January 22nd, 2009 beckel
Today I hope to enlighten you to what is sure to be a wonderful experience. This Tuesday I did my obligatory duty and headed over to The Four Firkins with a good friend of mine to get our allotments of Bells Hopslam [review] and Surly Coffee Bender. While there I of course found a pile of other beer I had to get my hands on, but that’s for another post. What is important today is the first thing I set my eyes on in the IPA section, Southern Tier Gemini. Now I will start with the disclaimer that I am one of these said crazy Gemini, but regardless I have been anticipating this ale since the day they first posted it on their web page and can not explain with words my excitement in finding it on the shelves. This beer I have been hoping would make it our way is a combination of 50% unfiltered Hoppe their Imperial Pale Ale and 50% unfiltered Unearthly their Imperial India Pale Ale [review]. Both wonderful ales that are worth your time and money and I am terribly excited to see how the mix fares. This ale pours a rather light golden hue that is quite appealing though transparent having no noticeable sediment. In my slightly heavy pour I easily produced over three fingers of a very crisp white colored head that settled after a couple minutes leaving a good amount of lacing all around the glass. The aroma is great, it smells just like these two ales together should. Many different layers of hop, some nice bitterness rounded off by some paler malts and then complimented with some citrus and other floral aromas. A bit paler that expected and definately some alcohol in the nose, but I’m sure as always Southern Tier will work that out when it gets to the flavor. Wow, this is an interesting beer that is perfectly named because it absolutely seems to have a split personality when it comes to flavor. Flavor is mostly on the paler side with nice sweet malt undertones. Then come in the hoppy flavors, kicking you some bitterness and almost tangy citrus as well as some fresh wood flavors. I almost want to say this ale has a personality disorder as the balance is not typical but particularly when served at a proper temperature it is really quite tasty and balanced int its own unique way. The body is medium but quite light for an imperial ale and the mouthfeel is a tiny bit caramely but not too sticky. The 10.5% AVB of this beer is noticeable because some of the paler flavors just cant quite cover it, but not dominate at all or excessive because the bitter hop presence does a very good job of distracting your taste buds. Though this ale isn’t exactly what I expected, my expectations were never very solidified. It is less hoppy then I was expecting but that is simply because of how intense in the hop department Unearthly is but understandable considering Hoppe isn’t so much, though very good. This creative concoction is probably most appropriate for people who enjoy diversely flavored ales and will enjoy the many contrasts present but could definitely appeal to a broader audience complimenting a good hearty meal. Always happy to see breweries trying new things. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 19th, 2009 beckel
Today we have another ale from the fine midwest folk of Two Brothers Brewing bringing us a solid Imperial Stout appropriately named Northwind. Though they hail from Warrenville, Illinois and are nearby neighbors of us Minnesotans I rarely see their brew at the store so I have been pleased to see it a number of places in the past few months as I have yet to consume anything from them I have not enjoyed. This ale pours a nice deep black color that is not penetrated by light, producing just a finger of lovely chocolate colored head that is very well retained for many minutes. Gentle swirling immediately produces more of this silky head giving the glass a slight lacing that slowly trickles down. Aroma is quite nice, creamy sweet aromas mesh wonderfully with dark but gentle roasted malt scents with only a little alcohol on the nose. When first sipping this beer the roasted malt flavors are most noticeable and transition into a smooth slightly more creamy taste. The body is medium but reasonably light for a stout, the mouthfeel is smooth and somewhat creamy making this a very drinkable brew if you like dark malts. Though this ale is absolutely an Imperial Stout with its solid 8.5% ABV, you may easily be tricked because of how well the malt profile covers the alcohol flavors. The more your drink of this ale the more you notice the subtler flavors such as a slight citrus flavor that tones down the malt flavors as well as some pitted fruit hints. That my friends is what I enjoy the most about this ale, it is incredibly simple on the surface and therefore very approachable and easy to enjoy for anyone who is interested in a stout, but then subtly complex in many ways you wouldn’t expect, or perhaps even notice if you aren’t looking for it. The rest of you from these Northerly lands will appreciate the namesake of this ale as it is perfect for our current weather, though the ride today was quite reasonable it would certainly have kept me warmer. Fans of Stouts or Imperial Ales in general will enjoy this simple yet flavorful ale. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 15th, 2009 beckel
