Dogfish Head Indian Brown - the most yumtacular beer ever?

What's my favorite beer of all time?

For this final installment of the Exceptional Brew (at least, in print form), allow me to let you in on an exciting, criminally underrated beer that just so happens to be number one on my list of yumtacular beers.

The holder of this title: Indian Brown Ale by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware.

I was able to find this bottle of joy at Happy's Market here in Ellensburg, though any beer vendor worth its weight in barley malt will most likely carry it.

Dogfish Head has an amazing repertoire, all of which is listed on their website. These guys tackle everything from traditional lagers to fruit/beer combinations to traditional barleywine. As far as I'm concerned, Indian Brown easily beats them all.

Beer dealers, legendary brews, Scotch Ale, whatnot

Some people have drug dealers. I have a beer dealer.

His name is Jeremy. You can read his weekly column in the "Opinion" tab on the CWU Observer Web site (of which I am the Scene Editor, if you care to know) - observer.cwu.edu.

I'm not the only one I know with a beer dealer. Beer dealers are required for those who enjoy a particular non-mass-produced beer that is not available in their area. You need a beer dealer to obtain what I call a "legendary brew" - a beer that you've only had a small number of times in your life, due to its inaccessibility - and you spend your life pining for it.

I can safely call Fat Scotch Ale a legendary brew. Part of the legend is the fact that neither I, nor you, can buy it anywhere outside of the Silver City Brewery in Silverdale, Wash. Anytime I've had this beer, it's been through a dealer. One of my dad's coworkers was my first dealer. Jeremy, who lives near the brewery, is my new dealer.

When I first tried this beer about two and a half years ago, I loudly proclaimed that this was not only the best beer I ever had, but probably the best beer I would ever have. I honestly felt like my tastebuds were reconfigured, and that I could never enjoy a beer the same way after being by Fat Scotch Ale.

Beer and food, food and beer / Moose Drool Brown Ale

What beer goes with Twinkies?

If you’re ever uttered those words to yourself, congratulations. You are experiencing beer to the fullest.

A good food/beer pairing is extremely rewarding for beer cacahuates. Some may consider this an unusual practice. These people also think all beer tastes the same ("I hate that 'beer' taste!"). But you’re better than that. Since beer and food both come in all flavors and textures, there’s no reason why you couldn’t pair them. But before you find the perfect barleywine to go with your Jelly Bellies, let's start with the basics.

The idea here is either to provide balance, or complement the food. Light lagers and hefeweizens provide cool, fizzy relief from food that will destroy your palette (like super-hot dishes). Your hoppier pale ales tend to work for fried foods, as the bitterness cuts through the greasiness of the food. Big, black beers are awesome with ribs, steaks and other savory red meats.

Olde School Barleywine - Beer with an identity crisis

There are an estimated gabillion beer styles on this planet.

Part of the fun of being a true beer fan involves the desire to try every style that’s out there, even if it means having to take a few risks. At best, you discover a new province in the world of beers. At worst, you suffer through the dreaded ordeal of the sink-pour (bad form, Smee…bad form).

For this week’s Exceptional Brew, I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone – I decided to try a style of beer that is completely alien to me, and one that many beer freaks might not be too familiar with: the barleywine.

Barleywine? Even the name “barleywine” is troublesome. So, is it wine? If it’s wine, did someone add barley to it? Or is barley used in place of fruit? The combination of wine and barley sounds disgusting.

I can assure you this: my pick for this week, Olde School Barleywine from Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE, is NOT disgusting.

But it is the most puzzling brew I’ve ever had, and even as of this writing, I’m not completely sure of how to rank it.

Dale's Pale Ale - canned beer that actually tastes GOOD?

Good canned beer? This creature exists?

The idea of beer in a can has a bit of a bad rap amongst people who consider themselves true beer cacahuates. But can you blame them? What do YOU think of when you picture canned beer?

I think of dirt and body odor. I think of people giving lots of high fives. I think of that one guy who’s at the Tav everytime you go there, having a grand old time by himself and slurring a pass at a young girl who doesn’t even hear it. I think of gross beer.
One of the all-time worst tasting brews in beer connoisseur circles – simply, amusingly, called “Beer” – was sold exclusively in cans.

But due to today’s more advanced canning technologies, some microbrewers are seeing some benefits in canning their brews.

Ellensburg's WinterHop BrewFest - Some exceptional picks...

I've never been to a brew festival before. Nobody believes me.

When Observer advisor Cynthia Mitchell offered me a ticket to last Saturday's WinterHop BrewFest in Ellensburg in exchange for a shiny new beer column dedicated to it, I wasn't sure whether to expect a legion of drunken frat boys or stuffy self-proclaimed "aficionados" (both of which I feel positively yucky around). Thankfully, I witnessed a great variety of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and hues...bonded by the adventurous spirit that craft beer evokes.

In Ellensburg, the WinterHop BrewFest is hosted in not one big location, but in retail establishments and places of business all over Ellensburg. Everywhere from furniture outlets to an eye clinic to an art gallery with very expensive breakable artwork, beer was featured all over Ellensburg. The primary focus: Winter beers. Big, malty, hoppy, unruly beer - beer that stays with you for a while. My favorite. Mama mia. Let'se go.

Welcome to part two of Beer Styles 101.

Last week, we began by tackling the two big styles - lagers and ales - as well as some of the more popular ales that most micro-brewers produce.

This week, let’s go over some more of the other beer styles you may have heard of, probably during a conversation with a beer snob.

Hopefully after this informal lesson, no longer will you name-drop Rolling Rock when talking about your favorite pale ale.

Onward...