This may be the first time I’ve ever ventured into Town Hall Brewery and been completely entranced by a beer not crafted by their own distinguished brewers.
At this evening’s First Tuesday Beer Club meeting, several of my friends commandeered a table on Town Hall’s patio overlooking the bustling traffic and noise of Seven Corners. It was a very nice evening, a gentle breeze the only reminder of the light rain that had quickly passed through parts of the city.
By the time I arrived, my friends had already lit into a sampler platter of Town Hall’s finest, including their Maibock, Golden Leaf Pale Ale, and ESB. But these beers weren’t the ones that caught my attention, fine and respectable in their own right as they were. After working my way through a couple Town Hall offerings, we ordered a glass of Hofstetten Granitbock, a very unique doppelbock from a tiny little brewery in Austria, and it completely caught me off guard in how original and delicious it was.
What really sets this beer apart is more the process in which they make it. During the boil, the brewers drop white-hot granite stones into the wort to help caramelize some of the sugars, an age-old Austrian tradition known as “stein bier” that dates back to the Middle Ages. From there, they ferment the beer in 200-year-old open stone troughs, resulting in a beer unlike most you’ve ever had before.
Poured with a very thin head and a beautiful rich chestnut coloring into a bowled glass. The aroma was distinctively mineraly, certainly leeched from the granite, with complex notes of sweet caramel and biscuit. Didn’t pick up much in the way of hops. The taste is that of toffee and dark fruits, very reminiscent of Chimay Red minus the yeast. You also pick up a little smoke in the background, again probably from the white-hot stones caramelizing the sugars in the wort. Despite the small head, the mouthfeel and carbonation levels were nice, giving this 7.3% ABV doppelbock a nice and creamy finish.
Stop into Town Hall and sample some before they run out.
Rating: A-
May 6, 2009 at 6:43 am
DFH’s newest beer Sahta is going to be made with a hot stone process too.
May 6, 2009 at 7:33 am
Yeah they just put up videos. Looking forward to Sahtea.
In other news, it’s going to be really hard to put into words how good Darklord was. My review might need to wait until I have one more bottle. But I think Abyss and Darkness might of been a tad bit better. Hrmm.
May 6, 2009 at 9:13 am
I might have to try this tonight. I usually never have their guest taps but I might have to make an exception with this. What did you think of the Mai Bock? Meh, either I am sick of them or it was too malty. I really like the Golden Leaf though.
May 6, 2009 at 9:13 am
At first taste, I thought Dark Lord was far superior to Darkness. But now I’m not as convinced the more I’ve had a chance to try it. They’re fairly different beers…Darkness much sweeter, Dark Lord more hoppy. I guess Dark Lord 2009 could stand some aging, though.
May 6, 2009 at 9:16 am
Not a huge fan of maibocks in general, but Town Hall’s was much better than Summit’s version, in my opinion. I agree on Golden Leaf, nice and hoppy for a pale ale, I was pleasantly surprised.
May 6, 2009 at 10:12 am
Yup 2 bottles will go away to age. I feel the need to break open another bottle soon though. =)
I know when I had Darkness I was very impressed, like blown away. Darklord is fantastic but I wasen’t like blown away like I was with Darkness or Abyss.
June 15, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I’ll be trying the GranitBock this week. I’m concerned about the price though, they want $14 for a half liter bottle…yikes!
June 15, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I’ve tried the Hofstetten Kubelbier and thought it was pretty good. It has a somewhat unique flavor and I could see how some people wouldn’t like it. In case you’re interested, you can get the Kubelbier on tap at Cafe Katja’s in NYC for $8 for a half liter and $14 for a liter…good deal, IMHO.