365 Days Of Beer

Bavik Petrus Aged Belgian Pale Sour Ale

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Bavik Petrus Aged Belgian Pale Ale, a light sour offering from Bavik aged 20 months in oak, poured a dazzling champagne color into the glass, with the attendant heavy carbonation and fizzy, short-lived white head to match. The nose immediately gave away the sour bugs that have developed through the fermentation process- sour rhubarb, sweet strawberries, pie cherries, green apple tartness, and the slightest hints of vinegar.

Petrus Aged Pale Ale opened tart and dry, with green apple sourness shooting to the back of the mouth and the sweeter fruits detected in the nose stayed in the background. The ale seemed a little soft and a tad watery compared to most sour ales I have tried, but that was likely due to the extended oak aging and how bone dry the ale was.

Petrus Aged Pale Ale is a fantastic sour that walks the line between a Berliner Weisse and a Flanders Brown when it comes to flavor. Less wild flavors than comparable Belgian sours I have tried, but a cutting dryness that will give most Bruts a run for their money.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron Mahogany Ale

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, a mahogany ale aged in Palo Santo crates by Dogfish Head, poured a short lived, orange-brown head over a black body with dark brown and red highlights. The nose immediately gave away malty caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla over a hard to identify background of stewed dates.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron opened thick and sticky, with tons of caramel and maple sugar leading the charge. Sweetness and heat defined the middle of the drinking experience, with an almost maple fudge candy taste. Although the dark sweetness and heat never subsided, the aging bPublish Postrought forth some vanilla at the end that rounded out the sweet heat and gave it a more refined brandy quality.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron is a huge, huge ale, and is best enjoyed when sipped like a fine port.

Magic Hat Howl Black As Night Winter Lager

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Magic Hat Howl Black As Night Winter Lager, a winter seasonal offering from Magic Hat, poured an almost coffee-like color into the glass, capped with a short lived but frothy cream-hued head. The nose carried forward dry, roasted grains and no hop or yeast aromas to speak of.

Magic Hat Howl Black Lager opened with the typical dark lager flavors- watered down coffee and a barely detectable tartness in the front. Surprisingly, the lager thickened up in the middle and even gained a slightly creamy mouth-feel. The lager faded to a thin, roasted and barely bitter end.

Magic Hat Howl Black Lager stands out pretty strange as an American dark lager... to thick and rich to be compared to most lagers but lacking the body and sweetness of an ale. Worth checking out for sure, but start with a loosey.

Stone/Ninkasi/Alchemist More Brown Than Black IPA

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Stone Collaboration More Brown Than Black IPA, a collaboration headed by Stone Brewing and including Ninkasi Brewing of Eugene, OR and The Alchemist of Waterbury, VT, poured a color that fit the name, more brown than black, but still dark, capped with a short lived beige head and chunky grey sediment from the bottom of the bottle. The nose was pure hops... no malt to find, just orange, pineapple, and melon.

Stone Collaboration More Brown Than Black IPA opened with a sweet and bitter pine and orange start. The orange flavor sweetened as a distinct pineapple core came through in the middle of the ale. A strong bitterness was present throughout the tasting, and there were no detectable dark or roasted notes to find as the ale trailed off.

There is nothing subdued about the bitterness of Stone Collaboration More Brown Than Black IPA, and there isn't really anything dark in the taste. It is cool to see these breweries using new hop styles and crafting a CDA so much lighter (in flavor) than any I have tried. This is a great ale.

Green Flash Imperial IPA

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Green Flash Imperial IPA, a strong ale Green Flash Brewing refers to as a San Diego IPA, poured a crystal clear, golden hay color into the glass with a big, sticky white head being fed by light carbonation. The nose opened with orange cordials, lemongrass, and pineapple with just a touch of malt detectable.

Green Flash Imperial IPA opened sweet and tart, with pineapple juice and dark orange juice leading in over a subtle bitterness that stuck throughout the tasting. Caramel and vanilla undertones came through as the ale warmed, along with alcohol heat, elevated sugars, and and orange rind flavor as the sweetness trailed into the bitter undertone.

Green Flash Imperial IPA is a good, if unremarkable IPA.

Ninkasi ReNewAle 2012 Porter

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ninkasi ReNewAle 2012 Porter, Ninkasi's late Winter/early Spring seasonal release, poured pitch black into the glass, with a sticky, light brown head that lingered for a few minutes before dying down. Aromas of roasted grains led the nose over subtle hints of coffee and unsweetened baker's chocolate.

