It's been a while since I dedicated a post to my homebrews. I actually haven't posted about any of the beers I have brewed in 2012. I have done four and two are currently in secondary fermentation in preparation for my sister-in-law's wedding in June.
Achocalypse
I got a kit for Christmas from my mother-in-law (Steve picked it out) and it was for an imperial chocolate coffee stout. It's definitely, based on price alone, one that I wouldn't have sprung for on my own, so it was a good choice. It was my first attempt at a stout and it was a doozy. It came with about 3 lb of specialty grains along with some dry malt extract. Extra additions included unsweetened cocoa bars, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla beans, and coffee. Steve and I brewed this one together, on New Year's Eve, before going to the Dogfish Alehouse New Year's dinner in Fairfax, VA. The brew itself was pretty straightforward, except that the grains came uncracked so we had to improvise by throwing them in a coffee grinder (it worked, but I wouldn't recommend it if you can at all avoid it). Also, right near the end of the boil, the recipe called for 8 oz of unsweetened chocolate bars. So basically, we threw in two large bars of chocolate and let it melt into the wort. The wort was as thick as chocolate syrup as it was cooling.
Since this was supposed to be imperial, I made a massive, 2-liter yeast starter that used three packets of a liquid Irish yeast strain. The OG was supposed to be around 1.090, but ended up quite a bit lower at about 1.063, bumping the final ABV from around 9-10% to around 6-7%. It bubbled away happily in primary for about a week before I transferred it to secondary. Then came the interesting part. It had to stay in secondary for about 6 weeks, with numerous additions along the way. I added a couple of split vanilla beans right off the bat to give a slight hint of vanilla (which is unnoticeable in the final product). Then about two weeks later, it called for, basically, a whole canister of unsweetened cocoa powder. I let that sit for another two weeks before bottling. At bottling, the recipe called for coffee. I bought a bag of fresh Starbucks Sumatra coffee beans and a French press, fresh brewed the coffee and chilled it slightly before adding to the bottling bucket and bottling the beer. The reason to add the coffee right at the end is to give it a coffee kick upfront and it was immediately evident. Strong coffee notes up front, bitterness from the chocolate in the middle and a dry, chocolatey finish. Not a bad overall effort, but it was missing something in the way of mouthfeel. Steve suggested we try to add some maltodextrin next time we brew it to thicken it up. I did hit a snag in bottling, as many of the bottles got over-carbonated. I had to crack every bottle, let the fizz pour out, and recap them, then cold-crash to halt carbonation. What a mess. Overall grade: 7/10
Hoppelganger
This is a beer that I brewed in June of 2011, but I tweaked the recipe a bit this year. Last year's was OK; this year's was pretty phenomenal. This beer is modeled off of one of my personal favorite IPAs, hence Hoppelganger, but this batch turned out to take on characteristics of its own. In fact, it didn't taste much like its "doppelganger" at all this year, which made me even happier. This beer contains 4 different kinds of hops and two dry hoppings in secondary. The aroma is to die for for any hop head. Lots of floral, citrusy head to this one. The only thing better than the aroma is the first taste. It tastes more like a west-coast IPA than an east coast one (which is funny, because its "doppelganger" is decidedly east coast), with lots of light citrus and floral notes throughout, light carbonation, and a dry finish. This was a huge hit with my friends and family, with several people requesting more. All in all, it was all gone within a couple weeks. My one friend said that if I ever start a brewery, this beer has to be one of my regulars. Overall grade: 9/10
Saison Cerise
This is an exciting one for me. I brewed a Saison last summer that was a big hit. It was a farmhouse style saison with lots of earthy and grassy notes and a strong French saison yeast strain that imparted a lot of spiciness. This beer is basically the same recipe, with a couple twists. I tweaked the grains slightly, but for all intents and purposes, it is the same as last year's saison. This year, however, I am experimenting with a little thing called Brettanomyces for the first time. Northern Brewer sells a couple strains of Brett now and the Lambicus strain looked perfect for what I wanted to do: a sour cherry saison. I was turned onto this idea last year when reading an issue of Zymurgy detailing saisons and all the different ingredients you could add to them. I love cherries so I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to try something new. The Brett will turn this super earthy saison into a sour, and the Lambicus strain is for use in Belgian styles and imparts a cherry pie like flavor along with the funk that comes with using Brett.
I brewed this beer about two months ago and it's currently sitting in my secondary fermenter. I was dead-on with my gravities and I used a yeast starter even with the beastly WLP3711 yeast strain. It fermented clean down to almost an even 1.000 within 4 days. I transferred to secondary and added a 3 lb. jar of sour cherries, along with the Brettanomyces Lambicus. The Brett went to work almost immediately, along with whatever yeast was left from primary. I actually thought that I would need to install a blowoff on my secondary fermenter because the wort was bubbling almost up through the airlock within hours. It eventually settled down and now the Brett is slowly working on the remains of the cherries, which are now more white than red. I am planning on throwing in another 1-2 lbs of fresh sour cherries when they come into season. I expect this beer to turn out around 9-10% ABV and have a very earthy, sour, cherry flavor. I tasted a bit a week ago and all I can say is: so far, so good.
Hoppily Ever After (or, 115th Dream Hopbursted IPA)
I don't normally buy kits, but I spotted this one on Northern Brewer a couple months ago and had to try it. The thing that caught my eye: a pound of hops. That's right, one whole pound of hops. And it's all in the boil. Six different hop additions included in this one and, from what I can tell, about 4 or 5 different varieties of hops. This kit came with a giant bag labeled "Hopburst hops", which was a combination of four different hop varieties. It's a proprietary blend, but I am pretty sure I know which hops come in the bag. The other curious thing about this beer is that there are no specialty grains. It came with 12 pounds of liquid malt extract and 6 pounds of that came as a late addition with 15 minutes left in the boil. In order to thin the beer, it called for 2 pounds of corn sugar at flameout. This was by far the strangest boil I have done so far. I decided to go with dry yeast for this one and it worked out great. My OG was almost spot-on and the dry yeast kept it bubbling for 11 straight days. It was actually still going when I transferred to secondary, but I had to get it transferred so it could start the clearing process. It actually bubbled in secondary for a day or two and settled down to a good gravity that should yield about a 9.5% beer. When I transferred this beer to secondary two weeks ago, the first thing I noticed was a lack of hop aroma. It has a very light hop aroma, which is surprising considering there is a whole pound of hops in there. I think I might do a dry-hop just to give it a little head. I'm really excited about this beer.
My fermenters are full for now, but I'm planning on brewing more in June and July, and I may even try a mead this summer (my wife has been wanting to try one for a while now). More updates to come.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Unleash the Beast
My last post focused on a very special tasting of a very special beer called Founder's KBS. This time I'll be tasting another very special beer, Avery Brewing's The Beast Grand Cru. It is "brewed with Rocky Mountain water, two-row malted barley, honey malt, and imported Belgian specialty grains (aromatic, pale wheat, roasted wheat, and Special B), hops (Magnum, Galena, Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, and Hersbrucher), brewing sugars (raisins, dates, blackstrap molasses, alfalfa honey, turbinado sugar, and dark Belgian candi sugar), and a hellion of a Belgian yeast strain." Phew. They make this beer every year and have since 2004, with slight modifications each year. The one I am tasting is the 2011 version, which was brewed last August. This one is the second-highest it's ever been in alcohol content at 16.83% ABV. Woof. I'll literally be giving tasting notes as I taste it for the first time, so here goes.
