Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Dunkler Bock, 5.8%

Tonight I am finishing off the last review for the Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix pack. That makes me a little sad, because I love winter beer and I love Sam Adams. So far I've really enjoyed the Holiday Porter and the Old Fezziwig. The Winter Lager is good but average; since a lot of restaurants keep the Sam Adam's seasonal on tap, I would get it out to eat. And we already know that I love Boston Lager, although I'm not a huge fan of it being included in the Winter Classics mix. 

So that leaves the Chocolate Bock. Last year I had the Chocolate Bock with the Winter Classics pack, and I enjoyed it. But things have changed in a year. I've drank a lot of beer, and I feel like I have a slightly more mature palate. 

According to the Sam Adam's profile on their Chocolate Bock, their Chocolate Bock is smooth, rich, dark, robust, and is brewed with cocoa nibs from Ecuador, roasted malts, and Noble hops. The beer is brewed using Noble Tettnang Tettnanger and Spalt Spalter hops, as well as a number of darker, caramel and roasted malts. The beer is then aged on a bed of the cocoa nibs to impart the beer with big chocolate profiles. According to Sam Adams, they also add vanilla to the beer. 

Bock = Billy Goat

There is a lot going on in this beer, and it is a big beer. Clocking in at 237 calories per 12oz bottle, and packing 11 IBUs, this beer is 5.8% ABV and was first brewed in 2003. You can pick this beer up between November and January; I've only seen it in the Winter Classics mix pack. 

Before we dive in, let's just quickly touch on the fact that this is a Bock. I already touched on Doppelbocks, which are strong, malty lagers. In general terms, a Bock is a strong German lager. There are four styles of Bock as laid out by the BJCP. Maibock/Helles Bock, which is a pale, strong, malty lager beer; Traditional Bock, which is a dark, strong, malty lager; Doppelbock, which is a very strong, rich lager; and Eisbock, which is the strongest and most extreme of the Bocks.  

Now, I don't see "Chocolate Bock" represented by the BJCP, so obviously this is a specialty beer or a beer that fits within one of the above categories. BeerAdvocate has lazily dumped the Chocolate Bock into their catch-all "Bock" category. And RateBeer has me genuinely confused, because they dumped the Chocolate Bock into their "Dunkler Bock" category. A Dunkler Bock, according to Ratebeer, is a dark Bock with a deep copper to dark brown color. They suggest it is medium to full-bodied, with lots of malt sweetness, nutty, and toasted flavors. I was intrigued by the categorization, since it is not recognized by the BJCP. I did some research, and according to the German Beer Institute:

"There are several traditional types of Bockbier, each with its typical color and strength, which seems to vary almost in rhythm with the season. With the arrival of frost and the shortening of days in early December, the soul needs something more nourishing then a blond lager, especially after a frigid day of shopping for Christmas presents. Weihnachtsstarkbier (Christmas Bockbier), which is popular in the south of Germany, is often a darker version of the regular Bock. Sometimes it is also called a Dunkles or Dunkler Bock. In addition to the rich malty finish, these rewarding Yuletide brews have a slightly chocolatey taste from the addition of some roasted malts." 

And that, right there, is my beer epiphany for the night! So now I know what a Dunkler Bock is, and now you do too. So onwards with the review! 

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

The Chocolate Bock comes in a pimped out Sam Adam's bottle. This beer does not come with the typical Sam Adam's blue cap, and features a fancy label that looks a bit fancier than your standard Sam Adam's affair. The beer pours with a nice one-finger, tan/brown head. The head is very, very silky. As the head dissolves into a great cauldron effect, I can swirl up a nice silky coating in my snifter with ease. There's good lacing, and maybe even some alcohol legs. This beer looks black in low light, but in reality there is a lot of red escaping this beer in bright light. I would guess this is a dark, ruby-red colored beer. This beer is filtered, and you can see into the beer enough to notice the carbonation, which there is quite a bit of. 

The aroma on this one is Sam Adam's Lager yeast, which definitely has a distinct smell. I'm picking up dark roasty malts; pulls toward coffee, smoke, and meat. There are hints of velvety chocolate and vanilla on the nose as well. As the beer opens up a bit, I'm also pulling a sweet note out of the smell; sweet caramel or sweet mollases. 

The taste is velvety, smooth, and super chocolatey. I'm tasting roast on the front end, and lots of dark malts. There is some grain in the mix, and lots of lingering cocoa. There is a slightly fruity note dancing on my tongue: very sweet raisin or very sweet plum; maybe grape? This is very carbonated, but sort of thin. The thinness imparts an almost watered down chocolate flavor; like not mixing enough cocoa powder into water. Lingering grain, thin, very sweet; I'm not really getting vanilla? Some hints of roast on the back end cannot round out the thin sweetness.

Rating: Average
Score: 55% 

Carbonated...thin...waves of chocolate, roasted malts, and hints of dark fruit. The medium-light and thin mouthfeel cannot sustain the big flavors in this beer. This is not at all complex either. The front is: carbonation, chocolate, and roast; the middle is roast, sweetness, dark fruit on the tongue; the back end is lingering roast, grain, and really sweet cocoa.

Let me say: WOW. I'm a little surprised, because I remember enjoying this beer a little bit more last year. I feel like I need to re-review this down the road just to make sure I'm not crazy. But I don't think I am.

This is an okay beer. There is definitely chocolate in it, and it definitely is about the malts. But the thin mouthfeel, thin carbonation, and sweetness work against the big roast flavors and the big chocolate build.

