Three down and three to go in “The History of Beer in America” collection my father gave me for Christmas. Tonight I thought I’d be a little wild and go for the porter. I was tired of the lighter beers and wanted something that was a little heftier. Tonight I’m reviewing the Piedmont Porter by MDII in Rochester, NY. Sorry, I still don’t have any reputable information about this alleged brewery.

We have our standard 12 oz brown bottle with a yellowed label made to look like paper from the 1860s. There is a lot of information on the label; the main thing is that there is a logo of an eagle at the top with the name of the beer under it.

When poured into a glass it has a very nice dark brown color with rich garnet highlights. A half in thick tan head consisting of a mix of fine and large bubbles formed that faded slowly into a film on the top of the beer. There was some lacing on the side of the glass that lasted for the duration.

The smell was a little weak. What was detectable was a combination of malts, coffee and a touch of sweet molasses. There were other aromas mixed in, but they were too weak to be able to discern. The taste was mostly coffee malts. There was a slight bitterness to it of burnt grains that really wasnÂ’t all that flattering. This really didnÂ’t taste like a porter.

This is a medium bodied beer. It really didnÂ’t have the typical coating or mouth feel one would think of in a porter.

If Miller or Anheuser-Busch made a porter, it probably would be like this. Nothing all that special, itÂ’s darker in color and has a slight porter taste. Over all I give this beer a 4 out of 10.

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We’re back to beer from “The History of Beer in America” collection that my father gave me for Christmas. This evening’s selection is Hole in the Rock by MDII in Rochester, NY. I gave up trying to find out who this actually is. After doing some research I’m pretty sure it’s a pseudonym. It appears that different breweries are contracted to make the beer for Sam’s Club.

It came in a standard 12 oz brown bottle. The label is shaded and made to look like aged paper. There is a picture of a steamship heading down a river with a cave in the background. The name of the beer is at the top. The bottom of the label claims “Marzen Style Lager Beer”.

It is a copper colored beer. ItÂ’s clear with no signs of sediment of cloudiness. There was a thin head when poured that faded to nothing. No lacing formed on the side of the glass.

There is a slight malty scent to the beer. If you concentrate you smell breads and a sweetness that reminded me of grapes. The flavor was weak and not very notable. It tasted like a standard lager, mostly malts with a touch of citrus hops.

This is a light bodied beer. It was watery and left no coating at all. It drinks easy enough, but itÂ’s very nondescript.

This is just your standard generic beer. ItÂ’s nothing special to write about, but it is drinkable. IÂ’m not sure exactly how they figure itÂ’s a Marzen style beer, as you really canÂ’t taste it. I give it 3.5 out of 10.

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IÂ’m very excited about tonightÂ’s beer review. ItÂ’s a very historic moment here at Miasmatic Review as far as my beer reviews go; this one is 3,000 years in the making! After much anticipation I will be reviewing Midas Touch by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. This beer is made using a recipe that is based on the residue at the bottom of excavated drinking vessels.

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! Our recipe showcases the known ingredients of barley, white Muscat grapes, honey & saffron found in the drinking vessels in King Midas' tomb!Â…

Â….Under a huge mound at the capital of Gordion, a University of Pennsylvania Museum expedition in 1957 excavated an intact burial chamber which likely belonged to King Midas himself. The body of a 60-year-old male was laid out in state on a thick pile of purple and blue-dyed textiles inside a unique log coffin.

Most remarkably, the tomb held the largest Iron Age drinking set ever found--157 vessels, including a ram-headed and lion-headed situla--for preparing, serving, drinking and libating a special beverage at the funerary feast of the king. The secrets of the beverage were revealed by the new methods of Molecular Archaeology. Dr. Patrick McGovern of the Museum discovered that the residues inside the vessels belonged to a "Phrygian cocktail," which combined grape wine, barley beer and honey mead. Starting with the ancient chemical evidence, Dogfish Head Brewery "re-created" a marvelous golden elixir, truly touched by King Midas.

