My editor wisely decided that a 540-page book might be a bit much, so it was scaled back. Herein are some of the beer descriptions that had to be cut for space. This is an addendum to the book – if you don't have The Brewmaster's Table, I'm afraid that this is not a replacement, though you can think of it as a preview. If you do have the book, then you'll find these entries in the same order as they appeared there. These beers and breweries are not necessarily less "notable" than the ones that were retained for publication, but decisions had to be made. These days, fortunately, material cut from films can end up on the DVD version, and material cut from books can find a second life on a website. I hope this addendum enhances your enjoyment of The Brewmaster's Table.

Notable Bavarian Weissbier Producers

Hacker-Pschorr

Years before Heineken swallowed up Paulaner, Paulaner swallowed Munich rival Hacker- Pschorr. Not surprisingly, Hacker-Pschorr's beers are similar to Paulaner's. Hacker- Pschorr Weisse is reddish gold with orangey highlights. Classic clove and banana aromas abound, along with a hint of tangerine. On the palate, the flavors are light and clean, with sweetness in the center and a bone-dry finish. Very respectable, and also a good brunch choice. Hacker-Pchorr Weisse Dark shows a bit more sweetness and a touch of caramel, while some smokiness is evident in the nose. This is a better choice for pork and for traditional Mexican dishes made with roasted chilies. They also produce a Weisse Kristall, which is a filtered version of their regular weissbier. The Kristall is clear and dark gold in color with an insistent foaminess. The aroma is faintly clovey and there's a hint of banana and some surprising hop notes. The carbonation fairly sizzles on the palate, then sweet malt shows through. The finish is dry and crisp. It's not as complex as a good hefeweizen, but it's flavorful and undeniably refreshing – a lawnmower beer for connoisseurs. It also makes an elegant apertif – serve it in Champagne glasses and watch with satisfaction as it matches all your hors d'oeuvres.

Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

In the mid 1800's, brothers Gabriel and Josef Sedlmeyer owned two of Munich's largest and most influential breweries. Josef Sedlmeyer had acquired the former Franciscan monastery brewery, while his older brother had inherited the Spaten brewery from their father. In 1922, the two breweries were joined, forming the current company. The brewery is colloquially known as Spaten, but they have retained the name Franziskaner for their weissbiers. Franzinskaner Hefe- Weisse is pale orange and a bit less hazy than most Bavarian weissbiers. The nose is full of bubblegum fruitiness, backed by a hint of smoke. The bitterness is very restrained, but a wheaty acidity lends a refreshing tang to the palate. The acidity gives the beer good cutting power, and it pairs nicely with salads and oily fish.

Pinkus Muller

This brewery has always marched to its own drummer, an unusual and admirable attribute in a country of conservative brewers. It was founded in Munster in 1816, and six generations later it is still a family affair. The brewery, which has a large tavern attached, is famous for its distinctive beers, which are brewed from organic ingredients. Pinkus Muller Organic Hefe- Weizen is pale gold in color with a slight veil of yeast. The aromatics are unique – more peaches and apricots than the usual bananas and cloves. Bitterness is low, with some acidity stepping in to balance the sweet malt center. The resulting flavor is sweet and sour, and quite fruity. It's eccentric, but tasty. Try it with fresh goat cheese, duck a l'orange, or fish prepared in a citrus- based sauce.

Kiuchi Brewery

Kiuchi is a member of the new generation of Japanese craft breweries stepping beyond the limited range of flavors available in Japanese lagers. Kiuchi produces Hitachino Nest Weizen, a yeasty pumpkin-orange beer sporting an aroma of bananas and oranges. Relatively sharp hopping signals a departure from Bavaria, and the palate is full-bodied with plenty of fruit and a zesty acidity that lingers into the aftertaste. A brash and delicious take on the weissbier style, great with chef's salads, salade Niçoise, salmon, fried fish and calamari. And, of course, sushi.

Notable Belgian Witbier Producers

Sterkens

The family-owned Sterkens brewery is in the Belgian village of Meer, in the far north of the country. According to an old prayer book, the Sterkens family have been brewing in Meer since at least 1731, when Frans Sterkens is noted as a brewer in the town. Until 40 years ago, the family also farmed, but they gave it up to concentrate on brewing. The Sterkens have their hands in several European and Asian breweries, and their beers are widely exported. Recently, Leen Sterkens has been working on opening a brewpub in Florida, making her the famy's first female brewmaster. The Sterkens brewery is best known for lines of abbey beers under the St. Paul and St. Sebastiaan labels, but they also produce a wheat beer under their own name. Sterkens White Ale depicts a monk on the label, but it's a traditional witbier, hazy yellow, with a lemon-drop nose backed by bready wheat and a hint of chamomile. A light acidity balances out juicy, sweet orangey flavors in an off-dry core. Bitterness is scarcely noticeable, but the beer is racy and brisk, sliding into a long, lemony finish. A perfect beer for salads, brunchy egg dishes, oysters and shrimp.

De Brabandere

Best known for their Petrus line of abbey-atyle beers, the family-owned Brouwerij De Brabandere of Bavikhove also brew Bavik Wit, which is marketed in the U.S. as Wittekerke. Over the years, I've occasionally seen witbiers offered in cans, and Wittekerke is among them. Poured into a glass it looks terrific, glowing hazy, greenish-gold, and claims to remember nothing about a can, thank you very much. In the nose, the orange peel takes a back seat as coriander leaps to the fore. Light bitterness strikes up front, making way for a smooth, zippy palate combining bitter oranges with sweet spices, coriander still leading the charge. The finish is snappy and quick, but nutmeg and coriander flavors linger, along with a slight astringency. This interpretation is less citric than most; it's more of a showcase for the spice flavors. This makes it great with Indian dishes, and it's robust enough to handle yoghurt-based sauces like raita. Wittekerke is also excellent with complex Mexican dishes, where it brings plenty of earthy spice to the party.

Abbaye des Rocs

This brewery, located in Montignies-sur-Roc in the province of Hainaut, is best known for its strong beer named after the brewery. The abbey is long gone, but the brewery produces a few abbey-ish beers and a witbier called Blanche de Honnelles. It has an unusual deep gold color and an orangey, malty aroma. Little spice is evident. It has a full, round palate with light bitterness countering a full, malty sweetness. The sweetness follows through into a clean finish. At 6 percent, this is not a typical witbier, and the deep color makes me wonder whether the wheat might be malted rather than raw. If you're looking for "light and spritzy", this won't be your choice, but I found it very good with asadero, a Mexican dish of chicken and onions in a chili-infused cream sauce.

Brasserie Dupont

This brilliant little brewery is best known for its spectacular Saison Dupont, but also produces many other specialties and is constantly experimenting. Until recently, despite two trips to the brewery, I didn't know that they produced a witbier, but I should not have been surprised. Their organically produced Blanche de Hainaut has a full yellow color and a bright nose of oranges and cantaloupe melon. On the palate, it shows a light but cracking bitterness up front, leading into a dry, spritzy, fruity center, and a dry, orangey finish. The Dupont house style, bone-dry and complex, is in full effect here. This is a classical witbier, great with quesadillas, omelettes and salads.

