Sunday, July 27, 2014

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Chico King

This is part of the 2014 Beer Camp Across America special release from Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California. They invited breweries all across America to join in a collaboration brew with them and/or join them on their Beer Camp Tour with seven stops across the USA as their bus makes its way to the site of their new brewery in Mills River, NC (there is an eighth mini-camp at El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa). The release features a mixed 12 pack of twelve unique beers, two in cans.

This 6.5% ABV pale ale's inspiration is a mash up of Sierra Nevada's pale ale and the Alpha King pale ale from the collaborator, 3 Floyds Brewing of Munster, Indiana. 


The beer pours copper and amber in color. There is a tall head of thick and somewhat creamy off-white foam. The aroma is fairly subdued, citrus, grapefruit, bit of passion fruit, and toasted caramel malt. The taste follows, but reverses, the aromas, toasted and roasted caramel malt, with a light fruity hoppiness on top, mostly grapefruit and very light passion fruit. The finish is dry and smooth, with a fairly light bitterness. Absolutely solid, but surprisingly bland for 3 Floyds’ involvement.


Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Electric Ray

This is part of the 2014 Beer Camp Across America special release from Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California. They invited breweries all across America to join in a collaboration brew with them and/or join them on their Beer Camp Tour with seven stops across the USA as their bus makes its way to the site of their new brewery in Mills River, NC (there are actually 8 stops with a little publicized stop at El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa). The release features a mixed 12 pack of twelve unique beers, two in cans.

This is 8.5% ABV and described as an India Pale Lager. While it may be a lager instead of an ale, they should have put an imperial or double in there as a warning. This was made in collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing of San Diego, California.

The beer pours a very light copper and amber in color. There is a tall head of just off-white foam. The aroma is crisp, grassy, floral and fruity, lots of citrus zestiness. There is a bit of toasted malt under the hop notes. The taste is sweet and fruity, toasted and caramel malt holding up a blast of fruit, along with a jasmine note. The finish is fairly bitter, clean and dry, with a hint of sweetness. This Beer Camp is like a home run derby so far, they just keep hitting them out of the park.


Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Torpedo Pilsner

This is part of the 2014 Beer Camp Across America special release from Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California. They invited breweries all across America to join in a collaboration brew with them and/or join them on their Beer Camp Tour with seven stops across the USA as their bus makes its way to the site of their new brewery in Mills River, NC (there are actually 8 stops with a little publicized stop at El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa). The release features a mixed 12 pack of twelve unique beers, two in cans.

This 5.2% ABV hoppy pilsner was made in collaborat with Firestone Walker of Paso Robles, California. It uses Sierra Nevada's famous hop torpedo to inject the flavor of New Zealand hops into this pilsner.


The beer pours a clear yellow and golden. There is a tall head of fizzy, yet thick, white foam. The aroma is straw, flowers, golden grain, a touch of honey, and jasmine. The taste follows the aromas directly, sweet, yet not, bitter, yet smooth, tons of jasmine-like notes that finish with a citrus fruitiness. There is a fairly strong bitterness on the finish, dry, but again, smooth. This is incredibly good and very refreshing. 


Beer Camp Stops At El Bait Shop

In addition to the 7 main Sierra Nevada Beer Camp stops this summer, there was a special one thrown in at El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa on July 26, 2014. The others are true beer fests with dozens upon dozens of brewers pouring their wares. The Beer Camp stop at El Bait Shop featured a sampling glass, 12 five ounce pours of each of this year's Beer Camp releases, one pint of a standard Sierra Nevada beer, and a meal served out in the parking lot. 

What is Sierra Nevada Beer Camp? Their 2014 Beer Camp Across America is a special release (Sierra Nevada Brewing is in Chico, California). They invited breweries all across America to join in a collaboration brew with them and/or join them on their Beer Camp Tour as their bus makes its way to the site of their new brewery in Mills River, North Carolina. The corresponding beer release features a mixed 12 pack of twelve unique beers, two in cans.

El Bait Shop was open for regular business too, and the Beer Campers were given tickets to exchange for their beers, with several pouring inside and the rest pouring outside at two separate stations.  When the camp first got underway, there was a bit of a wait to get samples, but things smoothed out and it was later a breeze. The beers were excellent and there was an interesting crowd. As always, I get wrapped up in enjoying the moment and then never have any decent pictures for my blog, despite my best intentions. It was busy without being overly crowded or packed, and my wife and I had a great time joining  a picnic table outside with three fun and interesting women who were at the fest together.

