If I were to make a short list of my
very favorite beers of all time, Dock Street Amber would certainly make that
list. Not because Dock Street is the boldest beer in the world. It certainly
isn’t. It’s not because Dock Street is the finest example of the brewer’s
art. It’s not that either, and I’m not sure any one beer ever could be. You
see, Dock Street and I have a bit of a history. I’ve been enjoying this beer
since about 1988, when I traveled to Philadelphia and discovered it. Here’s
what I wrote about the beer back in 1997:
It's rather ironic that I'm reviewing this beer this evening. The third
of December is my wedding anniversary, and it was nine years ago this week
that we honeymooned in New Jersey about fifteen minutes from Philadelphia.
It was then that I tasted Dock Street Amber for the first time, and it
tastes as good to me now as it did then.
Dock Street Amber is rich copper in color with a generous foamy head and an
enticing nose full of delicate Cascade floweriness. The palate is perfectly
balanced between smooth malt and aromatic hops. A very subtle bitterness
permeates the finish of this eminently drinkable beer. A classic American
microbrew, brewed with pride and under contract at F.X. Matt in Utica, New
York.
Dock Street has been on a bit of a journey. It debuted shortly after Samuel
Adams did in the eighties, and was the brainchild of local gourmand and
entrepreneur Jeffrey Ware. The beer is described thusly on the neck label:
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, Philadelphia Beers and Ales were
famous around the World. Carried in sailing ships to ports as distant as
India and the Orient, they were the preferred brews of Pirates and Statesmen
alike.
Dock Street Amber Beer is brewed in the tradition of these classic beers of
early Philadelphia.
Though those early Philadelphia brewers undoubtedly did not use Cascade
hops, this brew is certainly equal to the task of being exported around the
world, something Ware tried to do. He ran into tariff issues and restraints
of trade that he protested with a bottling of his beer sporting upside-down
labels. This is what Ware had to say:
Why the upside down label? The Dock Street Brewing Company asks that you
support our protest of Unfair Trade Practices by foreign countries that
effectively limit exports of U.S. beer. While foreign countries flood our
shores with ever increasing amounts of import beers, Restrictive Tariffs,
Duties, Excise Taxes, and Import Quotas force US beers out of the foreign
market. As a result, US beer distribution overseas is limited and in some
cases banned entirely.
How can you help? Join Dock Street’s call to action. Write your senators and
congressmen and most importantly buy American!…..
Jeffrey D. Ware, President
Ware never operated a brewery to produce Dock Street, contracting production
out instead to FX Matt in Utica New York. Dock Street did and does operate a
brewpub in Philadelphia, however. In the late nineties, Ware sold his Dock
Street brands to Henry Ortlieb, and their production was shifted to his Poor
Henry’s Brewpub and brewery in Philadelphia. Recently, Poor Henry’s has
closed, but the valuable Dock Street brand is now contracted again to Matt
in Utica under the name “Old Dock Street Brewery” of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.
Dock Street Amber pours to a ruby-gold color with a light head formation and
a wonderfully flowery nose. The palate is smooth but satisfyingly rich with
a medium bodied mouthfeel and a crisp malt character. The hops are the main
element here, however, and they permeate the brew from start to finish. It’s
interesting that I chose the term permeates since I used that to describe
the beer four years ago and I’m just now glancing back at my notes from that
tasting, not having read them before writing what I just did. There’s a
delicious Cascade hop character to this brew that flavors it aromatically
and lends a balancing bitterness to the finish. Just a fabulous all around
drinking beer to be sure.
Great with lots of food, working nicely tonight with a home made burger piled
high with red onion, sautéed baby portabella mushrooms, Pepper Jack cheese
and spicy mustard.
     
  
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned (D)=Draft
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