Hardywood Bourbon Cru

Dec. 26, 2020
Oh no, a disappointment. The bourbon flavor is much too strong and overwhelms the Grand Cru. Also, I am not sure the bourbon is good. The beer has aged at least 1.5 years. I purchased it in May 2019. Perhaps the bourbon comes forward with age. Or maybe the beer varies by year brewed. The result is a dramatic decrease in rating. I might buy another bottle to try the beer again.

Rating = 3 glasses

May 10, 2013
Wow! A wonderful beer. A nice Grand Cru aged in bourbon barrels. The bourbon is present but not overwhelming and the underlying quad adds sweetness, depth and complexity. The 10.2% ABV is hidden but will hit you hard if you are not careful. A wonderful use of Bourbon barrels and a rare twist for a quad. Inventive and delicious.

6 glasses

Druid Pen Golden Swan Coolship

 

Golden Swan is a wild ale aged in a coolship. Eh. I tasted apple juice. 

Rating = 2 glasses.

Jester King B is for B

21 Nov. 2020

B is for B is a delightful saison. I call is a saison even though Beeradvocate calls it wild ale. Back in the day saison would have been mixed fermentation. This one is, too. Flavors include tart green apples and oakiness that reminds me of cheese. I enjoyed a bottle with Alex as we ate appetizers from Monica as a prelude to Emily's and Lisa's BD dinner. Yummy.

Rating = 6 glasses.

Stone Xocoveza

Brewer's Notes: This is a beloved stout. When first introduced as a limited special collaboration release with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker (after his recipe won our annual homebrew competition) and Cerveceria Insurgente, it was an instant hit and fans began clamoring for its return. Seeing as how its amazing flavor profile is evocative of Mexican hot chocolate, featuring coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and a generous amount of chocolate, we concluded it was the perfect stout to re-release in celebration of the Holidays and the entire winter season. This is now a highly anticipated yearly tradition that we are pleased to present from us to you, and makes a perfect wintry gift from you to your friends, loved ones, or simply to yourself. Cheers!

22 Nov. 2020
I enjoyed a 10-oz. glass at Stone's tasting room after a bike ride. I sat outside and drank the beer with some Ronnie's barbecue. What a nice way to end a ride.

The brewer's notes are accurate. The beer is not heavy or think. nothing like motor oil like some big stouts. It is black. It combines many flavors but none overpower or are BIG. I get hints of coffee, chocolate, peppers, vanilla, and cinnamon. 8.1% abv is totally hidden. I would liken it to a toned down and subtle version of Gingerbread Stout. I like it a lot. It combines flavor and complexity with lightness not found in many stouts. I want to make a six-pack or two a holiday tradition.

Rating = 6 glasses.

St. George Pilsner

Nov. 2020
St. George Pillsner is a fine example of the style. It is easy to drink and has a nice flavor. I will update as I drink more.

Beeradvocate

Rating = 4 glasses.

Sierra Nevada Celebration

Brewer's Notes: Fresh Hop Ale; no spices.
We first brewed Celebration IPA in the winter of 1981. Each year, we use only the first fresh hops of the growing season to create this complex and robust ale. Layered pine and citrus hop aromas balance delicately against rich, malt sweetness to shape this bold wintertime classic.

10 Nov. 2020
I return to an classic Christmas ale. Back in the day, Celebration was in BeerAdvocate's top 100. Celebration's release tells me that Christmas is near. It is a robust IPA with a strong malt backbone and plenty of bite from NW hops. I still think that it is a titch too piney but cannot resist a 6-pack or two this year.

Beeradvocate. 

Rating = 4 glasses.

02 Dec. 2008

Tonight's year-old Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale was a welcome oasis of hops in a malty winter. Celebration Ale is a highly rated IPA. However, I tend to find it to be too piney. Drinking one at room temperature felt like drinking Pine Sol. I cellared a bottle last year to see if time would smooth out the hops would. It did and the piney taste was greatly diminished. I noticed a sweeter malt beginning than what I remembered and it was balanced by a nice hoppy finish. However, the hops did not have "zing" and a slight piney aftertaste persisted.