Today we have another ale from Brewery Ommegang, the fine New York based, Belgian owned and inspired brewing company. To celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2007 they decided to brew a chocolate ale and because of its success they have continued to brew it for the lucky folk of the world such as myself. I have yet to be disappointed by an ale they have produced and even with a simple 7% ABV I cant wait to give this brew a try. Pours a lovely dark black color that is not translucent at all with a solid 3 fingers plus of beautiful frothy cocoa colored head that takes many minutes to dissipate. Giving this ale a little swirl stirs up more carbonation giving this ale a nice crown of brown to add to the lacing that is already around the glass from the initial pour. All of Ommegang’s ales tend to be plenty carbonated but this one has marvelous head retention. This brew initially smells mostly of coffee and then some other nice dark malts that eventually create a malty chocolate aroma with a nice roasted hint. Well this is certainly a stout, tastes of dark lightly roasted malts creating many coffee like flavors. For a stout the body is reasonably light and the mouthfeel is smooth and only a little carbonated. There is definitely some noticeable sweetness produced by all the malt in this ale but it doesn’t particularly strike me as chocolate flavored. Definitely a flavorful stout that incorporates both sweet and roasted flavors nicely and shouldn’t be too intimidating, particularly because of how well the ABV is covered up. If you like milk stouts but want some more roasted flavor this would be a wonderful brew for you. Not as much chocolate flavor as I was hoping for but still pretty good overall . Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 11th, 2009 beckel
Thus far I have enjoyed everything I have had the opportunity to try from Breckenridge Brewery. So upon seeing a bottle of their summer ale in a bargain bin at hennipen lake I couldn’t help but pick it up. Though completely out of season I’m sure this will be a tasty and refreshing wheat beer and a much more proper drink for this time of day compared to the rest of the beer in my fridge with a 4.5% ABV. This ale pours a golden straw color with some light copper hues and is completely translucent. Head is about two fingers but fades very rapidly and is white in color. Aroma is of crisp light malts and a nice tiny bit of wheat. Tastes of pale malts with a nice bit of lemon like citrus. Body is light and mouthfeel is smooth but a bit more full that most light beers. Though this ale has some wheat flavors it doesn’t really strike me as a wheat ale, closer to a pilsner but a bit more hearty than most. Definitely a summer ale that would be refreshing and easy to drink on a hot day. If you are a fan of pale malts and citrus this is a good choice for you. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 9th, 2009 beckel
Though I appreciate many of Sierra Nevada’s Ale’s their Celebration Ale is one that I had not sampled and is often commented upon as being delightfully hoppy. So when I started seeing it in 12 packs I knew my days of not sampling it were dwindling and ended up picking on up a few weeks ago. Today we will be consuming my last bottle of this holiday inspired India Pale Ale from Chico, CA. I poured this brew a little heavy and it filled the glass largely with white frothy head, though a mistake it showed me how much head retention this ale actually has and it’s a ton. After topping off the glass head still remains for many more minutes and leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass, quite solid. Aroma is full of grapefruit and other citrus hop scents and just a little malt, very nice. Color is bright red with a some copper tones and very translucent. Flavor is certainly hoppy as one would expect. Initially I get some rather bitter hop flavors that lead into a grapefruit citrus flavor. Mouthfeel is rather smooth and the body is rather light. With the bitter flavors in this ale I doubt you will really notice its 6.8% ABV. As you continue to drink this beer and start getting used to its hop profile you will increasingly notice the somewhat sweet finish that the malt creates. This is absolutely a decent beer and fans of hops such as myself will likely find this a refreshing ale if it ends up in their hands but I must say honestly I was a bit disappointed. Currently I think this is a solid very drinkable ale that would be very nice on a summer day when looking for something hoppy I just feel Sierra Nevada has the skills to make this ale a bit more balanced and complex. With that said if you are not a fan of hops this ale is not for you, but would be wonderful for cleansing your palate when eating some nice spicy Asian food. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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January 2nd, 2009 beckel