The first time I heard about this beer was on the History Channel as they talked about the history of brewing. At that time I had difficulty trying to find some, as it is a limited production base. Fortunately for me a local store received a shipment and I was able to pick up a four pack of it.

It comes in the standard 12 oz brown bottle. There is purple label with a golden fingerprint on it. The name of the beer is imposed over the fingerprint. At the bottom of the label it states, “Handcrafted Ancient Ale. With Barley, honey, White Muscate Grapes and Saffron.” It also proudly claims it’s 9% Alcohol by Volume.

There is a nice golden amber color to it. ItÂ’s clear, with no cloudiness or sediment detectable at all. Light passes through easily. When itÂ’s poured it formed a quarter inch white head that fades quickly. There is no lacing or film on the top of the beer after a couple of minutes.

The scent to this beer is like none I’ve experienced before. It’s a fruity mix of grapes (like wine), a touch of honey, some malts and a hint of alcohol. The taste is a very complex mix. It’s sweet beer/wine/mead combination. You can taste the grapes, honey and malts. There is no bitterness, but there is a strong spice taste and at 9% ABV it shouldn’t be a surprise you can just taste the alcohol. The taste makes me think of a parody of the old Reese’s Peanut Butter cup commercials. “You got your wine in my mead! No you got your mead in my wine! (Takes a drink) HEY!”

This is a medium body beer. There is a nice tingly carbonation to it that really opens up the flavor. It is very smooth to drink, which with the high ABV, could lead to problems.

IÂ’m happy to say this beer did not let me down. It wasnÂ’t exactly what I was expecting, but then again I wasnÂ’t sure what to expect. I found it to be a very satisfying beer. I donÂ’t know how much of it I could drink in one sitting, but itÂ’s pretty damn good. I give it 7 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:32 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Interesting. I wonder if they sell it here. My husband might like it. I'll have to look around for it. But it IS Massachusetts... *sigh*

Posted by: Teresa at February 13, 2008 09:18 PM (rVIv9)

2 So the question is,.....was it worth the wait, the pain, the and the torture to finally get it? *Thinks back to the great beer hunt of 2007 in Knoxville*

Posted by: BloodSpite at February 14, 2008 09:43 AM (pOo0j)

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My latest blogspawn, Petey of PeteyÂ’s Powderhorn, sponsored tonightÂ’s selection. He gave it to me at Winter Camp a month ago, and I wanted to wait until he started his blog so I could give him proper credit. TonightÂ’s brew is Samuel AdamÂ’s Black Lager.

Sam AdamÂ’s uses a 12 oz brown bottle, but theirs is custom with the/a signature of Samual Adams molded into the glass. It has a black and gold label with the name of the beer in the middle and a picture of Sam Adams at the bottom.

This is a very dark beer, almost stout like with its very dark brown coloring. What light that passes through has a garnet red coloring to it. There is no floating or impurities; itÂ’s just a thick beer. Almost no head formed when I poured it into the glass. What there was had a tan color with very fine bubbles. It left no lacing on the side of the glass.

The smell is mainly of caramel and chocolate malts. A touch of smokiness and a hint of coffee are also detectable. Chocolate and caramel malts is the main flavor of the beer, a slight hop spice puts a nice finish to it. The aftertaste is mild and fades quickly. What bitterness there is doesnÂ’t last long.

This is a medium to heavy bodied beer. There is a slight creaminess to it that coats the mouth when you drink it. ItÂ’s not as thick as your typical stouts, but this isnÂ’t a stout. ItÂ’s probably one of the more full-bodied lagers IÂ’ve tasted.

IÂ’m generally not a big Samuel AdamÂ’s fan, but Petey kept telling me to try this one. To be honest, itÂ’s a pretty good beer. I was more than pleasantly surprised with it. ItÂ’s almost like itÂ’s trying to be a stout, but fell just short. I really enjoyed this beer and owe Petey one for introducing it to me; I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

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