Celebration Ale is a seasonal release from Sierra Nevada. The brewer consistently makes good beer and sells it for good value. I recommend that new beer geeks sample the brewery's products to learn about good beer and beer styles. The brewery tends to put an American twist on styles by using bitter Northwest hops.

Huyghe Delirium Tremens

Brewer's Notes: Colour and sight: pale blond, the fine and regular effervesce ensures a fine and stable head.

Scent: Slightly malty, a nice touch of alcohol, spicy.
Flavour: Feels like the sound shot of alcohol is igniting the mouth. In reality the tongue and palate are warmed. The taste is characterized by its roundness. The aftertaste is strong, long-lasting and dry bitter.

November 2020

Delirium Tremens is a fine example of Belgian strong pale ale. It combines Belgian yeast and wheatiness with peppery spice and some clove. The alcohol is felt more than tasted. 

Beer Advocate

Rating = 5 glasses.

Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet

Brewer's Notes: Brewed with a double-barreled blast of Magnum hops and lupulin dust.

Hops are the name of the game with a Double IPA, but we knew we had to take it one step further. With Hop Bullet, we’re using a new technique, hitting the beer with a double-barreled blast of Magnum hops and lupulin dust—pure, concentrated hop flavor—directly into the tank to emphasize the intense pine and citrus flavors of classic West Coast hops.

BEGINNING GRAVITY: 17.6° plato
ENDING GRAVITY: 2.4° plato
BITTERNESS UNITS: 60
YEAST: Ale yeast
BITTERING HOPS: Magnum
FINISHING HOPS: Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Magnum, Crystal
MALTS: Two-row Pale, Wheat, Dextrine, Chocolate, Acidulated

01 Nov. 2020

I enjoyed my second can last night. The beer impressed. Loads of hop bite without the heaviness and sweetness of many double IPAs AND still fairly balanced. I am increasing the rating.

Rating = 5 glasses.

28 Oct. 2020

Hop Bullet calls itself and double IPA and Beeradvocate agrees. I call it a really nice IPA.

Rating = 4 glasses, maybe more pending further investigation.

Unibrue Don de Dieu

 

Brewer's Notes: Don de Dieu (Gift of God) was the name of the ship that Samuel de Champlain sailed on his mission to “explore and discover the vast and perilous land of America” in the name of the King of France. His travels led to the founding of Quebec City in 1608.

Inspired by this great adventure, Unibroue created Don de Dieu—an abbey-style triple wheat beer refermented in the bottle. Soft and round, it has delicately nuanced fruity and hoppy notes.

01 Nov. 2020
I fear that my first review was too exuberant. More clove came through on the second bottle. The clove is true to the style but is I think it detracts from the taste. I am downgrading the rating.

Rating = 4 glasses.

28 Oct. 2020

The bottle claims to be a pale ale but Beeradvocate correctly calls it a Tripel and ranks it as the 8th best Tripel. 

Don de Dieu is a wonderful beer. It is wheaty, yeasty, and spicy with a titch of clove. Do I like it better than Allagash Tripel? I am keeping the rating a little lower pending further investigation. 

Rating = 5 glasses.

Weihenstephaner Pilsner

Brewer's Notes: Known as "Pilsner" in the USA.
Golden-yellow and bright, with 32 bitter units and quite hoppy compared to most of the other Pilsners our Weihenstephaner Pilsner comes up with a distinctive aroma of hops with a pleasant bitterness. This combination provides a balanced mix and guarantees great enjoyment. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.

29 Oct. 2020
Pilsner is a fine example of German pilsner. The taste is grainy and grassy, a tiche musty, and has a decent bite from what I think are Noble hops. My bottle was bottled about 6 months ago. I suspect that a fresh bottle would be crisper and have a better hop profile.