It pours a beautiful dark amber hue with a small foamy head. I'm using a snifter for tasting this one. First thing that comes to mind is how little sediment there is for having so much sugary content and hop. The smell is super sweet and I can instantly catch whiffs of raisins, dates, and sugar, and perhaps some honey. First taste: wow, very dark and roasty, with a strong alcohol middle and a sweet, dry finish. Definite notes of raisin and date, and a little bit of a dry honey finish with next-to-no hop flavor. You can definitely tell that it is high in alcohol content by its middle. This beer reminds me a lot of Dogfish Head Raison d'Extra. It has similar ingredients but is maybe slightly more complex. The main taste is very similar though, as both feature a heavy raisin taste throughout. The honey, dates, and extra sugars are what sets this beer apart from Raison d'Extra though. The more I taste, the less roasty it feels. The mouthfeel is thick and is something that lingers on the palate. This is definitely a fantastic beer and it's one I'll be trying to find again to age. From what I have heard, it is even better when aged for a couple years. I'm going to go finish this beer. I'll post another update soon on my latest homebrew adventures.
It pours a beautiful dark amber hue with a small foamy head. I'm using a snifter for tasting this one. First thing that comes to mind is how little sediment there is for having so much sugary content and hop. The smell is super sweet and I can instantly catch whiffs of raisins, dates, and sugar, and perhaps some honey. First taste: wow, very dark and roasty, with a strong alcohol middle and a sweet, dry finish. Definite notes of raisin and date, and a little bit of a dry honey finish with next-to-no hop flavor. You can definitely tell that it is high in alcohol content by its middle. This beer reminds me a lot of Dogfish Head Raison d'Extra. It has similar ingredients but is maybe slightly more complex. The main taste is very similar though, as both feature a heavy raisin taste throughout. The honey, dates, and extra sugars are what sets this beer apart from Raison d'Extra though. The more I taste, the less roasty it feels. The mouthfeel is thick and is something that lingers on the palate. This is definitely a fantastic beer and it's one I'll be trying to find again to age. From what I have heard, it is even better when aged for a couple years. I'm going to go finish this beer. I'll post another update soon on my latest homebrew adventures.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Three Letters: K-B-S
It's mid-March so that means that another of my Holy Grail beers is in season. That beer is Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout. I have never had it, but my friends Steve and Alex still talk about that fateful night a year ago when they found it at a local bar in PA. They still say that night was magical and the beer was one of the best they ever had. In case you don't know what KBS is, here is the Founders description of it:
"What we've got here is an imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates, then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year to make sure wonderful bourbon undertones come through in the finish. Makes your taste buds squeal with delight."
It's 11.2% ABV and 70 IBUs. And I have five bottles of it.
The Chase
I'm not usually a beer-chaser. I have only done it once, for Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half. I'm glad I did, but that was a much quieter release that Founders' KBS or CBS ever are. This year's KBS release at Founders tasting room didn't exactly go as planned. Founders had promised a case to everyone that showed up but, upon seeing the turnout, changed their minds and only allowed 12 bottles per person. They said next year they are making triple the amount that they made this year and implementing a lottery system on release day.
Anyway, back to my chase. The last 36 hours have been filled with a lot of emotions for me. I was hopeful that I would get some last night when the Total Wine near me got three cases of it. I left work at lunch time, only to pull into my parking spot as the last 4-pack walked out the door. Three cases were gone in 7 minutes. The distributor was inside the store when I got there and he said there was another Total Wine that was getting it this morning. I also had a Whole Foods trip queued up for the following morning, so I thought, why not?
This morning, I called Total Wine at 9:02 am (they open at 9) and they said they had some in stock. I wasn't prepared for this. I thought they wouldn't have it until later in the day. I hopped in my car and made the 30-minute drive, but was only able to score one bottle of it, as the store was limiting it to one bottle per person. It was a bummer, but hey, at least I had one bottle. The same distributor was at that Total Wine and he said he had already delivered it to the Whole Foods. I jumped in my car and booked it back to Whole Foods. I didn't see any on the shelf so I went to customer service. The nice woman there told me that they were all out... except for the 4-pack that was behind her on the counter, reserved for her. But wait, she said; the other Whole Foods might still have some. She called them for me and they said if I could get there within an hour, they would hold it for me. I hopped back in my car and traveled another 30 minutes to the other Whole Foods. They had my 4-pack waiting. The guy said they had seven left, but unfortunately it was one per person. Which was okay. I shouldn't be the only person to enjoy this beer. Five bottles is enough to have some now and age some.
The Tasting
I am literally tasting this as I am writing. I have a full glass sitting next to me that hasn't been touched yet. Here we go. The aroma has lots of chocolate and coffee notes, but there is definitely a hint of bourbon in there as well. First sip: wow, definitely lots of chocolate and coffee up front and a bite of bourbon. It finishes smooth and leaves the bourbon behind on your taste buds. It's really an extremely complex beer; there is so much going on in it. The more I sip, the more I taste the mounds of chocolate in this thing. The bourbon becomes almost an afterthought until you start feeling the beer leave your palate. The bourbon is what gets left behind, while the chocolate and coffee finish dry. Also, I wouldn't even have realized this beer is 70 IBUs if I hadn't read it on the label. No real hoppy notes at all, just lots of chocolate, coffee, and bourbon. Excellent beer, and definitely worth the trouble to get it.
I also want to post a homebrew update, but I don't have time right now. I'll post that soon. For now, I'm going to finish this amazing beer and maybe have some more.
"What we've got here is an imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates, then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year to make sure wonderful bourbon undertones come through in the finish. Makes your taste buds squeal with delight."
It's 11.2% ABV and 70 IBUs. And I have five bottles of it.
The Chase
I'm not usually a beer-chaser. I have only done it once, for Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half. I'm glad I did, but that was a much quieter release that Founders' KBS or CBS ever are. This year's KBS release at Founders tasting room didn't exactly go as planned. Founders had promised a case to everyone that showed up but, upon seeing the turnout, changed their minds and only allowed 12 bottles per person. They said next year they are making triple the amount that they made this year and implementing a lottery system on release day.
Anyway, back to my chase. The last 36 hours have been filled with a lot of emotions for me. I was hopeful that I would get some last night when the Total Wine near me got three cases of it. I left work at lunch time, only to pull into my parking spot as the last 4-pack walked out the door. Three cases were gone in 7 minutes. The distributor was inside the store when I got there and he said there was another Total Wine that was getting it this morning. I also had a Whole Foods trip queued up for the following morning, so I thought, why not?
This morning, I called Total Wine at 9:02 am (they open at 9) and they said they had some in stock. I wasn't prepared for this. I thought they wouldn't have it until later in the day. I hopped in my car and made the 30-minute drive, but was only able to score one bottle of it, as the store was limiting it to one bottle per person. It was a bummer, but hey, at least I had one bottle. The same distributor was at that Total Wine and he said he had already delivered it to the Whole Foods. I jumped in my car and booked it back to Whole Foods. I didn't see any on the shelf so I went to customer service. The nice woman there told me that they were all out... except for the 4-pack that was behind her on the counter, reserved for her. But wait, she said; the other Whole Foods might still have some. She called them for me and they said if I could get there within an hour, they would hold it for me. I hopped back in my car and traveled another 30 minutes to the other Whole Foods. They had my 4-pack waiting. The guy said they had seven left, but unfortunately it was one per person. Which was okay. I shouldn't be the only person to enjoy this beer. Five bottles is enough to have some now and age some.
