Stone Brewing Co. -- Enjoy After 12.26.15 Brett IPA

This beer is thanks to my buddy Brian and his wife Jenn who gave it to me for my birthday in January.  I faithfully cellared it in my closet waiting for this beer to age.

This beer is a Brett IPA, which the bottle describes as being spiked with Brettanomyces, a wild yeast "that, over time, brings about charmingly unpredictable complexities of spice, funk, acidity and more."  The idea behind this beer to follow in the footsteps of the original IPAs of the 1700s.  Brettanomyces was as common yeast in the barrels used to age those IPAs.  I like the idea of tasting beer the way it was originally enjoyed.  Part of why this beer requires aging until December 26, 2015 is so it can carbonate in the bottle.  I enjoyed mine on January 2, 2016 and found it to be lightly carbonated; however, the foamy head was a little out of control.  Initially when I poured it the glass was entirely foam.  Looking around online I did not have a unique experience.  With a lot of patience it receded enough so I could add some more until I had a full glass.

Tech specs: 750 ml bottle; 7% ABV; Hops include  super galena, simcoe, delta, target, amarillo, calypso, and cascade; 70 IBU

It is a straw color, but hazy with little bits of yeast settling at the bottom like home brew.  The wild yeast definitely makes this a unique beer with some fruity citrus tang and a little bit of sweetness.  The hops give a nice initial punch, and then they balance with the malt to give a lingering hoppy flavor.  This is my first Brett beer so to me and I found the bitterness was stronger than the typical hops noticeable in an IPA.   I can see why they describe the taste as "funk" as the yeast yields its obvious contribution. 

This isn't a beer I would drink every day, but that wasn't the intent.  It says "experiment" on the bottle.  I enjoyed this beer and wish I had a few more to spread out over the next year to see if the flavor changes further.  I would be happy to drink it again.

You can read my past Stone posts: 11.11.11 Vertical Epic,  Imperial Russian Stout, Old Guardian Belgo Barley Style Wine, and Double Bastard Ale.  Sadly, I meant to do an entry on the Stone Brewery Tour, but never got around to it -- it's awesome, and if you can get a spot it is worth it.

New Belgium + Ben & Jerry's -- Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale

Over the last few years collaborative beers have grown in popularity.  New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins, Colorado has teamed up with Ben & Jerry's of ice cream fame to create Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale.  It is both a beer and an ice cream.  After hearing about this beer from a friend I was surprised to find it at Costco for $5 for a 22 ounce bottle.  A portion of the profits go to Protect Our Winters to combat climate change.

It pours with almost no head, has a medium brown color, and a bit of a sweet caramel aroma.  Overall, it is a sweet smooth drinking brown ale.  It has and overall chocolate flavor, with some hints of vanilla.  The saltiness is a light touch at the end and balances well with the sweetness and a slightly bitter finish.  It is 6.3% ABV and is brewed with nugget and goldings hops.

I would definitely drink this again, although I wish the price was cheaper.  Now if only I could make a float with the Ben & Jerry's ice cream of the same name...

Mammoth Brewing Company in Mammoth Lakes, California

Kiki and I recently were able to escape for a week of vacation.  I did a few days of fishing around Bridgeport, California (about 2.5 hours south of Reno, Nevada in Mono County, California).  Kiki picked me up mid-week and we roughed it the rest of the week at the Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth Lakes, California.  Besides being able to explore Yosemite National Park, the June Lakes loop, and Mammoth Lakes area we had a chance to stop by Mammoth Brewing Company to sample to fine brews from the highest elevation brewery on the west coast (8,000 feet in elevation).

Mammoth Brewing Co. has been in business since 1995.  They just arrived at the above pictured location about two months ago.  We were told that eventually they will also serve food.

Sweet view behind the taps!

I started out with a flight of "The Originals" which is $5 for two ounce pours of Golden Trout Pilsner, Paranoids Pale Ale, Real McCoy Amber, Double Nut Brown Porter, Epic IPA, IPA 395, and Root Beer.

Paranoids Pale Ale and Golden Trout Pilsner

Paranoids Pale Ale has a light body, a little bit hoppier than Sierra Nevada, and is slightly carbonated.  It is pretty easy drinking so it is pretty sessionable.  It is 5.5% ABV.  I enjoyed it so I picked up a couple 22 ounce bottles to take home for $6 each.

