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Thursday, November 24, 2011
DuClaw Brewing Co. - Retribution Review(Barrel #14 of #20)
Brewery: DuClaw Brewing Company
The Facts:
Location: Abingdon, Md.
Established: 1996
Tidbits: Retribution was aged inside of bourbon barrels made from charred American oak and carefully monitored for 6 months before being bottled in numbered runs from individal barrels, making the beer from each barrel a unique experience.
Availability: Seasonal, Limited to 20 barrels produced
Type: Single Barrel Bourbon Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
Observations & Opinion:
Sight: It pours thick and dark with a hue of ruby into the glass. In the glass it is actually straight up black with virtually no head. A halo does form of a light tan on the inside of the snifter.
Aroma: Sweet and spicy. Dark fruits galore...prune, or maybe raisin. Malt of espresso and a light char, with intermingling touches of bourbon thoughout.
Taste: Fig, and vanilla up front, with bourbon essence woven in nicely. Mild warming from front to back of the palatte. Wood notes poke through more and more as the brew warms. Additions of bakers chocolate and burnt sugars help finish this complex brew.
Overall: I was expecting a tremendous brew and I wasn't disappointed at all by this one. Interwoven flavors mesh well, but are still distinct enough to make each specific note. Mouthfeel is creamy and tongue coating, with a impressive sugar sweetness all the way through. Aftertaste is there, and not offensive...it hangs on the corners with an ever so slight hint of alcohol included.
Similar Brew(s): N/A N/A
Score: 9.3/10
 
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Crooked Stave Brewing Co. - Pure Guava Petite Sour Review
Brewery: Crooked Stave Brewing Co.
The Facts:
Location: Ft. Collins, Colorado
Established: 2010/2011
Tidbits: Owner & Head brewer Chad Yokabson wrote his master's dissertation on Brettanomyces yeast species. Chad has studied abroad and got said masters in Scotland. This brew is one of many unique barrel-aged brews that will come from the brewery.
Availability: Limited to 1765 bottles
Type: American Wild Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Observations & Opinion:
Sight: Bottle nearly blew up after the cap seal was released. After letting settle, I removed the cap and bright-white "champagne" bubbles emerged from the bottle. I poured it into my snifter glass where the color turned out to be a sunrise-orange barely being able to be seen through. There are twinges of yellows with a slight clearness at the surface.
Aroma: Sour funk leads the way with pungent fruits intermingled throughout. Brett, apricots, and a hit or two of apple come through next. Closing out the nose is that lingering sour that is the beers namesake.
Taste: All flavors are reinforced with tart sourness...Apple, cranberry, "Hard Water" are the main flavors filling the mouth. Secondly, there are some hints of bitter fighting the tart, but doesn't win-out. Finishing the sips gives more mild tropical fruits, guava, pineapple, and passionfruit. Not much of an alcohol presence, or malt come through.
Overall: My bottle was numbered 1682 of 1765...I got this brew via trade with BasicallyRed & Hoptopia in Denver. Mouthfeel is lighter the more it's chilled, as it warms a touch the body becomes a tad more coating on the tongue. Aftertaste is basically the same as the taste but a little less aggressive. So happy I got my hands of this bottle, as I love sours and try as many as I can. Nothing to write home about, but I wouldn't mind having another.
Similar Brew(s): N/A
Score: 8.2/10
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Sunday, November 6, 2011
Avery Brewing Co. - Rumpkin Review
Brewery: Avery Brewing Co.
The Facts:
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Established: 1993
Tidbits: This brew used to only be available at the brewery, but became a cult hit they decided to bottle a limited run. Brewed with 5 spices and aged in Gosling Rum Barrels.
Availability: 500 case a year of 12oz. bottles...Approx. 12,000 bottles
Type: Barrel-Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 15.9%
Observations & Opinion:
Sight: Deep amber-orange drops outta the bottle translucently into my small snifter glass. A head didn't really present itself at all, but does create a halo around the inner-outside of the glass on the surface.
Aroma: Burnt woods, sweetness of hard candy and an tremendous amount of ginger. Chilled sniffs of pumpkin and cinnamon close the deal on the smell.
