Xingu Black Beer
This week, we bring you an unusual gem from the Amazon rainforests. Some of the world's best dark beers have been found in this area, and its brewing traditions have been documented back to as early as 1557. While technically classified as a Schwarzbier, Xingu Black Beer is brewed according to ancient rituals of the tribes of its area of Brazil. Made with black-roast malts, hops and South American-grown barley, it offers complexity in taste, ranging from light and crisp to full-bodied, rich, creamy, dark and earthy. Xingu has been described beautifully in only two words-- black silk.
The key ingredient in Xingu is manioc root, which creates its dark, opaque look. Manioc root is grown all over the world and serves as the third largest source of carbohydrates for humans. The root is starchy and contains significant amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C.
Xingu was discovered when five women, bored with bland American offerings, formed a company with the goal of rediscovering and protecting the world's rarest offerings to the beer world. Xingu (pronounced shin-goo) was named for the tributary of the Amazon that this fine beer hails from. The label depicts a map of the Xingu River region. Xingu was first introduced to the American beer scene in 1988 and has been pleasing beer drinkers ever since.
Xingu provides some humour for bartenders-- when sampled from the bottle with no view of the beer's colour, any light beer drinker can be fooled. When the beer is poured into a glass, the surprised light beer drinker will blush, never knowing the beer they enjoyed so much is as dark as any terrifying stout or porter!

Now for something completely different.... 1809 Berliner Weisse
I must admit, I have been obsessed with this elusive style of bier for some time. During my early studies of German ale I came across a shocking photo of a green bier. Surely this was not a St. Patrick's Day Miller Lite with green food colouring in it. I was intrigued. This unique creation is a Berliner Weisse mit schuss Waldmeister.
It all started with the Huguenots, a name I had all but forgotten from history lessons long ago. This group is best known for their radical religious ferver and their harsh criticism of the Catholic church. Eventually some 1200 Huguenots were slain in 1562 which sparked the War of Religion that threatened to rip apart and bankrupt France for the next three decades.
O.K., back to the beer. When these people weren't busy destroying churches and religious icons, a group of them went to Berlin and created this remarkable bier. It only makes sense that such a strange group of people were to create such a strange drink. However, its popularity quickly grew and became Napolean's official victory drink. In the 19th century it was also the most popular bier in Berlin.
This has to be one of the most biologicaly distinct biers ever brewed. Instead of relying solely on yeast to convert the sugars of the grains into alcohol, Berliner Weisse has a special addition of a lactic bacteria strain to help this process. Think back to another grade school lesson when our teachers told us that some bacteria was actually good for us (ie. yogurt, cheeses, etc.). This bottle-conditioned ale cellars well and improves with age. And it is milky and tart! So tart in fact that most Berliners consider it to be undrinkable by itself. When ordering it in Berlin the bartender will ask you if you want it "rot oder grun", meaning red or green. The red version is concocted by the addition of raspberry extract and,
while flavourful, is fairly pedestrian. The green version is what we are here to talk about.
Berliner Weisse mit schuss Waldmeister is how you would order the green version. It is truly remarkable. Waldmeister refers to the herbal extract of Woodruff, which grows in the forests of Berlin. I
cannot emphasize enough that finding the herbal extract is as difficult as finding the bier itself. Pure Woodruff extract has a unique flavor unto itself. If forced to make an association, I could only say that it is a cross between an old-fashioned cough candy and a waffle. A slight amount poured into a glass followed by the Berliner Weiss produces a hypnotic, jade green beverage with a rocky head that quickly recedes. Tart and refreshing, this beir has a sweet medicinal finish that lingers and tastes like nothing else.
The medicinal use of Woodruff goes back centuries. It cleanses the kidney and liver; purifies blood; treats cuts and wounds; and serves as a diuretic. While in high doses it has been said to have mind-altering properties. My experience with it has only yielded strange but pleasant dreams. The 1809 Berliner Weisse is a historic signature series brewed by Dr. Fritz Briem of the Doemens Institute in Germany. It is assuredly an exact replica of an 1809 recipe. After further sluething, I discovered that this fine ale is contract brewed out of the Weihenstephaner Brewery which is the oldest brewery in the world, brewing since 1040. Dr. Fritz must have some clout to be able to waltz into the oldest brewery in the world and create this style perfection.
Another historic note. This is the first time ever that Berliner Weiss mit schus Waldmeister has ever been served in this part of our state!

