Archive for the ‘Strong Beer’ Category

Stone Enjoy By 02.14.15

Monday, February 9th, 2015

Before long it will be 14 February, so it’s about time I get around to enjoying my Enjoy By 02.14.15 from Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California.Stone Enjoy By 02.14.15 I was in Denver the week after Great American Beer Festival, and during my time there I had plenty of the Enjoy By 12.05.14, so I’m looking forward to this incarnation of the double IPA.

Enjoy By pours a brilliantly clear straw color, with just a hint of caramel highlights. The head is bone white, not all that hefty but lingers. A gentle floral aroma wafts up, while citric fruity notes are there for those looking for them. The light and delicate nose probably wouldn’t stand up to much aging, in keeping with Enjoy By’s freshness mantra.

The flavor is big with bold fruity, floral and earthy herbal hop flavors. Hibiscus and mango are followed by a bit of spicy pine. A light caramel malt flavor and full biscuity character balance the hops perfectly. A full body and an alcohol warming bring a punch. The bitterness is present, but not forward, so the Enjoy By doesn’t read like your typical double IPA. Instead, it has a warm and comfortable character, packed full of fresh hop flavor.

Stone has since released an Enjoy By 03.14.15. I’d suggest you find some and drink it now, I sure am going to.

+Stone Enjoy By 02.14.15

3.9 (3-7-8-4-17)

Port City Maniacal Double IPA

Sunday, January 18th, 2015

Port City Maniacal Double IPAWe had a wonderful brunch this afternoon at Meridian Pint. Afterwards I tried the Maniacal Double IPA from Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria, Virginia.

Maniacal pours a hazy goldenrod color with a thick, creamy off-white head. The nose is big with fruity and herbal hops: grapefruit, mango and some pine. There’s just a hint of bready malt character.

The bitterness is immediately rich, but it’s balanced by a robust malt flavor and a bit of alcohol warming. The hops are not just bitter, but also quite flavorful. Herbal pine, fruity grapefruit and tangerine, and even a bit of floral rose. The body is strong yet sort of rolls off, so the Maniacal stays very drinkable. There’s just a bit of floral hop flavor that lingers, begging for another sip.

+Port City Maniacal Double IPA

3.9 (4-8-7-4-16)

12 Beers of X-Mas: Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball

Sunday, January 11th, 2015

I’m capping off this year’s Twelve Beers of X-Mas with The Hairy Eyeball Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California.Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball This is their celebration of the planet Earth’s perihelion, which occurred about a week ago.

The Hairy Eyeball pours a relatively clear ruddy amber color. A creamy off-white head leaves a solid lacing on the glass. The nose is light, with a sweet toast and caramel malt character. A bit of alcohol spice and a little earthy hop aroma add some complexity. As it warms more dark fruit comes out on the nose.

The flavor is rich in malt character, covering the spectrum from biscuits and bread to toast, caramel and toffee, with even a hint of roast malt bite. The alcohol is evident, providing a strong warming without going overboard. The malty sweetness is nicely balanced by a robust bitterness from substantial hopping, which also contributes an herbal and earthy hop flavor. The generous malt also gives The Eyeball a thick and full body which is balanced by a lively carbonation, keeping it quite drinkable.

With its strong alcohol and rich malt, this may indeed be a good beer to use to recover from a hangover.

+Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

4.1 (4-7-8-5-17)

12 Beers of X-Mas: Noel de Calabaza

Saturday, January 10th, 2015

One of the few all-wild breweries in the United States, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan ages every drop of beer in oak barrels. The process is labor intensive, and not just because it requires handling barrels that weigh upwards of 100 pounds (when empty!). Extensive blending is needed to get any consistency, a process made all the more difficult with short run offerings like the 2012 Noel de Calabaza I’m tasting tonight.

Jolly Pumpkin Noel de CalabazaThe Noel pours a deep mahogany brown, darker still due to the heavy haze. The creamy sandy brown head lasts and lasts. The aroma is subtle but complex – a delicate malty and fruity sweetness is composed of caramel, raisins and plums, and an earthy, barnyard brettanomyces funk peeks out from behind, growing as the beer warms.

