Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Sixteen-Weyerbacher Brewing

Happy Anniversary #16 to the folks at Weyerbacher about a year late. I feel lucky to have found a 4 pack of this at Total Wine a couple weeks ago and only waiting a year for it instead of two or three years like it was with their Fourteen and Fifteen. This is a dark brown and mildly cloudy braggot with a rather small head that is made with a humongous amount of honey and I'd guess about as much malted barley. Here are a couple definitions of mead and braggot and I'll admit that I am a bit confused (http://mead.bravehost.com/braggot.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mead). This most resembles an especially strong Belgian double or brown ale with flavors of raisins, dates, figs, dark rum and, of course, considering the amount of honey used, a very dark honey. I'm not sure any hops are used and the bitterness is minimal and the ABV checks in at 10.5% so this beverage is easily and best served slightly chilled in a tulip glass or snifter by itself or with perhaps some bread pudding or pound cake.

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[devildeac]

Two Hearted Ale (draft)-Bell's Brewing

It has been a while since I had one of these and I had forgotten how pleasant and well-balanced this IPA was from the light citrus and floral hop aromas and tastes to the nearly perfect balance with medium caramel and toffee flavors, too. Served in a voluptuous Sam Adams ale glass as the select brew of the evening, this yellow-orange ale accompanied a heaping plate of chicken nachos and was an ideal pairing with its modest spice and bitterness (even my daughter who is not much of a beer fan thought it only mildly bitter) with an estimated IBU of 60 and an ABV of 7%. I think it was a $3/pint special. I even thought about a second pint but declined so I was able to fully enjoy Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 a bit later that evening.

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[fuse]

For some reason, the love of my life picked up a four pack of 2011 Dogfish Head Olde School.

I have an indeterminate ( or at least I have not looked ) older Olde School from circa 2007, but the mood struck me to try one of the recent vintage.

While it may only be a 12oz bottle, strap yourself in and throw away the car keys, as Olde School clocks in at a whopping 15%. Better yet, find a friend and split the bottle in a couple of snifters.

This outstanding barleywine pours a thick opaque amber. The nose is very boozy, with a syrupy sweetness.

The mouthfeel is very dense, no hop profile to speak of at all beyond an ever so slight bitterness on the tongue. What starts an an alcoholicly cloying sweetness finishes with alcohol heat and a earthy woodiness.

Temperature is important in serving a barleywine, and I am certain when I started drinking it, it was too cold.
There is a maple syrup / birch beer aspect of the flavour profile that is quite nice.

This was a rather silly choice on a warm day, but it actually paired quite nicely with some barbeque chicken and strawberries.

This is definitely a "winter warmer" and would be fun in front of a fire, cozy under a blanket after a long day of skiing. It would also definitely pair well with a fine cigar.

It has been a while since I've wandered into barleywine territory. I have a few nice Anchor Old Foghorns, Sierra Nevada Bigfoots (feet?), and this was a beer style I used to actively pursue.

Highly recommended for a special occasion.

[devildeac]

For some reason, the love of my life picked up a four pack of 2011 Dogfish Head Olde School.

I have an indeterminate ( or at least I have not looked ) older Olde School from circa 2007, but the mood struck me to try one of the recent vintage.

While it may only be a 12oz bottle, strap yourself in and throw away the car keys, as Olde School clocks in at a whopping 15%. Better yet, find a friend and split the bottle in a couple of snifters.

This outstanding barleywine pours a thick opaque amber. The nose is very boozy, with a syrupy sweetness.

The mouthfeel is very dense, no hop profile to speak of at all beyond an ever so slight bitterness on the tongue. What starts an an alcoholicly cloying sweetness finishes with alcohol heat and a earthy woodiness.

Temperature is important in serving a barleywine, and I am certain when I started drinking it, it was too cold.
There is a maple syrup / birch beer aspect of the flavour profile that is quite nice.

This was a rather silly choice on a warm day, but it actually paired quite nicely with some barbeque chicken and strawberries.

This is definitely a "winter warmer" and would be fun in front of a fire, cozy under a blanket after a long day of skiing. It would also definitely pair well with a fine cigar.