Aventinus Eisbock
Go into a specialty beer shop in the Cape Fear area and ask for a German Hefeweizen and you'll be surrounded with dozens of choices. Ask for an Eisbock and your palate will be met with only one archetype of this bold style of bier, the Aventinus Eisbock. In fact this style is so rare that only three German breweries are importing Eisbocks into our entire country.
The concept of Eisbocks was a delicious mistake waiting to happen. Up until the 1940's most Bavarian biers were only distributed in their homeland. Lacking today's technology, the shipments were not tempurature controlled as they are today (or at least should be, pay attention beer distributors!). One particularly cold German winter, the precious drink partially froze during transportation. Unaware that the brew was concentrated due to the seperation of water from the liquid, bier lovers were baffled by this stronger version of bier. By chance the first Eisbock was created!
Well aware of this story, Hans Peter Drexler, Brewmaster at the Schneider Brewery in Germany decided to recreate this classic "mistake" in a modern controlled facility by partially freezing a dopplebock and then removing the ice. Thus, the Aventinus Eisbock was reborn nearly sixty years later!
This brewing technique not only intensifies classic Bavarian flavors, but also raises the alcohol content to a healthy dose of 12% a.b.v.! The aroma of this libation is huge with with malty clove and banana notes and a subtle hint of overipe fruit. Naturally carbonated, this bier is quite bubbly, yet has such a thick body that it is in perfect balance. Once on the palate there is a malty caramel sweetness, more banana, cloves, cocoa and nuts. The finish lasts FOREVER and has some dried fruit notes in it.
With its dark caramel colour, Aventinus Eisbock can be easily enjoyd at warmer tempuratures where subtle spice and herb characters can be detected including coriander, peppers and even a thin minty zest. The body is extremely thick, creamy, and silky. The late fruit notes seem to endlessly change as your tastebuds grasp the enormity of this complex lager. Melons, berries, plums, and persimmon abound.
The brewery that produces this has been in business since 1872, when its original brewer was granted permission to brew from King Ludwig II.
Some regular readers might have noticed that I have not used the word ALE in this article. That's because this bier is cold fermented, thus putting it into the family of lagers which include bocks, dopplebocks, pilsners, helles, and marzen. Whether it's historicaly brewed in colder climates, in a cool cave or with today's technology, cold fermentation gives preference to certain types yeast, resulting in a bottom fermentation (ales are top fermented).

Pumpkin Ales
Just in time for Halloween, we bring you the finest of a true American tradition, the pumpkin ale. Pumpkin ales have been brewed in America since colonial times. In fact, founding father George Washington brewed the first recorded pumpkin ale in America.
Pumpkins offer a unique smoothness, unbounded nutritional qualities, and there sure isn't a shortage of them. All of this makes pumpkin ales - when done right - one of the most quaffable styles around. However, when done wrong, the commonly used spices (cinnnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.) can overpower the pumpkin essence. Also, the pumpkin has to be introduced into the brewing process at the PERFECT time or the beer can embody moldy pumpkin flavours. No, thank you.
In our Cape Fear regional beer stores, we are exposed to many pumpkin ales. Here are a few to consider.
Cottonwood Pumpkin Spiced Ale (4.5% alcohol by volume) - This year's Cottonwood Pumpkin out of our own Mooresville, NC is well-balanced, not letting its spice overpower its pumpkin or malt characters, but it did not shine like others.
Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale (5% ABV) was a personal favourite last year, but this year it falls flat - literally - there is evidence of carbonation, but no head and no lacing. The overpowering spice makes itself more evident as the beer breathes and opens up.
Brooklyn's Post Road Pumpkin Ale (5% ABV) is a great offering to the pumpkin beer tradition. This beer has a caramel malt feel and wonderful lacing. It is slightly bready and sweet, and finishes like a BEER, not an artificially flavoured malt beverage.
Dogfish Head Brewery of Milton, Delaware, have truly outdone themselves again. Their pumpkin ale, Punkin, has a great malty backbone and the hop character rounds it out beautifully. The 7% ABV is hardly noticable. The sweetness would be the only indicative characteristic, but it's more reminiscent of unbaked pumpkin pie filling.
Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale is the new kind of IPA. This Easton, Pennsylvania brewery brings new insanity to the beer world with their incredibly well-crafted brews. This Imperial weighs in at 8% ABV and has more pumpkin and spice than any other pumpkin ale anywhere, along with a creamy feel and brown sugar notes. Weyerbacher states on its website "If you don't agree that this is the mother of all pumpkin ales, then you just don't like mothers!" I couldn't agree more.