The flavor is alternately sweet and funky. Toffee and caramel combine with plums and figs, with an herbal hop character holding its own. The earthy, almost sweaty wild yeast character tickles the sides of the tongue while the sweetness soothes the top. A light sour and a bit of a smokiness round out the taste. Just as complex but not quite as subtle as the nose, the flavor fades a bit towards the end, allowing the alcohol to come to the fore. The body remains full but due to the brett it finishes quite dry.

++Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

4.3 (4-9-8-4-18)

12 Beers of X-Mas: Delirium Noël

Thursday, January 8th, 2015

This evening I’m having Delirium Noël, the Christmas offering from Brouwerij Huyghe, based in Melle, Belgium. The delirium line (originating with Delirium Tremens) features delightful pink elephants as the logo, in this case they’re skiing and driving Santa’s sleigh.

Delirium NoëlNoël is a relatively clear ruby red, with a thick, creamy and lasting tan head. A delicate caramel malty sweetness leads the nose, followed by a spicy, peppery character. Coriander, cinnamon and white pepper combine with dried fruit to produce an amazingly intriguing complexity.

A rich spiciness dominates the flavor. Strong alcohol warming melds well with the cinnamon and allspice, an almost overbearing spice character that is somewhat balanced by a rich caramel sweetness. After the depth of the aroma this hammering flavor is a little frustrating, but I suppose in a way it’s the Belgian version of an American IPA. The full body, the alcohol bite and the bright carbonation produce a lively body that makes this beer remarkably drinkable for how sharp it is.

This is almost the definition of a winter warmer: the spiciness, the full body, the high alcohol content (ten percent!). I wish there were a bit more depth to the flavor, but otherwise a very satisfying beer to share on a cold night like tonight.

+Delirium Noël

4.1 (4-9-7-5-16)

12 Beers of X-Mas: Upstream Horse Feathers Rye

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Matt and Juliet gave everyone a craft beer or wine or gourmet coffee or milk, along with the promise to make a meal pairing the beverage. Such an inspired, ideal gift. For me they chose bottle #154 of Horse Feathers Rye. This strong rye ale is brewed by Upstream Brewing Company in Omaha and aged in former Templeton Rye barrels.Upstream Horse Feathers Rye To pair with this spicy beer they appropriately made a spicy Indian lentil dish and fresh naan.

The Horse Feathers Rye is quite hazy, a ruby tinted hazelnut brown with a creamy, off-white head. The aroma is strong with ginger, to the point where you could confuse it for ginger ale. But there is plenty of rye spiciness and Templeton sweetness to it as well. There is also some caramel, and plenty of vanilla from the oak.

The flavor is a remarkable balance between the competing forces of the rye, rye whiskey, and ginger. The malt adds a significant presence, so there is an overall sensation of licorice, caramel, and even cola. Lingering spice and sweetness are light enough to reveal a hint of the alcohol. The body is light and active, but full and rich.

Brewing a beer with the strong flavors from either rye or barrel-aging is an exercise in delicate balance, but both together, not to mention the heavy ginger addition, takes the challenge to a whole new level. Upstream delivers admirably.

++Upstream Horse Feathers Rye

4.4 (3-9-8-5-19)

12 Beers of X-Mas: Lucky Bucket Black & Tan

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Lucky Bucket Black & TanMatt took me to Lucky Bucket Brewing while I was in Omaha. Their lager and IPA see a pretty wide distribution in at least Nebraska and Iowa, and they brew a number of other beers of varying availability. The distillery arm Sòlas makes a vodka from Nebraska wheat and they have their first single-malt whisky aging in barrels now.

The bartender was making a Black & Tan with an unnamed barleywine and Certified Evil, their Belgian strong ale. A creamy dark tan head atop an almost black layer of barleywine, itself surmounting, perhaps precariously, the ruby copper, barely hazy Evil. The barleywine is predictably most of the aroma: a rich dry burnt character, roasty and toasty.

The flavors present a great combination. The barleywine has a strong roasted flavor that balances the caramel sweetness of the Evil. A bit of alcohol is apparent, adding a little spiciness. The body is rich and full, but it is not thick. This is a very complex, flavorful, and drinkable combination.

