Something Old, Something New

Because so many people now know that I have a blog (thanks, Abbie), and I’m obviously really important in the beer-o-sphere, AND I have an incredibly influential opinion…I’d like to announce the following:

I’ve moved to New York.

Calm yourself. I’m really excited, too.

Between getting settled into my super apartment and mentally prepping myself for law school, I’ve hit up a bar or two and a couple of great bottle shops out on THE island (Long Island. Don’t know it? I pretty much know everything about the place). I’d like to make some shoutouts:

TJ Finley’s in Bay Shore – I had to come all the way to New York to finally have some Sculpin (freshly tapped, mind you). I also had Sofie at this “locals” joint. Consider me underwhelmed re: both beers, but excited to spend time at this place and try every single one of their cask offerings. Huzzah.

Shoreline Beverage in Huntington: plenty of great bottles, and Mike at the register was a kick. Check them out on Facebook, where they have special offers that’ll make any beer geek happy (for instance: $2 off an overpriced experimental beer by a brewerywewon’tmentionDFH).

Beverage Barn Warehouse in East Meadow: meh. Decent selection, but I’m wary of their storage practices (bottles in the sun), and how many old beers were on the shelves. Also, teenage boys working there. Lots of them. That was a little strange.

The beer bar I went to in Brooklyn yesterday: dear bar, I don’t remember your name, but we all had a great time. Goose Island IPA on tap will forever be music to my ears. The company was perfect. I’m looking forward to having new friends come out and visit. Hey, take the LIE.

Most importantly: Niko Krommydas! Check out his beer column at Long Island Pulse magazine online, and his thorough/helpful website, longislandbeerguide.com. Niko was willing to respond to emails, texts, and BA threads about Oh, The Places I Will Go. Prost, Niko!

I’m going to keep the updates regular, because I need something completely unrelated to law to take up some time in my life. For my sanity.

The Flies Agree

A huge thanks to Daniel for generously giving me a bottle of Saison Dupont. I appreciate people in the craft beer community for how many smiles they want to bring to other peoples’ faces. I feel like that apostrophe isn’t in the correct location. Ah well…onward.

SAISON DUPONT – Brasserie Dupont sprl; Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium
6.50%ABV
Serving: 750mL corked and caged bottle to a tulip
A: Massive frothy white head over a hazy light golden yellow. Sediment is floating all around, and there’s wonderful retention as well as patches of fluffy lacing.
S: Grainy, musty, and sour. A nice balance on the nose of earth and fruit (specifically sour apple and pear).
T/M: Spiciness is notable right away. It’s very prominent on the palate. Other flavors that come in after are a very mild tartness and some fresh grain. Straw and dirty funk. Bitter herbals wait until the end of the sip for their big entrance, but they sure are prominent! Mouthfeel is light and very, very crisp.
D: Shared this beer with my dad and some fruit flies. It was so so tasty and refreshing. I can’t wait to get my hands on more!
Dupont – A+

TOMORROW, JUNE 26TH: Citra DIPA, batch 3 release in Kernville. We have a nice contingent going … and I’m pretty sure we’re all freaking out with utter joy and excitement. <3

mmmmmmmmmmmm

I have a new favorite beer. Thanks, Daniel. I won’t be able to get enough of this!

SAISON DUPONT – Brasserie Dupont; Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium
6.50%ABV
Serving: 750mL to tulip

A: Massive frothy white head over a hazy light golden yellow. Sediment is floating all around, and there’s wonderful retention as well as patches of fluffy lacing.
S: Grainy, musty, and sour. A nice balance on the nose of earth and fruit (specifically sour apple and pear).
T/M: Spiciness is notable right away. It’s very prominent on the palate. Other flavors that come in after are a very mild tartness and some fresh grain. Straw and dirty funk. Bitter herbals wait until the end of the sip for their big entrance, but they sure are prominent! Mouthfeel is light and very very crisp.
D: Shared this beer with my dad and some fruit flies. It was so so tasty and refreshing. I can’t wait to get my hands on more!
Dupont - A+

Enjoyed with my pops.

a notable tasting

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red, ’08 (Batch 1, I think?) Boulevard Saison-Brett, and side-by-sides of Southern Tier Jahva, Deschutes Black Butte XXI, and Nectar Ales Black Xantus. The winner? My dear friend Jen, aka the Champion of Everything. Thanks to the Bautistas for hosting this epic beer sesh and bestowing onto me a Saison Dupont, which I will most likely be opening this weekend.

Notes:

WISCONSIN BELGIAN RED
5.10%ABV
Bottle courtesy of a trade with BA soulforpeanuts. I was blown away by Raspberry Tart and was really looking forward to this one.