Ninkasi ReNewAle 2012 Porter opened with a sweet, milk chocolate and caramel start. Caramel and vanilla became even more pronounced as the porter mellowed, and there was just a touch of bitterness detectable in the background of the ale.

It's Ninkasi... ReNewAle 2012 Porter is something of a sugar bomb and is significantly less dry than the typical porter you will find in a store. It is nice to see such a rich and full bodied porter come in at a reasonable alcohol level, but I'm not in the market for such an ale.

21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale Brewed with Dates

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale, a curiously named English strong ale aged over dates from Bay Area 21st Amendment Brewing (likely getting its name from the collaboration between 21st Amendment and Ninkasi), poured the dark color of iced tea, with a lumpy yellow head a light, lazy carbonation. The nose carried through dark sugar and sweet breads over a soft, but evocative, date base.

21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale opened with a crisp but sweet start, with brown sugar and molasses dominating the malt while a spritely lemony lightness added a crispness to keep the ale from getting cloying. Surprisingly, despite the depth displayed at the front of the ale, Allies ended on a watery and vaguely bitter note.

21st Amendment Allies Win The War! Ale, as a concept, trumps 21st Amendment Allies Win the War! Ale as a drinking experience. The ale is too lacking in body and oddly absent in the fade to have such a bold, dark, sugary start.

Abita Vanilla Doubledog 25th Anniversary Ale

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Abita Vanilla Doubledog 25th Anniversary Ale, an Abita offering from their Big Beers lineup that builds off a base of theri Turbodog ale, poured big and black into the glass, with chestnut highlights peaking through the almost non-existent head. The nose was led by milk chocolate and light coffee, backed by a hint of vanilla.

Abita Vanilla Doubledog Ale opened thick and creamy, with a paradoxical light and dry underbelly that clearly recalls Abita Turbodog. There was a crispness from the hops and roasted grain notes (again, Turbodog to a "T") before a rising vanilla and caramel sweetness took hold and never gave up their footing. The ale ended with the same combination of "thick but light, sweet but dry" that it settled in to.

Abita Vanilla Doubledog Ale has less vanilla than one (at least I) expects from an ale touting it proudly on the bottle, but that's not a bad thing. The Turbodog essence of bright and toasted plays interestingly with the milkshake-like creaminess in the lead and the sweet fade. While I wouldn't adopt this as a go-to beer, there is a lot to love about Doubledog.

Stone/Elysian/Bruery La Citruille Celeste de Citracado Ale

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Stone / Elysian / Bruery La Citruille Celeste de Citracado Ale, a collaboration of ale brewed with pumpkins, yams, toasted fenugreek, lemon verbena, and birch bark between three West Coast breweries and headed by Stone Brewing, opened with hop bitterness and an earthy, tree bark and black tea flavor. Lemon and extremely subtle roasted notes came through in the middle, and there was a citric, floral quality that took hold before the ale faded into a water finish of earthy bitterness and toasted herbal anise.

Despite an unpronounceable name and daunting list of ingredients, there really isn't much of anything happening in this ale. There are many novel and (mostly well placed) flavors and aromas you won't find in a typical beer, but there just isn't enough body to the ale to make it stand up. Thankfully, the pumpkin was just barely there and the ale was entirely devoid of sweetness. So I guess there's that.

Fort George Cavatica Imperial Stout

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Fort George Cavatica Imperial Stout, a canned offering from Fort George Brewery, poured pitch black into the glass, with a thick brown head wafting heavy aromas of licorice, coffee, an unidentified sweetness, and alcohol heat.

Fort George Cavatica Stout opened with a surprising (almost alarming) sweet and tart start. That quickly gave way to the more expected flavors of sweet milk chocolate and light coffee. The stout thickened and gained a milky sweetness in the middle that ran parallel to an edge of alcohol heat. Cavatica Stout ended with barely there bitterness and dark roasted notes that slightly dried out the finish.

Fort George Cavatica Stout is not fooling around... it is big, thick, and boozy. That said, its strengths are its weaknesses... you're either willing to go big or go home on this one. Depending on the day, I could do either.

Elysian Mens Room Original Red Ale

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Elysian Mens Room Original Red Ale, a year-long offering from Elysian Brewing, poured a deep amber hue with loads of carbonation rushing to its bone white head. The nose carried through hoppy pine in the nose without the associated bitterness and slight touches of sweet orange.