Notable British Bitter, Pale Ale and India Pale Ale Producers

Gale's

Nestled into the gentle Hampshire countryside ten miles from Portsmouth and the sea, the village of Horndean retains a Victorian feel. So does the local brewery, George Gale & Company, a classic brick structure built in 1847. Beer is brewed and fermented in a hodgepodge of vessels, some lined with oak, some with copper, and others with stainless steel. Many of the vessels are as old as the brewery itself, parts of which have the feel of a brewing history museum. The smell of 150 years of brewing is imbedded in the very walls – it's an aroma I've always admired. The brewery's flagship, Gale's HSB, properly named Horndean Special Bitter, is a beautiful deep amber beer with a light carbonation and lacy head. The palate is very dry with broad bitterness capturing the sides of the tongue while light biscuity malts play juicily through the center. It goes out clean and dry, with a little twinge of acidity. That refreshing zing of acidity is a trademark of the Gale's house yeast strain, and helps make this beer particularly enjoyable with food. It's terrific with roast beef, chicken or turkey sandwiches. At the dinner table, it's very nice with roast beef and lamb, and it has enough bitterness to take on a steak. English sausages – real ones, not the cereal-stuffed breakfast variety – and shepherd's pie will demand no less.

Notable British Brown and Mild Ale Producers

Whim Ales

The Whim Ale brewery was opened in 1993 on the Whim Farm in Hartington, Derbyshire by Giles Litchfield. Soon thereafter, Mr. Litchfield purchased the Broughton Brewery in the Scottish border country. Whim's wide range of beers have become widely available in their local area. The only one to make an appearance in the States is Old Izaak, a beer named after Sir Izaak Walton, the 17th century author of The Compleat Angler. Ironically, it's hard to see this beer as a nice complement to fish. Old Izaak has an intriguing reddish-brown color tinged with orange. The head is thick and rocky, and the nose is profoundly malty, with waves of hops and malt underneath. It smells deep and rich – the palate braces for a display of power. Instead, the light-bodied beer slides along the tongue on rails of light carbonation and roast acidity, which dovetail with restrained hopping. The promised malt flavor is there in the center, but bone-dry and biscuity rather than unctuous and powerful. Caramel leads the way to along, dry finish showing a light grip of grain-husk tannins. This is a nice choice for steaks, burgers, straightforward venison and lamb preparations, and just about anything with mushrooms, which will pick up on that earthy, malty aroma. A compleat angler might hope to hook a monkfish and serve him up with morels and bacon.

Notable British and Irish Porter and Stout Producers

St. Peter's Brewery

St. Peter's Brewery was founded in 1996 at St. Peter's Hall, an East Anglian moated great house dating from the 13th century. Determined to be noticed from the start, they put their beers in distinctive flask-shaped oval bottles, copied from an 18th century bottle that they had originally planned to use in a display. Their traditional beers have been well-received, and they are now starting to show up here. St. Peter's Old-Style Porter revives the origins of the porter style – the beer is a blend of a light ale and a darker, stronger aged beer. It has a mahogany brown color and the nose is a pleasant burst of spicy hops, chocolate and bubblegum. Zippy bitterness and acidity balance out caramel flavors on a relatively light malt frame. The beer races into a dry, snappy finish. This is a rather bright interpretation that will partner well with grilled shrimp, fried fish, salmon steaks, beefsteaks and mature cheddar.

Hambleton Ales

What is it with the British and their beer names? This beer is called Nick Stafford's Nightmare Yorkshire Porter – it sounds more like a name for a race horse than a beer (perhaps it is – there's a horse on the label, though it looks rather threatening). "Nightmare" doesn't sound very appetizing, but Hambleton Ales hail from the nice- sounding town of Holme-on-Swale in North Yorkshire. Nick Stafford and his wife Sally opened the brewery in 1991, originally on Sally's parents' property in Holme.Their deep ruby-brown porter raises a rocky tan head. Coffee, caramel, and chocolate lurk behind a classic earthy-fruity English hop aroma. The bitterness is assertive and bracing, supporting the caramel and chocolate flavors through the center. The finish is long and dry, with hops and caramel lingering. An excellent beer for oysters, ham, and flavorful steaks.

Swale Brewery

John Davidson opened this microbrewery in Milton in 1995 and moved to Sittingbourne, Kent when he needed room to expand. Production is still on a very small scale, and their handmade beers have won several well-deserved awards. Swale's Whitstable Oyster Stout has a beautiful watercolor painting on the label; it depicts a group of hardy oystermen walking their haul in from the surf. Below them is a pronouncement that the beer is "A Perfect Accompaniment to Whitstable Oysters." The beer is black and lightly carbonated, with a pronounced aroma of coffee, chocolate and hops. The flavors are dry, light and cheerful, with pleasantly astringent bitterness and acidity carrying the roasted flavors through to a dry finish. Indeed, this would be very nice with oysters. Also try it with roast beef and ham.

Broughton Ales

All of the beers from this Scottish microbrewery seem to be named after fanciful Scottish characters, so this time we get Broughton Kinmount Willie (don't ask). This is an oatmeal stout with a pleasant grainy aroma featuring chocolate and fruity hop notes. The palate is snappy, with a hard, dry mineral character. Roast acidity and racy bitterness fling the beer into a quick dry finish. Like all of Broughton's beers, this one seems to call for salt – you can oblige with a fine prosciutto or Serrano ham. It's also a very good beer for oysters and crab cakes.

Freeminer Brewery

Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout is from a small West Country brewery located in the Forest of Dean, an area known for its independent-minded coal-mining communities (which were very memorably depicted in Dennis Potter's "The Singing Detective"). Bottle conditioning produces a finely beaded carbonation and fluffy mousse of a head. The aroma is tantalizing, a dusky mix of chocolate, coffee, strawberries and roses. There's more than a hint of Burgundy Pinot Noir in that nose. A thin live wire of bitterness snaps your tongue to attention as the fluffy carbonation blooms on your palate. The flavor is just like a great cup of espresso – snappy, bone-dry and almost severe. The finish is sharp and clean and leaves the palate buzzing, asking "what just happened?" A strong (6 percent), gutsy and delicious beer to match with very flavorful oysters, well-aged hams, robust sausages and Stilton.

