Lagunitas SUCKS - Holiday Ale

The Brasserie des Géants: Noël des Géants

SeraFijn Shristmas Angel

Saint-Germain Page 24 Bière de Noël

Smuttynose Summer Weizen Ale

I am a big fan of the German weizen style with its banana and clove flavors, but this ale was more of an Americanized version. The yeast strain used in this ale left much less of an imprint on the final product, and instead, I found myself focussing on the spices- namely chamomile, evident in the flavor. This wasn't my favorite beer of this blog by far, but I probably wouldn't have tried it or about 20 other beers if I hadn't been encouraged by the opportunity to write about beer. It's been a delicious journey, and for that I say thank you to Smuttynose and all the other breweries.

Southern Tier Pumpking

I enjoyed this pumpkin ale while visiting good friends near Boston. I haven't sampled too many pumpkin ales and have nothing to compare this one to, but if you're looking for something that tastes like pumpkin pie, this is your beer. It definitely put me in the Halloween mood. It was also a very filling beer, so don't try to drink a bunch of bottles of these. Instead, enjoy them as you marvel at the changing color of the leaves, the chill in the air, and your faint desire to hibernate. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Founder's Dry Hopped Pale Ale

I really liked the label on this one. If it's not Mucha, it's very reminiscent of his work. Unfortunately, this ale didn't quite live up to the label. When I read "dry hopped" in a pale ale, I'm expecting a lot of hop aroma and flavor. Founder's didn't deliver with this one. However, I know that hop aroma is one of the first things to disappear with age, and since I have no idea how old the bottle was, I'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.
-Taster Be

Brasserie Caracole Saxo

Kent recommended this fine belgian ale and it was definitely a hit with me. Effervescent like most belgian ales with a high dose of spicy phenolics and esters, this was an excellent beer for pairing with fine foods and enjoying the company of good friends. If you are a fan of belgian blonde, golden strong, or tripel styles, this libation would appeal to you. If you've never tried one, this is a good starting point. Plus it has a cool label. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Russian Imperial Stouts

I shared these three beers with Kent during the Thanksgiving holiday. Ode to Mercy is actually an imperial brown from Wild Heaven in Georgia. Avery supplies the Out of Bounds Stout, and Weyerbacher makes Heresy. The brown obviously was the most different of the three, with flavors of brown sugar and molasses dominating. Heresy is aged in oak and it definitely influenced the flavor, giving it soft vanilla notes. Out of Bounds was probably my favorite though, because its flavor profile was more focussed on the roasty coffee and chocolate flavors of the malts. Not my favorite RIS, but still great beers. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Mad River Brewing Co.- John Barleycorn

I think this may be the first barley wine reviewed on this blog, but it's about time we all explore some examples of this fabulous style. My only other experience with a barley wine was Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot, and it was excellent, so I was equally excited to try this beer. It pours a nice reddish color. The flavor highlights the malt with some sweet caramel flavors. Hops are definitely present, but not in the quantities that would dominate the beer. Overall, this was a very pleasant, full ale that I'd love to enjoy again on another winter's night. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Wild Heaven Invocation

So, the inspiration behind the last two posts has been my latest brew obsession- a Belgian Tripel. I plan on brewing one up with Kent and my friend Dave this week and have been furiously doing research (you call it drinking, I call it research) in order to try to pull off something delightfully flavorful and yet powerfully strong. In my search for some decent domestic tripels, I came across this offering from just down the road in Decatur, Georgia. Wild Heaven has not been in existence for very long and in fact aren't even brewing their own beer yet. If they keep their releases as amazing as this one, though, then I'm sure they'll be able to raise the capital for their own brew system as they continue to win over beer geeks everywhere. It appears much like other belgian tripels, but I have to say that I've never poured a beer that created as much head as this one. I'm not sure this ale is exactly to style because of the hop bitterness that is present and because it uses no adjuncts, which I assume also means no sugar. The label itself says that they use American hop varietals which are not the norm and provide a much different flavor. The fruitiness is still there from the yeast, but when it combines with the malt, hops, and carbonation, it creates this sensation for me that reminds me of biting into my first fresh-picked apple of the season right off the tree. The sugary, tart sensation also has a bit of bitterness that I'd almost describe as powdery because of the perception of dryness that I get from this beer. I absolutely love it and hope you do too. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Finish The Drill- Fin du Monde (again)

