June 19th, 2009 beckel
Today before me I have what is sure to be a tasty brew from the folks of Nogne O from Norway. Two avid home brewers . For their 100th batch they decided to brew a Barleywine style ale and due to popular demand decided to make it commercially available. Pours a dark hue that appears black but turns into a reddish date hue when brought to light though it is incredibly opaque. This is one carbonated beer, upon opening it it was evident that this beer would need to be poured carefully. Even when poured at an angle this beer will easily create as much head as you allow it and some of the creamy light toffee colored head will last until you finish consuming the brew. Aroma is rather alcoholic though that is no surprise as it weighs in at 10% ABV. Further I notice dark pitted fruits but not much else due to the strong alcoholic presence. Flavor is very nice, full of dark fruits such as date and even something like grape and cherry as well as a nice creamy malty sweetness throughout and just a hint of bitterness in the finish. Alcohol is obvious but not overpowering like it is in the aroma. Mouthfeel is a quite creamy and enjoyable though the body is light for a Barleywine. The balance between dark pitted fruits and a distinct malty creaminess is very well done and provides for one delicious Barleywine. If you enjoy Barleywines at all I would highly recommend trying this brew if you can find it. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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June 17th, 2009 beckel
Today I have another brew that I was ever so excited to see on the shelves of The Four Firkins last Monday at their Flat Earth tasting (North West Passage rocks by the way) He’Brew’s Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. an IPA brewed with rye in honor of the “obscene” Jewish comedian Lenny Bruce. Upon reading about this brew on their website I was very curious about the concept of an offensively intense 10% ABV India Pale Ale brewed with some malted rye. So far I have been very pleased with the beers I have tried from He’Brew and from reading the solid list of hops contained in this brew (Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial) I doubt I will be disappointed. This beer pours a somewhat dark flat red hue that looks a bit like sherry but is relatively translucent. If you allow it to this brew will easily produce 3 fingers or more of off white head that lasts for a number of minutes and leaves a bit of lacing once settled. Aroma has some nice hop bitterness, dark pitted fruits, a bit of malty sweetness, a good dose of rye and even more alcohol. The flavor of this brew is quite interesting. Citrus and bittering hops hit my tongue first followed by a smooth malty flavors of dark pitted fruits particularly date with rye throughout and decent amount of alcohol in the finish though I find the hops and some malty sweetness lingering in my mouth after swallowing. While I wouldn’t call this brew obscene it sure does have a lot going on yet has a pretty nice balance provided you don’t mind a bit of an alcohol punch and the additional bitterness that the rye adds on top of the hops. The body of this beer is medium and the mouthfeel is smooth for this malty of a brew. This is one tasty rye beer and it will be interesting to contrast it with the other rye beers I have recently purchased. If you are not afraid of large doses of hops and malt and don’t mind alcoholic brews you will likely enjoy this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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June 16th, 2009 beckel
Today is a bit of a special post with a very special brew. I found this brew on the shelves of The Four Firkins months ago and though it was quite expensive I couldn’t pass it up. Paradox is a limited series of Imperial Stouts aged in various whiskey casks by the fine Scottish folk of Brew Dog. This particular bottle is part of batch 11 that was aged in a 1987 Macallan sherry cask and is the perfect brew to commemorate this website’s 1st anniversary which occurred on Saturday as the cask is of the year of my birth. I was unable to enjoy this brew on the proper anniversary as I had planned because I was out of town completing the MS150 charity ride for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Minnesota which was a blast. This beer pours a completely opaque mat black and produces just over a finger of attractive toffee colored head that remains for a few minutes. As usual this beer has been sitting out for quite some time, about an hour now and is just the right temperature to enjoy its complexities as the bottle encourages as I do not live in an igloo. Aroma is of subtle creme and toffee hints as well as more obvious coffee notes, a bit of roasted malt, a nice hint of sherry and a dose of strong but not overpowering alcohol. Flavor is complex. Flowing from sweeter malt flavors that create toffee and creamy hints to a