It has been a while since I've wandered into barleywine territory. I have a few nice Anchor Old Foghorns, Sierra Nevada Bigfoots (feet?), and this was a beer style I used to actively pursue.

Highly recommended for a special occasion.

Great review for a great ale. Here's a review I composed from 5/31/11. The reference at the end refers to my continuing to celebrate the 2010 NC, even 13+ months after the fact.

Olde School Barleywine 2007 vintage-Dogfish Head Brewing


Another outstanding ale that continued to benefit from additional cellaring. This was highly drinkable when it was released and was even smoother and richer after 4 years of aging. It was a bit more cloudy but still a deep ruby-brown color and continued to have sherry-like tastes and aromas. The modest bitterness with an IBU around 60-70 had yielded to the sweetness of the massive amounts of caramel and chocolate malts which clock this monster in at 15% ABV, just at the "legal" limit now for brews sold in NC . No food pairings with this. This should be served slightly chilled in a snifter for your after dinner drink or night cap. I enjoyed about 4 ounces of this each of the last 3 nights along with about 8.5 ounces of the SN Grand Cru.

Yea, I'm still celebrating

[A-Tex Devil]

Just picked this one up here in Austin. I think there may be a little too much going on here. But it's gotta be worth a try. If you are in Texas and want to try some experimental beers, I would check out Jester King. They are pretty much doing all of their beers with their own farmhouse central Texas yeast, and it's hit or miss on whether it works - they ruined what was a TREMENDOUS Rye IPA by switching up the yeast to their local farmhouse yeast.

Anyway, once I get the opportunity to drink it, I'll report back.



From the website: The second collaboration between Jester King and Mikkeller, Beer Geek Rodeo is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with smoked malt, chipotle peppers and Vietnamese coffee.

OG: 1.088 FG: 1.013 ABV: 10.1% (!!!!)

[Mal]

Two Hearted Ale (draft)-Bell's Brewing

It has been a while since I had one of these and I had forgotten how pleasant and well-balanced this IPA was from the light citrus and floral hop aromas and tastes to the nearly perfect balance with medium caramel and toffee flavors, too. Served in a voluptuous Sam Adams ale glass as the select brew of the evening, this yellow-orange ale accompanied a heaping plate of chicken nachos and was an ideal pairing with its modest spice and bitterness (even my daughter who is not much of a beer fan thought it only mildly bitter) with an estimated IBU of 60 and an ABV of 7%. I think it was a $3/pint special. I even thought about a second pint but declined so I was able to fully enjoy Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 a bit later that evening.

Nicely done, devildeac. That's a steal at $3/pint, seeing as a 6'er will run you $12.99 at the store around here. You know another scenario in which Two Hearted tastes great? When it's coming out of your backpack at lunchtime on the river in northern Michigan. Talk about an aptly named and backstoried beer - the label's all about the short story and trout fishing, and sho' 'nuff the beer inside the bottle tastes perfect while on the water up in Hemingway country.

Similar note for Bell's Lager of The Lakes. The label's full of "up North" scenes - waterskier, jumping fish, canoe paddles, etc. And if there's a beer that better exemplifies "quench your thirst after a sunny day on the lake" and makes you want to drink two in 15 minutes, I haven't found it. Sometimes you just want a simple beer, instead of a hop bomb or something with 11% ABV, but you also want "simple" to connote "elegant" and "essential" instead of "insipid" or "watered-down." Bell's Lager just tastes like beer is supposed to taste.

Finally (since I post on this thread maybe once a year or so, so I may as well note everything on my mind at the moment), for those of you who ever make it to the Windy City - find and try Half Acre's Daisy Cutter. It's a nearly perfect pale ale, IMHO. Nice citrus tones, great lacy pour, solid but not overwhelming bitterness, and undeniably reminiscent of cut grass.

[devildeac]

Just picked this one up here in Austin. I think there may be a little too much going on here. But it's gotta be worth a try. If you are in Texas and want to try some experimental beers, I would check out Jester King. They are pretty much doing all of their beers with their own farmhouse central Texas yeast, and it's hit or miss on whether it works - they ruined what was a TREMENDOUS Rye IPA by switching up the yeast to their local farmhouse yeast.

Anyway, once I get the opportunity to drink it, I'll report back.