Appearance is not what I’d expect from a Belgian. Very cloudy rubies and purples and reds, which makes the body absolutely gorgeous. But the head is minimal and there’s not much retention to speak of. Aromas are all cherry…it’s very prominent and in your face, but the flavors reveal something a little more subtle. It’s actually a lot sweeter on the palate than expected. At the tasting, I said the aromas were freshly picked and ripened cherries, but the flavors were more on the maraschino cherries side of the spectrum, just really sweet and tons of residuals covering the mouth. Each sip revealed a varied level of tartness, which I suppose kept things interesting. Not much “Belgian” in here that I could discern. The cherries really take this one over.

All parties agreed that this brew would be best for either a hot day or a brunch. It was really great for what it was, but I couldn’t drink more than one goblet of this in one sitting, whereas I happily drank the entire bottle of Raspberry Tart in a relatively short amount of time.
Belgian Red – B+

SAISON-BRETT
8.50%ABV
Massive frothy white head at the pour. Body is translucent straw golden. Aromas were musty phenols with spice. Flavors were the same, with bitter herbals and a mellow earthiness characteristics balancing out the Brett, which at this point was heavily medicinal (lick a band-aid and you’ll see what I’m talking about). The body and carbonation are right on, making this a refreshing ale, true to its style. I’m surprised at the lack of alcohol/solvency in the flavors. 8.5% is significant in my mind, but the balance of herbals and earth (as well as age) did well to cover up the potential heat.

The highlight of this beer was pairing it with a 3-year cheddar. The cheese seemed to mellow out the phenols, and bring out the slightly funky/dirty flavors. What a treat! Daniel, you treat me well.
Saison-Brett – A

Other notes: I loved the Black Butte XXI. It’s clearly a Deschutes beer, and my favorite porter (Black Butte) is clearly its influence. The Black Xantus was clearly a Nectar (Firestone-Walker) brew, and tasted very similar to the Abacus I had at the tasting room recently. Jahva was good but “subtle”, which was the way Dan described it. Fitting and spot on, as the stout was balanced but just lacked a certain “oomph” to it. Mokah was much better, in my opinion.

from the real life pages…

Here are my pages of notes from my day at Russian River. Believe it or not, the “sketch” started as an attempt to explain dry-hopping. Beer gives me creative confidence.

Count ‘Em, THREE Really Good Weekends

When it comes to beer, life has been good. The past few weeks have seen many a brewery, and an astonishing number of good beers have been purchased and consumed. I also completed my first trade in nearly seven months.

Weekend #1: Firestone Walker with none other than Maggie Mello. We hit up a SLO BevMo beforehand, picking up some goodies, including Ninkasi Total Domination IPA (review to follow), Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF), and others. Then we spent the rest of the day in the FW tasting room out in Paso. I sampled Unfiltered Double Barrel Ale, Double Jack, and Abacus. We also enjoyed a tour of the brewery while sipping proper (imperial) pints of Union Jack IPA, and we filled up some growlers of the same. I am also the proud new owner of a .5L stein, courtesy of the generous Maggie. If I add any more glasses to my collection, I’ll surely be banned from the kitchen cabinets. Sorry, mom.

Maggie and her tasters

can i work here, please?

Weekend #2: A day at Russian River Brewing, followed by a day at various Lodi wineries. Basically, all you need to know about the latter is that there’s a ridiculous amount of money being made at some wineries. So ridiculous that ridiculous items are purchased to frighten visitors half to death. Items such as music machines that are reminiscent of common conceptions of HELL. But enough of that. The wine was great! Anyhow, Russian River was wonderful. I had a pint of Russian River IPA, a goblet of Temptation, and a taster of O.V.L. Stout on nitro. All were good, but my heart will always be sour. The Temptation ROCKED! And it went well with our pizza.

Thanks to Lindsay for the wonderful company up in Santa Rosa!

I also picked up a growler of the Elder for a trade, which brings me to …

…Weekend #3: This last weekend happened to include my birthday. The timing of the trade was perfect. I sent off the Elder growler with a few extra goodies, and in return, I received a 6er of Ithaca’s Flower Power IPA, a bottle of Wisconsin Belgian Red, and three different Short’s brews. My family and I also had lunch at Brewbaker’s, where my soon-to-be brother-in-law helped me with a pitcher of their unfiltered and very tasty IPA. We then filled up a growler and finished it within the hour. It was a very nice birthday!

a lovely box indeed!

