Beer Review: Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA

This bottle of Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA is the last of the "must drink soon" brews I got from my buddy Jeff in Seattle. I've been looking forward to cracking this open since the day it arrived. From what I understand this is the second version of the Hop Henge IPA. The original bottling was simply called Hop Henge Imperial IPA, but the hop additions were tweaked as of January 2009. The bottle states that this measures 9% alcohol by volume and 95 IBUs. This very well could be a boozy bitter bomb. This is a 22 ounce bottle stamped "BEST BY 06/16/11 1126 M". I'm assuming that this was bottled in March. Ok, so not at all past it's prime and well within it's freshness period.

It pours out dark amber, copper and slightly hazy. There is a big fluffy two finger head on a moderately aggressive pour. The head thins out to the edges and sticks around to the end and has a sticky lacing all the way down the glass. Lively carbonation streams stick around for a while.

Fairly prominent sweet malt, toasted bread and earthy round hop aromas. Strong earthy dark hops in the front. The middle tastes like slightly sour orange but not quite bitter grapefruit. It finishes is oddly caramel sweet. Hop Henge feels medium in body and slick. It feels chewy at times and makes my mouth water.

This is a very good double IPA. Like all IPAs I'd imagine that this would be incredible when it's super fresh. It's a little aggressive on the hop side of the flavor profile. The alcohol is pretty well hidden, though you really expect it to be a bomb with such a strong hop and malt presence. I enjoyed this beer a lot.

Under the cap, "Bravely Done"

Firestone Walker Tasting Event at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, PA

by Jeff Pilcicki (@thebeerhaunt)

A little while back my good friend Jeff visited a local tap bars for this event. Jeff has the suburban Philly scene covered for us. You should follow him on Twitter!

Of all the breweries that distribute near, but not to Pennsylvania, Firestone Walker has long been at the top of my list of breweries I'd like to see enter my fine state. Of course, Deschutes would top that list, but as they have yet to cross the Mississippi River, that's not likely to happen anytime soon (but hey, we'd welcome you!). Firestone Walker has distributed nearby for a while, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania was finally added to their repertoire on April 11, just over a month ago.

On April 12th, just the second day of distribution in the state, I attended a low key launch event at Teresa's Next Door Bar in Wayne, PA, one of the better bars I frequent. Teresa's is sometimes referred to as "Suburban Monks", as it specializes in high quality Belgian and American beers, as well as phenomenal food menu. Because I work during the day, I wasn't able to arrive until 4:30 in the afternoon, missing David Walker's appearance, and arrived during a lull in the crowd. 

I sat down and ordered the sampler - Walkers Reserve, Double Jack and Abacus.

I liked the way they notated the beers.  Circles on the paper with letters inside corresponding to the beers on the right

Sadly, in my excitement, I forgot to document each beer as it was consumed, but the image above shows remnants of lacing on the glass of Double Jack, as well as a half full Walker's Reserve. In my haste, I also picked a bad sequence to drink these beers. I began with the Abacus, a 13% barley wine probably my favorite, but also the most flavorful, palate killing beer of the day.  There's a boozy warmth to this beer, one that any drinker looking forward to the bourbon barrel aged treat will enjoy. It's not overpowering, but lets you know that it means business. The bourbon taste takes over up front with a caramel taste, and subsides to the dark fruit and sweet but mellow malt profile in the finish. A phenomenal beer that's great now, but will only improve with age.

Double Jack came next, 9.5% double IPA - Firestone Walker is two for two. Citrus hop based IPA loaded with hops and a full bodied beer. Despite that, I wouldn't consider it a hop bomb - incredibly balanced, but big.

Finally,the Walkers Reserve was just about everything you could ask for in a porter. A chocolate and coffee taste up front with a strong roasted malt finish.  Not as carbonated as some porters I've had make it feel fuller in body, and finishing with some oak and vanilla notes. 

After those three beers, I asked the bartender about the '14' - their 14th anniversary beer, a 12.5% strong ale. He said they only had bottles and they weren't for take out. I ordered a second Double Jack, as I wasn't about to drink a bottle of '14', as well as a sandwich called 'Meat Porn' an incredibly juicy aged Kobe Beef Burger. 

Unfortunately, the bartender wasn't exactly clear to me when he told me they only had bottles of '14' - what I later found out was that they were SERVING it from the bottle, $7 for an 8oz pour. Of course, had I known that, I would have ordered it. I took a break with a water while I mulled it over.  ...And ordered a '14', of course. I think a review on beeradvocate.com sums it up well "this is part quad, part stout and part barleywine.' Unfortunately, I don't have tasting notes on this beer, but let me tell you, if I fall into a chance to buy a bottle, I will not pass it up.  '14' is a beer that smacks the drinker in the face, but in the most delightful way possible.

