At Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford Center, we have a great selection of rotating draft beers.  We try to keep the options changing in order to give our guests the best and freshest choices around.  We do have our standards that are always on tap: Brewtus Maximus, Guinness Stout, etc., but the other lines are dedicated to regional and national craft brews, ranging in style from lighter lagers and session ales to fuller bodied porters and stouts, with all kinds of styles in between.  Check out what we have coming up in the next few days and weeks…

Line #1 – IPA / PA – first up: Dogfish Head Test Batch 61 IPA; then Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA; then Maine Brewing Company MO (Madeline & Oliver) Pale Ale

Line #2 – Seasonal – first up: Two Roads Saison; followed by The Cambridge House Copper Hill Kolsch; then Backeast Bachtoberfest

Line #3 – Pils – on line: Victory Prima Pils

Line #4 – the Limited / Local – going first: Sierra Nevada Ovila Abbey Quad; then Stone Enjoy by 9/13/13 IPA; followed by Thomas Hooker Brewing Liberator Doppelbock

Line #5 – Fruit / Wheat – first selection: Founders Rubeus; followed by Brooklyn Brewery Companion; and then Stone Coconut IPA; and finally Allagash White

For those who really need to know (and we are in that camp) here is some background info on these beers…

Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA
Stone Brewing Co. California, United States
American Double / Imperial IPA | 9.50% ABV
Notes:
Inspired by new experimental German hops, our brewing team is celebrating our 17th Jahrestag by taking palates on an unconventional tour of Deutschland by way of Southern California. In doing so, we used a grain bill comprised exclusively of pilsner malts and German hops with crazy awesome names: Herkules, Hersbrucker, Magnum, Merkur, Opal, Smaragd & Strisselspalt. Dry-hopping with Sterling, a U.S. hop with Saaz parentage, lends a bit of familiarity, but be forewarned, this is a unique beer that takes the IPA–a style we’ve already pushed far beyond it’s previous limits over the years–to interesting new territory.

Cambridge Brew House Copper Hill Kolsch
Cambridge Brew House (Granby, CT)
2005 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner!
2005 & 2006 Great International Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner!
German Style Light Ale. Smooth, easy drinking with subtle noble hop character. 4.8%ABV

Ovila® Abbey Quad with Plums
Rich, dark, and infused with the complex sweetness of abbey-grown plums.
Ovila Abbey Quad is heady with aromas of caramel, rich malt, and dark fruit balanced by the spiciness and delicate fruity notes of a traditional Belgian yeast. This complex beer is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux. It features sugar plums grown on the grounds of the Abbey and harvested by the monks in Vina. We hope you enjoy this collaboration ale.
Quadrupel (Quad) | 10.20% ABV

Two Roads Workers Comp Saison
Stratford, CT 4.8 % ABV
A traditional farmhouse ale made with a very expressive yeast strain that contributes an array of tropical fruit, spice flavors and aromatics. Brewed with a variety of harvest grains including barley, wheat, oats and rye as was likely the case with farmhouse brewers of yore. The result is a complex, refreshing and distinctive example of this esoteric style. Intensely fruity (passion fruit, pineapple, mango, lychee), slightly spicy (clove, white pepper)

Maine Brewing Company MO
Our first run at an American Pale Ale. Flavors and aromas of zesty citrus, passionfruit, and pine present themselves throughout. A very subtle malt sweetness for balance, but this is intended to finish dry
Freeport, ME- 6 % ABV
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/maine-beer-mo/167472/