Elysian Mens Room Original Red Ale opened bright and citrusy at the start before slowly drying into a cereal malt flavor with underlying sweet notes of caramel. Citrus rind sat in the background throughout the experience, trailing as a lingering, subtle orange ended the experience.

Elysian Mens Room Original Red Ale carries a hop bill that is clearly American West Coast, but the dry, toasted cereal malt prominence in the middle comes closer to East Coast (and even European) offerings. This is an easy drinking ale that is a great recommendation for someone looking to push past their standard pale ale and IPA offerings without challenging themselves.

Green Flash Le Freak Ale

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Green Flash Le Freak Ale, a blend of Belgian Trippel and Imperial IPA from Green Flash Brewing, poured a chill-hazed orange into the glass, with a huge white head being fed by concentrated carbonation trails. The nose was pure Belgian, with clove and horse sweat completely overpowering any chance the hops had to come through.

Green Flash Le Freak Ale opened appropriately crisp and funky, with a warming alcohol glow in the middle as the ale settled on the back of the tongue. Tons of barny funk, clove, and menthol came through as the flavors evolved, and the ale ended with a balancing bitterness in the fade.

Green Flash Le Freak Ale wasn't as hoppy as I was expecting, and my first impression was that the hops were far too subdued to be called "Imperial" anything, let alone an IPA, but as I settled in to the groove of the ale I was able to appreciate the role the hops played in staving off what would likely have been a cloying malt and yeast combo in their absence. Just goes to show... sometimes you need to close your eyes and drink the damn beer!

Stone Vertical Epic Ale 11-11-11

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Stone Vertical Epic Ale 11-11-11, a Belgian-style ale brewed with Anaheim chiles and cinnamon as a part of Stone Brewing's Vertical Epic series (based on the concept of collecting and aging each in the series), poured a rich chestnut hue into the glass with mild carbonation trails floating to a small, sticky off-white head. The nose contained telltale signs of Belgian yeast- banana and pumpkin pie spice with squash. The cinnamon and chiles don't make an appearance in the nose, although there is a sensation of heat that is more likely attributed to the chiles than the relatively low alcohol.

Stone Vertical Epic Ale 11-11-11 opened with sweet and spicy Belgian yeast notes of pepper and banana. The cinnamon is there, but is fairly obscured by the clove-like notes, and the hatch chiles impart the slightest touch of flavor, but like in the nose is more felt than tasted. The spicy combo of the yeast and added spices did a nice job of drying out the finish of the beer, which was a relief after the thick and sweet middle of the ale.

I hate to admit this, but for my money Stone Vertical Epic Ale 11-11-11 is kind of a mess of a beer. It is interesting and by no means unpleasant, but there is a ton going on and the individual components don't coexist in harmony. After reading the label, I realize the intention for this ale was to be aged for a year, so I picked up a second bottle and am interested to see what time does to pull this ale together.

Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA, Uinta Brewing's Imperial take on the relatively new CDA style, poured a thick black into the glass, allowing no light to pass through the body or stick, ashy head. The nose carried forward dark, roasted grain and a strong hop presence of citrus and pine.

Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA opened with a bright and heated front before a silky milk chocolate pushed the heat to the back of the mouth (where the hops made their appearance). A slight bitterness that hung in the background for most of the experience came through a bit stronger in the fade, but the bigness of the malt and the heat of nearly 10% alcohol kept it from becoming too prominent.

Oddly, for the big, rich flavors that were happening in Uinta Dubhe Imperial Black IPA, there was a strange hollowness the the experience. There's nothing wrong with what pours out of the bottle, but I wish it had a bit more earthy complexity. Whatever... it's only the second Imperial CDA I have tried and it is certainly worth revisiting at a later date!

Black Diamond Jagged Edge IPA

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Black Diamond Jagged Edge IPA, a standard line offering from Black Diamond Brewing, poured a hazy orange into the glass, with yellow and green highlights disturbed by slow carbonation trails. The nose carried through a strong aroma of toasted cereal malt supported by undertones of grapefruit and lawn.

Black Diamond Jagged Edge IPA opened with the toasted cereal in the nose dominating the palette for the first few seconds before slowly being offset by a touch of citrus rind bitterness. A warm, dark and sweet orange flavor came through in the middle over a soft bill of grass and spruce that led to a gentle, dry fade with lingering bitterness.