Golden Tout Pilsner is 5.5% ABV, has a light straw color, and lager flavor as you would expect from a pilsner.  The twist, however, is that it has a little bit of a creamy flavor.  Pilsners are not my favorite, but they appeal to some people.

 Double Nut Brown Porter and Real McCoy Amber

The Double Nut Brown Porter is a dark chocolate color with chocolate roasted malt flavor.  It won a gold medal in the 2012 World Beer Cup.  It is almost like Big Sky Brewing Co.'s Moose Drool, but less complex in flavor and a little bit sweeter.  It is 5.5% ABV.

Real McCoy Amber is 5.5% ABV, hazy, malty, and creamy.  It has a little bit of a chalk aftertaste, and a little bit of a lager flavor.  If you've read my other posts you know I'm not big on lagers; thus, this was not my favorite.

IPA 395 and Epic IPA

IPA 395 is a double IPA clocking in at a hefty 8% ABV.  As you can see it is darker and the color is more golden.  It is brewed with golden sage, which really cuts down on the hop flavor, and is also brewed with juniper berries and wild hops.  Highway 395 is the highway that goes from the Mojave desert all the way up to Washington State.  It cuts right through the Owens Valley along the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mounts so this beer is a homage to the local landscape and local ingredients.  I was really able to taste the sage, which I loved since when you get out in the Owens Valley and are surrounded by sage you can really smell it before you get adjusted.  Overall, this beer is pretty mellow and easy drinking for a double IPA.  I would definitely recommend it.  They sell 22 ounce bottles for $6 each.

Epic IPA is 6.5% ABV and is a traditional IPA with hoppy grapefruit flavors.  It is very aromatic of hops and gives a long hop aftertaste.  It is golden in color.  Overall, its a good IPA but there isn't really anything to set this apart from the multitude of IPAs on the market.

I almost called it good right there, but Kiki talked me into trying the flight of seasonal beers.  For $7 you get two ounce pours of their seasonal beers, which for Summer 2014 included: Dos Osos, El Capitan, Hair of the Bear, Wild Sierra, Rye of the Tiger, Bondibock, and Black Bear Stout.

 Dos Osos and El Capitan

Dos Osos is a 7.5% ABV Mexican style dark lager with vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon, and coffee flavors.  Since it is brewed with coffee it has a little bit of caffeine.  The coffee, by the way, comes from Black Velvet coffee down the street from the brewery.  It is light brown in color and smells like root beer.  It is very smooth and creamy.  Over the last couple of years I have grown in my appreciation for Mexican dark lagers and found this to be a great beer.

El Capitan obviously is a reference to nearby Yosemite National Park.  It is a 9.5% double IPA with a golden color.  It is a little spicy.  It is brewed with local pine needles, wild yeast, and some brown sugar is added which cuts the spiceiness.  It is less aromatic than Epic IPA. 

 Hair of the Bear and Wild Sierra

Hair of hte Bear is a German lager double bock at a hefty 9% ABV.  It is brewed with dark Munich malts with extra lagering time.  It is unfiltered so it has some yeast sediment.  It has a nice copper color, traditional bock maltiness, and is a little creamy.  For some reason at first I wasn't impressed, but it grew on me after a few sips.

Wild Sierra is a saison farmhouse ale with 7.5% ABV.  It yeasty flavors and is light and bubbly.  It is unfiltered with a  cloudy straw color.  It smells a little fruity and yeasty, and when you taste it there are some white wine flavors.  It is brewed with Pilsner, Rye, Vienna, and light crystal malts.  It is brewed with three yeasts: Belgian, Saison, and wild yeast from local pinon pine needles.  It is a unique flavor, and I think its cool that they used pinon pine needles, but saisons are never my favorite.  In any event, it is worth sampling.

Blondibock and Rye of the Tiger

Bondibock is a German rye ale aged in bourbon barrels, which was first brewed in 2011 for the local Mammoth Lakes Bluesapalooza.  Since then it has been brought back every summer since.  This beer is aged in bourbon barrels which imparts great flavors.  It smells more like whiskey than beer.  It has complex whiskey and caramel flavors.  It is very smooth drinking and was one of my favorites.  It is 7.5% ABV.

Rye of the Tiger is a 5% ABV session beer that was an experimental combination of a rye beer and an IPA.  It has a dry and malty finish.  It is light and crisp with a golden copper color.  It smells slightly hoppy, but the rye balances out the hops on the nose, but then there is a slight crisp hoppy aftertaste.

