JosephsBrau Brewing Co. - Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

JosephsBrau Brewing Co. in San Jose, CA is Trader Joe's brewery.  In other words don't expect to find this anywhere but TJ's.  And like many products at TJ's, you'll discover something you love and then they won't keep it in stock.

Stockyard Oatmeal Stout is black like diesel and pours with little head.  It is not as heavy as you would think.  Beers are like coffee in that the roasting of coffee beans imparts different flavors, and with beer it is the roasting of malts and darker beers have malts roasted longer.  Stockyard is a medium bodied beer with 5.2% ABV.  Some stouts have more coffee flavors, and some are more chocolate flavored.  This is one definitely a sweet and creamy chocolate stout with hints of vanilla.  There is a little bit of malty bitterness at the end, but this lightly carbonated beer goes down smoothly.

If you are a stranger to dark beers this would be a good on to start with.  It's a lot different than Guinness, but easy on the palate.

Overall, this is a great beer.  Trader Joe's knocked this one out of the park!  Cheers!

Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection -- Verloren

 This is the final installation of my review of the $20 four bottle small batch collection that I picked up from Costco.  Check out my reviews of Third Voyage Double IPA, Imperial White, and Honey Queen Braggot.

The Boston Beer Co.'s Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection are their higher quality and experimental beers.  Verloren is no exception.  It is an attempt to recreate ales from ancient Saxony.  Gose has an unfiltered wheat ale as its base, which is why it has a hazy golden hefeweizen-like hue.  It pours with a foamy sparkly head which quickly dissipates. 

It is brewed with Saaz hops, salt, and coriander.  The hops are barely noticeable because this beer is malty smooth and yeast-y like most wheat beers, but to me the difference is the salt with a little bit of pepper flavor.  It is smooth, crisp, and fizzy.  Other people on the interweb talk about this beer being full of citrus and orange flavors, but I'm not tasting it out of this bottle.  It is very drinkable and interesting, but not something I necessarily need to try again; however, I do appreciate that it is a different take on wheat beer, and the saltiness makes it easier to pair.  I'm classy and pairing it with a hot dog and beans, but this is a versatile beer that will pair well with burgers, steaks, and even salads.  Cheers!

Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection -- Honey Queen

This is the third post in a series about Boston Beer Co.'s (AKA Samuel Adams) small batch collection.  Check out my previous posts on Third Voyage Double IPA and Imperial White.

Honey Queen pours golden straw like a lager, but fortunately it is no lager.  It smells like creamy honey.  It claims to be "Ale brewed with honey, chamomile, and with natural flavors added" and 7.5% ABV.  You'll notice that at the bottom of label it says "Barggot," which apparently is a blend of mead and beer that can trace its roots as far back as the 12th century.  The back of the bottle calls it a "whimsical brew that is floral with a tart sweetness and a much awaited honey finish."

Usually honey beers don't seem to keep their flavor (maybe that's why this also has "natural flavors").  I met a guy that was ridiculously into home brewing who told me that that the problem with honey beers is that they need to be pasteurized.

I have to go out on a limb and say this is probably the best honey beer I've ever had.  Its so good I almost didn't want to share with Kiki...but as a good husband I shared a few sips.  She doesn't normally like beers, but she liked this one.  This beer is light, smooth, a little bread-y, and very sweet.  I'm not a big sweet beer person, but I do like mead and this is a nice change from beers that are either really malty or really hoppy.  It packs a lot of honey flavor with a slight malty finish.  There are hints of citrus and vanilla.  After a long day of working around the house on a hot Labor Day weekend this beer hits the spot!  It's creamy smooth flavor is great for a hot summer day and is hard to put down.  Cheers!