Ahh. Heaven.  

At this point, I had made a few friends sitting at the bar, what one is bound to do after a few hours of drinking alone at a neighborhood bar. So I deviated from Firestone Walker and went a different direction… By ordering a Pliny the Elder,which turned into two, and a long nap when I arrived home.

I'd like to thank Jeff for this piece. I look forward to more reviews in the future. Make sure to follow him on Twitter @thebeerhaunt

Beer Review: Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse

My sister-in-law brought over this bottle of Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse last weekend to share with my wife an I This is my second time with this brew, first of this bottling. Hopfen-Weisse is a more hop forward weizenbock collaboration between Brooklyn Brewing Company in New York and  G. Schneider & Son Brewery in Kelheim, Germany. I'm still somewhat new to the weizenbock style. I really enjoyed the German bottling of this collaboration a few months ago. Let's see if the New York version holds up.
 
I poured this from a 750ml bottle into a Weyerbacher tulip. It appears hazy straw gold with a tall big bubble white head, light lacing with about a 1/4" of the head retained through the tasting. It smells of light creamy lemon citrus, fieldy spices with some sharp bitter hop notes. The flavor profile begins with huge spicy hops up front. As it settles in there are some very light watery citrus flavors. This left me a bit disappointed. The middle on the German bottling mimicked this same aroma almost exactly. The US version fell flat. It finishes with a long bitter aftertaste.

This is a good beer. However, I prefer the other bottling to this one. I'm fairly certain that the other version was done in Germany and this one here in the States. The German one had a much creamier, almost lemon meringue flavor to it that was much more dessert like. This very is much thinner and hop forward. It's a decent and somewhat refreshing brew that is perfect for a Spring-time picnic.

Beer Review: Heavy Seas Plank I

Max's in Baltimore this afternoon was the venue for the release of Heavy Seas newest offering, a wood plank aged English style old ale called Plank I. For a little background on this brew project check out my blog post from April 5th here. This brew was previously available at a small brewery event a little while back. As far as I can tell this would be the first event outside of the brewery for which Plank I was made available.

I got in right around 5PM and there was about twenty or so folks were around the bar. A cask had been tapped and I could see several dark pints being enjoyed. Hugh Sisson and many familiar faces from the brewery were present and enjoying the brew. My buddy Greg popped in just a few minutes after I did. Two seats secured at the front corner of the bar. Excellent. Over the next hour the bar filled in with many more familiar faces, more brewers and some local beer bloggers. All is well.

There were two versions available, a straight up tap version and a dry hopped cask version. I will first share my notes on the base version then I will point out the differences in the hopped cask version

Plank I came to me in a pint class and appeared hazy ruby brown with a tan half-finger head and sticky lacing. There's not much head retained through the tasting. It smells bright and sweet with resinous wood notes with some light bitter notes around the edge.

The tasting begins. It's big, malty and sweet up front as expected. There are some very nice vanilla notes that pop up towards the middle. A mild fruity sweetness set in. As it opens up some coffee notes appear as well as some more woody earthy notes. There is an obvious heavy dark malt presence. The wood notes are just enough to be noticed, not overpowering. With wood aged beers I prefer more wood flavors, but those tend to be very heavy on the palate. This actually feels pretty refreshing, I could have several with out ruining my flavor-catchers. It finishes lightly bitter and doesn't stick around very long.

Cask of Plank I with a bag of hops in side. No C02 here!

The cask version had a more prominent vanilla presence in the nose and flavor profile. The hop addition made this a more well rounded and balanced beer in my opinion, but some of the wood notes are not as present. It almost didn't have the feel of a wood aged beer. The aroma is slightly more hoppy and the finish is much more bitter.

This is a very easy beer to put back. Surprisingly there is no alcohol presence, and at 8% this is an achievement. I enjoyed this beer. While it's not quite up there with the best in the style in my opinion, it's certainly a very good first offering in the project series. It's missing something, but I'm not sure what. I look forward to the bottled version which we should be able to find on shelves locally very soon.

Thanks again to our friends at Max's for supporting local craft brewer's and for the great folks at Heavy Seas/Clipper City for continuing to create fine craft brews!

I'd like to give a quick shout out to our new friends from Charlotte with whom we shared some thoughts and good beer. Cheers!

Enjoy the Dogfish Head 90!

Beer Review: Samuel Adams Utopias

It doesn't get much classier than this. 

