Oct. 16: Tonight’s Beer: Dogfish Head’s: Black & Blue:
Brewed with Black Raspberry and Blueberry puree. Wispy deep foam that looks slightly blueish.
Maybe its just my imagination, but it really does look a little blue. The beer
itself looks like a deep pale ale color – with a reddish orange hue, though not
quite as deep as an amber. The flavor is distinctly berry. Sweet and tart. The
raspberry comes through without being overly sweet as is the case with some
berry beers. I don’t really pick up much from the blueberry, but it may just be
blending in to the overall berry flavor. In any event, it is quite tasty. And
at 10%, while you get a hint of the beer’s strength in the flavor, it packs
more of a punch than you generally expect from a fruit beer.
Oct. 17: Tonight’s Beer: Lagunitas’: Undercover
Investigation Shutdown Ale: Special limited release. I do love the Lagunitas.
So, this is one that a friend of mine came across and decided to share with me.
I hadn’t seen it in the store so I didn’t know it existed. But, always glad to
get a chance to try something new. This
one has a nice orange-brown hue. Kind of like an amber, but really not red –
more of a muted burnt orange. Good head and deep hoppy scent, reflecting the
66.6 IBU. I kind of wonder if that really is the IBU content and not some sort
of joke. Point 6? Really? The flavor is like a maltier version of the IPA. The
malt is deeper with a rich caramel flavor. The alcohol packs a punch at 9.8%
ABV and it comes through. Not so much that there is a strong alcohol flavor per
se, but the type of sweetness and the intensity of the flavor reflect the
significant alcohol presence. In addition to the sweetness and hoppiness, there
also is a slight citrus flavor, somewhere in the orange family. But, more of a
bitter orange rather than sweet. Powerful stuff.
Oct. 18: Tonight’s Beer: Deschutes and Hair of the Dog’s:
Conflux #1: This is the second of the Conflux offerings I was able to try,
though oddly enough I saw #2 before #1. This one is a blend of Deschutes’ The
Stoic and The Dissident along with Hair of the Dog’s Fred and Adam. Of them,
I’ve only had the Stoic and am a fan. The Dissident is a brown and I’ve wanted
to try it, but have yet to get a hold of a bottle. The concoction was aged in
wine and spirit oak barrels. While the first Conflux came in a 22 oz. bottle,
this one is a 12 oz. bottle. And, at 11.6% ABV, that may be for the best. The
pour revels a deep brown color with a mid-level head and inviting sweet bourbon
scent. The first taste is sensational. And I do mean that in the sense that it
brings with it complex taste sensations and it’s hard to process everything
that is going on. All at once it is sweet, tart, bourbon, with a hint of sour
cherry. It’s very hard to dissect. A slower sip starts with the bourbon flavor,
which hits sharply with a peppery bite, but quickly backs off and mellows into
the tart sour cherry with some sweetness and apple cider elements at the edge
of the palate and finishes back to a mellow bourbon. Definitely a sipper beer.
Quite unique. It would be too challenging for a daily beer, but is a wonderful
experience beer. I wish I had another bottle in reserve.
Oct. 20: Beer Adventure: Hop Yard. Pleasanton, CA. So, back
to the Hop Yard to try a couple of beers. This time I ended up with two old
favorites, the Lagunitas Brown Shugga and the Russian River Blind Pig IPA. Both
excellent beers. The Brown Shugga is back after a year’s hiatus as the brewery
expanded its capacity. Last year the Brown Shugga was absent and was replaced
by Sucks. The Blind Pig is one of the great IPAs out there. I also tried small
sips of the Drake’s Hausfest and the Moylans Gaelabration, both of which were
pretty bland. I was hoping to like one of the well enough to get a pint, but
neither was worth it. Also had a sip of the E.J. Phair Cumbre Del Diablo Double
IPA. Good and tasty beer, but not as hoppy as the Blind Pig.
Oct. 21: Tonight’s Beer: Sierra Nevada’s: Oatmeal Stout
(Beer Camp 2012): I tried last year’s Beer Camp selection and was suitably
impressed, so I was excited to see this year’s offerings. I’ve already tried
one of the offerings, the Imperial Pilsner and it is quite good. Though, I’ll
have to comment on it later since I wasn’t in a position to make notes since I
was hanging out with a friend of mine while trying it. This has all the basic
characteristics of a stout – very black pour, with tan head, and burnt roasted
malt aroma. The flavor is very sharp. That’s really the best descriptor I can
use. The flavor has a bitter bite to it. Once the bite loosens, the remaining
flavor is decent, but not overwhelming. There is a citrus flavor that yields to
a deep burnt bitter flavor, with a hint of a bourbon taste (perhaps from the 9%
ABV). Something is just a bit off in the balance. It’s OK, but there are far
better stouts available. Not a fan of this individual offering, but I still
love the Beer Camp approach and experimentation.
