Can you describe your first craft beer epiphany?
I’m not sure anyone is calling this particular ale “craft beer,” but my love for beer got its kick in the butt the same weekend I found my gateway into following club soccer. Both pursuits have been well worth it. I was spending the Fourth of July in Canada, like any good American. Friends of mine stopped at The Beer Store on the way up to my guitarist’s cottage in Crystal Beach where I was slapped in the face with a question: what beer do you want?

What beer do I want? Ever since I stopped being straight-edge, I hadn’t found anything besides whiskey that didn’t make me want to french kiss a chainsaw. A good friend, Scott, had just gotten me back into playing soccer on a team called — believe this — Haz Benz. So, I grabbed a six of a beer that hearkened to the game: Newcastle Brown Ale. That afternoon, we played beach soccer and got fairly lit-up on this delicious — yes, truly delicious — brown ale. A love affair with the brew and Newcastle United FC had begun.

If you had to pick one beer to showcase craft beer for a novice, which would it be?
If I had to pick a craft beer to showcase for an interested rookie, it’d be Beer 30 Light. On second thought, something less sophisticated: Sierra Nevada’s Kellerweis. It’s delicious and tastes just different enough from beer to let people go from toeing the waters of craft to letting their packages breach the water of banana-laden cloveness. Then, you’re off and swimming!

Any styles you are not a fan of?
Beer ain’t all awesome, I’m afraid: I’m still cooked on IPAs; totally burnt out on their hops and sting and I’m not ready for them on “Craft Beer Talk’s” Spring episodes. I can dig Double and Imperial IPAs because of the junk-kicking they give you, but that’s a stretch.

What are you thoughts on the continued growth in the craft beer industry?
I’m going to catch heat for this, but the actual growth and whatnot of craft beer doesn’t play a big role in my life. To be fair, I’ve been this way with rock bands, too. I’m protective of the beer I love. I want to be the guy who introduces it to people, but I know brewers now; Brewers will always make good beer and I’ll be able to track down that style even if the brewery doesn’t take off. I want all good brewers to succeed and I know they will. Mostly, I just want Community Beer Works — and other Buffalo joints — to succeed.

Favorite spot to grab a pint in Buffalo?
There’s no question Blue Monk is Buffalo’s beer spot, so I’ll pick another: Ulrich’s. Potato pancakes, rye bread, sauerkraut, beer and good banter with the tenders, waitresses and friendos. If you’re burying me, see if we can’t Irish Wake it there (or we can fake it, McNulty-style).

Style – American Wheat “I.P.A.”

ABV – 6.0%

Appearance – This brew poured hazy copper with an orange tint, topped by a dense, off-white head that lingered as long as an IPA should. A delicate lace decorated the glass on the way down.

Aroma – I almost couldn’t believe my nose. Hops are prevalent, loaded with a deep citrus aroma. Hints of mint, honey and summer grass are there as well. I kept going back to inhale more deeply, enjoying layer after layer of unique and indescribable scents.

Taste – On the first sip it’s a menagerie of flavors with almost everything I could smell affecting the flavor. The sweet earthiness of the wheat was there, with a depth of hop flavoring that wasn’t overbearing in bitterness, but didn’t fail to pack a hoppy punch. It seemed like with every sip I discovered something new. Hints of honey, edible flowers and essential citrus oils danced around my palette as well. It was as if my tongue had been transported to a wheat field full of honey bees, dotted with tangerine trees and hop vines. (Take that, Beatles.)

Overall – The balance of this beer amazed me. Many times attempts at crafting a wholly new version of an IPA end up with nothing but hop bitterness. Go into this beer with a fresh palette and an open mind, use your nose and every part of your tongue; you will not be disappointed. I’m often impressed by what America’s new craft brewers can accomplish, but I am rarely amazed. “Wheat in an IPA? Come on, man” was my original thought… Magic Hat knocked that thought out of my head and knocked this one out of the park. I can’t wait for my next one. I wish they sold it in 12 packs!

Style – American Brown Ale

ABV – 12%

Appearance – This Dogfish Head offering pours an opaque black with a small cocoa tinted head. Looking at this beer in a glass, if I did not know it was an American Brown Ale, I would certainly say it is a stout. Perhaps the darkest brown ale I have ever poured.

Smell – A hint of chocolate works with dark malts to produce a very rich slightly, sweet roasty aroma. I also catch a hint of vanilla as a result of aging the craft beer in the Palo Santo wood barrels, although it is rather subtle.

Taste – Upon first sip, your mouth is hit with chewy malt, along with roasted chocolate, a bit of molasses and coffee bitterness that is offset by a fruity currant jam flavor. A smokey wood flavor with hints of vanilla and caramel are present in the finish and continue to linger after swallowing.

Overall – This is a big beer, weighing in at 12% it is certainly a sipper. The flavors present in this beer are extremely interesting to say the least. Chewy roasted malts, hints of chocolate, currant, coffee, vanilla and caramel, all contribute to create a very well balanced flavor.

I am curious if laying a bottle of this craft beer down for a bit would enhance the vanilla and caramel profile Dogfish Head was after from the aging process in Palo Santo wood barrels. Could be an interesting experiment to revisit this beer a year from now and stick a bottle of this in the wine cellar.