Mackeson

When the words "original" and "genuine" bark out at you from a label, one has to suspect that something's not quite what it seems. In its native England, Mackeson Triple Stout is produced by Whitbread, but the version found here is brewed in Cincinnati, Ohio by the Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery, now owned by the Boston Beer Company, brewers of Samuel Adams. This beer is one of the few survivors of the old "milk stout" style – old labels depicted a milk urn on the label. It pours like motor oil and raises a thick brown head. It smells just like a chocolate malted – cocoa, caramel, cream and butter. The addition of unfermentable milk sugars has keft the palate quite sweet, with good development of butterscotch and mocha flavors in the center. There are just enough hops here to provide some balance. The finish remains sweet, but a twinge of hops and acidity clip it off neatly. Milk stouts would once have been considered restorative, but to the modern palate, this beer is too sweet by itself; it needs to be paired with food. It will disappear into chocolate mousses and soufflés or provide a sweet chocolate counterpoint to more austere dark chocolate desserts. It's also a fine partner to fruit tarts and cheesecake.

Broughton Ales

The village of Broughton is in the Scottish border country and gives its name to the local microbrewery, which was founded in 1980 by seventh-generation brewer David Younger. The somewhat kitchy labels will remind you of production drawings for "Braveheart" and the names aren't any better, but the beers are solidly brewed. Merlin's Ale is a pale, honey-colored beer with a deep malt aroma reminiscent of Wheatena hot cereal. The carbonation is very gentle and bitterness is light but mouthcoating, with an impression of bicarbonate water. The medium- bodied palate is biscuity and very dry, riding the bicarbonate flavor out to a long, dry finish. That bicarbonate character just begs for salt – try this with ham, prosciutto or whipped salt cod. It's also a nice beer for lunchtime sandwiches.

The term "jock" apparently derives from the traditional familiar name for the tough soldiers of the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands. Somehow, this doesn't prevent Broughton's "Old Jock" from contending for the title of "world's worst beer name". The beer itself is russet- brown, with a malt and juicyfruit aroma showing a faint hint of smoke. The palate is sweet, full- bodied and malty, with the smoke note growing stronger and melding with the fruit. There's a final little burst of fruit in the off-dry finish. Those smoky flavors will do an excellent job of matching barbecue, and will also be tasty with hanger steak, leg of lamb, pork loin or belly, duck, foie gras, and venison.

Broughton's Black Douglas isn't black; it's ruby-mahogany and carries a pleasant aroma of caramel, chocolate and biscuits. The nose leads you to expect something sweet, but the palate is quite dry, showing high caramel and roasted malts in a juicy medium-bodied center. That bicarbonate character is back in evidence and propels the beer to a very clean, dry finish. Again, there seems to be a need for salt – baked ham or prosciutto would work wonderfully here. This would also be nice with many traditional Mexican dishes, where the austere maltiness will match up with nuts and counterpoint the chilies. For lunch, serve ham and swiss sandwiches on dark bread. Even though this is a dark beer, its roast character seems perfect for grilled shrimp or even grilled lobster – they develop a smoky sweetness that this beer would match perfectly. Another nice match would be monkfish, which has an earthy flavor that many chefs will accentuate with dark, earthy preparations, many of them featuring mushrooms.

Brasserie Silly

Stop your chuckling; the name is pronounced "see-yee". At 8%, Scotch Silly is serious enough. It's bottle-conditioned and made an escape attempt when I opened it. Once in the glass, it calmed down, showing a bright amber-red color and deeply malty nose packed with raisins set off by a faint smokiness. The palate is quite sweet, with hops merely providing some balance. Complex raisiny fruit and caramel romp through the center and the beer is true to itself in the finish, going out long and sweet. Somehow, this seems quintessentially Scottish in character, reflecting 1800's Scottish brewing more than modern Scottish brewing. Which, of course, is very Belgian of the brewers at Silly. Try this with seared foie gras or foie gras terrine, or with caramel or chocolate desserts.

AleSmith

J.P. Gray's Wee Heavy Scottish Ale is another masterpiece from tiny AleSmith of San Diego. The beer has a deep mahogany color and a complex aroma of malt, smoke, chocolate, figs and raisins. The palate opens up soft, round and somewhat sweet, but bitterness rises to balance out the malt. Burnt caramel and biscuity, smoky malts emerge and the flavors dry out, marching into a long, warming dry finish. Magnificent. The hops are slightly assertive for a supposedly Scottish beer, but combined with its strength of 9 percent, ample hopping gives it ageing potential that will pay dividends for years. Serve it with venison, buffalo, moose or other strong game. It will also be a good partner for a very flavorful steak, hanger steak in particular. After dinner, it will be splendid with semi- hard cow's or sheep's-milk cheeses – try it with well-aged Gouda.

Harviestoun

In 1985, two homebrewers set up a brewery in a 200-year-old stone cowshed in the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. Their beers became popular locally, and in 1991 they were able to install a new brewhouse, out of which they brew a wide range of beers, including a rather tasty cask-conditioned lager. I could easily place Harviestoun Old Engine Oil in the Scottish ales section, but it also fits the profile of a classic old ale. It's nearly black, with red highlights peeking through. The aroma is amazing, hay-like earthy hops with deep malt and chocolate – the effect is like putting your head into a big bag of malted milk balls. The palate opens up sweet, rich, round, malty and chocolaty, with gentle hopping pulling it into balance. There's a flourish or roast acidity and mild coffee in the clean finish. At 6 percent, one might expect a bit more fruit, but Scottish ales tend to fermented at cool temperatures, and fruit is often muted. This beer has just enough cutting power to take on a steak or venison, and will be excellent with sausages, ham, Mexican mole sauces, and mildly chocolaty desserts such as chocolate mousse or soufflé.

Harvey & Son

It seems very appropriate that a fine barleywine should emerge from Harvey's, with its fine Victorian Gothic edifice. Harvey's is one of England's more inventive and experimental breweries, and head brewer Miles Jenner enjoys producing seasonal and commemorative specialties. Harvey's Elizabethan Ale was originally brewed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's last Jubilee. It has a pretty, rosy brown color, and a port-like aroma of dark fruit, burnt raisins, malt, hay and sweet loam. Softly, softly it arrives, round, rich and powerful, sweet and juicy, surrounding the tongue like a cloak of velvet. The hops arrive late, gently, along with the acidity of the concentrated malt, and lead into a long, off-dry finish. This bottle is four years old and it certainly had another four years in it. You could serve it with crème brulee or panna cotta, but frankly, it's probably too good for dessert. Serve it by itself as a digestif or with good Stilton cheese.

BridgePort Brewery

Portland, Oregon might seem like an odd place to go looking for British old ales, but the BridgePort brewery does a fine job of brewing beers with authentically English flavor profiles. Their old ale, BridgePort Ebenezer Ale, is brewed for the holiday season. It has a full red color and a hoppy, earthy, fruity nose with spice notes. Rich and rounded, it wraps the tongue in fruity malts. Sweetness appears fleetingly before judicious hopping balances it out and dries the palate. Juicy caramel shows in the center and leads out to a dry, hoppy finish. It seems a bit of a shame that this bottle-conditioned beer isn't available year-round, but then again, anticipation is part of the pleasure of seasonal beers. At 6.4 percent, Ebenezer Ale is relatively hefty, but it carries its strength gracefully. It's a terrific beer to pair with grilled steak, barbecue, and burgers.