The Black Bear Stout is 9% ABV with block color and a creamy head.  It is nitrogen charged so the carbonation cascades like Guinness.  It is extra malty, creamy, and smooth.  There are coffee and chocolate flavors like a lot of stouts.  It is very lightly carbonated and slides down your throat pretty easily.  

Finally, I finished the whole thing off with the root beer from the first flight.  The root beer seemed pretty classic to me with a nice sweet root beer flavor.  Kiki appreciated having the root beer option since she isn't big on beers and was the designated driver.

Toomey's Ultimate Hot Dog

After hitting up Mammoth Brewing Co. we stopped by Toomey's for a mid-afternoon snack.  Toomey's got great reviews on Yelp and was near our hotel in "The Village."  For the Ultimate Hot Dog you can list off ingredients and they'll put them on if they have them.  I had mine with bacon, avocado, and jalapenos.  After drinking all that beer on an empty stomach this hot dog was much appreciated.  Toomey's was nice with a good menu selection and friendly staff, but not nearly as cool as Feeney's Starlight Cafe -- I had the kimchi burrito at Feeney's which was excellent.

I am pretty much a want-to-be mountain man so I enjoyed being in beautiful Mammoth Lakes.  If you're in the area Mammoth Brewing Company is definitely worth the stop.  They make some great beers and we found the staff to be knowledgable and friendly.

Cheers!

I'll leave you with a photo of Half Dome as viewed from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park:

Indian Wells Brewing Co. -- Lobotomy Bock Lager

Indian Wells Brewing Co. right off California Highway 14

Inside Indian Wells Brewing Co.

Indian Wells Brewing Company hails from Inyokern, California in the high desert near the city of Ridgecrest.  If you head north on Highway 14 towards the Owens Valley and Mammoth Mountain you will drive right by it before you hit Highway 395.  The brewery is uniquely situated by a natural spring which allows it access to high quality water.  Geologists believe snow melt from Mount Whitney (the highest point in the lower 48 states just north of the brewery) flows through an underground river to create the spring.

I found myself introduced to Indian Wells Brewing by my hunting buddy after a weekend of deer hunting up in the Owens Valley.  Whether you're heading up to the Eastern Sierras to play, out to the desert to romp in the dirt, or are stationed out of China Lake, Indian Wells is worth a stop.  They sell beer, soda, candy, and have plenty of samples from the tap.  A six pack is reasonably priced at $7.99 and a case is $29.99.

The historic marker outside the brewery reads: "After five days travel from the Argus Range, the Manley-Jawhawker parties of 1849 found their first water at this Indian waterhole on the Joseph R. Walker Trail of 1843.  During the 1860s this was the site of a stage and freight station for traffic between Los Angeles and Coso and Cerro Gordo Mines.

Lobotomy Bock tastes like a bock meets a stout meets a lager.  It pours dark brown with a bit of creamy colored foam that quickly dissipates.  It seems fairly light bodied which is surprising since it is 10.8% ABV -- in other words, it has twice the alcohol content of most beers and is even more alcoholic than many barley wines.  It is fairly carbonated and the flavors are mostly bitter, toasty burnt, and malty.  It is brewed with five different types of malts, but the malt profile tends to be surprisingly subtle because of the bitterness.  Not much hoppiness here since the hops are added to the finish of the boil.  It has a long coffee ground aftertaste.  Bocks were originally strong dark German lagers.  Many bocks tend to be lighter brown; however, this is a dopple bock - AKA double bock - which were brewed by Friars as liquid bread during times of fasting.  Overall, Lobotomy Bock is pretty easy drinking for a strong beer so be careful.  Its not something I would drink everyday, but it is worth the adventure.  Cheers!

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!

Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection -- Imperial White

My last post began the adventure into Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection and the Third Voyage Double IPA.  As I mentioned, Costco has a four pack for a penny under $20.

Sam Adams brewed it's first bold beer in 1988 with a double bock.  It wasn't until 2009 when Sam Adams came out with the imperial series.  After trying a bunch of different recipes they came up with this unique beer. Supposedly you can make a "Samosa" with this with 2/3 orange juice and 1/3 Imperial White -- I'll have to get another bottle so I can try that.

