New Brewer's Alley Beer

At Frederick's Brewer's Alley, "Meet brewmaster Tom Flores and head brewer Maggie Lenz from 4-6 PM at the bar on ...

Tuesday March 24th -- George St. Maple Porter

The starting point in the design of this beer is a style category known as Robust Porter, which is a strong version of Porter. The color is between Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout. Our rendition of this style uses real maple syrup from Virginia, which comes through in the delicate maple aroma and the beginning of each sip. The maple flavor is then followed by the roasted maltiness typical of Porters. The bitterness you perceive in this beer comes more from the highly roasted malts used and less from the hops, though there are some hops added for balance. The residual sweetness comes from the caramel malts used and not from the maple syrup. This is because the syrup is so fermentable, all the sugars in it are used up by the yeast. However, a lot of the maple aromatics are retained, even after fermentation. Additionally, the full mouthfeel helps balance the overall flavor, as well as the heat from the alcohol. The intensity and alcohol strength of this beer makes it good for sipping at a leisurely pace. We are serving our Maple Porter in a brandy snifter to encourage a slower pace of consumption and to allow the beer to heat up a little as you cup it in your hand. This leads to an experience of flavor that unfolds over time and presents layers of complexity which emerge, as long as you are patient enough to wait!

Thursday March 26th -- New Moon Ale (Cask)

Tuesday March 31st -- 21 Cherries

Our Head Brewer, Maggie Lenz, wanted to brew this beer for her little brother, Nick, who turns 21 years old this April (2009). This amber colored beer has a slight red tint which comes from tart red cherries added directly to the aging beer. It was brewed as a lager, so the aroma is a mild and wonderful blend of slightly toasted malt and fresh fruit. The first taste you get is a general tart fruitiness that then more fully develops into red pie cherries, giving you a tart and refreshing finish that gets you ready for the next sip. Additionally, cinnamon and vanilla were sparingly added to the kettle as back up for the cherries, helping to bring out the flavor.