My good friend Greg shared some Samuel Adams Utopias with me yesterday afternoon. I would like to extend a huge congratulations to Greg and his wife Julia on the recent arrival of their baby boy! For this special occasion Greg purchased one of the most expensive bottles of beer he and I will likely ever sample. I can't express how grateful I am to him for sharing some with me. 

Many craft beer snobs shit on the Samuel Adams line of beers, simply because they produce a lot of beer. But, they are still a craft micro-brewery that produces a variety of styles that are consistently good quality representations of their respective styles. While many of their brews I am not a fan of, a few of them I really enjoy. 

To understand Utopias, you have to go back and read about and try the Triple Bock. I had only heard the legend of this brew back when it came out in the mid-90s. I had heard that it was illegal in several states, that it would make you go blind and that it was somehow magical. The bottom line is that the folks in Boston had created a non-distilled 17.5% ABV strong ale that was unlike anything anybody had ever tasted. Last Summer Greg and I shared a bottle of this historic brew, we believe it was from the 1995 batch, about 15 years old at the time of the tasting. That beer is still very raw and unrefined. It's brute force in a bottle with a whole lot of odd flavors. It's a unique experience that every craft beer historian should experience at some point in their life. I've still got some left if you'd like to come by for a taste.

Utopias is the much more refined younger brother and the natural evolution of the Tripel Bock. It's much higher in alcohol content, clocking in at a whopping 27% alcohol by volume. As far as I can tell it's the highest alcohol content found in a non-distilled liquid. Insanity I tell you.

I was very excited to see the bottle on his counter. Greg and I sat and stared at it for a good ten minutes before opening. It came in a brown cardboard shipping box. The bottle itself is pretty freakin' cool looking. Copper metallic finish, in the shape of and with the details of a vintage copper fermenting tank. There are two small functioning doors that open up to reveal an etching of the familiar Sam Adams image.

Utopias pours crystal clear and deep ruby red. It almost sparkles in the light. It coats the glass like a good bourbon and with no carbonation bubbles or head.

The aroma is amazing. It smells of raisins, dark cherries, figs, prunes, sweet malt syrup, burnt brown sugar with some light wood notes and some alcohol. The flavors present in the mouth mirror that of the nose. Tart cherries, figs, raisins are prominent. At times it's so complexly sweet that it's almost savory. Some vanilla and woody notes pop up from time to time. There are several levels of flavor that develop as it opens up. I picked up some syrupy malt sweetness followed by waves of dark fruit and then back again. It tastes chewy at times, making my mouth water. It feels medium in body with huge alcohol warmth.

This is a very complex and enjoyable drink. It's tough to describe it as a beer. The experience is similar to sherry or port tasting. It's a very unique and palate challenging sipper. I get a lot of flavor hints from the Tripel Bock that I spoke of earlier.

At $170-$200 a bottle in my area it'd be a stretch to even consider this a once-a-year treat. If you couldn't pick up my opinion of this experience already, here it is: Utopias is simply stunning. If you don't want to splurge for a bottle, find a bar that's willing to do a sample tasting, likely for around $20. Or, better yet, split a bottle with a bunch of your beer geek friends. You need to experience this at least once in your life. Trust me.

Beer Review: Pub Dog Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

'tis a pity

I picked up a single 16.9 oz. bottle DOG Brewing's Pub Dog Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Oatmeal Stout at Cindy's in Elkridge, MD a few weeks ago. It had been in the cellar, but I decided to open in Friday night. I figured that if it was as good as I hoped that I could easily get more to keep on hand. 

I poured this into a snifter and shared the bottle with my wife and her sister. It came out dark brown with a very fine head and little to no lacing. The head is retained at the edges throughout the tasting. The aroma is very lightly roasted malt and with a hint of chocolate.

Up front it tastes very tart. It's jumbled up with some hints of dark chocolate. The tartness continues through the tasting, almost like it was aged in bad red wine barrels. Not a hint of bourbon or wood. There is not much character or depth to the flavor profile at all. I am saddened by this. 

This beer just flat-out misses the mark. This should be a much more robust beer with well defined and harmonious flavors of chocolate, wood and bourbon. I doubt I'd buy this one again unless some serious tweaking is done to it. It's kind of like a sour porter, not much of a stout feel to it. I hate to post a bad review, but it needs to be said. Do not buy this beer, it's a waste of money. Hell, even if I was offered a free one, I might pass on it.

Beer Review: Silver City Whoop Pass Double IPA

Got this bottle of Silver City Whoop Pass Double IPA from my buddy Jeff in Seattle a while back. It's been in the fridge for a few weeks. Bottle isn't date stamped at all. This is my first from Silver City. I've had a good problem recently, lots of great IPAs sitting in the fridge that need to be drank soon!