Dogfish Head 61 Minute
6.5 % ABV
Whenever Dogfish Head President Sam Calagione and his neighborhood friends gather for drinks, they give each other a big ol’ man-hug and order a round of 60 Minute IPA. A few years ago, Sam also ordered a glass of his favorite red wine and poured a little into each pint of 60 Minute. They all dug the combination of fruity complexity and pungent hoppiness, and the blend became a beloved tradition.Sixty-One captures that tradition in a bottle and marries two Dogfish Head innovations: beer/wine hybrids — which Dogfish has focused on for well over a decade with beers like Midas Touch and Raison D’être — and continually-hopped IPAs. The name Sixty-One is a reminder that this beer is Dogfish Head’s best-selling 60 Minute IPA plus one new ingredient: syrah grape must from California. The label, painted by Sam, is a twist on a typical watercolor. Rather than using water, Sam mixed the green pigment with beer and the red pigment with wine. And because Sixty-One pairs so well with chocolate, he painted the browns on the label with melted chocolate

Stone R & R Coconut IPA
7.7 % ABV
http://www.stonebrewing.com/collab/rr/
Originally dreamt up by homebrewers Robert Masterson and Ryan Reschan, who earned themselves the top prize in our 2013 American Homebrewers Association homebrewing contest, this innovative beer marks a refreshing sea change for IPA lovers everywhere. It was brewed with 280 pounds of coconut and an unusual blend of hop varieties, including a few from faraway lands or just brand spankin’ new, and is guaranteed to taste like no IPA that’s gone before. Prepare yourself for a tropical breeze of a brew that will lull you to a place of tranquil contentment for a little R & R.

Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock
Style: Doppelbock Lager
ABV: 8.5%
Available: Year Round
Hopped with German and Czech hops and fermented with Bavarian lager yeast, this traditional doppelbock blends an extensive amount of select dark malts to achieve its rich and creamy character. Rich and filling, this brew is a malt lovers dream.
Ingredients
◦Malts: Bohemian Pilsner, Munich, Vienna, Caramel Munich, Carafoam, Chocolate, Roasted Barley
◦Hops: German Select, Czech Saaz
Stone Enjoy BY IPA …9/13/13
9.4% ABV
You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers- especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs- we’ve taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We’ve not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you’re getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn’t randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the bottle, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and beer fans. Instead, we’ve sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA.

Allagash White
Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel, this beer is fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy in appearance.
Description: Belgian Style Wheat
ABV: 5.0%
Profile: Light, Crisp, Fruity, Spicy
Serving Temperature: 38°-50°F

Backeast Brewing Bachtoberfest
Back East Brewery and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra are releasing Bachtoberfest, an Oktoberfest-style seasonal beer produced by Back East Brewery. Beginning the week of August 26th, Bachtoberfest will be available on tap at many great restaurants throughout the Greater Hartford and New Haven markets, including several restaurants in downtown Hartford
Bachtoberfest also will be available for purchase at the Hartford Symphony’s 70th Anniversary Opening Night performances at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts October 11 and 12. Beginning August 28th, Bachtoberfest will be available for purchase in half-gallon growlers in the tasting room at Back East Brewery in Bloomfield, CT. Back East will be donating a portion of the proceeds from each growler sold to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in support of their artistic, educational, and community programs.
Back East Brewery Co-Founder Tony Karlowicz says, “It is an integral part of our mission as a local brewery to support this vibrant community. The Hartford Symphony’s 70 year dedication to the arts speaks for itself and we are thrilled to partner with them for this special edition beer.
Back East Brewing Company is a small, craft brewery located in Bloomfield, CT. Founded by cousins Tony Karlowicz and Edward Fabrycki, Jr., Back East opened in July 2012 and is now distributed on draft and in cans throughout Greater Hartford and New Haven. For more information on Back East Brewery, please visit www.backeastbrewing.com
Marking its 70th Anniversary Season in 2013–2014, The Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is Connecticut’s premier musical organization. The Hartford Symphony is the second largest orchestra in New England and is widely recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. Under the musical direction of Carolyn Kuan, the HSO presents more than 100 concerts to over 120,000 people each year. For more information on the HSO, please visit www.hartfordsymphony.org. 