Today The Session is brought to us by Beer and Firkins, posing the question: What will I miss from 2008 and what will I excitedly await in 2009? Though this is a quite broad question that I’m sure everyone will respond to differently I know what I will miss the most from 2008 is growlers from Surly Brewing in good ole’ Minnesota. Though I love my state and its breweries we have the unfortunate problem of being stuck in a state that seems to have forgotten that “blue laws” are a thing of the past, that is for those who don’t know laws that were traditionally created to appease the church and the thought that beer should not be consumed on Sunday because you should be in church! Though these laws aren’t restricted to Sundays it is a common term used to describe limitations in liquor laws. Though I have nothing against spirituality I’m sure you can realize how many of these laws are outdated and simply not helpful. Though it is unfortunate that we can not buy beer on Sundays in our fine state I can handle it, what I can’t is the other hoops and complications the force breweries to deal with, limiting their business potential, costing them more of their hard labor and money and more humorously reducing the amount of tax revenue our state is able to generate. Though all of the laws limiting what breweries/brewpubs can and can not do bother me, such as the fact that you can legally only operate one of the two and not both the current law I am here to complain about and fight against is breweries (and brewpubs for that matter) ability to off sell their products. We all (should) know that our liquor distribution systems are unnecessarily complex, but that as well is a rant for another time…so to get to the nitty gritty. In many states breweries and brewpubs alike are allowed to off sell to customers bottles of any size to patrons that wish to purchase their product and are of legal age. Sure they need a license but there’s just more incentive for the state. Our fine Surly Brewing how ever has dealt with many hurdles in their journey to off sell growlers to the community. After going through all of the work of getting the city of Brooklyn Center to approve the sale of growlers and having great success for just over the past 2 years the joyous Saturday mornings of cycling up to their brewery and carting home their beer are over. Minnesota State law 340A.301 allows for licenses to be granted to brewers who produce less than 3500 barrels a year. As it should be everyone loves Surly Brewing and has made them a great success continually forcing them to brew more beer and causing them this year to surpass the limit for licensing. To me this is a very silly and completely useless law, and according to Omar on the last Saturday of this year while waiting in line for their wonderful 16 Grit Imperial IPA will loose the state $20,000 in tax revenue (I assume he meant annually). Luckily the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild currently has a petition to help change these things and I will do everything I can to support them in their venture. On to the happier things. What I look forward to in 2009 aside from simply more beer is the trend of collaborative ales that has sprouted in 2008 and where others may take it. I am a fan of all things communal and beer is always better when shared so I say the more the merrier. There was Flying Dog’s Open Source Beer Project that created a Dopplebock, there will soon be a joint effort by Dogfish Head and Beer Advocate which is sure to be interesting though I doubt I will have the opportunity to make it down to Boston to sample it, and what we are here to try today the effort by Avery Brewing and Russian River Brewing: Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. Though there are a few more I neglected to mention this ale in particular has a wonderful story. Brewers at both breweries happened to meat a number of years ago and learned they both were brewing ales called Salvation. With all the silly legal battles people are fitting in this day and age the two friends considered what to do and came up with the perfect solution, make a whole new beer additionally that comprised of both ales. So at the bar of Russian River the two sat down and found the perfect mix of the two very different but uniquely