Notable Saison Producers

Brasserie de Blaugies

In Bordeaux, much has been made of "les garagistes", small winemakers without chateaux, who create very expensive blockbuster wines out of their tiny winery buildings. The Belgian village of Blaugies, from which you could drive into France for a quick bite to eat, it home to the "garagiste" brewery named for the village. Marie-Noëlle Pourtois and her husband Pierre-Alex Carlier were teachers until the allure of brewing called them out to their garage. There Marie-Noelle turns out characterful beers from a tiny five-barrel kettle which can scarcely produce ten kegs worth of beer at a time. All the beer is bottled, though, and how wonderful and strange it is to find these bottles at one of my local shops in Brooklyn. "Epeautre" is French for spelt, a wheat-like grain that was once used in traditional saison beers. Spelt makes a fine reappearance in Blaugies Saison D'Epeautre, which pours a dazzlingly bright hazy gold with a voluminous head and chunks of yeast bobbing among the bubbles. The nose is gorgeous, full of dried lemon and orange, apple peels and damp earth. On the palate, the beer foams expansively into a fine silky mousse. When it calms down, zippy, peppery hops coat the palate as biscuity and citrusy flavors emerge on a bone-dry frame. Fruitiness creates a fleeting sense of sweetness, but there is none – the beer suddenly zings out to a light, refreshing, slightly tangy finish. It's not at all hard to imagine this beer restoring the spirits of field hands in mid-summer – it's almost ludicrously refreshing, and all that yeast is loaded with vitamins. This is perhaps the ultimate garden party beer. The spelt gives it a lightness of body usually associated with wheat beers, and there are many layers of bright and dark flavors to match your food. Enjoy it with summery foods like grilled shrimp and fish, salads, lobster, crab, clams, oysters, and calamari. It's also brilliant with egg dishes at brunch.

Notable Secular Belgian Abbey Ale Producers

De Smedt

After driving around for a half-hour, I had begun to think that the name of the little Flemish village of Opwijk meant "hidden". At every intersection, a sign assured us that we had just passed it, or that it was just around the corner. A fortuitous un-planned turn landed us in front of the De Smedt brewery, which produces beers under the name of Affligem. The Affligem Benedictine monastery is still nearby, having stood since 1074 and survived the normal ebb and tide of sackings and rebuildings. The abbey brewed its own beer until World War I. When I visited, the De Smedt brewery was a beautiful but ramshackle affair, reminding me of a grand estate housing a Duke of depleted funds, who can't quite manage keep up the house and grounds. Funds have been recently infused by a merger with Heineken, who will hopefully maintain the quality of the Affligem beers. One recent tasting wasn't encouraging – Affligem Tripel, once a favorite of mine, seems to have lost considerable complexity and finesse.

Happily, the brewery's dubbel still retains much of its old excellence. Affligem Dobbel is a deep red beer with brown highlights – the color of an old Burgundy. The aroma is fruity, a complex blend of raisins, musty damp leaves, rum and anise. On the palate it tingles with an insistently fluffy carbonation, opening up to a sweet fruity center with rummy candy sugar flavors. The bitterness is restrained and the finish brisk. I'm tempted to say that this has lost a little of its depth over the past few years, but it is still a very good beer. Pair it with venison, short ribs, lamb chops and pork loin.

Lefebvre

The Norbertine seminary of Floreffe lends its name to beers made by the Lefebvre brewery in Quenast. Floreffe Double is very dark brown with ruby highlights. The first aromatic impression is of star anise, wrapped with raisins and prunes. The palate is semi-sweet, with balancing bitterness and a fine acidity. There's a flare of cherryish fruit in the center and the finish is clipped and dry. The star anise aroma isn't a conceit of the yeast – it's used in the kettle. This spicing sends the beer off in its own direction food-wise. The anise aromatics will pick up nicely on sage or rosemary-crusted pork or lamb, saltimboca (an Italian veal paillard covered in prosciutto and sage, then fried), ham, seared foie gras, and rabbit with rosemary and olives.

De Brabandere

From the town of Bavikhove, West Flanders comes this little bottle (8.5 oz.) with a big name. De Brabandere brews a range of beers under the name Petrus – presumably the famous French winemaker is too busy counting its money to bother about it. Petrus Triple Ale has a deep gold color, edging into orange. The aroma is distinctly rummy with notes of crushed sugar cane and Seville oranges. The hop bitterness is broad and just enough to balance; light sweetness shows through the center. The finish is dry, with bready notes lingering. Try this with fish in citrus-based sauces, magret of duck, and pasta Alfredo or carbonara.

Abbaye des Rocs

The farming area of Montignies-sur-Rocs was once home to a monastery, and on that rather slender thread, this young brewery decided to hang its name. In Belgium, the brewery's main product is simply called Abbaye des Rocs, but in the States the importer has helpfully added "Belgian Burgundy Ale" (what?). Upon prying off the crown cap, one might well expect Pinot Noir – there's a straight cork to remove. Once that's out of the way, we find a deep amber beer with a thinnish head and a profoundly earthy, musty fruit aroma, reminiscent of a homemade fruit compote, with an overlay of anise. Bitterness is light and sugar greets the tongue – then the beer opens up a display of bitter marmalade and fruitcake in the center, finally throttling the sugar back a bit for a long, slightly acidic finish. This beer has a strength of 9 percent, and you never doubt it – this is a pretty flashy show. This will be quite nice with foie gras, duck, goose, pork or venison.

Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru comes with a virtually indentical label – if you're not paying attention, you may miss the "Grand Cru" moniker. The label subtitles it "Belgian Dark Ale". The color is deeper, a dark reddish amber, but the nose is more restrained here, and the anise is not so far forward. The palate is firmer and more assured, with bitterness balanced against fruity malt in an off-dry center featuring a candied fruitcake struggling to break free. It's kept admirably in check, though – the finish is quick and dry, with fruit and biscuits in the aftertaste. Despite a strength of 10%, this beer is a bit classier and less showy than its more warming, exuberant brother. This beer is a bit dry for foie gras – stick to the rest of the duck or goose. Good, chunky French sausages like Duck & Armagnac or Wild Boar & Cherries will love this. Also try it with stinky French cheeses like well-aged Pavin or Livarot.

Huyghe

There been a brewery on this site in Melle, near Ghent, since the mid-1600's, and the Huyghe family has upheld that tradition for four generations now. They produce a broad range of beers for themselves and under contract for others. One of their own is Artevelde Grand Cru, an alluringly reddish beer with tan highlights in the glass. The aroma is intriguing too, a fruity blend of raisins, rum, tar and spearmint. It reminds me of an Italian wine – perhaps a young Barbera. The bitterness is very light and soft, but the beer is dry, allowing fruity aromatics to conjure up tawny port-like juiciness in the middle. The finish is long and dry with a little zing of acidity to cap it all off. At 7.3 percent, it carries its weight gracefully. This will be very nice with pasta served with Alfredo, carbonara or Gorgonzola sauces, pan-seared roasted chicken, partridge, pheasant and quail. It's quite versatile, and would be a good choice to serve with tapas. Cheese too – try it with ripe, pungent washed-rind cow's milk cheeses like Pavin, Livarot, and Vacherin Mont d'Or.