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Weyerbacher tulip. I shared this bottle with my wife, also a fan of the double IPA style. It came out hazy copper red with an off-white one-finger head and a huge amount of lacing. The head is retained through the tasting. There are some steady carbonation streams for the first five minutes or so.

It smells creamy caramel and malty sweet with some slight hop bitter notes. It tastes up front are of bold and earthy hops. It settles in creamy and malty sweet with a long thin bitter finish down the middle of the tongue. It feels thin to medium with some slight alcohol warmth.

This is a nice double IPA. Its pretty hop forward and has the dark and strong feel of some others in the style like Firestone Walker Double Jack. This doesn't feel as balanced and refined as it should be. It's almost as aggressive as Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA and it's a little on the "raw power" side. 

Thanks again to Jeff for supplying me with so many West coast goodies. I can't wait to see what he's got in store for me next.

Beer Review: Köstritzer Schwarzbier

I had Köstritzer Schwarzbier on tap at Metropolitan in Baltimore. I'm not usually a fan of the German black beer style, so I'll stay as objective as possible. I don't see this one on tap often so I figured that I should get it. I also don't jump into the German brews very often. 

It came to me deep black with a small creamy white head. A small amount of head stays through the tasting with lots of lacing. It smells earthy with some dark roasted malt notes. Smells of a rainy damp and dirty garden. It tastes bitter and roasty up front. The middle is a very rich and mildly sweet and it finishes bitter.

This beer has some serious character to it. I enjoyed it quite a bit as a once in a while tangent from my usual pours. As expected it's got a more carbonated and crisp feel than a stout with some umph in the flavor department. But, do not confuse this with a stout as it's a completely different style. This is very close to what some American brewers have done with the the "black IPA" style, though I prefer to just label them as American black ales. So, schwarzbiers are a much less hop-forward version of those. Or better yet, our black ales are a more hoppy versions of schwarzbiers. No real surprises here.

Beer Review: Tröegs DreamWeaver Wheat

I had Troegs DreamWeaver on tap at Metropolitan in Baltimore a few weeks back. This is the first time of the season for me with this brew. I remember it being a decent and refreshing wheat beer, perfect for the recently warm and early Summer-like weather.

It came to me cloudy light gold with a huge fluffy white head that retains through most of the tasting. The lacing is also present throughout. It smells mild lemony citrus with just a hint of sharp spice from the hefe yeast. The taste is of subtle banana and lemon up front. It's  very subdued without much depth. While I appreciate aggressive fruit flavors in a beer, the mellowness of this one is refreshing. As it settles in it's mildy bready sweet and finishes lightly bitter.

DreamWeaver seems merely ok to me. It's an average representation of the style. I'm not sure I'd seek this out, but it's good every once in a while or for someone who isn't in to crazy craft beers. This would be a very easy introduction to the Hefeweizen style and local regional craft brews. If I happen to be shopping for a warm Summer day's session, I'd grab this if I was having a lot of people over. But, it will not be one of my regular warm season brews.

Beer Review: Oskar Blues Ten FIDY

Not an April Fool's joke.

I had Ten FIDY on tap at Frisco Taphouse a few weeks ago for happy hour. I've long been a fan of Oskar Blues and their stellar craft cans. I've had this one several times before, but it's been a while. It's pretty easy to get in my area in cans, but I don't get it often.

It came to me pitch black with a thin dark tan head. There isn't much lacing to speak of and the head quickly leaves. I'm picking up heavy coffee aromas, tart cherries and dark chocolate. It smells fantastic! As I began to sip on it the front mimics the aroma with coffee notes, tart cherries and dark chocolate. It feels deliciously tart and sour in the middle to the back of the throat and finishes very clean with a quick aftertaste. If feels medium in body with not a hint of it's 10.5% alcohol content.

Ten FIDY is an excellent ,flavorful and complex Russian imperial stout. If you like sweet strong stouts, it doesn't get much better than this in my opinion. Priced at about $8 a pour at Frisco its not an everyday beer. I recall this being priced around $15 for a four pack of cans. I may have to go our an buy some of this to keep around. It's too good to ignore.

Beer Review: North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Hello, old friend.

Had Old Rasputin on nitro at Frisco Taphouse a few weeks ago. I saw it on the short nitro list and bit. I've had this several times before, not in well over a year and never on nitro. I'm a big fan of the mega-stouts.