I guess I should have saved this for my last post because of its name, but many of you probably thought that it was the end of my world anyway since I haven't written anything new since July. Lately, though, my desire to talk about (and write about) what I drink has increased immensely, so here we go. La fin du monde is a golden-colored belgian-style beer from Unibroue in Canada. It's been reviewed on this site before by another taster, but it's definitely worth another go 'round. I find this beer fascinating and highly recommend it to anyone willing to expand their beer horizons. It's different enough to blow your mind without seeming too extreme. Up front, the smell is spicy with a hint of fruit. Then it blasts you with a sweet fruitiness similar to peach along with a slight funk more common in saisons. It finishes nice and dry leaving you wanting more. The brewer made a mistake in naming the beer, though, as this beer clearly is the beginning of something new and exciting for this beer drinker. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Beers of Spain

So, after spending about a month in Spain, I am thankful to be back in the land of great beer selection. Spanish bars seem to offer one of Spain's big three: Mahou, Cruzcampo, or Estrella, all of which taste very similar to Bud, Miller, or Coors. Since summer highs in Madrid tend to be in the 90's, these beers aren't a terrible choice, in fact, they can be refreshing and crisp after a hot day checking out some old castles or masterpieces in the Prado, but it would be nice to find something else on tap from time to time. It's a shame, actually, because Spain offers some of the cultural nuances that could make it a heaven for beer lovers: a love for all things nocturnal, good cheese and amazing ham and sausages, generally light hearted/fun attitude towards life, proximity to Belgium and Germany, and most of all, tapas, a small snack served with every round of drinks. One of my most enjoyable beer drinking experiences was in Salamanca pairing and Affligem tripel with roasted and seasoned sweet peppers. The craft beer craze hasn't hit this marvelous country yet, but when it does, it will provide the beer aficionado with an unmatchable beer-drinking experience. Delicioso.
-Taster Be

Hale's Ales, Seattle, WA: El Jefe, Weizen Ale

First off, you have to love this beer's name and label.  Coming out of the rich craft beer region of the Pacific Northwest, Hale's Ales in Seattle is one of my favorite breweries.  The host a great variety of beer, one of my favorites is their cream ale - and their pub restaurant has some mean corn-beef and hash.

El Jefe is a good example of an American style wheat/weizen with a strong grassy/wheat taste, semi filtered straw-like color with a bubbly head.  I enjoyed this beer on a hot day in central Washington after walking through apple, pear and cherry orchards with a belly full of Mexican tamales.

"El Jefe" Weizen Ale possesses a flavor profile that is "true Bavarian Style" -complex and mouth-filling, with the spicey and fruity influences that only genuine hefeweizen yeast can produce. This is a beer that combines old world quality and character with new world freshness--the best of both worlds. -Hale's

Brasserie d'Achouffe, Belgium: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

Gnome crazy Belgians rule!  I love this Indian Pale ale Belgian style beer, with a harmonious balance between bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.  The HOUBLON CHOUFFE is an aggressive unfiltered, and bottle re-fermented Belgian IPA.  Although I really love this beer, its gnome sister beer - LA CHOUFFE (golden style), is my favorite from this brewery.  While I've found this beer bottled in both bars and grocery stores, I would love to taste it on tap. 