From the website: The second collaboration between Jester King and Mikkeller, Beer Geek Rodeo is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout brewed with smoked malt, chipotle peppers and Vietnamese coffee.

OG: 1.088 FG: 1.013 ABV: 10.1% (!!!!)

That sounds like quite a combination!

[Edouble]

Two Hearted Ale (draft)-Bell's Brewing

It has been a while since I had one of these and I had forgotten how pleasant and well-balanced this IPA was from the light citrus and floral hop aromas and tastes to the nearly perfect balance with medium caramel and toffee flavors, too. Served in a voluptuous Sam Adams ale glass as the select brew of the evening, this yellow-orange ale accompanied a heaping plate of chicken nachos and was an ideal pairing with its modest spice and bitterness (even my daughter who is not much of a beer fan thought it only mildly bitter) with an estimated IBU of 60 and an ABV of 7%. I think it was a $3/pint special. I even thought about a second pint but declined so I was able to fully enjoy Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 a bit later that evening.

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My favorite beer, hands down. A notch above in a world of IPAs around every corner.

[fuse]

My favorite beer, hands down. A notch above in a world of IPAs around every corner.

I'd agree Bell's Two Hearted is an outstanding IPA.

I had an Avery Maharaja draft last night.
Maharaja is an outstanding imperial IPA. At 10.5%, it is beyond big, and compares well to Hoptimum or Hop Stoopid.
The fact that the overwhelming hops and malt are balanced enough to hide (to a degree) how high in alcohol this beer is pretty tremendous.

If you like big hoppy beers, Avery has an outstanding one in Maharaja.

[devildeac]

I'd agree Bell's Two Hearted is an outstanding IPA.

I had an Avery Maharaja draft last night.
Maharaja is an outstanding imperial IPA. At 10.5%, it is beyond big, and compares well to Hoptimum or Hop Stoopid.
The fact that the overwhelming hops and malt are balanced enough to hide (to a degree) how high in alcohol this beer is pretty tremendous.

If you like big hoppy beers, Avery has an outstanding one in Maharaja.

IBU of ~102 IIRC. Truly a hop bomb but very well balanced as you described. On draft, too. Color me envious. I'll see if I can find a review I did from a couple years ago and post this evening.

[devildeac]

Schlafly Bourbon Barrel Ale-The St. Louis Brewery

Wait a minute! If this is a Schlafly's Special Release Ale, how the heck is it brewed by the St. Louis Brewery and who in hades are they? I'm not sure. I'd guess that the Schlafly gang has contracted with another local brewery to concoct some beverages their sites cannot produce. This is rather interesting as it is a blended brew from their barleywine and their pale age that is aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels. Poured a medium brown with a slight orange hue with a nose of dark dried fruits, rum and caramel. Tastes consist of dark caramel, oak and vanilla with a trace of bourbon near the end of a sip. Quite smooth as the bitter edges typical of a barleywine are polished nicely by the maltiness and less bitter tones of the pale ale. I could not find the IBU anywhere but I'd guess about 60. ABV is nowhere to be found either so I'd estimate the ABV about 8%, somewhere in the middle between a 6% pale ale and a 10% barleywine. Likewise, I could not find the percentages of the two components in the final product but I'd guess they are close to equal. Booziness is minimal and I'd sip this by itself or with some grilled fare during an evening cookout or Brunchgate. I picked up a 6er of this from the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Kentucky for about $11 this weekend while visiting family and will cellar 1 or 2 and share/trade the others.

[devildeac]

I'd agree Bell's Two Hearted is an outstanding IPA.

I had an Avery Maharaja draft last night.
Maharaja is an outstanding imperial IPA. At 10.5%, it is beyond big, and compares well to Hoptimum or Hop Stoopid.
The fact that the overwhelming hops and malt are balanced enough to hide (to a degree) how high in alcohol this beer is pretty tremendous.

If you like big hoppy beers, Avery has an outstanding one in Maharaja.

IBU of ~102 IIRC. Truly a hop bomb but very well balanced as you described. On draft, too. Color me envious. I'll see if I can find a review I did from a couple years ago and post this evening.

