Beer Review - New Holland's Golden Cap Spelt Saison

I enjoyed New Holland's Ichabod Pumpkin Ale last Fall, so when I saw this 'Saison Ale' I threw it in my bag over at the Foodery.

Here's there infoblurb

Golden Cap Saison is a modern interpretation of a traditional farmhouse ale. A soft, pale beer, Golden Cap embodies the flavors and aromas of summer fields. Brewed with an ancestor of wheat called spelt, its straw-colored body, lively carbonation and a unique fermentation profile evoke fresh cut hay and cracked peppercorn.

It poured with little head and hardly any lacing, probably a symptom of the spelt's effect on the body.

However, the light-body helped the beer to stay effervescent...I watched little bubbles streaming up as I drained the glass down.

I found it spicy, like wit, but with saison's "barnyard" aftertaste...similar to epoisse cheese...perhaps this was the peppery/hay combination mentioned above.

All in all, I can't tell if the oddly carbonated but thin body worked against the spices; normally a wit has a creamier character imparted by the head and lees to balance out the spice...the lack of that creaminess was apparent.

What I really want to know if what's the deal with the Flying Monkey from the Wizard of Oz on the label.

Road Trip - Stoudt's Antique Mall & Brewery

Halfway between Philly and Harrisburg you'll find a clever day trip destination for the antique obsessed and beer-seeker, the Stoudt's 'Compound'. There is plenty of good ink spilled about the history of Stoudt's in Pennsylvania brewing, but they've built a mini-empire around the brewery. There's also a bakery, a restaurant and a sprawling 400+ vendor antique mall in on Sundays.



Walking around the labrynth of cast-away decor and kitchsy clutter, you could find an interesting thing or two to stop and look at. One of the more interesting objects in the mall was an old post office cabinet, complete with combination-lock P.O. Boxes...made me think of what checking your mail was like in some rural post-office 80 years ago.



Elizabeth was on the hunt for Bakelite bangles (there was rumored to be one vendor amongst the hundreds with a decent collection), I was on the hunt for beer. They have a 'festhaus' of sorts that sits between the brewery & mall. After bagging a few good bangles, Elizabeth & I tucked into a pint at the bar.



I was a bit disappointed with the taps selection, as I wanted to try their seasonal barleywine but theywere only tapping the stuff you can get in the bottle.



I had the Fat Dog Stout...rich and heavy...not too bad, but one was enough.

Elizabeth's red-tinged Scarlet ESB was a more balanced beer...I can see why this is one of thier better-known beers.

After scoping out the 'festhaus', we navigated our way through the mall and back into the restaurant. The bar was a mob-scene; the bar-tender swore he'd never seen it so busy.

We waited about 30 minutes for a spot at the bar, then ordered up some beer-friendly food.



The schnitzel was delicious...thin but not tough, perfectly breaded and not greasy. Resting on a bed of spatzle that was perfectly tender but not at all mushy. The dish was lacking seasoning though...we vigourously shook the salt on this one.



The schnitzel and stout had already pushed me across the oh-so-bad-for-you food line, so we threw some onion rings on top of the order. Huge and chunky, full onion rings...no chopped-reformed rings here.

Beer Review - Voodoo Vator Dopplebock

The name is much cooler than the beer. I was lured in with a fantasy of a smoky bayou blackness...chicory or some other peculiar aromatic to perfume the usually heavier dopplebock. I should've read the brewer's {Atwater} hometown...Detroit.

Still, the flavors are decent and mask the 9.5% ABV punch of the Voodoo Vater.

I kept getting an aftertaste that reminded me of cola watered-down by melted ice...thin malted sweetness. The further you get into the pint the more detectable the grassier bitterness becomes, but it was a little too weak.

Being weaned on Aventinus Wheat Dopplebock on draft, it's hard to find another dopplebock that I really prefer. I saw somewhere that this will be coming on draft to Philly, so I'll give it a shot off the taps to see if the weak body was a bottle phenomena.

Beer Review - Goldstar Lager from Israel

I saw a mention of this beer over at BROG, a fellow Philly beer & food blogger, in his review of Zahav, the Israeli mezze restaurant in Old City. The waiter suggested it to him, explaining "It's like Yuengling, but it doesn't totally suck."

Imagine my delight when I saw this little beauty sitting on the shelf at the Foodery over on 10th & Pine. The guy at the counter mentioned it might be a new arrival when I asked for his opinion of it.

Elizabeth & I have upcoming reservations at Zahav next week, so I wanted to try this beer out ASAP to see if (1) the waiters know thier stuff and (2) I can enjoy a beer at dinner that doesn't 'totally suck' and is a good match for the spicier dishes they serve.

It pours a little foamy, but settles down quick...left plenty of lace going down. The golden honey color hinted at the slight sweetness of the first few sips. I don't know if I've been too long at the hop-heavy beers or if the lack of any strong hoppiness is what's letting this tinge of malty sweetness peek through.

Decent mouthfeel, no assertive flavoring, and a smooth finish all tell me that Goldstar definitely would be a decent choice to pair with something strong like the spicy Lamb Merguez at Zahav. Stay tuned for more details on this.