Notable Belgian Strong Golden Ale Producers

Brasserie Silly

This brewery's name, pronounced "see-yee", doesn't mean to be flippant; the village of Silly sits on the River Sille, near the French border. Brasserie Silly produces a fine saison and a surprisingly accurate version of Scotch ale, and has their own unique version of strong golden ale. This beer's name eschews any allusions to wickedness, but fits broadly into the style. Double Enghien Blonde has a full gold color and a distinctive aroma of rum and figs. Malt sweetness and candy sugar are held in check by light bitterness, and rumminess dominates the off-dry center. The finish is quick and clean. This is a bit of a departure from the beers mentioned above, and it would be unfair to suggest that Duvel was the inspiration here. At 7.5 percent, it is certainly a strong golden ale, but it has its own agenda. Its figginess is perfect with monkfish, especially when served with bacon, lardons or mushrooms.

Brouwerij Van Eecke

The town of Watou sits in West Flanders hop country, close to France and the channel ports. The French side of the border produces the best of the native French bières de garde, while the Belgian side indulges itself in the local hop culture. The family-owned Van Eecke brewery, which dates from the mid-1600's, produces perhaps the purest expression of that culture in a strong golden ale called Poperings Hommel Ale. It's named after both the nearby hop-growing town of Poperinge and its produce – "hommel" is the local dialect for the hop cone. This beer has a full gold color with orangey highlights. The hops are up front in the nose, spicy, floral and perfumey. On the palate, the hops are firm but not overly assertive; bitterness is moderate, but there's plenty of resiny hop flavor. Some juicy, fruity malt peeks through the dry center and then the whole thing briskly marches off to a hoppy, dry finish. At 7.5 percent, it's remarkably refreshing, and strikes me as a cross between Duvel and an American India pale ale. You'll find it to be multi-talented at the table. Pair it with crabcakes, shrimp, lobster, quesadillas, sausages and Thai dishes.

Notable German Helles and Pilsner Producers

Paulaner

Spaten's cross-town rival Paulaner is Munich's largest brewery. It is best known for its hefe-weizen and for Salvator, the doppelbock brewed by the Paulist monks who founded the brewery. Paulaner's helles comes to us as Paulaner Original Munich Lager. This beer has a full gold color and a deep malt aroma with a delicate hop overlay. It's rich, round and bready in the middle with crisp hops providing elegant balance. It finishes dry with a nice grain and hop aftertaste. This is particularly good with pork and with milder fish dishes. Paulaner Premium Pils shows a bit more of everything – the color is paler, but the aroma is packed with malt and florid with hops. The hops provide a focused snap up front, giving way to a rounded, juicy malt core and a lean, dry finish. A very good example of the malty Munich style of pilsner, which is more full-bodied and balanced than most northern versions. The solid malt makes it very nice with pork, while sharp hopping gives it the cutting power to deal with melted cheese – it's great with grilled ham and swiss sandwiches, and just about anything else you want for lunch. It's well-balanced and almost endlessly versatile.

Warsteiner

Unlike the United States, Germany doesn't have any breweries who truly dominate the market. There are thousands of breweries in Germany, many of them serving just their own little town and a few surrounding villages. With about 9 percent of the market, Warsteiner Premium Verum is the best-selling beer in Germany. It's a pale gold beer with a beautiful malt aroma and a light overlay of floral hops. The palate is light and dry, with snappy bitterness supporting bready grain flavors in the center. The finish is quick and clean. This is a textbook German pilsner, more solid and reliable than flashy. It's very nice with spicy seafood dishes, Thai and Vietnamese dishes, and salty aged hams.

Einbecker Brauhaus

While Einbecker is best known for its bock beers, they also brew a classically sharp northern pilsner under the name Einbecker Brauherren Pils. This has a bright gold color and a magnificent floral hop aroma. Soft carbonation pillows the palate and the beer opens up fluffily, turning dry and bitter as the hops set their grip. The hops then loosen up, and the beer opens onto a vista of dry, biscuity malt. The finish is long, dry and hoppy. This is a fine example of the northern German pilsner style, sharp, dry and aromatic. Serve it ice cold with caviar, or slightly warmer with sardines, anchovies, salmon, shrimp and crab.

Victory

The Victory Brewing Company of Downington, Pennsylvania is best known for its ales, but it has also made a successful foray into the world of lagers. Victory Prima Pils displays a hop cone on its label, and the symbol is apt – the bright gold beer has a very nice fruity hop aroma. The label also says that the hops are European, but they have a fresh, resiny fruitiness that seems distinctly American. When they hit your tongue, broad, bracing hops fly across a medium-bodied beer sporting just enough malt to hold the whole thing together. The finish is clean and snappy, with bitterness and fresh grain flavors lingering. Every ounce the equal of its European ancestors, this is another triumph for one of the country's finest craft brewers. Super- bright and fresh, it's perfect for smoked salmon at brunch on a sunny summer day.

Notable Dark Lager Producers

Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg

It seems odd that the monastic breweries of Belgium should be so well known, and those of Germany so hidden. Then again, perhaps it should not be surprising that monks remain quiet. The Weltenburger Kloster claims to run the oldest monastery brewery in world, founded in 1050. Their secluded position on the Danube, not far from Regensburg, certainly gives the impression that they could have remained undisturbed for almost a thousand years. The brewery produces a range of traditional lagers, including a very nice dunkel. Weltenburger Kloster Barock-Dunkel has a deep red color showing only a touch of brown. The deeply malty nose shows waves of toffee and caramel, with a smoky hint reminiscent of barbecue sauce. The nose says "heavy" but the palate is medium-bodied and very well balanced, with crisp moderate hopping up front and a dry center packed with terrific malt flavors. The finish is clean and dry, with plenty of fresh grain flavor lingering. This is an elegant beer combining pleasant quaffability with enough cutting power to handle barbecue, burgers or roast suckling pig.

Pennsylvania Brewing Company

Traditional German-style brewing has found a home in Tom Pastorius' brewery in Pittsburgh's Germantown. Pennsylvania Brewing produces a full range of Bavarian styles, all brewed with a judicious hand. Penn Dark has a deep russet-brown color and a handsome tan head. The nose is malty, showing brad and chocolate with a hint of caramel. Light bitterness up front makes way for a dry, lightly chocolaty palate showing caramel through the center. Hops reassert themselves a bit in the dry, very clean finish. The flavors here are not quite the same as those in German versions – this tends more towards chocolate than toffee, no doubt due to the difference in ingredients. That said, it's an excellent rendition and just as good with food. Try it with pork chops, ham, and traditional Mexican mole dishes.