++Lucky Bucket Black & Tan

4.3 (4-8-9-4-18)

I also tasted their Joss vodka. They run it through their giant pot stills and then into a 23 plate column still that’s probably as many feet tall.

It is perfectly clear and colorless. The aroma is neutral alcohol. There is a clean, gentle warming to the flavor. There is also a sweetness perhaps due to the wheat.

Sòlas Whisky Countdown

Sòlas Whisky Countdown

12 Beers of X-Mas: Chimay Grande Réserve

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

The blue cap Chimay was first brewed as a Christmas beer, but due to popular demand it is now available year-round. The Grande Réserve is a fine example of an abbey quad, one of few brewed by actual monks.Chimay Blue Before my recent move to New York I had a beautiful Chimay glass, tuned to ring at the pitch of the Scourmont Abbey bells (see it here and here).

The Grande Réserve pours a hazy deep chestnut brown. The straw-colored head is creamy and thick, but doesn’t last long enough. The nose is round, sweet, and almost vinous. Dark fruit like prunes and brandy compliment the caramel and chocolate notes. There is a faint hint of hazelnut.

The flavor is rich. Alcoholic warming supports caramel, dates, prunes, and walnuts. A bit of a spiciness, probably also from the alcohol, might be described as pepper halfway to anise. The body is significant, but remains dry, and the lively carbonation and alcohol keep this beer remarkably drinkable. Have it today, or cellar it for years.

+Chimay Grande Réserve

4.2 (4-8-8-4-18)

12 Beers of X-Mas: New Belgium Super Cru

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

In honor of their 20th Anniversary, New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado has released a mash-up beer loosely based on their wildly popular Fat Tire.New Belgium Super Cru This is part of the Lips of Faith series, which represents most of the worthwhile New Belgium beers.

The Super Cru pours a copper tinted golden yellow with the faintest of haze. The head is off-white, and while there isn’t much, what’s there sticks around. The nose is light and fruity: the Asian pears they’ve brewed this with really stand out. There is also a bit of an earthy spiciness and a fair amount of pale malt character.

The flavor is sweet, dominated by bready malt and fruity pear. A bit of spice follows, unfortunately timidly. The black pepper from the yeast and the alcoholic bite join forces here, but don’t quite measure up. The alcohol grows stronger and its sharpness lingers much too long, yet this fails to allay the cloying palate.

+/-New Belgium Super Cru

3.2 (3-7-6-3-13)

12 Beers of X-Mas: Ovila Saison

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Tonight’s beer was brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California. This is a collaboration beer, but unlike any collaboration I’m aware of. The nominal collaborator was the Abbey of New Clairvaux just up Highway 99 in Vina, California, but all the brewing experience rests with Sierra Nevada.Ovila Saison To the credit of the monks at New Clairvaux, they do make wine.

The Ovila Project, as it is called, is a series of three Belgian abbey-style ales. The label art is inspired by Santa Maria de Ovila, a twelfth-century monastery that was purchased by William Randolph Hearst in 1931 and shipped to California (though never rebuilt). Part of the profits from the sale of this beer will go to the Abbey of New Clairvaux, to help them in their quest to reconstruct the abbey building on the grounds of their monastery.

I was fortunate enough to find a bottle of the saison at Beer Crazy. I doubt I will be lucky enough to see the dubbel or quad.

The Ovila Saison pours an opalescent golden straw with a creamy, thick, long-lasting white head. The nose is light and playful, with floral and mild citric aromas. Earthy hops follow with an unexpected assertiveness. Clean malt character rounds out the very intriguing progression of aroma.

Earthiness leads the flavor as with any good saison. A rich herbal taste combines with a bit of citrus. A bready sweet malt flavor supports the balance. My only complaint about this beer would be the palate: it is somehow simultaneously thin and cloying.

+Ovila Saison

4.0 (5-9-7-3-16)

(p.s. Somebody needs to tell their webmaster that the menu images for all three styles say “Abbey Dubbel”.)