All-in-all, this is kind of average...but it works in the Sam Adams Winter Classics mix pack. I would definitely serve this beer with dessert, or with a really raunchy cheese burger, or something with a thick and heavy barbeque sauce. Worth checking out, and okay addition to the Winter Classics, but not a life-changer by any means.

Review Format: the Experiment is Over

If you read this blog (I'm sorry) you probably have noticed that I have been messing with my review format. I've set up the past couple of reviews with clearly outlined sections for "easy reading." Easy reading is nice, and it actually makes for easy writing when I just dump my thoughts into organized sections. I'm concerned though, because easy writing lends itself to lazy writing.

This is a beer review blog, but this is "Not Another" beer review blog. When I created this blog, I created it for a number of reasons: storing my beer reviews, educating myself about the beers that I do review, and sharing my love for beer with anyone who feels compelled to listen to me ramble.

Because I want to take the time to introduce the brewery and the style of beer for the beers that I review, I went with an editorial-style approach to my reviews. This gave me the option to spend time talking about the beer, complaining about things, and then eventually telling you how I feel about the beer itself.

When I break my beer reviews down into clearly defined sections, I feel like I lose some of the freedom to talk about the beer. I feel like I lose some of the "stuff" that originally defined my blog in the first place. I want to talk about the beer; I want to tell you about the brewery; I want to bitch and moan, because beer culture has its fair share of retardisms. Look at Shitty Beer Tuesday, for example. I'm very amused by Shitty Beer Tuesday, and I look forward to a future of drinking more malt beverages that are more closely related to urine than actual beer. My point is: I'm not going to shove Shitty Beer Tuesday into a nicely packaged format for easy digesting. That seems hypocritical to the spirit of Shitty Beer Tuesday, and to this blog.

There's more fluidity and freedom when I write a review editorial style. That means that I will alienate some readers. That means that you will actually have to read through the entire review to extract content. It won't be "easy reading" like the past few reviews that have had clearly outlined sections. But I need to remain true to myself, and the original spirit of this blog.

So what is the format going to look like from now on?

There will be a TITLE. So you know what beer I'm drinking

Brewed By: [And I'll tell you who brews it,] in [and where it is brewed.]
Purchased: [I'll tell you what type of container it in] from [and where I bought it so you can stalk me.]
Style/ABV: [And I'll tell you the style, and how drunk it will get you.]

Then I will do an introduction of the brewery, the beer, and the beer style.

I'll review the beer of course...and give it a rating.

And then there will be a conclusion.

This isn't just a beer review blog. This is a place for me to vent about things that are silly in the industry, to learn about beer, to learn about the cool people who brew beer, and to think out loud. So, the experiment is over. You are not going to see any more beer reviews that look like the past few I have done. The plus side? There will be more Shitty Beer Tuesday. I'm looking your way Corona...you better watch out!

Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Porter, 5.8%

 

Appearance: I worked out 3-fingers of head on this Porter. I could probably extend that to 4 with a bigger glass. Fuck I'm pretentious. Anyway...this beer looks dark brown or black in low light. In bright light this is definitely a reddish-brown beer that is clear, very filtered, and moderately to lightly carbonated. The head is tan or off-white. The head is thick and creamy and is leaving nice lacing. Being a Porter, I expect some head to hang around for the duration.

Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

Aroma: There is some caramel, some roast, and some light smoke on the nose. I'm also getting a subtle coffee and chocolate aroma. There is a touch of molasses on the nose as well, with maybe a really faint pull towards a dark fruit.

 

Taste: Creamy, smooth, fairly dense: this blossoms into a nice and subtle smokey and chocolate finish. I'm really happy with the roasty/smokey finish, because many Sam Adams beers tend to air on the lighter/watery side. I'm tasting pulls towards coffee, molasses and burnt sugar, a hint of caramel, toffee, bread, and even a twang of nuttiness. There is a light touch of grassy-herbal or earthiness, maybe from the hops. The finish is smokey and slightly bitter; nice.

 

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: This is full-bodied and pretty dense; almost slightly sticky. The carbonation helps cut through the density, and the dry finish cleans things up nicely. For a 5.8% ABV Porter, this has a good body. This is drinkable, and has moderate complexity. The front is smooth carbonation, sweet malts; the hops really blossom in the middle, even with some hints of fruity citrus; the back end is smokey with some touches of chocolate or coffee. A very nice progression from front to back and good support from the body.

 

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 83%

 

Comments: I'm not sure what makes Sam Adam's Holiday Porter different from any other typical Porter, except that they slap the word "Holiday" in front of it. The beer has 40 IBUs, and uses East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, and Spalt Spalter Noble Hops. The East Kent Goldings hops are used for dry hopping as well, to impart the beer with additional "English hop" aromas. The beer uses a number of malts, including Flaked Oats for additional smoothness. Clocking in 5.8% ABV and packing 212 calories per bottle, this sounds like a typical Robust Porter.

 

Conclusion: Well...this was a surprise. For Sam Adams, this is stellar stuff. This is a dense, bold, and genuine Porter. I still don't get why this is a Holiday Porter? Is it because it is heavy? Is it because most American beer drinkers don't cross paths with Porters, so a "heavy" beer makes sense in the winter season?

 

Porters, Stouts, and Brown Ales all have tangoed in the past. So there is rich history and similarities there. But when I think winter - cold, long, windy, snowy, winter - I think about big boozy Stouts and spiced Christmas beers.