Belgian inspired ales, Avery’s being a Golden Ale and Russian Rivers being a Strong Dark Ale both packing a solid 9% ABV. The first batch was bottled in December of 2006 and the second batch which sits on my table was bottled February 2008 and uses a slightly different mix. The proceeds of these ales will go towards sending brewers from not only Avery and Russian River but Port Brewing, Dogfish Head, and Allagash Brewing on a trip to Belgium to see how they have been doing it for centuries in attempt to improve their own craft skills, talk about a good cause. Now on to the better stuff. This beer pours a dark pumpkin color that is a bit hazy though no sediment is apparent, allowing a bit of light to shine through the bottom of the glass in orange and red hues even if it is not particularly translucent. Head is a solid three fingers or more and crisp white in color lasting for a couple minutes. Aroma is quite nice, gentle fruit aromas are dominate with some slightly floral hints as well giving a bit of a kick to the otherwise sweet malty scent. They must have had a blast sampling different mixes of this ale as the flavors are very unique. Prunes, and other sweet pitted fruits are noticeable as well as more somewhat hoppy citrus flavors. This ale is packed with malty sweetness and is obviously influenced by Belgian brewing with an interesting yeast no doubt contributing some flavor as well as other nice caramel flavors from the malt.. This ale has a rather light body and a slightly sticky but incredibly smooth mouthfeel. Though there are many flavors in this beer the sweet malt flavors do a impeccable job hiding the 8.72% ABV. I had no idea what to expect the mixing of a golden ale and a dark ale would create but this is certainly a tasty brew and a nice American take on a Belgian concept as well as a wonderful approach to an interesting situation. Probably not an everyday beer but a great after meal desert ale. If you are a fan of Belgian inspired ales that are sweet and malty but are still not afraid to pack a punch this is a good choice. To note, the last third of this ale had a hazier and darker color no doubt from sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Very smooth and delicious stuff. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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December 31st, 2008 beckel
Today we have another creative ale from the inventive minds of Lagunitas Brewing to enjoy on this Happy New Years Eve! This beer was brewed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of Frank Zappa and Mothers of Invention’s album of the same name and apparently Lagunitas plans to continue to release one special beer in honor of the 40th anniversary of every studio album by Zappa. A very nice concept and wonderful tribute, it will be interesting to see what they come up with next time. Though Lagunitas insists this is a “DoppaDooAyDoo Style Ale” the word on the street is that it is an Imperial Stout with a solid 8.6% ABV and that’s good enough for me to be curious. I’ll have to determine who I agree with after giving it a shot, so on we go. This beer pours with a solid three fingers of wonderful frothy head that tastes quite sweet and is a solid, relatively dark tan color. After settling for a few minutes there is still a nice fine layer present and plenty of lacing on the glass. Color is very black with only a little bit of a red hue shining through when brought to light. Aroma is of malt, malt and more malt. Some sweet creamy smells, others slightly roasted, all dark. Not bad at all, upon my first sip I thought there wasn’t too much to the flavor until I started swallowing and noticed all of the interesting roasted flavors, reminding me of charcoal and making me wish I’d cooked up my steak first. The initial taste is simple and on the sweet side but not overbearing in any way. As it finishes you are left with a much drier and unique roasted malt flavor. The body is medium and the mouthfeel is a bit on the dry side for a brew but it is very easy to drink so long as you don’t mind dark stouts. For the lack of intense flavors other than toasted malt this beer does a darn good job covering up the alcohol, you can tell it’s there but it doesn’t taste like ethanol at all. After drinking close to half a bottle I am noticing an almost fruity characteristic but it is hard to pinpoint, more in the pitted fruits category and certainly not dominate at all. Definitely an interesting brew and something that should be very approachable for someone wanting to try an Imperial Stout. Unfortunately I only have one bottle because a stout would go lovely with the meal I plan to cook up momentarily, oh well. To all a good new year, and be safe out there. As always give it a shot and ride your bike, even if it is snowy out there and only getting colder.
