1235. Echt Veldensteiner Landbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kaiser Bräu GmbH & Co KG
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Landbier pours a clear brown-tinted amber, and is topped by a sudsy beige head. It has a rich, malty aroma. There are notes of chocolate, fruit, caramel, and bread. There's also a slight metallic note.
Upfront there are sweet bready notes as well as notes of toffee and chocolate. It mellows towards the finish, which is mild and and not bitter with a bit of a twang. It's medium-bodied and moderately carbonated.
Overall this beer is a bit too sweet.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.55
This DIPA pours a crystal clear amber color, and is topped by a creamy off-white head that fades to a sudsy layer. The aroma is woody with a a dose of citric hops, and a bready backbone.
There's a sweet, sugary, caramel backbone. That moves into a moderately bitter finish with grassy, citric, and woody notes. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated and dry.
Overall this beer is too sweet and could use a bit more bitterness.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kaiser Bräu GmbH & Co KG
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Landbier pours a clear brown-tinted amber, and is topped by a sudsy beige head. It has a rich, malty aroma. There are notes of chocolate, fruit, caramel, and bread. There's also a slight metallic note.
Upfront there are sweet bready notes as well as notes of toffee and chocolate. It mellows towards the finish, which is mild and and not bitter with a bit of a twang. It's medium-bodied and moderately carbonated.
Overall this beer is a bit too sweet.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 3.55
This DIPA pours a crystal clear amber color, and is topped by a creamy off-white head that fades to a sudsy layer. The aroma is woody with a a dose of citric hops, and a bready backbone.
There's a sweet, sugary, caramel backbone. That moves into a moderately bitter finish with grassy, citric, and woody notes. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated and dry.
Overall this beer is too sweet and could use a bit more bitterness.
Labels: American Double IPA, Munich Dunkel Lager
Win bought tickets for a Mets game in early July, so I went down to NY to go to the game and see Win, Dave, and David. I got into town Friday afternoon, and we took the subway to Park Slope, and had dinner at a German restaurant whose name escapes me. I had two new beers there with dinner.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0| Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.65
This beer pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a white head that fads to a ring, but is fed by streams of bubbles. The aroma is a bit richer than a lot of other Pilseners. It's grassy and has a bit more of a pronounced malt character that other examples of the style.
A mild, malty sweetness upfront moves into a dry, crisp finish with grassy hops, which leave a nice lingering bittereness. This beer is crisp, and clean with good carbonation.
I thought that this was a pretty tasty Pils.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Keegan Ales
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
This IPA pours a very lightly hazed amber. It's topped by a thick, off-white head that leaves good lace. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, slight roast, and chocolate, which is very odd for an IPA. The hops are mild and resiny with hints of citrus.
Caramel malts upfront move into a dry grassy, and citric hop finish. This beer is medium-modied with moderate carbonation.
Despite the interesting combination of aromas this was a nice, bitter IPA with good malts to back up the hops.
After dinner we went across the street to a great beer bar and small plates establishment called Beer Table, which had a phenomenal beer list, great snack plates, and a knowledgeable server.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.05
Chimera pours a cloudy red color, and it topped by a creamy, off-white head. It looks very nice. The aroma is mild with notes of cherry, and a mild acidity, which made it seem like it might be a milder Flanders Red.
It starts off malty and moves into a light, cherry fruitiness in the center. The finish has a pulpy fruit character, notes of chocolate, and a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and dry.
This beer reminded my of a mild Flanders Red that was more balanced and less tart.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
This beer pours a hazy golden color. It's topped by a white head that quickly fades to a ring, and eventually disappears altogether. The aroma has typical esters thrown off by Belgian yeast: bananas and citrus. There's also a bit of graininess, and an odd, hard to place aroma.
Grassy malts move into a fruity, banana sweetness in the center. The finish has a grassy bitterness. This beer feels a bit watery.
The flavors here were good, but it lacked pep.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This is Double IPA from a Dutch brewery... interesting. It pours a hazy caramel color, and is topped by a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is malty with overripe banana, buttery notes, and some nuttiness. There's a strong peppery alcoholic whiff, and notes of resiny hops.
Sweet caramel and bready malts upfront move into a center that's sweetened by flavors of overripe fruit. The finish has peppery alcoholic heat, and a resiny, citric hop character, that imparts a moderate bitterness. Full-bodied and moderately carbonated with a smooth finish.
Though not quite an American DIPA this was definitely an enjoyable beer.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij 't Brouwkot
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
Netebuk pours a hazy golden color, and is topped by a half-inch, bright white head that fades to a film. This is a very attractive beer. The aromas are subdued, but there are notes of lemon, citrus, and grass.
Grassy notes upfront quickly give way to sweet fruity flavors of bright citrus. The finish is crisp with a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied with refreshing and vigorous carbonation.
I though this was a crisp and refreshing saison.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.15
Hof Ten Dormaal's Blond pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a tall, white head that fades away very slowly. The aroma has a sourdough breadiness, notes of banana, and hay.
Upfront there's a clean but quite sweet maltiness that yields to a banana and citric fruitiness in the center, and moves into a yeasty finish with only hints of bitterness. This beer is light-bodied and highly carbonated.
Pretty aggressive for a saison, but quite tasty.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Montegioco
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.35
My notes started to get shorter here. This beer pours a hazed red color. The head is thin, and is made up of large, thin bubbles. The aroma is acidic with notes of sour cherries, and woody notes.
There are flavors of cherries, dark fruit, and woody notes. The sourness is there, but as an undertone. The finish has a mild bitterness. This beer is dry and crisp with low carbonation.
Despite not being as sour as I normally like I thought that this beer was a good balance between a puckering Flanders Red and a milder beer.
After leaving Beer Table we went to a bar called The Gate, where we had a couple more drinks.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.83%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Strong Ale
WTF pours a clear brown color, and is topped by an off-white head that is thick and fluffy. The aroma is a nice mix of citric hops and caramel and molasses malts.
This beer starts malty with a mix of roasted and caramel notes. It mellows towards the center before moving into a resiny, grassy hop bitterness. It's medum-bodied and moderately carbonated.
It's a bit strong, but makes a good sipper.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a clear, copper color, and is topped by a quickly fading beige head. The aroma has notes of grapefruit hops and mild malts.
It's sweet upfront, moving into a citric hop finish. It's sort of one-note. There are citric hops, but not a lot of malt baking, which for me makes the mild.
We had this, among other beers at the Beer Garden in Queens after the game.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
I thought that I'd had this one before, so I didn't take notes. I remember enjoying it, and that's about all I remember about it.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0| Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.65
This beer pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a white head that fads to a ring, but is fed by streams of bubbles. The aroma is a bit richer than a lot of other Pilseners. It's grassy and has a bit more of a pronounced malt character that other examples of the style.
A mild, malty sweetness upfront moves into a dry, crisp finish with grassy hops, which leave a nice lingering bittereness. This beer is crisp, and clean with good carbonation.
I thought that this was a pretty tasty Pils.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Keegan Ales
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
This IPA pours a very lightly hazed amber. It's topped by a thick, off-white head that leaves good lace. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, slight roast, and chocolate, which is very odd for an IPA. The hops are mild and resiny with hints of citrus.
Caramel malts upfront move into a dry grassy, and citric hop finish. This beer is medium-modied with moderate carbonation.
Despite the interesting combination of aromas this was a nice, bitter IPA with good malts to back up the hops.
After dinner we went across the street to a great beer bar and small plates establishment called Beer Table, which had a phenomenal beer list, great snack plates, and a knowledgeable server.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.05
Chimera pours a cloudy red color, and it topped by a creamy, off-white head. It looks very nice. The aroma is mild with notes of cherry, and a mild acidity, which made it seem like it might be a milder Flanders Red.
It starts off malty and moves into a light, cherry fruitiness in the center. The finish has a pulpy fruit character, notes of chocolate, and a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and dry.
This beer reminded my of a mild Flanders Red that was more balanced and less tart.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
This beer pours a hazy golden color. It's topped by a white head that quickly fades to a ring, and eventually disappears altogether. The aroma has typical esters thrown off by Belgian yeast: bananas and citrus. There's also a bit of graininess, and an odd, hard to place aroma.
Grassy malts move into a fruity, banana sweetness in the center. The finish has a grassy bitterness. This beer feels a bit watery.
The flavors here were good, but it lacked pep.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.0
This is Double IPA from a Dutch brewery... interesting. It pours a hazy caramel color, and is topped by a white head that fades to a film. The aroma is malty with overripe banana, buttery notes, and some nuttiness. There's a strong peppery alcoholic whiff, and notes of resiny hops.
Sweet caramel and bready malts upfront move into a center that's sweetened by flavors of overripe fruit. The finish has peppery alcoholic heat, and a resiny, citric hop character, that imparts a moderate bitterness. Full-bodied and moderately carbonated with a smooth finish.
Though not quite an American DIPA this was definitely an enjoyable beer.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij 't Brouwkot
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
Netebuk pours a hazy golden color, and is topped by a half-inch, bright white head that fades to a film. This is a very attractive beer. The aromas are subdued, but there are notes of lemon, citrus, and grass.
Grassy notes upfront quickly give way to sweet fruity flavors of bright citrus. The finish is crisp with a mild bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied with refreshing and vigorous carbonation.
I though this was a crisp and refreshing saison.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 5.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.15
Hof Ten Dormaal's Blond pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a tall, white head that fades away very slowly. The aroma has a sourdough breadiness, notes of banana, and hay.
Upfront there's a clean but quite sweet maltiness that yields to a banana and citric fruitiness in the center, and moves into a yeasty finish with only hints of bitterness. This beer is light-bodied and highly carbonated.
