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.