Imperial White is 10.3% ABV and 15 IBUs -- the alcohol content for this beer is up there with barley wines.  It pours a hazy-golden with a little bit of foam.  The color comes from the extraordinary amount of malts used -- none of them are roasted, it's just a lot of malt that give it the darker color.  Like many of the white-genera on the first sip you can immediately taste citrus and spices; however, as an "imperial" white it's amped up so it is almost syrupy.  The term imperial comes from beers in the 1800s shipped from England to imperial Russia's royalty.  The term came to mean luxury, and eventually beers that are bolder and fuller.  Sam Adam's Imperial White is no exception.  It's a strong wheat beer brewed with orange and lemon peel, hibiscus, coriander, dried plum, anise, rose hips, and vanilla.  All these ingredients make it extremely complex and you can pick up different flavors on each sip.  There are lots of fruit flavors with the orange, lemon, and plum.  The spices blend with the vanilla for a mellow and sweat aftertaste.

Given the sweetness and strength it makes a good desert beer.  I'm pairing it with some Atlantic salmon.  This is great for anyone looking for a unique beer or to share with others.  Cheers!

Samuel Adams Small Batch Collection -- Third Voyage Double IPA

The Boston Beer Company is best known for its Samuel Adams brand.  They've made limited edition small batch collections of bold and unconventional beers.  While at Costco I stumbled upon this collection for $19.99, which is not bad for four quality large bottle brews.

Third Voyage Double IPA is meant to take the IPA style back to its origins.  India Pale Ales were made by the British as beers that were strong and hoppy so the beer would last on long ship voyages to far away parts of the British Empire.  In the 1700s malts were roasted pretty dark (i.e. brown ale, stouts, and porters), so making a beer that was copper color was considered pale.  Third Voyage was inspired by "Captain James Cook whose 3rd voyage made him the first to navigate a treacherous route from England to New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest."  In that spirit, Sam Adams has used Cascade hops from each of those areas.

This beer is rated at 8.0% ABV, 85 IBUs and is a nice copper color.  It pours with quite a bit of head, but that eventually dissipates to a trace.  It smells hoppy and floral, but with a deeper and richer characteristic that I find only in strong and hoppy beers.  It is lightly carbonated and full of bitterness that leaves a long aftertaste which eventually turns a little chalky from the malts that try to balance this beer.  The hops give it a touch of citrus and pine.  It's almost like a combination of Stone's IPA and Arrogant Bastard -- it's big bodied and big on the hop profile.  In my experience, Sam Adams beers usually don't stray very far from the Boston Lager mainstay, even when they're trying to brew something completely different.  This is definitely an exception and is probably the boldest beer from Sam Adams I've ever had.  It's so bold you can just enjoy it on its own.  Hops will cut through with spicy food or pair nicely with red meat.  I'm going to grill up some tri-tip to enjoy the last half of it.  Cheers!

Lagunitas Brewing Co. -- New Dogtown Pale Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Co. was founded in 1993 in Lagunitas, California (an unincorporated area of Marin County just north of San Francisco).  Now their headquarters are in Petaluma which is in Sonoma County just north of the Bay Area.  In 20 years they have become the sixth best selling craft brewery in the U.S.  In the last decade they have had exponential growth.

New Dogtown Pale Ale states on the bottle: "This is not the original Pale Ale as brewed in far away 1993 in the back of the Old House of Richards Building in the West Main hamlet of Forest Knolls right next to little Lagunitas...It is way better.  Back then the beer tasted like broccoli and kerosene and the carbonation ate right through and drained your stomach into your gut..." 

Aren't we all glad there are choices for beer that do not taste like broccoli and kerosene.  This pale ale is hazy golden color, pours with a bit of a head when you're inpatient like me, minimal but slightly hoppy aroma.  It is lightly carbonated and is immediately bitter on the nose with a continuous bitter linger with a little bit of maltiness that comes up in the linger.  The complexity of the flavor is in the hoppy bitterness -- that's where you can pick up pine-y, grassy, floral hop flavors.  It is medium body and clocks in at 6.2% ABV. 

Overall, it is more like an IPA than Sierra Nevada Pale Ale because it is more hoppy and more bitter.  In fact, it is more bitter than most pale ales.  Not that being more bitter is a bad thing; it's just an observation.  I paired it with some pizza and that was awesome!  If you don't mind some hops or consider yourself more of a "hop-head" then this is an excellent pale ale.  Cheers!