Knee Deep Brewing, Tanilla Porter

Knee Deep Brewing's Tanilla Porter has become one of my favorite porters if not one of my favorite beers after tasting it earlier this week.  The porter has a sweet chocolate flavor from the roasted malts and a very pleasant vanilla flavor from the use of Tahitian Vanilla beans.  Drinking this beer on draft I didn't notice much head and the beer is a medium to light body and holds 6.3% abv. Although I didn't see a physical address posted on the Brewery's website it is apparent that Knee Deep is out of the Sierra Foothills and the Master Brewer is from Reno which makes this Lake Tahoe guy very happy.  Despite the low ratings and poor reviews for this beer on Beer Advocate.com I am sticking with this one and think it is top notch.  I am going to hunt down more beer styles from this brewery asap.

Unibroue - La Fin du Monde

(My first time enjoying this beer was in 2001 while on a road trip through Canada with my buddy Ty.  I remember buying the beer from a liquor store because I liked the name and label, the complex tastes of the beer expanded my horizons for high ABV Belgian beers.  After visiting some hot springs and sipping this beer we ended up sleeping in the car.  To this day, I still find myself seeking out this fantastic beer which invokes these great memories. You'll find a wide variety of sweet exotic flavors in La Fin du Monde; tropical fruits balanced with a nice bitter aftertaste.

La Fin du Mond: French for "The end of the world" is a Belgian Style triple fermentation (also refermented in the bottle) Golden Ale.  La Fin Du Monde’s appearance is a light cloudy golden hue, and while similar to most other Belgian triple ales in appearance, its flavor is less bitter and more spicy (featuring coriander and orange peel).  

The fully-fermented beer contains (9% ABV) alcohol content and an abundance of awesomeness.

21st Amendment Bitter American

I had heard of this brewery before because of this blog, so I knew that what I was getting into was probably going to be good, but to be honest with you, I probably would have bought this craft brew just because the packaging jumped out at me. First of all, it comes in cans, which are becoming increasingly popular. Then of course, there's the picture on the cans. Who can say no to a chimp in a space suit? 21A say that the plan behind this beer was to create something lighter in alcohol that could be consumed over a longer period of time. I think they did it rather nicely with this beer. There is a lot of late hopping or possibly a dry-hop aroma in this beer that goes along with a malt bill that gives this beer tons of flavor, but not nearly as much bitterness or alcohol as some of the other products I've reviewed on this blog. It's actually a refreshing change to what seems like an ABV arms race of sorts that has been developing over the past couple of years. Thank you, Bitter American. Delicious.
-Taster Be

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Okay, so I'm delving into the archives of photos a bit, but this brew from Rogue was definitely memorable.  I got it because I heard from a respectable source that it was a great example of an American stout. Boy was I glad for the recommendation. Shakespeare himself could have hyped this beer and I still would have been impressed. It pours dark black with a nice light brown head. Initially, I thought there would be more hop aroma because of the "American" label, but this is definitely more for the roasted malt lovers out there. Very silky smooth mouthfeel with dark chocolate and roast coffee overtones. The yeast strain is mild enough to really let the malt and hops shine in this one. Finishing the last sip made me say "parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight 'til it be morrow." Delicious.
-Taster Be

Grand Ivey Brewing Co., "Wit and Nerdy"

Wit beers have become increasingly popular the last few years and with good reason, they’re refreshing and flavorful yet can be complex enough to satisfy beer geeks, especially on a hot summer day.  Much of the credit for this beer's popularity is due to Master brewer, Pierre e Celis, a farmer from the city of Hoegaarden, brought this ancient style back into modern brewing in the mid-1960's.

I was fortunate enough to learn how to brew this beer earlier this year with the head brewer of Grand Ivey who told me about the importance of Pierre's work.  We happen to brew this batch of Wit on Friday April 9th, 2011 - We later learned that Pierre past away the following day on Saturday April 10th.  So this one's for Pierre, Cheers! 

Congratulations to Grand Ivey for producing such an incredible wit style brew.  I loved the light white-wheat color and its refreshing flavors,  The beer had a medium, bright white head that laced perfectly and all of the spices came through just as we hoped.  I am sure there is room for improvement in brewing this beer but I am proud of it and I think Pierre would be too!

Delicious!

-K