Second Beer: Sierra Nevada’s: Floral
IPA (Beer Camp 2012): This one is brewed with whole cone hops and also rose
hips, so it is genuinely floral. This one is a cloudy, orange-gold hue with a
limited head. It does indeed have a floral scent, though not distinctly rose.
The flavor has a deep bitter, but also has a sweet floral character and oddly
enough the rose flavor comes through. It has an element in the flavor that
tastes like the scent of a rose. There is also a citrus flavor that competes
for attention with the sweet rose and the bitter hoppiness. Intriguing
offering. I like the use of the rose, but think it might be better served in a
variety that was less bitter to reduce the conflicting sweet perfume like
flavor and the bitter hoppiness. They seem to be fighting on the palate rather
than cooperating. The palate should not be a battleground. 5.9% ABV.
Oct. 22: Tonight’s Beer: Full
Sail’s: Wassail 2012: This year’s release is a nice dark brown. It has a light
toasted scent. The flavor is different than last year. It is less sweet and a
bit more hoppy. There doesn’t seem to be any of the spice as in last year’s. It
is a solid brown with more hop and bitter than many browns, but it lacks some
of the distinctness that made the 2011 so tasty. 7.2% ABV.
Second Beer: Deschutes’: Jubelale 2012:
I do get excited at the onset of winter beer season. I love the darker, heavier
beers, and love the experimentation with spices and other infusions that
accompany the winter beers. The 2010 version of Jubelale was one of my
favorites as it was essentially a high octane version of the porter. I bought a
case and it ran out far too quickly. So, while I enjoyed the 2011 very much, I
am very excited after pouring out a bottle of this year’s that is it nice and
dark! It is an exceptionally dark brown that lets through very little light and
has a nice deep tan head. The taste is rich and roasted with an earthy
sweetness that is offset by a mild sour character that most porters have. There
are hints of coffee, particularly in the aftertaste. It’s going to be a great
winter. 6.7% ABV
Oct. 23: Tonight’s Beer: Sierra
Nevada’s: Imperial Red Ale (Beer Camp 2012): Another Beer Camp offering from
2012, this one has a wonderful, deep red color. It boasts using double IPA
levels of hops and it is a very hoppy beer. It has a nice bright citrus
character, somewhere in the grapefruit family, though not as overt as the
Lagunitas IPA on tap. The finish is a deeper, earthier bitter hop. Since the
beer uses darker malts than an IPA, there is a lightly toasted sweetness in the
background, crying out for attention. So, far this is the best of beer camp
2012. And it has a sneaky 8.1% ABV that is undetectable.
Oct. 24: Tonight’s Beer: Sierra
Nevada’s: Imperial Pilsner (Beer Camp 2012 #13): So, I actually tried this one
a few days ago with by buddy Paul and decided not to write about it at that
point. Not that I’m above being rude and writing in the presence of others –
I’m not. But, for some reason it didn’t feel right at that moment. Anyway, the
upshot is that I’ve had a preview and already know that I like this one.
Generally Pilsners are not my favorite variety. I just don’t find most of them
that interesting. But, there is enough creativity in the craft industry
nowadays, so I generally give every variety a fair chance. And this one is
impressive and tasty. It is light and crisp, as you’d expect. But the malts are
more interesting than one generally finds. In most pilsners the malts are bland
and inoffensive and you hardly know they are there. This one, though, has a
nice sweetness that blends nicely with the hops (listed as Crystal and
Pacifica). It has a nice citrus flavor that dances about the tongue and very
gradually gives way to a mildly floral, pleasant bitterness. The color is a
beautiful gold – I even held up my ring to compare – yep, gold. I prefer the
Imperial Red from this year’s Beer Camp, but this is a very strong entry. Very
drinkable 5.6% ABV.