It came to me beautifully black with a thick small bubble tan head that sticks through the entire tasting. A decent amount of head is retained through the tasting. The aroma is a combination of big roasted malt notes and some hop bitterness.

As I took my first sips some coffee flavors and more dark roasted notes greeted me. The middle is very dry with no sweetness at all. Some bitter dark cocoa shows up towards the end. It finishes lightly bitter. This is a straight-up, no frills, Russian imperial stout.There's no extra fruity or chocolate flavors, just a well balanced dark and smooth flavor profile. It feels medium in body with not a hint of alcohol.

Old Rasputin is dangerously easy to drink. At 9% this one will sneak up on you quickly. A very enjoyable RIS that is one of the better American made versions available. Priced at $4 at Frisco, I was very happy with my decision.

Beer Review: Avery Maharaja

I picked up this bottle of Avery Maharaja in the Philly area about a month ago. It's been in the fridge since. My buddy Jeff (@TheBeerHaunt) recommended this highly. I hadn't seen this on shelves near me, though other brews from Avery can be found.

I shared this bottle with my sister-in-law. On the label it was dated as "Batch No. 13 Mar. 2011", so likely just under two months old at the time of this tasting. Maybe a little past it's prime, but should still be enjoyable as not much should have faded.

Poured this from a 22 oz. bottle in to a Weyerbacher tulip. It appears crystal clear copper with a one-finger white head and medium lacing. A thinned out head is retained through the tasting, clears from the center building up at the edges. There are light carbonation streams throughout the tasting.

It smells piney, of resinous hops, sweet, rich and creamy. There are huge piney citrusy hops up front, darker caramel malt feel in the middle and a long sharp bitter finish. As it opens up it almost tastes of dark butterscotch. It's a chewy one, but it's fantastic. I'm glad this was my last beer of the evening. No dessert needed. It feels medium in body with a light alcohol warmth. At almost 10.5% I was expecting some alcohol presence somewhere.

This is a huge aggressive and very well balanced double IPA. It's got beautiful floral hop notes in the nose and mouth. It's very bright, alive and sensory. Its almost a palate killer. I'd buy this again and would imagine this is even more spectacular when it's super fresh.

Beer Review: Mikkeller Drikkeriget GIPA

Hoppy Easter (a week late)

I had Mikkeller Drikkeriget GIPA on tap at Frisco Beer & Tap House in Columbia, MD for happy hour one evening. I'm a big fan of Mikkeller's beers. They are pricey over here in the States, but they definitely deliver on quality and creativity. It was explained to be by an extremely conversational and knowledgeable barkeep that this is an American IPA brewed in the German lager style. German IPA? Say what? Seems like a cool idea.

It came to be in a goblet and appeared bright clear gold with a one finger bubbly white head and very little lacing. It smells bright and sweet with but a whiff of hops. I'm not overly impressed with the aroma. It tastes like a slightly hop forward Belgian pale, not like an IPA to me at all. There are some very subtle grapefruit notes that are noticeable up front. The middle is unidimensionally dry and finishes slightly bitter. There's not much sweetness until longer after it's gone, the residue on the lips is tasty. It feels medium and creamy in body.

This is a very drinkable beer. I was surprised at the flavor profile, expecting a much more hop forward brew with some depth. This was good, but there are better versions of this style on the market and far better offerings from Mikkeller. Priced at $9 a pour at Frisco will keep me away from it for a while. I applaud Mikkeller for trying something that seems to me to be different and adventurous.

Beer Review: Firestone Walker Double Jack

I got this bottle of Double Jack from my buddy Greg in New Jersey about a month ago in a fairly large trade. We don't get Firestone Walker stuff in Maryland and he raves about them. I could not pass on a chance to get a bottle of their imperial India pale ale, one of my favorite styles. My wife and I split this bottle one fine evening.

I poured mine in to a Weyerbacher tulip. It appears clear faded copper with a foamy white head and some super sticky lacing. It smells of piny resinous hops with a touch of citrus tart sweetness. The nose is huge. Typical for Jersey, right?

The up front flavor is of huge grassy hops. It settles in piney and gooey with a touch of cane sugary sweetness in the middle balanced out by a somewhat dark malt backbone. It's got a long fading bitter finish. To me it feels pretty well balanced considering the potential sweetness of this brew The is a very sensory beer. It wakes up your palate and subsequently kicks the shit out of it.

This is an excellent beer. I'd put this just a notch above Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA simply because this is more balanced for the hop profile. At close to 10% in alcohol content it will weigh heavy on your balance and judgement. It's a borderline palate killer with it's huge flavor profiles. But, if you're going to have one craft brew for an evening this is certainly an excellent choice.