Highland Brewing Company's St. Therese's Pale Ale
Hailing from our own Blue Ridge Mountains comes a delicious summer pale ale. Pale ales originated in Britain around 1642 with its first written account in 1703. By 1830 the term "pale ale" and "British bitters" were interchangeable, the latter subsiding in use due to the fact that it was misinterpreted to lead people to think that it was extremely bitter in taste.
Highland is Asheville's first brewery and is true to its Scottish-American ingenuity. They opened their first brewery in 1994 with most of their equipment forged out of retrofitted dairy equipment. They have been brewing locally in Asheville since. Highland has made its name across North Carolina's palate with five staple styles including the refreshingly crisp St. Therese's Pale Ale. This beer in crimson-golden in colour and has a slightly malty body that is balanced by an assertive American hop flavour. Its nose contains subtle citrus notes, reminiscent of grapefruit skin squeezed beneath the nostril. The taste delivers careful caramel notes complimenting itself into an earthy/grainy finish.
It's not a mystery how this NC brewery made itself to nationwide status nor is it a wonder how this great ale won the Silver Medal for its style in the Carolina Beer Championship. While this beer could pair with a wide range of salads to Asian poultry dishes, it's perfect to accompany a Cape Fear fish and chips as crisp as the beer itself.

Ruby Port Wine Stout
From the O'Hanlon's Brewery in Devon, England, comes one of the most remarkable beers in the world. The Original Ruby Stout is a delicious dry stout enriched with ruby port wine. Yes, that's right - a beer with port wine in it! As strange as it sounds, the concept is nothing new. Inspired by an Irish morning-after remedy, known as a "corpse-reviver", this masterpiece has been the toast of beer critics everywhere. After winning a silver medal at the 2002 World Beer Cup awards, this beer went on to receive the distinction Guardian/CAMRA Champion Bottle-Conditioned Beer of Britain, the highest accolade a beer can achieve.
Made with Optic, Crystal, and Cara malts and Phoenix and Syrian hops, this beer is bottle conditioned. Bottle conditioning refers to a secondary fermentation process that occurs in the bottle which produces a natural sparkle and sediment, a characteristic of living yeast.
The end result is a phenomenal beer with notes of roasted barley, vinous undertones and subtle liquorices.
This beer begins its journey acrosss the palate as a very dry, robust stout, slowly revealing its velvety-smooth nature that finishes with a delicate hint of port wine.
While this gem of a beer is not available in any grocery store you can count on it being a regular at your local specialty beer store.

Hatuey Beer
Finally, a light cerveza beer with flavour! Hatuey is a great Cuban beer named for a great Cuban hero. With the striking image of Chief Hatuey on the label, this is a hard beer to miss. Around 1511, Spain raided an unexpecting Cuba. Led by Cortes and Diego Velosquez, the attack was going as planned until Hatuey, a rogue chief of the Taino tribe, intervened. Hatuey was a hell-raiser in Hispaniola and had fled to Cuba with hundreds of warriors prior to the invasion. He did his best to organize a brutal revolt, but unfortunately all the natives thought he was insane and quickly turned him over to the Spanish who burnt him at the stake.
In 1862 Bacardi started distilling rum in Santiago, Cuba, and in 1926 they added Hatuey beer to their line of products. The beer was an instant hit and all went well until 1959. When Castro came into power, they were chased out of the country with all of their property seized. It has been rumoured that the Bacardi Corporation funded several unsuccessful hits against Castro in the 1960's. Since then, Hatuey has been brewed wherever it could. Often in the Carribean and sometimes in the states. Despite its hardships, this beer has never lost its following or its consistant good taste. However, it's a commonly accepted fact that as soon as Castro's body hits the floor, thte Bacardi Corporation will reclaim its rightful brewery in Cuba. For them, it's a matter of national pride.
Hatuey beer is slightly darker than Corona and packs in a lightly hopped, crisp finish. Served ice cold, this beer appeals to those with a simple domestic taste yet it offers great exotic flavour.