Beeradvocate

Rating = 4 glasses

Smuttynose Robust Porter

Brewer's Notes: This hearty, mahogany colored ale is brewed to evoke the dark, full-bodied ales that were a favorite of dockworkers and warehousemen (hence the name “Porter”) in 19th century London. It is a good bet that when Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick sat down for a pint, we would have been drinking an ale much like our Robust Porter.This is a smooth and very drinkable beer, characterized by its well-balanced malt and hops, plus subtle notes of coffee and chocolate.

29 Oct. 2020
Robust Porter is a fine beer. It delivers a strong dose of chocolate and smoke but doesn't go crazy. Probably too simple to rate 6 glasses. It will be a regular in my rotation.

I feared that the beer would not be as good as I remembered. Smuttynose declared bankruptcy a while ago and distribution in VA stopped for a while. The only difference I noticed is that the brewery is using cans now instead of glass bottles for Finest Kind and Robust Porter. I view the change as a feature, not a flaw.

Beeradvocate classifies it as a Robust Porter. In this classification a Robust Porter is between Brown Porter and Stout.

Rating = 5 glasses

(1005)
Last of the 6. Upgraded from 4 to 5 glasses after following it with Stockyard Oatmeal Stout. 

Rating = 5 glasses

(1003) Flavorful, easy drinking, and nice smokey bite at finish. A dry Irish stout? May rate 5 glasses. 

Rating= 4 glasses

Blue Mountain Dark Hollow

Brewer's Notes: Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout. Dark Hollow blends the miracle of two crafts--brewing and distillation--to create a work greater than the sum of its parts. An Imperial Stout has been aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels still dripping with uncut whiskey. For 100 days the young beer patiently breathes in and out of the wood, gaining complexity, character, and serious attitude.

I was looking forward to revisiting Dark Hallow after having Concealed Darkness. I came away slightly disappointed.  The beer is a titch thinner than I expected. It falls between Stout and Imperial Stout. Also, the bourbon is sightly more prominent than I prefer.

Beeradvocate

Rating: 4 glasses

25 Sept. 2020

Dark Hollow Imperial Stout is a delightful bourbon-barrel aged Imperial Stout. The bourbon is light. The base is a nice balance of sweet dark malts and hop bitterness.

FYI: Blue Mountain changed the name from Artisanal Ale to Imperial Stout.

Rating = (at least) 4 glasses.

13 Oct. 2013

Rating = 4 glasses

Hardywood Kentucky Christmas Morning

18 Oct. 2020
A bottle from 2018. I drank it after drinking a crowler of Concealed Darkness. (I had help.) Kentucky Christmas Morning is way sweeter and bourbony that Concealed Darkness. It is a BIG beer with Big flavors but I am downgrading the rating.

Rating = 6 glasses 

25 Dec. 2019

Kentucky Christmas Morning is Christmas Morning aged in bourbon barrels. The bourbon flavor is subdued and adds more complexity and some sweetness. 

Rating = 7 glasses.

Blue Mountain Concealed Darkness

Concealed Darkness is an Imperial version of Dark Hallow, already classified as an Imperial Stout. It is a fantastic beer. It pours black with a dark brown head. It is Big AND Smooth, too easy to drink. Flavors include bourbon, chocolate, oak, char, and caramel, but all or muted and blended. It finishes with a wonderful charred bite at the finish. I don't know if the bite at finish is from hops, chocolate malt, bourbon,or all three. Yummy. It replaces Hardywood Kentucky Christmas on my list of beers rating 7 glasses. It came from a crowler sold by Corks and Kegs as part of an anniversary celebration. I look forward to drinking my second and last crowler in my cellar

Beer Advocate. 

Rating= 7 glasses.

Birds Fly South Brand New Eyes

Brand New Eyes is "table saison blended with Red Wine Puncheons starting in 2016." Yeasty with sniffs of lemon and musty red wine.Interesting but not great3

Beeradvocate

Rating = 3 glasses.

