Russian Imperial Stout
North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg, CA
12 oz bottle, 9% abv
Pours black with a dark tan head that lasts well.
Aroma is roast malt, alcohol, and toffee.
Flavor is deep and rich with lots of dark fruit, coffee, vanilla and some higher alcohols.
Mouthfeel is moderately thick but not overly so. Finishes surprisingly dry with a strong hit of lingering bitterness.
A fine example of the style. Really, really yummy...
Today is:
Doggie Claws
Barleywine Style Ale, 2010 vintage
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon
12 oz bottle, 11% abv
This one will probably go in the cellar for a while.
Forgot to blog this yesterday:
Funky e star
Belgian Wild Ale
Mikeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Loochrisri-Hufte, Belgium
11.2 oz bottle, 9.4% abv
Today we get:
Noel des Geants
Belgian Holiday Ale
Brasserie des Legendes, Ath, Belgium
11.2oz bottle, 8.5% abv
As mentioned this morning, this is an amber ale made with chestnut flour.
Pours clear amber, with a white head.
Aroma is light malt, no hops, and yes, a hint of roast chestnut. I only know that because I had chestnuts for the first time last Saturday.
Flavor is lightly malty and very clean. Quite lager-like, actually. Very balanced, not too sweet.
Finish is crisp, with an initial smoothness followed by a cleansing bitterness and then after a short wait, some lingering but light astringency.
A nice simple beer that's a refreshing change from some of the huge holiday Ales in the calendar.
This is one I've never seen:
Pietra
Amber Ale brewed with chestnut flour
Brasserie Pietra, Corsica, France
11.2 oz bottle, 6% abv
Today we have another one for the cellar:
Bommen & Granaten Handcrafted Beer
Brouwerij De Molen
Bodegraven, Netherlands
12 oz bottle, 15.2% abv
Pours cloudy brown with a nonexistent head. Really a quite ugly beer somewhat reminiscent of prune juice.
Aroma is pruney/raisiny with lots of alcohol.
Flavor is also a bit pruney. Lots of big alcohol notes too. Thankfully as strong as it is, it isn't overly sweet, which is a pleasant surprise.
Finish is very warm but surprisingly not too out of balance.
Overall it is a bit harsh and it could use another year in the bottle. Hopefully some more carbonation will develop in time as well.
Again, a Dogfish beer I'm not a fan of, not a real surprise. It's not horrible, but it's not great either, it's just ok.
Today we have:
2006 Harvest Ale
J.W. Lees
Manchester, England
275ml bottle, 11.5%abv
This should be interesting after five years in the bottle. We'll find out soon.
Our second week starts with:
Stille Nacht, 2009 vintage
Belgian holiday ale
De Dolle Brouwers, Belgium
12% abv, 11.6oz bottle
I can't remember if I've tried this before or not, but I'm looking forward to it. Not tonight though, after hanging out at the Portland Holiday Ale Festival yesterday, I don't want any beer today...
Today is a beer from Dogfish Head, in Delaware:
Raison D'extra
Brown ale brewed with raisins
12oz bottle, alcohol unspecified
We'll have to see if this is one of the few Dogfish beers I like.
"It's got raisins in it. You like raisins..."
Today's beer is another one that will go into the cellar for some aging:
Bigfoot
Barleywine, 2011 vintage
Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, CA
12 oz bottle, 9.6%abv
Today we have a favorite:
Old Rasputin
Russian Imperial Stout
North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg, CA
12oz bottle, 9%abv
Today's beer is Harvey's Christmas Ale, Harvey & Sons Brewery, Lewes, Sussex, England
9.3oz bottle, 8.1%abv
I've never even heard of this one, we'll see what it's like soon.
Today's advent beer pours cloudy amber, with a very thin head that dissipates quite quickly.
Aroma is intensely malty with some strong fruity notes.
Flavor is similarly malty, but with lots of nice hops and plenty of alcohol.
Finish is pleasantly balanced, but leans a bit toward the sweet. There is a noticeable lingering alcohol warmth as well.
This is a really nice Barleywine that seems perfectly aged after two years on the bottle. Highly recommended.
Today's beer is:
John Barleycorn
Barleywine
2009 Cellar Reserve
Mad River Brewing, Blue Lake, CA
12oz bottle, 11%abv
Looking forward to this one!
Today's beer is one for the cellar:
Imagine
Block 15 Brewing, Corvallis, Or
Ale aged in bourbon barrels
12oz bottle, 15%abv
Yay for beer Advent, the best Xmas gift possible for the strict atheist in your family.
Thanks to my lovely wife Tracie, I'm privileged to have another month of great holiday beers to keep me occupied.
The first beer in the calendar this year is:
Santa's Swallie
Christmas beer brewed with spices
Inveralmond Brewery, Perth, Scotland
500ml bottle, 4.3%abv
Pours light amber, slightly cloudy, with a thin, light head.
Aroma is floral with light malt and a hint of spice.
Flavor is similarly flowery, with solid notes of mulling spices.
Mouthfeel is light and a bit thin with a slightly sweet finish.
This was a tasty and interesting start to the calendar. I'm looking forward to the rest of the month!
Speciality Ale aged in bourbon barrels
Block 15 Brewing Company, Corvallis, Oregon
750ml bottle, 10%abv
To celebrate an already great Thanksgiving, I decided to crack open a beer I saved from the last holiday season.
Pours dark amber with a thin head that fades quickly.
Aroma is malt, alcohol and bourbon.
Flavor is malty with lots of big alcohol flavors and a ton of bourbon notes.