Mendocino Brewing Co. -- Bock Beer

Mendocino Brewing Company is based out of Ukiah, California which is about two hours north of San Francisco up the 101.  The name Mendocino is the name of the county, and the name of the county traces its origins to Spanish exploration.  That area of California known for redwood trees, wine, marijuana, and craft beer.  Like many craft breweries the founders started out home brewing.  They opened a brewpub in 1983 with their flagship beer Red Tail Ale (which is still around and very tasty).  They were the first brewpub in California and the second in the U.S. to put the pieces together that craft beer and food would sell well together.  They have grown to be the 30th largest craft brewer in the U.S., 6th biggest in California, and have their beers distributed in 43 states.

Bock Beer is seasonal so unfortunately it's not stocked all the time.  It pours dark amber with very little head.  It has a slightly sweet malty smell, and the taste is a smooth malty-biscuit-butter-slightly sweet flavor.  Like most bocks it is really mild so any food you pair it with needs to be mild as well otherwise the spices will overwhelm it.  The aftertaste is short, malty, and yeast-y.  It is hard to pick up on the hops in this beer, but they do add some bitterness.  It's 6.0% ABV, medium bodied, and overall a bock that is pretty true to form.  It is a good beer if you're looking for something sweet and smooth.  Cheers!

Anchor Brewing Co. -- Liberty Ale

Anchor Brewing Co. is one of the older craft breweries in the country.  Their flagship is Anchor Steam, but they also make a pretty mean Porter, which I previously reviewed.

From the bottle: "San Francisco's famous Liberty Ale was first brewed on the 18th of April, 1975, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Paul Revere's historic ride.  It is virtually handmade by the brewers of Anchor Steam Beer in one of the smallest and most traditional breweries in the world.  Liberty Ale is made with the finest barley malt; fresh, whole hops; top-fermenting yeast; pure water; and the simple natural methods that reflect our exceptional respect for the ancient art of brewing.  It is 'dry hopped,' a classic ale tradition, and slowly completes its fermentation in sealed vats in our cellars.  This unique process creates Liberty Ale's distinctive bouquet and uncommonly delicate, entirely natural carbonation."

It has 5.9% ABV and is brewed with cascade hops and two row pale malts.  As you can see it pours with a large foamy head and a hazy dark straw color like a hefeweizen.  It tastes like a pale ale, but lighter body, more subtle malts, and smoother and lighter carbonation.  The malts leave a short malty aftertaste.  Beer advocate calls it an American IPA, but I don't think that's very fitting.  It's more like a creamy pale ale, which makes it easily drinkable.  The timing of first brewing it in April was appropriate because this is a great spring-time beer.  Cheers!

Coronado Brewing Company -- Islander IPA

I found Coronado Brewing Co.'s Islander IPA at Costco for $3.49 for a 22 oz bottle.  Coronado is a resort city in San Diego County across the bay from downtown San Diego.  Coronado Brewing started in 1996 shortly before the craft beer scene started to explode. You can find Coronado Brewing Co.'s beers in: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. The mermaid logo traces its roots back to the local San Diego legend about mermaids singing beautiful songs to attract sailors away from the jagged rocks of Point Loma and into the calm waters of San Diego Bay.

As you can see, this light golden beer pours with a bit of head, but that goes down after a couple minutes and then leaves quite a bit of lacing on the glass.  It has a strong floral hoppy smell.  This beer has a medium body, quite a bit of bite, and leaves a long bitter aftertaste.  The bitterness overwhelms the Munich malts.  It is brewed with Cascade, Chinook, and Columbus hops, which give it that bitter bite with flavors of pine and citrus fruitiness. 

It registers at 7.0% ABV and 70 IBUs.  Since Islander IPA has a prominent presence on your pallet, like many IPAs it will pair well with spicy food, burgers, and steaks.  I personally go through phases where I switch between styles of beer that I prefer.  Hoppy beers aren't for everyone.  On the spectrum of IPAs from barely hoppy (and shouldn't be called an IPA) to extremely hoppy/bitter this is more on the hoppy/bitter side.  For anyone who likes hoppy beers or is looking for a good beer as spring starts to turn into summer Islander IPA is definitely worth a try. 

Deschutes Brewery -- Black Butte Porter

I've been bad about blogging lately...mostly because of working a lot.  I've got a bunch of beers stockpiled that I bought for reviewing, and I have a slew of old posts that I started and need the finishing touches.  I'm also planning on doing some entries on home brewing.  In short, there is more to come.