I have plenty of good reviews to share. I’ll post them up sometime later this week. Cheers!

some IPA recognition

Here’s a pair from Oskar Blues (Lyons, CO):

DALE’S PALE ALE
6.50%ABV, 65 IBUs
Serving: 12oz can to pint
A: 2 fingers beige head; amber with gorgeous dark golden edges. not too much retention but decent lacing nevertheless.
S: Subtle hoppiness; juicy citrus with a mild honey malt
T: Extremely hoppy and oh so delicious. Wow, pine and grapefruit right off the bat. Malt is very present as a sweetness that’s just enough to call this a balanced pale ale. Fruit esters are pleasantly sweet as well. Ends in a wonderful bitterness, and not a touch of metallic.
M: Light to medium body. All the necessary carbonation. Light residuals throughout the palate.
D: I will most definitely be picking more of these up.
Dale’s – A

GORDON
8.70%ABV, 60IBUs
Serving: 12oz can to tulip
A: Under off-white head lies a gorgeous dark and somewhat hazy amber. Not much retention or lacing, but I’m not deterred.
S: I get metallic hints right away, but they’re softened by juicy citrus hops and sweet fruity esters. There’s something in the back seemingly clinging onto the metal notes. Apple sweetness in there, too.
T: What I expected from the aromas. Great on the balance factor. Sweet malts, berry and other fruits offer some ester goodness. Mildly bitter grapefruit from the hops. My first sip featured an odd floral note that was almost soapy, but that quickly diminished and was never tasted again!
M: Lighter body for a DIPA. Not a whole lot of a syrupy consistency. High carbonation.
D: Highly drinkable for a DIPA. I’d love to have this on tap.
Gordon – B

a great pair

And a seasonal from New Belgium. Their seasonal brews tend to be more colorful than their regular offerings, so I’m always excited to see them on the shelves!

RANGER IPA
6.50%ABV
Serving: 12oz to pint
A: 3 fingers ivory head, frothy and inviting. Pretty clear light amber or dark golden. Amazing retention and gorgeous lacing.
S: Citrust (orange) and other blooming fruitiness. Floral, and then balanced out by a toasted malt.
T/M: Very fruity and citrusy. Really bitter hoppy flavors. Lots of zest, so definitely an emphasis on the fruity esters and bitterness. I know the malt is there, but the hops really dominate the very faint caramel. Flavors just pop from the heavier carbonation. Smooth on the palate, and so enjoyable.
D: I’d love for this to be a regular offering.
Ranger – A

The Latest

February: A few wonderful beer-related excursions, including the Pliny the Younger release at Russian River Brewing Co., where we stood in line, drank, ate, and waited on growlers for a total of 4 hours. It was worth every second. I had a great time with friends, and was excited to send my growler off to my bud Jason in Connecticut. I picked up a corked and caged bottle of Supplication for myself, and have been saving it for the celebration I’ll hopefully be having after I get accepted into a school I really want to go to. Updates on that to come. February also included a Sudwerk release at the Grad. The beers weren’t memorable at all, and someone stole my free pint glass. But alas, ’twas a blast! Also had a nice little tasting with Neil. We had some bomb.com beers, and we had some decent beers.  Here are a few pictures from the aforementioned events, plus a few reviews.

standing in line with Kern, Maggie, and Chris

Yum!

TILBURG’S DUTCH BROWN ALE – Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven  B.V.; Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands
5.00%ABV
A: A small frothy head fades quickly but leaves a ring of retention throughout the session. Gorgeous gorgeous ruby and mahogany in the light. Just a tad bit of lacing.
S: Nothing overwhelming, but it works. Fig and raisins, among other dark fruits that I can’t quite pinpoint. Then a tangy aroma that plays around with a toasted malt backbone.
T: There’s that heavy tang and toastiness, right up front. Well-balanced, with a mild astringency. Tons of citrus…more than I expected from the aroma. The malts are sweet without being dominant. My last few sips are zapped with burning alcohol, but that warm feeling at the back of my throat only lasts a few seconds.
M/D: Light body and low to medium carbonation. I can imagine sucking back this entire 4-pack in one sitting.
Tilburg’s – B+

MOYLAN’S DRAGOONS DRY IRISH STOUT – Moylan’s Brewery; Novato, CA
5.00%ABV
A: A nice thick, tan head over a black body. No light pulling through. Just a bit of retention and some tan lacing sliding slowly down the glass.
S: Bitter dark chocolate and roasted coffee dominate. So huge, pleasant, and inviting!
T: Smoky. Lots of smokiness up front. Sweet chocolate malt with a light citrus hint. Wonderfully balanced and just bitter and delicious.
M/D: Lighter body, but high carbonation. Easy to down, and can I have another, please?
Dragoons – A-

Rubbing Elbows with the Local Beer Lovers

I finally met up with some local beer gurus at Brewbakers in Visalia yesterday. (Here’s a link and a caveat: http://www.brewbakersbrewingco.com/, where almost every beer I’ve had tastes exactly like I think it should for the style.  But of course, that’s just my little opinion.) Special thanks to Neil, Dan, Jen, Jim the Flirt, and everyone else who participated in and contributed to the tasting. I had a blast! Started off with the house IPA, which was unfiltered and quite tasty, and as Jen noted, exactly what one would expect a glass of grapefruit juice to taste like. Mmm. I can’t wait to buy growlers of this stuff! Then during the tasting, we sampled plenty of goodies, including the following notables:

SN Glissade: Pleasant, but a little rough around the edges. The hops dominated the hell out of the beer, and as much as I love hops, it was almost too much earthy/grassy/spicy for me. There was a bit of honey malt to balance, but I would have liked a little more. SN’s last bock was much more mellow in my opinion, though I recall it not being a Maibock like the Glissade.

