beers that are perfect for summer refreshment.

  Call the store for more info, 356.1117.

Bomb Lager provides a surprising amount of bang for the buck

By Chuck Mobley

  Bomb Lager comes in unique, stylistic cans, but its biggest selling point is its price - $6.49 for a six-pack.

  For that, you get a light-colored, light-bodied Bavarian Helles, which is German, sorta, for lawn-mower beer. Bomb Lager quenches your thirst and allows you to keep the lines in the lawn straight.

  Its flashiest element is the can. According to Bomb Lager’s website, it was designed by “Billy The Artist,” who certainly looks as though he’s tried a beer or two. The beer itself, though, is solid, rather than flashy. 

  First brewed in the late 19-th century, Bavarian Helles beers are traditionally pale and delicate. Bomb Lager certainly fits that description. It’s got a pleasant hint of citrus and a smooth easy finish. Think of it as a Bavarian session beer.

  Its ABV (alcohol by volume) is apparently a tightly-held secret. It was not listed at Bomb Lager’s website, nor at beeradvocate.com. Ed Annette of Habersham Beverage, who knows a good bit about beer, guessed that it was probably 4.7 or 4.8 percent.

Buy this if: Your primary consideration for beer purchase is the price, or, you mow the lawn often.

Leave it on the shelf if: You’re looking for a bold, intense beer.

Stats and Sites: $6.49 for a six-pack at Habersham Beverage; grade a 79 by beer advocate.com (based on 11 reviews); go to bomblager.com for more information.