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Tried Hardywoods https://hardywood.com/beers/bourbon-barrel-sidamo/ Sidamo Bourbon Barrel yesterday. It's a meal in a glass but so so so delicious. I was unaware it was 10.3% at time of sipping and was caught off guard. So beware. =]

I really enjoy the complexity that high-ABV brews can have, and especially the complexity that can flourish if properly aged. Haven't had the BA Sidamo yet but I will have to make a point of it if I can find some that hasn't been sitting out too long.

Also had the good fortune of Cyniclone's recommendation appearing on the tap list at my local establishment today. Too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Prairie - Birthday Bomb!



Color: Very dark brown, basically black against a neutral white background. Head wasn't strong, but the head isn't what I came for.

Nose: If you want an imperial stout with a complex nose, this is the beer for you. Sweet malt, caramel, strong coffee, some roasted malt, some cinnamon, and just a touch of that heat spice from the chiles. Smells sweet and rich and just a bit toasty, kinda bridging the gap between malt-forward imperial stout and sweet dessert beer (dessert beer as in Southern Tier's Blackwater series comes to mind).

Taste: Hits a lot of the same notes. Sweet malt, caramel, coffee, some roasted malt, and a touch of vanilla. There was probably some of those chiles in there too, but I'm not enough in tune to read it all. I think the difference between the standard Prairie Bomb! and the Birthday iteration is the caramel note. This is definitely a sweet beer, but not the sweetest dark beer (stout, porter, or otherwise) that I have had. There's a subtle hop character that keeps the sweetness at bay, but it stays in the background where it belongs. That touch of heat spice from the chiles also works to chip away at the sweetness. I got a growler fill, so the beer was sitting exposed to air for about an hour while I was consuming it. Over time, the chiles heat spice became more apparent. Very complex, very interesting.

Mouthfeel: Fairly heavy, just a touch creamy. Very warming as well on account of the ABV (13%) and that touch of heat spice.

Finish: Definitely a coffee-forward finish. Bit of booziness there too, pretty much the only time it was apparent. Then comes the roasted malt, some sweet malt, that touch of chiles spice, and an interesting bit of lingering bitterness that bounces back and forth between subtle hop bitterness and heat spice.

I remember sampling this beer before but not committing to the growler fill. It ended up selling out within a few days. I am glad that I had the chance to correct that mistake when it came back on this time. WOW.

I refuse to let the beer thread fall to second place in the second place subforum. Beer is best! I ended up buying a lightly-aged four-pack of the EvilTwin Imperial Biscotti Break and so far I am enjoying it. The almond is a very subtle note, only really making itself known at the back of the taste and in the finish. Maybe a bit in the nose, makes it seem lighter and a bit airy compared to most stouts. Whatever happened to that variation with the Mexican chiles (I think)? The base is a fairly complex imperial stout that is heavy and sweet, but that touch of almond gives it a little extra something that sets it apart from my usual early-autumn pallet ramp-up for porters and stouts. The 11.5% is somewhat notable as well, given my penchant for high-ABV brews with the complexity to hide that monster kick most beers above 10% ABV wield. This beer handles it fairly well, with the kick really only factoring in with the warming in a sampling environment. (2+ will send you to bed early...I imagine.)

I have liked most EvilTwin brews that I have encountered. No Hero (Oatmeal stout, 7% ABV) was my first, and that made me really curious. Then I had Even More Jesus (12% ABV) and it knocked me on my ass in one glorious evening of hedonistic excess. I missed my chance to try Bikini Beer (2.7% ABV) but I have heard that I missed out on one of the best session pale ales of the century. Nomader Weisse was also apparently a solid tart wheat ale.

EvilTwin wish list:

Molotov Heavy
Even More Jesus (Cognac BA)
Torst Back Room
Pappy's Even More Jesus (if I win the lottery and can successfully bribe EvilTwin into brewing me a barrel)

Was not at all familiar with Bullfrog prior to buying a crowler of their Troppel at a local establishment, but now I may pay more attention to them.



Was sold on it based on this description: "Imagine a light-bodied tripel. Now add pineapple and coconut. Sprinkle in a touch of tartness to keep the mind sharp. Now drink." Then the guy handed me a sample.

Color: Gold and a bit hazy. Pleasant to look at.