robust sherry flavor with moderately alcoholic scotch notes finishing smoothly with roasted malts that linger in your mouth until the sherry comes back just in case you forgot about it. When swirling it in my glass the body of this beer appears quite heavy though it is not too hard to drink having a very clean and smooth mouthfeel. The more I drink this beer the more the sherry wood notes come through and the more the roasted malt becomes subdued, quite interesting. Because of the sherry and scotch notes of this brew you will probably be aware that what you are consuming is rather alcoholic and at 10% ABV this brew fits the bill though it is not over the top. I always enjoy seeing people experiment with brewing and this is definitely an interesting and tasty brew but for the price tag of over $10 for a 11.2 oz bottle it is doubtful that I will be experimenting with much more Paradox in the near future, that would be if I could find it (thank you distribution laws, limited production and shipping expenses). If you are looking for something fancy and are a fan of Imperial Stouts and oak aging I would encourage you to check out the Paradox series, if you can. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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June 9th, 2009 beckel
Though I have yet to take a single sip or even pour this brew I am confident saying that this brew is an example of why Mikkeller has been such a successful brewery in its short history. Only an adventurous soul would contemplate brewing a session beer (4.5% ABV) yet add Brettanomyces into the fermentation process. Mikkeller takes inspiration from American breweries who joyously experiment with their brews and are not afraid to challenge the palates of their consumers and is like wise trying to take its Danish fan base on a similar adventure (as well as those of us lucky enough to find their beers across the world). Upon pouring this beer it creates over three fingers of loose white head that very quickly starts to dissipate leaving you with no head in just under a minute aside from a very small amount of lacing around the edge. Color is a largely translucent crisp golden hue. As soon as I opened the bottle a rush a Brettanomyces tartness hit my nose and upon smelling it in a glass it is even more funky. Your typical horse blanket notes are even more musky than many brews creating an aroma similar to mustard seed and some sort of fungus hint. There is a bit of sweet malt in the aroma but it is difficult to isolate. Whoa. That was an interesting first sip. Going from some solid tart funk into a wheaty biscuit flavor mid palate. This is truly one of the strangest sour beers I have ever had, not because of its funk but because of its balance, which I am still trying to grasp. As I continue to drink the initial tartness declines a bit and becomes a really neat accent to the light but bready flavor of this beer. The body is light and the mouthfeel is smooth and clean yet the finish tastes just like a biscuit. The more I drink this beer the more I can see its sessionability as the distinctly sour and grain based flavors start to mesh creating a balance that I initially thought was a bit unpleasant but ends up smooth and really quite nice. If you are a fan of funky beers and English biscuits this is the beer for you. If not you will still probably find it intriguing and surprisingly enjoyable after drinking half the bottle as I have. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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June 8th, 2009 beckel
Though I am not one that is easily swayed by appearance I must start by saying everything about the presentation of this beer from bottling to pouring is lovely. I found a bottle of Two Brothers 2008 Bare Tree Barleywine Style Weiss Beer at The Four Firkins and couldn’t resist grabbing one of the beautifully decorated 12.7 oz bottles. The labeling is quite different than Two Brothers traditional labels but was designed marvelously even if it is a petite and somewhat spendy bottle. Apparently the Bare Tree was the first beer they brewed under their Artisan line of beers and as it is still being produced is likely to be tasty so lets get onto that part. The pour of this beer is truly marvelous with crisp white head forming on top of an attractive bright orange brew cascading delicately down the center as you pour and watch the head steadily swell from a few millimeters up to three fingers and dissipate slowly leaving but a thin ring around the glass. Color isn’t particularly hazy but it is very difficult to see through. Aroma has a nice wheat base as well as a bit of orange, herbal notes and yeast character similar to many Belgian brews. Flavors of slightly tart orange citrus, sweet malted wheat and some light fermented fruits such as apricot as well as many herbal notes that add some spice throughout and create a hint of bitterness in the finish. For anything like a Barleywine the body of this brew is very light and has a very smooth and clean mouthfeel. Though I feel it a bit I wouldn’t have guessed this to be a 11.5% ABV brew from its taste. Nicely done. If you are a fan of Belgian Style Ales of the high gravity variety and aren’t opposed to wheat this would be a dandy choice. Not your standard American Wheat Beer in any way but if you are a fan of those and looking for something more funky and adventurous this would be a worthy decision. This brew probably won’t be around for long so grab a bottle while you can. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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June 2nd, 2009 beckel