Black Diamond Jagged Edge IPA is a heated, less bold take on the IPA-style that won't satisfy most hop heads as the hop prominence falls short of "West Coast", but there is a lot to admire about the ale. As a regular drinker I could see it filling in nicely, but when I reach for an IPA I'm looking for something a bit more brash.

Brouwerij Verhaughe Vichte Duchesse de Bourgogne Flanders Sour Ale

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Feather River Dark Canyon Ale

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Uinta Hop Notch IPA

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Laurelwood Gearhead IPA

2012-01-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Reel Ales Starfish Imperial Red Ale

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Deschutes Jubel 2010 Once A Decade Ale

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Deschutes Jubel 2010 Once A Decade Ale, the self-described limited Imperial release of Deschutes Jubelale Deschutes Brewing does once every ten years, is the first beer I purchased for the intent of aging (I purchased this mid-February of 2010) and has a "Best After" date of 1/29/11. Originally slated to be one of my first beers (I'd already held on to it for almost a year...), I decided early this year this ale should be the final entry for 2011 for a number of reasons. So here we are!

Deschutes Jubel 2010 Ale poured almost black in the glass, but when held to light it demonstrated deep crimson and orange hues beneath an almost immediately non-existent beige head. The nose carried spruce, gradd, dark chocolate, and the smallest hint of dried cherries in the background.

Deschutes Jubel 2010 opened with a one-two combo of sweet cherries and peppery alcohol that both mellowed into dark, sugary malt notes of licorice, maple, and burnt caramel. Dry, roasted notes careened against a semi-sweet black-strap molasses and licorice fade. There were a lot of almost there flavors that likely had their time in the forefront during the extended aging process, but the ale was mostly notable and defined by the sweet, dark malting.

Deschutes Jubel 2010 is a heck of a way to end the 2011 year of beer- the dark, sweet malts stand out significantly more than they did at the original release, and the ale truly tastes more settled and mature (likely nearing the end of its "Best After" date given how little hops and carbonation remained).

Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse Style

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

1809 Berliner Weisse Style, a recreation of the 1809 Berliner Weisse recipe by Professor Fritz Briem of the Siebel Institute of Technology in Germany and distributed through B. United International, poured a crystal clear, pale gold into the glass with heavy carbonation trails topping off at the fizzy, soda-like head. The nose carried through wheat and light funky with an edge of tartness felt more than easily defined.

Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse opened crisp and light, with a quick-rising green apple tartness. As the beer warmed, the tartness gained true sourness and a sub-surface pear sweetness came through to keep things from getting too tart. The beer ended with notes of apple and raspberry coming through before ultimately ending in a dry, barley tart wheat finish.

1809 Berliner Weisse, to me, is one of those revealing beers that hopefully increases interest in the Berliner Weisse style. There are few beer styles as primed to make it back into the spotlight as this one, and this particular recipe is a fantastic representation of what people are missing.

Boulevard Brewing Nutcracker Ale

2011-12-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

Boulevard Brewing Nutcracker Ale, a holiday offering from Boulevard Brewing, poured a hazy orange into the glass with red tints on the sides and a big, creamy white head fed by lazy carbonation. The nose was spiced with typical Chinook pepper and floral, herbaceous notes.

Boulevard Brewing Nutcracker Ale opened slightly watery before gaining a pleasant crispness that ultimately settled into a rising sweetness before picking up a faint bitterness in the fade. Sweet orange sat beside slightly dry cereal malt to make the ale a laid-back, tame experience.

Boulevard Brewing Nutcracker Ale is a bit of an oddity for a holiday ale- it is fairly light in color and body, doesn't have spice additions, and it lacks the high ABV that accompanies most winter ales. There is nothing wrong with this ale (it's actually quite enjoyable), but it doesn't do much to stand out from the crowded shelves of pale and red ales at most grocery stores.

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout, a chocolate-infused imperial stout winter seasonal offering from the Southern Tier Brewing Blackwater Imperial series, poured a dark black into the glass, with orange highlights ringing a muddy brown head. The nose was pure chocolate, mostly sweet and milky, with a cherry undercurrent.

Bright cherries led Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout before the dusty, sweet milf chocolate came through and took over. The stout became thick and sticky in the mouth as it settles and a stomach-warming alcohol heat came through. The stout finished on a dry, semi-sweet chocolate fade.

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout has more in common with a candy bar than it does the typical Imperial Stout. Sweet and heated with peppery alcohol, there is no denying this is a huge beer, but there is a lot to enjoy for those willing to step up.