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December 30th, 2008 beckel
Today we have a Barleywine brewed by the lovely folk at Tyranena Brewing from the land of Lake Mills, WI. As part of their ever changing Brewers Gone Wild series I was quite excited to sample this brew, as most of their experimental beers I have had the opportunity to sample have been delightfully flavorful and strong. This beer pours bright red raspberry like color that is incredibly opaque letting no light through. Head is white and about two fingers. Aroma is very malty, sweet, slightly roasted with some fruit and a hint of alcohol.The flavor of this ale is very unique. Rich and malty with a gentle roasted flavor. Figs and raisins come through strong and cover the 9% ABV of this beer remarkably. The body is relatively light for a Barleywine though the mouthfeel is a tad sticky. Definitely a tasty ale to accompany an hearty meal. Not my favorite from the series so far but quite tasty and something I’m very glad I had the opportunity to sample and would gladly drink again, though I just poured my 2nd and last of the four pack. If you are a fan of ales like Dogfish Head’s Raison D’etre you will undoubtedly enjoy this brew. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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December 26th, 2008 beckel
While getting some Christmas shopping done a few days ago I found myself near Surdyks and stopped in for some brew. While there they were sampling a bottle of Brew Dog’s Paradox, I’m not certain which edition it was but I must say it was quite tasty. I had limited space in my bag so I didn’t pick any up but I’ll have to grab some next time I have the opportunity. Having quite enjoyed Dark Horse Brewing’s Scotty Karate I grabbed a four pack of that and decided this time I should also sample a four pack of their One, an Oatmeal Stout and part of their Holiday Stout Series. Though One is the only brew from the series I have seen in stores I hope to be able to find the other 4 brews sometime this winter. This beer pours a deep dark black color that is not penetrated by light at all, head is two fingers and dark brown in color that is retained for a few minutes and then settles completely. Smells nicely of dark rich roasted malts with a smooth slightly sweet hint of oat. This is certainly a stout. Dark roasted malty flavors are dominate throughout this brew with lighter smoother flavors sneaking in here and there. Though it is not apparent in the flavor, RateBeer puts this beers ABV at 8% and though I was going to guess just under that I feel very nice after one bottle of this brew. For a stout the body of this beer is quite light, and the mouthfeel of this drinkable beer is quite smooth. A relatively simple but tasty stout. Though I will not likely purchase this ale regularly anyone who likes a malty stout with some nice roasted flavor will enjoy this brew. A simple ale with a nice underhanded punch. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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December 17th, 2008 beckel
The first time I bought a bottle of Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout I was too impatient to write up a review and was a bit concerned I wouldn’t be able to find another bottle as it is part of their Limited Release series but I was pretty confident I would be able to find more as I have seen it on the shelves of a number of local liquor stores. Their website doesn’t have any information about this brew but the bottle has a nice little ode to coffee that I’m sure many of you would appreciate and concur with. I happen to not be a coffee drinker but I’ll happily suffer through another bottle of this brew for you my loyal readers, my life is hard what can I say. This beer pours a very dark flat black color that is quite opaque tho some red hues come through when brought to light. Producing a good inch and change of light tan head that lasts for a few minutes leaving a small amount of lacing on the glass and leaving a solid ring around the liquid level. This ale smells of nice rich roasted coffee that is dominate but not overpowering, complimented by some slightly sweet dark maltiness, very nice. This is absolutely a coffee beer. Tastes mostly of freshly roasted coffee with some roasted malts coming in to remind you that your drinking beer. After all of the roasted flavors you get a nice almost creamy sweetness that helps balance the dominate dark coffee flavors and easily hide the solid 8.29% ABV of this brew. The body of this beer is medium but the creamy smooth mouthfeel makes this a quite drinkable beer provided you are used to big beers and don’t mind a dark ale. If you like stouts and coffee this is unquestionably a beer for you. For those who do not like roasted flavors you should probably stay away, though you may still be able to enjoy it in small quantities because of the sweet balance that rounds off this brew. Another impressive showing from Lagunitas Brewing Company. Though coffee beers aren’t exactly my thing I sincerely hope they make this a regularly brewed beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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