The Tasting
I am literally tasting this as I am writing. I have a full glass sitting next to me that hasn't been touched yet. Here we go. The aroma has lots of chocolate and coffee notes, but there is definitely a hint of bourbon in there as well. First sip: wow, definitely lots of chocolate and coffee up front and a bite of bourbon. It finishes smooth and leaves the bourbon behind on your taste buds. It's really an extremely complex beer; there is so much going on in it. The more I sip, the more I taste the mounds of chocolate in this thing. The bourbon becomes almost an afterthought until you start feeling the beer leave your palate. The bourbon is what gets left behind, while the chocolate and coffee finish dry. Also, I wouldn't even have realized this beer is 70 IBUs if I hadn't read it on the label. No real hoppy notes at all, just lots of chocolate, coffee, and bourbon. Excellent beer, and definitely worth the trouble to get it.
I also want to post a homebrew update, but I don't have time right now. I'll post that soon. For now, I'm going to finish this amazing beer and maybe have some more.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Weekend of Compelling Ales (and Whatnot)
I haven't posted in quite some time. I'm not great at keeping up with this blogging stuff. And it's not for lack of material either. In the three months since I last posted, I have tried a number of vintage beers, including a three-year-old Avery Mephistopheles, a beer chasing expedition that led to me obtaining and tasting Founder's Curmudgeon's Better Half (tasty) and a vertical tasting of Dogfish 120 Minute IPA from 2008 and 2011. I also paid a visit to the new Troeg's brewery in Hershey, PA and sampled a couple of their new (and awesome) Scratch Beer series, including the amazing Triple Mango IPA. But a week ago I attended one of the greatest events I have ever attended, Dogfish Head's third annual Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot (WOCAAW). And it's worth blogging about.
I knew I wanted to go to this last September when I ran in the Dogfish Dash. It's a weekend of Dogfish spent between the brewery in Milton, DE and Rehoboth Beach, DE that is filled with awesome beers, food pairings, and chilling with Sam himself.
On Saturday, there was an event at the brewery in Milton between 10 am and 3 pm. There were tours, tastings and delicious food pairings, as well as Sam presentations throughout the day. When we got there, we got wristbands and punch cards with all the beers that they had on tap. We got awesome custom Dogfish tasting glasses to use all day and custom coasters to take home.
We ended up tasting all 15 beers on their list, along with this year's version of Saison du BUFF, which was originally a collaboration between Dogfish, Stone, and Victory. The 15 (+1) beers we tried:
Kate: Hi Sam. This is Sarah. She is shy but she is a big fan.
Sam: Hi Sarah. (shakes hand) Can I give you a hug?
Sam gave her a hug and then got a picture with her. My wife was absolutely gushing. All in all, it was a wonderful day and it makes me appreciate the things that Sam and Dogfish as a company do for beer and the craft brew industry even more.
I bought some cool stuff at the gift shop, including a running shirt, a case of Saison du BUFF, some 75 Minute Cask Ale (if you can get your hands on some of this, DO IT) and a set of awesome coasters. After the event, we headed over to the brewpub for the rest of the night. The beer list wasn't as good the second night, but we still scored some good beers. Here is the list from Saturday night:
On Sunday morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed over to the brewpub for brunch. We were all hurting pretty bad, but I had to try a couple of their beers on tap. They had one called Count Chocula, which was a small brewpub batch chocolate ale. I have to say, it was just okay. I also had a World Wide Stout Randallized with coffee, vanilla beans, and cocoa nibs. That was a pretty fantastic combination, but the beer stayed on my palate all day. My friends Matt and Trey got Blood Marys made with bacon-infused vodka and said it was like drinking bacon. After brunch we headed home, but all decided that the weekend was worth the trip and it's one we would be making again next year. The amazing beers and atmosphere made it worth the trip, but the most amazing thing was how down-to-earth Sam was. He couldn't have been any nicer and watching him on Saturday, I realized that he was in his element surrounded by so many people who love his beer. He really is a genuine guy and he does some great things for the beer industry. As long as he keeps doing things like this, I'll be an avid supporter of Dogfish Head.
And if you don't believe me, just go to this link. This is picture taken by Sam with his camera phone (my friends and I are on the left). He thought it was so cool that so many people love his company and his beer and needed to take a picture of his fans to post on his blog (there is also a video of the event on YouTube). Anyway, if you live anywhere near Delaware, it's a worthwhile event and it's one I plan on attending every year. I have homebrew updates as well, but I'll post those in a separate post.
I knew I wanted to go to this last September when I ran in the Dogfish Dash. It's a weekend of Dogfish spent between the brewery in Milton, DE and Rehoboth Beach, DE that is filled with awesome beers, food pairings, and chilling with Sam himself.
Chillin' with Sam (I'm in the middle)
The weekend was loosely thrown together, with specials at the brewpub in Rehoboth all weekend, an event at the brewery on Saturday, and a beer brunch on Sunday. My friends and I got in Friday evening and a couple of their rare, brewpub-exclusive beers like Flux Capacitor were already kicked. However, we still got some dandies. My wife ordered a brewpub exclusive right before it kicked. It was called Fungus T. Mungus (no doubt an ode to Incubus) and it tasted a bit like Sah'Tea. It was Dogfish's Beer Advocate collaboration from last year. I kept track of the beers I had all weekend. Here is the rundown from Friday night:- Burton Baton - Randalled (filtered) through Cascade hops, vanilla beans, and brown honey rum oak chips (10%)
- Raison d'Extra '08 bottle (18ish%)
- Poppaskull 2010 (9.5%)
- 120 Minute IPA Randalled through Cascade hops
- Black and Blue 2012 (10%)
- World Wide Stout aged on brown honey rum oak chips for 6 months
OMG Raisins!!
On Saturday, there was an event at the brewery in Milton between 10 am and 3 pm. There were tours, tastings and delicious food pairings, as well as Sam presentations throughout the day. When we got there, we got wristbands and punch cards with all the beers that they had on tap. We got awesome custom Dogfish tasting glasses to use all day and custom coasters to take home.
Day 2 - it begins
We ended up tasting all 15 beers on their list, along with this year's version of Saison du BUFF, which was originally a collaboration between Dogfish, Stone, and Victory. The 15 (+1) beers we tried:
- Aprihop w/ cheese pairing (there were apricots in the cheese!)
- 120 Minute IPA
- Immort Ale w/ cheese pairing
- Midas Jitos (Randallization of Midas Touch through mint and lime)
- Red & White (2011)
- Black & Blue (2011) w/ dark chocolate pairing
- My Antonia w/ pretzel pairing
- Namaste w/ cheese pairing
- Sah'tea
- Ta Henket
- Chateau Jiahu
- Palo Santo Marron
- Burton Baton
- Dirty Fermentini (2011 Beer Advocate collaboration)
- El Diablo Verde w/ nacho bar (first small batch brew)
- Saison du BUFF
Kate: Hi Sam. This is Sarah. She is shy but she is a big fan.
Sam: Hi Sarah. (shakes hand) Can I give you a hug?
Sam gave her a hug and then got a picture with her. My wife was absolutely gushing. All in all, it was a wonderful day and it makes me appreciate the things that Sam and Dogfish as a company do for beer and the craft brew industry even more.
Our completed cards contained a hidden message!
