Hemlock Stout: The First Beer

The Belgian Mare Brewery's first born!

Greetings Dear Reader!  This is the second in our series of posts about the individual beers created here at the Belgian Mare Brewery.

Today we are focusing on the yet another of the uniquely flavored ales and lagers has found its niche in the beer market; all the while giving beer raters and the style police fits! It is the very first beer brewed at the Belgian Mare Brewery: Hemlock Stout! 

Hemlock Stout gets it name from the ubiquitous New Hampshire hemlock tree.  Traditionally, tips cut from the branches of the hemlock tree have been boiled to make a tea that was believed to have healthful or even healing benefits.  Also, inhaling the vapors of boiling hemlock tea was believed to relieve the symptoms of respiratory distress.  The stout part comes from it being based on an old cream stout recipe that I had always enjoyed. Combining the two: Hemlock Stout!

Like our other beers, this beer is created in a very traditional manner employing bottle conditioning and extended cellaring. By design, this beer is very lightly carbonated (think "real ale"), so don't over chill it, or it may seem flat. Serve at about 55F for the best results. The interplay between the hemlock and the dark roasted barley creates a strong flavor and the long cellaring keeps it smooth.

The Hemlock Stout is also a good beer for ageing in the cellar.  While all bottle conditioned beers undergo some level of taste evolution, this beer is a real treat for those that patient.  Over the course of a year, the interplay of the hemlock and dark roasted barley will slip and turn with often dramatic results.  Several customers (individuals and restaurants) have purchased multiple cases so as to take advantage of this characteristic.In some cases, they are storing cases at different temperatures, room (70F) vs cellar (55F), and comparing the resulting flavors on a monthly basis.  Getting reports back from these customers has been one of the joys of running this brewery.

Approach with an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Cheers!

Pale Ale: Belgian Mare Brewery Style

A best seller!

Greetings Dear Readers! We have now been open for three months and I want to thank all of you for making this project a success! It appears that our uniquely flavored ales and lagers have found their niche in the beer market; all the while giving beer raters and the style police fits!

 In honor of that success, I have decided to create a special profile for each of our beers.  I decided to start with our most popular: Pale Ale.

Pale Ale has quickly become the Belgian Mare Brewery's most popular beer.  However, many people come to it with incorrect expectations.  They expect the overblown hop character and bitterness-for-bitterness-sake of the modern American style pale ale that leaves kinks in your tongue.  But that is not the case with our pale ale!

The Belgian Mare Brewery's Pale Ale harks back to the British pale ales of the 19th century.  It is a smooth, bottle-conditioned ale. The aroma is malt with a bit a fruitiness and a hint of hops.  But it is the flavor that sets it apart from the crowd. It is like nothing else on the market.  While malt and hops are there, the overall character is that of a smooth and pleasing spiciness with just a hint of bitterness on the back of the tongue.  It is this spicy character that really makes our Pale Ale unique. It is an easy drinking beer that goes well with nearly any type of meal.

I am proud to say that many customers have told me that felt that our Pale Ale is the best pale ale they have ever tasted.  One of these is a genuine "I rode to school on a double-decker bus" Englishman who said our Pale Ale reminded him of "Merry Olde" England.  Another, is a sales representative from a distributor who has been surreptitiously purchasing the Pale Ale from one of our retail outlets!

The Belgian Mare Brewery Pale Ale has been a big part of our success so stop on by any of our retailers and give one a try.  Or stop by the brewery for a free sample!

Cheers!

The Belgian Mare Brewery is currently open to the public 11am-4pm Sundays.

Fall Hours

Wow, been a crazy three months!  Thanks to everyone who is helping to make this brewery venture a success!

With the summer crowds thinning and the days getting shorter, we will be going to our fall hours:  Sundays 11am-4pm.  We will stick with these until it gets too cold to open!

Cheers!