The food was very good, there was a whole hog sliced in half and roasted in two sections. This was served along with fresh corn on the cob literally dipped in butter, baked beans and potato salad. There was more than enough food and it was announced that anyone who wanted could have seconds. I got some more of that delicious roast hog.

Apparently the Beer Camp tour bus was supposed to stop at El Bait Shop. The Camp started at four, we left at about ten, and the bus was not there. Does anyone know if it ever came?

I am putting up my notes on all of the Beer Camp beers as I make my way through the 12 pack that I found in Minneapolis.  Suffice it to say that if you run into the mixed 12 pack, don't pass it up.


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Double Latte

This is part of the 2014 Beer Camp Across America special release from Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California. They invited breweries all across America to join in a collaboration brew with them and/or join them on their Beer Camp Tour with seven stops across the USA as their bus makes its way to the site of their new brewery in Mills River, NC (there are actually 8 stops with a little publicized stop at El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa). The release features a mixed 12 pack of twelve unique beers, two in cans.

This is a 7.6% ABV coffee milk stout with coffee and lactose added. It was brewed in collaboration with Ninkasi Brewing of Eugene, Oregon. It uses cold-pressed coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

The beer pours black in color, with a very tall, thick, foamy, creamy, light tan head. The aroma is fresh cold coffee, dark roasted malt, nice dark roasted char. The taste follows the aromas, but amps the coffee up to coffee house levels. There is an implied sweetness, but the coffee and dark roast beat it down to pleasant bitterness. It drinks full, rich and smooth. This is an excellent coffee stout. 


Friday, July 25, 2014

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Maillard's Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale

This is part of the 2014 Beer Camp Across America special release from Sierra Nevada Brewing of Chico, California. They invited breweries all across America to join in a collaboration brew with them and/or join them on their Beer Camp Tour with seven stops across the USA as their bus makes its way to the site of their new brewery in Mills River, NC (there are actually 8 stops with a little publicized stop at El Bait Shop in Des Moines, Iowa). The release features a mixed 12 pack of twelve unique beers, two in cans.

This 8.5% ABV beer is a collaboration with Bell's Brewery of Michigan. It is intended to be a dark, rich and roasty beer named after the Maillard reaction, the browning of sugars and amino acids that creates carmelized toffee-like and roasted flavors as are shown in this beer. I don't know if this is technically a "stout", but it sure sounded like it rated my specialized stout glass.

The beer pours deep black, even when held to the light. There is a tall head of thick, creamy, tan foam. The aroma is mocha, light coffee, dark chocolate, with a light tang of dark, dried fruits. The taste follows the aromas directly, loads of dark cocoa and mocha, adding in pleasantly dark roasted char. The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, with a pleasantly tangy and moderately bitter finish. Absolutley excellent.


Northgate Parapet ESB

This is a 5.6% ABV Extra Special Bitter from Northgate Brewing of the Northeast area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its malts are Maris Otter, English Pale Crystal, English Dark Crystal, and English Flaked Barley. For hops, it has UK Target and East Kent Golding.

The beer pours a lighter shade of copper and amber. There is a tall head of off-white foam, with the ample carbonation quickly breaking it down with large and ragged holes. The aroma is tangy and citrusy over toasted and caramel malt. The taste is a continual hand-fighting battle between the grassy and citrusy hops and the toasted and caramel malts. A touch of peat smoke enters the fray, but the battle is won in the end by the quite bitter finish, which brings it all to a dry and screeching halt.  You can try to stay safe in the parapet, but you will have to enter this battle.


West O Holy L Session India-Style Pale Lager

This 4.5% ABV IPL is from the West O Beer Company of West Okoboji, Iowa. They invest part of their sales in the preservation and improvement of the Iowa Great Lakes Region.

The beer pours honey golden in color with a head of pure white foam. The aroma is both lagery and full of fruity and grassy hops, lots of bright citrus. The taste follows suit, melding the grain and funky bite of a crisp lager with loads of citrus and grassy hops. There is quite a bite of bitterness on the finish, reminiscent of grapefruit. The beer drinks easy, crisply carbonated and refreshing. 


Sunday, July 13, 2014

Left Coast Ale Epeteios

This 9.5% ABV Imperial Stout is from the Left Coast Brewing Company of San Clemente, California. 