Today I have a very interesting beer I found on the shelves of The Four Firkins a few weeks ago. I knew nothing of this beer upon picking it up other than it was from Esen, Belgium and that it was a 9% ABV beer brewed with some funk. From reading their website the De Dolle Brouwers (The Crazy Brewers) appear to be a pair of creative and humble brothers who took the opportunity to take over their brewery from the previous owners when they decided to shut the doors in 1980 and have continued to brew some interesting craft beers including their Oerbier, or Original I have here before me. This beer is bottle conditioned and said to age well but lets get to drinking. Though It was obvious this would be a carbonated beer as soon as I opened the bottle. Pouring it creates a massive four finger bouquet of off white head with loose bubbles that dissipate relatively quickly creating quite a show. Color is a dark and hazy brown hue similar to a date and is completely opaque. Initially I get some gentle tartness and carbonation in the aroma as well as some grain. I am consuming this beer at just below room temperature as it has been sitting out for about 50 minutes and the flavors are quite interestingly subtle. A nice malt backbone with dark pited fruit hints is present providing some sweetness to contrast the interesting but not overpowering tartness and a bit of additional funk that would seem to come from the yeast used in this brew, though their website clarifies that “Since 2000 as the yeast supply ceased, we installed a new yeast propagator. The tart aftertaste is obtained by lactobacterial fermentation (since 2005).” so obviously that isn’t quite the case as lactic acid is used. The mouthfeel of this beer is very carbonated but clean. Body is on the light end of medium. Overall this is an interesting sour beer. Certainly the strongest I have ever consumed at 9% ABV as well as one of the most carbonated. Flavors are reasonably balanced between tart and fermented pitted fruits which certainly makes for an interesting beer. Not a mind blowing beer but a good example of some of the funkiness you can create with beer and something that wouldn’t be a bad choice to sample even in its small 33cl bottle. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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May 22nd, 2009 beckel
On Tuesday I made it over to Acadia Cafe located on Cedar & Riverside in good ole Minneapolis for their 6 Shooters event. For the low price of $10 patrons were presented with six 5 ounce pours of some very delicious India Pale Ales. Though I didn’t really consume these beers in the “proper” order I started with the beer I was most excited to have the opportunity to sample, Victory Wild Devil which weighs in at 6.7% ABV. This beer pours an interesting redish orange hue and unsurprisingly smells almost identical to the Hop Devil who’s wort this beer was fermented from, quite hoppy with a bit of sweet malt that is further balanced by a subtle tart hint from the Brettanomyces used in this special brew. Flavor is again the same as the Hop Devil with just a bit of tartness that adds a nice extra layer to contrast the intense hop profile of this beer. I expected this beer to taste a bit stranger and more sour but the tartness is all around mellow making for a very nicely balanced beer. I hope to find a bottle of this brew sometime in the future to give it a more in depth review than 5 ounces could provide.
Next I sampled our very own Summit IPA that was cask conditioned and dry hopped with Amarillo. As the least heavy beer of the night with a 6.4% ABV it probably should have been my starting point but I doubt any beer could have masked the intense Amarillo notes of this brew. Appearance was an interesting reddish amber that was somewhat hazy. Head was pure white and surprisingly retained for quite some time as this picture was taken a good 15+ minutes after pouring as well as leaving a good amount of lacing. Smells strongly of oranges and something like passion fruit or similar sweet citrus or melon. The same melon like sweet citrus is very present in the flavor and frankly completely dominates the flavor. It was a clean easy to drink brew but I felt the massive flavor from the Amarillo was a bit over the top and one dimensional.
