So, the fine fellows of Beer and Comics got together for the first time in a long, long time.  We have decided to provide you with a review of several beers, none of which we have pictures for.  The first of which will be the New Holland B.A.M.B.

At first, you may note that if you pronounce these letters together, it sounds like Bambi.  Strangely, this beer tastes absolutely nothing like deer.  Not even baby deer.  What it does taste like, however, is delicious.

There is a story behind how this beer came to be.  Something about how this was the beer that won in the employee homebrew contest.  Ian knows better than I do.

So, what does this limited beer have to offer you, the consumer, if you can somehow get your grubby little paws on it?  In one word: deliciousness.

This is a light, pale, belgian style beer.  It is actually considered a Pomegranate and Clove Tripel.  For the purposes of this review, we will disregard that this is supposed to be a tripel, because it is not… at all.

It pours a standard pale ale color, a light orange/tan color.  It pours with a decent head, even out of a growler.  Thick enough that it’ll stick to your moustaches, but it fades with some predictability.

The nose, is all clove and esters.  In fact, I would say the nose is the most standardly tripel in style (and that’s not exactly a truth).  If you love clove flavor, you can’t go wrong in the nose.

The taste, on the other hand, is dominated by the cloves.  Ian may claim there’s a hint of sourness imparted by the pomegranate, but it’s not something I’m noticing.  What I am noticing, is that this is fucking DELICIOUS.  The mouthfeel is considerably smaller than my brain is leading me to believe the alcohol content is.

I cannot in good conscience give this beer any less than a 7.5/10, but I am reluctant to lump it in with the greats.

7.5/10

Ian’s two cents:

So as I noted in my post about my trip to New Holland, this beer was indeed the winner of the employee homebrew contest at New Holland. Brian is pretty much dead-on in his description of the nose and flavor. I did notice a bit of tripel-ness in the nose (that sort of banana, rotten fruit smell), but Brian is more or less right in saying that its not the truest trippel in the world.

What I really liked was how the pomegranate came through. Just a little bit of sour, but not very fruity. The only sweetness it had could have been from the pomegranate, or it could have been plain ol’ Belgian candy sugar. Hard to tell.

It was nice and summery, though. I will concur with Brian’s rating of 7.5/10.

And despite what Brian said above, we do have a couple pictures now, although they are both blurry and shitty.

I’ve been to their pub before, and its usually busy. I always end up sitting at the bar. If I’m by myself, it makes more sense than waiting for a table, and its nice chatting with the bartenders. They have great food, good beer, and I always enjoy myself. This trip was no exception.

I started my visit out with a Smokin’ Hatter. Part of their series of Mad Hatter IPAs, Smokin’ Hatter is more or less what it sounds like: a smoky IPA. Is it good? Oh yes.

If you’re familiar with the original Mad Hatter, there’s not going to be a lot new going on in color. Or head for that matter. The pint had a bit of lacing around the glass, but not a ton of head.

The aroma sings of sweet malt and plenty of smoke. We’re talking smoke levels beyond what you see in porters and stouts. Kind of like a bonfire – its a distinctly wood smoke aroma, and flavor for that matter.

If you like IPA, and you like smoke, you can’t go wrong. 8/10

I ate dinner there, and ordered the Muffaletta. I’d never had this sandwich before. Muffaletta originates in New Orleans, and is made with several kinds of meats, cheese, and an olive spread. Its all pressed overnight to mingle the flavors, and served cold. Its fantastic, and I recommend it if you’re at New Holland.

After dinner I ordered another beer. My bartender, Erik, recommended it when I asked him about it, and how can you turn down your bartender’s advice?

This one was called B.A.M.B. and was the winner of the employee home brewing contest at the pub. Was it any good? Let’s just say I walked out with a growler of it. Brian and I will be drinking that tomorrow, and giving you a review then.