I bought some cool stuff at the gift shop, including a running shirt, a case of Saison du BUFF, some 75 Minute Cask Ale (if you can get your hands on some of this, DO IT) and a set of awesome coasters. After the event, we headed over to the brewpub for the rest of the night. The beer list wasn't as good the second night, but we still scored some good beers. Here is the list from Saturday night:
- Life and Limb 2009
- Positive Contact (in stores in May)
- Saison du BUFF
- Bricolage
- 120 Minute IPA
- Burton Baton
- Olde School 2009
On Sunday morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed over to the brewpub for brunch. We were all hurting pretty bad, but I had to try a couple of their beers on tap. They had one called Count Chocula, which was a small brewpub batch chocolate ale. I have to say, it was just okay. I also had a World Wide Stout Randallized with coffee, vanilla beans, and cocoa nibs. That was a pretty fantastic combination, but the beer stayed on my palate all day. My friends Matt and Trey got Blood Marys made with bacon-infused vodka and said it was like drinking bacon. After brunch we headed home, but all decided that the weekend was worth the trip and it's one we would be making again next year. The amazing beers and atmosphere made it worth the trip, but the most amazing thing was how down-to-earth Sam was. He couldn't have been any nicer and watching him on Saturday, I realized that he was in his element surrounded by so many people who love his beer. He really is a genuine guy and he does some great things for the beer industry. As long as he keeps doing things like this, I'll be an avid supporter of Dogfish Head.
And if you don't believe me, just go to this link. This is picture taken by Sam with his camera phone (my friends and I are on the left). He thought it was so cool that so many people love his company and his beer and needed to take a picture of his fans to post on his blog (there is also a video of the event on YouTube). Anyway, if you live anywhere near Delaware, it's a worthwhile event and it's one I plan on attending every year. I have homebrew updates as well, but I'll post those in a separate post.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Dark Wednesday, Hopsgiving
Hey, it's only been 11 days since my last post! I had to dedicate an entire post to this since I had so much to share. I went to Pennsylvania over Thanksgiving weekend to spend time with family, as per usual since I moved out of state. My mini-holiday-cation turned into an interesting five-day excursion filled with lots of interesting beer-drinking.
So I was planning on heading up to PA on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and my friend lives, literally, around the corner from Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown. I texted him on Monday to see if he wanted to get dinner or something and the same day, my future brother-in-law (FBIL) texts me asks what I am doing on Wednesday. I tell him I am thinking of going to Victory. He then mentions something called "Dark Wednesday" and tells me to look it up. If it has to do with Victory, of course I am in. In case you hadn't heard, Victory had themselves a little limited-edition beer release on November 23. The beer is Dark Intrigue and I'll just let you read the label to see for yourself what it is:
Intrigued yet? Victory brewed this beer a few years back for the first time when they decided to age some of their Storm King Stout in bourbon barrels for a few months. It's back by popular demand now, but they stated that this is the last time they will ever brew this beer. The only way to guarantee yourself any of this was to go to the brewery for the release. So my FBIL, my wife, and I headed down there at 9 am on the 23rd for the 11:30 am release. They had food, coffee, and prizes that they were giving away (although we didn't win any). There were about 100 people there when we got there but by the time they opened the doors, that number had swelled to over 300. They started telling people that they could only guarantee the first 300 people, although it looked like everyone that wanted some got some.
We waited an additional hour in line just to get into the shop to buy the beer and we ended up getting a case and splitting it four ways. Luckily for us, one of our friends only wanted two bottles, so we ended up drinking one a couple nights later (more on that below). We then had lunch at the brewpub and were able to snag a couple Dark Intrigue tasters on tap. All I can say is, holy crap. I feel like you have to like bourbon to like this beer. When we had it on tap, there was a dominant bourbon character to it throughout. I am personally a fan of bourbon so I was a huge fan of this beer. I also got to try their Otto, which is a new and not very easy to find smoked Belgian Dubbel. It's super good and if you can find it, I highly recommend it. As I mentioned, we ended up drinking about bottle of the Dark Intrigue later that weekend. I hate to say that I was disappointed, but I kinda was. Something about the bottling process caused it to lose a lot of bourbon flavor and made it taste much more ordinary. Don't get me wrong, it's still a damn fine beer but I was expecting to taste that full bourbon body throughout. Instead, it tasted like there was something missing, a sentiment that my friend Alex also shared. However, I have three bottles aging so we'll see how the flavor changes after some time in the dark.
Anyway, my weekend wasn't finished yet. Wednesday night I ended up going out with some friends from home to a small bar in my small hometown of Boyertown, PA called Congo Hotel, or Union Jack's as some refer to it. I had heard of it before and of their nice beer selection but it was my first time there. That's when I saw it... a flyer advertising their Saturday event, the 2nd annual Hopsgiving. It was a special beer event they were holding with numerous rare or hard-to-find beer, including one of my holy grails, Russian River's Pliny the Elder. This beer is rarely found in the wild and is normally only on tap in Russian River's tap room. So of course I was in. The closest thing I can compare it to is Troeg's Nugget Nectar, which very well might be my favorite beer of all-time. It's very hoppy with fruity notes and a smooth, crisp finish. However, I only had one glass of it because another beer stole the show for me.
That beer was Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA. I had tried one of Ballast's beer, which for the life of me I can't remember now, but this was my first time trying the Sculpin. And it was absolutely outstanding. It is fresh and hoppy, with lots of fruity notes disguising the 70 IBUs. This was probably my favorite beer of the day. Anyway, they were offering two different flights and of course I had to try both of them. The first consisted of Golden Flash's West Coast IPA, Port's Mongo IIPA, Sculpin, Firestone Walker Double Jack, and Great Divide Fresh Hop Ale. My favorites here were the Sculpin and the Double Jack, but all these beers are solid. The Double Jack had notes of grapefruit and tangerine up front but a nice smooth finish for a beer that checks in at 9.5%. Honorary mention goes to the Mongo. It has similar characteristics to the Sculpin and Double Jack in that it's hoppy with fruity undertones.
The second flight consisted of Ithaca Flower Power, Port High Tide, Green Flash Imperial IPA, Coronado Idiot IPA, and Prism Felony Double IPA. Let me just say... the first flight was better. However, there were some good beers here, most notably the Flower Power. There is a definite flowery taste to it and has a smooth finish. It's very earthy. I told my cousin that it tastes like eating dirt if dirt tasted good. The High Tide was also decent, although not distinguishable. It was a solid IPA with a smooth hoppy character throughout. The Green Flash was very hoppy with sharp notes depicting Simcoe and possibly Cascade. The Prism was the consensus worst among most people at the bar and everyone was waiting for it to kick so that the bartender could tap the keg of Dogfish Burton Baton (it didn't happen). The Felony features 10 hop varieties, over 100 IBUs, 10% ABV, and it depicts what can go wrong when you try to do too much. I personally didn't think it was terrible, but my buddy Alex couldn't even finish his taster. I had a decision to make after that second flight. I had one beer left in me. Would I choose the Pliny, my holy grail, or the surprising Sculpin?
I went with the Sculpin, which should be high praise for it. I had the pleasure of having this in a bottle about a week later and, like the Dark Intrigue, was disappointed. All that tasty fruitiness from the hops disappeared when I had it out of the bottle and it was rendered as an almost generic west coast IPA. That's not to say that it was bad, but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Anyway, I headed to my in-laws' house afterward and my FBIL and I ended the night with a vertical tasting of Victory's Golden Monkey and Weyerbacher's Merry Monks. I have to say, this wasn't even a fair comparison. Despite both being classified as Belgian Abbey-style ales, the Golden Monkey simply can't hold a candle to some of the better Belgians on the market. Merry Monks won in a landslide. I also got the opportunity to try the limited release Ommegang Gnomegang, which is similar in style to the Merry Monks. I believe it is only sold in a three pack with Hennepin, Three Philosopher's and an Ommegang etched glass. It's worth it though because, let's face it, you were going to buy that Three Philosopher's anyway.