Finish is nicely balanced, but with lots of lingering alcohol warmth.
A nice big beer. Perhaps a tiny bit too much bourbon influence for some folks, but it works for me because I love bourbon.
Happy Thanksgiving!
No, not a war between Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, or the ongoing conflict with the angry birds. This is a beer from HUB out if Portland.
Northwest-style Ale
8%abv, 22oz bottle.
Pours moderately clear with a thin head that fades quickly.
Aroma is fruity with malt and a bit of spice and some, but not a ton of hops
Flavor is similarly malty, with some fruit.
Mouthfeel is medium to thick.
Finishes with plenty of alcohol warmth and a bit of lingering sweetness.
An interesting big beer with a lot going on. Very enjoyable yet hard to classify.
Belgian style abbey ale
North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg, CA
750ml bottle, 9.4%abv
This is much different than the saisons I've been drinking. Aroma is sweet malt and rich toffee. Flavor is also a bit sweet, but not overly so. Lots of nice subtle toffee notes here too. Finishes with some alcohol warmth, but not too sweet.
A very nice beer and tribute to the jazz great.
Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City, Mo
Saison dry-hopped and bottle fermented with Brettanomyces.
8.5%abv, 750ml bottle.
We've been on a bit of a saison kick, and this is a good one. Really nice hoppy aroma with a good bit of horse blanket funk. Flavor is lightly fruity with a bit of spice. Finishes dry and crisp, with a hint of warmth.
Quite tasty, it's different, but compares well against the North Coast and Dupont versions.
Belgian farmhouse ale
Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium
Very nice saison. Great fruity nose with a hint of funk. Good sweetness initially, with a nice bitter finish with some subtle spiciness.
This is our first visit to the new Les Caves pub in town. 16 taps, 100+ bottles available, and a small but tasty food menu. We'll be back!
Known for their real beer in cans, it's nice to try it on tap.
The Hopportunity Knocks IPA is quite good, with a more assertive hop profile than their standard IPA.
Davis, CA
My compatriots insisted on this stop for lager. Not being much of a lager fan, I'm just going to have food.
One of my favorite breweries, ever. Nice to finally get to visit in person.
The Pliny The Elder is amazing.
Fusion 7: wet-hop Censored ale
Aroma is mostly malt, with subtle hop notes.
Flavor is more balanced, with good malt, nice hop flavor, and a crisp, clean finish. Pretty yummy.
Right to left in the previous picture:
Peter Brown brown ale -- good malt aroma, good flavor, fairly subtle but good.
Red Rocket -- nice hoppy red ale. Very ipa-esque but tasty.
Racer 5 -- a solid IPA that doesn't disappoint.
Hop Rod Rye -- a tasty rye with good bitterness.
Black Racer -- black IPA. Just plain yummy.
Good spot...
Hopefully this will be vastly superior to the previous stop...
Couldn't finish these, just not good. As the beers warmed, all sorts of funkiness came out in all of these.
Unfortunate.
Fresh hop pale -- not bad.
Hop Ottin' IPA -- nose is not my favorite, flavor is ok.
Imperial IPA -- again the aroma isn't great, flavor is ok. Definitely has some alcohol warmth.
Saison -- ok, but not nearly as good as the North Coast one.
Brother David's Double -- too sweet.
Beautiful spot, just not as good as others.
Scrimshaw pilsner -- crisp but mellow
Acme IPA -- hoppy goodness but smooth and fairly balanced. Very drinkable.
La Merle saison -- super tasty with just the right amount of funk
Old Rasputin imperial stout -- intense malt with a big hit of hop bitterness in the finish.
Great place to start the day!
Nice pub, but I don't expect the beer to compare well to the last stop.
Definitely the coolest spot so far. A great little brewery specializing in Belgian styles, and you drink right in the brewery. Excellent beer too.
I got a sampler with their trippel, dry hopped Belgian porter, and imperial golden ale. All three are great.
This is an awesome little spot -- highly recommended.
Barely made it here before closing time. What kind of brewpub closes at 9:00?
IPA, Kolsch, and ESB.
IPA is decent, a bit mellow, but good.
Kolsch is quite tasty, light and crisp.
The ESB is tasty with good malt, but has a harsh lingering bitterness in the end.
All in all not a bad way to start.
Me and a few of my ultrarunning buddies (a.k.a. Drinkers With An Ultrarunning Problem --DWAUP) are leaving in about half an hour for a tour of all our favorite breweries in Norcal and Southern Oregon.
Should be a fun weekend! I'll hopefully post lots of good things over the next few days, stay tuned...
Porter brewed with chocolate beans and coffee with 20% aged in bourbon barrels.
22oz bottle, 11%abv
Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
Cracked open this special cellar beer in celebration of getting my subaru 99% back together (still need to install the exhaust and add fluids).
Pours thick and black, with a tan head that dissipates fairly quickly.
Aroma is vanilla, malt and alcohol.
Flavor is intensely rich with lots of roast malt character and some nice chocolate and coffee hints.
Finishes surprisingly dry for a beer this big, with a noticeable alcohol warmth.
Delightful beer, and a pleasant way to warm up after a chilly fall day working on the car.
Rogue is in one. He has to suffer with it for two weeks while he heals from his latest round of surgical craziness. He's a toughy.
Picked many more hops today, and got the first pound of dried ones into their vacuum bags in the freezer.
We're making a harvest/fresh hop IPA tomorrow. After that I'll have about four plants left to harvest. I'll probably be sick to death of hops this time next week.