I found 2 reviews. The first is from 10/15/11:

Maharaja (draft)-Avery Brewing

Now this ale Ozzie tasted last PM is bitter. I found this on tap last PM at Tyler's Taproom in Derm prior to CTC and it was $5 for the pint. That's a really good price for a 10.2% ABV IIPA with an IBU of a massive 102. There was a small head on the pour with an intense grapefruity aroma and the Tropicana taste to match. The use of large quantities of caramel, 2 row and victory malts readily balance the bitterness with a bready sweetness. Color was amber-orange and this hop monster paired nicely with the surprisingly mild honey-jalapeno wings Oz and Talklady shared as an apppetizer and my dinner reuben sandwich. This is not for those with faint palates and is modestly superior to the several annual offerings I have enjoyed of this fine ale from the bombers which are an annual member of the Avery Dictator Series.

[devildeac]

I found 2 reviews. The first is from 10/15/11:

Maharaja (draft)-Avery Brewing

Now this ale Ozzie tasted last PM is bitter. I found this on tap last PM at Tyler's Taproom in Derm prior to CTC and it was $5 for the pint. That's a really good price for a 10.2% ABV IIPA with an IBU of a massive 102. There was a small head on the pour with an intense grapefruity aroma and the Tropicana taste to match. The use of large quantities of caramel, 2 row and victory malts readily balance the bitterness with a bready sweetness. Color was amber-orange and this hop monster paired nicely with the surprisingly mild honey-jalapeno wings Oz and Talklady shared as an apppetizer and my dinner reuben sandwich. This is not for those with faint palates and is modestly superior to the several annual offerings I have enjoyed of this fine ale from the bombers which are an annual member of the Avery Dictator Series.

Another from 6/28/11:

Maharaja-2011 Edition-Avery Brewing

This is just as much of a hop bomb as prior tastings but still one of the better IIPAs I have tasted. These are bomber only offerings in their Dictator series along with the Kaiser and the Czar. A highly hopped and grapefruity double IPA with some pine and cannabis notes, too. Huge malty presence for a nicely balanced taste. The IBU rolls in a a massive 102 and the ABV is a coma-inducing 10.54%. I had 4 ounces of this Sunday and Monday nights after a couple lighter brews and finished the bomber tonight with a 14 ounce portion. This is great as a night cap or would be fine with dinner with Indian or hot/spicy Asian fare. Part of the CB&B/devildeac trading series earlier this month ^^ :clap: . I'd buy another bomber of this at about $8 according to CB&B and hide it for a year .

[ArnieMc]

I was picking up a couple of 6ers (Two Hearted and Loose Cannon for the record). The checkout girl said: "Oh, you drink good beer!" I replied "Yep." (I'm a sparkling conversationalist.) She said: "Most of your generation drinks sh1tty beer." I replied "Yep."

Ah, youth.

[devildeac]

I was picking up a couple of 6ers (Two Hearted and Loose Cannon for the record). The checkout girl said: "Oh, you drink good beer!" I replied "Yep." (I'm a sparkling conversationalist.) She said: "Most of your generation drinks sh1tty beer." I replied "Yep."

Ah, youth.

Life is too short to drink bad/cheap beer. Good choices.

[devildeac]

I'd agree Bell's Two Hearted is an outstanding IPA.

I had an Avery Maharaja draft last night.
Maharaja is an outstanding imperial IPA. At 10.5%, it is beyond big, and compares well to Hoptimum or Hop Stoopid.
The fact that the overwhelming hops and malt are balanced enough to hide (to a degree) how high in alcohol this beer is pretty tremendous.

If you like big hoppy beers, Avery has an outstanding one in Maharaja.

Found another review from 2/27/10 of a 2008 bottle I had stashed away:

Maharaja-2008 edition-Quite a difference an extra year makes. This monster is 102 IBU and 10.2% ABV or something on that order of magnitude. I remember consuming one from a few years ago shortly after purchase and found it as expected-brutal on the palate and vertical well-being. After a couple years in the bottle in the cellar, it's still highly hopped (grapefruity) and massively malty but considerably smoother on the tastebuds. Bottle-conditioned so it is a cloudy yellow-orange with a modest head. There are some herbal and piney notes and it is very slightly whiskey-ish/boozey. A nice evening drink (I split the bomber over 2 nights) with sharp, pungent cheeses or a spicy entree. When you find this, buy two bottles and enjoy one soon and stick the other in a cellar/closet and re-discover it in a year or two.