In addition, I also got to try a couple Dogfish beers I hadn't had before. I'll mention Chicory Stout first even though I've already had it. It's been a year-round beer at the brewpubs this year, but it's out in bottles for the winter and if you like coffee beers, go out and get some. You won't regret it. It's probably one of the best coffee beers I have had. Next up is their special release, Faithfull Ale, paying tribute to Pearl's Jam's 20th anniversary of their debut record "Ten". It's a fruit-forward Belgian-style beer with lots of currants. Compared to other Dogfish limited edition releases, this one was disappointing. There wasn't really a defining characteristic of it and I was left wanting a lot more. Speaking of limited edition releases, I was also able to snag a couple bottles of Dogfish's new batch of Bitches Brew. I've mentioned on here before. If you happen upon it, you should probably pick some up. My wife was also able to spot a few bottles of the collaboration that Dogfish did with The Bruery in support of the Japan relief efforts. The best I can describe it is a blonde with ingredients such as nori (Japanese edible seaweed), chili peppers, sesame seeds, and kumquats and fermented with sake yeast. Solid, but not spectacular. The final two I tried recently are two seasonals, Fort and Immort. The Fort is a high-gravity ale brewed with a ton of raspberries (literally, a ton). It checks in at a hefty 18% and is not recommended if you are planning on driving (I wasn't). I personally really enjoyed this beer but it is very heavy and fruity so it's not for everyone's taste. I decided to drink one and age one, so we'll see how that goes. Finally, Immort. It's classified as an American Strong Ale. At 11% it packs a punch. They use maple syrup from Sam's family's farm in Western Massachusetts, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries and vanilla. It is fermented with a blend of English and Belgian yeasts, then aged in giant oak barrels. For me, this beer is on par with my favorite Dogfish beer, Burton Baton. It is similar in flavor, but you get more of the oakiness (?) coming through in the Immort. I currently have two of these aging as well, so we'll see how the flavor evolves as it ages.
Finally, I have a homebrew that I bottled about two weeks ago. I attempted a clone recipe of Dogfish's Raison d'Etre. And I think I failed miserably. Sure, it's drinkable. I'm just not sure who would want to drink it over Raison. There are some characteristics of Raison in it, but there are also some off-flavors that come through and affect the finish. I have been having issues with off-flavors in my homebrews and I think it is related to the amount of yeast that I use. I am hitting my target gravities within an acceptable efficiency range, but I think my yeast amounts are throwing in off-flavors. I read a recent article in Zymurgy regarding this. They did a blind taste test of two of the same beers with different amounts of yeast (one had the recommended amount, the other, not enough). Both were on the target gravities and ABV, but almost all of the blind taste testers preferred the one that used the recommended amount of yeast. This was an extremely interesting article for me to read because this is the main problem I have been having with my beers. Time to break out Jamil's yeast calculator for my next batch. I think I am going to try my Nugget Nectar clone again since it's that time of year again. I want to get it down pat and do a vertical tasting to compare.
Anyway, that's all for now!
So I was planning on heading up to PA on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and my friend lives, literally, around the corner from Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown. I texted him on Monday to see if he wanted to get dinner or something and the same day, my future brother-in-law (FBIL) texts me asks what I am doing on Wednesday. I tell him I am thinking of going to Victory. He then mentions something called "Dark Wednesday" and tells me to look it up. If it has to do with Victory, of course I am in. In case you hadn't heard, Victory had themselves a little limited-edition beer release on November 23. The beer is Dark Intrigue and I'll just let you read the label to see for yourself what it is:
Intrigued yet? Victory brewed this beer a few years back for the first time when they decided to age some of their Storm King Stout in bourbon barrels for a few months. It's back by popular demand now, but they stated that this is the last time they will ever brew this beer. The only way to guarantee yourself any of this was to go to the brewery for the release. So my FBIL, my wife, and I headed down there at 9 am on the 23rd for the 11:30 am release. They had food, coffee, and prizes that they were giving away (although we didn't win any). There were about 100 people there when we got there but by the time they opened the doors, that number had swelled to over 300. They started telling people that they could only guarantee the first 300 people, although it looked like everyone that wanted some got some.
My FBIL Steve (left) and me at Victory
We waited an additional hour in line just to get into the shop to buy the beer and we ended up getting a case and splitting it four ways. Luckily for us, one of our friends only wanted two bottles, so we ended up drinking one a couple nights later (more on that below). We then had lunch at the brewpub and were able to snag a couple Dark Intrigue tasters on tap. All I can say is, holy crap. I feel like you have to like bourbon to like this beer. When we had it on tap, there was a dominant bourbon character to it throughout. I am personally a fan of bourbon so I was a huge fan of this beer. I also got to try their Otto, which is a new and not very easy to find smoked Belgian Dubbel. It's super good and if you can find it, I highly recommend it. As I mentioned, we ended up drinking about bottle of the Dark Intrigue later that weekend. I hate to say that I was disappointed, but I kinda was. Something about the bottling process caused it to lose a lot of bourbon flavor and made it taste much more ordinary. Don't get me wrong, it's still a damn fine beer but I was expecting to taste that full bourbon body throughout. Instead, it tasted like there was something missing, a sentiment that my friend Alex also shared. However, I have three bottles aging so we'll see how the flavor changes after some time in the dark.
Anyway, my weekend wasn't finished yet. Wednesday night I ended up going out with some friends from home to a small bar in my small hometown of Boyertown, PA called Congo Hotel, or Union Jack's as some refer to it. I had heard of it before and of their nice beer selection but it was my first time there. That's when I saw it... a flyer advertising their Saturday event, the 2nd annual Hopsgiving. It was a special beer event they were holding with numerous rare or hard-to-find beer, including one of my holy grails, Russian River's Pliny the Elder. This beer is rarely found in the wild and is normally only on tap in Russian River's tap room. So of course I was in. The closest thing I can compare it to is Troeg's Nugget Nectar, which very well might be my favorite beer of all-time. It's very hoppy with fruity notes and a smooth, crisp finish. However, I only had one glass of it because another beer stole the show for me.
That beer was Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA. I had tried one of Ballast's beer, which for the life of me I can't remember now, but this was my first time trying the Sculpin. And it was absolutely outstanding. It is fresh and hoppy, with lots of fruity notes disguising the 70 IBUs. This was probably my favorite beer of the day. Anyway, they were offering two different flights and of course I had to try both of them. The first consisted of Golden Flash's West Coast IPA, Port's Mongo IIPA, Sculpin, Firestone Walker Double Jack, and Great Divide Fresh Hop Ale. My favorites here were the Sculpin and the Double Jack, but all these beers are solid. The Double Jack had notes of grapefruit and tangerine up front but a nice smooth finish for a beer that checks in at 9.5%. Honorary mention goes to the Mongo. It has similar characteristics to the Sculpin and Double Jack in that it's hoppy with fruity undertones.
The second flight consisted of Ithaca Flower Power, Port High Tide, Green Flash Imperial IPA, Coronado Idiot IPA, and Prism Felony Double IPA. Let me just say... the first flight was better. However, there were some good beers here, most notably the Flower Power. There is a definite flowery taste to it and has a smooth finish. It's very earthy. I told my cousin that it tastes like eating dirt if dirt tasted good. The High Tide was also decent, although not distinguishable. It was a solid IPA with a smooth hoppy character throughout. The Green Flash was very hoppy with sharp notes depicting Simcoe and possibly Cascade. The Prism was the consensus worst among most people at the bar and everyone was waiting for it to kick so that the bartender could tap the keg of Dogfish Burton Baton (it didn't happen). The Felony features 10 hop varieties, over 100 IBUs, 10% ABV, and it depicts what can go wrong when you try to do too much. I personally didn't think it was terrible, but my buddy Alex couldn't even finish his taster. I had a decision to make after that second flight. I had one beer left in me. Would I choose the Pliny, my holy grail, or the surprising Sculpin?