The beer pours deeply black, never letting in light. There is over an inch of semi-creamy light brown head. The aroma is dark roasted malt, espresso, a bit of char, and an odd celery note. The taste is bittersweet, very dark chocolate, espresso, and some char. The odd note from the aroma melds into the char in the taste. The finish is fairly bitter, tamping down the nice sweetness, never too sweet. It drinks round and smooth, with the ABV adding warmth, but not booziness. This is nice and would be great barrel aged.  Anyone know if they make a barrel aged version?


Deschutes Obsidian Stout

This 6.4% ABV stout is from the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon on the banks of the Deschutes River.

The beer pours black, staying opaque even when held to the light. There is a good inch of somewhat creamy light brown foam. The aroma is dark roasted malts, lots of pleasant char. The taste follows the aromas, nicely charred, adding in very dark chocolate and a touch of coffee. The finish is moderately bitter, like cold coffee. It drinks smooth, but easy, with a subtle tingle of carbonation. Quite nice. 


Saturday, July 12, 2014

North Coast Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin XV

This is an 11.9% ABV Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels from the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California. There is one batch each year, the number indicating the number of years since the first batch was done.

The beer pours the deepest black, just a bit of dark brown and ruby on the edges when held to the light. There is about an inch of light brown head. The aroma is sweet, with a fruity tartness, a touch smokey, a touch of bourbon alcohol, strong sherry notes. A touch of mocha comes in as it begins to warm. The taste is pleasant fading bourbon, loads of mocha, coffee, dark chocolate and cocoa goodness. The finish is semi-bitter and lightly woody. The mouthfeel is smooth and elegant. Oh, so, nice!




North Coast Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin XIV

This is an 11.5% ABV Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels from the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California. There is one batch each year, the number indicating the number of years since the first batch was done.

The beer pours jet black, just a rim of dark brown on top when held to the light. The head is of brown foam. The aroma is sweet, prunes, raisins, sherry, port, and old wood. The taste is also sweet, but mocha, dark chocolate, dark cocoa, in every combination, like a coffee, chocolate, and liqueur ice cream drink, except not so thick. However, there is a rich smoothness to the mouthfeel. For all its sweet notes, it ends more dry than sweet, with the wood of the barrel playing this role. The bourbon is not out front in the taste, but adds a vaporous cocktail attribute that finds its way up into the sinuses, and suddenly the bourbon is up front, from the back, seemingly contradictory, but oh so tasty and true. The aroma oddly doesn’t match the taste much at all. The taste? By god it is glorious, rapturous, and time-bending. 


Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale

This beer is from Central Waters Brewing Company of Amherst, Wisconsin. It is part of their Brewer's Reserve series of barrel aged beers. This one takes their Scotch Ale and ages it in used oak bourbon barrels. 

The beer pours a very dark brown, nearing black, adding garnet. There is a short head of light tan foam. The aroma is bourbon, tangy fruit, caramel, a whiff of smokiness. The taste is deep and rich, dark roasted and a touch sweet, bourbon. The beer drinks smooth, round, warming, with a fairly dry finish for all its sweet notes. This is elegant, tasty and drinkable. 
 
 

Again in 2016: The beer pours a very dark brown, nearly black. There is a short head of tan foam. The aroma is very richly malty, toffee, dark caramel, almost sweet potato, dark fruit, vanilla, cherry, with a bourbony alcohol note more than bourbon itself. The taste follows the aromas, hitting all the same notes, but even richer, more mellow, more melded together than in the aroma. There is a bit of that Scotch Ale peat smoke on the end, subtle, but adding to the depth and character. The beer drinks smooth, nearing elegant. The beer has sweetness, but the finish is just this side of dry. This is one very nice beer.



North Coast Brother Thelonious

This is a 9.4% ABV Belgian style abbey ale from the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, California. It is part of their American Artisan Series, this beer supporting jazz education through donations to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (named after the famous jazz musician Thelonious Monk who appears in the label art). 

The beer pours a dark chestnut brown and ruby. There is about a half-inch of light tan foam. The aroma is brown sugar, caramel, and some yeasty fruity esters. The taste follows the aromas, sweet, fruity, with some roasted notes too. There is a definite presence and warmth from the alcohol. It has a full, but not heavy, and smooth mouthfeel, with a background tingle of carbonation. Mellow, jazzy, reflective. 