Pretty aggressive for a saison, but quite tasty.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Birrificio Montegioco
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.35
My notes started to get shorter here. This beer pours a hazed red color. The head is thin, and is made up of large, thin bubbles. The aroma is acidic with notes of sour cherries, and woody notes.
There are flavors of cherries, dark fruit, and woody notes. The sourness is there, but as an undertone. The finish has a mild bitterness. This beer is dry and crisp with low carbonation.
Despite not being as sour as I normally like I thought that this beer was a good balance between a puckering Flanders Red and a milder beer.
After leaving Beer Table we went to a bar called The Gate, where we had a couple more drinks.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.83%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Strong Ale
WTF pours a clear brown color, and is topped by an off-white head that is thick and fluffy. The aroma is a nice mix of citric hops and caramel and molasses malts.
This beer starts malty with a mix of roasted and caramel notes. It mellows towards the center before moving into a resiny, grassy hop bitterness. It's medum-bodied and moderately carbonated.
It's a bit strong, but makes a good sipper.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: English Pale Mild Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This beer pours a clear, copper color, and is topped by a quickly fading beige head. The aroma has notes of grapefruit hops and mild malts.
It's sweet upfront, moving into a citric hop finish. It's sort of one-note. There are citric hops, but not a lot of malt baking, which for me makes the mild.
We had this, among other beers at the Beer Garden in Queens after the game.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Královský Pivovar Krušovice
Alcohol: 3.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
I thought that I'd had this one before, so I didn't take notes. I remember enjoying it, and that's about all I remember about it.
Labels: American Double IPA, American IPA, American Strong Ale, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, English Pale Mild Ale, German Pilsener, Saison, Schwarzbier
I flew to Texas in late March, and Win and I visited Ward in Houston on the weekend of the 26th. I had several new beers while there
1157. Phoenixx Double ESB
After we arrived at Ward's we went to Anvil, a bar that focuses on cocktails, but with a respectable beer list. I started off with a cask beer, but then switched to cocktails.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.20%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
This ESB pours a lightly hazed, copper-amber color, and is topped by a thick, creamy, beige head. The aroma is citric and malty, which gives an impression of orange cream. There are caramel and bready notes, grassy hops, and an almost cinnamon-like spice.
Mildly sweet, bready and toasty malts upfront move into a lightly-citric center. The finish has a rough, hoppy bitterness and a slight spiciness. This beer is smooth and creamy upfront, but moves into a rough, coarse finish.
I thought that this was an amazingly balanced beer.
1158. Hop Czar
I split a bottle of this beer with Ward at his apartment after we got back on Friday night.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: BridgePort Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Hop Czar pours a clear copper color, and is topped by a wispy, white head. The aroma is disappointingly mild for a Double IPA. It's toasty with mild, citric, and resiny hop notes.
Toasty malts upfront move into citric and resiny hop flavors and bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied, and moderately-carbonated.
This beer is decently hoppy, but it pretty mild for a DIPA.
1159. Modus Hoperandi
Ward had a birthday party for a friend at his apartment on Saturday. I'd picked up a six-pack of Modus Hoperandi at Spec's earlier in the day, and had this while I was grilling.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ska Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Can., 12 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
I didn't take notes on this beer, but it was a pleasing, straightforward IPA. I'd definitely try it again.
1160. Shiner Kosmos Reserve
I had a few ounces of Ward's bottle of this beer later in the evening on Saturday.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Kosmos Reserve pours a clear copper color, and is topped by a thin, white head. The aroma is pils-like: mildly sweet malts, grainy, and grassy hops.
Sweet bready and grainy malts upfront move through to a subtle, earthy hop flavor in the finish with a mild bitterness. It's crisp and medium-bodied.
I thought this beer was pretty good, but as with most lagers, I thought it could use a touch more hops.
1161. Transatlantique Kriek
At Spec's they had several of New Belgium's Lips of Faith series so I bought a bottle of each. We split this bottle at the end of the Party on Saturday night.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.30%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.75
Transatlantique Kriek pours a clear, ruby-red color with copper tints. It's topped by a thick, pink head that fades to a fluffy, sudsy film, leaving patchy lace. The aroma is mild with notes of cherries, buttery diacetyl, and mild funkiness.
Sweet cherry flavors greet the palate, but are quickly tempered by an acidic sourness that's strong enough to cut the sweetness, but isn't mouth puckering. The finish has a mildly earthy, funkiness. This beer is medium-to-light-bodied, has low carbonation, and a dry finish.
A decent sour. It's blended, so the sourness is attenuated, but it could be stronger.
1162. Le Fleur Misseur
This was purchased at Spec's. We split this beer on Sunday afternoon.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 5.0
Overall: 4.3
Le Fleur Misseur pours a cloudy, straw-golden color, and is topped by a very nice, bright white head that fades to a sudsy film. The aroma is mildly malty with notes of grainy and sweet malts. There's a fruity citrus kick that mingles with banana notes. To top it off there's a mild note of Brettanomyces. Overall this smells like an inviting beer.
A neytral graininess upfront gives way to fruity notes of banana and citrus in the center. The finish is dry, mildly bitter, and Brett-tinged. This beer is light-bodied, dry and has a good dose of carbonation.
I thought that this was an excellent beer. The wild yeasts really add to the style.
1157. Phoenixx Double ESB
After we arrived at Ward's we went to Anvil, a bar that focuses on cocktails, but with a respectable beer list. I started off with a cask beer, but then switched to cocktails.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.20%
Serving: Cask
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
This ESB pours a lightly hazed, copper-amber color, and is topped by a thick, creamy, beige head. The aroma is citric and malty, which gives an impression of orange cream. There are caramel and bready notes, grassy hops, and an almost cinnamon-like spice.
Mildly sweet, bready and toasty malts upfront move into a lightly-citric center. The finish has a rough, hoppy bitterness and a slight spiciness. This beer is smooth and creamy upfront, but moves into a rough, coarse finish.
I thought that this was an amazingly balanced beer.
1158. Hop Czar
I split a bottle of this beer with Ward at his apartment after we got back on Friday night.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: BridgePort Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Hop Czar pours a clear copper color, and is topped by a wispy, white head. The aroma is disappointingly mild for a Double IPA. It's toasty with mild, citric, and resiny hop notes.
Toasty malts upfront move into citric and resiny hop flavors and bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied, and moderately-carbonated.
This beer is decently hoppy, but it pretty mild for a DIPA.
1159. Modus Hoperandi
Ward had a birthday party for a friend at his apartment on Saturday. I'd picked up a six-pack of Modus Hoperandi at Spec's earlier in the day, and had this while I was grilling.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ska Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Can., 12 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
I didn't take notes on this beer, but it was a pleasing, straightforward IPA. I'd definitely try it again.
1160. Shiner Kosmos Reserve
I had a few ounces of Ward's bottle of this beer later in the evening on Saturday.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Kosmos Reserve pours a clear copper color, and is topped by a thin, white head. The aroma is pils-like: mildly sweet malts, grainy, and grassy hops.
Sweet bready and grainy malts upfront move through to a subtle, earthy hop flavor in the finish with a mild bitterness. It's crisp and medium-bodied.
I thought this beer was pretty good, but as with most lagers, I thought it could use a touch more hops.
1161. Transatlantique Kriek
At Spec's they had several of New Belgium's Lips of Faith series so I bought a bottle of each. We split this bottle at the end of the Party on Saturday night.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.30%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.75
Transatlantique Kriek pours a clear, ruby-red color with copper tints. It's topped by a thick, pink head that fades to a fluffy, sudsy film, leaving patchy lace. The aroma is mild with notes of cherries, buttery diacetyl, and mild funkiness.
Sweet cherry flavors greet the palate, but are quickly tempered by an acidic sourness that's strong enough to cut the sweetness, but isn't mouth puckering. The finish has a mildly earthy, funkiness. This beer is medium-to-light-bodied, has low carbonation, and a dry finish.
A decent sour. It's blended, so the sourness is attenuated, but it could be stronger.
1162. Le Fleur Misseur
This was purchased at Spec's. We split this beer on Sunday afternoon.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 5.0
Overall: 4.3
Le Fleur Misseur pours a cloudy, straw-golden color, and is topped by a very nice, bright white head that fades to a sudsy film. The aroma is mildly malty with notes of grainy and sweet malts. There's a fruity citrus kick that mingles with banana notes. To top it off there's a mild note of Brettanomyces. Overall this smells like an inviting beer.
A neytral graininess upfront gives way to fruity notes of banana and citrus in the center. The finish is dry, mildly bitter, and Brett-tinged. This beer is light-bodied, dry and has a good dose of carbonation.
I thought that this was an excellent beer. The wild yeasts really add to the style.
Labels: American Double IPA, American IPA, American Pale Lager, Belgian Pale Ale, ESB, Fruit Lambic
1152-1155. Bukowski's and Cambridge Common
Published by Unknown on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 9:30 AM.
After dinner at Lord Hobo we went to Bukowski's and then to Cambridge Common for more drinks.
1152. McNeill's Pullman's Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: McNeill's Brewery
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.55
This porter pours a cloudy brown, and is topped by a fluffy, brown head. The aroma is mild overall. There are roasty notes of coffee and chocolate, as well as notes of herbal hops. What's there is nice, but it could be stronger.
A mild chocolate sweetness first greets the palate, followed by notes of dark fruit. The beer then moves into an herbal, hoppy finish with a good amount of bitterness. This porter is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
1153. Narragansett Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Narragansett Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Can
Style: American Adjunct Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I've seen Narragansett around in cans for awhile, but I've never actually given it a try. It pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a fluffy, white head that clings to the glass. It has a clean, malty aroma with some grassy and caramel hints to it.