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Now that the days are good and long and our guests are enjoying the patio dining, warm temps and lighter dining options, it’s time to put aside the Porters and Stouts and enjoy some of the refreshing beer options for summer.  But what are summer beers?  Is there a definitive “summer brew” style like the all-powerful IPA style?  The answer, like all things in the beverage world, is a bit yes and a bit no.

Summer Beers are part of the large array of ‘seasonals’ produced by American brewers and we probably have Sam Adams to thank for making the seasonal “craft” brew category what it is today (Sam Adams Summer Ale is currently in rotation on draft at many Max locations, including Max’s Tavern in Springfield).  20 years ago there were really not many options for brewery specific summer beers, you just moved to a lighter style of beer, often by another brewer.  Now we have loads of options and the breweries do what ever they can t get you to stay with their brand, but are all summer beers made the same?  Doubtful.

Kölsch, Wheats and Fruited beers are probably the closest to true or classic warm weather styles, although there are many folks that would add other styles to this mix.  But let’s focus on these, as they can represent some of the best beer drinking during the warm months.

KÖLSCH – this style of beer comes from Koln, Germany, and is traditionally served icy cold in smaller, 8oz glasses to keep it cold-to-the-last-drop.  American brewers are recreating this style that is essentially an ale that has been lagered (cold stored to create a smooth, creamy texture).  Look for Flying Dog Tire Biter, Harpoon Summer (currently on draft at Max A Mia in Avon), Cpt Lawrence Kölsch, or for an authentic German style get the Reisdorff Kölsch (Max Burger Longmeadow).

WHEAT BEERS – a widely used grain, especially in southern Belgium and Germany, where the lightness and freshness of these beers, as well as their affinity for fruit, make them delightful for warm weather.  Arguably the best are the Hefeweizen styles from Germany, such as Schneider (Trumbull Kitchen) and Weihenstephaner (Max Burger Longmeadow), but great American examples can be found as well, such as Allagash (Max’s Oyster Bar), Victory Summer Love (in rotation at Max Burger West Hartford), Harpoon UFO (Max Downtown), and Southern Tier Hop Sun Wheat.

FRUITED BEERS – maybe not everybody’s cup of tea (so to speak) but fruit beers are very popular and sell like crazy this time of year.  The tradition comes down from Europe, especially Belgium, where many ingredients, not just fruit were added to beer to mask what was probably poor quality.  Over time these techniques and styles were perfected so the best are the Lambic styles from Belgium.  American brewers have been making delicious fruit beers in a variety of style for years, as well.  Look for Magic Hat #9, Hooker Watermelon, or Harpoon’s UFO Raspberry and 21st Amendment Watermelon (in the can at Max Burger Longmeadow).  Traditional Lambic from Lindemans are still popular, as well.

A side category to the fruited beers is the Shandy, which is a mix of beer and lemonade – usually 50/50.  This is a light, refreshing style that is low alcohol and easy to drink in the warm weather.  Pale Ales (such as Brewtus Maximus) are great here.  You can also add Ginger Beer to the mix instead of lemonade.  This is called a Gaff, or Shandy-Gaff, and is quite tasty if you like ginger.  Each of these beer drinks are available at any Max location, year round.

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Bottle conditioned ale is always a great choice as the inclusion of living yeast cells does any number of things to the beer over time – primarily adding complexity to the aromas and flavors.  This beer is called LIVE because those little yeasty guys are added to the bottle just before capping and they continue to make the beer so much more interesting as time goes by.  

This is a relatively new additional to the year-round selections from Southern Tier, a brewery that I have come to enjoy more and more as I taste through their products.  We have added this lovely Pale Ale to the lines at Max Burger West Hartford and Trumbull Kitchen this week, and will keep it rotating in from time to time at our other spots.  It just tastes great, is not heavy or full in style and is about as interesting as it gets.

Southern Tier Brewery operates out of Lakewood, NY, and has been making beers since 2002.  We rotate their beers through our lines on a regular basis.  You can check out their website at this link:  http://www.stbcbeer.com/

Cheers, Brian Mitchell

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