What more aptly-named beer could we have had on a Christmas Eve (La Vigilia), where eight of us gathered well at Jerry Carbone and Kathy Maisto’s for a Feast of the Seven Fishes? Add to that that the first course was oysters, and oysters are traditionally thought to pair perfectly with stout.
Granted that I first snuck in a bottle of Backacre Sour Golden Ale, a beer blended back in 2017 in Weston, Vermont (Batch 10) and still deliciously tart, a perfect aperitif. Backacre brews only the one beer or, more accurately, blends different vintages fermented in oak barrels, aged for up to two years and then all bottle-conditioned. The operation moved to Denver a couple of years ago and they’re now up to Batch 16.
Since our hosts were originally from Colorado, this seemed apt, too. As is their Italian-American heritage in inspiring the Feast of the Seven Fishes tradition. From various sources I checked, the custom appears to have evolved more from Italian-Americans than Italians per se, though any reasonably devout Catholic might have abstained from meat on the eve of a feast day. We didn’t have the traditional seven courses, but close enough, as Jerry’s menu shows:
Did we actually have seven fish? When pondering the various bits of seafood in Jerry’s insalata di pesci, we may have counted to eight. But once again, close enough.
I’ve written up Allagash beers any number of times here. Other than taking favorites like the Dubbel out of circulation, they never disappoint. The Maine brewery was named Brewer and Brewery of the Year at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. So it’s no great surprise that Gatherwell is another beautifully made beer that hits the marks the label mentions above. Neither the bourbon nor oak notes predominate.
The merry gentlemen tasting panel, left to right: Tom, Jerry, Jim Gardner, Gary Pitkin
The tasting panel seemed to find the cocoa character the most pronounced. It’s a hearty 11% ABV beer, but it’s neither too sweet nor too heavy. All too drinkable, perhaps, for such strength. It certainly did go well with the oysters. I’m not a big oyster fan and thought I’d have but one. The Gatherwell seduced me into sluicing down three.
And that was just the beginning of the rest of the Feast.
Name: Gatherwell
Brewer: Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, Maine
Style: Barrel-aged Stout
ABV: 11%
Availability: “In late 2023” throughout the Allagash footprint in 19 states and Washington D.C.
For More Information: www.allagash.com
[December 24, 2023]
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12 Beers of Christmas 3: Breckenridge Christmas Ale >
