Novare Res Bier Café, Portland, Maine
Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout, Norway
Great bars, like barbells, work when patrons put as much into them as they expect to get out. Over time, places that spoon feed themes and gimmicks to entertain their customers grow stale. Façades crack and age, and regulars grow dissatisfied with the passive entertainment they've contributed nothing too.
In Portland, Maine, a hero now challenges this unsustainable pattern. They don't serve much food -- some soups and a selection of meat and cheese plates. They don't serve martinis or cosmos, but they do have a couple of whiskeys. Their focus is good beer and they stick to it myopically. Belgian ales, microbrews, lambics; they do not serve Budwieser. And contrary to everything our high tech society stands for today, they do not rush anything. At the bar, table, or outdoor patio, the staff takes orders and serves beer at a reverent speed the fine brews deserve.
The praise sounds melodramatic to those who have not yet visited the Novare Res Bier Café. If you can't visit them in person within the next two minutes, check out their website, here.
I stopped by the Res the week before St. Patrick's Day intending to review a couple Irish beers that weren't Guinness. Shahin Khojastehzad, beer schlepper and manager, and I had talked a few times over the previous weeks and he had steered me towards some excellent choices. But that evening, he wasn't there. I found myself in the capable hands of Mike Delany.
Side note: Since July, Mike has worked behind the Res bar, but I'd rarely seen him. As a rule, I sit outside in the summer with my dog on their patio. And in the winter I gravitate towards the long communal tables where I play cribbage. Mike is an excellent publican with a slow smile and quick wit. He asked that I include his picture with this review because he's very photogenic. I told him I couldn't. He asked me to mention that he is very photogenic. I told him I would. He is.
As I pored over their ever changing list of beers on tap, I found myself drawn to the Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout from Norway. As dark as they come, claimed the Res's menu. I took that as a challenge. I like my dark beer the way I like my dark chocolate: rich, and simultaneously bitter and sweet.
They didn't lie. This stout is so dark the head froths over the edge of the mug in a cascade the same color as hot chocolate. It's toasted and bit bitter, but not to the point of overpowering the sweet, nutty undertones with a burnt charcoal taste like some dark beers do. A hearty beer, it drinks like a meal, but doesn't leave one feeling sluggish and weighted down. And, this stout is a simple beer. Although carefully balanced flavor-wise, it doesn't require an educated palate to appreciate. What it lacks subtlety, it makes up for in solid perfection.
The Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout was so good that I went in the Monday before St. Patrick's Day for another couple of rounds of research. Both Shahin and Mike were there that day. And as we traded quips and talked about the state of beer in Portland, Shahin kept returning to Nøgne Ø. "Check out their label," he said bringing over an empty bottle, "and make sure you check out their website."
Both the website (see it here) and the bottle label represent the best of Norwegian modern design with clean bold lines, minimal images, and the right amount of information about the beer. The website also boasts an excellent blog featuring photo essays of the brewery's creative exploration in alternative brewing techniques.
After Shahin put away the Nøgne Ø bottle, he returned to where I sat at the bar. "Next time you should review this," he said holding up a bottle of Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. His eyes lit up and his voice filled with passion as he began the tale of two brewers who decided not to sue each other.
"Next time," I promised as Mike returned with my tab. Novare Res Bier Café offers over 300 varieties of bottled beer. I need to pace myself if I'm going to research them all.