Notable Oktoberfest/Vienna/Marzen Producers

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Dan and Pat Conway's Cleveland, Ohio microbrewery is quickly growing into a regional favorite on the strength of their broad range of flavorful beers. They produce one of the best Dortmunder-style beers in the country, and one of the best porters as well. They've put their stamp on the Vienna lager style with Great Lakes Eliot Ness, which they've named after the famous Cleveland Safety Director who they say frequented the bar where the brewery now stands. Eliot Ness has a deep amber color and a remarkably sturdy head you could float a coin on. The aroma is full of caramelized malt, with hops drifting through in the background. The palate is round, soft, and excellently balanced, with moderate hopping holding sweet caramel malts in check through the center. It dries into a slightly sweet finish with a clean caramel tang. I love the full color and flavor of this beer; I feel that Anton Dreher would recognize it. At 6.2 percent, it's got a bit of heft, so it's big enough for steaks and loaded-up burgers. The big caramel flavors make it a nice choice for barbecue as well.

Notable Bockbier Producers

Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg

Belgium is not the only country that has preserved a tradition of monastic brewing. There are several German monastic breweries, and at least one convent brewery still operating in Germany. Near Regensberg, at a scenic bend in the Danube river, the Weltenberg monastery brews a range of beers to support their works. The beer is brewed and fermented at the cloister before being trucked to Regensberg for bottling. Weltenburger Kloster Asam-bock has a deep reddish-brown color and a magnificent fudge-like aroma of chocolate and toffee with a hint of smoke. Round, silky smooth and somewhat sweet, the beer develops nice caramel and bread flavors before hops tip the balance into a long off-dry finish. It's very well structured, an exercise in balance. Try it with braised pork belly, sausages, puerco en pipian, chicken mole negro and venison.

Allgäuer Brauhaus

The Allgäuer Brewery claims to have been founded in 1394, but the threads to the 14th century seem a bit tenuous. Rupert von Bodemann, Bishop of Kempten from 1678 to 1728 founded a brewery, Stiftsbrauerei, during his tenure. Stiftsbrauerei swallowed local competitior Haerle in 1900, and this entity merged with others to become Allgäuer in 1921. Allgäuer notes with pride that its beers were served on the Hamberg Amerika Lines and on zeppelins in the 1920's and 1930's. Allgäuer Cambonator Dunkler Doppelbock has a deep garnet color, an aroma of high caramel syrup, chocolate and dark fruit with an undertone of nuts. It hits the palate like a milkshake, soft, round and sweet, but it manages to remain light, gliding over the tongue on a thin rail of restrained bitterness. A long, off-dry finish leaves a tingle of astringent bitterness behind. The dark fruit notes give this beer an interesting, almost Belgian twist. A nice match for chili en nogada (poblano pepper stuffed with shredded pork and nuts, covered with sweet walnut sauce), chili releno, puerco en pipian and venison.

Pennsylvania Brewing Company

Founded in 1986, Pennsylvania Brewing Company resides in the 1880 former Eberhardt and Ober Brewery building in the Germantown district of Pittsburgh. Owner Tom Pastorius is a member of the oldest German family in the United States and has kept German brewing traditions alive in his brewhouse, turning out very nice renditions of Bavarian beer styles. Penn Brewery St. Nikolas Bock Bier has a russet-brown color and a slightly spicy, candyish malt aroma with a hint of smoke. Sweet burnt caramel glides over the tongue and gentle hopping provides balance and backbone. Bready malt flavors mingle with hops in the center, then glide out for a long, dry, slightly smoky finish. This is an excellent version, brewed with considerable finesse. Try it with roast pork, moo-shu pork, short ribs, venison, duck, baked ham and prosciutto.

American Pale, Amber and India Pale Ale Producers

North Coast Brewing Company

Located in Fort Bragg, California, North Coast Brewing Company is perhaps best known for its excellent strong stout, Old Rasputin. They also produce pale and amber ales under their own name and the anachronistic Acme label. The Acme labels themselves are amusingly retro, depicting a bombshell "sweater girl" hoisting glowing mugs of golden beer through an overgrown wonderland of hops and barley. Acme California IPA has a full gold color and a super-bright limey hop aroma – wine buffs will be reminded of Sancerre. The bitterness is high and thin, allowing some malt sweetness to show through. The finish is dry and hoppy. Crab cakes spring immediately to mind, along with spicy grilled shrimp, fish tacos and quesadillas. North Coast Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale is a full amber color and shows plenty of fruit and pine needles in the aroma. Bitterness is robust but balanced, as juicy malts emerge in the middle. The finish is hard and dry with a mineral cleanliness. Very good with boldly spiced food – throw those jalapenos into the fajitas and get going.

Portland Brewing

Portland Brewing's Woodstock IPA is a beer that grew out of the assumption that because the original British IPAs were shipped in wooden casks, they would have had oaky flavors; this beer seeks to restore those flavors to this beer style. The assumption is erroneous – British brewers took great pains to keep oak flavors out of the beer, sometimes lining their barrels with pitch. Okay, well, the brewery is in Portland, Oregon, not Burton-upon-Trent. The idea is cool enough, and being Americans, we are free to interpret as we wish. Woodstock IPA has a full amber color and an aroma of hops and, yes, toasted oak. A few minutes in the glass, the aroma becomes distinctly sherryish. The palate shows moderate bitterness, boosted by a touch of tannic astringency. Biscuity malt makes a brief appearance, then gives way to a quick, dry finish. Pick up on the woody flavors here with some barbecue or smoked salmon, or try it with Cajun blackened chicken and pork…and tapas.

Snake River Brewing

Jackson Hole, Wyoming seems to be a famous place, but I'm not quite sure what for. Snake River's labels certainly show their pride in their Jackson Hole provenance, and the town itself should be equally proud of its brewery. Snake River Pale Ale has a full gold color and a big Chinook hop aroma, perfumey, limey and catty, like a great Riesling. On the palate, the hops are sharp and snappy, but allow some nice candyish malt sweetness to peek through. The beer finishes quickly and cleanly, like a breath of fresh mountain air. Your mouth feels wonderful afterwards – like you've just had a powerful mint. Expertly crafted, this beer has a light enough touch that you can stick with it for the evening if you care to. This would be exceptional with Thai and Vietnamese food, bright Mexican dishes and spicy seafood dishes. Snake River ESB brings more caramel to the table, giving the beer a deep copper color. The aroma is still hoppy, but leans towards grassy herbal notes, with citrus in the background. On the palate, the bitterness is in perfect balance with the malt sweetness, which is caramelized and juicy. This is another winner – try it with Mexican dishes, chicken pad thai, Thai chicken with holy basil, Massamun and Panang curries, and a wide array of Indian dishes. Deschutes

The State of Oregon could make a reasonable claim to a distinctive title – "The Craft Beer State". In Oregon, local craft-brewed beers have 10 percent of the overall beer market. If that doesn't sound like much, you have to remember that despite the choice available to us, most people still haven't tasted real beer. The same goes for wine, Scotch whisky, cheese, and bread. Oregon is well ahead of the curve. Oregon's Deschutes Brewery is a leader in the Northwest, and the brewery is quite unusual in that its leading beers are a porter and a stout. This may be a reflection of the fact that the brewery produces four bottle-conditioned pale ales, each with a different balance between malt and hops. Aficionados will have to decide what mood they're in as they approach the beer shelves.

