Thread O' Beer!

[Ezee E]

I'll be picking some up for this holiday week.

[Gizmo]

16. Alt Kanzler (Wildwuchs)


I'm a fan of a good smoked beer, but I'm a hater of a bad one because I don't want to drink smoke flavor. So it's always a risk trying new Rauchbiers. This one is a good one. Malty and smooth with just an underlying smoke flavor that rides the tongue, but doesn't burn. Very solid, and I'd recommend this one to even the staunchest smoked beer critics. It really is good and mostly subtle.

8 beers until the fat man.

[bac0n]

Day 16: Category 16. DARK BRITISH BEER
But I was too lazy to find a porter, so...
Abe Sapien Gigantic Brewing Co. | Portland OR



I was supposed to drink this beer in March.

I had it all planned. I was gonna call it F*cking H*llboy Day. I was gonna have Scar and a few other buddies over, and we were gonna play Hellboy the Boardgame, eat deviled eggs, devil's food cake, and hotwings. And to drink, Hellboy Beer. It was gonna be awesome, just like F*cking Viking Day before it (pickled herring & viking meatballs to eat, aquavit to drink, and a game of Blood Rage on the table). But of course, that was about the time things started getting really scary and people retreated into their houses. And the several Hellboy Beers I purchased for the event went into the cellar, where they remain today.

Fortunately, most of them are heavy beers with high ABVs, which, to be honest, could actually stand to sit around for a few months to take the edge off, but this one, at a comparatively tame 6.66% ABV (get it? 6.66? it is to laugh!), looks like it probably should be consumed sooner rather than later, so here we are.

To begin with, it pours about half way between straw and amber. But the interesting part is, it doesn't stay that way. About 5 minutes after I poured... it started looking like this...



So, yeah, first beer I can remember having that changes color as it sits. No wonder it's labeled as an Indigo Blue Beer. Reading up on it a little, it bills itself as an IPA taking inspiration both from the citrusy and hazy east coast IPAs, along with the resin and piney west coast IPAs, and to be frank, finding that out makes me really wish I woulda gotten to drinking this much sooner than I did. Unfortunately, the months have not been kind to this beer, and most of the citrus has left the building. All that I could really pick up is perhaps some orange, particularly orange rind, perhaps a little resin to go with it, but beyond that, really, not a whole lot going on other than the residual bitterness of the hops.

So, who knows how good this is? In the end, I will never know, as Gigantic Brewing only brewed 666 cases of this beer, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Hellboy comics. What Abe Sapien beer there is left is probably just as long in the tooth and faded in the flavor as this one.

I'm gonna have to give this beer, as it stands right now, a 2.5 - mediocre, but punk rock points for the changing color trick. That was cool.

[Ezee E]

A gimmick beer! but very cool.

Now…. what's a Viking meatball///

[bac0n]

Oh it's simple. Swedish Meatballs with tabasco. So Viking!

[Gizmo]

17. Mango Fandango (Spike)


Spike has quickly become my go to craft beer when I place my orders. I've not been disappointed by the 3 or 4 I've had previously. In fact, their NEIPA, Monopoly, has become a part of my order rotation, and frequently in my (Spike Brewery) glass. This fruit Pale Ale is the one chosen for today, and it's decent. I can taste a bit of fruit in the ale, but it's not screaming mango, just a touch of fruit. It has a full body, and a great malt/hop balance, making this really drinkable. A really drinkable, middling fruit pale ale is my least favorite offering from the brewery. I can't complain. And I need to place another order.

7 beers to go, means we're just a week away from sleigh bells ringing.

[bac0n]

Day 17: Category 17. . STRONG BRITISH ALE
But no way am I gonna drink a bottle of barley wine all by myself, so...
Celebration Ale Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. | Chico, CA



So, yeah, I actually do have at least one barley wine in the cellar. In fact, one of the other barley wines in the Hellboy limited series, named after Trevor Bruttenholm, the head of the BPRD and Hellboy's mentor (played by John Hurt in the GDT's original Hellboy film) is a barley wine. But, as I intimated in the title, that would be a bottle I would have to drink all by my lonesome, which is just... no. Barley wines tend to have astronomical ABVs, pushing even into the 20s, and generally speaking make no effort to hide the alcohol. They're heavy, boozy, thick, and oftentimes cloyingly sweet concoctions that are best left to share among a group of friends and sipped 3-4 ounces at a time.