[devildeac]

Hoptimus-New Albanian Brewing

Adventure time. This was a bomber from the Liquor Barn in Lexington, Kentucky that I had never heard of/tasted before and bought on a whim. Huge resinous, cannabinoid and piney hop profile with a reasonable toffee/caramel malty balance. Poured a slightly cloudy orange-yellow with a modest foamy head. IBU are a stunning 100 with a numbing 10.7% ABV so I divided this big boy over a couple nights and glad I did. This would be a fine beverage with Indian/spicy Chinese dishes. Not sure I'd purchase again but a nice one to share/taste. If I'm going to spend $8-9 for a 22 ounce bottle, I'd prefer the Maharaja that fuse reviewed this week but certainly worth a taste.

Brewer's notes:

Hoptimus
Sterner stuff
Living vicariously through others is a sad compromise meant only for rank amateurs and subpar international lagers. Rather, we all might profit from the principled example of Hoptimus, which lives vivaciously, audaciously and capriciously through itself. With a snarky hop character that is blatantly unrepentant, Hoptimus ensures that meek palates surely will not inherit the earth.
100 IBU
10.7% ABV

Nice label, too:


Hoptimus_300.jpg

[devildeac]

Plank II-Clipper City Brewing

Dopplebocks are one of my favorite beer styles. I really enjoy the darkly toasted bready tastes along with the toffee/caramel and milk chocolate flavors that are present and this bomber from Clipper City was no exception. Another winner in their Heavy Seas/Mutiny Fleet series, this pours a clean and clear dark brown with a modest head and little hop presence in the aroma or tastes. It is a lager after all. The name has the obvious pirate reference but also means this beer is brewed with the addition of poplar and eucalyptus chips or planks which impart vanilla and woody flavors to the mix. This beer is sweet and would make a fine dessert beverage. Should be low IBU (I'd guess 20-30) and the ABV is 8.5% so I sipped 1/2 the bomber the first night at nearly room temperature and shared the second 1/2 with my son last PM along with a tasting of Cardinal Sin. Reasonably priced, too, at about $7 for th big boy, IIRC.

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AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!

[devildeac]

Cardinal Sin-Laurelwood Brewing Company

Ya won't find many of these around here as this hails from a specialty beer store/brewery/brewpub in the Portland, Oregon area and was transported by my son who interviewed out there in February and safely packed this in either snowboard boots or sweatshirts in his suitcase for the cross country journey. It is a quadruple Belgian ale that is quite complex. Part sour like a Rochefort, part wild and funky (? Brett yeast) and part lambic. It is a bottle conditioned ale from a 750 ml corked and caged bottle that pours a cloudy yellow-gold with a hint of red from the fresh, sour cherries on which it is aged "for several years" as part (15%) of a barrel aged amber ale. Fat Tire never tasted like this. Mild fizz and Belgian lace on the chalices we used to sip this over about 30 minutes or so at chilled, but not cold temperatures. It is a bit low in ABV for a typical quad at 10% but so very smooth with an IBU of 35, similar to what I'd expect from a Belgian golden ale. This is a dessert beer but I could also enjoy this with a pineapple or mango salsa covered portion of grilled tilapia or halibut. Guess I'll have to visit my brother soon in the Portland metro area and try to find another bottle of this as I thoroughly enjoyed the 1/2 bottle I shared with my son last PM.

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[devildeac]

Total Domination IPA-Ninkasi Brewing Company

Another "import" from a brewery with which I was not familiar from Eugene, Oregon. Split a single of this with my son last PM who "smuggled" it in from Oregon after his trip out there in Febrewary (sic). Pours a pleasant orange-yellow with a generous head that has a floral bouquet aroma from the 3 hops which also impart similar tastes along with some citrusy notes. Plenty of pale and caramel malts for balance, too. IBUs check in at 67 and the ABV was 6.7% so we were able to split another brew before bedtime. I'd enjoy one of these with curry dishes or hot Chinese entrees as I believe the brew would hold up well against spicy fare. I have a 2nd one which is available for sipping or trading later this month or next.



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