 

At any rate, I don't get it, but I'll go along with it. The Holiday Porter is thick and sticky, and it would be an appropriate companion on a winter night. I mean, I could drink this during the autumn or summer, but it wouldn't be my first choice. It's a good addition to the Winter Classics mix pack, and a wonderful entry from Sam Adams. It is easily one of the best beers from the Winter Classics mix pack.

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 5.9%

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Appearance: This is a clear, very filtered, reddish/brown beer. In low light the beer looks dark brown/purple. There is a wonderful 4-finger, tan/orange, thick, and creamy head on this beer. Carbonation is moderate to high, and there is nice lacing.

Aroma: On the nose I am getting big toffee and caramel, candied dark fruits, hints of fruit cake and licorice, lots of raisins, and a hint of ginger or cinnamon. The nose is malt forward with raisins.

Taste: Yum, this is big and malty. You get carbonation and cream up front; you are greeted with big caramel and toffee malts with some hints of chocolate. You also get raisins up front. There are definitely spices in this, especially towards the middle and back. Nutmeg and cinnamon dance on the palate. I'm not really getting as much orange peel as I thought I would; there are faded fruit notes, but I'm mostly getting a lot of raisin. The body is malty and substantial enough for a Brown Ale-type beer.

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: Carbonated, smooth, drinkable; the 5.9% isn't opposing. This is medium-light with some complexity but a slightly watery finish. The mouthfeel has good depth up front, but doesn't fully support the big malt and spice profile. The front is malt and raisins; the middle is malt and spices, and maybe a flirt with the orange peel; the back end is lingering spice and maybe slight dryness. It does leave you hanging a bit.

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 80%

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Comments: Old Fezziwig is another one of Sam Adam's winter standbys. This is probably the second most sought after Sam Adam's winter beer behind the Winter Lager. Sam Adam's describes the beer as malty with sweet toffee, sweet caramel, dark roasty chocolate, and lots of cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel. It sounds a bit like the Winter Lager, to be honest.

This is clearly a Christmas/Winter Spiced Beer. Sam Adam's describes it as a "classic brown ale." Ratebeer dumped it into the Spiced beer category, and BeerAdvocate put it into the "Winter Warmer" category, which I'm just going to ignore as per this quote from the BCJP: "English-style Winter Warmers (some of which may be labeled Christmas Ales) are generally not spiced, and should be entered as Old Ales." I think it is fairly clear that this is a spiced beer made for Christmas.

This beer uses Noble hops, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, pale malts, and chocolate malts. Clocking in at 5.9% ABV and packing 213 calories per bottle, this should hopefully be just as good, if not better, than the Winter Lager.

Conclusion: This is my favorite 'Christmas Spiced Beer' from the Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix pack. I'm going to have to see if this stuff comes in a 6-pack for future reference. 

I'm really digging the malts in this beer. The caramel and toffee hit your palate right up front. The raisins and spices are very nice as well. This beer would be right at home with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. 

The only thing holding this beer back is the slightly thin body. If this is truly a spiced Brown Ale than it should not be too heavy, but with the big malts I'd say a rounded finish from front to back is desirable. Still, this is a very good beer.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2011

Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from 6-pack purchased at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: India Pale Ale (IPA), 6.8%

 

Appearance: This is quite the arrogant pour. You get 4+ big fingers of eggshell colored head. The head isn't root beer float thick, but it isn't as thin as soap bubbles. There is gorgeous lacing as the head slowly recedes. The body of the beer is a copper/red color in low light, and a copper/orange color in bright light. Hazy and thin yeast can be seen floating in this unfiltered beer. This beer is unfiltered and semi-transparent with moderate to low carbonation.

 

Celebration Ale 2011

Aroma: The aroma on this is really impressive, and I am reminded of the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. I'm getting caramel and grain which is manifesting as brandy cake, fruit cake, toffee, and caramel. There is a touch of alcohol on the nose. And there are quite a bit of hops in here. I'm getting nutmeg, mint, Pine-sol, evergreen, orange, candied orange, and maybe a touch of tangerine or grapefruit.

 

Taste: Creamy, smooth, malty, and hoppy; this beer hits the IPA style out of the park. I'm tasting fruit cake, brandy cake, orange and lemon rind, pine-sol, pine needles and pine tree, maltiness, touches of bread and cake, hints of tangerine and grapefruit, and pulls towards mint and nutmeg. I'm puckering my lips, but this beer isn't even that bitter, relatively speaking. This has the build of a malty Double-IPA. Super impressive.

 

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: Creamy smooth, and very well supported by the malts. This is still a hop bomb that will make you pucker your lips. The back end is bitter and dry. The front of the palate is boozy cake and caramel malts, and smooth and creamy carbonation; the middle rolls into pine and hops and hints of spice; the back end finishes with lingering spice, hops, mouth-puckering bitterness, and a dry finish. This is medium-full in terms of body, very complex, and you do feel the booze on the back end. I love this beer though, and it is very drinkable.

 

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 92%

 

Comments: Sierra Nevada are one of the big players in craft brewing. If you check out their history page, you will see that founder Ken Grossman began his quest to build a brewery in 1976. In 1980, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi brewed their first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. According to Wikipedia, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the second best selling craft beer behind Boston Lager. Sierra Nevada is the sixth largest brewing company in the United States as well, cranking out over 750,000 barrels in 2010.