So, instead, I turned to one of my Christmastime standbys - Celebration Ale from our friends in Chico Nevada, Sierra Nevada Brewing. One of my favorite seasonal brews, as well as one of my favorite IPAs, this, as opposed to the beer I reviewed last, is what I expect from a fresh-hopped IPA, with a bright, piney, almost fuzzy bouquet, and every bit the west coast IPA, lots of resin and hop bitterness up front, accompanied by the sorta pepperiness you experience in arugula - and no, it doesn't taste like arugula. Anywho, the initial bite mellows out to a smooth stonefruit sweetness towards the end, before that too fades and you are left with a nice lingering bitterness. All in all, a splendid beer from one of the OG masters of the craft.

I'm gonna give this beer a 4.25 - great, almost awesome. One of my faves of the genre.

T-minus 7 beers to launch!

[Scar]

What’s Day 18 ‘supposed’ to be?

[Gizmo]

18. Sumbel (Ægir)


I've had myself a day. First, my sciatic nerve acted up at 0230 waking me up a full hour and a half before my alarm. Then, when I was hobbling down the stairs in the dark to start getting ready for work, I dropped my phone and it decided today was the day that it wasn't going to recover from a drop. I now have a new screen on order in the next 3-5 business days. Which, in Germany during the holidays and shut down, could be into January. I'm now sharing a phone with my daughter, running dual sim cards just so work/the Army can maintain contact with me.

Finally settling down to a cold burger and an equally cold porter. The first thing I noticed was the large can opening, the first I've encountered in person. I still poured it out into an actual glass, and saw that there was no head (something I also noticed in the can). Next is the roasty taste and smell of porter, where this one has a nice smooth bitterness. There isn't much complexity, but the malty blend has the right amount of roast and complementary hops to make this still a good drink without the complexity.

We're down to a 6 pack!

[bac0n]

Day 18: Category 18 PALE AMERICAN ALE
But we're at Scar's place and he's the one pouring, so...
Bigger and Better Brewery Ommegang | Cooperstown, NY



I was off on Friday (as I am the rest of the year! woot!), so the dogs and I packed into the car and headed over to Scar's place so the two of us, plus our friend, who we shall call Whisper, could hang out on the back porch BSing while Scar and I's dogs played in the back yard. Scar took the opportunity to pull some brews he had been storing for some time, the first of which was is this bad-boy, Bigger and Better, from the best brewery in Cooperstown, and IMO the best brewer of Belgians this side of the Atlantic, my friend and yours, Brewery Ommegang.

And it was quite apropos, his selection of this beer, which as it happens is a Bière de Garde, which translates literally to "beer for storage". The French farmers who brewed the stuff would typically cellar it for a year before drinking it. In fact, that is the last style of beer I brewed at my house, and it has been sitting, untouched, in a fridge, for, I think, 3 years now. I haven't opened the door to the fridge to peak inside since I initially put it in there. Nowadays, I'm almost afraid to.

Anyway, this beer - I rather enjoyed it, but frankly I wouldn't have known it for a Bière de Garde if you hadn't have told me. Sure, it had the sweetness, twinge of coriander, that would place it among the brethren of Belgian ales, but what stands bières de garde apart from Belgians is their distinctly dry finish, which I wasn't picking up. Imagine a beer with all you love about a Belgian, with a highly attenuated crispness and the finish of a kölsch, and you got yourself a bière de garde, a very under-represented style here in The States, if you ask me.

But don't get me wrong - this is still a fine beer, even if it doesn't adhere strictly to style dogma. Nicely complex, it is smooth and clean, with just enough chew from the wheat (at least that's what I thought it was) to slow you down a little, without mucking things up with too much thickness. Finishes with a hint of spice which fades into sweetness. Another winner from Ommegang, I'm gonna give this one a 4/5 - great, dry finish be damned.

A sixer left!

[Gizmo]

19. Noctus 100 (Riegele)


Another dark Imperial Stout, this one is heavy and sweet, very chewy. There are a lot of flavors going on, but it's coming across as liquid licorice for the most part. I really like this, but it's a heavy desert style beer, and probably best one at a time.

5 beers to go.

[Morris Schæffer]

I'm shit at recognizing stuff but drank a Rochefort 10 just now. That remains a firm favorite. And in a few minutes I'll have a Westvleteren 12. Good times.

[Gizmo]

10 is my favorite all time beer. XII is good, but too pricey and really only gets its rating due to how hard to get it is.

[Morris Schæffer]

10 is my favorite all time beer. XII is good, but too pricey and really only gets its rating due to how hard to get it is.

I do Prefer the 10 yeah.

[bac0n]

I'm shit at recognizing stuff but drank a Rochefort 10 just now. That remains a firm favorite. And in a few minutes I'll have a Westvleteren 12. Good times.

Jealous! Rochefort 10 is my absolute fave of Belgians, which I have once a year: Christmas Eve, after everyone is in bed, the stockings are all stuffed, and all there is to do but sit back and enjoy another successfully prosecuted Christmas.

