Monday, December 18, 2023
North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Liefmans Goudenband
Goudenband is a good example of a (Flanders) Oud Bruin.
Beer Advocate: Liefmans Goudenband is one of the most distinctive dark beers in the world. Originally called IJzerenband (Iron Band) – a reference to the iron bands around the beer barrels – the bottle gained its champagne cork when it was renamed Liefmans Goudenband (Gold Band). Made in open vats with beer of mixed fermentation, it is left to mature for four to 12 months in the cellar. Mature beer is then fortified with younger beer, so the fermentation process starts up again.
Liefmans Goudenband is a beer for storing, and just keeps improving over the years like a fine wine. Even after ten years, this dark red beer tastes as fresh as ever. You’ll immediately pick up on the wonderful aromas of caramel, apple, rhubarb, cherries and malt. On the taste buds you will find hints of apple and cherries, combined with woody notes, while the aftertaste hints at nuts and dried raisins. The mildly acidic taste make this beer a perfect match for blue cheese.Wednesday, December 13, 2023
BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien
Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien is a fantastic beer, one of my favorites. Beer Advocate classifies it as a Flanders Red Ale.
Beer Advocate
Brewer's notes: The Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien is a strong sour ale of mixed fermentation, aged during a year in old wine oak barrels. The oak aging and the action of wild yeasts confer this beer’s astonishing wide range of aromas. Its outstanding komplexity, balance, roundness and long finish, are the fruit of the meticulous blend of selected barrels.
On the palate the blend reminds one of fruity red wines with a pronounced balsamic sourness.
The best way to enjoy a Bon-Chien is to serve it in an elegant wine glass at 16°C or 60.6°F paired with a duck breast or some panned foie gras for example.
Tasting notes
2312: I enjoyed a glass on draft at Can Can while dining with L and E. It continues to impress. It paired well with beef tartar and escargots. I have sampled the beer on draft and from the bottle several times since my last review but saw no reason to add new comments. "Sour with oak and smoke and tons of complexity" is accurate. I noticed more wine last night.
Rating = (still) 7 glasses
1308: Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien is a fantastic beer. Sour with oak and smoke and tons of complexity. Rating = 7 glasses.
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
J. W. Lee's Harvest Ale
Tasting notes
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Alchemist Focal Banger
Brewer's notes: Brewed with Mosaic and Citra hops. A firm mineral backbone supports the dank flavors and aromas we cram into this beer, and separates it from the pack.
BeerAdvocate: Focal Banger® is an American India Pale Ale. We have a real love for IPAs here at The Alchemist and we strive to offer you the best hop experience that we possibly can. The beer is brewed using Citra and Mosaic hops and our favorite British malts. Truly an abundance of malty goodness.
Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have worked so hard to retain.If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom -- leave them in the can when pouring. This beer is perishable and at its best when it is young, fresh, and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer today, you could be dead tomorrow ... -- John Kimmich
Fiddlehead Second Fiddle
Second Fiddle is a nice New England Double IPA.
Brewer's Notes:
Extensively dry-hopped, Second Fiddle is second in name only. Big, juicy and aromatic.
Tasting notes
1211: A can from ML. Drank it so long ago that I cannot give it a full or accurate review. I remember thinking is was too "New England" and not bitter enough. The reviews on BeerAdvocate make me want to try it again.
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Brasserie d'Achouffe La Chouffe
BeerAdvocate: The gnomes of Fairyland are particularly fond of this golden beer. LA CHOUFFE, with its slight hoppy taste, combining notes of fresh coriander and fruity tones, is the drink which gives them their zest for life. At least, that's what these imps say when they are thirsty. Their secret used to be jealously guarded from one generation to the next until the day they shared the recipe with humans to seal their friendship. Of all the legends from the wonderful region of the Belgian Ardennes, the tale of LA CHOUFFE is the one which most merits re-telling.
Tasting notes
Rating: 5.5 glasses. 5.5 is a downgrade from 6 because I am trying to be a "tough" grader. The rating may increase with a second or third bottle. Perhaps Duvel is overrated?
