Archives : 2007 : December
The Brew Site Best of 2007
December 30th, 2007Looking back over the number of posts I made over 2007, I thought it would be fun to write a Brew Site "Best Of" list based on my writings. It’s that time of year, right? So without further ado, here’s The Brew Site Best of 2007: all based on my personal opinions of beers I drank and breweries I visited (etc. etc.) for this past year. (All my categories are arbitrary, loosely based on the topics I wrote about.)
Best Barrel-Aged Beer: The Angel’s Share, Lost Abbey (review)
Best Stout: Dragonstooth Stout, Elysian Brewing (review)
Best PR Package: Pumpkin beers: All the various pumpkin beers I received on request from a number of breweries, for my Pumpkin Beer Week.
Runners up:
- Lost Abbey beers (link): One big box. ‘Nuff said.
- Flying Dog‘s packages: I’m on their list for new and limited releases, and keep getting samples. Right on.
Best Name: The Hairy Eyeball Ale, Lagunitas Brewing (review)
Best Brewery Visit: Stone Brewing (review)
Runners up:
Hoppiest: Turmoil Black IPA, Barley Brown’s Brewpub (review)
Runners up:
- Woody Organic IPA, Roots Organic Brewing (review)
- Devotion, Lost Abbey (review)
Best Fresh Hop: Sodbuster Pale Ale, Deschutes Brewery (link)
Note: Tough call—all of the fresh hop beers I tried I liked, but this one from the Deschutes pub (on tap only) was ultimately my favorite.
Best Pumpkin: (tie) O’Fallon Pumpkin Ale, O’Fallon Brewery (review), and Lakefront Pumpkin Lager, Lakefront Brewery (review)
Best Session Post: #7 Brew Zoo—dedicated to Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter, and one that I had fun writing.
Best Beers Not Already Mentioned: (No particular order)
- Tannen Bomb, Golden Valley Brewing (review)
- Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewing (review)
- Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head (review)
- Young’s Special London Ale, Young’s (review)
- Stone Old Guardian, Stone Brewing (review)
- Jenlain Ambrée, Jenlain (review)
- Alaskan Smoked Porter 2005, Alaskan Brewing (review)
- Liberty Ale, Anchor Brewing (review)
- Old Nick, Young’s (review)
- Avant Garde, Lost Abbey (review)
- Cuvee de Tomme, Lost Abbey (review)
- Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen (review)
- Widmer Okto, Widmer (review)
- Wild Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, Flying Dog (review)
- Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Horn Dog (review)
- Baltika Porter (review)
Best Beer: What, you think I’d actually call this? No, unfortunately I can’t. There were several outstanding ones that are vying for that spot and I’d have to drink them again in a sudden death tasting…
Bison Organic Gingerbread Ale
December 28th, 2007
Bison Brewing‘s Gingerbread Ale is one of those I’ve seen and been intrigued by, but had never picked up until recently. It sounds good but you never know for sure until you crack open a bottle.
Brewed with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, Bison calls it a "holiday porter" though the review sites flag it as a spiced ale… I’m willing to compromise and call it a "Spiced Porter." It’s 6.8% alcohol, not too high but not light either… comfortable.
Appearance: Viscousy-looking pour, color is molasses brown with ruby red tinges.
Smell: Gingerbread for sure; molasses, dark coffee, some sort of dark fruit jelly or preserves, raw dough, sweet and a bit syrupy, some ginger spicing. It really does smell like fresh gingerbread.
Taste: Astringency from the roasted grains; some caramelized sugars, a toffee-ish presence, a touch of molasses, some rummy-cake notes. A dry porter that’s a tad on the light side, with some almost peppery-spice notes.
Mouthfeel: Dry, smooth with a nice presence on the tongue but a thin (watery) streak running through it, rendering it just shy of medium-bodied.
Overall: A decent porter with an amazing nose; possibly one of the best-smelling holiday beers I’ve encountered.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores a letter grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.29 out of 5 and is in their 68th percentile.
Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Horn Dog
December 28th, 2007
This was one of the beers I received recently from Flying Dog—it’s their Horn Dog Barley Wine, only kicked up a notch. Here’s the brief from the spec sheet included in the package:
This is a completely experimental beer. We took our Horn Dog Barley Wine and aged it in used Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels for 13 months to give us a Barley Wine with a very distinctive flavor. Being that it was an experiment, we brewed a very limited amount (725 12oz bottles to be exact) and they can only be purchased at the brewery.
I’m pretty lucky to have received one of these, considering! The Horn Dog is a 10.5% barleywine that sounds pretty good on its own; this barrel-aged version is "only" 10% alcohol and I was definitely looking forward to it.
Appearance: No carbonation; pours a murky, oily cola brown. Very flat, unfiltered appearance.
Smell: Alcohol, wood, a medicinal smell, sweet yet astringent oily herbals of some sort. "Wormwood" keeps going through my mind. Dark, burnt molasses sweetness. Rubber? Like hot rubber…
Taste: Wow. There’s bitter, oaky must right up front, a blooming alcohol heat that spreads to the back of the throat. Like a whiskey, or a blended Scotch. After the first few sips, the malt sweetness complements the woody liquor notes. Smoky, there’s tobacco leaf there… oiled leather, dark maple, a bit of the mustiness reminiscent of old corn…
Mouthfeel: Thick and viscousy, a bit oily, lots of heat from alcohol brings whiskey to mind. Smooths out as you sip.
Overall: An amazingly complex beer that I enjoyed very much. Definitely worth picking up if there are any bottles left at the brewery—get several, and lay them down in your cellar to age.
On BeerAdvocate, there are only 3 reviews but they give it a letter grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.73 out of 5 and is in their 92nd percentile.
90 Minute IPA (second time around)
December 27th, 2007
Yes, this is the second time I’ve reviewed this beer (first review); since Dogfish was (awesome) kind enough to send me a bottle of this in response to my inquiries into pumpkin beers (for my Pumpkin Beer Week)—since they were out of Punkin Ale—the least I could do was write up another review.
Plus, it’s interesting to compare notes on the same beer at different times.
Recap: 90 Minute IPA is an “extreme beer”: an Imperial IPA at 9% alcohol that is hopped continuously during it’s 90-minute boil. That is, hops are added continuously at short intervals for 90 minutes… which leads to an enormous hop bill with a complex interplay of flavors.
Appearance: Beautiful clear honey-orange color with fluffy, solid tan-white head.
Smell: Sweet and hoppy—woody, floral hops, earthy. Sweetness is syrupy sweet, very pleasant toasted biscuit. Reminds me of a barleywine.
Taste: Concentrated hop syrup is the impression—sweet and thick in malts and sugars and infused with smooth, floral and twiggy hops. A bit spicy there, like a Noble hop. Hops are strong, but so smooth and blended you don’t notice. And it’s very sweet, very pleasant—you don’t notice the 9% alcohol strength at all.
Mouthfeel: Pleasantly full-bodied yet very, very smooth and a bit warming. Like a syrup.
Overall: I used “pleasant” three times. It’s an impressive beer.
On BeerAdvocate, it earns a letter grade of A- (excellent). On RateBeer, it scores 4.06/5, and is in their 99th percentile.
Catching up
December 27th, 2007Now that Christmas is over and the Advent Calendar feature is done for another year, I can catch a breath and catch up on my "regular" blogging! I have some 13 reviews to write up—with more coming as I have a bunch of new beers to drink and review—particularly some of the samples that have been sent from breweries (Flying Dog and Southampton both sent me beers).
For my birthday I got a Beer of the Month club subscription (three months’ worth), so I’ll have lots of new beers to be writing about the next few months.
And other things; the Taste Your Beer kit I blogged about earlier came, and I’ve been behind in reviewing that as well.
Not to mention the Session is coming up next Friday; it’s being hosted by brewvana and the theme is Doppelbocks. I have the bottle (magnum!) of Collaborator Doppelbock from Flying Dog’s Open Source Beer Project, so I may very well write about that, along with a divergence into open source and free culture and who knows what else. Or maybe not, we’ll see.
Lots of stuff coming, on into the new year!