Deschutes Brewery out of Bend, Oregon makes a lot of great beers.  It was founded in 1988 and is now the fifth largest craft brewery and eleventh largest brewery in the U.S.  You can find their beers in 18 states, which are pretty much the western half of the U.S.

Black Butte is the best selling craft porter in the country.  It claims numerous awards, but most recently a silver medal at the 2013 International Brewing Awards.  Most breweries aren't willing to put a porter as a flagship beer, but Deschutes took that leap.  It is self described as having a "creamy mouthfeel, complex layers, hop edge and chocolate finish."  It clocks in at 5.2% ABV.  As you would expect, since its a porter it looks black when poured; however, if you hold it up to the light it has a reddish hue.  The bottle's description is pretty on the money.  It is definitely creamy and has a chocolate finish.  The hops are subtle, but give it a little bit of a bite.  The malts lend a lengthy and complex aftertaste that seems to get a little bit more bitter after a handful of sips.

A lot of breweries make porters, and many of them are worth trying, but this seems to be a hard style for many to nail down.  Deschutes has done a very good job in making a style of beer that I would only want to drink on occasion into something I would buy a 12 pack of.  It is not made with spices -- just several different types of dark malts that give it the complexity.  For anyone new to the craft beer scene this would be an excellent porter to start with and use as a comparison for judging others.

Trader Joe's 2012 Vintage Ale

Trader Joe's yearly tradition is their vintage ale.  I've been out of the habit of blogging for a while because I've been working long hours.  When I saw this at my local TJ's I decided it was time to get back to it.  This beer is actually brewed by Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec, Canada (just outside Montreal).  Unibroue has been in business since 1990 and adheres to a European trappist monk style.  All Unibroue beers are brewed with water, malted barley, malted wheat, wheat, yeast, hops, sugar, fruit, and spices.  They also bottle ferment their beers.

The 2012 Vintage Ale is a Belgian strong ale and clocks in at 9% ABV.  It comes corked, which for me would not twist or pull out so I had to use a corkscrew.  It pours with a thick coffee-cream colored foam (a bit over carbonated), which eventually goes away.  It's a very dark raisin brown with a complex taste profile.  Overall, malty and spicy with a thick body.  It has a malty and yeast-y aftertaste.  Within the maltiness you can taste ginger, nutmeg, dark fruit, and some sweetness. 

At $4.99 this beer isn't cheap, but for 750ml and 9% ABV, that's really a good price.  It's a great beer to share at a holiday meal, or to kick back and relax over the weekend.  Four out of five stars, and worth giving it a try!

Whistler Brewing Co. -- Classic Pale Ale and Premium Export Lager

Whistler Brewing Company is in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.  More specifically, its located at Function Junction, Whistler.  For those that don't know, Whistler Blackcomb is a huge ski resort 125 km north of Vancouver, which you may recognize from the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Anyway, Whistler Brewing was started in 1989 when craft brewing was becoming popular in British Columbia, and it is one of the few that passed the test of time. 

The two beers from Whistler that I snagged, Classic Pale Ale and Premium Export Lager, are from a beer sampler Kiki gave me for my birthday.  Otherwise, I have not seen them for sale in southern California.

First up is the "Classic Pale Ale" which clocks in at 5% ABV.  It pours slightly foamy and has a hazy copper color.  It doesn't have much aroma, but I would later learn it doesn't have much taste either.  It has a light body which was lighter than expected based on the color.  The flavor was more on the malty side without any noticeable hops.  This beer might be nice after a day on the slopes, but it's not a good beer for anyone looking for flavor.  Overall, it was a little too watery.

Next is the "Premium Export Lager" which is also 5% ABV.  As you can see, it's a hazy straw color.  It has a malty lager flavor.  It has flavors of bananas and toffee.  I like bananas, but not in my beer.  It's not very hoppy.  This one is medium body, which was obvious after drinking the pale ale.  I don't like lagers in general, which is why I started drinking craft beer in the first place.  In other words, this beer was going to be a hard sell to me from the start so it's not surprising I would give it one star out of five.  If, however, you like lagers and you like that banana flavor usually found in hefeweizens, then this might be the beer for you.