Then came the most balanced but least hoppy brew of the evening, Sprecher IPA. Like Summit Sprecher brews in the English tradition and this brew is a beautiful example of the great beers that it can produce. Color is a reddish amber that is very translucent. Aroma is largely of caramely malt and subtle orange citrus notes with just a hint of alcohol though it rocks a solid 7.5% ABV. Flavor is relatively sweet and of caramelized malt with a wee bit of citrus hops. The more I drank this brew the more the hops became apparent and I started to notice a nice bitterness in the finish. Not nearly as hoppy as I am normally looking for in an IPA but very traditional, well balanced and tasty.
Then from d’Achouffe Brewery out of Belgium we have their very interesting straw colored Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen Belgian IPA Tripel. Aroma is largely of Belgian Yeast and some light malty sweetness. Taste is very similar to other malty Blonde Tripels with the yeast playing a major role in creating herbal notes and malty sweetness as well as candi sugar sweetness that is often associated with the style but with the addition of some nice bitterness and floral hints in the finish. A tasty and unique brew with a whole lot going on and a solid 9% ABV.
Then it was time to enjoy some 16 Grit [review] from our local Surly Brewing and Iniquity IBA [review] from Southern Tier out of New York. You can see my full reviews of these delicious beers by following the above links. Cheers to Acadia for putting on this event and including delicious beers at a reasonable price. Keep up the good work. Now go have a beer ride your bike, safely please.
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May 21st, 2009 beckel
Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Yeasty Beers meetup presented by Michael Agnew of A Perfect Pint and graciously hosted by Cory. Michael had constructed a series of tastings around the core ingredients of beer; hops, malt and most importantly yeast. I was not lucky enough to make it to the prior meetups but I was pleased to be able to attend what was probably the most interesting of the series as yeast is one amazing creature that we must sincerely thank for the beer that we allow it produce. Upon entering Cory’s home I was greeted with a glass of brown ale that Michael had home brewed and even though it did not end up being the style he intended (dopplebock I believe) it was really quite tasty and enjoyable. Once everyone arrived we started with Huvila ESB which hails from Finland and was simply delightful. I didn’t write any tasting notes for the evening but I was incredibly pleased with its well balanced flavors and not really being a Bitter guy it really made me appreciate what the style can be. I would have happily drank this beer all night long and will unquestionably be properly reviewing it the next time I can find it on the shelf. This ESB was paired with some delicious mac & cheese expertly prepared by our host Cory, very tasty. (You can see the almost empty casserole pan in the picture two down)
Next came Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier a very traditional German Hefeweizen that is quite light and allows its yeast to shine through wonderfully.
Next we enjoyed a Saison from Boulevard Brewing’s Smoke Stack Series and I must say I was humbly impressed. I have had a few beers from this series and they are absolutely more complex and flavorful than Boulevards traditional offerings but their Saison delivered far above what I have experienced in the past from them and encourages me to sample more of their offerings. The beer very nicely complimented the aged Gouda and awesome home baked bread we were offered. Definitely worth trying if you enjoy a quality Saison.
Then came the always delicious Westmalle Dubbel. This creamy looking dark brown colored ale tastes strongly of dark pitted fruits and nice herbal notes as well as showcasing its wonderful Belgian yeast strain. This was paired with beef tongue and heart which were both incredibly tasty. I particularly enjoyed the intense meaty (and somewhat gamey) flavor of the boiled heart. Westmalle is unquestionably a classic Belgian brewer and is part of the renowned Trappist organization and certainly worth your time to enjoy.
Next came Rodenbach also from Belgium. I had never sampled this beer before and apparently it is no longer distributed in the country so it will probably be difficult to get your hands on it. This is certainly a tart ale but it was far less sour than I expected though I suppose I shouldn’t have expected too much tartness as it is a Flanders Red Ale which is on the low end of sour beers. An interesting and well balanced brew, I would curious to sample their Grand Cru which is presumably even more smooth. This we paired with pickled herring.
Delightful
Then we moved onto Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro de Calabaza which is a delicious Belgian Strong Golden Ale that like all of Jolly Pumpkin’s brews does a wonderful job showcasing its yeast. Drinking this brew reminded me how much I enjoy the incredibly creative and largely sour beers that they produce out of Michigan.