And Westvleteren 12 is one of my holy grail beers. Probably not gonna be able to enjoy one until I manage to make it to Belgium, tho.

[bac0n]

Day 19: Category 19 - AMBER AND BROWN AMERICAN BEER
It was kinda dark when I enjoyed this one, so um, it looked brown. Does that count?
Supergiant Able Seedhouse + Brewery | Minneapolis, MN



This is the closest in my stash that I was able to find to an amber/dark beer, but I'm in the mood for something a little lighter, so this'll do nicely. Able is one of a cluster of breweries located in what is referred to as Nordeast Minneapolis, a still somewhat blue collar part of town that used to house a lot of the central and eastern European families who came to the area looking for work in the mills downtown just across the river. Lots of those grains were stored in huge warehouses in the neighborhood before being loaded onto trains to be sent out wherever, but a lot of those warehouses sat there empty for many years. And then the craft beer renaissance hit, and those warehouses got snatched up by brewers who loved the open space and cheap rent - buildings tall enough to fit a bunch of two story tall conical fermenters, and wide enough to fit a canning line with room for a taproom to boot. Able stands out because they also malt their own barley in house, both for their own use and for use by whoever wants to pay for them.

As for their beers, all the ones I've had of theirs have been solid, and they have a nice spacious taproom that is just a block off the main east/west corridor (Broadway) as well as the main north/south one (Central), making it very easy to get to, but nothing they brew really stands out among the very well saturated local beer scene, so most of the times I have Able, it's gonna be at a restaurant, particularly The Bull's Horn, my favorite burger dive in town, which always has their very solid IPA, First Light, on tap.

And this one would fall into that same profile. It's easy drinking, inoffensive, and crisp, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, well balanced over all. Lactose has been applied which tends to add a bit of creamy mouthfeel and smooth things out, but here it tends to add a teensy-weensy bit of sweetness rather than thickness, which is alright by me, as that would be kinda weird of a beer that bills itself as a standard golden ale.

Anywho, this would be a beer I would stock at a party that I know would be attended by beer drinkers who don't like the heavy and hoppy stuff, and I can see myself enjoying one of these pulled ice cold from a cooler on a steamy July afternoon. I'm gonna give this one a 3.75, somewhere between good and great.

And then there were five!

[Gizmo]

20. Dolden Dark (Riedenburger)


I think this is the most German take on a porter I could imagine. That's not really a knock on it, as it's good, but it's not much of anything. It's all malt, but not even roasty or chocolate or coffee or bitter. In fact, I'm curious as to what malt they use to get it this dark without imbibing it with a real flavor from the malt. It's very neutral for a dark, but smooth and really really easy to drink, due again to the lack of nuance roast coupled with the same very minor bitterness from the hops. Perhaps the most session porter I've had.

Only 4 remain until Christmas!

[Ezee E]

Eric's Christmas Ales - #2
Woods Boss Brewing Company - Coming in From the Cold - Winter Warmer

I was today years old when I found out that Winter Warmer is an actual type of beer. Basically a stronger English Ale, typically with... winter spices... to keep things warmer.

Woods Boss Brewing is based right out of my hometown of Denver. It's probably less than ten minutes away from me, but I haven't gotten to visit. The "Coming in From the Cold" will definitely do the trick, even for those up in Minnesota. It's not nearly as potent (or strong) as the Christmas ale as I had earlier, and it's not as gimmicky as the one that you'll see coming up. It meets right in the middle, being a solid beer first.

Another one that goes well right next to a fireplace

[bac0n]

Day 20: Category 20 - AAMERICAN PORTER AND STOUT
Fat Elvis Central Waters Brewing Co. | Amherst WI

Overall Impression: An intensely-flavored, big, dark ale with a wide range of flavor balances and regional interpretations. Roasty-burnt malt with deep dark or dried fruit flavors, and a warming, bittersweet finish. Despite the intense flavors, the components need to meld together to create a complex, harmonious beer, not a hot mess

Haha - I have drank (and unfortunately, made) plenty of Imperial Stouts that were hot messes, usually at beer festivals, where every upstart brewery seems to want to make something heavy and barrel-aged, with something thrown into it, the usual result being me taking a sip, wincing and pouring the rest of the glass out as soon as I am out of sight of the folks who poured me the sample. This beer, fortunately does not fall into that category.

Sticking my face into it gives me a big ol' noseful of raisin and chocolate, and the first sip blankets my tongue as it spreads across my palate with a nice creamy mouthfeel. Right at the forefront I get definite flavors of chocolate and brandy, then the roastiness kicks in and builds in intensity down the middle, before the tide breaks and withdraws back into the chocolate, finally giving way to that raisin & prune sweetness, with a coffee like bitterness that lingers.