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Lawson's Vermont Strong
Vermont Strong is a wonderful American Pale Ale
Brewer's notes: Vermont is a state we love. Vermont Strong is a benefit brew in support of the many friends and neighbors who have been affected by the catastrophic floods of Summer 2023. This project was created to support the Vermont Community Foundation and their efforts to help our brave little state respond, recover, and build back even stronger.Make a donation to the Vermont Community Foundation
2312: A can courtesy of ML. I really liked it. A clean hop bit with a pleasant malt backbone.
Rating = 5 glasses. May change with more tastes.
Bitburger Premium Pils
Premium Pils is the one of the most popular beers in Germany. Bitburger's company slogan is, "Bitte ein Bit."
Brewer's notes: Perfect hoppy pilsner enjoyment, unique in taste: Bitburger Premium Pils – the most tapped premium pilsner at German counters.
BeerAdvocate: The perfected delight of pilsener with an accent of hops, combined with ease and elegance, and a crystal-clear, sunny straw-colour and long-lasting, fine head: brewed for almost two hundred years from the finest raw ingredients according to the German purity law, it's not for nothing that our Bitburger Premium Pils is the most popular draft beer in Germany. Its freshly-drawn flavour makes our Premium beer so well-loved.
Tasting Notes
2312: A nice easy drinking pilsner that pairs easily with food. Some grassy hops with enough bitterness to notice. A fresher beer would be better; the can is dated 2306, It may find a regular place in my refrigerator. I need a side-by-side comparison with Weihenstephaner and St. George. I miss Prima Pils. My reaction is much better than a review 13 years earlier.
Rating = 4 glasses.
1006:: A minikeg. Eh? Unoffensive. Following a Paulener Weiss may have hurt the rating. May rate 2 glasses.
Rating: 1 glassMonday, December 4, 2023
Alesmith Speedway Stout
Speedway Stout is a big coffee imperial stout.
Brewer's notes: A HUGE Imperial Stout that weighs in at an impressive 12% ABV! As if that's not enough, we added pounds of coffee for a little extra kick.
Tasting notesRating = 6 glasses. Placed in top 10ish list initially and downgraded after a few days. I didn't dream about drinking this beer again.
Friday, December 1, 2023
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Bells Expedition Stout
Allagash Tripel
Brewer's notes: This award-winning celebration of a classic Belgian beer style is filled with notes of passion fruit and honey. Its simple recipe yields a full range of elegant flavor and finishes refreshingly dry. Its golden, crisp, and refined profile pulls from a tradition that began centuries ago in Belgian Abbeys.
BeerAdvocate: This strong golden ale is marked by passion fruit and herbal notes in the aroma, with suggestions of banana and honey in the complex palate. The Tripel has a remarkably long and smooth finish.
Tasting notes
Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue)
Rating: 5 glasses
Previous ratings: 2, 5, then 6 glasses
Saturday, November 11, 2023
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Black Chocolate Stout is one of my favorite beers.
Brewer's Notes: This is the famous Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. In the 18th century, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, ordered a stout to be sent to her from England. This beer was brewed strong and hoppy to survive the sea voyage, and it arrived in perfect condition. Soon "Russian Imperial Stout" became the toast of the Russian aristocracy. Brewed since 1994, our Black Chocolate Stout has itself become a modern classic, heralded the world over. It achieves its dark chocolate aroma and flavor through the artful blending of six malts and three distinct mashes. Properly kept, it will improve in the bottle for many years. This stout is the toast of the winter season in many countries, and there is nothing better to enjoy with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, ice cream, fine cheeses and roaring fireplaces.
Given this beer’s higher ABV and sturdy character, we think it’s a prime candidate for cellaring. Find a cool, dry spot away from light sources, and see how it changes in the years to come. You never quite know what will happen when you age a beer: perhaps the body will smooth out, notes of vanilla, oak, and tannins will come to the front, or hints of leather and soy sauce will make themselves known. No matter what, remember that beer is meant for drinking, so don’t keep it to yourself for too long.
BeerAdvocate rates it as Outstanding, the 1,977th best beer overall, and the 117th best Russian Imperial Stout. My last rating = 4 glasses.
Rating = 5 glasses.
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine-Style Ale
July 5, 2020: Bigfoot is the classic American Barleywine. It is a flavor bomb - tons of sweet malt and tons of bitter hops. It ages fantastically and my "cellar' has bottles dates 2006. It has been a favorite of mine for years. It goes great with carrot cake and other sweet desserts. My understanding is the "Barleywine-style" in the title arose because the ABC folks feared that buyers would confuse it with wine if the SN called it simply "Barleywine".