Oct. 25: Tonight’s Beer: Upright
Brewing’s: Six: This is a dark rye beer. I’ve never tried anything from Upright
– it’s always very exciting to try a new brewery. This one is a very dark brown
color with an ivory tan head. It has a mildly sour yeasty scent with just a
hint of smokiness. The flavor is lighter and brighter than the color. It has a
bright citrus flavor to start that is shadowed by a mild yeasty presence. These
ride over the palate and yield to a subtle toasted malty flavor. There is also
a mildly savory undertone in the finish that is distinctively rye. I do so love
the use of rye in beers – I am quite enamored of its use. This isn’t a beer
that will overwhelm, but it comes across well and it is more complex than a
first sip would indicate. It strikes a nice balance of its influences and
allows each to shine both individually and collectively. The malts, the hops, the
yeast, the rye, all share center stage, yet, each receives its moment in the
spotlight. 6.7% ABV.
Oct. 27: Tonight’s Beer: Rogue’s:
Hazel Nut Brown: This is one of my favorite brown beers. I have tried it a few
times, but never was in a position to put down any thoughts about it. So, the
beer is a brown, but the color is on the light end of the brown spectrum, or at
the dark end of the amber/red spectrum. Really, it could go either way. It has
a sweet caramel scent and the flavor pretty much follows. There is very little
hop presence. The hazel nut flavor does add a nutty character that gives the
beer kind of a toffee flavor. What am I saying. “kind of”? No need to waffle on
this – it is most certainly a toffee flavor. There is very little head or
carbonation. At the end of the sip, there is a slightly sour flavor that is
like that found in a porter. Overall, a very sweet, tasty, brew.
Oct. 28: Tonight’s Beer: Dogfish
Head’s: Punk: Best Pumpkin beer, bar none. Very good brown sugar flavor with
hints of pumpkin pie spice without being overwhelming. Excellent balance
between the spice and sweet. Just writing about it makes me want one.(Fall
2011) And now it is back! The bottle calls the beer “A full-bodied brown ale
brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg.” And it
is still delicious. While it calls itself a brown, it is very light for a
brown. It looks like the color of caramel – a light yellow brown. It has a nice
fizzy head that disappears very quickly. The scent is spiced and is reminiscent
of pumpkin pie. The flavor tastes of caramel and pumpkin pie spice – sweet and
comforting. Despite the light color, there is the feel of a brown in the
caramel flavor of the malts. The alcohol flavor comes through more so than in
other beers of comparable strength. This one is 7% ABV.
Oct. 29: Tonight’s Beer: Dogfish
Head’s: Midas Touch: More of a mead than a beer. Dominated by honey. Sweet and
strong. The scent is somewhat like a white wine, but with a honey sweetness. It
is brewed with barley, honey, and white muscat grapes and saffron. So, it is
kind of like a combination white wine, mead, beer all in one. With saffron. The
color is a honey gold color with a light lacey head. It is one of the more
unusual drinks out there. It starts out white wine tart and transitions to more
of a honey sweetness, but the entire taste is very dry. And the alcohol flavor
comes through toward the end of the sip. And at 9% ABV it is certainly entitled
to do so. While it is present, it isn’t overwhelming as is the case with some
of the stronger beers out there.
Second Beer: Deschutes’: Chain
Breaker: Described as a White IPA. Very similar to the Stoic, but a bit lighter
and definitely lower alcohol. Bright citrus flavor with a hint of the yeasty
taste that you get with Belgian beers. (2/15/2012) Ok, now I have one from a
bottle and can add a bit. This is very much as I described it – a lighter
version of the Stoic. This is a friendly, Belgian-inspired beer. It is very
bright and crisp and has an inviting citrus flavor – mostly lemon, but a hint
of lime. It also is cloudy – not something I’m used to seeing from Deschutes.
The color is a pale yellow straw color. But for such a light color, it packs a
tremendous flavor. Amidst the yeasty citrus flavor, there is also a hint of
spice – almost clove, but not quite. I can’t believe it, but it is challenging
the Black Butte Porter as one of my favorite of Deschutes’ everyday production beers. (5.6% ABV).
Oct. 31: Tonight’s Beer: Stone’s:
Cali-Belgie IPA: This is the Stone IPA, but with a Belgian yeast. The color is
a cloudy honey color and the pour sets up a lacey froth, as is appropriate for
a Belgian influenced beer. The yeast flavor is more subtle than in most Belgian
beers, but it is there and it adds an earthy sweetness. While it is an IPA, the
hops are more subtle than in most. They tend toward the citrus side of life
while retaining a hint of the bitter. The sweetness of the malt and the overall
balance seems to blunt the effect of the hops. However, there is a nice bitter hop
aftertaste. So, perhaps the hops were merely hiding behind the malts and
waiting for them to get the hell out of the mouth so that the hops could
dominate the palate unopposed. Very clever, hops. Well played. 6.9% ABV.