This beer is mild, grassy, and slightly sweet upfront, and has a grassy finish with only a slight bitterenss. This beer is clean and crisp.
IT was a decent beer, but it could use a little bit more bitterness.
1154. Gordon Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery
Alcohol: 8.70%
Serving: Can
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Gordon pours a clear, amber color, and is topped by an off-white head that leaves very nice lace. The aroma is has strong notes of resiny hops, as well as bready and toasty malt aromas.
Bready and caramel malts upfront move into a center with a slight fruitiness. The finish has a strong citric and resiny hop bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a hint of oiliness from the hops.
This is really an intensely hoppy beer, but I felt like something was missing.
1155. Quinn's Amber Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Wachusett Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Quinn's Amber pours a clear amber color, and is topped by a shinny, off-white head. The aroma is malty with toasty, bready, and caramel notes.
A bready sweetness upfront continues through to the center, and is only cut my a mild leafy bitterness in the finish.
1152. McNeill's Pullman's Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: McNeill's Brewery
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.55
This porter pours a cloudy brown, and is topped by a fluffy, brown head. The aroma is mild overall. There are roasty notes of coffee and chocolate, as well as notes of herbal hops. What's there is nice, but it could be stronger.
A mild chocolate sweetness first greets the palate, followed by notes of dark fruit. The beer then moves into an herbal, hoppy finish with a good amount of bitterness. This porter is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
1153. Narragansett Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Narragansett Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Can
Style: American Adjunct Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I've seen Narragansett around in cans for awhile, but I've never actually given it a try. It pours a clear, straw-golden color, and is topped by a fluffy, white head that clings to the glass. It has a clean, malty aroma with some grassy and caramel hints to it.
This beer is mild, grassy, and slightly sweet upfront, and has a grassy finish with only a slight bitterenss. This beer is clean and crisp.
IT was a decent beer, but it could use a little bit more bitterness.
1154. Gordon Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery
Alcohol: 8.70%
Serving: Can
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Gordon pours a clear, amber color, and is topped by an off-white head that leaves very nice lace. The aroma is has strong notes of resiny hops, as well as bready and toasty malt aromas.
Bready and caramel malts upfront move into a center with a slight fruitiness. The finish has a strong citric and resiny hop bitterness. This beer is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and has a hint of oiliness from the hops.
This is really an intensely hoppy beer, but I felt like something was missing.
1155. Quinn's Amber Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Wachusett Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Quinn's Amber pours a clear amber color, and is topped by a shinny, off-white head. The aroma is malty with toasty, bready, and caramel notes.
A bready sweetness upfront continues through to the center, and is only cut my a mild leafy bitterness in the finish.
Labels: American Adjunct Lager, American Double IPA, American Porter, Irish Red Ale
I had several new beers on my trip back to Texas during December. As usual I tried to focus on Texas beers, or beers that aren't readily available in Massachusetts.
1103. Bombshell Blonde
Ward always sets aside a couple of beers for my Texas visits. This time he brought a can of Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde, and a bottle of Shiner Smokehaus.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.95
Bombshell Blonde pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a shiny, white head that fades to a film and leaves lace that clings to the sides of the glass. The aroma is fruity with lighter notes of toasty malts, and herbal hops.
There's a toasty, bready sweetness upfront that is constant underneath the building flavors. A mild banana fruitiness appears in the center, and moves into a a mild, grassy bitterness in the flavor. I thought this beer had a pleasing sweetness that was offset by a good depth of flavor. This blonde ale is medium to light-bodied, and has a nice crispness that's accentuated by the carbonation.
I was very pleased with this beer. It had a nice amount of flavor, and would make a great session beer.
1104. Shiner Smokehaus
This was another beer that Ward brought to Waco for me to try.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 4.89%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Smoked Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
Smokehaus pours a crystal clear golden, and is topped by a short-lived, bright white head. The aroma has a mild, malt sweetness, a slight grassiness, and a mild, mild smokiness.
There's an initial, crisp maltiness that moves into a slight, fruity sweetness in the center. The finish has a mild smokiness and an herbal grassiness. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good dose of carbonation.
The smokiness is fairly mild, making this surprisingly drinkable for a smoked beer.
1105. Buried Hatchet Stout
Win, Ward and I spent a bit of time at The Dancing Bear, which is still Waco's best beer bar.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.15
This beer pours a cloudy brown up to the light, but sitting in the glass it's an opaque black. It's topped by a fluffy, brown head that fades to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma is roasty with mild, coffee notes, sweet chocolate, and dark fruit.
There's a strong, roasted bitter undercurrent just underneath the surface. The sweetness is very mild, really only making an appearance in the center with notes of dark fruit. The finish has a mix of chocolate and coffee that's intensely bitter. This stout is full-bodied and moderately carbonated.
This is an excellent stout. It has an intense bitterness, so it's not as much of a sessioner as many others.
1106. Hopsickle
This was another beer at The Dancing Bear.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moylan's Brewery
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 4.2
Hopsickle pours a cloudy copper color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well, and leaves good lace. The aroma is intensely hoppy with notes of citrus, juicy fruit, apricots, a bit of pine, and slight, bready malts.
Sweet notes of caramel and raw sugar upfront are quickly met by a strong, hop bitterness in the center, which moves into a resiny finish that leaves a lingering bitterness. This Double IPA is medium-bodied, oily, and has a nice, prickly carbonation.
The hop aromas, bitterness, and flavors in this beer are insane.
1107. Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #9
The Divine Reserve series is Saint Arnold's limited release line of beers. Their #9 is an Imperial Pumpkin stout. These disappeared quickly in Houston, but the HEB in Woodway had several cases. I bought a six-pack. Ward bought two cases.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.0%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Double Stout
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.05
Divine Reserve #9 pours an opaque black. The carbonation sounds oda-like upon pouring. The head is light brown, retains well, and is fed by a nice stream of bubbles. Pumpkin pie spice aromas are immediately noticeable with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The effect of the malts and spices give an impression of ginger bread. There are mild, roasty undertones.
A mild roastiness opens up into a spicy center with notes of cinnamon and ginger. The roasty flavors come back in the finish, along with a warming, alcoholic spice. The sweetness is strong, so there's only a hint of lingering bitterness. This stout is full-bodied, with moderate carbonation
This beer is a sipper. It's alcoholic and spicy.
1103. Bombshell Blonde
Ward always sets aside a couple of beers for my Texas visits. This time he brought a can of Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde, and a bottle of Shiner Smokehaus.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5
Overall: 3.95
Bombshell Blonde pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a shiny, white head that fades to a film and leaves lace that clings to the sides of the glass. The aroma is fruity with lighter notes of toasty malts, and herbal hops.
There's a toasty, bready sweetness upfront that is constant underneath the building flavors. A mild banana fruitiness appears in the center, and moves into a a mild, grassy bitterness in the flavor. I thought this beer had a pleasing sweetness that was offset by a good depth of flavor. This blonde ale is medium to light-bodied, and has a nice crispness that's accentuated by the carbonation.
I was very pleased with this beer. It had a nice amount of flavor, and would make a great session beer.
1104. Shiner Smokehaus
This was another beer that Ward brought to Waco for me to try.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 4.89%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Smoked Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.45
Smokehaus pours a crystal clear golden, and is topped by a short-lived, bright white head. The aroma has a mild, malt sweetness, a slight grassiness, and a mild, mild smokiness.
There's an initial, crisp maltiness that moves into a slight, fruity sweetness in the center. The finish has a mild smokiness and an herbal grassiness. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good dose of carbonation.
The smokiness is fairly mild, making this surprisingly drinkable for a smoked beer.
1105. Buried Hatchet Stout
Win, Ward and I spent a bit of time at The Dancing Bear, which is still Waco's best beer bar.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.15
This beer pours a cloudy brown up to the light, but sitting in the glass it's an opaque black. It's topped by a fluffy, brown head that fades to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma is roasty with mild, coffee notes, sweet chocolate, and dark fruit.
There's a strong, roasted bitter undercurrent just underneath the surface. The sweetness is very mild, really only making an appearance in the center with notes of dark fruit. The finish has a mix of chocolate and coffee that's intensely bitter. This stout is full-bodied and moderately carbonated.
This is an excellent stout. It has an intense bitterness, so it's not as much of a sessioner as many others.
1106. Hopsickle
This was another beer at The Dancing Bear.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moylan's Brewery
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0
Overall: 4.2
Hopsickle pours a cloudy copper color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well, and leaves good lace. The aroma is intensely hoppy with notes of citrus, juicy fruit, apricots, a bit of pine, and slight, bready malts.
Sweet notes of caramel and raw sugar upfront are quickly met by a strong, hop bitterness in the center, which moves into a resiny finish that leaves a lingering bitterness. This Double IPA is medium-bodied, oily, and has a nice, prickly carbonation.
The hop aromas, bitterness, and flavors in this beer are insane.
1107. Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #9
The Divine Reserve series is Saint Arnold's limited release line of beers. Their #9 is an Imperial Pumpkin stout. These disappeared quickly in Houston, but the HEB in Woodway had several cases. I bought a six-pack. Ward bought two cases.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.0%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Double Stout
Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.05
Divine Reserve #9 pours an opaque black. The carbonation sounds oda-like upon pouring. The head is light brown, retains well, and is fed by a nice stream of bubbles. Pumpkin pie spice aromas are immediately noticeable with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The effect of the malts and spices give an impression of ginger bread. There are mild, roasty undertones.
A mild roastiness opens up into a spicy center with notes of cinnamon and ginger. The roasty flavors come back in the finish, along with a warming, alcoholic spice. The sweetness is strong, so there's only a hint of lingering bitterness. This stout is full-bodied, with moderate carbonation
This beer is a sipper. It's alcoholic and spicy.