As always, I enjoy exploring new beers, but these two I don't need to try again.  But, looking at Whistler Brewing's website, they don't list these two beers.  They brew: Pineapple Express Wheat Ale, Grapefruit Ale, Powder Mountain Lager, Whiskey Jack Ale, Bear Paw Honey Lager, Black Tusk Ale, and Dunkle.  Some of those sound more up my alley.  In other words, if I come across some more Whistler beers I'm open to experiencing what else they have to offer.

Cheers!

Birra Amarcord - Nero's 1st Century Double Dark Malt Ale

This beer was bought on a whim at Trader Joe's for $2.99.  TJ's described it as "toffee and caramel, with floral and citrus notes; double dark."  It comes in a cool swing-top bottle - like a bottle meets growler.  Its 500ml (1 pine 0.9 fl oz) and 8% ABV.  Nero's is brewed by Birra Amarcord and brewed in Italy.

It pours dark caramel brown with very little foam.  Despite the.e lack of head its actually fizzy on the tongue.  It's very malty on the nose, then a little bit of a sweet flavor, and then it has a bitter and chalky aftertaste.  It has a slightly spiciness with the caramel flavor.  It's medium bodied - its lighter than you would think for a double dark beer, but it's still filling.  Caramel is definitely the overriding flavor, but it is inconsistent in the taste on the palate.  I disagree with whomever made the Trader Joe's description - I did not taste any citrus notes, but maybe a little dark fruit.

Overall, it was an interesting beer, had a cool bottle, not too expensive, but probably not something I would buy again.

Utah Brewers Cooperation - Wasatch Raspberry Wheat

Utah Brewers Cooperation is a partnership formed in 2000 by Wasatch Beers (originally in Park City, and then they moved their brewing operations to Salt Lake City) and Squatters Beer (from Salt Lake City -- check out my review of Squatters from last year).  On a side note, check out my review of Unita's Cutthroat Ale where I get into Utah's funky beer laws/regulations.  Wasatch Beers was founded in 1986 and has consistently been growing from a tiny operation to a brew pub to a brewery with a high speed bottling line.

Wasatch Raspberry Wheat is courtesy of Kiki by way of a 10 craft beer sampler she bought me for my birthday.  This beer won a silver medal from the North American Brewery Association.  As you can see, it's a golden straw color and pours with little head.  It smells slightly sweet.  This is a subtle beer in many ways -- it's 4% ABV, it's lightly carbonated, it has a light body, and it has a light raspberry flavor.  Fruity beers can be hit or miss -- but this one is definitely a hit and I'm not just saying that because raspberries are my favorite fruit.  This beer really is a great summer beer (it also would be great after hitting the slopes in Park City) because its refreshing and the flavors are well balanced.  If I can find this in stores I would definitely drink it again.  Cheers!

American Craft Beer Week 2012

Check out this video from my fraternity big brother, Jared Cotton, and his company Redtail Media:

Stone Brewing Co. -- 11.11.11 Vertical Epic

Stone Brewing is no stranger to this blog.  I've previously reviewed Imperial Russian Stout, Old Guardian Belgo Barley Wine Style, and Double Bastard Ale.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be going back down to Stone and I'll be able to post about their brewery tour.

Stone has an "Epic" series of beer, meaning these are released a year, a month, and a day apart.  It started with 02/02/02, 03/03/03, etc.  The recipes for these beers are available on their website so you can brew it at home.  The idea is that you age them until after 12/12/12 and then drink all of them in a line -- a "vertical" tasting if you will.  Cool idea, but that's some dedication to Stone if you can wait that many years to drink a beer; plus you have to cellar the beer at 55 degrees or below in order for it to keep that long.


Now the beer:  11.11.11 Vertical Epic. It's one very unique beer -- brewed with Anaheim chilies from New Mexico, whole cinnamon sticks, and Belgian Flanders Golden Ale yeast.  Even the color is a little different with a dark-hazy-brown-amber.  This beer has a thick heavy body and taste and is strong at 9.4% ABV.  It's malty with that unique pepper sourness that is only found in beers brewed with chilies.  The cinnamon adds a different kind of spiciness that complements both the Anaheim chilies and the malts.  The yeast adds a little bit of banana flavor (not really my favorite).  It's hard to describe because it is so different and doesn't really compare to any one style. 

This beer is very interesting, but it's not a beer that I'd care to drink again.  Maybe that's why they only brew this edition once a year?  In any case, the tradition is cool and it's neat that they keep the tradition alive.