I went with the Sculpin, which should be high praise for it. I had the pleasure of having this in a bottle about a week later and, like the Dark Intrigue, was disappointed. All that tasty fruitiness from the hops disappeared when I had it out of the bottle and it was rendered as an almost generic west coast IPA. That's not to say that it was bad, but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Anyway, I headed to my in-laws' house afterward and my FBIL and I ended the night with a vertical tasting of Victory's Golden Monkey and Weyerbacher's Merry Monks. I have to say, this wasn't even a fair comparison. Despite both being classified as Belgian Abbey-style ales, the Golden Monkey simply can't hold a candle to some of the better Belgians on the market. Merry Monks won in a landslide. I also got the opportunity to try the limited release Ommegang Gnomegang, which is similar in style to the Merry Monks. I believe it is only sold in a three pack with Hennepin, Three Philosopher's and an Ommegang etched glass. It's worth it though because, let's face it, you were going to buy that Three Philosopher's anyway.
In addition, I also got to try a couple Dogfish beers I hadn't had before. I'll mention Chicory Stout first even though I've already had it. It's been a year-round beer at the brewpubs this year, but it's out in bottles for the winter and if you like coffee beers, go out and get some. You won't regret it. It's probably one of the best coffee beers I have had. Next up is their special release, Faithfull Ale, paying tribute to Pearl's Jam's 20th anniversary of their debut record "Ten". It's a fruit-forward Belgian-style beer with lots of currants. Compared to other Dogfish limited edition releases, this one was disappointing. There wasn't really a defining characteristic of it and I was left wanting a lot more. Speaking of limited edition releases, I was also able to snag a couple bottles of Dogfish's new batch of Bitches Brew. I've mentioned on here before. If you happen upon it, you should probably pick some up. My wife was also able to spot a few bottles of the collaboration that Dogfish did with The Bruery in support of the Japan relief efforts. The best I can describe it is a blonde with ingredients such as nori (Japanese edible seaweed), chili peppers, sesame seeds, and kumquats and fermented with sake yeast. Solid, but not spectacular. The final two I tried recently are two seasonals, Fort and Immort. The Fort is a high-gravity ale brewed with a ton of raspberries (literally, a ton). It checks in at a hefty 18% and is not recommended if you are planning on driving (I wasn't). I personally really enjoyed this beer but it is very heavy and fruity so it's not for everyone's taste. I decided to drink one and age one, so we'll see how that goes. Finally, Immort. It's classified as an American Strong Ale. At 11% it packs a punch. They use maple syrup from Sam's family's farm in Western Massachusetts, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries and vanilla. It is fermented with a blend of English and Belgian yeasts, then aged in giant oak barrels. For me, this beer is on par with my favorite Dogfish beer, Burton Baton. It is similar in flavor, but you get more of the oakiness (?) coming through in the Immort. I currently have two of these aging as well, so we'll see how the flavor evolves as it ages.
Finally, I have a homebrew that I bottled about two weeks ago. I attempted a clone recipe of Dogfish's Raison d'Etre. And I think I failed miserably. Sure, it's drinkable. I'm just not sure who would want to drink it over Raison. There are some characteristics of Raison in it, but there are also some off-flavors that come through and affect the finish. I have been having issues with off-flavors in my homebrews and I think it is related to the amount of yeast that I use. I am hitting my target gravities within an acceptable efficiency range, but I think my yeast amounts are throwing in off-flavors. I read a recent article in Zymurgy regarding this. They did a blind taste test of two of the same beers with different amounts of yeast (one had the recommended amount, the other, not enough). Both were on the target gravities and ABV, but almost all of the blind taste testers preferred the one that used the recommended amount of yeast. This was an extremely interesting article for me to read because this is the main problem I have been having with my beers. Time to break out Jamil's yeast calculator for my next batch. I think I am going to try my Nugget Nectar clone again since it's that time of year again. I want to get it down pat and do a vertical tasting to compare.
Anyway, that's all for now!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Another Big Update
"Miles Davis' seminal Bitches Brew album was a game changer - a bold fusion of rock, funk, and jazz. To honor the 40th anniversary release, Dogfish Head has created a bold, dark, beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root. Like the album, this beer will age with the best of 'em."
The above is the text of the label of Dogfish Head's rare Bitches Brew, a special super-limited edition beer released late last year coinciding with the debut of Sam Calagione's now-canceled show "Brewmasters". Well, guess what? It's back! Good luck finding it though. As of Wednesday, November 9 at 9:43 PM, the Falls Church Dogfish brewpub has it on tap, but I doubt you will find it anywhere else. I was lucky enough to snag two 750ml bottles of it at my local Total Wine when I was there last Saturday. Needless to say, one is joining my aging collection, but I am currently drinking one as I write this post. I was lucky enough to grab one of these last year when it came out at the Fairfax Dogfish brewpub, but revisiting this beer is great. It is basically an imperial stout at 9% alcohol and pouring a very dark brown. You can instantly taste bitter malts, most likely chocolate and perhaps some black patent. It's brewed with honey and gesho root, which is used in Africa as a substitute for hops. See, hops are unable to grow in Africa, so they substitute the gesho root for the hops (the beer still has hops, as it's required for any beer brewed in the US). There is honey in it, but it's very subtle, coming through only in the finish. It's a bold brew that has chocolate and coffee-like character with a smooth sweet finish. Very tasty.
But that's not all I found at the Total Wine. In fact, it was quite a successful trip. I was able to find another tasty, rare Dogfish beer, Hellhound On My Ale. This was another limited edition Sony collaboration that Dogfish did and was supposedly on it's way out, but apparently they brewed another batch. It's an IPA brewed with lemons and it's super tasty. I found another coveted IPA while at Total Wine, Stone's Double Bastard. This wasn't exactly what I was expecting. If you have tried any of Stone's big IPAs, you would know that most are super hoppy and some are almost undrinkable for some people. This was decidedly different. Yes, it was hoppy. But there was a very complex malt character to this beer that was unexpected. By the end of the 750ml, I was ready to stop drinking it, but I would definitely get it again. The hop character gave a tasty, citrusy flavor to the beer and it was highly enjoyable for any IPA lover.
But wait, there's more! I also found a new Bell's Beer called Hell Hath No Fury. I have always trusted Bell's since the first time I tried Two-Hearted Ale and they did not let me down. Hell is a brown ale and it has a very nice smoky character. It's not a beer for the faint of heart, but if you like brown ales, you will like this beer. Finally, I found a beer that I've been looking for for a while. Rogue's Double Chocolate Stout. I've tried a lot of chocolate beers, but this might be my favorite. Rogue's regular chocolate stout is tasty, but the best I've had might previously might have been Young's Double Chocolate Stout. As soon as I cracked this beer and gave it a whiff, I knew it would be fantastic. It's so thick it almost pours like a syrup and it basically tastes like a Hershey's Dark Chocolate bar. Imagine putting a dark chocolate bar in your mouth and just leaving it there. There is so much chocolate character in this beer. I paired with it a barbequed pork and rice dinner, but it would work well as an after-dinner beer as well. Fantastic beer and I would recommend it to anyone. Also, you can't miss it, as it comes in a bright red bottle.
