thePULSESamuel Adams Hazel Brown
By Rick Garner
It’s not too soon to start thinking of cool fall nights and the beer that will make them special…
Available for a limited time ~ August through October and only as part of the Samuel Adams Harvest Collection Variety 12-Pack ~ Samuel Adams Hazel Brown is a dark brown, malty ale with a distinct hazelnut aroma. Its slightly sweet caramel and toffee malt notes are accentuated by a roasted hazelnut character. The beer is brewed in the Northern English Nut Brown Ale style, which is slightly more robust than Mild and Southern Brown Ales, making it the perfect brew for easing into crisp fall weather.
In honor of the fall hazelnut harvest, Hazel Brown is brewed to be a super-flavorful nut brown ale with a pleasant nutty tone and a perfect balance of malt and nut notes.
A variety of nut malts contribute to a rich brown copper color and a slightly sweet malt flavor profile. Medium in body, Samuel Adams’ Hazel Brown ~ at 5.2% ABV ~ finishes smooth with an underlying spiciness from Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops and East Kent Goldings hops.
A great choice on its own for fall, Hazel Brown pairs perfectly with traditional fall foods; the sweet malts contrast and cool smoky dishes like roasted game and the Noble hops compliment the hearty, earthier flavors in strong cheeses like sharp cheddar or bleu.
Remember, Samuel Adams Hazel Brown is available exclusively in the 2012 Harvest Collection (which also includes Samuel Adams OctoberFest, Dunkelweizen, Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Latitude 48 IPA, and Boston Lager), and only from August through October.
Baxter Brewing Set to Release Hayride Autumn Ale
By Rick Garner
Autumn in New England is a special time in a special place, and Baxter Brewing Company, the acclaimed all-canned craft brewery in Lewiston, Maine, run by Clark University graduate Luke Livingston, greets the season with the eagerly anticipated release of Hayride Autumn Ale, the second beer in the brewery’s line of limited edition seasonal varieties. Cold conditioned on a bed of American oak, Hayride is a blend of rye malts and exotic New Zealand hops, enhanced with touches of peppercorns, ginger and sweet orange peel, which produces a unique beer perfectly timed for leaf-peeping, apple picking, evenings around the campfire, and hayrides.
The autumnal brew pairs especially well with stews, beef roasts, stuffed squash and pumpkin pie. “We were thrilled by the how enthusiastically our first seasonal, Celsius Summer Ale, was greeted by the beer community,” said Baxter Head Brewer Ben Low, who designed both recipes. “The only complaints we got were that no one could keep it in stock,” added company President Luke Livingston. That was especially true after Esquire magazine called it one of only “eight Just-Right Summer Beers – The ones you’re always looking for when it’s hot out but can never seem to find.” “Hayride is the second in a continuing series of seasonal varieties,” Livingston explained. “We will now always have a seasonal beer in distribution along with our year-’round varieties – Pamola Xtra Pale Ale, Amber Road amber ale, and Stowaway IPA. But based on how quickly everyone sold out of Celsius, I’d guess that there’s going to be a lot of early interest in Hayride, too,” he added.
Hayride Autumn Ale will be available beginning the first week of September, 2012 on draught and in 6-pack cans wherever craft beer is sold. Baxter beers are distributed in Maine by Nappi and Pine State Distributors and in Massachusetts by the member distributors of the Massachusetts Beverage Alliance.
More about Baxter Brewing: Located in the Civil War-era Bates Mill Complex in Lewiston, Maine, Baxter was the first brewery in the country to brew more than 5,000 barrels of beer in their first year of operation and was named the 2011 “New Brewery of the Year” by BevNet Magazine. They are also the first brewery in New England to package 100% of its beer solely in metal containers (aluminum cans and stainless steel kegs). The brewery also offsets 100% of its electrical usage every year with EPA-backed wind power credits.
Visit them online at www.baxterbrewing.com or facebook.com/baxterbrewing.