Taste: Wowzers, Strong while remaining approachable. I get great warming sweetness first and foremost. Syrupy pumpkin, with nutmeg, and cinnamon showing through. The oak aging comes through sencondly with more of the pumpkin and a hint of that ginger I got in the nose. The finale is light rum highs and lows and spice of alcohol. .
Overall: Superbly done...I can definitely understand why this had gotten a huge following and in essence forced Avery into bottling a limited run each year. Mouthfeel is clingy and coating on the tongue, but doesn't take away from any plus's from me. The aftertaste is anticipated, and is welcome...Light sweets hold the back of the throat more than the tongue. This beer is a fine example of how a Pumpkin ale should be done, with deliberate processes and ingredients, showing that they care in what they are doing.
Similar Brew(s): N/A
Score: 9.4/10
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Thursday, October 6, 2011
Mikkeller Brewing Co. - Black Imperial Stout Review
Brewery: Mikkeller Brewing Co.
The Facts:
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Established: 2007
Tidbits: Gypsy brewer's who contract brew all over Europe. The strongest beer in Scandinavia.
Availability: Very Limited
Type: Imperial Stout
ABV: 17.5%
Observations & Opinion:
Sight: Well, the name is fitting...Extremely black in the glass but when poured there is a ruby-red tint to the flow, nearly 10w30-esque. The head forms a cottony layer of fluff, roughly an inch thick in the mocha coffee color. As the Lid of head falls there is a beautiful lace that surrounds the inside edge of the glass.
Aroma: Obvious chocolate notes eminate from the snifter with a mellow spice of alcohol, with cinnamon and some coffee touches. What is unique to me in the smell is the dark fruits...Black currants, Prunes, or possibly Plum. This make the breathes very attractive and welcoming...one after the next. Sweet and refreshing, plain and simple.
Taste: The tongue recognizes the noses guess well...Dark Chocolate, roasted coffee, caramels and front the profile. Black currants, & prune in the middle, and a noticeable alcohol presence that stays in the throat mostly warming the palate from back to front. A light-bitter dryness helps finishes things out nicely.
Overall: When pouring this one I wasn't sure if I should drink it or make sure the mechanic didn't rotate my tires with my oil change. The brew is definitely a sipper, sweet overwhelms and can be distracting for some while a pleasure for others. Either way, the ABV% along with the noticeable alcohol taste isn't a negative in the review score, it comes to be expected. The mouthfeel is thin at first then coats the tongue nicely with light-creaminess. There is a mellow aftertaste of dried black fruit & earthy bitter. Overall, another fine brew from the Gyspy brewers at Mikkeller. Good Job.
Similar Brew(s): Oskar Blues Brewing - Ten Fidy or Cigar City Brewing - Dirac
Score: 8.9/10
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Heavy Seas Brewing Co. - Great'er Pumpkin Ale Review
Brewery: Heavy Seas Brewing Co.
The Facts:
Location: Baltimore, Md.
Established: 1994
Tidbits: Heavy Seas took over the branding of the brewery from Clipper City in the late 2000's
Availability: Very Limited in September
Type: Imperial Pumpkin Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels
ABV: 9.0%
Observations & Opinion:
Sight: Pours quick and bubbly into the snifter a translucent-orange with a darker tint. The head doesn't really develope into much, which is a tad disappointing.
Aroma: This is the first time you know you aren't drinking your run-of-the-mill pumpkin beer. You get plenty of the pumpkin spices in there; cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove...but you get a heaping helping of pumpkin in the inhale also. On a deeper breath is where you get more uniqueness in the bourbon notes from the barrel aging
Taste: Pumpkin is strong and leads the way with nice warmth of alcohol pulling up a close second. The spices of the season are riding those awesomely balanced flavors well. The aging adds a touch of sour caramel and mild touches of straight bourbon to the profile.
Overall: Out of the many pumpkin beers I've had, there is only one other that can even come close to the quality of this one. That one is only on draft and is ultra-rare...this one is rare also but at least you might be able to find it from time to time during the early fall. Great Pumpkin Ale is the regular version, and isn't aged in the Bourbon. That is the perfect addition to the pumpkin style, and Heavy Seas hit it dead on. Mouthfeel is thin and smooth, while the aftertaste ends up being a tad sour.
Similar Brew(s): Evolution Brewing - Jacques Au Lantern
Score: 9.3/10
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