Deschutes Cascade Ale takes its name from the Cascade mountain range, which is also the namesake of the popular American hop variety. The beer has a hazy deep gold color edging into amber and an herbal, citric, piney hop aroma. Carbonation is restrained on a light, dry, brisk, hoppy palate showing a quick dash of bubblegummy fruit in the center before sprinting out to a clean, clipped finish. Grain flavors emerge in the aftertaste. At 4.5%, this is a fairly light beer with an easy drinkability that you can stick with for a long evening. For its strength, it packs in an admirable depth of flavor. Try it with shrimp, salmon, arctic char, crab cakes and fried calamari.

Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale has a deeper pale orange color and a big Cascade hop aroma, showing plenty of grapefruit and fresh pine needles. The hops are brisk and mouthcoating, but give way to fruity malts in the medium-bodied center. The finish is long, dry, fruity and hoppy, with biscuity malts emerging at the very end. Mirror Pond is very nicely balanced and makes an excellent partner to quesadillas, burritos, tacos, salmon, burgers and pizza.

Deschutes Bachelor ESB used to be called "Bachelor Bitter", but I suppose the word "bitter" put people off. Certainly the bitterness is still there. The beer has a dark amber color and the distinctive earthy, pungent, fruity aroma of the English East Kent Golding hop variety. Caramelized malts and robust hopping meet in the bone-dry, biscuity center. The finish is long, dry and brashly hoppy. The name "ESB" stands for Extra Special Bitter, a style pioneered by the Fuller's brewery of London. Bachelor ESB's label speaks lovingly of England, but the beer's emphatic hop attack makes it distinctively Northwest American. It's got both the caramelization and the cutting power to work nicely with loaded cheeseburgers, Tex-Mex dishes, barbecue, fried chicken and aged farmhouse cheddar.

Deschutes Quail Springs IPA has a deep gold color and raises a fine sturdy head. Despite the IPA designation, it has perhaps a more restrained hop nose than the previous two beers. The aroma leans in a more earthy, fruity, floral direction, indicative of the use of British hops. The hops show themselves on the palate with a quick, snappy attack of broad bitterness. The beer races through a dry, medium-bodied juicy center and emerges into a dry, fruity, tinglingly hoppy finish. The aftertaste is full of fresh hop flavors. Quail Springs combines fresh aromatics, cutting power and a sturdy malt backbone to create a beer that will work wonderfully with spicy Mexican, Thai and Indian cuisine.

American-style Wheat Beer

Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada has been so successful with their flagship pale ale, that it's easy to forget that they make a slew of other beers as well. Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer has a hazy deep gold color and an aroma of earthy hops. Bitterness opens sharply and drives the beer through a dry, light, crackery palate – it reminds me of Carr's Table Water Biscuits. It vanishes into a fast fruity finish. It's not as distinctive as Sierra Nevada's other beers, but still a good choice for grilled cheese sandwiches, ham, and fried fish.

Russian River Brewing

Russian River Golden Wheat Ale is a filtered beer with a deep gold color and a hoppy nose of pine needles and mint leaves. The bitterness is broad and sharp, but quickly relents to reveal a juicy, fruity core showing some appealing malt sweetness. Wheaty acidity leads it to a quenching finish. Hoppy and distinctively Northwestern, but also well-balanced and flavorful, this will shine with grilled shrimp, crab cakes and fried fish.

New Belgium Brewing

This Colorado juggernaut has had a meteoric rise based on the sales of its pale ale, Fat Tire. New Belgium also produce some excellent Belgian-style specialties, but New Belgium Sunshine Wheat is an interesting hybrid. This beer is a sparkling very pale yellow with a slight greenish cast, and carries a light aroma of sweet spices and oranges. The nose is Belgian, but the crisp hopping announces more American intentions. The center is light-bodied, racy and dry, showing cracker-like wheat flavors. The finish is fast, bright and snappy. This turns out to be a very refreshing Belgian-American version of wheat beer, spiced with orange peel and coriander. It's excellent with Indian samosas, bright seafood preparations, crab cakes, quesadillas, cheese enchiladas and shrimp Pad Thai.

Notable American Porter and Stout Producers

North Coast Brewing Company

Zoologist Mark Ruedrich has put his knowledge of biology to good work at his brewery in Fort Bragg, California. He had moved to England in the mid 1970's and there he fell in love with cask-conditioned beer. He and his wife became active in the Campaign for Real Ale, and he started to brew at home. He returned to the States in 1979, but never got over the wonderful beers he'd enjoyed in England (somehow, this is starting to sound familiar…). He founded North Coast in 1987, occupying a deconsecrated church. North Coast Old No. 38 Stout is named after a local steam locomotive that once wended its way through the nearby redwood forests on the "Skunk Run" between Fort Bragg and Willets. The beer is very dark brown with a loose, lacy head and a soft aroma of hops and chocolate. A sharp whack of hops and roasted grains wakes up the palate, and the beer proceeds lightly into a bone-dry coffeeish center. It then races out to a long minerally finish. This beer is quite reminiscent of good Irish stouts, but shows an American love of hops. Even though it's relatively light-bodied, there's plenty of cutting power here. Go for oysters, quesadillas (especially with black beans or mushrooms), burritos, blackened Cajun dishes and strong hams.

As nice as the Old No. 38 is, North Coast is probably best known for its Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. The Russian mystic peers out from the label with a characteristic hypnotic stare. Certainly many have been mesmerized. The beer is nearly black, but not quite – some glints of red flash through. Coffee, chocolate and hops play off of an interesting whiskey note in the nose. The palate opens up round and sweet, with caramel and cocoa stepping forward to take the lead, but then a big wave of bitterness rolls up behind it. The hops wash over the tongue and drive the beer into a long, drying spirituous finish. This is a unique beer that strikes me as a throwback to the old strong porters of the 1700's and 1800's. The roasted character is less intense than in many imperial stouts (disqualifying it as a dessert beer), but it develops a complex character from other attributes, and it tastes every bit of its 8.9 percent strength. Try it as a digestif, with a good cigar (I prefer the Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Flor Fina myself), or with strong cheeses like Stilton, Gorgonzola, or the gorgeously pungent Berkshire Blue from Massachusetts.