Celebration Ale is a seasonal offering from Sierra Nevada, and is brewed using the first hops of the growing season. Since the crops change yearly, Celebration Ale changes yearly. But the beer uses the same hops each year. The beer uses Chinook hops for bittering, Cascade and Centennial for dry hopping, and the beer is finished with Cascade and Centennial hops. The beer uses Pale and Caramel malts. Clocking in at 6.8% ABV and 65 IBUs, this is a strong but not overly strong beer.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding Celebration Ale, but there are no spices used in Celebration Ale. On the other hand, Celebration Ale is bottle conditioned. Many people report seeing sediment floating around in the bottom of their bottle; my guess is that this is the yeast from the bottle conditioning. Despite having a middle-of-the-road ABV, many people actually age Celebration Ale. Typically you would not expect a 6.8% ABV beer to lend itself to aging. However, because the beer is bottle conditioned and well-hopped, it may stand the test of time. Celebration Ale is probably one of the most widely aged "popular and available" beers. So if you do get yourself some Celebration Ale, throw one or two in the cellar for a year or two down the road.

 

Conclusion: When winter comes around, hop heads need something to fall back on. Celebration Ale is insanely refined and delicious. Factor in the fact that it pulls off hints of Christmas with subtle mint and nutmeg notes in the hops, and huge cake and bread notes from the malts...and we have a real winner.

 

This is obviously not a beer for everybody. This is pretty hoppy and bitter and falls on the "heavy" side of India Pale Ales. Still, this is a wonderful holiday treat. And at 6.8% ABV, this is the perfect winter warmer to drink by the fireplace, or while it is snowing, or with that spicy holiday meal you just cooked.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 5.6% 

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Appearance: The beer has a nice dark copper color under low light, and a orange/copper/brown color in bright light. This is a very carbonated beer that is super filtered. I got about one finger of creamy, slightly off white head. Head retention is solid, with a centimeter of bubbly head hanging around. There is some lacing as well.

Aroma: I'm picking up hints of ginger, lager spice, maybe a touch of the orange peel and the hops, and some ghostly hints of malt and caramel that come and go.

Taste: You get some carbonation, ginger, orange peel, lemon zest, and cinnamon on the front of your tongue. This has a rounded profile with big malts and caramel. Very clean and crisp, you taste the lager yeast and the citrus adds a cleanse. There is a slight herbal quality to the hops.

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: Crisp, carbonated, and refreshing; this definitely is a lager. This is on the heavy side of light, with carbonation, and definite spiciness. Very drinkable but a touch thin on the palate. The beer opens up a bit as it works across your palate, but this is not terribly complex. The front is carbonation and spices, with hints of malt and caramel in the middle, and spices, hops, and malts showing up in the aftertaste.

 

Rating: Average
Score: 73%

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Comments: The Sam Adam's Winter Lager is their consistent winter seasonal. This one comes in the Winter Classics mix pack, or I believe you can pick this up in a sixer. The Winter Lager is brewed using orange peel, ginger, and cinnamon. For that reason, Ratebeer has dumped this into the Spice/Herb/Vegetable category. BeerAdvocate is calling this a Bock, probably because the beer is described as a "dark wheat bock" on the Sam Adam's website. As if the categorization couldn't get any more confusing, the BJCP puts the Winter Lager under the 21B. Christmas/Winter Spiced Beer category. The beer uses a ton of malts, including malted wheat, and it includes Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops. The Hallertau are German lager hops, and provide some aroma and bittering. The Winter Lager was first brewed in 1989, and is described as robust, malty, and spicy.

Conclusion: This isn't bad, if not a tad towards the middle. This beer has good clean spices that should remind you of Christmas, but I'm not feeling elevated by the experience. For what it is worth, Winter Lager is much better on tap. So get this beer if you go out to eat. Boston Lager seems to be about the same between on tap and the bottle, Winter Lager improves.

Goose Island Christmas Ale 2011

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (owned by AB InBev) in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack purchased at Binny's in IL; 2011

Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 6.2%

Goose Island Christmas Ale 2011

Appearance: The extra room you get in a nonic glass does benefit this beer, which generates a big head if you pour aggressively. I worked out 4-fingers of bubbly, foamy, thick head. The head is reddish-brown, and the body of the beer is reddish-brown/orange-brown. In dark light the beer looks darker red/brown. The beer has good carbonation, is slightly hazy/unfiltered, and has nice lacing.

Aroma: This is a really fun brown ale. You get a lot of hops on the nose: I smell pine, pine cone, pine nut, bread pudding, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, a doughy cake note, and lots of hoppy components that are earthy, minty, and even spicy. I'm getting a touch of nutmeg or allspice on the nose as well. Maybe some toast. 

Taste: A nice dance between the pine and hop notes, and some nutty notes, and some malty notes that are definitely Brown Ale. I taste pine; pine cone, pine leaves, and pine nut. There is some nuttiness and caramel in the middle, lots of sweet malts throughout, hints of toast and bread pudding, and lots of pine and nuttiness on the finish. Slightly drying and even a touch bitter on the finish. There are some spices like brown sugar and nutmeg in the middle of the palate, and they do linger a bit in the finish as well.

