Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Bass, Founders Breakfast Stout, Leffe Blonde, and Legend Brown Ale

Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: American Barleywine

Tasting notes: Yummy. Muted hops. Vanilla.

Previous reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4

Comments: It is a screamer when fresh and gets better with age.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 30 January 2009.)

Rating: Top 10ish

Beer: Pale Ale

Brewer: Bass

Style: English Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (2) Light, refreshing, and a tiche bland. (1) Easy drinking, light, lemon-fruity, spicy w/ touch of hops, and a slight sour twang. Would be an nice summer quencher.

Rating: Good

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Beer: Breakfast Stout

Brewer: Founders

Style: Imperial Stout

Tasting notes: A complex and well made beer but not my style.

Previous review

Dates on which reviewers at BeerAdvocate rated the beer as one of the top 100 on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 20 December 2008.

Rating: Good

Beer: Blonde

Brewer: Leffe

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

Tasting notes: (3) Blonde w/ clove. Something between a belgian pale ale, a hefe, and a wit. Doesn't hit the mark. (2) Yeasty and wheaty. (1) Balanced with many subtle flavors - a little sweet, thick mouthfeel, some orange. Easy drinking and pleasant.

Rating: Good

Beer: Brown Ale

Brewer: Legend

Style: Brown Ale

Tasting notes: (2) 2 pints recently @ Joe's Inn. Pleasant - a tiche of roasted sweet malt followed by a touch of bite. A decent option in restaurants. (1) A glass on tap on 14th. Reminded me of a stout w/ a weak body.

Rating: Average

Dinner @ Mekong

Brewer: Trappistes Rochefort

Beer: 10

Style: Quadruple

Tasting notes: (3) Complex and quaffable. Massive, dark, sweet malt, w/ dark fruits alcohol, and wonderful sourish bite at end. A malty Baltic Porter? (2) A complex assortment of tastes. A little sweet, some fruit, a little sour, and some spicy bite at end. (1) A complex medley of cream brulee, sweet belgian candy sugar, brown sugar, hops, sour, funk, orange, and dark fruit. Dangerously quaffable. Would be great with beef and sweet chutney. Better than Orval.

Comments: One of six Trappist brewers and the only one in Belgium.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 5 March 2009.

Rating: Top 10ish. The rating has varied but the last bottle pushed the beer back into my top 10ish list.

Brewer: Sierra Nevada
Beer: Celebration

Style: IPA

Tasting notes: (4) A bottle @ Mekong. Well crafted but too much pine. (3) A year-old bottle. Some age has improved the taste. Some sweet malt and hops. Still a piney bitter aftertaste that is not my favorite. (2) A fresh bottle. Spicy hops. Too much pine. (1) Well crafted but too much pine.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (Not 10 March 2007 or 5 March 2009)

Previous review

Rating: Good. It is a well-crafted and highly-regarded beer but does not appeal to my tastes.

Dinner with small group

I shared four wonderful beers with good friends at a dinner with our small group. Mike T. was the primary partner in crime.

Brewer: Russian River
Beer: Temptation
Style: Wild Ale
Tasting notes:(3) Cellared by me for 15 months. Lemons and grapefruit and dry pale ale w/ oak. (2) Opened by mistake when looking for Fonteinen. A grapefruit cider? Great as an aperitif before Thanksgiving. When well with beginning of meal. (1) A smoother gueze? Lemony fruit, tart-sour, dry, with a backdrop of smokey oak. May rate 7/8. Emily LOVED it.
Comments: Temptation is a Blonde Ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. "Bret" makes the beer wild. It gives beer sharp, tart, acidic flavors.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 28 February 2009.
Rating: Highly Recommended

Brewer: Unibroue
Beer: Maudite
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
Tasting Notes: (5) A bottle cellared by me for over 2 years: Smoooth. Caramel malt, apple, and wheaty yeast. Aging mellows the flavor. (4) Malt, wheat, yeast, funk, and clove. (3) Apple, a tiche of pear, yeast, and a dry, spicy finish, A clove flavor emerged in the finish as the beer warmed. Paired well w/ apple and cheese plate. An easy drinker. 2) Malt, light fruits, citric spices, clove, and a touch of hops. The line is fuzzy. (1) Complex malty beginning with sour bitter bite at end. Finish reminded me of Sammy Smith Imperial Stout
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (Not 10 March 2007 or 28 February 2009)
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Brewer: Unibroue
Beer: Trois Pistoles
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Tasting notes: (5) Dark fruit and hop bite. (4) Winey (burgundy?), w/ tiche of cloves. (3) Sweet and pleasant malt when cold. Wheaty, yeasty flavor w/ a faint bite emerges as the beer warms. Best @ room temperature. (2) A bottle @ Edo Squid. Vinous, wheaty, Unibroue yeast, and a subtle bite at finish. Good w/ food, sipped, or gulped. (1) Smooth, pleasant mix of dark fruit taste with a touch of hops. Winey - a little thin and the head dissipates quickly. Good with food, alone, sipped or gulped.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005 (Not 10 March 2007 or 28 February 2009)
Rating: Recommended without reservation