Nose: Assertive pineapple. Not "chunks of pineapple up the nostrils" assertive, but definitely there. Coconut is a bit of an afterthought in the nose but that is ok (coconut tends to remind me of sunscreen when it leans assertive...) There's also some yeast and a bit of fruity esters as well, although the prominent presence of pineapple might be amplifying that.

Taste: That tartness is clarified in the taste, and it definitely hangs around. Tart pineapple, (kinda reminded me of some of the more vinegary notes of certain goses), some coconut, and and fruity esters. This beer tastes like a Hawaiian tripel if such a thing exists. In terms of flavors it is bright and just that bit tart, really hammering down on that if that was the intention. The sweetness is always present and may be off-putting to someone expecting a more traditional Belgian, even one of the fruity ester-heavy ones.

Mouthfeel: Light. Definitely light. One of the lightest I have had on a Tripel honestly. Would consider it a definitively summer-style tripel with the tropical elements and the mouthfeel, if you don't mind the heavy ABV (9%). No warming in the mouthfeel surprisingly. This beer handles that kick well.

Finish: More of that pineapple and coconut, some pale malt, and finishing with the yeast and fruity esters.

Overall, I was impressed with this one coming in blind. It was an interesting take on the Belgian Tripel that I did not expect. Very much a sipping beer at that ABV, but it allows you to examine the beer's intricacies in the meantime. In retrospect, should have taken the extra 20 minutes to get back to the apartment and retrieve the glass growler instead of buying a crowler on impulse. (Crowlers = not easy or clean pouring into a glass for analysis purposes.) Other than that, very positive experience.

If you've ever had sake and thought "damn, a beer with sake yeast would be sensational" then Lagunitas has the thing for you: Sakitumi.



Color: Gold.

Nose: Odd. I had heard that the base ale for this experiment was a double IPA, so I was expecting a strong hops presence on the nose. (A real hops punch if you mind the pun, especially considering my aforementioned perception of Lags brews having an odd hop twang to them.) The nose on Sakitumi is subdued for having such a boisterous base, and to be honest I am still not quite sure what to think of it as I am sipping and typing. There's the citrusy hops that I have come to expect from authentic west coast IPAs, but cut down to a lower level by that sake yeast/rice as a primary grain thing. This thing smells like it is just winding up to knock me out.

Taste: I've never had sake before, although I have off-and-on considering sampling some rice wines during the last six months. Given that, my review of this beer is incomplete and not entirely credible. I'll be frequently referencing that "odd" bit, mostly because it is the sake yeast/rice grain note that I am not familiar with.

There's a bit of pale malt to open, and then that odd note hits. Can't completely wrap my head around it until I try some sake, but for now I will say that it nicely complements the hoppy bitterness of the base ale and smooths over the fairly high ABV (9%). Kinda light and airy, but not quite palate cleansing. I can't compare the yeast character in the taste to common domestic beer yeasts, because they seem heavy with phenols and esters compared to this stuff. Sake yeast, as it turns out, makes an interesting addition to beer. (Despite being a "rice wine", sake is brewed somewhat like beer. If you want to learn more, here is the wiki link)

Mouthfeel: Light, very light for a beer swinging heavy ABV like this one. Just a touch of warming from that 9%.

Finish: More of that odd sake yeast/rice note, followed by some pale malt and lingering (but subdued) citrusy hop bitterness.

I walked into this one blind and man do I regret it. I think I might pick up another bottle and save it for after I've sampled some sake to have an informed opinion. But, sampling it blind and uninformed, I find it to be quite good. It only sells on-tap and in 1 Quart bottles though. Commit to drinking-in-place or sharing. Sharing would be best, especially considering how unique this beer will be to the common American beer drinker's palate.

What's y'all stake on sours? After my first sip I thought "that's weird" as my brain got done processing all the signals by taste buds were sending I kinda liked it. Since then I've had some I liked and some not too much. The Victory Sour Monkey I liked. I volunteered for a shift to pour beer at a local beer festival "Microfestivus" and was assigned to the Victory Brewing tent and this was one of theee on tap. Citrusy and just sour enough. Very easy drinking and at 9.5% ABV it's trouble.

