Anderson Valley, +2

I was really craving a filling stout this week, and I knew exactly which brewery to turn to. Picked up a Hop Ottin’ IPA as well. I nearly forgot how solid these beers are! Try the AVBC year-round line, available at the co-op.

HOP OTTIN’ IPA   
 7.00%ABV
Serving: 12oz to pint
A: Thick two fingers of creamy, off-white head over a relatively clear amber and dark copper brew. Great retention and sticky lacing all over.
A: Good hoppy presence on the nose with some florals and pine standing out. Discernible malty backbone.
T: A hoppy kick to the mouth, rich in that pine I love so much. Sip mellows out to a balanced brew with a malty backbone offering support but not taking away from that perfumy hop bitterness.
M: Barely medium-bodied with good carbonation. Leaves an oily residue of bitters throughout. 
D: This is a solid IPA from one of my favorite breweries. Right up there with Torpedo (in the extra IPA sense).
Hop Ottin’ - A-

BARNEY FLATS OATMEAL STOUT
5.70%ABV
Serving: 12oz to nonic
A: This brew fills my nonic perfectly with two fingers of creamy/bubbly tan head. Black and dark brown hues at the edges. There is some sticky webbing, though not a whole lot. A good-sized ring of foam sticks around for the session.
S: Malty aromas with dark fruits at front, oatmeal and molasses to follow.
T: Coffee, and a bowl of oatmeal smothered in sweet maple syrup. Definite coffee malts lingering (not quite espresso, but something milder). A slight perfumy, hop note rounds out the beer, and the sip has a bittersweet finish.
M: Medium to full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel and carbonated perfectly.
D: Easy and filling. I want to drink this for breakfast…over and over. This brewery is excellent.
Barney Flats - A

This beer gets its own image. The head was essentially a huge dome of goodness.

Some other good beers from the week:

WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISSBIER
5.40%ABV
Serving: 12oz to weizen
A: Big four fingers of frothy white head that seems to grow out of the weizen glass. Brew is ever so slightly hazy golden.
S: Spices of mostly clove. Heavy wheat that already makes my mouth water. Citrus zest cuts through, but the spice is really dominating the nose.
T/M: Banana, spices (again, the cloves), and wheat flavors. Mouthfeel is light, and not as crisp as I want from a hefeweizen (despite my decent pour). Bitter hops are present to balance, and the sip ends dryly. 
D: Not my favorite Hefe in the world, but not bad either. I thought it was a little undercarbonated, but refreshing and spicy nonetheless.
WeiHef - B+

from the makers of Vitus (which I would choose over this one any day)

And finally, thanks to Elliott and Elise for their generosity in giving me a chance to try this next one:

THE REVEREND - Avery Brewing Co.; Boulder, CO
10.00%ABV
Serving: 22oz bomber to snifter
A: Beautiful amber color with a finger of off-white head that decreases in size to a layer, and then fades off into a ring around the glass.
S: Pungent ripe citrus. Apple cider and vanilla bean as well. There’s discernible yeast on the nose. The alcohol hides well for the most part.
T: Very sweet beginning of apples and pears. Ends in alcoholic bite and hoppy bitterness. Sugar sweetness and metallic grain.
M: Medium bodied with balanced carbonation, teetering on crisp. 
D: A definite sipper. I look forward to enjoying more from Avery.
The Rev - B

Beer Birthday Bonanza!

The last three days have constituted the birthday celebration of my dreams. I’ll break it down day by day, as beer was included in each and every one:

Friday (the actual birthday): 
- I received a package in the mail from a good soul in Missouri. Sanford included a bottle of Schlafly’s Bière De Garde, a bomber of O’Fallon’s Whiskey Barrel-Aged Smoked Porter, and two 12oz each of Bully! Porter. He will, of course, get a nice box in return. I want to give a shout-out to his restaurant in Columbia, MO: http://www.sycamorerestaurant.com
- Out to dinner with some friends. I had a Cháu Tiên (an interesting APA; currently brewed by Anderson Valley, though the story behind it is a bit unclear to me). Also split some bottles of North Coast Old Stock Ale. A bit of a phenolic aroma, but the taste was huge with vanilla and liquor, though I don’t think we came to a consensus as to precisely what it was. Definitely a sipper.
- My birthday gift from Kara. A certificate to Brew It Up! in Sacramento, where I take a group of fabulous people with me to brew up to six cases of our very own beer. Commence excitement…now. Who wants to come?

Saturday:
A surprise trip to Chico. I literally didn’t know where we were going until we got there (nice surprise, K!). After hiking with the pup for a couple of hours, we drove our thirsty selves to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The building, its woodwork, the aromas and solar panel array, the food, the beer, the service–everything was perfect. Kara and I enjoyed a lentil burger and hand-cut fries smothered in SN Porter mustard, a Mediterranean Pizza with fresh, organic veggies, a brown saison for her, and a kellerweiss and bitter ale for moi. See reviews below. We also picked up 6ers of the Pale Bock, Porter, and Crystal Wheat. 

Sunday:
- Strawberry pie, beer and glassware from Elliott and Elise. A bottle of DFH 90 (te adoro, DFH), a bomber of Avery’s The Reverend (the first ever Quad in our fridge), an imperial nonic pint glass, a large snifter, and a weizen glass. Elliott (I know you’re reading this, because who doesn’t read my blog?), you are way too generous for feeding my beer (and strawberry pie) obsession. Thank you!! 
- Also cracked open some brews yesterday to celebrate the last day of my birthday weekend, two of which I’ll soon have new reviews for.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of our SN journey, as well as notes on the beers I had:

 

 

I'd like to back my truck up into this loading dock.

brand new solar array. thank you, sierra nevada, for caring about the earth. (chico fest to celebrate our environment on april 26th--anyone?)

yeah. that's right.

reviewing my kellerweis <3

kara's brown saison. it's all about the head on this one!

i hope to see this taproom and restaurant again very soon.

 

KELLERWEIS HEFEWEIZEN
approx. 5%ABV
Serving: on-tap 
A: Cloudy light golden and yellow with a small white head that retains pretty well. Great lacing on the glass.
S: Spices and wheat on the nose with a hint of citrus.
T: Wheat, fruit, and tons of refreshing spices. Very balanced, though the wheat definitely stands out.
M: Crisp, light, and smooth mouthfeel. 
D: This beer claims to be the perfect California beer. There is no doubt in my mind about this claim. I look forward to the addition of this beer into the regular 6er lineup come June!
Kellerweis - A 

BEST BITTER ALE
Approx. 5%ABV
Serving: on-tap
A: Clear golden and amber with a small white head that retains as a ring.
S: Nothing really overwhelming on the nose. It smelled like the rest of the brewery (a little yeasty and grainy). It had a mild cooked aroma, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
T/M: Crisp and light, dry finish of bitter hops. Some honey sweetness somewhat discernible amongst the drab malts and hops. I really wish there were something more to this beer, though maybe it’s meant to be very neutral!
D: This was okay. I wouldn’t necessarily choose this again because there are so many other solid SN brews to choose from.
Best Bitter - C+

i'm distracted by the immense lacing on kara's saison glass in the background

Alright, that’s enough of the birthday post. I’m exhausted.