I also was able to try the newest addition to Stone's Vertical Series, their 11.11.11 edition. It's brewed with cinnamon and California chilies. It's... interesting. You can definitely taste the chilies in the beer and it's not a flavor you would generally associate with beer. It's definitely a good, different beer to try, but it's not one I am likely to try for a second time. The pepper taste stays with you after you're finished and it's not entirely pleasant.
I have also tried two beers in Ommegang's new series, their Aphrodite and their Adoration. They are both Belgian ales and both brewed with winter spices. The Aprhodite is a fruit beer with pear and raspberry, with a funky Brett middle and a very dry finish. The carbonation is champagne-like. It's definitely one to try if you can find it. The Adoration is their winter beer. It's a winter warmer style, brewed with dark malts and complemented with fives spices: coriandor, cumin, mace, cardamom, and grains of paradise. It's one of the tastier winter warmers I've tasted this year. I also was able to taste another new Ommegang beer, their Gnomegang, which is coming packaged in a three-pack with Three Philosopher's and Hennepin with a souvenir glass. It's a Belgian Abbey-style ale and it compares to Golden Monkey in terms of style. It has hints of spice from the yeast that are understated enough to not make them harsh on your palate.
I had another winter warmer recently as well, the Delirium Noel. It was very similar to the Gnomegang. It was actually somewhere in between a Gnomegang and a Weyerbacher Merry Monks. Very tasty and a must for any Belgian-style beer lover. Finally, I tried a local beer from Starr Hill called Monticello Reserve Ale. It is based on Thomas Jefferson's recipe and is brewed with wheat and corn and lightly hopped. I personally thought it would be better than it turned out to be, but unfortunately it was just okay. There isn't much flavor to it and it lacks... something. I don't really know what that something is, but it's not a great beer despite Starr Hill's good portfolio of other beers.
As for my beers, I finished a Vanilla Robust Porter a couple months ago. It's super dark, almost black in color, and was finished with a vanilla tincture solution in secondary. I also added some vanilla extract prior to bottling to give it some more vanilla taste. It turned out great. It has a sweet vanilla flavor throughout the taste and finishes smooth, leaving hints of vanilla on the back of your tongue. At this point, it's almost all gone. I also have a batch of a Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre clone sitting in bottles carbonating. I tasted a bit while I was bottling and I was surprised by how much it tasted like the real thing. I can't wait to try this one.
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a post in the near future about my Thanksgiving holiday and an event I went to called Hopsgiving!
The above is the text of the label of Dogfish Head's rare Bitches Brew, a special super-limited edition beer released late last year coinciding with the debut of Sam Calagione's now-canceled show "Brewmasters". Well, guess what? It's back! Good luck finding it though. As of Wednesday, November 9 at 9:43 PM, the Falls Church Dogfish brewpub has it on tap, but I doubt you will find it anywhere else. I was lucky enough to snag two 750ml bottles of it at my local Total Wine when I was there last Saturday. Needless to say, one is joining my aging collection, but I am currently drinking one as I write this post. I was lucky enough to grab one of these last year when it came out at the Fairfax Dogfish brewpub, but revisiting this beer is great. It is basically an imperial stout at 9% alcohol and pouring a very dark brown. You can instantly taste bitter malts, most likely chocolate and perhaps some black patent. It's brewed with honey and gesho root, which is used in Africa as a substitute for hops. See, hops are unable to grow in Africa, so they substitute the gesho root for the hops (the beer still has hops, as it's required for any beer brewed in the US). There is honey in it, but it's very subtle, coming through only in the finish. It's a bold brew that has chocolate and coffee-like character with a smooth sweet finish. Very tasty.
But that's not all I found at the Total Wine. In fact, it was quite a successful trip. I was able to find another tasty, rare Dogfish beer, Hellhound On My Ale. This was another limited edition Sony collaboration that Dogfish did and was supposedly on it's way out, but apparently they brewed another batch. It's an IPA brewed with lemons and it's super tasty. I found another coveted IPA while at Total Wine, Stone's Double Bastard. This wasn't exactly what I was expecting. If you have tried any of Stone's big IPAs, you would know that most are super hoppy and some are almost undrinkable for some people. This was decidedly different. Yes, it was hoppy. But there was a very complex malt character to this beer that was unexpected. By the end of the 750ml, I was ready to stop drinking it, but I would definitely get it again. The hop character gave a tasty, citrusy flavor to the beer and it was highly enjoyable for any IPA lover.
But wait, there's more! I also found a new Bell's Beer called Hell Hath No Fury. I have always trusted Bell's since the first time I tried Two-Hearted Ale and they did not let me down. Hell is a brown ale and it has a very nice smoky character. It's not a beer for the faint of heart, but if you like brown ales, you will like this beer. Finally, I found a beer that I've been looking for for a while. Rogue's Double Chocolate Stout. I've tried a lot of chocolate beers, but this might be my favorite. Rogue's regular chocolate stout is tasty, but the best I've had might previously might have been Young's Double Chocolate Stout. As soon as I cracked this beer and gave it a whiff, I knew it would be fantastic. It's so thick it almost pours like a syrup and it basically tastes like a Hershey's Dark Chocolate bar. Imagine putting a dark chocolate bar in your mouth and just leaving it there. There is so much chocolate character in this beer. I paired with it a barbequed pork and rice dinner, but it would work well as an after-dinner beer as well. Fantastic beer and I would recommend it to anyone. Also, you can't miss it, as it comes in a bright red bottle.
I also was able to try the newest addition to Stone's Vertical Series, their 11.11.11 edition. It's brewed with cinnamon and California chilies. It's... interesting. You can definitely taste the chilies in the beer and it's not a flavor you would generally associate with beer. It's definitely a good, different beer to try, but it's not one I am likely to try for a second time. The pepper taste stays with you after you're finished and it's not entirely pleasant.
I have also tried two beers in Ommegang's new series, their Aphrodite and their Adoration. They are both Belgian ales and both brewed with winter spices. The Aprhodite is a fruit beer with pear and raspberry, with a funky Brett middle and a very dry finish. The carbonation is champagne-like. It's definitely one to try if you can find it. The Adoration is their winter beer. It's a winter warmer style, brewed with dark malts and complemented with fives spices: coriandor, cumin, mace, cardamom, and grains of paradise. It's one of the tastier winter warmers I've tasted this year. I also was able to taste another new Ommegang beer, their Gnomegang, which is coming packaged in a three-pack with Three Philosopher's and Hennepin with a souvenir glass. It's a Belgian Abbey-style ale and it compares to Golden Monkey in terms of style. It has hints of spice from the yeast that are understated enough to not make them harsh on your palate.
I had another winter warmer recently as well, the Delirium Noel. It was very similar to the Gnomegang. It was actually somewhere in between a Gnomegang and a Weyerbacher Merry Monks. Very tasty and a must for any Belgian-style beer lover. Finally, I tried a local beer from Starr Hill called Monticello Reserve Ale. It is based on Thomas Jefferson's recipe and is brewed with wheat and corn and lightly hopped. I personally thought it would be better than it turned out to be, but unfortunately it was just okay. There isn't much flavor to it and it lacks... something. I don't really know what that something is, but it's not a great beer despite Starr Hill's good portfolio of other beers.
As for my beers, I finished a Vanilla Robust Porter a couple months ago. It's super dark, almost black in color, and was finished with a vanilla tincture solution in secondary. I also added some vanilla extract prior to bottling to give it some more vanilla taste. It turned out great. It has a sweet vanilla flavor throughout the taste and finishes smooth, leaving hints of vanilla on the back of your tongue. At this point, it's almost all gone. I also have a batch of a Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre clone sitting in bottles carbonating. I tasted a bit while I was bottling and I was surprised by how much it tasted like the real thing. I can't wait to try this one.