I got my intro to the sour/gose category years ago with Sierra Nevada's Otra Vez, and at first it was very jarring. As the sour trend really started to pick up over the years, I have made an effort to stay fairly informed. American craft sours are good for the wild side of sours if you mind the pun; plenty of innovation with odd ingredients, flavors, and style crossovers. If you want sours as an art form though, you have to look to Europe. The authentic Belgian ones are the best IMO; anything by Rodenbach is tops but especially their Grand Cru. Their Fruitage is an excellent little Kriek in a can as well, with their traditional Flanders Red being a staple of the sour style internationally. I try Oud Bruin (aka Flanders Brown) whenever I can find one, and I have actually had one good American one but I can't remember the brewery right now. Lindeman's Cuvee Rene was another good Belgian one (and an authentic Belgian Gueuze at that), and Lindeman's whole suite of Lambics (Framboise, Kriek, etc.) is good.

There's this one Italian one called Panil Barrique that I have heard good things about, but it is fairly rare to find. Apparently it is merely the export version of the true recipe, which is only brewed and sold in Italy.

(10-23-2017 07:45 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  I got my intro to the sour/gose category years ago with Sierra Nevada's Otra Vez, and at first it was very jarring. As the sour trend really started to pick up over the years, I have made an effort to stay fairly informed. American craft sours are good for the wild side of sours if you mind the pun; plenty of innovation with odd ingredients, flavors, and style crossovers. If you want sours as an art form though, you have to look to Europe. The authentic Belgian ones are the best IMO; anything by Rodenbach is tops but especially their Grand Cru. Their Fruitage is an excellent little Kriek in a can as well, with their traditional Flanders Red being a staple of the sour style internationally. I try Oud Bruin (aka Flanders Brown) whenever I can find one, and I have actually had one good American one but I can't remember the brewery right now. Lindeman's Cuvee Rene was another good Belgian one (and an authentic Belgian Gueuze at that), and Lindeman's whole suite of Lambics (Framboise, Kriek, etc.) is good.

There's this one Italian one called Panil Barrique that I have heard good things about, but it is fairly rare to find. Apparently it is merely the export version of the true recipe, which is only brewed and sold in Italy.

Interesting. I've always been a big fan of Lambics, especially the Framboise, though I'm typically not one to like fruity beers. I haven't really thought about them as "sours" but am not really familiar with brewing as a process, just brews that I drink. The Victory sour, the rep told me, was the same recipe as their Golden Monkey which I believe is a Belgian Tripel but different yeasts were added to make it "sour". He might have been full of it.

(10-30-2017 10:50 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  The Victory sour, the rep told me, was the same recipe as their Golden Monkey which I believe is a Belgian Tripel but different yeasts were added to make it "sour". He might have been full of it.

I think this is right. I'm a big fan of Sour Monkey. Probably my favorite sour.

Troegs is coming out with a "Mad Elf Grand Cru" in the next couple of weeks that I'm anxious to try. Belgian-style ale with Demerara sugar and tart Balaton cherries. I'm looking forward to it.

(10-30-2017 03:23 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  

(10-30-2017 10:50 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  The Victory sour, the rep told me, was the same recipe as their Golden Monkey which I believe is a Belgian Tripel but different yeasts were added to make it "sour". He might have been full of it.

I think this is right. I'm a big fan of Sour Monkey. Probably my favorite sour.

Troegs is coming out with a "Mad Elf Grand Cru" in the next couple of weeks that I'm anxious to try. Belgian-style ale with Demerara sugar and tart Balaton cherries. I'm looking forward to it.

Not a huge fan of the Golden Monkey but really enjoyed the Sour Monkey. I was pouring so I wasn't allowed to "drink" but could "taste", I tasted my way to a decent buzz by the end of my shift.

(10-30-2017 06:14 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-30-2017 03:23 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  

(10-30-2017 10:50 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  The Victory sour, the rep told me, was the same recipe as their Golden Monkey which I believe is a Belgian Tripel but different yeasts were added to make it "sour". He might have been full of it.

I think this is right. I'm a big fan of Sour Monkey. Probably my favorite sour.

Troegs is coming out with a "Mad Elf Grand Cru" in the next couple of weeks that I'm anxious to try. Belgian-style ale with Demerara sugar and tart Balaton cherries. I'm looking forward to it.

Not a huge fan of the Golden Monkey but really enjoyed the Sour Monkey. I was pouring so I wasn't allowed to "drink" but could "taste", I tasted my way to a decent buzz by the end of my shift.

Going to keep an eye out for that one; sounds delicious. Haven't had anything specifically with cherries since Adroit Theory's "All I See is Carrion".