Labels: American Blonde Ale, American Double IPA, American Double Stout, Export Stout, Smoked Beer
971-980. The Extreme Beer Fest Part II
Published by Unknown on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 9:30 AM.
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.
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.
Labels: Altbier, American Double IPA, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Berliner Weissbier, English Bitter, Unblended Lambic, Wheat Wine, Winter Warmer
I hadn't managed to go to any of the Beer Advocate Fests with any of my lab mates until this years Extreme Beer Fest. Jadyn and I went along with Jeremy, Matt, Elçin and Alfonso. The fest format has remained constant: unlimited two ounce samples and booths lining the sides of the venue as well as a row of booths in the center of the venue. I was pleased with the line up of brewers at this years fest. There was a good regional representation from brewers like Harpoon, Cambridge Brewing Company, Allagash and American Flatbread to name a few. There were also a good number of brewers whose distribution doesn't cover Massachusetts: Bell's, Three Floyds, and The Bruery. I ended up having samples of 29 beers that I hadn't previously tried. I've broken up the notes into three posts, and as usual the notes are fairly minimal and should be trusted less and less the later I am into the fest.
After the first few beers I decided the most efficient way to drink was to try what I wanted to try from one booth and then to move on to the booth next door.
961. Bell's Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition/Double Cream Blend
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a deep black with a brown head. The aroma has notes of oak, vanilla and a resiny character. There are nice flavors of chocolate and vanilla with a boozy quality contributed by the bourbon barrels. The finish is roasty.
962. Allagash Gargamel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale
This beer wasn't on the Fest beer list, but the description said it was brewed with Brettanomyces so I had to give it a try. Pours a hazed copper. The aroma hints at the sourness to come and has a nice notes of the wild yeast. Acidic and sour throughout, well attenuated so there isn't a lot of residual sweetness. The finish has a nice earthy Brett characteristic. Easily one of my favorites of the fest.
963. Allagash Confluence
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a pale, hazed golden-copper. The aroma is malty and citric with notes of acidity and Brett. Sweet overall with a sugary undertone. There's a light sourness in the center followed by earthy flavors in the finish. I'm biased towards sourness in my wild ales, so I was a bit disappointed, but that doesn't mean the beer wasn't good.
964. Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right BA Select
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
From the fest website: "A collaboration beer brewed by Sam Calagione, Bryan Selders, and the Alström Bros at the original Rehoboth Beach Dogfish Head brewpub for the 2009 Extreme Beer Fest. Brewed with maple syrup, chestnuts, green peppercorns, Korean Corn tea (Oksusu-cha), Fawcett's Maris Otter base malt, MFP kiln coffee malt, Liberty and Vangaurd hops, and DFH's Raison D'Etra yeast strain... The name is an ode to The Konami Code (cheat code) on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s"
Pours a clear amber brown. The aroma is redolent of chestnuts, maple syrup and roasted malts. Sweet upfront with a light roasty character. Maple syrup sweetness appears in the center along with a nutty flavor that contributes a bit of tannic huskiness in the finish. There's also a nice peppery spice in the finish.
965. Bell's HopSlam Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper, topped by a sheet of white foam. Notes of citrus give the malts a candy-like aroma. Sweet upfront, raw sugar malts. Citric hops in the finish with a concealed bitterness.
966. Bell's Expedition Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black. Coffee and roasted malts in the aroma. Chocolate sweetness upfront, which moves into a sharp fruitiness, followed by a roasted bitterness in the finish.
967. Bell's Third Coast Old Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.20%
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed amber, with a good head, especially for a fest pour. The aroma is nice and malty, with caramel and a bit of toffee, there are also notes of hops. Malty with notes of caramel and dark fruit. The finish has a good bit of hop flavor and bitterness.
968. Samuel Adams Double Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, dark copper. Malty aroma: toffee, butterscotch and boozy notes. Caramel and toffee sweetness upfront, followed by a strong and boozy finish with lots of alcoholic spice.
969. CaCow! Chocolate Milk Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.40%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a deep, dark brown. The aroma is predominantly chocolate with some nice hints of roastiness. Roasty notes upfront, but becomes increasingly sweet through the center with notes of chocolate and fruit. The finish has a nice bit of chocolate flavor.
970. The Colonel's Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.30%
Style: Baltic Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear brown with garnet hints. Roasty malts in the aroma with a nice Brettanomyces character. There's a roasty malt backbone with fruity notes, but not a lot of residual sweetness. The finish is sour with a strong Brett finish. Another very good beer. One of my favorites from the fest.
After the first few beers I decided the most efficient way to drink was to try what I wanted to try from one booth and then to move on to the booth next door.
961. Bell's Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition/Double Cream Blend
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a deep black with a brown head. The aroma has notes of oak, vanilla and a resiny character. There are nice flavors of chocolate and vanilla with a boozy quality contributed by the bourbon barrels. The finish is roasty.
962. Allagash Gargamel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale
This beer wasn't on the Fest beer list, but the description said it was brewed with Brettanomyces so I had to give it a try. Pours a hazed copper. The aroma hints at the sourness to come and has a nice notes of the wild yeast. Acidic and sour throughout, well attenuated so there isn't a lot of residual sweetness. The finish has a nice earthy Brett characteristic. Easily one of my favorites of the fest.
963. Allagash Confluence
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.40%
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a pale, hazed golden-copper. The aroma is malty and citric with notes of acidity and Brett. Sweet overall with a sugary undertone. There's a light sourness in the center followed by earthy flavors in the finish. I'm biased towards sourness in my wild ales, so I was a bit disappointed, but that doesn't mean the beer wasn't good.
964. Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right BA Select
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Brown Ale, BJCP Style Guide
From the fest website: "A collaboration beer brewed by Sam Calagione, Bryan Selders, and the Alström Bros at the original Rehoboth Beach Dogfish Head brewpub for the 2009 Extreme Beer Fest. Brewed with maple syrup, chestnuts, green peppercorns, Korean Corn tea (Oksusu-cha), Fawcett's Maris Otter base malt, MFP kiln coffee malt, Liberty and Vangaurd hops, and DFH's Raison D'Etra yeast strain... The name is an ode to The Konami Code (cheat code) on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s"
Pours a clear amber brown. The aroma is redolent of chestnuts, maple syrup and roasted malts. Sweet upfront with a light roasty character. Maple syrup sweetness appears in the center along with a nutty flavor that contributes a bit of tannic huskiness in the finish. There's also a nice peppery spice in the finish.
965. Bell's HopSlam Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper, topped by a sheet of white foam. Notes of citrus give the malts a candy-like aroma. Sweet upfront, raw sugar malts. Citric hops in the finish with a concealed bitterness.
966. Bell's Expedition Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black. Coffee and roasted malts in the aroma. Chocolate sweetness upfront, which moves into a sharp fruitiness, followed by a roasted bitterness in the finish.
967. Bell's Third Coast Old Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Alcohol: 10.20%
Style: Old Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed amber, with a good head, especially for a fest pour. The aroma is nice and malty, with caramel and a bit of toffee, there are also notes of hops. Malty with notes of caramel and dark fruit. The finish has a good bit of hop flavor and bitterness.
968. Samuel Adams Double Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Doppelbock, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, dark copper. Malty aroma: toffee, butterscotch and boozy notes. Caramel and toffee sweetness upfront, followed by a strong and boozy finish with lots of alcoholic spice.
969. CaCow! Chocolate Milk Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.40%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a deep, dark brown. The aroma is predominantly chocolate with some nice hints of roastiness. Roasty notes upfront, but becomes increasingly sweet through the center with notes of chocolate and fruit. The finish has a nice bit of chocolate flavor.
970. The Colonel's Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.30%
Style: Baltic Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear brown with garnet hints. Roasty malts in the aroma with a nice Brettanomyces character. There's a roasty malt backbone with fruity notes, but not a lot of residual sweetness. The finish is sour with a strong Brett finish. Another very good beer. One of my favorites from the fest.
Labels: American Brown Ale, American Double IPA, American Stout, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests
741. Stone Ruination IPA
I had this on tap at Bukowski's in Boston.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a nice copper with a light haziness to it. Topped by a creamy beige head that fades slowly to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (4.0): The hops really dominate the aroma. There's a fainty sugary maltiness that's eveident, but herbal, resiny and citric hops are at center stage here. There's also a hint of grassiness.
Taste (4.5): Toasty maltiness followed by some caramel sweetness are evident briefly. Resiny and citric hops soon take over making for a very bitter finish with a bit of alcoholic spice.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied. Moderate carbonation. A bit of oiliness.
Drinkability (3.5): Pretty strong and hoppy.
Overall (4.25): This is a very nice Double IPA. It has strong hops that are the focus without enough, but not too much malt for balance. I find too many DIPAs to be too sweet.
I had this on tap at Bukowski's in Boston.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 7.70%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a nice copper with a light haziness to it. Topped by a creamy beige head that fades slowly to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (4.0): The hops really dominate the aroma. There's a fainty sugary maltiness that's eveident, but herbal, resiny and citric hops are at center stage here. There's also a hint of grassiness.
Taste (4.5): Toasty maltiness followed by some caramel sweetness are evident briefly. Resiny and citric hops soon take over making for a very bitter finish with a bit of alcoholic spice.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied. Moderate carbonation. A bit of oiliness.
Drinkability (3.5): Pretty strong and hoppy.
Overall (4.25): This is a very nice Double IPA. It has strong hops that are the focus without enough, but not too much malt for balance. I find too many DIPAs to be too sweet.
Labels: American Double IPA, Stone Brewing Co.