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a post in the near future about my Thanksgiving holiday and an event I went to called Hopsgiving!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
BIG update
Wow, time flies when you're busy as hell. The most notable update is the Dogfish Dash. If you live in the mid-Atlantic region, you've likely heard of Dogfish and each year they host a 5K race at their brewery in Milton, DE. This year it was a 5K/10K and a few friends and I competed in it. I really got into running this year, so the Dogfish Dash combined two things that I love: running and beer. Registration cost just $20 and included entry into the race, a sweet Dogfish Dash t-shirt, and hours of free beer after the race in the Dogfish parking lot. It was a lot of fun to see the brewery and hang out afterward (including doing keg sprints!). But the gem from the day was this:
That's right... it's the man himself, Sam Calagione, and we got a picture with him (I'm just to the right of him). He apparently finished the race just behind us (I passed him in the last stretch and didn't even notice) and as we were walking away we saw him walking toward us. We asked for a picture and he graciously obliged. Afterward we got to drink some of the finest Dogfish beers before heading over to the brewpub in Rehoboth Beach for some post-race dinner and beer. All in all, it was a great time and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.
As for other beers news, my pumpkin ale (which I named Pumpky Brewster) was done in late August and it turned out great... at first. I really liked the taste of it and it was a big hit with friends and family. And then I opened a bottle that had been sitting around for a month or so just the other day... and it exploded. Like, almost literally. I'm not sure where I screwed up, but there was way too much pressure in some of the bottles that didn't go in the fridge right away. Good thing we drank most of them before I found this out, because the beer was delicious and I hate wasting beer.
My current creation is a vanilla robust porter (name pending), which is waiting to be bottled. I think I'll bottle it this weekend and it should be ready to drink by Thanksgiving, possibly earlier. I combined some very dark malts with a few light hops and a vanilla bean tincture that sat for a week prior to being added to the secondary fermenter. I have high hopes for this one. My next brew is going to be a clone of one of my favorite Dogfish beers, Raison d'Etre. I'll post results when it's finished.
What else? Well, I've tasted a few great beers recently. New Belgium has slowly been invading the northern Virginia area, with every one of their beers now available in the area. My personal favorites are the aforementioned Fat Tire and the Hoptoberfest. I also took a trip to Penn State for a football weekend two weeks ago and was able to stop at the Troeg's Brewery. They have a scratch beer series that they have been putting out for years now. They're all recipes that the Trogner brothers brewed before they started the brewery. They only release them in the brewpub and they're single-run and extremely limited. They just happened to release their latest one the day I was headed up so I decided to stop and grab a case on my way up. It's called their Fresh Hop Ale, Scratch #49. It's a hoppy blonde ale, a curious combination of a light summer style and a smack of hops that lasts throughout the taste. It's different than I expected, but good nonetheless. I was also able to find a rarity at Penn State, at a bar called The Deli. Last time I was there, it was just a regular bar, but now they have a ton of rare beers. We were checking out before the game when one of us spotted a bottle of Troeg's Mad Elf, a beer brewed with chocolate and tons of cherries. We bought a bottle and drank it on the way to the game, then came back later and ordered some more. Turns out, it was from 2009, so not only was it Mad Elf, but it was vintage Mad Elf. So tasty. I also was able to finally find Founder's Breakfast Stout, which is officially dubbed a "Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout". I'm not usually a big fan of coffee beers, but this one is spectacular. It's the perfect blend of chocolate and coffee and it smacks you in the face. It's heavy, but highly enjoyable, a good after-dinner beer.
The final new beer I've tried since my last post is the holy grail, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. This was actually a mistake. My wife went to Total Wine looking for Founder's Canadian Breakfast Stout on release day. They were sold out of the CBS, but they did have a few plain white four packs sitting on a shelf that looked inconspicuous enough, but actually turned out being the 120 Minute. It checks in at 18% and is one of the strongest beers I've ever tasted. It immediately hits you when you sip it, is extremely malty in the middle and finishes dry. It's obviously a beer that should be aged, though, so the other three are currently sitting in a nice, dark spot in my apartment and will stay there for the foreseeable future. Until next time...
That's right... it's the man himself, Sam Calagione, and we got a picture with him (I'm just to the right of him). He apparently finished the race just behind us (I passed him in the last stretch and didn't even notice) and as we were walking away we saw him walking toward us. We asked for a picture and he graciously obliged. Afterward we got to drink some of the finest Dogfish beers before heading over to the brewpub in Rehoboth Beach for some post-race dinner and beer. All in all, it was a great time and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.
As for other beers news, my pumpkin ale (which I named Pumpky Brewster) was done in late August and it turned out great... at first. I really liked the taste of it and it was a big hit with friends and family. And then I opened a bottle that had been sitting around for a month or so just the other day... and it exploded. Like, almost literally. I'm not sure where I screwed up, but there was way too much pressure in some of the bottles that didn't go in the fridge right away. Good thing we drank most of them before I found this out, because the beer was delicious and I hate wasting beer.
My current creation is a vanilla robust porter (name pending), which is waiting to be bottled. I think I'll bottle it this weekend and it should be ready to drink by Thanksgiving, possibly earlier. I combined some very dark malts with a few light hops and a vanilla bean tincture that sat for a week prior to being added to the secondary fermenter. I have high hopes for this one. My next brew is going to be a clone of one of my favorite Dogfish beers, Raison d'Etre. I'll post results when it's finished.
What else? Well, I've tasted a few great beers recently. New Belgium has slowly been invading the northern Virginia area, with every one of their beers now available in the area. My personal favorites are the aforementioned Fat Tire and the Hoptoberfest. I also took a trip to Penn State for a football weekend two weeks ago and was able to stop at the Troeg's Brewery. They have a scratch beer series that they have been putting out for years now. They're all recipes that the Trogner brothers brewed before they started the brewery. They only release them in the brewpub and they're single-run and extremely limited. They just happened to release their latest one the day I was headed up so I decided to stop and grab a case on my way up. It's called their Fresh Hop Ale, Scratch #49. It's a hoppy blonde ale, a curious combination of a light summer style and a smack of hops that lasts throughout the taste. It's different than I expected, but good nonetheless. I was also able to find a rarity at Penn State, at a bar called The Deli. Last time I was there, it was just a regular bar, but now they have a ton of rare beers. We were checking out before the game when one of us spotted a bottle of Troeg's Mad Elf, a beer brewed with chocolate and tons of cherries. We bought a bottle and drank it on the way to the game, then came back later and ordered some more. Turns out, it was from 2009, so not only was it Mad Elf, but it was vintage Mad Elf. So tasty. I also was able to finally find Founder's Breakfast Stout, which is officially dubbed a "Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout". I'm not usually a big fan of coffee beers, but this one is spectacular. It's the perfect blend of chocolate and coffee and it smacks you in the face. It's heavy, but highly enjoyable, a good after-dinner beer.
The final new beer I've tried since my last post is the holy grail, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. This was actually a mistake. My wife went to Total Wine looking for Founder's Canadian Breakfast Stout on release day. They were sold out of the CBS, but they did have a few plain white four packs sitting on a shelf that looked inconspicuous enough, but actually turned out being the 120 Minute. It checks in at 18% and is one of the strongest beers I've ever tasted. It immediately hits you when you sip it, is extremely malty in the middle and finishes dry. It's obviously a beer that should be aged, though, so the other three are currently sitting in a nice, dark spot in my apartment and will stay there for the foreseeable future. Until next time...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)