Just Outstanding IPA: I was so excited to finally get a chance to try this one. I only live about 2 hours from the brewery, and I’ve seen bottles in Bakersfield, but just never got around to it. Let me say that I will now be picking up at least one bomber every time I go to Bako from here on out (and I go there a lot). So hoppy. So smooth. An easy favorite.

Bison Chocolate Stout: A damn good chocolate stout. Not much else to say, other than I wouldn’t mind having one of these for dessert right about now.

DFH Sah’tea: Brewed with chai and juniper berries. The chai dominates. This tasted less like a beer, and more like the soy chai lattes I enjoy a couple times a week. I wanted to pour it in my mug and drink it for breakfast the next day.

And, my favorite, Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René: Sour, horsey, fruity, but very clean. I want this right now. Please, someone, give me more.

I also acquired a Firestone Walker 13 from a lopsided trade with Dan, and I’m going to hold onto it for the rest of my life. Bought a few bottles at Frank’s as well. I imagine Neil and I will take care of those within the next couple of weeks, which I’m looking forward to! Another thank you to local folks and TCHOPS for giving meaning to my Sunday afternoons.

I’ll end with a review. I LOVE stormy days and dark beers:

SMUTTYNOSE BALTIC PORTER – Smuttynose Brewing (Big Beer Series)
8.70%ABV
Serving: 22oz bomber to nonic

A: Two thick fingers of tan head that sticks around for a while after the pour. The brew is pitch black, not a hint of light pulling through. A nice-sized tan film retains over the body, and there’s some great cascading lace.
S: Huge dark chocolate malts on the nose at the pour. Slightly smoky, with oak and wood aromas, and heavily roasted coffee.
T: Flavors are intensely chocolate and coffee, as expected from the nose. There’s a slight acidic tang creeping up from behind to try and balance out the massive presence of the malts. Heaps of bitters, and more with warmth. Plenty of molasses, fig, and overripe berry. This seems right on for the style.
M: Viscous, but be careful…the high carbonation ups the drinkability factor quite a bit. That’s one way to get me to drink a high ABV beer very quickly.
D: Wow, I am definitely a big fan of this one. I usually like to split bombers of big porters and imperial stouts with comrades (like the bottle suggests), but I just made this one last an entire Friday afternoon. Thanks for another amazing beer, Jason.
Baltic Porter - A

Dark beer for a dark day.

A picture of the explosive carbonation. Ka-boom! Out of the glass, and all over the countertop.

An Update…O My!

I don’t want this blog to waste space in the world wide web, but a good beer is few and far between these days. Things should start lookin’ up soon, and I’ll have plenty of beer-filled updates to throw out into the vast black hole of the internets!

Here’s a brew I brought back with me from Ohio.

NOSFERATU – Great Lakes Brewing Co.
8.00%ABV, 75IBUs
Serving: 12oz to snifter

A: Nice beige bubbly head over a caramel and orange ale. Bubbles retain at the edges and there’s a tad bit of lace.
S: Heavy sweet malt hitting me in the nose right away at the pour. It’s balanced out by a hop presence that has settled over the last few months. Hops are piney. Lots of biscuit and the faint burn of alcohol at the very back. The calm and dark fruitiness of dates is there, too.
T: Flavors similar to the nose, but much spicier than I would have predicted from the aromas. Balancing the pine and spice out is the lightly toasted biscuit malt that is prominent in the nose. Dates and prunes are on the palate, and there is a subtle alcohol bite that gets stronger with warmth.
M: Medium body, but slides down and sticks to the tongue like molasses.
D: Strong, warming, and delish. 4s all around. This bottle has a few months on it, so the hops have faded significantly. But I laid it down to kill some of the strength on the alcohol.
Nosferatu – B+

One of my favorite labels!

On another libation-related note, I received a wicked present from my uncle over the holidays. It’s called The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Wine, Beer, Spirits, & Liqueurs. It’s a ton of fun to look through, and eventually I’ll start reading it in an attempt to retain as many facts as possible. That way, I can be more obnoxious in drinking-related conversations than I am now.

Drink up, friends. Cheers!