Brewer: Alesmith
Beer: Speedway Stout
Style: Imperial Stout
Tasting notes: A bottle aged in my cellar for 10 months. Chocolate and coffee and alcohol and cocoa (and cherry?). Complex, big, sippable and gulpable.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 28 February 2009.
Rating: Highly recommended. Placed in top 10ish list initially and downgraded after a few days. I didn't dream about drinking this beer again.

Current Top 10ish List

My Top 10ish List now contains 13 beers.

Additions since last list: De Stolle Stille Nacht, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, and Trappistes Rochefort 10

Deletions since last list: Bell's Expedition Stout

Beer: 10
Brewer: Trappistes Rochefort
Style: Quadruple
Previous review
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Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale
Brewer: Sierra Nevada
Style: American Barleywine
Previous reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4
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Beer: “Finest Kind” IPA

Brewer: Smuttynose

Style: IPA

Previous review

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not on10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009.)

Beer: Gueuze 1882 Black Label
Brewer: Girardin
Style: Gueuze
Tasting notes: (3) A bottle purchased about 2 years ago. Tart, complex, funky. Less lemon than I remember. Almost quaffable. Still the best. (2) Lemon, vinegar, and apple cider. Each sip causes salivation. (1) Sour and tart but doesn't take away your breath. Sort of a fizzy lemon cider.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009. (Not on 29 December 2005.)
Comments: May be my favorite of all.

Beer: Gueuze
Brewer: Cantillon
Style: Gueuze
Tasting notes: Tart and funky.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009. (Not on 29 December 2005.)
Comments: May be my all-time favorite but I'll wait till I taste Giradin again.

Beer: Harvest Ale aged in Calvados Cask (Calvados is French Apple Brandy.)

Brewer: J.W. Lees

Style: English Barleywine

Previous reviews: 1, 2.

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Beer: Hefeweissbier

Brewer: Weihenstephaner

Style: Hefe Weizen

Tasting notes: (6) Fruity w/ lemon up front and cloves and pepper at finish. Flavorful, quaffable, and light. Less banana than I remembered. (5) Last of a 6er. Sorry to see it go. (4) Upgraded from highly recommended. Light yet flavorful. The PERFECT summer beer? (3) Still great. (2) 2 330-ml bottles from VWB. Great. Refreshing and flavorful. Terrific with lemon-pepper fish. (1) Cloves and banana from the oldest brewery in the world. A light and tasty complement to a summertime dinner al fresco.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007 and 8 February 2009.

Beer: 120 Minute IPA

Brewer: Dogfish Head

Style: Double IPA

Tasting Notes: A BIG english barleywine. Sweet raisin mash w/ bitter hops fighting to emerge followed by big alcohol blast. A 2+ hr. sipper.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not on 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007 or 8 February 2009.

Beer: Saison Deluxe

Brewer: Southampton

Style: Saison

Tasting Notes: (5) Second and last bottle purchased two years ago. Wonderful, citrus, spicy. Downgraded from my favorite. Didn't make me go WOW. May have been because I was rushed or that the beer followed a Golden Ale. (4) A bottle purchased one year ago. A delight. Massive head, wonderful effervescence, complex citrus and apple flavors with some sour funk and a nice touch of hops. May be better w/ yeast: orange flavor comes forward and the hops recede. Upgraded to my favorite. (2) Another bottle @ Mekong. I love this beer. Tingly effervescence, tangy spiciness, citrus flavor, balanced dryness with a touch of sour. (1) A bottle @ Mekong. Massive head. Lovely straw-orange color. Taste is light and dry, with citrus, lemon rind, apple, complex spiciness, and a touch of funk. Eminently quaffable, quenching, and clearing. May be my all-time favorite.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not on 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, or 8 February 2009.