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 24: Anchor Christmas Ale
December 24th, 2007
Today’s the final day of the Advent Calendar, and you know I couldn’t let another year go by without picking Anchor Christmas Ale! This annual favorite (technically called "Our Special Ale")—perhaps one of the most anticipated and favorite American Christmas seasonal out there—is different from year to year; Anchor changes the recipe (which is secret) and the tree on the label.
First brewed in 1975, this year’s vintage is their 33rd release. Jay Brooks heralded this year’s release (and the beer overall) wonderfully for this month’s Session; go read that and then go out and pick up a six-pack of the beer for Christmas Eve.
BeerAdvocate score: B+ (letter grade). RateBeer score: 3.58/5, 89th percentile.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 23: The Abyss
December 23rd, 2007
Today is my birthday, so like I did last year, I’m selecting a beer that isn’t (ordinarily) a Christmas/winter-themed seasonal, but is more of a "birthday choice": Deschutes Brewery‘s The Abyss. Released as part of Deschutes’ Reserve Series, this phenomenal Imperial Stout is 11% alcohol by volume and aged in barrels, and is an extremely limited release—the release party for this year’s batch is January 15th, and I guarantee it will go fast.
The Abyss has been winning awards all over the place—including the gold at this year’s GABF—and comes in a wax-dipped bottle. And just to make you all jealous (it is my birthday, after all!), let me just say that yes, I’ve drank this beer and yes, I have three bottles of last year’s vintage in my pantry.
(I plan on stocking up even more with this year’s vintage.)
BeerAdvocate score (whoa… they’ve apparently completely changed their scoring system around…): "A" (letter grade) "outstanding". RateBeer score: 4.16/5, 100% percentile.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 22: Pisgah Solstice
December 22nd, 2007
To commemorate the winter solstice today, I selected Pisgah Brewing‘s Pisgah Solstice. Even though they brew this beer year round, it certainly sounds like a seasonal:
Pisgah’s year round Belgian. A Tripel ale, this beer contains moderately fruity esters with an alcoholic complexity supported by a soft malt character. This beer is pale gold in color and 9.5% ABV.
Scoot yourself down to Black Mountain, North Carolina for a glass or two of this beer (or a growler); they don’t bottle, but it’ll be worth it.
BeerAdvocate score: 7 reviews, 3.87/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.54/5, 84th percentile.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 21: Young’s Christmas Ale
December 21st, 2007
Last year around this time I picked Young’s Christmas Pudding Ale, and I wanted to pick something from them again—and fortunately, that’s not the only Christmas beer they offer. So today I’m picking their Christmas Ale—the catch is (like some of the others I’ve picked) it’s available on draught only. (At least, according to their site right now—BeerAdvocate shows a picture of it in the bottle).
This beer breaks the mold for a seasonal a bit in that it’s an English Bitter style at only 4.3% alcohol—but really, after so many spiced, strong, darker seasonal beers, who wouldn’t want to take it easy and toss back a few session bitters?
BeerAdvocate score: 4 reviews, 4.06/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 2.98/5, 41st percentile.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 20: Gift of the Magi
December 20th, 2007
When I hear "Gift of the Magi," I think of the O. Henry story rather than the Three Kings that inspired this Lost Abbey beer. However, this beer sounds awesome (in true Lost Abbey fashion):
It seems that everyone knows the story of the Three Kings. Sent to follow the star in the sky each brought a gift for the baby they sought. One King brought Gold, the other Frankincense and the other Myrrh. Many breweries produce a Christmas Seasonal beer and this is our beer to celebrate the holiday season. Gold in color and bittered with the bark of Frankincense, we have even used the smallest amount of Myrrh which is an herb that has roots in ancient winemaking as well. A massive Golden Ale fit for a king (or Queen) we offer the Gift of the Magi each holiday season.
This year’s version is a hearty 9% Bière de Garde conditioned with Brettanomyces yeast. Also like many Lost Abbey beers, this one is among the rare; only 170 cases were brewed. Get it while you can.
BeerAdvocate score: 8 reviews, 3.98/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.7/5, 91st percentile.
Image credit: ganked from BeerAdvocate.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 19: Pyramid Snow Cap
December 19th, 2007
In honor of the snow that’s (lightly) falling here in Central Oregon today, I’ve picked Pyramid Snow Cap for today’s beer. This is a Northwest classic, first brewed in 1986, a Winter Warmer in the English tradition.