David and Dave came up to Boston this past weekend to visit. They arrived at my place after spending 8 hours on a bus from NYC to Boston. Perhaps taking the bus on the day it snowed heavily wasn't such a good idea. Since they got into Boston at 1 AM Friday night was a bust, but we had some beer at my place before turning in.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at Mr. Crepe. After Mr. Crepe we stopped by lab because I had about an hour's worth of work to do. After leaving lab we headed towards the Institute of Contemporary Art, but got off out South Station to have a drink first. We ended up at a depressing hole in the wall called Bernie's Pub where Dave and I had PBRs and David had a Bud.
We then returned to South Station, and took the Silver Line to the ICA. The exhibit was called "Super Vision," which explored how technology has expanded the scope of what we can see in the context of contemporary art. I could definitely see the connection with certain pieces, but others seemed like a bit of a stretch. Overall there were some really cool pieces, and the new ICA building was really nice.
After the ICA we went to Bukowski's for lunch/beer (644-647). We arrived at around three, ordered a round and burgers and stayed on for a few more beers before heading out.
After leaving Bukowski's we were tipsy enough to think it was appropriate enough to pelt each other with snow. At this point David stopped taking notes on what we did for the night, so it just gets hazier. We had planned on going to a few bars that Dave or David had picked out in Allston/Brighton, so we headed in that direction. We got off of the B line where Comm Ave. splits from Beacon, and started walking. Quickly, public urination was agreed upon as a reasonable course of action.
Proceeding down Comm Ave, we were distracted by Sunset Grill and Tap before we could get to one of the chosen bars, however we ended up going next door to play pool. We played several games and had a couple beers (#648 and a DFH 60 Minute). I believe I was $6 up by the time we left.
The next few bars are somewhat fuzzy. I remember David and Dave playing pool in a bar where we had at least one Guinness and a shot of Jameson each. I think this was immediately after pool at the other bar, though there might have been another bar in between. The next bar I remember is where we ended our night. We ordered a round or two of something, which I can't remember. When David tried to get another round he was refused service, so we left (~9:30).
David then laid down in the snow in someones front yard and lost his glasses. We looked for quite awhile before giving up and going to the KFC across the street. Our visit to KFC was brief, shortly after I received our food David puked on the floor, which necessitated a quick departure. After a cab ride back to my place David fell face first over some bushes into the snow in my front yard and laid there for a few seconds before he puked again. We got him upstairs and into bed, and then Dave, Susan (a roommate) and I went to the Sligo. We ordered a round of Stella and then left because it was too crowded. Back at my place we drank some more beer (Ommegang, Hop Devil and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale). Dave challenged me to a wrestling match, so we went out into the back yard and fought in the snow. After that we turned in.
The next morning we had brunch at Rosebud, and then Dave and David caught the bus back to NYC.
644. Sebago Lake Trout Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours an opaque black with brown edges and a small head that quickly fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Strong notes of coffee dominate, with lighter notes of coffee and fruit.
Taste (3.5): Light roastiness upfront, with some sweet malts that come through in the center. The finish is roasty with a chocolate sweetness.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, a bit thin.
Drinkability (3.5): The thinness is a little off-putting, but the flavors are nice.
Overall (3.3)
645. Harpoon Refsvinginge Private Stock (100 Barrel Series #18)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Danish Farmhouse Ale
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear copper with a thin head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Overall the aroma is light, but there are nice malty, caramel notes with a soft fruitiness that reminded me of berries. Swirling enhances the maltiness and brings out some alcoholic aroma.
Taste (4.5): Lightly toasty malts upfront, which is followed closely by some flavors reminiscent of a liquor like brandy or cognac. The finish has a light alcoholic spice, pepper and a light but persistent bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Strong flavors and evident alcohol, but overall very enjoyable.
Overall (4.05)
646. Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a very hazy dark-brown with a moderate beige head that persists as a significant film and leaves heavy lace on the side of the glass.
Smell (3.0): Overwhelming coffee aromas mask anything else, except for perhaps a very faint aroma of chocolate.
Taste (3.5): Light chocolate sweetness upfront with some dried fruit. The fruitiness becomes more noticeable in the center before it's eclipsed (though not completely) by some roasted coffee flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, very smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Flavorful and balanced.
Overall (3.6)
647. Hercules Double IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy copper with dense but thin, off-white head that leaves sheets of lace.
Smell (4.0): Hops, hops, hops! Citric and resiny and strong. There's also some sweet maltiness, but mostly the hops dominate.
Taste (4.5): Again, lots of hops. Toasty and caramel malts make a brief appearance upfront, but are quickly met by resiny, citric and grassy hops. Not too sweet, which is a fault of many DIPAs.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, a tad oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Great for a DIPA. I actually find the DIPAs that are hoppier to be more drinkable than the overly malty ones.
Overall (4.15)
648. Golden Monkey
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a golden-amber with a sudsy white head that quickly fades to a patchy film.
Smell (3.5): Spicy and peppery with a bit of banana fruitiness and some sweet tropical notes.
Taste (4.0): Bananas upfront, peppery spice in the center, followed by a mildly bitter taste that mingles with lingering fruitiness and alcohol.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful and nice though the alcohol is noticeable.
Overall (3.75)
Saturday morning we had breakfast at Mr. Crepe. After Mr. Crepe we stopped by lab because I had about an hour's worth of work to do. After leaving lab we headed towards the Institute of Contemporary Art, but got off out South Station to have a drink first. We ended up at a depressing hole in the wall called Bernie's Pub where Dave and I had PBRs and David had a Bud.
We then returned to South Station, and took the Silver Line to the ICA. The exhibit was called "Super Vision," which explored how technology has expanded the scope of what we can see in the context of contemporary art. I could definitely see the connection with certain pieces, but others seemed like a bit of a stretch. Overall there were some really cool pieces, and the new ICA building was really nice.
After the ICA we went to Bukowski's for lunch/beer (644-647). We arrived at around three, ordered a round and burgers and stayed on for a few more beers before heading out.
After leaving Bukowski's we were tipsy enough to think it was appropriate enough to pelt each other with snow. At this point David stopped taking notes on what we did for the night, so it just gets hazier. We had planned on going to a few bars that Dave or David had picked out in Allston/Brighton, so we headed in that direction. We got off of the B line where Comm Ave. splits from Beacon, and started walking. Quickly, public urination was agreed upon as a reasonable course of action.
Proceeding down Comm Ave, we were distracted by Sunset Grill and Tap before we could get to one of the chosen bars, however we ended up going next door to play pool. We played several games and had a couple beers (#648 and a DFH 60 Minute). I believe I was $6 up by the time we left.
The next few bars are somewhat fuzzy. I remember David and Dave playing pool in a bar where we had at least one Guinness and a shot of Jameson each. I think this was immediately after pool at the other bar, though there might have been another bar in between. The next bar I remember is where we ended our night. We ordered a round or two of something, which I can't remember. When David tried to get another round he was refused service, so we left (~9:30).
David then laid down in the snow in someones front yard and lost his glasses. We looked for quite awhile before giving up and going to the KFC across the street. Our visit to KFC was brief, shortly after I received our food David puked on the floor, which necessitated a quick departure. After a cab ride back to my place David fell face first over some bushes into the snow in my front yard and laid there for a few seconds before he puked again. We got him upstairs and into bed, and then Dave, Susan (a roommate) and I went to the Sligo. We ordered a round of Stella and then left because it was too crowded. Back at my place we drank some more beer (Ommegang, Hop Devil and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale). Dave challenged me to a wrestling match, so we went out into the back yard and fought in the snow. After that we turned in.
The next morning we had brunch at Rosebud, and then Dave and David caught the bus back to NYC.
644. Sebago Lake Trout Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours an opaque black with brown edges and a small head that quickly fades to a ring.
Smell (3.5): Strong notes of coffee dominate, with lighter notes of coffee and fruit.
Taste (3.5): Light roastiness upfront, with some sweet malts that come through in the center. The finish is roasty with a chocolate sweetness.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, a bit thin.
Drinkability (3.5): The thinness is a little off-putting, but the flavors are nice.
Overall (3.3)
645. Harpoon Refsvinginge Private Stock (100 Barrel Series #18)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 7.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Danish Farmhouse Ale
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear copper with a thin head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Overall the aroma is light, but there are nice malty, caramel notes with a soft fruitiness that reminded me of berries. Swirling enhances the maltiness and brings out some alcoholic aroma.
Taste (4.5): Lightly toasty malts upfront, which is followed closely by some flavors reminiscent of a liquor like brandy or cognac. The finish has a light alcoholic spice, pepper and a light but persistent bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Strong flavors and evident alcohol, but overall very enjoyable.
Overall (4.05)
646. Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a very hazy dark-brown with a moderate beige head that persists as a significant film and leaves heavy lace on the side of the glass.
Smell (3.0): Overwhelming coffee aromas mask anything else, except for perhaps a very faint aroma of chocolate.
Taste (3.5): Light chocolate sweetness upfront with some dried fruit. The fruitiness becomes more noticeable in the center before it's eclipsed (though not completely) by some roasted coffee flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, very smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Flavorful and balanced.
Overall (3.6)
647. Hercules Double IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy copper with dense but thin, off-white head that leaves sheets of lace.
Smell (4.0): Hops, hops, hops! Citric and resiny and strong. There's also some sweet maltiness, but mostly the hops dominate.
Taste (4.5): Again, lots of hops. Toasty and caramel malts make a brief appearance upfront, but are quickly met by resiny, citric and grassy hops. Not too sweet, which is a fault of many DIPAs.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, a tad oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Great for a DIPA. I actually find the DIPAs that are hoppier to be more drinkable than the overly malty ones.
Overall (4.15)
648. Golden Monkey
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a golden-amber with a sudsy white head that quickly fades to a patchy film.