Beer: Sanctification

Brewer: Russian River

Style: American Wild Ale

Tasting notes: (2) Very nice. Lemony, sour, funky Belgian Pale Ale. Upgraded from Recommended w/ qualifications to highly recommended. Then upgraded to top 10ish list a few days later. I could not get the taste out of my mind. (1) Wow. Sour pale ale? Different and refreshing and gueze-like.

Beer: Stille Nacht

Brewer: De Dolle

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Previous review

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not on 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, or 8 February 2009.

Comments: I want to buy more and age it longer. Stille Nacht is the brewer's Christmas beer.

Beer: Vigneronee
Brewer: Cantillon
Style: Fruit Lambic
Tasting notes: A slightly tamer(?) version of Girardin Gueuze. May be better?
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: Not 10 on 29 December 2005, March 2007 or 8 February 2009.
Comments: The brewer soaks Muscat grapes in lambic beer to make Vigneronee.

Beer: Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewer: Great Divide
Style: Imperial Stout
Tasting notes: A "fresh" bottle. Chocolate filled the air upon pour. Chocolate taste, followed by more chocolate. As the beer warmed the taste when from sweet to bittersweet chocolate and bitter piney hop finish emerged. Went gr8 w/ fudgie brownie and french vanilla ice cream.
Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate rated it as one of the best beers on the planet: 29 December 2005, 10 March 2007, and 25 November 2008

Vertical of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, 2005 v. 2009

I enjoyed a vertical tasting of two vintages of Sierra Nevada's Barleywine. My conclusion is that the beer is great beer that improves w/ age.

Beer: Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale

Brewer: Sierra Nevada

Style: American Barleywine

Tasting notes for 2005 vintage: (4) Yummy. Muted hops. Vanilla. Moved into my top 10ish list. (3) Yummy. An English barleywine with a little too much pine kick at end. If not the extra pine, I would think about including the beer in my top 10ish list. (2) A 2005 tasted great in 2006. (1) My first rating was "An occasional delight".

Tasting notes for 2009 vintage: Loads of hops and a strong bitter hop bite at end. Delicious and smoother than I remember. Have my tastes changed or is the year's version a little tamer?

Date on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated it as one of the top 100 beers on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not 10 March 2007 or 30 January 2009.)

Rating: Top 10ish. The 2005 was better.

Props to Williamsburg Alewerks: A brewery is a sanitation business that dabbles in brewing beer

I had a wonderful exchange of emails with Charles Haines of Williamsburg Alewerks. I wrote to notify him that a bottle of his Washington's Porter had an off, sour, acidic flavor. He replied that the beer was bottled in July and was unstable and he graciously offered to reimburse me for the bottle. I then asked how a retailer could sell a beer that was "out of code". His reply is educational.

"Very few microbreweries either microfilter, sterile filter or pasteurize their beer. Most microbreweries do filter (remove residual yeast) from some of their beers. Wheats, big beers that are cellared and some other styles are usually not filtered at all. We do not filter our Tavern Ale, Porter, Wheat and any of our big beers.

"It has beer said that a brewery is a sanitation business that dabbles in brewing beer. There is a lot of truth in that. Each brew is a challenge, and some brews are cleaner than others. Generally speaking, microbreweries figure their beer is good for three months. If it is really clean, it will last a year plus, maybe not taste fresh, but not be infected at all. If the beer has some alcohol in it (8% ABV or more) it will last longer. Same thing for hops as both alcohol and hops are preservatives.

"Generally speaking, the wholesaler is going to sell it if he has it in the warehouse, same thing for the retailer if he has it on the shelf. If have no problem taking back beer that is kind of in the cycle, particularly if I think the batch was not going to last much beyond three month (that is the case of porter #27, I will swap out the remaining Corks & Kegs six-packs). When I find beer in the wholesalers warehouse that is five months old, or has been on the retailers shelf for a year, I do not think it should be my problem. It is however my beer, so I would rather buy it back than have it sold."

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Beer: Oatmeal Stout

Brewer: Samuel Smith

Style: Oatmeal Stout

Tasting notes: (3) Ditto, although now I would lean to recommended w/ qualifications. I think that I seek a "bigger" flavor. (2) Wonderful English stout. Flavorful and understated. Smooth and buttery. May rate recommended highly. (1) Don’t know whether to sip it or to gulp it.

Dates on which reviewers at Beeradvocate.com rated the beer as on of the top 100 on the planet: 29 December 2005. (Not on 29 10 March 1007 and 02 February 2009.)

Rating: Recommended without reservation.