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: Maybe a touch thin or watery...but maybe not. Brown Ales aren't supposed to be super assertive. I would say this is on the heavy side of light, or the light side of medium. Balanced, drinkable, and has good depth and potential across the palate; pretty complex for the style. The alcohol isn't an issue at all, and the hops keep it from being overly sweet. Lots of pine on the front of the palate; nuttiness and brown ale notes in the middle with touches of brown sugar and nutmeg; more pine and nuttiness on the back end with that slightly dry finish.

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 92%

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Comments: According to Ratebeer, the Goose Island Christmas Ale uses Belgian malts and crystal hops to impart a wintery and European flare on the beer. According to the Goose Island website, the hops change every year. They do state that this year's beer uses Pale, Munich, and Caramel malts.

The bottle states that this beer can develop in the bottle for up to 5 years, and is best enjoyed in a nonic pint glass. I'll probably age one of these for shits and giggles, but 5 years is a long time to age a Brown Ale; especially one at 6.2%. Still....when you stir up the bottle, you can clearly see yeast sediment floating around in the bottom. This appears to be bottle conditioned.

Conclusion: Remember folks...this is an American Brown Ale. This even stays within the American Brown Ale guidelines, highlighting the malts while providing a fair amount of hops.

The aroma and appearance of this beer points to Christmas. The taste is pine, which is definitely wintery and Christmas-like. There is a good balance of nuts, spice, and caramel.

This is a wonderfully executed American Brown Ale, and a wonderful Christmas companion. It may not be the best Christmas beer, but for the style it is an excellent Winter/Christmas American Brown Ale.

Samuel Adams Black & Brew

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from Sam Adam's Winter Classics mix-pack purchased in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: American Stout, 5.8% 

Appearance: The beer pours with a 3-finger, very tan/brown/coffee head. The head is pretty foamy and thick. The body of the beer looks black in low light, but is more like dark, dark brown. There are even hints of red. There is some nice lacing, and the head is hanging around so I would guess there is good carbonation.

Samuel Adams Black & Brew

Aroma: Malty, slightly smoky and meaty, and not as coffee-forward as you might think. I smell a Rauchbier type smoke, a very earthy or soil quality note, spent coffee grinds, espresso, and maybe a hint or pull towards vanilla or bitter, earthy chocolate. 

Taste: You get quite a bit of coffee up front. I taste very earthy coffee, espresso, and spent coffee grinds left in the filter. On the back of my tongue I'm picking up some hints of dark fruit: namely raisins or prunes. The overall flavor is very, very earthy, and lots of coffee. There is actually a very sweet, syrupy, sugar-like note driving through the coffee flavors; I'm tasting molasses, maybe really sweet caramel. I would be stretching to say sweet chocolate, it's mostly molasses. 

Body/Mouthfeel/Complexity: This one is well carbonated, but the carbonation is kind of thin. The mouthfeel is medium-light, and kind of watery. I would say this has moderate complexity. On the front is carbonation, thin sweetness (molasses, sugar), and lots of spent coffee; the middle is more coffee with supporting sweetness; the back is lingering coffee, and manifestations of dark fruits from the sweetness.

Rating: Average
Score: 72%

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Comments: New to 2011, Black & Brew is a Sam Adam's seasonal available from January to June. The website says it is only available in the Winter Classics pack, so I'm not sure if you'll actually be able to get your hands on this beer in June. The website states that this beer uses 1.5 pounds of Sumatran coffee beans per barrel, and that the brew finishes with roasty malt notes of chocolate, caramel, and dark fruit. The beer uses the Sam Adam's ale yeast and East Kent Goldings hops. But this is mostly a malt and coffee beer, using nearly-espresso roasted Sumatran coffee beans, and at least 5 types of malts. The beer clocks in at 5.8% ABV, and packs 24 IBUs. One bottle nets you 208 calories, if you care about calories.

I think this addition to the Winter Classics pack is awesome. A Coffee/Breakfast Stout seems to fit well into the holidays. My only complaint with the Winter Classics pack is that it still includes Boston Lager. Why not substitute the Boston Lager with the Winter Lager and throw in an additional winter beer? You still get the Boston Lager and the Winter Lager in the 2011 Winter Classics; along with the Old Fezziwig, Chocolate Bock, Black & Brew, and the Holiday Porter. 

Conclusion: It's too bad I had Founders Breakfast Stout before trying this beer. I understand that it's not a fair comparison. The Founders is a Double Stout and packs a lot more heat than the Sam Adams Black & Brew.

But still.

Black & Brew is a perfectly competent beer. There's a lot of good things going on here, from the wonderful appearance to the prominent coffee notes in the taste. My biggest gripe is the slightly watery mouthfeel, and the unbalanced sweetness that works as a backbone to this beer. Having said that - minor quips aside - this is a fantastic entry from Sam Adams, and a great addition to the Winter Classics.

Boulevard Sixth Glass Quadrupel

Brewed By: Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri

Purchased: Single 12oz bottle from the Boulevard Smokestack sampler from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Quadrupel, 10.5%

It's time to wrap up the Smokestack sampler from Boulevard Brewing Company. Tonight we tackle The Sixth Glass, a Belgian Quadrupel. This is a big, brown beer clocking in at 10.5%. The beer features Belgian yeast, dark fruits, and big caramel malts. The beer is brewed with brown sugar, dark candi syrup, Munich and Pale malts.