All in all, this is a very tasty imperial stout. A sipper, to be sure, but, damn, I can see myself getting in the mood for this one when the temperature dips below zero degrees Fahrenheit, or maybe when I'm drunk and sitting on the shitter. I'm going to give this a 4.25 out of 5 - great, borderline awesome.

[Gizmo]

21. Dessert in a Can (Amundsen)


Specifically Raspberry Salted Caramel Cheesecake is the one of the series in my glass. I opened this way too early, hoping to have a beer with dinner! This legitimately is dessert in a can, and it actually very much tastes, and almost feels, like caramel cheesecake with some raspberry topping. I have no idea how they pulled it off, but this is so delicious and spot on that I wish I had purchased more and more variety when I saw this on the shelve. I definitely need to try and get my hands on some others. Very very good, but very sweet.

3 Beers remain!

[Morris Schæffer]

21. Dessert in a Can (Amundsen)
!

There are more flavors available. All sound really scrumptious.

[Morris Schæffer]

Though it's kinda crazy how every site claims it's sold out.

[Gizmo]

22. Dunkelziffer (Wittorfer)


Germans sure love to mix things in their beer, lemonade, cola, and now....rum and currant liquor? I really had no expectations when ordering this one, and really didn't pay much attention (it might have come in the random 12 pack of stouts/porters I ordered, honestly). I'm not a liquor fan. I enjoy an occasional mixed drink, but that's about it. Do not put liquor, or anything else for that matter, in my beer! 3 sips to be sure, and down the drain this goes.

2 Beers remaining.

[bac0n]

Day 21: Category 21 - IPA
Size 7 Steel Toe Brewing Co | Saint Louis Park, MN

Overall Impression: A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale, showcasing modern American or New World hop varieties. The balance is hopforward, with a clean fermentation profile, dryish finish, and clean, supporting malt allowing a creative range of hop character to shine through.

Fortunately for me, finding an IPA to have on day 21 wasn't much of a challenge, as IPAs round these parts aren't so much easy to find as they are hard to avoid. You need to watch where you're walking when you're outside lest you accidentally walk into one. To point: when I was collecting the first batch of beers for this year's exercise, and just started grabbing whatever cans looked interesting to me without looking at the style, I wound up grabbing about six IPAs, despite myself. If you want to survive as a brewery in The Twin Cities area, you're gonna need a decent IPA on tap, plain and simple.

So, with about a half dozen IPAs to choose from, I instead decided to call an audible and have my favorite IPA from my favorite brewery in town: Steel Toe's Size 7. I kind of view Steel Toe as the Rolling Stones to the bigger and more famous Surly's Beatles, in that Steel Toe never gets too experimental with their stuff, instead focusing on the basics and executing them flawlessly. They put out a great pils, a nice black ale that tripsies the line between a porter and a stout, a great hefe in the summer, but what they really excel at is the IPAs, of which they currently have four in bottle shops as I write this.

And Size 7 is their flagship, and without a doubt the beer that I get more than anything else I can think of. It's the beer I reach for when I don't have anything specific in mind. It's the first beer I remember really wowing me when I was introduced to it at a beer festival about 10 years back. It's tied to a happy summer ritual. When my family and I have arrived at our campsite, and the tent and everything is all set up and nothing is left but to relax and unwind in God's Green Nature, I'm gonna plunk myself in my rocking lawn chair, crack me open a Size 7, and let the real world and all its trouble just faaaaade awaaaaaay....

On the nose, it comes as deceptively mellow, with hints of orange and pine, and the slight caramel aromas provided by the malt, but once you taste it, look out. The western hops immediately assert themselves, delivering a resin uppercut to start things off, followed by an intense wave of bitterness that quickly wavers off as the malt kicks in, and then the citrus starts showing up, giving one the impression of navel orange, finishing with a nice dry finish. Mouthfeel wise, there's just enough body there to give the hops something to hold onto, not being so turgidly thick as to push it into stout range. In short, it's designed to slow you down just enough to enjoy the complex hop flavors, without making it a sipper.

All in all, Size 7 is my favorite local brew, and my favorite IPA to boot. It combines everything I like about IPAs: piney, citrusy, layered, and with a good malt backbone holding everything together. This one I give a 4.75 - awesome, almost best in class.

3 beers to go! Gettin' close!

[bac0n]

Eep! Sorry to hear about the dud, Gizmo. I usually have at least one that goes down the drain every year I do this. Fingers crossed that the few remaining don't meet a similar fate.