971-980. The Extreme Beer Fest Part II

This is the second set of beers that I tried at the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest 2009.

971. OatGoop

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 10.40%
Style: Wheat Wine (Oat Wine)

Pours a hazed copper. Floral hops and sugary malts are the strongest component of the aroma. Sweet and fruity upfront and through the center. The finish has some floral hop bitterness and a bit of sweetness.

972. Dwarven Hammer

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed golden-copper. The aroma is light, but predominantly malty. Sweet and malty throughout with nice notes of caramel. The finish had a sugary character tat complemented the coffee flavors well.

973. Phunky Duck

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Unblended Lambic, BJCP Style Guide

This beer is the base lambic for a Gueuze project that Lost Abbey is working on. It's nice to see American brewers trying for authentic lambics. Pours a hazed-straw golden. The aroma is classic lambic: acidic, earthy and funky. Very sour throughout: nice bright and acidic. There are nice grassy and citric notes as well a good, funky earthiness. An excellent rendition of the style. Another fest favorite (yes, they all tend to be sour beers).

974. Brute

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: American Wild Ale

I couldn't pass up either of Ithaca's sour beers. The Brute pours a cloudy, straw color. The aroma has a nice grainy, wheat component, fruit, mild acidity and hint of Brettanmyces. Well attenuated so there's a good amount of wheat character without a lot of malty sweetness. Sourness builds through the center, followed by a nice earthy finish. I liked this one a lot. I'll have to give it another try if I see any bottles in the area.

975. "Sour" Flower Power Bretted IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Style: American Wild Ale

This is Ithaca's Flower Power IPA fermented for an additional three months with Brettanomyces. Pours a cloudy golden. The aroma is a nice combination of citric hops and mild Brettanomyces. The malts are attenuated to the faintest of sugary hints. The hops remain unscathed, leaving nice hop flavors and bitterness that really relegate the usually dominant Brett to a minor role in the finish.

976. Special Holiday Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide

This is a collaborative Winter Warmer brewed by Stone, Jolly Pumpkin and Nøgne-Ø. Pours a cloudy, dark amber color. Spices domiate the aroma: sage and juniper, but there are also malty aromas. Sweet upfront: malty and fruity. The finish is herbal and spicy with a nice bitterness.

977. Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Bruery
Alcohol: 3.10%
Style: Berliner Weissbier, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a pale straw color. Notes of sour apples, hay and an earthiness in the aroma. There's a mild graininess in the backbone underneath fruity notes of apple, and a nice lactic sourness.

978. Magic Hat Bergamot Bitter

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.50%
Style: English Bitter, BJCP Style Guide

This is Magic Hat's Ordinary Bitter with bergamot added during conditioning. Pours a pale copper color. The aroma is dominated by the bergamot: peppery notes, reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. Lightly malty with some good breadiness and a finish that's peppery and lightly bitter.

979. Apex


Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.10%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazed copper with a frothy head. The aroma is hoppy with notes of citrus and resin. The malt backbone is mildly sweet and provides a good counterpoint to the strong resiny and citric hop flavors.

980. Founders Double Trouble

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.40%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear golden, with a huge, white head. The aroma is resiny and herbal hops over a backbone of caramel and sugary malts. Resiny and leafy hops are evident throughout the beer over a mildly sweet malt backbone.

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