Odell's Brewing Company

Family-owned Odell's of Fort Collins, Colorado are widely respected for producing full-flavored accessible beers. Odell's Cut Throat Porter is not nearly so alarming as it sounds. It's black and raises a nice thick cap of foam. Pronounced coffee and chocolate aromatics are overlaid with earthy, grassy hops. The palate is superbly balanced, with caramel sweetness held in check by gentle bitterness and robust roasted malts. The beer is medium-bodied and treads lightly. The finish is very clean and clipped, with an almost salty sweetness showing on its way out. This is very stylish and a great example of the porter style. It is distinctly darker and roastier than a brown ale, but has more caramel flavor than most stouts and doesn't carry a stout's big whack of roast bitterness. It's very drinkable and a perfect choice for burgers, barbecue, blackened Cajun dishes, enchiladas mole, and burritos.

Bear Republic Brewing Company

The tiny Bear Republic Brewing Company is a multi-generational family affair for the Norgroves of Sonoma County, California. The brewery is in Healdsburg, a town where the ghosts of old hop kilns still stand. Sandy Norgrove works in the brewpub, her husband Rich is behind the bar, his son Richard the Younger pilots the brewhouse and his daughter-in-law manages the books. Their beers are only available in a handful of states, but the quality of their beers makes them a brewery to watch in the future. The name Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout is quite a mouthful, but the beer lives up to it. It is certainly very black, and the aroma is a tantalizing blend of Lavazza espresso and Belgian chocolate, with orangey, grapefruity, piney American hops rising above it all. Hops and espresso-like roast acidity combine to offset caramel sweetness on a fat, round, juicy palate. Nice coffee flavors play through the center and the finish is very long, winy, and drying. Muscular but graceful at 8 percent, this is a delicious and very American rendition of stout. It's perfect with genuinely austere Mexican mole negro preparations. Otherwise, try it with full-flavored briny oysters, aged hams, intense chocolate desserts, fruit tarts, panna cotta or ice cream.

Portland Brewing Company

Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon can each lay reasonable claim to the title of "craft beer capital of America." Portland Brewing Company staked its claim in 1986, when three high school friends opened a brewpub in an old creamery building on Flanders Street. In 1992, they expanded to full microbrewery status, importing large used brewhouse equipment from Bavaria to meet expanding demand for their beers. Portland's MacTarnahan label is ostensibly Scottish, but the beers are distinctly American. MacTarnahan's Blackwatch Cream Porter is quite black; only the faintest hints of red show through. The nose is a mélange of butterscotch, caramel, peanuts, toffee, chocolate, and spicy hops; aside from the hops, it smells rather like a chocolate bar. On the palate, it's surprisingly light and dry, with moderate bitterness that dovetails nicely with the beer's roast flavors. The roast is well-structured and coffeeish, driving a dry, snappy center through to a clean finish. Fresh grain flavors linger in the aftertaste. Refreshing and wonderfully drinkable, a fine partner to oysters or a ham and cheese sandwich.

BridgePort Brewing Company

Portland, Oregon stalwart BridgePort brews both a porter and a stout, as many breweries once did. They clearly endeavor to keep the beers distinct from each other. BridgePort Porter is a bottle-conditioned beer with a deep russet-brown color and a spicy, almost minty nose, with a backdrop of caramel and pears. The palate is light and juicy, with refreshing acidity melding with restrained bitterness. Caramel sweetness shows through the fruity center, then dries into a flinty finish with a slight twinge of astringency. There's really only a hint of coffee or chocolate here; the roast has taken a back seat. Aim this beer in the direction of grilled meats, fried chicken, sausages, baked ham and burgers. BridgePort Stout, which carries the middle name "Blackstrap", shows a fuller roast right up front in its full black appearance. The nose shows the minty hop character of the Porter, but adds Valrhona dark chocolate and French roast coffee. The palate clearly shows the difference as well. This beer is full-bodied, dry and roasty, with caramel and roasted malts working together through the juicy, fruity center and leading into a clean finish. Grain and fruit flavors dance in the aftertaste. This stout is big enough to stand up to Serrano ham or prosciutto, flame-grilled steaks, piled-on burgers, sauce- slathered ribs, and spicy burritos loaded up with chilies and black beans.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company

The folks at Anderson Valley are fond of Boontling, the local dialect developed in the 1800's to thwart snooping by outsiders. In this dialect, a nearby redwood forest takes on a different name, and the brewery has named a beer after it. Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is appropriately black, and has an awesome nose of fresh piney hops and dark coffee. On the palate, it is equally impressive, round, soft and silky, the pillowy head cushioning the slightly sweet beer as it greets your tongue. Hop bitterness is perfectly integrated with the roast in the juicy, chocolaty center. The beer glides into a long, drying finish with hops lingering. A brilliant creation, full-bodied and malty, even slightly oily, a signature of oats. It deftly shows some sweetness without cloying in the slightest. This is hard to beat with Mexican mole dishes, but works equally well with ice cream, or chocolate or fruit desserts.

Notable American Barleywine Producers

Victory Brewing Company

East coast brewers tend to be more measured in their use of hops than those on the West coast. Pennsylvania's Victory Brewing shows the East coast style in their Old Horizontal. It has a pretty red color and a fruity, malty nose showing plenty of piney hops. The palate is sweet and smooth, with bitterness balancing nicely. The center is round and juicy, with a tawny port quality. The flavors are very well integrated and travel together into a long, dry finish. This bottle-conditioned beer carries its 11 percent strength gracefully and shows considerable balance and finesse. It's at its best as a digestif or nightcap, or with strong hard cheeses.

AleSmith Brewing Company

San Diego's AleSmith brewery produces big, handsome beers in big, handsome bottles. Their Old Numbskull has a dark honey color and a big, resiny, citrusy hop aroma with malt lurking underneath. The palate is hoppy, racy, fruity and dry, with juicy malts showing nicely through the center. The finish is clean and dry with a mineral tang. Hops coat the tongue in the aftertaste. At 9.5 percent, this bottle-conditioned ale is lithe, agile and balanced, neither too hoppy nor cloyingly sweet. It's a fine performance, and should improve for four or five years. Pair it with farmhouse cheddars, aged Gruyere, aged goat cheeses or great American blues like Great Hill, Bingham or Berkshire. Cigars? Smoke ‘em if you've got ‘em.

Notable Smoked Beer Producers

Rogue Ales

Traditional German rauchbiers are all lagers, but not so long ago, they would have been top-fermented. Cold-fermenting lager yeasts were only introduced in the mid-1800's and many breweries held out for decades. So it's entirely possible that Oregon-brewed Rogue Smoke Ale is actually a throwback rather than something entirely new. The beer has a hazy dark amber color and a light but unmistakable aroma of smoked malt. The palate is smooth, dry and brisk, nicely balancing robust hops against a substantial juicy malt backbone. The smoke shows through clearly, but doesn't obliterate the biscuity malts at the center. The finish is dry and hoppy, with smoke drifting over the aftertaste. The brewers at Rogue smoke some of their malts themselves, using alderwood. Other malts, smoked over beech, are imported from Bamberg. Rogue Smoke Ale is brilliant with food, just like the German originals. Try it with Mexican dishes, Indian tandoori dishes, steaks, sausages, Cajun blackened chicken and pork chops, and barbecue.

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