The "Quadrupel" style is not recognized by the BJCP and seems to be an American creation. According to Wikipedia "La Trappe Quadrupel" is a beer brewed by the De Koningshoeven Brewery in the Netherlands. They are the only Trappist abbey not located in Belgium. Since La Trappe Quadruple is a strong dark beer, the name may have stuck. In America, a "Quad" or "Quadrupel" refers to a very strong dark ale with spicy, ripe fruit flavors. Quadrupels are stronger than Dubbels or Tripels. Some people have argued that Quadrupels are similar to Belgian Dark Strong Ales; some would argue that Quadrupels are less hoppy or fruity. It's all very confusing and dumb.

According to this wonderfully written article by Joris P. Pattyn:

I’ve been on the look for older references, but I haven’t found any - the term "Quadrupel" is a commercial find from the guys at De Schaapskooi, later "Koningshoeven", selling the products of the Trappist brewery La Trappe. And to rub it in, they’ve trademarked the designation. Don’t be surprised to find a lot of Quadrupels in the US, however - as that country is well-known to respect only its own rules, never those of other people. Likewise, you’ll find "Trappist" beers from simple commercial breweries all over the place. But in tame old Europe, "Quadrupel" is the top La Trappe beer, and that’s it.

And that's about all there is to it. Quadrupel is a rather ambiguous style still up for debate. It is malty, uber-strong, and full of overripe dark fruits. How does the Boulevard Sixth Glass Quadrupel stack up?

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This is a hazy, amber/orange/brown colored beer. There was 4-fingers of thin, bubbly, orange/tan head. The head has dissolved into a nice thin coating of bubbles. Excellent lacing; alcohol legs; tons of carbonation. 

Boulevard Sixth Glass Quadrupel

The aroma is big Belgian yeasts, huge overripe bananas, light caramel and brown sugar, and hints of overripe dark fruits like cherries, plums. Also; fruitcake, peaches, strawberries, perfume/jam, currants/tea.

The mouthfeel is super-carbonated, and quite strong. You get lots of spices: clove, brown sugar, pepper. There are some big caramely malts, along with some big Pale Malt notes. I'm tasting overripe bananas, overripe peaches, apricot, overripe pears, candied pears, pulls towards cherries; there are big white grape notes, and big white wine qualities to this. Slightly astringent with the alcohol and spices; sort of zaps your palate.

This is a medium to full-bodied beer. The carbonation cuts things down. The 10.5% ABV dials things back up. The mouthfeel is slightly viscous and astringent, and the finish is pretty dry. I wouldn't give this beer to someone new to beer.

The front end is carbonated and fruity. Pulls towards peach, apricot, strawberry, and other fruits. This rounds off into a spicy and astringent middle: brown sugar, clove, pepper, and alcohol. This continues into a malty back with more fruit, caramel and Pale malts, and more spice on the back end. Drying with slight astringency in the throat. The alcohol is not quite as warming as the 10.5% ABV would suggest.

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 84%

Boozy and sublime. This has great depth and complexity, and is uniquely Belgian-ish. My only gripe is the absence of some of the darker fruit notes. This smelled a bit like an amped Belgian Strong Ale, and some of those qualities carry through in the taste. Style rating aside - this is delicious and bold. The Boulevard Smokestack sampler is awesome, and features four killer beers.

This beer is worth checking out, but the Smokestack sampler is even more so worth checking out.

Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed By: Bières de Chimay in Chimay in the province of Hainaut, Belgium
Purchased: 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 9.0%

 

I'm not going to ramble on about the strange categorization and difference between a Belgian Quadruple and a Belgian Dark Strong Ale. At the moment, the BJCP does not have a Quadruple category, but they have a Dark Strong Ale category. Some people say Quadruples are more malty while Belgian Dark Strong Ales are more fruity; others say they are one and the same. I've heard today's beer referred to by both categorizations, but it seems to be more established as a Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

 

According to Chimay, the Blue is a dark Trappist beer with big aromas and complex flavors. They make special note to mention that this beer improves across the years. And, indeed, many people do age this beer. This is wonderful beer that you can throw in your cellar for 10 years and come back to enjoy later in life. This beer was first brewed as a Christmas beer, and has lots of yeast and caramel. I'm excited, so let's dive in. 

 

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This one was a bit of a gusher, with carbonation rising outwards immediately upon opening the bottle. These bottle conditioned beers are tricky, let me tell you. After the initial eruption, the beer's head settled down pretty quick. There were two fingers of brownish head but now all I'm left with is a hazy, murky liquid with some carbonation sticking to the side of the glass. There appears to be a lot of carbonation in this murky, unfiltered beer: and there is lacing and alcohol legs. The beer is a reddish-purple-brown color in low light, and an orange-brown color in bright light. It seems to be slightly more carbonated than the Chimay Red, a little bit darker, and slightly more carbonated.

Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserv

I was hit with huge malts and band-aids upon opening the bottle. I'm smelling huge alcoholic plums and figs; spices like nutmeg, clove and pepper; a very medicinal or tea like note; grapes; lots of big boozy malts; unmistakable Belgian yeasts.

This is a huge beer, with a huge mouthfeel, and a lot of carbonation. Very dry on the back end, and almost thinning. I'm tasting boozy plums and grapes, yeasty bread, rum cake, plum cake, huge spiced rum, pepper, clove, port and grape, slight dusting with the dryness, huge boozy malts, and slight bitterness and astringency which compliments the drying wonderfully. There are brown sugar and molasses notes in here as well.