I'm looking forward to trying the other stuff from Firestone Walker that I've got sitting here, Abacus and Robust Porter.

Beer Review: He'Brew Genesis Ale

It's kosher. Really.

Picked up this single 12 ounce bottle of He'Brew Genesis Ale in a mix-your-own six pack at Towson Wine & Spirits in Towson, MD. Follow them on the Twitter @TowsonWine. $10 flat rate mixed packs, great price. Nice little shop there. This is my first from He'Brew, picked up a single of Messiah Bold as well. My first experiences with stuff from Shmaltz Brewing Company weren't all that great. I had a few from their Coney Island series and was not at all impressed. It seemed like they missed the mark with those. 


I poured this into a pint glass. It appears hazy dark copper with a white medium bubbled head, moderate carbonation streams and a thin lacing all the way down the glass. It smells glorious. I was very happy with this as it seems I've recently run into some not-so-aromatic brews. It smells of toffee, toasted dark sweet breakfast bread with some more generic sweet malt notes.

Genesis is slightly bitter up front but settles in nice and sweet. The middle is creamy and rich with some toffee, caramel and chewy toasted malt notes. It finishes clean with only a slight bit of bitterness. This combination of flavors is consistent with the English brown style, but this feels a little lighter in body and lighter on the palate.

For what it is, an amber/red ale, this is a good beer. It's enjoyable and easy to drink. It's a good representation of the style and is quite session-able. It's more refreshing than what I would expect from an amber as it's not at all heavy on the palate. I'd get a six pack of this to keep in the fridge without a second thought.


I've been making an effort to drink more small beers and less of the big boys. Tis this season for such an initiative.  

Beer Review: Cigar City Sea Bass

Kick his ass...

I got this bottle of Sea Bass from my friend Greg in a trade about a month ago during our epic beer weekend. It's been in the fridge in the on-deck status since then. This only the second brew from Cigar City for me. I pulled this from the fridge on Friday evening as my wife requested a Saison. She's a big fan of the style, and I have become rather fond of it recently. I figured that this would be a nice refreshing treat.

Poured in to a Duvel tulip. It appears brown, slightly translucent with a mega foamy off-white-almost-tan head and constant carbonation streams coming from sediment. The carb streams continued heavily throughout the entire tasting, about 30 minutes. I was disappointed in the extremely subtle aroma. I was expecting more of a spice presence and got some light sour fruit aromas.

On to the tasting. Whoa. Crazy funky tart from the very beginning, almost from before it even hits the lips and tongue. I was definitely not expecting that. I was picking up tart cherries, sour grapes and bitter grapefruit. The bitter citrus note surprised me quite a bit. As it warmed it got kind of a creamy smooth middle. It finishes with a long and sour tart aftertaste. I would not recommend drinking this cooler than 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. I found all of the flavors much more enjoyable as it warmed. I should not have stored this in the fridge, rather I should have cellared it and chilled for 20-30 minutes prior to the tasting.

This beer really threw me for a loop. As I said before, I haven't had many from Cigar City so I'm not sure if this is standard practice for them. I'm a long time fan of the loose style of the Saison. But, from the very beginning of the pour through the end of the last sip I struggled to find any obvious saison characteristics. If you go in to this tasting with the same mind set that you would an American wile ale, you will love it. For that style I thought it was very good. I know nothing on the background of this specific brew, but was something wild let loose inside?

Beer Review: Harpoon UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen

Refreshing and tasty

I enjoyed this pint of UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen from Harpoon last week at Metropolitan in Baltimore. It was the first time in a while for me for this beer. This sweet treat came to me in Flying Dog pint glass. Love the local brewery shout out!

It appears pinkish orange with a thin white head and steady carbonation streams. UFO smells of tart raspberry with just a hint of fruity sweetness. No surprise there, but sometime no news is good new. The flavors up front and in the middle are of creamy bread sweetness with raspberry note. The raspberry influence is obvious but not over done. In my opinion this is should be the goal of any adjunct ingredients. It finishes tart and bitter. For a deliberately fruity hefe, this is perfectly balance in my opinion.

This is a very good beer for what it is. If you like fruit wheats, this is one of the better brews out there for you. Perfectly balanced flavor profile, unique in color and easy to drink. I picture this is an excellent Summer beer. Now...if only it came in cans...

Beer Review: An evening with two IPAs from Flying Dog. Snake Dog & Single Hop Imperial IPA with Simcoe.

