Chemical tests of ancient pottery jars uncovered in what is today Iran reveal that beer was produced as far back as about 7,000 years ago! A 3,900-year old Sumerian poem honoring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer recipe. Today, craft beer and the outdoors go hand in hand. Craft breweries like Dogfish Head have evolved the ancient practice into citrusy flavors and long, earthy finishes like their Super Eight Super Gose, Sea Quench Ale Session Sour, Slightly Mighty Low-cal IPA and Namaste White Belgian Wheat.
Super Eight Super Gose
Gose beer is a warm fermented beer hailing from 13th century Goslar, Germany. Its trademark flavor is high on the sour and salt and low on the hop bitterness. Super Eight Super Gose, the Dogfish Head version, is a 5.3 percent-alcohol berry-flavored salad bar of a brew containing nine ingredients: prickly pear, mango, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, kiwi juices, red Hawaiian sea salt and toasted. Yes, you read that correctly. Toasted quinoa. Dogfish Head certainly wins creativity points for adding toasted quinoa. However, not long after drinking it, a canker sore erupted inside my mouth thanks to the kiwi juice (I have a food sensitivity to kiwi). Because I didn’t want to be swayed or biased by marketing, I didn’t research any of the beer online prior to tasting it. But prior to canker sore, a variety of flavors waged warfare on my taste buds. In the end, that winning flavor was a distinct after-tone of sour with the smallest hint of sea salt at the very end and slightly bitter.
Would I Drink this Again?
Yes, if they omitted the kiwi juice.
Outdoor Activity Pairing
Any activity with easy access to a drug store or urgent care for kiwi-related food allergies. Otherwise, fishing and SUP’ing.
Sea Quench Ale Session Sour
If you’ve been around craft beer for any given time, you’ve likely heard of “session beer”. The origins are somewhat debated although there is speculation that session beer was the preferred brew of the British munitions workers during WWI. While they toiled long hours in the factory, the overlords granted them “session” breaks, which they took at the local pubs. Knowing they had to return to work, the munitions builders opted for the lower-alcohol beer so they could consume in mass quantities without getting wasted. Or so the legend goes. Dogfish Head crafted Sea Quench Ale Session Sour with 4.9-percent alcohol and infused it with black lime, sour lime juice and sea salt. They weren’t kidding when they added “sour” to the end of the name. Lime was all I could taste and the taste lingered on and on and on and on. And on. Hops and limes just don’t go together, let alone black lime. Would you buy a black lime in the grocery store? Let alone pick it up and eat it?
Would I Drink this Again?
No. It tasted like a shot glass full of lime juice.
Outdoor Activity Pairing
Après mountain biking; but only if you’re with a group who brought a beer capable of diluting the oral aftershock of lime.
Slightly Mighty Low-cal IPA
IPA, or India Pale Ale, is probably the most popular and known craft beer. Its history is somewhat debatable but it began in the late 1700’s during the British occupation of India. The pale ales that regularly made their way from the breweries of England to the docks of India were lightly hopped. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the beer-swizzling British troops were hot and thirsty in India’s tropical climate. The easy fix was to add more hops to the pale ales to lighten it even more, thereby decreasing thirst and increasing moral of the troops. Fast-forward to the modern-day craft beer craze. Low cal and IPA should never be used in the same sentence. And yet Dogfish Head went there with Slightly Mighty Low-cal IPA, a 4-percent alcohol IPA. I don’t have a problem with the low alcohol content, it’s just that I couldn’t really taste anything good or bad. The overall effect was more like a watered-down Sierra Nevada than a craft IPA.
Would I Drink this Again?
Sure. Why not.
Outdoor Activity Pairing
Hiking and canoeing. With a lower alcohol content you can bring it along in your backpack or the ice chest of your canoe for a lunch beer enroute to wherever you’re going.
Namaste White Belgian Wheat
Wheat beer (Witbier if you’re a bier snob) is descended from medieval beers flavored and preserved with spices like coriander and orange peel instead of hops. It’s not unusual to have your glass garnished with a slice of orange. Personally, I love Witbiers because of their crispiness and slight tang. Dogfish Head’s take with Namaste White Belgian Wheat was to flavor an already yummy bier with cloves and lemon grass. For whatever reason, I tasted the magical flavor of refreshing coconut.
Would I Drink this Again?
Absolutely.
Outdoor Activity Pairing
For some reason, après sea kayaking and/or cross-country skiing feels the most appropriate. But really, it tastes good enough for après-anything.