Expect a spicy, hoppy, fruity-ish 7% alcohol warming brew. And I can’t think of a better endorsement for Snow Cap than what Jay at Hedonist Beer Jive writes here:
Nowadays no one seems to give PYRAMID any respect whatsoever, which seems kinda wrong to me, especially after reacquainting myself with SNOW CAP recently. Damn, this could end up being in 2007’s top five winter ales for sure – sure, it’s got a fairly thin body and a very mild head o’ foam, but with its light spicing and hearty blend of malts, this is Christmas done right.
BeerAdvocate score: 82/100, 90% approval. RateBeer score: 3.39/5, 77th percentile.
Advent Beer Calender 2007: Day 18: Samichlaus Helles
December 18th, 2007
Each year on the Advent Calendar so far I’ve selected Samichlaus, and this year’s selection has a bit of a twist: Samichlaus Helles ("Samichlaus Light") from Schloss Eggenberg. I was clued in to this from this post on Joe Sixpack’s blog, wherein he writes:
…this “lighter” version of the classic Santa Claus beer was made especially for the American market. “I don’t want to cannibalize Samichlaus in other countries,” Stohr writes. “America is the best market for Samichlaus.”
I’ve read elsewhere that this is he first time this version has been made in 20 years – I honestly don’t remember that one. The Helles pours much paler than the original Samichlaus. And by original, I mean the 10-year-old bottle from Hürlimann (its original Swiss brewer) that I compared it with over the weekend. It’s still quite strong at 14 percent alcohol, but the body is just a bit lighter; it’s a sipper but dangerously drinkable.
Take note, the "light" part of the name isn’t equivalent to the American Macro notion of "lite"—it’s every bit the super-strength Samichlaus we all know and love, just paler (brighter) than the original.
BeerAdvocate score: 7 reviews, 4.13/5, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.34/5, 71st percentile.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 17: Weihnachts Engel
December 17th, 2007
I wanted to include at least one German beer on the list this year, so today I’m going with the elusive Weihnacts Engel, from Crailsheimer Engel-Bräu. I say "elusive" because although this appears to be their flagship beer, it’s not listed on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer only has 19 reviews online.
"Weihnachts Engel" loosely translated means "Christmas Angel" in English. This beer is an Oktoberfest style of lager, at 5.5% alcohol—not a heavyweight but a nice session beer to enjoy for the holidays.
BeerAdvocate score: none. RateBeer score: 2.49/5, 18th percentile (only 19 reviews).
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 16: Bocq Christmas
December 16th, 2007
Today’s pick is Bocq Christmas, from Belgium’s Brasserie du Bocq. It’s a strong, spicy Belgian Dubbel (or Strong Ale, depending on which review site specs you follow) at 8.1% alcohol. Details from their site are a little skimpy, but here’s what they say:
Appearance : dark colour, clear, fine and generous white head.
Flair : rich with a scent of coriander and liquorice.
Taste : full mouthed, heady, pleasant aroma of the typical special malts.
Remark : tasting between 8° and 12°C. Typical beer for the end of the year. High range beer to taste together with family or friends.
A great beer to accompany that Christmas meal—say, with roast beef and sharp cheddar, or ham with raisin sauce.
BeerAdvocate score: (older version) 85/100, 100% approval. RateBeer score: 3.53/5, 86th percentile.
Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 15: St. Nikolaus Bock
December 15th, 2007
Today’s pick is St. Nikolaus Bock, from Pennsylvania Brewing in Philadelphia. Penn Brewing specializes in German style beers, and their Christmas brew is a rich 6% alcohol Bock:
A very rich, dark bock beer. Dark ruby in color with subtle tones of chocolate and burnt malt. It will warm you on a cold winter night and brighten your days. The perfect holiday gift for the beer drinker.
The brewery is also producing a special Brewer’s Reserve batch of St. Nikolaus, bottled in 25 ounce bottles and presented in a velvet bag. Now that is something I’d like to find under the tree come Christmas morning!
BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 98% approval. RateBeer score: 3.36/5, 74th percentile.