O'Hara's Irish Stout
Move over Guinness, O'hara's Irish Stout is here. Brewed by the Carlow Brewing Company in the small village of Carlow, Ireland, O'Hara's is an authentic Irish stout. Since a large percentage of Guinness is brewed by Labatt's in Canada, it's refreshing to drink a beer that is truly Irish.
The brewery is nestled in the Barlow Valley which has been the top malt and hop-producing area of Ireland from the very beginning. While this region once boasted numerous breweries throughout the ages, most have disappeared due to the competition of large macro breweries. (You know, the ones that spend millions on advertising each year to convince the public that they're small and family-run.) Sometimes packaged as Celtic Stout, this robust beer is still brewed by the O'Hara brothers. I've been told that these chaps are easily reached by simply calling the phone number on their website and that they get a kick from hearing that Yanks are drinking their ale. (Just keep in mind the time difference and the dialect.)
The milestone for this stout came in April 2000, when a panel of 33 international brewing experts, at the Millenium Brewing Industry International Awards, voted O'Hara's Stout the World's Number One Stout of the 74 beers they blind taste tested. This competition has been around since 1886 and is the most esteemed in the world.
This traditional Celtic stout pours opaque black with dark crimson edges. The tan head is frothy and has a firm surface tension which recedes to a beautiful lace. Surprisingly dry, this stout is very forward about its roasted coffee bean and unsweetened bakers chocolate notes. Nutty and buttery, this chewy ale finishes with a dark tartness from the hops and a crisp sensation.
So how do we feel about this stout? John McKenna of The Irish Times says, "At a time when Guinness now produces a drink that puts one in mind of what Americans call popsicles, the toasty, roasty, hoppy enervation of O'Hara's is thrilling. This is a true stout..."
Whether Ireland is in your blood or not, O'Hara's will bring you back to a time when men and women had callouses on their hands and didn't need a holiday to celebrate being alive. O'Hara's also produces a wonderful Irish Red Ale that puts Killian's (Molson, Coors) to shame.

Olde Suffolk
Olde Suffolk is brewed by the Greene King Brewery in Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England. This famous brewery has acheived worldwide recognition for its tradition of brewing excellent casked ales since 1799.
Olde Suffolk Ale is a unique ale unrivaled among beers available in the Cape fear area. True to the British tradition of blended ales, Olde Suffolk is a result of two distinct ales - Olde 5x, an ale which is brewed to absolutely the highest strength possible (around 12% alcohol by volume) and left to mature in a limited supply of 100 giant oak barrels for a minimum of two years; and the brewery's British Pale Ale, a dark, full-bodied, freshly-brewed beer which is added just before bottling. The stunning result is a very strong and unique ale with subtle mellow fruit notes and of course a very oaky finish. Enjoy this wholesome ale with a hardy steak or for a refreshing mid-day English snack.

Sea Dog Brewing Company
Sea Dog Brewing Company was founded in 1993 in the historic shipbuilding town of Camden, Maine. Barney, a Great Pyrenees, is the Sea Dog Brewing Company's figurehead. Barney began sailing at three months of age and thus acquired the nickname "sea dog".
Sea Dog Blue Paw Wheat Ale and Sea Dog Raspberry wheat Ale are two unique contributions to the fruit ale category. Both feature the nutty quench of wheat ale combined with subtle fruit flavours. The blue paw has a delightful aroma and taste of wild Maine blueberries. The raspberry wheat ale is dry and crisp with the essence of fresh-picked raspberries.
Both of these ales are light and refreshing with natural fruit flavours. Neither are cloyingly sweet, and both are perfect beverages for your next summer cook out.

Iron City
The epitome of American working-class, Iron City Beer captures the spirit of carbureted engines and steel mills. Dating back to 1861, when breweries relied on locations near hillsides where beer could be kept chilled in hand-dug caves, Pittsburg's signature beer is one of the few that survived Prohibition.
Here ads a few firsts that this historic brew has under its belt:
-First American lager
-First pull tab can and twist-off bottle cap
-First beer labels honouring sports teams and players
-First draught beer in a can
-First light beer (I.C. Light)
This is a straight-forward, no-frills beer. While lacking the complexities of exotic beers, Iron City delivers with a beautiful gold-colour, lacy head, and a well balanced crisp finish. Rivaling domestic beers with its low cost and retro design, Iron City reinvents itself to the younger generation.

Cusquena
Latin America is a beer brewing paradise, but it wasn't until the end of the 19th century that the arrival of German brewers jump-started Latin America's love of European-style beer.
Marketed as the "gold of the Incas", Cusquena is brewed in Cusco (from qosqo, "the earth's navel"), Peru. Cusco is in the Cuzco valley, which gave birth to the Inca empire and nearby towering Machu Picchu. In Cusquena's warehouse are crates of the golden elixir, but on the roof are rows and rows of crates filled with exotic and colourful roosters. It would seem that beer distribution is the owner's bread and butter while his true passion may be cockfighting.
Forget Corona; incredibly smooth and refreshing, this straight-forward lager is produced from the icy, pure waters of the Andes. Cusquena is light but flavourful with a rich, golden colour. The trace of sweetness (apple wood?) is a welcome relief on hot summer days, making it the perfect thirst quencher for our climate.

