Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron - Beer Review

At 12 percent, this beer is ready to knock a strong man down. Is the Better Beer Authority man enough for this strong brown ale which is aged in a barrel made of Palo Santo wood from South America. Sam Calagione, brewer from the TV show "Brewmasters", presents us with a complex and challenging beer that may be a little too much for Joe 6-Pack.

Partial Transcript: "On Tap -- Palo Santo Marron

Hi. I'm James Knott and today we are talking about Palo Santo Marron from the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton Delaware. This year round release was first available in 2007.

It is 12% ABV, 50 IBUs and unfiltered. The brewery recommends drinking it from a pint glass. The name comes from the fact that the beer is aged in a 10,000 gallon brewing vessel made from Palo Santo wood from Paraguay. They say that the wood imparts notes of caramel and vanilla to the flavor.

In Spanish, "palo santo" means "holy tree" and "marron" means "brown". Dogfish Head describes it as a brown ale that is "highly roasty and malty".

Q&A Is Joe 6-pack going to like this beer? Does the Palo Santo aging make the flavor unique?

Palo Santo Marron gets a (???) on the BBA scale. What wood do you think is best for aging beer? Let us know in the comment section.

Thanks for watching. I'm James Knott and this is your Better Beer Authority."

Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter - Beer Review

On Tap -- Taddy Porter

Hi. I'm James Knott. Today we are drinking The Famous Taddy Porter from Samuel Smith's Old Brewery in Tadcaster, England. The brewery was opened in 1758. Sam Smith's beers are distributed in the U.S. by Merchant du Vin.

This English Porter is an ale and 5% ABV. The brewery says to look for the "intense, dry tangy character of roasted barley." It is sold in 18.7 oz and 12 oz bottles.

As a style, Porter originated in England in the 18th century. This dark beer was named because of its popularity among the transportation workers of the day, who were known as porters. Stout and porter are related beer styles. Stronger, darker porters were once known as "Stout porters" and the name was eventually shortened to stout.

Q&A

Taddy Porter gets a (???) on the BBA scale. Tell us about your favorite porter in the comment section. Thanks for watching. I'm James Knott and this is your Better Beer Authority.

Craft Beer in Bathtub Time Lapse

46 Bottles of tasty craft beer - 286 pounds of ice - over 80 hours of taping. This is the sequel to our popular "Beer in Bathtub Time Lapse" video that was featured on washingtoncitypaper.com. If you support craft beer brewers, then rate this five stars, favorite it, and share it on your facebook page. We were criticized by craft beer lovers for using Miller Lite in our first video, so we wanted to show our support for the craft beer industry - which we are big fans of! Can you name all eight brands of beer used in this video?

Yuengling Traditional Lager - Beer Review

Yuengling is the pride of Pennsylvania. A family owned brewery that is popular in the select states it's available in. Is this your beer of choice? What makes it so popular? Tune in and find out!


Yuengling is only available in 13 States and the District of Columbia, but despite it's limited distribution it is one of the largest breweries in the United States. The Better Beer Authority explores why this working man's beer from the heart of coal country in Pennsylvania has such enduring popularity.

Partial Transcript: "On Tap -- Yuengling Traditional Lager

Hi. I'm James Knott and today we are drinking Yuengling Traditional Lager -- sometimes shortened to just "Lager" if you live close to where it's made. This is the flagship beer from D. G. Yuengling and Son, Incorporated. - America's oldest brewery.

It was opened in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in 1829. The brewery survived prohibition by brewing "near" beer and several other non-beer products.

This amber lager is only available in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Despite Yuengling's limited ditribution, it is one of the the nation's largest breweries. Traditional Lager is 4.4% ABV and they brew with Cluster and Cascade hops.

Many on-line reviewers consider this to be an easy-drinking beer with decent flavor that is a step-up from many of the big American macrobrews.

Q&A

Yuengling Traditional Lager scores a (???) on the BBA scale. Pick some up next time your in the Keystone State. Do you wish Yuengling was available where you live? Let us know in the comment section.

Thanks for watching. I'm James Knott and this is your Better Beer Authority."

Dogfish Head Sah'tea - Beer Review

This beer breaks a lot of rules! It's based on a 9th Century Finnish recipe and believe you me - you haven't had a beer like this one lately. The strong unique flavor of this beer is a love it or hate it taste. Does the Better Beer Authority love it or hate it?

Partial Transcript: "On Tap -- Sah'Tea

Hi. I'm James Knott and today we are talking about Sah'tea from the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware. The brewery is known for experimenting with exotic and historic styles of beer and this brew falls into this category.

Sah-Tea is based on a 9th Century farmhouse ale from Finland called Sahti -- spelled S-A-H-T-I. The beer is 9% ABV, has 6 IBUs and is brewed with German Weizen yeast. There are several things that set this beer apart from many modern beers. Juniper berries are used as a bittering agent.

19th Century brewers had to us hot rocks to boil the wort since they couldn't boil their brews over a fire in a wooden barrel. Dogfish Head continues the tradition and boils the wort with white hot river rocks that founder Sam Caligione says adds a "carmelly, earthy" flavor to the beer.

Finally, the beer is finished by adding a sort of tea at the end of the boil made with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and black pepper.

Q&A

Sah'Tea gets a (???) on the BBA scale. Is this beer too far off the beaten path for your tastes? Let us know in the comment section. Thanks to Dave for bringing us the beer all the way from the Delmarva peninsula.

And, quick note, we'd like to take a moment to finally congratulate Chef on his engagement to part-time BBA camera woman and telepromptress Beth. Congratulations. Thanks for watching. I'm James Knott and this is your Better Beer Authority."

TGIF: The Magical Beer Bathtub

Check this out!!! Our "Beer in Bathtub Time Lapse" video was featured in the Washington City Paper. I think they put it best when they wrote "The ice melts in reverse, revealing hidden message. Utterly pointless? Absolutely. Sort of cool? Yeah, sure." Check out their website and make sure and watch the video if you haven't yet!  Here is the link:  TGIF: The Magical Beer Bathtub

Abita S.O.S. (Save Our Shore) - Beer Review

Do you like to think of yourself as a good person? Do you like to drink beer? Now you can be a good person and drink beer by purchasing Abita S.O.S. (Save our Shore). This "Charitable Pilsner" helps raise money for disaster relief from the Gulf Oil Spill. 75 cents from each bottle sold are donated. It's for a good cause, but is it good? Tune in and find out!

Partial Transcript: "On tap - Abita SOS

Hi. My name is James Knott and today we are drinking Abita SOS, also known as Save Our Shore - A Charitable Pilsner. It's brewed by the Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, LA - which was founded in 1986 and is 30 miles north of New Orleans.

SOS is a special release that helps raise money to help with the damage from Oil Spill in the Gulf. 75 cents from each bottle sold will be donated to the SOS charitable fund.

SOS has 7% ABV and 35 IBUs. The company describes it as an "unfiltered Weizen Pils". It used Pilner and wheat malts and is hopped and dry-hopped with Sterling and Perle hops. The brewery says to look for a "sweet malt flavor, and a pleasant bitterness."

Fun fact: The original pilsner beers come from the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic and were first brewed in the 1840s

Q&A - Is helping charity a good reason to drink beer? Most Americans think of pilsner as an American adjunct lager like Budweiser. How is this different? Can you taste the wheat malts?

Abita SOS scores a (???) on the BBA scale. Buy it and help a good cause - if you're into that kind of thing? Tell us about your favorite pilsner - or charity - in the comment section."