A. Le Coq Imperial Extra Double Stout

In the 1800's, the Belgian Albert Le Coq exported English imperial stouts to Russia and the Baltics. As the popularity of stout increased in Russia, the Tsarist government invited Le Coq to brew his stout within the Russian empire and in 1912 production began in Tartu, Livonia (now Estonia). World War I and the Russian Revolution led to troubles and the brewery was nationalized by the Bolshevik government, with production ceasing in 1921.  This beer is revived now by Harvey and Sons of East Sussex, England, under the supervision of the board of trustees of A. Le Coq and Tartu Brewery of Estonia. This is a 9% stout, and it's not just imperial, it's not just extra, and it's not just double, it is the Imperial Extra Double Stout!

The beer pours deep black in color, even when held to the light. There is a near inch of brown head. The aroma is brett funk, spices, molasses, burnt sugars, a tart vinegary note. The taste is deep, rich, dark roasted malt, coffee, char, bittersweet dark chocolate, with a brett funk. I’m not sure if it is supposed to have that funkiness or not (their website says it is supposed to have densely sweet along with sour notes). The end is dry, fairly bitter, with some alcohol warmth. This tastes, quite frankly, like it is from the Tsarist days.




Sunday, July 6, 2014

Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher

This is a 9.4% ABV oatmeal imperial stout from the Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company of Akron, Ohio. The name stands for Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout. 

The beer pours black, darker than used motor oil. There is a half inch of brown head. The aroma is sweet, smokey, dark roasted malt, char, pure dark cocoa. The taste is the darkest of dark roasted malt, burnt without being burnt, charred without being charred, maybe due to the sweetness. There are no coffee notes, just that tangy, yet sweet, burnt but not burnt dark roastiness, like dark roasted coffee beans without the coffee, just the roast. It is full bodied, nearly thick, with a mild bitterness on the finish, just enough to keep the sweetness down and implied instead of explicit. It is not highly carbonated, but has a bit of a tingle. The alcohol starts to warm as the beer proceeds. I would love to try the barrel aged version of this beer. Anybody want to send me one?


Pour Decisions Brother Vesper

This is a 12.5% ABV Belgian-style Strong Dark Stout that is then "whiskey barrel blessed." It is from the Pour Decisions Brewing Company of Roseville, Minnesota. Pour Decisions has now merged with anther recent Twin Cities area brewery, Bent Brewstillery, and they will henceforth be Bent Brewstillery.  This beer is vintage 2013 and bottle 222 of 600. It is aged in Jefferson Bourbon barrels and was available exclusively at either the brewery or at Haskell's liquor stores. 


The beer pours opaque black, even when held to the light. There is a tall head of light tan foam that does not last long. The aroma is dark roasted malt, coffee, char, and very light notes of bourbon, vanilla and charred barrel. The taste follows the aromas, but is even sweeter than the aroma, although not too sweet, but with a note of brown sugar, and adds in even deeper notes of whiskey. It drinks smooth with the alcohol well-hidden in all the flavors, although it is warming. This is very good.


Schlafly Reserve Barleywine-Style Ale

This is the 2011 vintage of this 10.2% ABV barleywine ale aged on oak from Schlafly Beers, the St. Louis Brewing Company of St. Louis, Missouri. 

The beer pours a deep and dark brown, burnt orange, and amber, a touch hazed. There is a relatively short and thin head of very light tan foam. The aroma is vanilla, oak, fruits both dark and tangy, and a bit of brown sugar. The taste follows the aromas quite directly, with fruit both tangy and sweet, lots of oak, and then vanilla and brown sugar type notes. It drinks smooth, round and full. The finish is dry wood more than sweet. It warms, but the alcohol is subtle enough. An interesting beer.



Weyerbacher Tango

This is a 10.6% ABV Belgian-style dark ale brewed with cherries from the Weyerbacher Brewing Company of Easton, Pennsylvania. 

The beer pours a dark orange and brown, nearing garnet. There is about an inch of light tan foamy head. The aroma is cherries, brown sugar, fruity and estery yeast. The taste follows the aromas, sweet up front, tart and tangy on the finish, then a wave of dark fruit again moving back to the sweetness. There is warmth, and vapors that enter the nasal cavity, from the alcohol, an almost vinous effect. It has a subtle, but noticeable, fine tingling carbonation from bottle conditioning. Decent, but not special in any way. 




Saturday, July 5, 2014

Destihl Abbey's Single

This 4.9% ABV beer is a Belgian-style abbey single designed to be like the lighter beers the monks drink for their own regular consumption. A Belgian-style session ale! It is from the Destihl Brewery of Bloomington, Illinois.

The beer pours a hazy, yet glowing, deep golden color with an orange tint. There is a tall somewhat fizzy head of white foam that bubbles down to a thin ragged layer. The aroma is yeasty, bananas, cloves, estery, over toasted malt. The taste follows the aromas directly, hitting all the same notes. It is strongly carbonated without being fizzy, easy drinking, with a flowery bitter finish. A Belgian-style session ale, who would have thought, but it works.       


Kalona Lewbricator

This is a 7.5% ABV wheat doppelbock beer. It is from the Kalona Brewing Company of Kalona, Iowa. On the can "Heavenly Beers Brewed by Mere Mortals." It is named after their brewer, Lew Brewer (no, I am not kidding, that is actually his real last name, perfect huh?)

The beer pours a very dark brown, nearing black. There is deep and dark ruby and garnet when held to the light. There is a short and and short-lasting head of light tan foam. The aroma is mild, sweet, darkened sugar, some dark roasted malt. The taste follows the aromas, sweet, darkened sugars, toasted wheat creeping to darkly roasted. It drinks with a fairly full body and very light carbonation. There is a coffee like bitterness on the end. Very sweet, but never cloying, subtly done, but very tasty. 


Friday, July 4, 2014

Goose Island Night Stalker

This 11.7% ABV imperial stout is from the Goose Island Brewing Company of Chicago, Illinois (now owned by AB-InBev). It is the base beer for the Bourbon County series of barrel-aged stouts. This bottle was bottled on February 6, 2011.

The beer pours deep black with a short and thin head of light brown. The aroma is different for a stout, very tangy and fruity, dark stone fruits, herbal. The taste has some rich, dark malt notes, a bit of dark cocoa, continues with the dark stone fruits, mostly cherries, sweet, but tangy. It drinks a bit like sucking on a gourmet cherry and dark cocoa Tootsie pop after having had a swig of light coffee. The finish is moderately bitter, with sweet battling dry. It is medium to full bodied. If this is the base for the Bourbon County beers, then the barrel aging really adds a lot to this beer!


Epic Big Bad Baptist

This a 10.7% ABV imperial stout with cocoa nibs and coffee added, and then aged in whiskey barrels. It is release #6 of this beer from the Epic Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. I love that their website gives details on each release of this beer. This batch was brewed on December 6, 2011 and bottled on September 12, 2012. It used Caffe Ibis Sumatra Dark coffee and was aged in whiskey barrels and not bourbon barrels (they don't specify what kind of whiskey, we just know not bourbon). 

The beer pours as black as a deep vein of anthracite coal. You can get just a touch of dark brown on the very edge if you hold it to the light. There is a half inch of brown foam, it pours surprisingly fizzy, but the head does not last long. The aroma is coffee and cocoa forward, a bright and citrusy coffee, those two are running the show, hard to get much else, even much of the whiskey barrel. The taste is better than the aroma, rich, smooth, deeper, lots of coffee, but it is more subdued around the edges. The dark cocoa is still there throughout, some dark roasted malts peek out from the coffee and cocoa, and a hint of the whiskey barrel is detected, although I could use more. The alcohol warms without being hot. It drinks medium bodied, quite smooth. There is a strong coffee aftertaste.


 

Against the Grain The Brown Note

This is a 5.0% ABV American brown ale from Against the Grain Brewery of Louisville, Kentucky, with their bottled beers contract brewed in Westminster, Maryland at the Pub Dog Brewery. Yep, those are brown stains on that guy's underwear on the bottle, which also says "Phffrrtt! Uh oh." Let's see what we're getting into here.

The beer pours a medium dark brown with burnt orange, dark amber and deep copper tints. There is a short and short-lived head of light tan foam. The aroma is roasted malt, very nutty, hazelnut, a fruity note, dark roast approaching dark chocolate. It smells like a dark chocolate, raspberry and hazelnut pastry. The taste follows the aromas, very nutty, lots of hazelnut, raspberry fruit note and dark roasted malt notes, mostly chocolate, nearing light coffee. The beer drinks crisply carbonated, easy and refreshing. It is hard to believe that so much flavor is packed into the relatively light body and low alcohol. A low bitterness develops as you drink the beer. My god, I believe I’ve shat myself.