Today was a holy day for fans of Hardywood/Christmas beers/stouts: the debut of this year's Gingerbread Stout.

First impressions: Definitely more of a ginger bite than in years past. Not as sweet. It may also be a product of it being the first run and perhaps it'll mellow over the coming weeks. Bought a four-pack and will find them all a nice home (my belly) with a loving family (whatever I eat that day).

There's seven variants of GBS this season: bourbon barrel, rum barrel, apple brandy barrel (this was supposed to be used for the Trickery milk stout earlier in the year but they didn't have enough to do a good run), rye whisky barrel, double barrel (first rum, then bourbon), Christmas Morning (GBS + coffee) and Kentucky Christmas Morning (bourbon barrel). There was supposed to be a draft-only release of Christmas Pancakes (Christmas morning refermented with maple syrup) but that's been delayed.

I was one of 100 to win their lottery to purchase a complete set of the 2017 GBS, plus a goblet. Definitely looking forward to that, since driving back and forth to Richmond every week to pick up the latest variant isn't viable.

A day later, I am still very jealous. I think I'm only going to be able to get my hands on 2-3 of that lineup. And you got a nice sampling glass as well. If you're good at getting it beer-clean after each use, you're in for a string of very interesting samplings.

(11-06-2017 05:34 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  A day later, I am still very jealous. I think I'm only going to be able to get my hands on 2-3 of that lineup. And you got a nice sampling glass as well. If you're good at getting it beer-clean after each use, you're in for a string of very interesting samplings.

I'm looking forward to them all, of course, but I'm particularly interested in the double barrel GBS. I really liked this year's Black Butte XXIX, which was to the best of my knowledge my first encounter with double-barrel aging, as well as last year's rum GBS, plus most everything they do with bourbon is great, so expectations are sky high for that one.

The apple brandy GBS might be my sleeper pick based on the reviews from the last time they offered it, which brought to mind apple cinnamon rolls. That's in a very good spot for my palate.

The only one I'm not sure about is the rye GBS. Especially with this year's GBS having more bite than years past, I worry that it'll be a bit too much. But I'll definitely keep an open mind.

Oh, and while the GBS debut was the main attraction Saturday, I finally got a go at their rum barrel pumpkin farmhouse. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that they pulled me a regular pumpkin farmhouse, then floated a pour of dark rum. It was that intense. And it hung around for the duration. Good thing I like rum because if I was in it mostly for the pumpkin, I'd probably walk away a bit disappointed because it almost disappeared under the weight of the booziness.

I wonder if the Southern Tier rum Pumking was good? I saw it a couple of times and never pulled the trigger. I did get a four-pack of the cold-brew Pumking and was not impressed. Same issue with the Hardywood rum pumpkin — too much variant flavor, not enough pumpkin, and the coffee wasn't worth it. If you like strong coffee with a tinge of pumpkin, then this might have been OK to good for you, but despite liking both coffee and pumpkin, they didn't mesh well here for me.

I've only had a handful of rum-aged beers, with the best being the semi-mainstream rum-barrel scottish ale that Innis & Gunn does. Not sure how well rum and pumpkin would mix, but I suppose if it wasn't over-the-top boozy (ie. somewhere in the range of 7.5-10% ABV) it could turn out well. It also depends on the kind of rum that the barrels housed (clear rum usually being lighter and sweeter, with brown/dark rum being heavy and complex). I always thought a brown ale or porter aged in Goslings Black Seal rum barrels would be quite tasty

**Edit: Also just had the bottle of Deschutes Black Butte XXIX that I had in the cellar since July. (50% aged in Bourbon and Rum barrels). I like the duality it has going between the sugary rum note and the deeper, more rounded sweetness of the bourbon note.

(11-07-2017 08:47 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  I've only had a handful of rum-aged beers, with the best being the semi-mainstream rum-barrel scottish ale that Innis & Gunn does. Not sure how well rum and pumpkin would mix, but I suppose if it wasn't over-the-top boozy (ie. somewhere in the range of 7.5-10% ABV) it could turn out well. It also depends on the kind of rum that the barrels housed (clear rum usually being lighter and sweeter, with brown/dark rum being heavy and complex). I always thought a brown ale or porter aged in Goslings Black Seal rum barrels would be quite tasty

I could see that. I'm surprised you don't see more big-name beer/liquor exclusive collaborations, or even bourbon and rum companies creating their own brews (they did this in reverse, but Lexington Brewing, makers of the always-good Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, created Town Branch bourbon and started using that for their barrel aging — I think they used Wild Turkey before then?)