Rating = 7 glasses.
Friday, November 10, 2023
3 Floyds Alpha Klaus
Alpha Klaus is an Christmas porter.
Brewer's notes: Alpha King’s festive cousin. A big American Christmas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt, Mexican sugar, and tons of strange American hops. The pronounced hop bitterness gives way to flavors of molasses and chocolate from the roasted malt bill.
Tasting notes
2311: Alpha Klaus tastes like it has chocolate and maybe cinnamon; but the brewer's notes do not mention any extracts. The beer is pleasant and a nice variation of a Christmas Ale. It is easy to drink and the flavor is interesting.
Rating = 4 glasses
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Girardin 1882 Black Label Gueuze
Tasting notes
Rating: 6 glasses.
Bell's Third Coast Old Ale
Flavor Profile: Complex, Warm Malt Character, Huge Body, Rich Caramel Malt Aromas
Beer Info: A mixture of burnt caramel and other earthy malt flavors, with enough hop presence to prevent a sense of sweetness. Sharply bitter when first packaged, this hop aspect will fold into the malt character over time and find balance.
Shelf Life: Unlimited
Ingredients: Water, Malt, Hops, House Ale Yeast
Nutritional Information (per 12 oz. serving): Calories: 318, Carbs: 26.7
1210: Bells bottled this 6-pack on 4 Dec 2008, making it about 4 years old. The taste was all brown sugar and malt. I want to buy and age more. Yummy. It continues to earn its 6-glass rating.
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Duvel 6.66
6.66 is a fine Belgian blond ale if you like the style. I am not a big fan.
Brewer's Notes: The Duvel Moortgat family brewery is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, with a new variant of Duvel, a new mild, full-bodied blond Duvel with the alcohol percentage of 6.66%.
This Duvel is mild, expressive and deliciously drinkable. No fewer than 6 different hop varieties are used for Duvel 6.66%: just like the classic Duvel, it’s based on the noble and exclusive hop varieties Saaz and Styrian Golding. The flavour is then balanced by adding four expertly selected hop varieties to the mix, which also involves the dry-hopping method.
Tasting Notes
November 2023: As noted, 6.66 is a fine Belgian blond ale.
Rating = 2.5 glasses.
Saturday, October 14, 2023
Live Oak HefeWeizen
The reviewers @ BeerAdvocate love HefeWeizen. I do not.
Brewer's notes: Modeled after the classic wheat beers of Bavaria, Hefeweizen is cloudy and straw-colored with a meringue-like head that lingers to the bottom of the glass. Brewed with an ample volume of wheat malt and few hops, this beer features a unique yeast strain that produces harmonious notes of clove, banana, and vanilla throughout this effervescent brew. A traditional interpretation of a classic style, this idiosyncratic Bavarian beer is perfectly at home here in Texas.
Tasting notes
14 October 2023: The aroma of the beer offers great promise - nice clove and banana smells. But the taste fails to deliver on the promise. The beer is a rather bland hefe with an odd lemon flavor and a titch of zest and the head dissipates quickly. Some of the reviews in BeerAdvocate express similar reactions. I was disappointed after discovering what I thought was a whale.
Rating = 1 glass. I'll finish the six-pack I purchased.
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier (2023)
Brewer's Notes: This collab with Kehrwieder is 20 years in the making, back when our brewmasters were classmates in Berlin. Today, Kehrwieder is turning German-style craft beer on its head - just like we did stateside - and out mutual passion is fused in this Festbier that's bright like polished copper, rich with biscuity malts, and balanced with a punchy blend of German and American hops.
Tasting Notes
Oct 2023: I am liking the beer more and more. I titch malty for a festbier but still quite quaffable.
Rating = 5 glasses
August 2023: I was surprised to see Oktoberfest beers on the shelved of Total Wine at the end of July. I figured I should buy some immediately to get stuff that is fresh. I picked up a six-pack of Weihenstepaner Festbier and the 2023 release from Sierra Nevada. This year's version from SN is bold and hoppy for a Festbier IMO. I think it is more a Märzen. I was not impressed by my first can but enjoyed the second (different night). The second can was flavorful and easy to drink.
Rating: 4 glasses. The rating may climb as I drink more of the six-pack and other Oktoberfests.