Old Speckled Hen
First brewed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG automobile factory, Old Speckled Hen was a term to describe the canvas-coloured vintage MG car used as a factory run-around, which over time became covered with flecks of paint and was dubbed the "old speckled hen" by locals.
The quintessential strong English ale, Old Speckled Hen is a lovely warm amber colour. The distinctive aroma is fruity but with rich malty undertones. It has a body bursting with malt and toffee flavours which balance beautifully with the bitterness at the back of the tongue, creating a slight sweetness. The finish is dry and satisfying. The aromas and flavours come from a combination of pale and crystal malts and a strain of yeast used since 1896 that is unique to Old Speckled Hen. The balanced bitterness and dry finish are due to Goldings hops, they most typical of English aromas. It is a strong, warming ale at 5.2% alcohol by volume.
In London there are now 15 MG taxis painted with Old Speckled Hen's eye-catching colours, so next time you're there, don't forget to hail a hen! Until then, enjoy one at your favourite pub.

Fuller's London Porter
Fuller's London Porter is a superb award winning beer. Out of the top 100 beers in the world, it ranks as number nine, making it the highest ranking beer that we can actually get in our beer-restrictive state.
The origin of porter dates back to transportation workers in early 19th-century London, where it was popular to mix two or three beers, usually an old well-vatted brown ale with a fresh pale ale. However, it became time-consuming for the publican to pull from three casks for just one pint so the London brewers tested and produced this new style of beer. Very quickly it became popular amongst the porters in Britain and gradually the beer took on the name "porter" in recognition of its main consumers.
Made by the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, London since 1654, this smooth, rich, and strong beer makes Guinness taste like a Bud Light. London Porter is characterized by its creamy dark coffee and buttery toffee flavours that can only come from blends of brown, crystal, and chocolate malts, balanced by traditional Fuggles hops.
So when you're in the mood for a beer with a little backbone, try the one that symbolizes the industrial revolution of the UK and hopefully soon our own Port City.

Weihenstephan
Weihenstephaner Brewery is undoubtedly the oldest brewery in the world. Brewed since 1040 AD in an ancient monastery located in Freising, Germany, this complex brew makes its way to our country via the Bavarian House Corp., in none other than our Port City. Just take a look at the label next time you're drinking this historic beer and feel proud when you read our city's name.
While Weihenstephan (pronounced vine-stefean) produces several styles, the Kristall version deserves special attention. Having recently won a gold medal from the British Beverages magazine, this smooth filtered wheat beer has a pillowy head that tastes of vanilla. This beer has very little hop, is lively and spritzy on the tongue, yet smooth and creamy, with aromas of honey, banana, and white grapes. The finish is citrusy and zesty, creating an extremely refreshing and feisty bier.

Riggwelter
The Black Sheep Brewery is owned by Paul Theakston in Masham, UK, where his family has brewed world-acclaimed beers in a time-honoured fashion since 1827. Although his newest brewery is only 11 years old, it has captured beer enthusiasts' attention for its well-crafted and unusual beers.
Riggwelter is a strong Yorkshire ale, at 5.7% alcohol by volume. The colour is a deep chestnut and the distinctive taste is complex, featuring roasted barley malt and golden hops with banana aromas. It has a strong yet refreshing dry finish.
The term riggwelter is from the Old Norse - "rigg" means "back" and "velte" means "to overturn". When a sheep is on its back and cannot get up without help, local dialect says it's riggwelted.
Enjoy this brew when you're in the mood for a delicious, eccentric, strong beer.

Fraoch Heather Ale
A breath of fresh Celtic air, Fraoch Heather Ale is a true delight for beer drinkers. Brewed in Scotland since 2000 BC, heather ale is one of the oldest styles of ale still being produced. It was popularized by the Picts, an ancient Celtic tribe who defended Scotland from Saxon, Roman and Viking invasions. Only recently has it been revived and reintroduced into the Scottish culture and has won the Bronze award for specialty beers in London. This noble ale starts its life with malted barley, sweet gale, and flowering heather before it is poured, still hot, into a vat of fresh heather where is is infused with its distinctive taste.
Fraoch Heather Ale is a light amber ale with a delicious aroma, a clean, full character with spicy herbal tones and a dry subtlety floral finish. Drank slightly chilled from a fluted glass or drinking horn it greatly compliments any meal of rich and spicy foods. Look for more exotic Celtic ales coming to the area as soon as our state revises its outdated 6% alcohol by volume beer law.