Quote:Also just had the bottle of Deschutes Black Butte XXIX that I had in the cellar since July. (50% aged in Bourbon and Rum barrels). I like the duality it has going between the sugary rum note and the deeper, more rounded sweetness of the bourbon note.

That what gives me such high hopes for the Double Barrel GBS. Do you know how they aged it? Was half the beer aged in rum barrels, half in bourbon and then combined, or was it everything in one barrel, then the other? Double Barrel GBS is, if I read right, started in a rum barrel, then moved to a bourbon barrel, so I don't know it that makes a big impact or if it's a distinction without a difference.

I haven't been able to find anything conclusive, but I've heard "aged in bourbon and rum barrels" repeated so I would assume that the whole thing was moved from barrel to barrel instead of splitting and blending.

A few interesting items I encountered today:

Long Trail Unearthed BA (BA American Stout)
- I remember the standard Unearthed being typical of the style, with that typical American hopping style evident in the deeper notes of the taste and a more pronounced lingering bitterness at the end of the finish. Might go for this one at some point

Jailbreak White Russian Cream Ale
- This sounds cool and that's, just, like, my opinion, man. I had COTU's El Duderino last year and I thought it was good, if lacking the bit of unrefined bite I like in stout. It was likely because of the lactose and vanilla, as those are two notes that I have found to be very forgiving in terms of what they can hide. I do like the idea of those coffee, vanilla, and cream notes with the consistency of a cream ale though.

Victory Storm King Imp Stout
- Storm King homer here. They changed the artwork and that automatically qualifies it for a re-review.

Fun one for the Richmond crowd: Ardent Imperial Milk Stout



Color: Very dark brown, almost black. Light beige head, certainly looks like a milk stout.

Nose: The lactose note hits first, followed by slightly-subdued roasted malt and some chocolate. Smells delicious.

Taste: Roasted malt, lactose, some sweet malt, and some chocolate. No particular flavor gets too big, they just coexist in sequence. Really well-balanced. Tastes delicious.

Mouthfeel: The big surprise is that this beer does not feel like a typical milk stout. I would say that the mouthfeel is moderate with very little creaminess, which makes it very light as far as milk stouts go. At first I thought I detected a touch of warming (10% ABV) but after a while I didn't notice anything.

Finish: Sweet malt, some roasted malt, some lactose, and a touch of chocolate. A bit of lingering roasty note, not much lingering bitterness at all. The finish is frankly very inviting; you find yourself reaching for the glass/mug/stein again as you are going through the flavor sequence.

I think that I have a new favorite milk stout. Left Hand has been dethroned. Congratulations, Ardent!

Had Allagash Curieux today. Not quite sure what to think of it. Will have to make another go of it when I can work up the coin. I do like the fruity phenolic notes and the touch of whiskey that permeates.

Had my chance at CBS and passed. I ordered a case of something Polish imported last month and that dented the beer budget for the year. My local establishment has tempting options for further budget-busting but I have to remain steadfast. Oddly enough, they still have Founders Backwoods Bastard. Might spring for that next paycheck

I've been reading Mosher's "Tasting Beer" and I recently got caught up in the UK section, especially the various styles present/defunct/potential. I was a bit miffed that for Scottish ales, especially the lower-ABV part of the spectrum, there wasn't much representation in the US market. (ie. If I wanted a truly sessionable Scottish ale, I'd have to plan a hop across the pond) The idea of an easy-drinking, not-going-to-mess-you-up Scottish ale on draft here in the US enthralls me. There was a micro-craft beer pilot on tap at Alexandria's Portner Brewhouse that sounded interesting, something titled "Wee Scotsman" with all the toffee and malt sweetness (and perhaps a touch of peaty smokiness) but without the moderate to high ABV. Sad that I didn't go for it when I could. Anyone have any suggestions for stateside Scottish ales in that vein?

The UK focus has drawn my attention to Yards in Philly, mostly because of their English IPA and their Brawler British Mild ale. I've always leaned toward the European hops as far as IPAs are considered, but the concept of the malty sessionable pub beer has recently become a point of fascination for me.