Key words for it though: pomegranate and clove…

Onward.  To Imperial Hatter.  Pretty respectable color.  A nice copper.  A lasting head.  Grassy, slightly citrusy scent to it.  Nothing overpowering, but it lingers, and is really quite nice.  To be honest, this might be one of the best examples I’ve got in recent memory as to what an IPA should smell like.  Now, how does it taste…  Well, it tastes like hops.  There is very little sweetness present, but there is the standard residual flavor.  Theres a good deal of hop flavor and bitterness to this without being absolutely mind blowing.  If this were considered a standard IPA, I’d give it a 10.  Seriously.  However, once you add that whole Imperial thing to it, you’ve put yourself into a new category…  And when you’ve got devil dancer, early hopslam, hop stoopid, and double trouble to live up to…  this beer is good.  In fact, its great. I’ll give it a happy 8.0.  Buy it.  Drink it.  Love it.

In honor of that, I would like to point out that you can see all of our Michigan Beer reviews here.

As part of Michigan Beer Month, I will also be reviewing a whole slew of Michigan beers. Some are new, some are old favorites, but all are made right here in our home state.

There are too many great breweries in this state, it almost isn’t fair. But if you’re just getting started, check out the following:
Bells Brewing.
Founder’s.
Arcadia Brewing Company.
Dark Horse.
Dragonmead.
Hopcat.
Kuhnhenn.
The Livery.
New Holland.
Shorts.
And that’s just naming a few favorites. There is all kind of great beer to be had in Michigan, so lets enjoy them. Cheers!

This is going to be a very good thing.

Not everyone likes saisons, but they’ve been growing on me lately.

Now, while I liked Golden Cap in the past, this year’s release has been head and shoulders above it. Its noticeably sweeter, which will help with its mass appeal, which summer beers really seem to need (at least in Michigan, what with going up against Oberon and all).

Some people will point out that its potentially sweeter than is normal for the style. This may be true, but I don’t think of it as a bad thing. And while its normal for summer beers to be made with wheat, Golden Cap is made with spelt. I give this credit to the unique malt flavor in this beer.

Okay, so I suppose I should actually describe it.

There is a noticeably sweet and spicy aroma from the get-go. There’s more body to it than I expected the first time I had it; a nice, almost honey sweetness and texture to it.

And the flavor is definitely refreshing, both in the cooling way, but also in that its a totally new and unique experience compared to other beers you’ve had.

New Holland calls this a “farmhouse ale”, and I suppose that is true, in that its a saison. That said, this is far and away the most interesting farmhouse I’ve ever had, and surely my favorite.

The best summer beer in Michigan, if you ask me.

9/10

8.5/10

Anyway, I have a short list of beers I still need and want to try once my Lenten sacrifices are finished:

1. Mendocino Imperial IPA
2. Lienenkugel Big Eddy imperial stout
3. Erie Brewing Co Fallenbock
4. Boulder Brewing Co Obovoid imperial stout
5. Unibroue 17

Anything else people insist i must try, i will.  Unless, once again, it is Jolly Pumpkin’s bam bier (worst beer EVER) or Stone’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard (oak aged gym sock).  Also, please feel free to buy me any of the beers you insist I must try.  I’ll even let you take me to Crunchy’s and buy my a glass if you want.  Better yet, I’d let you take me to my former employer, Oade’s Big Ten, and buy me a mix six pack.

Seriously though, I really do welcome suggestions, it is my prerogative to do so, and report fairly, and honestly about each.

Among other things, I picked up another Founder’s Devil Dancer. Brian’s shock at how little I enjoyed it last time has prompted me to try it again. Its in the fridge, and I will give it another shot, now that I’m not feeling quite as sick as I was last time. But that’s for another day.

Tonight I opened up a bottle of New Holland Cabin Fever. Its a brown ale, which I don’t always like, but I am a fan of Newcastle, so every so often I pick up one.

I was not disappointed. As a point of reference, its definitely darker than Newcastle, and pours with little head. It has a nice malty aroma, fairly sweet. The flavor has a nice hint of nuttiness to it, and a nice roastyness, that isn’t exactly coffee. The aftertaste is slightly sweet, but not too malty on your tongue. You also get a bit of bitterness in the back.

6/10

I’m really impressed by this beer. I will buy it again. Or maybe I will brew a brown ale. Hmm… I sense a new project soon.

Ian!