The mouthfeel is huge and the alcohol makes itself known (although it is not too bad for 9.0% ABV). Surprisingly, this thing is still very drinkable. The carbonation helps, and the dry finish helps. You want to keep sipping. I'm definitely warming up drinking this though; this is a real winter warmer. This is very complex, and the palate extends deep. The front is carbonation, dark fruits, earthy-medicinal, and brown sugar/molasses. This rolls into yeasts, more malts, more fruits, spices, and slight bitterness. The bitter rolls into the back end, with spices and dryness.  

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 89%

This is a really fantastic beer. It is one of the better and more commonly available Belgian Dark Strong Ales. This is the perfect beer to drink with some rich and heavy cheeses, or some heavy meats. This would also work great as a standalone, or a winter warmer.

All-in-all: very malty, rich, heavy, and big on the dark fruit, brown sugar, and spices.

I prefer this to the Chimay Red, if I am going for a darker, more malty style Belgian Ale from Chimay.

Chimay Rouge (Red) / Première

Brewed By: Bières de Chimay in Chimay in the province of Hainaut, Belgium
Purchased: 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 7.0%

Moving onto the second beer from Chimay, their Chimay Rogue or Chimay Red. This beer is an Abbey Dubbel, and the oldest of the Chimay beers. According to the Chimay website, this beer should give off fruity apircot aromas, and have lots of malts and fruits in the taste. Let's see how this beer stacks up to other Dubbels. 

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Another hazy and cloudy entry from Chimay. I guess that is what I get for ignoring the instructions of "not pouring the bottom centimeter of beer into your glass." I say meh to that. This is a bottle conditioned beer, bring on the yeast and funk. I'm not self-conscious about sediment in my beer. What I like to do is roll the bottle in my hands before I pour it, this way I stir up the yeast in the bottle. Similar to what you would do to a Hefeweizen.

Chimay Rouge (Red) / Première

Anyway....the beer has a 2-finger head that is slightly off-white leaning towards a brown/tan color. The head has since dissolved into a nice cauldron effect of bubbles. The beer is a hazy and cloudy orange-brown color when held to bright light. Under low light it looks reddish-brown. There is some lacing, and it looks to be slightly less carbonated than the Tripel. 

Big, big malts escaping this one, lots of Belgian yeast bouquets. And again, very fruity. I smell clove, toffee, grape wine or port, sweet dark fruits like grapes and plums, apple skins, slight pepper notes, and figs. Are there apricots in here? I dunno. Apple skins are close enough for me.

This has a very big body, and is much more in-your-face than the Corsendonk. If the Corsendonk was a gentleman wearing a monocle, this is a guy in a leather jacket with lots of tattoos named Daryl. I'm tasting sweet malts, caramel, toffee; big fruit notes including figs, grapes; fruit cake. Slight hoppy-ness and slight twang from the malts in the back. There are a ton of cloves and pepper that move from the front to back, and a very medicinal quality to the middle and back. Overall this is very spicy, with spices touching all levels of palate depth.

This is a full-bodied, big beer. This is smooth, but there is quite a bit of carbonation driving through the experience. This extends across your whole palate, and has excellent depth. Moderate complexity. The front end is carbonation, dark fruits, some hints of malt and spice; this rolls into the middle which is spicy and medicinal; the back is malty, spicy, and finishes dry. The alcohol seems to blend in and shows up in the deep, deep palate.

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 87%

Malty....filling....big. This beer is wide, as in "wide load" or "wide ass". The profile of this beer is huge. For a 7% ABV beer, this is dense. If I had any criticisms to level against this beer, it would be that some of the spice profiles seem to dominate the fruit profiles in the middle and back of the palate. The complexity could be a little more refined. It's just a tad muddy in the middle.

On the other hand, the malts are huge. And this beer is huge. This is a big Dubbel, and would pair well with some big meats. This would also make a great winter warmer on a cold night.

This is a pretty rockin' Dubbel, and I will definitely be drinking it again.

Chimay Triple / Blanche (White) / Cinq Cents

Brewed By: Bières de Chimay in Chimay in the province of Hainaut, Belgium

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 8.0%

Chimay will mark the third Trappist brewery to cross my path. I would guess Chimay is the most popular Trappist brewery, usurping Orval and Westmalle in terms of availability and popularity. Chimay is located in the Scourmont Abbey, and they are well known for the three beers they brew: Chimay Rouge (Dubbel), Chimay Bleue (Belgian Strong Ale), and Chimay Blanche (Tripel).

If you check out the Chimay wesbite and look at their history page, you can find out a bit about how the Scourmont Abbey came to brew beer. According to the link, in 1862 the Cistercian Trappist monks of Chimay began to brew beer to support employment in their region as well as to provide for their needs. In 1862, the monks began brewing Chimay Première/Red in acccordance to traditional monastarey brewing. In 1948, the current recipe for the Chimay Première/Red was created when Chimay was able to isolate the yeast strain for the beer. In Christmas of 1948, a Chimay Christmas beer was created that eventually became the Chimay Blue. And in 1966, the Chimay Triple came into fruition. The Notre-Dame de Scourmont Abbey has been around since 1850. Farming, brewing, and cheese have been a big part of the culture from the beginning. 

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The pour reveals a magnificent looking beer. This beer is on the darker spectrum of Tripels, with a dark, dark yellow-bronze-gold color under low light. Under bright light, the beer is very orange-yellow and almost looks like orange juice. This is hazy and cloudy, and there is a bit of yeast floating in my glass. There was a 3-finger head at first; it has fizzled down into a nice two-centimeter keeper. There is wonderful lacing, and the good head retention suggests effervescence and carbonation. The head has hints of orange, and resembles the slightly darker Tripel.