Last Friday I picked up the Flying Dog Alpha Dog mixed 12 pack from Cindy's in Elkridge, MD for about $21. This box includes three each of the Single Hop Imperial IPA with Simcoe, Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA, Snake Dog IPA, and Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale. I've long been a fan of their brews. I bought this pack for the new Imperial IPA. I really dislike the fact that I had to buy 9 other bottles of beer, when all I really wanted was the new one. But, the other three are pretty decent on their own, so there's no real loss.


Up first was the Snake Dog IPA. The 12 oz bottle is stamped "221A11", which I poured into a Weyerbacher tulip. From what I can figure that means that it is "best by" August 9th, 2011 and bottled on March 22nd, 2011, making this bottle about six weeks old at the time of this tasting. Not super fresh, but certainly not stale. I may have misread or miscalculated these dates, I welcome corrections.

Snake Dog IPA

It appears copper and slightly hazy with a fluffy white head and decent light lacing. The medium bubbled head sticks around through the tasting. The aroma is not as pronounced as I had hoped. I'm picking up very light grassy aromas and only a faint note of some hop bitterness. It tastes of sharp citrus bitterness up front, like very bitter grapefruit. There is an earthy feel to it as the burnt sugar sweet middle sets in. It finishes with a long slow tart flavor.

This feels to me like a good entry level IPA. It's not overly complex or bitter and is well balanced between sweet and bitter. The aroma left a lot to be desired, but the flavor profile is good. I'd have to assume that a fresher bottle would have a much more robust aroma. The 7+% alcohol content cannot be found at all which makes this very easy to drink.

Next up was the Single Hop Imperial IPA with Simcoe. From what I can tell this is the second in the series, the first showcasing the El Dorado variety. I've been enjoying reading about many of the single hop IPAs that have been coming to the craft beer market recently. My buddies and I have tossed around the idea of having a Mikkeller night to try out all 10 brews in his single hop IPA series. Being a home brewer apprentice I can find some scientific value in an event like this. I've also seen that the folks up in Boston are doing a similar project in the context of a mixed 12 pack of their Latitude 48 Deconstructed IPAs, showcasing five different hop varieties in the same IPA base.

Imperial IPA with Simcoe

This 12 oz bottle is stamped "227A11" which I poured in to a Pirat tulip. Using the same "Julian minus 140 days" logic that I used above puts this "best by" August 15th, 2011 and bottled on March 28th, 2011, making this bottle about 5 weeks old at the time of this tasting. This appears to be about one week fresher that the Snake Dog bottles in this pack.

It pours almost clear light copper/faded orange with a fine bubbled fluffy white head and constant carbonation streams. The lacing is very heavy and sticky showing evidence of some decent head retention. It smells creamy, almost of sweet dairy. There are some faint bitter notes. This is another IPA from Flying Dog whose aroma does not impress me one bit. As I sip on it I am surprised by a balanced flavor profile. At 70 IBUs I wasn't expecting this to be a super bitter bomb. The bitter and sweet is superbly balanced, hiding all flavors of alcohol and allowing the beer to maintain some depth. At 10% alcohol by volume, this is no small feat. The hop bitterness appears up front, settles in creamy and sweet and fades away leaving a light reminder of what was just had. The flavors aren't overly complexed, but this was expecting coming from a single hop recipe.

I'm impressed with this beer, and very happily so. It feels extremely well balanced. The stats on this beer would lead you to believe that it will punch you in the face with bitter hops and alcohol, but it doesn't. It's very easy and enjoyable to drink. You'll feel all warm and fuzzy after one. Don't forget that this one is part of Flying Dog's Canis Major "big" beer series. It's a true ass kicker in disguise.

So there you have it, a fun Tuesday night sipping on some fine Maryland craft brewed IPAs. Don't forget to support your local brewers. Buy their beers. Advocate for them. Introduce them to your friends. Go take the tour. Talk to their brewers. Enjoy!

Beer Review: Benelux Archangel Ale

What's it's all aboot, eh?

I had Benelux Archangel Ale on tap at Metropolitan in Baltimore, MD last Thursday evening. This was my first visit here. I'd heard good reviews of this place and have been following the bar on Twitter for some time now. Archangel was my first beer of the evening. My wife, Erin had this a few weeks back at Frisco Taphouse and remembered enjoying it. I'm not always jumping for a Belgian Pale Ale, but I figured I'd give this one a shot since I'd never seen it on tap before.

It came to me hazy gold with a fluffy white head with mild carbonation streams and not much lacing to speak of. It smells mildly sweet with a yeasty spice. Almost like a very mild and subdued Saison. On the first sip a mild bitterness is present and settles in to a sweet and creamy middle. As it warms a tart and almost rooty note appears with a few grassy flavors. It finishes with a faded hoppy bitterness. The overall profile is very clean with each unique flavor element having it's own chance to shine. This is a rare feat in the beer world, at least in my experience.