Rare Barrel Map of the Sun

Map of the Sun is a "Golden sour beer aged in oak barrels with apricots." The description is spot on, some lemon tartness and apricot. I described the apricot as mango as I was drinking it. Came from a crowler sold by Corks and Kegs as part of an anniversary celebration. The beer is wonderfully crafted but fall prey to my adage. "I don't like fruit in my beer except when I do."

Beeradvocate

Rating: = 4 glasses

3 Floyds Zombie Dust

10 Oct. 2020
Still yummy but I am downgrading the rating to 5 glasses. I prefer Alpha King's sweetness.

Rating = 5 glasses.

07 Sept. 2020
Zombie Dust is a wonderful example of American pale ale: nicely balanced but not sweet, with loads of pleasant hop flavor and bitterness. Yummy.  

Currently ranked #1 American pale ale on BeerAdvocate and #35 overall. 

Rating = 6 glasses.

3 Floyds Alpha King

 

08 Oct. 2020

I am revising the rating.

Rating = 6 glasses.

13 Sept. 2020

Alpha King is a fantastic pale ale. It balances malty sweetness with subtle hop bite to create a flavorful, complex beer that is good enough to savor but begs to be gulped. It is more English (sweet and balanced) than American (hop-forward). It paired wonderfully with a Tex-Mex carnita burrito covered in enchilada sauce.

Rating = 5 glasses. I need to try another Zombie Dust to decide whether the best rating is 5 or 6.

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

Taddy Porter is THE English Porter. I may revise after drinking another one from Fullers. Understated bitterness and charcoal. Perfect for a block of cheese and 1 hour in a pub.

BeerAdvocate

Rating = 5 glasses.

Hardywood The Great Return

The Great Return is Hardywood's take on a West Coast IPA. I like it. It combines a nice bitterness from a big dose of hops and a sweet malt backbone. Previously, I rated it as my favorite Double IPA. The correct category is IPA. I am downgrading the rating from 6 glasses. 

BeerAdvocate

Rating = 5 glasses.

The name, Great Return, alludes to the return of Atlantic Sturgeon to the James River in Richmond.

Stone Old Guardian 2010

I cracked open my second growler of Old Guardian 2010 last weekend. The beer is now 10 years old and spent the last year and change in a crowler in my refrigerator. The beer is not what I remembered. The sweet malt had faded. A nice chocolate taste had emerged and the hops were kicking. malt. I don't know if the result is simply part of the aging process or being the crowler too long. Folks on Beer Advocate warned me that crowlers are NOT generally suitable for long-term storage. 

I would not rate what I had as 7 glasses but am leaving the original rating alone.

20 Aug. 2019
This vintage American barleywine was on tap @ Stone. It is yummy. It has aged wonderfully. - way better than the Big Foots in my "cellar". Loads of sweet malt with backbone of muted hops. Don't tell my wife; but, I bought two crowlers. The opportunity may never come again: Stone quit brewing Old Guardian circa 2015.

Rating = 7 glasses. 

Blue Mountain Dark Hollow Imperial Stout

Dark Hollow Imperial Stout is a delightful bourbon-barrel aged Imperial Stout. The bourbon is light. The base is a nice balance of sweet dark malts and hop bitterness.

FYI: Blue Mountain changed the name from Artisanal Ale to Imperial Stout.

BeerAdvocate

Rating = (at least) 45 glasses. Previous rating.  

Collective Arts + Aslin Collective Project No. 13

Collective Project No. 13 is a collaboration between Collective Arts and Aslin. It is a big hazy New England Double IPA. The notes on the can say, "Notes: Collaboration of Collective Arts Brewing and Aslin Beer Company. DIPA with Strata, Zappa and Comet." It is a great representation of the style. Nice tropical fruits, pineapple and tangerine, some sweetness, and a titch of acidic bitterness. I am not a big fan of New England IPAs. This one is an exception.

Rating = 5 glasses.

Great Lakes Blackout Stout

Blackout Stout is a fantastic Imperial Stout. It mergers chocolate, coffee, and sweet dark malts with hop bitterness. It is perfect to sip with or as dessert.  Back in 2005 and 2007, the raters at BeerAdvocate rated it as one of the top 100 beer on the Planet. Now it is the 97th highest rated Imperial Stout. 

