Beer of the Week

Naughty Sauce:
Noble Ale Works, Anaheim

     When I was visiting the brewery the other day, someone asked me if I could describe a stout. I thought about making it official and going to Webster's online but then I thought about it and responded in the following way. "Guinness is stout and stout is Guinness." When visiting relatives in Ireland, I still remember my first time going out and "hoisting a jar of Guinness" as they say on the emerald isle and I recall I had never experienced anything like it before or since. Up until that time, when I was in my early twenties, I struggled with difficulty when drinking a Guinness and I didn't know why. Needless to say, my expectations were not that high and, as I soon discovered, very misinformed.

     I went up to the bar in Limerick and ordered a pint, watched the bartender fill my glass with a lot of foam and I was instantly confused. Grabbing the glass, the barman said to me in his Irish accent, "you don't pick that up until its ready." I left the bar and went back to my cousin who said you have to let it settle and he'll fill it up and then you can pick it up. I waited 5 minutes, returned and my Guinness was topped off and prepared to drink. I started to drink and my cousin said, "Hold on, you're first sip of the Guinness needs to be the biggest of the lot.' This time I didn't ask questions and essentially started a minor chug for my first taste of this amazing stout. My memory of my taste was of a nectar, a smoothness hard to describe but I felt I was drinking creamy butter with no aftertaste, smooth from beginning to end and I had never experienced any thing like it.


     Ireland is a cold country and none comes into the pub to drink an ice cold glass of beer. Guinness is served at or nearly below room temperature which fits the culture and suits the taste. I've tasted stouts and Guinness alike in the States that were served ice cold and this distorts the taste of many a stout. The last thing one should have to taste when drinking a stout is refrigeration. It is destructive to the flavor.

     I've tasted a many a coffee stout as well, many of them being dark and cold. At Noble Ale, when I first hoisted a jar of Naughty Sauce, I immediately noticed the cool but not cold temperature of the beer. It’s a stout beer made with oats and milk sugar, coffee instead of roasted grain and then served on nitro to give it its creaminess.Full bodied, deep golden in color, with smooth and flavorful layers of pecan pie, cinnamon and cookie dough. When I've gone to Noble Ale,  they know pour me a 16 of Naughty Sauce just as I'm reaching the counter. I know this beer and the excitement won't last forever but I know Noble will create something just a special soon. Just remember when drinking the stout; make sure your first sip is the biggest. Cheers!

Stay tuned for next week Beer of the Week