Overall I was pleased with this beer. Felt like a nice treat. At $9 a pint its kind of pricey, but for a full pint of an imported craft beer it's not totally outrageous. It's totally worth the money, but only every once in a while. Thanks the fine brewers at Benelux Brewpub & Café in Quebec for sending this goodie down South to party. Now, is it really a retired brew? If so, that's too bad.

Beer Review: Avery & Russian River Collaboration Not Litigation Ale Vintage 2008

Haven't seen you in three years.

My Amish friend Josh brought this bottle of Collaboration Not Litigation to share with my wife and I. Josh rarely brings over anything besides chips, plates and napkins. So, we were pleasantly surprised that he brought this along with several other choice goodies. This beer has a very cool story behind it. Google it! Two breweries, same name, different beer. Mix 'em. Boom! (said as Frank Caliendo as John Madden). I had this back when it was fresh in 2008. Very interested in trying it again nearly three years later.

It pours hazy ruby brown with an off-white head and sticky lacing. There is not much head retained through the tasting, but some sticky lacing hangs around. It smells yeasty, fruity, bready sweet with light roasty and chocolate notes. It tastes of gingerbread and roasted coffee up front with a fruity tart middle and a long sweet and sour finish. It feels thin for the flavor and color profile. I was expecting a big sticky chewy beer. Not at all. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. It's just different. 

As I remembered it, Collaboration is a very enjoyable beer. It's somewhat heavy on the palate due to complex sweet and sour elements. But, the 8+% alcohol content is very well hidden. Thanks again to Josh for bringing this fine brew over and spending the evening with Erin and I.

Beer Review: JW Lees Harvest Ale 1999 Vintage

12 years have done you odd

To me J.W. Lees Harvest Ale is the gold standard for English barley wines. Between my buddy Greg and I we've got several vintages in our collections. Up to this point my favorite has been the 2002 vintage. For this special occasion Greg brought over his oldest bottle, 1999. Hell yeah. Nothing like drinking a fine beverage that was brewed before I was of legal drinking age. Let's see what a 12 year nap has done. By the way, I need to say that I hate that American brewers have to label their versions as "barley-wine style ales". Dumb laws.


It pours deep ruby red and very murky. It's got a light tan head and thin lacing that hangs around for a while. It smells of peppermint. Wait, what? Yeah, peppermint. I was certainly not expecting that. In addition to the mint it smells mildly earthy with a menthol/alcohol black licorice aura.


Tastes of rooty mint, anise and mild chewy fruity juicy goodness. Some malty fruit and black licorice through the finish. It's feels medium in body and lacks the warmth that usually accompanies a brew of more than 11% alcohol content


The '99 Lees is a very enjoyable and unique beer. This vintage is quite different than the others I've had. The peppermint and menthol notes set it apart from the rest. This experience makes me want to try barley wines of older vintages and from other makers. 


I had the pleasure of attending a vintage barley wine dinner back in February for my birthday. Tasting over 20 fine brews, but I did not take notes. Some of the brews I apparently sampled that day included a '98 & '99 Thomas Hardy and '93 & '96 Lees. That was a fine evening. 


So, cheers to a cellar filled with some choice old brews!

Beer Review: Nøgne Sweet Horizon

Well, hello.

My buddy Greg was generous enough to share this bottle of Sweet Horizon with me last weekend. This was my first experience with any brews from Nøgne. I don't know much about their beer or their brewery, so naturally I went in to this tasting not knowing what to expect.

Sweet Horizon pours dark, dark brown, with a thin tan-ish head and no lacing to speak of. The aroma just about knocked me out of my chair. And that's not because we'd had several craft goodies prior to this one. No, really. It smells divine. The aromas include waffle syrup, some oak notes, smoky and roasty notes and strong alcohol. There's a lot going on here.

After we finished staring at this one and smelling it for several minutes I took my first taste. It's malty sweet and tart like cherries up front. As it settles in some coffee roast notes with a smoky and savory feel. The beer finish tastes of sweet cocoa covered cherries. Throughout the sipping you are totally aware of it's 14% alcohol content.

This beer is an excellent sipper. A 2-3 oz. pour is perfect, so this bottle can be comfortably shared with 3-4 craft beer fans. I found Sweet Horizon to be wonderfully complex and very enjoyable. As the canister says, this beer isn't to be served with dessert. It IS dessert.

Here are some close up shots of the bottle and tin: