Tell us, share..
if possible, try to describe Appearance, Smell, Taste, Mouthfeel and Overall impression
Fri, May 6, 2011 - 9:09pm
#1
what new beer did you try today?
what new beer did you try today?
Avery Brewing - The Beast Batch 9.
this is a beast! at first sip, you think you may be drinking a barreled stout. but it clears out, you get these fruit flavors, but they are indistinguishable. what is that? so its not a stout. its dark, but the ale is translucent thru the glass. the head fizzled nicely, and lingered a bit before fizzling out. there is no lacing, it all drips back down to a faint ring around the perimeter leaving the glass clean. its smells slightly oaky, slightly dark fruity, slightly like a dark red wine. again, that first sip, you may think you have some stout, but its not that heavy. the initial heavy flavors disappear after the shock, you then feel a dryness, a spice, a hint of honey. after tasting some honey, i then smelled it, too. though it is reminiscent of a stout initially, it is much thinner than one. spices penetrate immediately afterwards. a dryness pronounces the spiciness of the beer. it is a pleasant effect. this would make a fantastic chrismahanukwanzaka ale.
the Beast is a Grand Cru ale, brewed with raisins, dates, molasses, and honey. and its 16.83% ABV
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Cigar City Brewing - Jai Alai.
bleh.
ok, it deserves more than that. too hoppy, too strong. i know that isnt a complaint for many, but it made it drinking more of a chore than a pleasure. regardless, i had three as it was the best the airport bar in ft lauderdale had to offer. it was dry, and a bit sharp with the higher abv. some citrus notes were present but very mild. it was very thick in body and in color, quite cloudy, a hazy lighter orange color. almost looked like a darker wheat beer. the head dissipated quickly, as did any residue on the glass as the level got lower and lower. just not for me.
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Great divide hibernation ale, local option dampf loc, avery maharajan. I tried them but I will not wax over them. I just want to say that we at CHAOS make beers that are better than these...
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I tried serpent's stout last night. No review or write up other than to say it is great. Nice and thick but not sweet. Good fruity esters from the yeast and the chocolate and roast are very well balanced. Pick one of these up, you'll be happy you did.
Ha nice descriptors Iggi! Made me want to drink one and its 8AM.
Goose Island Bramble Rye Bourbon County Stout. i have been waiting weeks to get my hands on this bottle, i finally did. cracked it right open and it was everything i had hoped for. upon opening, you can immediately smell the fruit notes come up and strike you. it does not pour very thick but looks just like motor oil. the head rose and fell quickly, briefly looking like something that starbucks might whip up in a mochatokajokalatte. it dissipates to just a fizzy ring around the edges and some small foamy spots in the middle that look like a time lapse image of the continents moving on their tectonic plates eventually forming pangea. now it just looks like africa. with no madagascar. the smell is just what you expect it to be. oaky, berry-y, stouty. you can definitely make out the raspberry and blackberry notes. some plum scents come forward, but i think thats a combination of the oak and razz. the taste - perfection. i am not a big stout fan, but every once in a while, something comes forward that speaks to me, that tends to my needs, my likes. i love razz and blackberries. i licked a drip that was coming off the side of the bottle before i took a sip. the excitement from that little drip hastened the time i would take my first sip from the glass. it tastes like dark chocolates from germany that have the berry liqueur jammed in them, with a hint of a high end cigar flavor before its lit. maybe its more like the cigar boxes in a humidor. for being seemingly distilled in the glass, it does have a fairly thick mouthfeel. you can feel the alcohol fumes making their way into your nasal passages and throat as you hold it on your palate for a moment, a spice on the tongue from the slight heat.
when i went to goose island to pick up the barrel that was holding this stout, i tried to imagine what it would taste like. i must say again, its exactly what i was expecting and hoping for. this may be my most favorite stout i have ever tasted. i can say i attribute that to the razz and godiva chocolate like qualities. i regret having to rinse the barrel before we put the california common in it, but i am happy that some of the razz seeds still remain in that barrel.
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La Divine by St Landelin. A french biere de garde that pours a truely beautiful golden color, that looks warm like a setting sun on an august summer evening. It has a low carbonation and leaves a very whispy head that dissipates intp sexy lace that lines the glass as you begin to drink the glass. It has a sweet and haylike smell, a malty scent converges with it. The first sip, strong sweetness, again with the hay flavors, subtle heat, some maltiness. With each passing sip, however, that grassyness goes away and a spicy sweetness comes forward. It tastes very clean on the palete, with some light sweet notes remaining behind, waiting for the next sip. I don't try too many biere de gardes, so it is difficult for me to comapre to others, but I thinks that may offer this beer a fair judgement. At first, its almost not likeable, but it quickly gains your interest and you want to hear more, you want to spend more time with it. It comes in an attractive poptop 750 ml bottle, that can easily be reused for sharing homebrews. Its 8% abv, and you can feel it, but its not overwhelming. Would I do it again? I would probably say 'been there done that', but I may get another taste for it. Afterall, I did buy two bottles.
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Scaldis Noel, brewed by a brewery that has a much more comlicated name than my mind wishes to remeber at the moment. Poured in a glass, it has a reddish, copper, amber color that is quite clear. The head establishes itself as a nice contrast to the color of the beer but remains light and delicate, like the lacing on a...well, I won't go there. But that lace comes off eventually, leaving a champaign live effervessence on the rim but not from the glass bottom. The aroma, indeniably belgian, sweet. Fruity. Maybe even a little bit nutty. Raisins are pronounced. Upon sipping, sweetness hits you first, but it dissipates into spice and maybe a hint of tartness in the menagerie of flavors. The high ABV cleans up and dries the pallet and begs for another sampling. Damn that's good.
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Brooklyn Concoction.
WTF was that???
Smells great, something of the belgian varietals. Dark gold color, good head.
Ya take a sip, first thoughts are medicine. If I had a fever, and was laying in a bed in a swiss chalet and a milkmaid wearing super sexy stalkings was caring for me, id expect her to give me this elixir. It has a considerable medicinal taste. The palete is confused between menthol, smoke, sour, and herb.
It borderlines being something good but remains something 'interesting'.
It begs to be liked, but I think I need to be sick to appreciate it. And I need it served by a swiss milk maiden in sexy stockings.
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I hit my local store tonight to grab some new stuff. I grabbed a sixer of the Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale, which is their "apology" for not brewing their Brown Shugga this year. It was a pretty good IPA but wasn't blown away. I also picked up a bomber of New Holland's Charkoota Rye Smoked Dopplebock. Mannn is this a smokey beer! The label has a flying big on it and it almost tastes as though it has bacon or some smoked pork in it. One of the most intense smoked beers I've tried, pretty tasty none the less.
I had tasted Dark Horse Perkulator Doppelbock at the last monthly meeting; but, only a small taste. I LOVED it; I love coffee and the coffee really came through in this one. Pretty smooth mouth feel adds to the flavor. I picked up a four-pack the other day from Whole Foods but this time around I feel it's too much coffee and not enough malt coming through. This is verging on dessert in a glass; definitely not one to knock back two or three.
pick me! pick me!
Daniel Barker said:
glad I could get you the consecration, dave. I had a bottle myself and thought it was outstanding. Glad you drank it instead of hoarding it.
My friend sent me some Temptation a few days ago, should show up soon. I don't know how much he sent, hopefully two bottles at least. If so, I can share a taste.
enash, those erie beers sounds awesome. Never had a black hefe or a bourbon aged alt. Sounds like a good trip.
enash7070 said:
Thanks to Daniel for getting this beer, Russian River - Consecration, as a wedding gift for me. This beer is a real treat.
When I popped the cork, right away I could smell the funk. As I poured this into a glass and took a good sniff...I could smell oak, Cherries, lactic goodness, and dried fruit. The taste was all that was in the smell and more. Upfront is a cherry/plum/dark fruit taste that leads to a champagne like dryness. You also get some oak and lots of tartness - I can really feel it on the sides and back of my tongue...in a good way. This is a damn good sour beer. As it warms, I get green apple. More oak. Great beer if you like sours.
Last night at Twisted Spoke i tried the Greenbush Memento Mori. had a nice rich dark color and a pleasant nose. the first sip was nice, but every sip afterwards was way too sweet for my palate. it did have a nice thick mouthfeel but it lended to a lingering of that sweetness. it just tasted as if it needed to mature a bit more.
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At the Beer Hoptacular event I was able to try the 2011 Bourbon County Brand Stout. Delicious, just as I had remembered from previous years. Roasted, chocolatey sweetness, burnt caramels, oak, slight licorice. Well balanced. No flavors dominated over others. I'm excited that this beer is coming out sometime soon in mid to late November. I am eager to get my hands on a few bottles...and hopefully the coffee variation.
I also had a bourbon Russian imperial stout from destihl that ended up being the beer that everyone enjoyed the most. Strangely I did not enjoy this beer. I really wanted to...but all I could taste was that butterscotch popcorny DMS flavor. I can't stand that flavor. And, its a recognized flaw in beer. I try to avoid it...but people loved it for some reason.
I am in Erie, PA visiting my daughter and I took her and her boyfriend to Erie Brewing company....They had a local brew club there for teach a friend to brew day...
The Asst. brewer had a black heffenweisen which was super good...We also got to sample their bourbon aged alt beer. They opened their brewery to us and we got to hang out for half a day with the local brew club and the brewers. They gave me a 12 pack sampler of their beer and a bottle of barrel aged wee heavy not yet released...all their beers are very good..
They took bronze for their cherry ale at GABF...
I love these little facts...interesting...I was wondering where the name came from...
In Latin the "Pli-" is actually pronounced "Pl-eeee..." (like the English "plea"). So, even if you go by the actual Latin pronunciation, "Pl-eye..." is still wrong.
Okay, enough Latin; back to BEER.
haha. That's definitely interesting to hear. Vinnie pronounces it Pl-eye-ny on podcasts. Ah well. I will start calling it Pl-inn-y out of solidarity.
Pliny the Elder is delicious! I had it for the first time in an otherwise mediocre brewpub in Oakland this past summer; hands down one of my favorite beers.
As a Latin teacher, however, I have to share this pet peeve: I hear people all the time say, "Pl-eye-knee" The Elder. "Pliny The Elder" was a Roman general, statesman, and writer of the 1st century AD. Unless Russian River Brewing Company started pronouncing his name incorrectly (and thus influenced everyone else to start saying it incorrectly), it should be "Pl-in-knee" The Elder. The "i" in "Pliny" should sound like the "i" in the English word "in"; not like the word "eye."
Okay, I'm done dorking out and being a buzz-kill. Pun intended.
Nice! I got two bottles at home! :P Delicious beer. Tonight I will drink a Pliny the Elder!
Firestone walker parabola imperial stout.
Holy fuck that's good. Its on tap at twisted spoke for 10 duckets a snifter. 12.5% abv. Good thing its bed time.
Description on the menu suggests aromas and flavors of bourbon, tobacco, chocolate and charred oak. Yeah, its all there. Sippin on this reminds me of Backwoods Mild and Aromatic cigars I used to smoke as a kid. The chocolate flavors are on the back end, like that leftover flavor after eating chocolate icecream.
Its pretty thick and heavy in the glass, leaves the slighest indication of lacing on the glass but it mostly reunites itself in the snifter.
It sips really thick, back to that effect that you have in your mouth from eating choco icecream.
Like I said, holy fuck its good. I'm not the biggest fan of imperial stouts, but this is very pallatable.
Yum.
Cheers.
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haansens artisanal's kriek and kriek vieille. The first is good and tart but a bit simple. The vieille was way better. More complex, more barnyard, and a hint of spices I wasn't expecting in the style?
Barleys brew pub in columbus. They have some great descriptions for their stuff. Good marketing there. Happy hour, $3 a beer except the grand cru. Went for the ipa. I don't usually like ipas as I don't like hop-abuse.
They used centennial hops. This beer tastes fresh and citrusy. The hop flavor is light yet upfront, as if munching on a freshly picked cone. Very refreshing. Hazy and full mouthfeel while maintining that freshness. Good job.
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and for tonight. Took dave's advice and got New Belgium's La Folie, a sour brown Flanders Style beer. It was good, pretty darn good, especially considering it's American. But... I had Drei Fonteinen's Geuze right after and it immediately shot the La Folie out of consideration. For one... The back to back drink made it immediately apparent that the funky brett character of a Geuze that is absent from most flanders sours, dramatically increases the complexity and enjoyability of the beer. Drei Fonteinen's taste has so many differences from many of the other Geuze's that I've tried so far. I'm not sure what it is, but I think that there's a residual malt character absent from most of the other beers (due to hyper-attenuation from the Brett and aging) as well as a more complicated Brett character than I get from most other bretted beers. Stinking amazing. Drei Fonteinen and Haansens Artisanal are my favorite Geuze's so far although Dave's Cantillon was better than my first one, probably good enough to shoot it up there with those two.
Amazing brews with Dave. Rose de Gambrinus, Cantillon, a proper traditional framboise. None of that bullshit cloying sweetness from added suger, post-fermentation. All raspberry sweetness and flavor wasn't overpowering like all the fake stuff they'll make. Also had another cantillon geuze. Good God.
On another note, we finished off with an Abacus from Firestone walker and I really think it's the best Barleywine I've ever had. Very complex for the style and I can't help but think it has something to do with blending.
Crown valley brewing Barnwood blonde ale from ste genevieve missouri.
A dark golden color reminicent of an early autumn sunset. Typical head, nothing to write home about. Lots of bublies bubbling up from the bottom. Some sexy lacing left behind after sipping some. Smells like honey. Nothing but honey. A very balanced taste with honey flavors still present but not as strong as the smell. Wholesome mouthfeel, kinda malty without malty flavor.
I can't quite formulate an opinion. Its not bad, its not great, its more than mediocre. The more I sip it, the more I appreciate it. Its very unique. With such stong honey flavors, it doesn't have an alcohol bite one might expect, it drinks like a light bubbly mead at 5.5%.
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lindemans faro, some rodenbach, and some girardin geuze 1881
I thought the oarsman was good and wish there were more sours available in affordable 6-packs. It wasn't fantastic but it was worth the pricepoint imo.
To report back, the faro was undrinkable. Too much sweetness, too much residual nasty sugars. I dumped it. The rodenbach oud bruin flanders was pretty good but mediocre compared to duchess which I think has a lot more complexity by the precarious balance of sweetness and acidity. Will have to try their Grand Cru since people talk so much about it. The Girardin Geuze was great.
Also bought a Timmermans Geuze, it was great, probably my favorite next to oud beersels geuze vielle. It could have used a little more brett character too balance the sour but still amazing. Everyone go out and try this style! Next stop, Cantillon.
at the meeting, some Bells Oarsman made it to the table. yowzaa that was good. but beware, it is slightly sour. i like sour. its only 4%abv, but thats ok. i actually prefer to sip a few more and not get buzzed/drunk. nice light golden color, aromas of a citrusy saison, nice tang on the tongue, light refreshing mouthfeel, and goes down super smooth. very palatable.
steven lane hated it.
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Clown Shoes, Eagle Claw Fist. It was a hoppy amber ale. Delish!
At Maria's Anniversary in Southside, had Zombie Dust, 3F Thick White Freeks, DFH Bitches Brew, Double Galactic Daisy Cutter, 5 Vulture by that new Cereceveza or something like that, Coco Loco, and probably something else I forgot. I got real drunk that night. Surprised I was able to bike back the 7 miles. The Thick White Freeks was a real interesting Wit tasting beer, plenty of orange citrus up front. Real thick for the style as the name implies. The 5 Vulture was the other new stand out, a black ale brewed with Chiles, there was just enough to add complexity. Awesome. The Double Daisy was terrific. The BB was good as usual and Zombie Dust was unremarkable.
Oh, had Mikkeler Beer Geek Breakfast and it was delicious. Nice smoky taste, but not as much as the overpowering bacon. Well-balanced. Coco Loko had a really nasty coffee taste. I thought it was disgusting.
Life and Limb 2. Had it on tap and thought it was pretty good. It wasn't out of this world complex, but still a solid beer. It was slightly roasty with a little bit of residual sweetness from the caramel malts. Also some mild dark fruit notes. The abv on this was around 10. I was surprised...you can taste a slight alcohol...but nothing near what would be expected from a 10 percent brew.
I had Wild Onion's Jack Stout and Pumpkin as well as Three Floyd's Zombie Dust and a taste of Double Daisy Cutter. I think all were pretty solid. One of the first criteria I taste for is balance: in none of these was something way off in left field. My favorite of the night has to be the Pumpkin. None of the spices were overpowering and you could really taste the pumpkin. Often these sorts of beers taste to me like malt/pumpkin spice but this one definitely had a great balance between the malt and pumpkin, with the spice hitting the nose and the palate in just the right amount for just the right length of time.
So, am drinking a 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA by Stone and it's fucking amazing. It's the best beer I've ever had by them. I'm really not even a big stone fan, the only beer I wanted more than once from them was Ruination. Their Imperial Stout, Belgo-Barleywine, and Belgo-Anise are all trash compared to this beer. It's got slight roast character but reeks of hops. It's got the perfect bitterness to really interact with the malt character, a smidge over. I mean, it reeks of hops. One of the best new beers I've had in awhile.
Your pallet just drums to a different beat; nothing wrong with that. I for one, love Duvel...
nope. much like dave has described it - my palet is "whack". i havent been able to hone in on what makes me enjoy the flavor yet - as my appreciation is accross the board, there is no apparent formula. i can say i lean towards spice and phenols, and pronounced aroma, but not necessarily of hop or obviously lightstruck beer. i like sour, but not bitter. i definitely dont like sweet.
the others sound good
Daniel Barker said:
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iggi, you don't like duvel?
Had an amazing beersperience recently when I tried my first gueze. oude beersel oude geuze vielle. The brett and sour were perfectly balanced. Tons of complexity without anything overly dominating.
Also tried a lambic kriek, by haansens artisanal. It was just too acidic for me. Lots of bite. Like a smack in the face. Very wine-y. Very dry.
Picked up some lindemans faro, some rodenbach, and some girardin geuze 1881 today. Will report on those! Also got the Escondidian anniversary IPA from Stone today.
ive tried it before, a long time ago. i remember not caring for it. but i do love most 'belgians'. and my readings impressed me with this beer. duvel. golden ale. alas, my original impression remains. i dont enjoy it. its not a bad beer, but my expectations are set high for the belgian brews. cloudy golden color served at ambiant temps. slight acidic, bitter taste, but not from hop, second, third....and fourth sip were better than the first, it smelled much the same way it tasted. bit of a creamy mouthfeel, which may have been unexpected from the color. revisited. recalled. rejected,
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Yeah, I waited so long to try it because Joe told me it wasn't remarkable. I thought it was fantastic. (thanks a lot joe!)
I'm finally trying a goose island sofie. I wasn't expecting too much, as I really don't care for mathilda. But the sofie surprised me. Its soft with just the right amount of sour notes...not overpowering like a proper sour, and not just a hint which begs for more. I'm drinking it on the trainride home, so I cant pour it to get a visual, but I imagine it quite filtered and clear.
And it was made before the AB buyout.
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Yeah, probably, Iggi is reading my copy now. Just bought "Wild Brewing", a book in the same series about bugs and brett brewing. Hopefully it's as informative (different author).
I'm in NC right now and have been drinking some NC beers. Went to Foothills in Winston and had their Torch Pilsener, their plain Pale ale, and their seasonal Oktoberfest. The pale was a bit too bitter, straight up cascadey. A bit of a disapointment. The Pilsener was pretty delicious, the mouthfeel was super-thin but the malt flavor takes over really nicely. The Oktoberfest was delicious, with some nice roasty but not overbalanced flavors. I tasted my friends seasonal Hefeweizen and it was pretty dang good. Starts out with a peculiar malt taste (I think that's what it was, that or the hops and malt mixed) and then the banana really takes over. When it leaves the malt kicks in again. I'd highly suggest the two seasonals if anyone gets over to Winston Salem anytime soon (not likely since this is a Chicago board).
Also tried some stuff by Olde Hickory, a new place in Hickory, NC. Had their "Irish something" barleywine which was average. It tasted like a barley wine, otherwise sort of unremarkable. Also had their Russian Imperial Stout made with honey. The label was great, the beer was once again pretty good but not necessarily remarkable.
Also, non-NC. Smuttynose pumpkin was ok, smuttynose weise was awesome.
Gonna take a guess here, but is it: "brew like a monk"?
I'm reading it now...that's a message I find them extolling on in that book.
nice. will have to try.
i have been reading a ton about belgian beers and i often hear the same story - how breweries have to "dumb down" the flavors to cater to the american palet. i love hearing how some dont.
Sean Colleran said:
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Last night I tried Revolution's "Pablo Picasso," which is a Belgian ale aged in wine barrels with sour cherries. It was out of this world good. The wine was front and center, and the cherries gave it a nice tartness on the back end. Very refreshing despite the dark color, and a ton of complexity.
Nice haul...good find on the New Glarus IIPA. Its a great beer and getting harder to find.
I tend to do the same thing when out of town...center my movements around breweries and bottle shops.
Cheers and welcome to CHAOS.
I had my first Pliny the Elder last week; I loved how floral and citrusy it was!
I was out in Galena for a wedding yesterday and I went to Galena Brewing Co. I think all of them were pretty solidly decent beers; definitely hit the mark for each style. Nothing really too exciting except the Jah-pricot Wheat Ale (which has the perfect balance of apricot and hops) and the Farmer's Cream Ale (that sounded really dirty just now for some reason...) which was again surprisingly well-balanced and very light and refreshing.
for some reason I keep seeing or hearing people talk about stiegl past two days?
Three recent great brews: Salvation by Russian River, a Belgian Dark, tastes like a Quad. For a style I'm not super-excited about in general, it was lovely, well-balanced (strong malt flavor without being overpowering in that area). Russian River Supplication, a barrel aged sour, it was pretty much perfect. Also, Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga, a Grand Cru JP style. I would drink it over and over. Sour without being overpowering.
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