Smell (3.5): Spicy and peppery with a bit of banana fruitiness and some sweet tropical notes.
Taste (4.0): Bananas upfront, peppery spice in the center, followed by a mildly bitter taste that mingles with lingering fruitiness and alcohol.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful and nice though the alcohol is noticeable.
Overall (3.75)
Labels: American Double IPA, American Porter, American Stout, Danish Farmhouse Ale, Tripel
631-640. The Extreme Beer Fest Part III
Published by Unknown on Saturday, March 10, 2007 at 9:24 PM.
This is the last of my posts on the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Feast 2007. The tasting notes are from the last 10 new beers of 30 new that I sampled. The notes get very general and short towards the end, and the handwriting gets pretty terrible, a good indicator of how drunk I was by the time the fest was over.
631. Kuhnhenn Wheat Wine
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: Wheat Wine
Pours a hazy amber with an off-white head. The aroma is predominantly resiny hops with a bit of fruitiness. The flavor is fruity and malty.
632. Magic Hat Belgian Sour Red Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
According to the program: "1 BBL batch, brewed exclusively for EBF. Malty, fruity, sharp and acidic, with slight oak characters." Pours a hazy copper. The aroma is yeasty and fruity with a light acidic hint. The flavor is mildly sour, though not too sweet. The finish is lightly medicinal. It's good, but it could have been more sour.
633. Stone Coast 840 Imperial India Pale Ale Bourbon Aged 2005
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Coast Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber. There's a light bourbon aroma with notes of vanilla. The beer is sweet and malty upfront with vanilla evident, the aftertaste is strong and hoppy.
634. Hairy Eyeball Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.80%
Style: American Strong Ale
Pours a clear, dark amber. The aroma is light, but dark fruit is evident. The flavors are predominantly malty and sweet, with little bitterness.
635. Redbridge
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Alcohol: 4.80%
Style: American Amber/Red Lager
This is A-B's gluten free, sorghum beer. I was curious to try it. Pours a clear, golden-amber. The aroma is light, and predominantly fruity. The flavor is much the same.
636. Weyerbacher Extreme Dark American Wild Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale
There was a sign up at Weyerbacher saying to come by at 9 for a new "Extreme Dark Wild Ale". Being a sucker for Wild Ales I showed up around 8:55, and got the first pour at 9:00. Pours a lightly hazy amber. The aroma is sour and acidic with hints of Brett. The flavor is mostly sour and acidic with some malts and sweet fruitiness as well.
637. Founders Blushing Monk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Fruit/Vegatable Beer, BJCP Style Guide
This has to be the most minimal set of notes I have from the fest. Appearance, smell and taste are all sweet raspberry, with a light tartness.
638. Founders Backwoods Bastard
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.20%
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, dark amber. The aroma is very much like a Scotch Ale, heavy malts. The flavors are the same with a nice peatiness.
639. Kuhnhenn Braggot
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 13.00%
Style: Braggot
Pours a hazy amber. The taste and aroma are both sweet and fruity.
640. Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 14.50%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, red color. The aromas are fruity and malty. The taste is the same with some bourbon notes, as well as some light spiciness and bitterness.
Like I mentioned in my first post, I really like the unlimited tastings format. It's easier to sample more beers, but it also increases the chances that you'll drink too much, which I certainly did. Perhaps the best strategy is to sample new beers early in the session, and save the last hour or so for getting sloshed. The food was pretty good, I had a sausage and pepper sandwich from Sunset, which was tasty, and later in the evening I had a Waffle Haus waffle, that was, as always, excellent.
I only have four beers marked as favorites, and three of those are from early in the evening: Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Weyerbacher Simcoe, Iron Hill Framboise and Weyerbacher Extreme Dark American Wild Ale. I neglected to keep track later in the evening, so I'm probably giving short shrift to some of the other beers.
631. Kuhnhenn Wheat Wine
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: Wheat Wine
Pours a hazy amber with an off-white head. The aroma is predominantly resiny hops with a bit of fruitiness. The flavor is fruity and malty.
632. Magic Hat Belgian Sour Red Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
According to the program: "1 BBL batch, brewed exclusively for EBF. Malty, fruity, sharp and acidic, with slight oak characters." Pours a hazy copper. The aroma is yeasty and fruity with a light acidic hint. The flavor is mildly sour, though not too sweet. The finish is lightly medicinal. It's good, but it could have been more sour.
633. Stone Coast 840 Imperial India Pale Ale Bourbon Aged 2005
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Coast Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber. There's a light bourbon aroma with notes of vanilla. The beer is sweet and malty upfront with vanilla evident, the aftertaste is strong and hoppy.
634. Hairy Eyeball Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.80%
Style: American Strong Ale
Pours a clear, dark amber. The aroma is light, but dark fruit is evident. The flavors are predominantly malty and sweet, with little bitterness.
635. Redbridge
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Alcohol: 4.80%
Style: American Amber/Red Lager
This is A-B's gluten free, sorghum beer. I was curious to try it. Pours a clear, golden-amber. The aroma is light, and predominantly fruity. The flavor is much the same.
636. Weyerbacher Extreme Dark American Wild Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale
There was a sign up at Weyerbacher saying to come by at 9 for a new "Extreme Dark Wild Ale". Being a sucker for Wild Ales I showed up around 8:55, and got the first pour at 9:00. Pours a lightly hazy amber. The aroma is sour and acidic with hints of Brett. The flavor is mostly sour and acidic with some malts and sweet fruitiness as well.
637. Founders Blushing Monk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Style: Fruit/Vegatable Beer, BJCP Style Guide
This has to be the most minimal set of notes I have from the fest. Appearance, smell and taste are all sweet raspberry, with a light tartness.
638. Founders Backwoods Bastard
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.20%
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, dark amber. The aroma is very much like a Scotch Ale, heavy malts. The flavors are the same with a nice peatiness.
639. Kuhnhenn Braggot
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 13.00%
Style: Braggot
Pours a hazy amber. The taste and aroma are both sweet and fruity.
640. Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 14.50%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, red color. The aromas are fruity and malty. The taste is the same with some bourbon notes, as well as some light spiciness and bitterness.
Like I mentioned in my first post, I really like the unlimited tastings format. It's easier to sample more beers, but it also increases the chances that you'll drink too much, which I certainly did. Perhaps the best strategy is to sample new beers early in the session, and save the last hour or so for getting sloshed. The food was pretty good, I had a sausage and pepper sandwich from Sunset, which was tasty, and later in the evening I had a Waffle Haus waffle, that was, as always, excellent.
I only have four beers marked as favorites, and three of those are from early in the evening: Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Weyerbacher Simcoe, Iron Hill Framboise and Weyerbacher Extreme Dark American Wild Ale. I neglected to keep track later in the evening, so I'm probably giving short shrift to some of the other beers.
Labels: American Amber/Red Lager, American Double IPA, American Strong Ale, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Flanders Red Ale, Wheat Wine
Last Saturday I went to the Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest. I also went last year. The format was similar to the Belgian Beer Fest, unlimited 2 oz. pours, rather than 10 tickets for 4 oz pours. I went alone this time, so I was pretty efficient at having new stuff. I ended up having 30 new beers, plus a few others that I'd had previously. Needless to say I was pretty drunk by the end of the fest, and was hungover the next day. Word to the wise, being hungover on a brunch date the morning after a beer fest isn't fun.
The notes are shorter and really only concern appearance, smell and taste. The descriptions are also more general because it's harder to get a full picture of the beer with small samples. I'm splitting this into three posts, because I've been too busy to blog regularly.
611. Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 13.50%
Style: Eisbock, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy brown red. The aroma is woody, raspberry and vinous. The taste is a bit like sherry with sharp alcohol and a light raspberry sweetness.
612. Sixpoint Gemini
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 10.60%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
The aroma was mostly citric hops, with a bit of malt. However the taste was overly sweet and not hoppy enough. I was disappointed with this one, though a larger sample might help.
613. Stone Old Guardian Barleywine (2007)
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 11.26%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper, with a wonderfully fruity aroma, with hints of bananas and berries. The flavor is more malty fruitiness with a mild hop bitterness that strengthens in the aftertaste. This is surprisingly drinkable.
614. Goose Island Special Ed
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: Rauchbier, BJCP Style Guide
According to the fest guide: "Imperial "Smoke-ED" Brown Goose, brewed with 60 percent Weyerman beechwood-smoked malt, and aged in Heaven Hill barrels for four months."
My Notes: Hazy brown. Bourbon, wood, vanilla and a hint of smoke in the aroma. The flavor is much the same, but with a stronger smokiness.
615. Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pils
Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery
Alcohol: 8.80%%
Style: American Double Pilsner
Pours a hazy, straw color. The aroma is fruity with notes of apples, berry and pepper. The taste is the same, but the spiciness dominates, with a lingering hop bitterness in the finish as well.
616. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Double Stout
It's hard to get your hands on this beer in Boston, so I jumped at the chance to sample it. It pours a dark black. The aroma is strong coffee and a bit of woodiness. This actually smelled like a cup of coffee on the first sniff. The flavors are very nice, sweet chocolate, vanilla, coffee and some woodiness.
617. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: American Double Stout
Pours a dark black, with a brown head. The aroma is bourbon and dark fruit. There are roasted malt flavors, coffee, dark fruit and a light tartness in the finish. The mouthfeel is creamy and full-bodied.
618. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy copper. The smell is wonderfully hoppy and fruity. There are fruity and malty sweet flavors upfront followed by a strong citric hop bitterness in the finish. Very nice.