Rating = (at least) 5 glasses.

Green Flash IPA?

I ordered a glass of Green Flash "IPA" tonight @ Kuba Kuba Dos. When I looked for it on BeerAdvocate, I discovered that Green Flash does not sell "IPA". It sells West Coast IPA, Soul Style IPA, Jibe Session IPA, and many other versions of IPA. The confusion gives me another reason to be averse to restaurants that don't publish a beer menu. I think that it was Soul Style IPA. It was a far cry from what I remember as the Imperial IPA.

The beer resembled an ordinary English IPA. Some hops, some malt, but nothing to compel me to go, "Wow".

Rating = 2 glasses.

Spaten Münchner Hell

Münchner Hell is a Helles lager sold as Spaten Premium Lager in the USA. Eh! It is Ok but nothing great. Perhaps a good summer lawnmower beer. As Rachel Ray would say, "Its wet and its cold.

BeerAdvocate

Rating = 1 glass

Spaten Oktoberfestbier Ur-Märzen

Festbier v. Märzen

02 Oct. 2020

After drinking this and Weihenstephaner I have decided that Spaten is a titch too heavy and lacks complexity. Rating of 4 glasses is perfect.

23 Sept. 2020

Oktoberfestbier Ur-Märzen is a delightful Oktoberfest. Easy, easy drinking. A nice example of what folks in Munich are drinking as I write. Spaten is one of six official brewers at Oktoberfest.

I like it better than the raters @ BeerAdvocate.

Rating = (at least) 4 glasses.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen

Festbier v. Märzen

Oktober Fest-Märzen is a delightful Oktoberfest. Easy drinking AND flavorful. Toasty + subtle hop bite.

BeerAdvocate loves it. It is the 4th highest rated Oktoberfest and "Outstanding".

Rating = 5 glasses. This is an upgrade from my previous review.

Firestone Walker + The Wild Beer Company Violet Underground

"The Rainbow Project paired seven UK and US breweries with one of seven colors of the rainbow, creating the theme of the brew. We drew violet. What followed was left to the imaginative and creative spirit among the collaborators. Violet Underground represents a partnership between The Wild Beer Co. and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. A cuvée was born from Somerset Wild, a newly minted Golden and Sunrise Raspberry ale, and Barrelwork’s blending warhouse, Cowbell. Proprietary yeast from both sides of the Atlantic, fresh local California fruit and French candied violet petals went into the cauldron. The resulting potion is bursting with ripe fresh fruit, a hint of violet petals and anchored by a funky yeast foundation. A quenching acidity and lively carbonation rounds out the collaboration. A santé!"

Violet Underground is a well crafted Wild Ale. It has a puckering nose. The taste is not as intense as the smell. The taste combines subdued tartness with fruit flavors and even the sweet pedal flavors from the violets.

BeerAdvocate

Rating = 4 glasses.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale

 

BCB Barleywine is a BIG beer. The notes say that Goose Island ages it in bourbon barrels previously used to age BCB Stout. This aging imparts faint hints chocolate and coffee from the stout in addition to vanilla and bourbon from the barrels. The result is a complex explosion of flavors. It was a great complement to salted caramel chocolate cake from Shyndigz that I ate in celebration of the birth of a grandchild. I had taught that evening and ate and drank in solitude. COVID prevented visits to the hospital and my wife had gone to sleep well before I arrived to help her watch children of the new mother.

An accurate rating is difficult. I drank the beer 12 days ago and it is COMPLEX. I am going to go with 5 glasses. It might be 6 glasses. Beeradvocate rates as the 2nd highest English barleywine and 97th overall. I understand why the rating is so high. The beer wonderfully crafted and interesting. I want more. 

I am not sure that bourbon-barrel aging is a good complement for barleywine but this beer is the best version I have tasted. I want to try it again and would like to see how a little less bourbon affects the flavor.

Rating = 5 glasses.