As we enjoyed the above beer Cory was hard at work steaming mussels in 3 Fonteinen’s Oud Gueuze which smelled simply marvelous and you can see pictured below. After the mussels were finished and presented to us we got to sampling the Oud Gueuze which was quite interesting tasting and rather funky but enjoyable particularly with the delicious food to compliment.
Lastly we had a Kriek from Oud Beersel again from Belgium. This was a sweet cherry beer that had some nice tartness to balance and complimented the cheesecake we enjoyed perfectly. If you enjoy lambics and want something that is more interesting than your standard Lindemans this would be a good choice as it has many more dimensions and is particularly for desert as we did.
After the official event was over we proceeded to opened a number of bottles and enjoyed further good conversation. Many thanks to Michael for organizing this and Cory for sharing his space and tasty food. Hopefully I see you fine folk again next month and perhaps some new faces. Cheers to a grand evening!
You can check out Michael’s write up of the event here.
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May 14th, 2009 beckel
I was going to continue my streak of Tommyknocker reviews but upon glancing over at New Glarus’ Organic Revolution sitting in my fridge and remembering a comment I had read earlier that day on The Captain’s Chair post about Hop Hearty IPA I decided it was time to see what a organic beer from New Glarus would be like. As I’m sure many of you know New Glarus is a regional brewery that only distributes within its own state of Wisconsin and pays a lot of tribute to things local and sustainable and apparently wanted to give the “purity” of organic a shot. This beer is bottle fermented and naturally carbonated…and carbonated it is, I had to stop during the pour as to not overfill my pint glass. Leaving me with a solid three fingers of pure white head that lasted for a few minutes atop this hazy, though translucent yellowish orange brew. Aroma is quite nice with slightly sweet pale malt and some moderately pungent bittering hops here and there to give this beer a well rounded smell. The flavor is really quite interesting, you will have to try it yourself to really understand. The malt has a clean but somewhat flat flavor that I have noticed in all of the organic beers that I have tried and have a hard time putting proper words to, it is not a bad thing, simply different. In addition to somewhat sweet malt flavors you get some solid bitterness from the hops as well as a very nice gentle grapefruit citrus flavor that works to balance the malt used in this beer. This is a flavorful Pale Ale that sticks to New Glarus’ tradition of making tasty easy to drink beers. This beer should be approachable for pretty much anyone though I find it to be one of their more intricate flavored brews. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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May 11th, 2009 beckel
As I have a six-pack of their beer to go through so I thought I should try their most popular over the bar brew next. So here we are with Tommyknocker’s Pick Axe Pale Ale, lets see how it goes (bottled March 17, 2009). The beer pours a very attractive bright hazy orange color that is moderately translucent and appears a darker red (almost burgundy) when away from light. Head is white and about two and a half fingers that last for a few minutes leaving a nice light lacing around the glass. Aroma is full of sweet citrus that is somewhat fruity like candied orange, cherry, apple and even melon as well as some slightly bitter pine like hops and just a whiff of alcohol. If it weren’t for the bitter finish from the first sip I would be inclined to suggest that this beer tastes a bit like candy. Initial flavor is largely of citrus hops, particularly orange with a bit of sweet maltiness presumably from pale malt and a nicely bitter hop finish to balance the flavors. I appreciate how this Pale Ale seems to incorporate more hops than many do but frankly the citrus is a little more dominate than I would prefer and though I enjoy how the malt is used to balance the flavors present as opposed to the star of the show it sometimes it seems a bit flat. The body is this beer is light and the mouthfeel is very clean making this an unquestionably drinkable beer. With a 6.2 % ABV this beer isn’t going to hurt anyone and would be a great stepping stone into hoppier and more flavorful beers than your average Pale Ale. If you enjoy citrus hop flavors and are looking for a Pale Ale that has something a little different to offer this is really a quite good choice. With its drinkablilty it really is no surprise it is a local favorite. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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