619. Iron Hill Framboise
Brewery: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Alcohol: 4.80%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
This was recommended to me by someone standing near the Iron Hill booth, with the warning that it was "sour." Since I love sour beer I tried it. Pours a cloudy orange-pink. The smell is spot on fruit-lambic, with raspberries, funk and acidity. The flavors are sweet raspberries, sourness through the center, and a medicinal/funky finish. This is a great attempt at the style.
620. Imperial Death March Stout
Brewery: Milly's Tavern
Alcohol: 8.80%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a dark brown head. Light fruit, phenols and coffee in the aroma. Dark fruit sweetness, chocolate and a roasted coffee bitterness.
I'm almost a month late in getting this posted. I'm going to try to work on part two tonight, and hopefully I'll get caught up on blogging soon, though there isn't much to blog about.
The notes are shorter and really only concern appearance, smell and taste. The descriptions are also more general because it's harder to get a full picture of the beer with small samples. I'm splitting this into three posts, because I've been too busy to blog regularly.
611. Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Alcohol: 13.50%
Style: Eisbock, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy brown red. The aroma is woody, raspberry and vinous. The taste is a bit like sherry with sharp alcohol and a light raspberry sweetness.
612. Sixpoint Gemini
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 10.60%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
The aroma was mostly citric hops, with a bit of malt. However the taste was overly sweet and not hoppy enough. I was disappointed with this one, though a larger sample might help.
613. Stone Old Guardian Barleywine (2007)
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 11.26%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper, with a wonderfully fruity aroma, with hints of bananas and berries. The flavor is more malty fruitiness with a mild hop bitterness that strengthens in the aftertaste. This is surprisingly drinkable.
614. Goose Island Special Ed
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: Rauchbier, BJCP Style Guide
According to the fest guide: "Imperial "Smoke-ED" Brown Goose, brewed with 60 percent Weyerman beechwood-smoked malt, and aged in Heaven Hill barrels for four months."
My Notes: Hazy brown. Bourbon, wood, vanilla and a hint of smoke in the aroma. The flavor is much the same, but with a stronger smokiness.
615. Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pils
Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery
Alcohol: 8.80%%
Style: American Double Pilsner
Pours a hazy, straw color. The aroma is fruity with notes of apples, berry and pepper. The taste is the same, but the spiciness dominates, with a lingering hop bitterness in the finish as well.
616. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: American Double Stout
It's hard to get your hands on this beer in Boston, so I jumped at the chance to sample it. It pours a dark black. The aroma is strong coffee and a bit of woodiness. This actually smelled like a cup of coffee on the first sniff. The flavors are very nice, sweet chocolate, vanilla, coffee and some woodiness.
617. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: American Double Stout
Pours a dark black, with a brown head. The aroma is bourbon and dark fruit. There are roasted malt flavors, coffee, dark fruit and a light tartness in the finish. The mouthfeel is creamy and full-bodied.
618. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy copper. The smell is wonderfully hoppy and fruity. There are fruity and malty sweet flavors upfront followed by a strong citric hop bitterness in the finish. Very nice.
619. Iron Hill Framboise
Brewery: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Alcohol: 4.80%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
This was recommended to me by someone standing near the Iron Hill booth, with the warning that it was "sour." Since I love sour beer I tried it. Pours a cloudy orange-pink. The smell is spot on fruit-lambic, with raspberries, funk and acidity. The flavors are sweet raspberries, sourness through the center, and a medicinal/funky finish. This is a great attempt at the style.
620. Imperial Death March Stout
Brewery: Milly's Tavern
Alcohol: 8.80%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a dark black with a dark brown head. Light fruit, phenols and coffee in the aroma. Dark fruit sweetness, chocolate and a roasted coffee bitterness.
I'm almost a month late in getting this posted. I'm going to try to work on part two tonight, and hopefully I'll get caught up on blogging soon, though there isn't much to blog about.
Labels: American Barleywine, American Double IPA, American Double Pilsner, American Double Stout, Beer Fests, Eisbock, Rauchbier
602. Stone 10th Anniversary IPA
I bought three bombers of this at Downtown Wine and Spirits several months ago. I've been putting off trying it since it's 10% by volume, but I felt like an IPA tonight. I let this warm to around 50º F and served it in my New Belgium glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Year: 2006
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber/copper with a thick, off-white head that fades to a sudsy layer leaving snaking trails of lace.
Smell (4.5): The aroma is a nice blend of malts, fruit and hops. There's a bit of toastiness, caramel, tropical fruit aromas, resiny hops and a spicy alcohol that's fairly strong.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts are evident first, but are quickly eclipsed by sweet and fruity flavors in the center where there's also some tart citric character. The finish has a nice, firm, hop bitterness that's resiny, citric and a tad grassy. There's also an alcoholic spice that starts at the tip of the tongue and mellows before reemerging in the finish as a strong, spicy bite.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied with moderate carbonation. A smooth, velvety character appears once the carbonation has died down.
Drinkability (4.0): Balanced, with a nice maltiness that moderates the intense hop bitterness.
Overall (4.35): An excellent DIPA. The balance is nice, without being cloyingly sweet, which is my main complaint with a lot of other beers of the style.
I bought three bombers of this at Downtown Wine and Spirits several months ago. I've been putting off trying it since it's 10% by volume, but I felt like an IPA tonight. I let this warm to around 50º F and served it in my New Belgium glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Year: 2006
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber/copper with a thick, off-white head that fades to a sudsy layer leaving snaking trails of lace.
Smell (4.5): The aroma is a nice blend of malts, fruit and hops. There's a bit of toastiness, caramel, tropical fruit aromas, resiny hops and a spicy alcohol that's fairly strong.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts are evident first, but are quickly eclipsed by sweet and fruity flavors in the center where there's also some tart citric character. The finish has a nice, firm, hop bitterness that's resiny, citric and a tad grassy. There's also an alcoholic spice that starts at the tip of the tongue and mellows before reemerging in the finish as a strong, spicy bite.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied with moderate carbonation. A smooth, velvety character appears once the carbonation has died down.
Drinkability (4.0): Balanced, with a nice maltiness that moderates the intense hop bitterness.
Overall (4.35): An excellent DIPA. The balance is nice, without being cloyingly sweet, which is my main complaint with a lot of other beers of the style.
Labels: American Double IPA, Stone Brewing Co.
467-488. Return of the Belgian Beer Fest
Published by Unknown on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 6:38 PM.
David and I went to Beer Advocate's Return of the Belgian Beer Fest last night at the Cyclorama. This is the first BA fest that I've been to since they revamped the format. All pours are now two ounces, but tastings are unlimited rather than ticket based. While larger pours would have been nice, overall the changes are an improvement.
Food was provided by Sunset Grill and Tap. We had dinner before hand, but I saw grilled sausages with peppers and onions, moules frites, and pretzels. Waffle Haus was serving their always delicious waffles. We had two during the course of the evening.
We arrived at around 6 and stayed around as long as possible, getting beer from the booths that were still pouring. Quite a few people were dressed up in Halloween costumes, these were two of the most visible:
The cover to the fest guide was cool:
We talked to a few people. One woman was curious about my notes, we got a recommendation from a fest volunteer (Kastaar), and we got a great tip from another note taker about a single bottle of De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000 that was opened at 9 PM.
Rather than taking detailed notes on each beer I wrote a short paragraph about each. I've been pretty general in my notes, listing general characteristics more than specifics. There are several reasons for this including, speed of taking notes, lingering congestion from a cold, and the small sample sizes.
467. Dogfish Head Pangaea
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pangea is brewed with an ingredient from every continent. It pours a hazy golden with a foamy head. The aroma is malty and a little spicy. The flavor is mild and sweet with caramel notes. Smooth and light bodied with moderate carbonation. Pangea was pleasant enough, but nothing phenomenal.
468. Stone 04.04.04 Vertical Epic Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Year: 2004
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap(?)
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Beer Advocate lists this as a Tripel, but when I asked what style it was teh guy said it was a Saison/Bière de Garde hybrid. Pours a hazy, pale golden. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a touch of mellow hops. The flavor is lightly fruity with a funky, hoppy finish. Light-bodied with high carbonation.
469. Allagash Curieux
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Curieux is Allagash's Bourbon aged tripel. It pours a hazy golden. With aromas of fruit and bourbon. The beer is lightly fruity with spicy bourbon and vanilla flavors. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
470. Brooklyn BLAST!
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden with a strong aroma of citrusy hops. Fruity and citrusy upfront, but fades into a strong hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is oily with strong carbonation. Good stuff.
471. Bornem Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy brown with a thick beige head. The nose is heavy on caramel and dark fruits. The palate is sweet and malty with notes of raisins, pepper and a light bitterness. Very high carbonation.
472. Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy peach color, with a strong sour aroma and accompanying funkiness. The flavors are dominated by sourness, with notes of fruity cherries. Light-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish. Very good.
473. Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, light brown with a beige head. The nose is peppery with light fruity notes, maltiness and subtle hops. The flavors are sweet and fruity with evident honey, and a peppery finish. Light-bodied with low carbonation.
474. Matilda
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden with a fluffy, off-white head that leaves thick lace. The nose is fruity and citrusy with the charcteristic Brettanomyces aroma. Lightly fruity with a nice Brett finish. Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation. This was one of my favorites from the fest.
475. Demolition 1800 Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden with a foamy head. The aroma is fruity with a honey-like character. The flavors are fruity and malty with light pepper and bitterness. Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
476. La Gnomette Part II
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This is the Brooklyn Blast recipe brewed at Brasserie d' Achouffe with Belgian yeast. Pours a very cloudy straw color, leaving massive lace. The nose is dominated by characteristic Belgian yeast fruitiness, with underlying citric hops. Flavors of banana and tart fruit that fade into a muted hop bitterness. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
477. Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Fonteinen
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy red with a thin wispy head. The aroma is sour cherries with a light funkiness. Sour cherries are evident upfront, but fade into a sour funky finish. Light-bodied with low carbonation.
478. Calabaza Blanca
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy pale golden. The aroma is fruity and peppery. Sour and tart fruitiness is evident upfront, this fades into a peppery spice wiyh a light bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
479. La Seigneuriale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Unibroue
Alcohol:7.50 %
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy light-brown/amber. The aroma is light and fruity with peppery alcohol. The flavor is light fruit, a sour tartness, graininess, peppery spice and a light lingering bitterness. Medium-bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
480. Luciérnaga
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber/golden. The aroma is tart and fruity with a hint of funky Brettanomyces. The flavors are tart and fruity with a finish that is lightly bitter hops and Brett funkiness. Light to medium-bodied with tingly carbonation.
481. Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaapmutske
Alcohol: 8.10%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
How can you not try a beer with "Nightcap" in the name? Pours a cloudy pale straw color. The aroma is fruity. The flavor is fruity and tart with pepper and alcoholic spice in the finish. Medium-bodied, low carbonation. David says "Pleasant, I'd like to be in a room with it."
482. Sixpoint Grand Crüe
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 12.40%
Serving: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, light brown. The nose is dominated by caramel and dark fruit with light hops evident. The flavors are much the same, caramel and dark fruit with a light hop bitterness in the finish. Medium to full-bodied, low carbonation
483. Kastaar
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Block bvba
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, pale straw. The aroma is predominantly sour apple, as is the flavor with a nice crisp finish. Light-bodied with high carbonation.
484. Ned Flanders
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Milly's Tavern
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
David was skeptical based on the name, but this turned out to be a good choice. Pours a hazy-brown. The aroma is sweet with a light tartness. The flavors are predominantly sour cherries with a little bit of funkiness. Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
485. Merry Monks' Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.30%
Serving: ?
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden. The aroma is very strong bananas. Bananas dominate the flavors as well, however there is peppery and alcoholic spice in the finish. Medium-bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
486. Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Lindemans
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy straw color. The aroma is light, but there is the sour lambic aroma with a bit of Brett. Sour and tart in the palate, definites notes of sour apples and possibly a bit of citrus. Light bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
487. Napoleon's Waterloo
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Milly's Tavern
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a light amber/golden. The aroma is tart with a bit of Brett funkiness and hoppiness. The flavors are the same, tart and fruity with characteristic Brett flavors. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
488. De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Year: 2000
Alcohol: 12.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Thanks to a fellow fest attendee for the great tip on this one. Pours a clear, light amber. The aromas are very vinuous, with strong caramel and alcoholic spice. Very port-like in the nose, very nice. Upfront the flavors are a blend of caramel, sweet fruitiness which are eclipsed by the alcoholic spiciness in the finish. Low carbonation, medium to full-bodied. Very very good stuff.
Other Beers:
I also had samples of Ommegeddon, Chimay Red, Harpoon 100 Barrel Saison and Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel. I'm sure I had some others that I'd had before, but my memory is failing me.
Top Five:
Of the new beers that I tried the top five in the order I tried them are: Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label, Matilda, Luciérnaga, Napoleon's Waterloo and De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000.
Food was provided by Sunset Grill and Tap. We had dinner before hand, but I saw grilled sausages with peppers and onions, moules frites, and pretzels. Waffle Haus was serving their always delicious waffles. We had two during the course of the evening.
We arrived at around 6 and stayed around as long as possible, getting beer from the booths that were still pouring. Quite a few people were dressed up in Halloween costumes, these were two of the most visible:
The cover to the fest guide was cool:
We talked to a few people. One woman was curious about my notes, we got a recommendation from a fest volunteer (Kastaar), and we got a great tip from another note taker about a single bottle of De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000 that was opened at 9 PM.
Rather than taking detailed notes on each beer I wrote a short paragraph about each. I've been pretty general in my notes, listing general characteristics more than specifics. There are several reasons for this including, speed of taking notes, lingering congestion from a cold, and the small sample sizes.
467. Dogfish Head Pangaea
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pangea is brewed with an ingredient from every continent. It pours a hazy golden with a foamy head. The aroma is malty and a little spicy. The flavor is mild and sweet with caramel notes. Smooth and light bodied with moderate carbonation. Pangea was pleasant enough, but nothing phenomenal.
468. Stone 04.04.04 Vertical Epic Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Year: 2004
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap(?)
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Beer Advocate lists this as a Tripel, but when I asked what style it was teh guy said it was a Saison/Bière de Garde hybrid. Pours a hazy, pale golden. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a touch of mellow hops. The flavor is lightly fruity with a funky, hoppy finish. Light-bodied with high carbonation.
469. Allagash Curieux
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Curieux is Allagash's Bourbon aged tripel. It pours a hazy golden. With aromas of fruit and bourbon. The beer is lightly fruity with spicy bourbon and vanilla flavors. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
470. Brooklyn BLAST!
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden with a strong aroma of citrusy hops. Fruity and citrusy upfront, but fades into a strong hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is oily with strong carbonation. Good stuff.
471. Bornem Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy brown with a thick beige head. The nose is heavy on caramel and dark fruits. The palate is sweet and malty with notes of raisins, pepper and a light bitterness. Very high carbonation.
472. Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy peach color, with a strong sour aroma and accompanying funkiness. The flavors are dominated by sourness, with notes of fruity cherries. Light-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish. Very good.
473. Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, light brown with a beige head. The nose is peppery with light fruity notes, maltiness and subtle hops. The flavors are sweet and fruity with evident honey, and a peppery finish. Light-bodied with low carbonation.
474. Matilda
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden with a fluffy, off-white head that leaves thick lace. The nose is fruity and citrusy with the charcteristic Brettanomyces aroma. Lightly fruity with a nice Brett finish. Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation. This was one of my favorites from the fest.
475. Demolition 1800 Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Goose Island
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden with a foamy head. The aroma is fruity with a honey-like character. The flavors are fruity and malty with light pepper and bitterness. Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
476. La Gnomette Part II
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This is the Brooklyn Blast recipe brewed at Brasserie d' Achouffe with Belgian yeast. Pours a very cloudy straw color, leaving massive lace. The nose is dominated by characteristic Belgian yeast fruitiness, with underlying citric hops. Flavors of banana and tart fruit that fade into a muted hop bitterness. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
477. Drie Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Fonteinen
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy red with a thin wispy head. The aroma is sour cherries with a light funkiness. Sour cherries are evident upfront, but fade into a sour funky finish. Light-bodied with low carbonation.
478. Calabaza Blanca
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy pale golden. The aroma is fruity and peppery. Sour and tart fruitiness is evident upfront, this fades into a peppery spice wiyh a light bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
479. La Seigneuriale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Unibroue
Alcohol:7.50 %
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy light-brown/amber. The aroma is light and fruity with peppery alcohol. The flavor is light fruit, a sour tartness, graininess, peppery spice and a light lingering bitterness. Medium-bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
480. Luciérnaga
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber/golden. The aroma is tart and fruity with a hint of funky Brettanomyces. The flavors are tart and fruity with a finish that is lightly bitter hops and Brett funkiness. Light to medium-bodied with tingly carbonation.
481. Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaapmutske
Alcohol: 8.10%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
How can you not try a beer with "Nightcap" in the name? Pours a cloudy pale straw color. The aroma is fruity. The flavor is fruity and tart with pepper and alcoholic spice in the finish. Medium-bodied, low carbonation. David says "Pleasant, I'd like to be in a room with it."
482. Sixpoint Grand Crüe
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 12.40%
Serving: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, light brown. The nose is dominated by caramel and dark fruit with light hops evident. The flavors are much the same, caramel and dark fruit with a light hop bitterness in the finish. Medium to full-bodied, low carbonation
483. Kastaar
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Block bvba
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, pale straw. The aroma is predominantly sour apple, as is the flavor with a nice crisp finish. Light-bodied with high carbonation.
484. Ned Flanders
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Milly's Tavern
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
David was skeptical based on the name, but this turned out to be a good choice. Pours a hazy-brown. The aroma is sweet with a light tartness. The flavors are predominantly sour cherries with a little bit of funkiness. Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
485. Merry Monks' Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.30%
Serving: ?
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazy golden. The aroma is very strong bananas. Bananas dominate the flavors as well, however there is peppery and alcoholic spice in the finish. Medium-bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
486. Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Lindemans
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy straw color. The aroma is light, but there is the sour lambic aroma with a bit of Brett. Sour and tart in the palate, definites notes of sour apples and possibly a bit of citrus. Light bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
487. Napoleon's Waterloo
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Milly's Tavern
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a light amber/golden. The aroma is tart with a bit of Brett funkiness and hoppiness. The flavors are the same, tart and fruity with characteristic Brett flavors. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.
488. De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Year: 2000
Alcohol: 12.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Thanks to a fellow fest attendee for the great tip on this one. Pours a clear, light amber. The aromas are very vinuous, with strong caramel and alcoholic spice. Very port-like in the nose, very nice. Upfront the flavors are a blend of caramel, sweet fruitiness which are eclipsed by the alcoholic spiciness in the finish. Low carbonation, medium to full-bodied. Very very good stuff.
Other Beers:
I also had samples of Ommegeddon, Chimay Red, Harpoon 100 Barrel Saison and Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel. I'm sure I had some others that I'd had before, but my memory is failing me.
Top Five:
Of the new beers that I tried the top five in the order I tried them are: Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label, Matilda, Luciérnaga, Napoleon's Waterloo and De Dolle Stille Nacht Reserva 2000.
Labels: American Double IPA, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Dubbel, Flanders Red Ale, Gueuze, Lambic, Reviews, Sour Beer, Tripel, Witbier