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Upon pouring it I was greeted with huge bouquets of yeast and malt. Chimay beers dial up the malts, and this beer wallops you with them. Malts, toffee, Belgian yeasts and bready esters, candied oranges, perfume and hints of honey, light pulls toward sugar, nutmeg and coriander, pulls towards apples and lemongrass or lemon zest.

This is really wonderful. Just the mouthfeel is huge, but slightly powdery, there is an alcohol punch that is very subtle but still there, and lots of peppery and clove spices in the profile. You get lots of carbonation and smoothness up front, followed by big yeasty and malty fruits. Huge candied and perfume-like oranges, apples, and lemon. There are toffee and yeast-bread notes in the mix, and touches of coriander. Some slight grainy qualities pop up with the alcohol as well.

This is on the upper end of medium-bodied, with a smooth and powdery/dusty mouthfeel. Very elegant, and complex. This is refined, but modern. Potent, but drinkable. So drinkable, in fact, that you want to watch out for the 8.0% ABV. The front of the palate is all about carbonation, fruit and malts. You do get some Pils malts on the front end, and some light grain. This rolls into a fruity middle, with spices and perfume and malts. The back end is lingering malts and alcohol warming. Fantastic.

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 93%

This is one of my favorite Tripels, by far. Not much wrong about this. The spices are subdued and complex, the alcohol is present but in bursts, and big malty notes compliment the huge fruit overtones that drive this beer. Wonderfully big, wonderfully drinkable. This is the type of epic beer that I expect when I am drinking a Trappist beer; and it even comes with an epic glass.

Given how widely available Chimay is, I would suggest this to anyone looking to try the Tripel style. For everyone else, this is just a wonderful beer to fall back on.

New Belgium Lips of Faith - Clutch

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado 
Purchased: Single big-ass bomber (22oz) from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2011
Style/ABV: Stout/Sour/American Wild Ale, 9.0%

 

Clutch + Beer = Awesome

I am a huge Clutch fan. This is unfortunate, because when I found out that New Belgium did a collaborative beer with Clutch, I had to try it. I was going to drink this beer no matter how bad it might taste. Fortunately, New Belgium tend to err on the side of caution, and their Lips of Faith Series is pretty good. According to New Belgium's website, Clutch came into fruition when someone from the brewery encountered Clutch at a sandwich shop. This beer is the combination of two parts; one part chocolate and black malts, and one part dry sour. The beer is 80% stout, and 20% dark sour wood beer. I'm guessing that we can expect all sorts of complex stuff going on here, including Stout and Sour overtones.

The bottle states: "Pure rock fury meets Belgian-Style brewed folly in this collaboration with Maryland hard-rockers, Clutch. A pronounced bass line of dark chocolate, coffee, and black malts bridge the sourness of our dark wood ale for a fluid riff." 

Clocking in at 9% ABV, and proudly displaying Clutch's name and logo, this bottle looks fucking awesome. "Pure Rock Fury" is both an album and a song by Clutch, in case you missed the reference on the bottle. 

 

Arcadia: kick ass.

Before I jump into the beer itself, I want to give some props to Clutch. Clutch are one of the hardest working bands in music today, and they have a wonderful collection of albums stretching over 15+ years. Not only are they one of the most underrated bands in rock, but they are one of the best live bands out there. Clutch began as a grungy, stoner-rock band with a lot of metal elements. They have since progressed into a bluesy, jazzy, electric, and just plain southern rock band. You may have heard their song Electric Worry, but they have over a dozen catchy songs spread across their 9 main albums. If you want to get into Clutch, I recommend starting with Robot Hives/Exodus and moving forward or backwards to Blast Tyrant or From Beale Street to Oblivion. Their self-titled album and Elephant Riders are both awesome foot stompers as well. 

 

So...back to the beer. Despite being 80% Stout and 20% Sour, there is no clear consensus on what style this beer actually is. Ratebeer has dubbed this an "American Strong Ale," and BeerAdvocate has dumped this into their "American Wild Ale" category. 

 

"What the fuck is an American Wild Ale," I asked. According to BeerAdvocate, it is a sometimes Belgian influenced beer that uses wild yeast or bacteria like Brettanomyces, Pediococcus, or Lactobacillus. This is actually an innovative category, despite not being recognized by the BJCP. I guess proof that BeerAdvocate occasionally does something right.

But before I give BeerAdvocate too much credit: let us make sure this is actually a Sour and not just a Stout with some Sour notes. Semantics...how I wish you would go away.  

 

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Not a bad looking beer in any respect. The beer pours with a 4-finger, khaki/tan head that dissolves into a nice one-centimeter coating. There is nice lacing. The beer looks to be pitch black under low light, but in reality there are hints of red and brown escaping when held to a bright light. Probably more on the dark, dark brown/red side. I can't comment on carbonation, but the head sticking around is a good sign this is quite carbonated.

New Belgium "Clutch

 

The aroma is all Stout at first. You get dark chocolate, some smoke, a little tug towards meatiness and bacon, some coffee, and maybe a hint of vanilla. There is also a slightly sour or acidic note on the nose; you definitely smell some wood, some astringency, a little bit of alcohol, and maybe a touch of very sour/tart fruit like cherry or raspberry.  

 

Hmmm...I kind of like this. It isn't quite as sour as I was expecting, and there is an aftertaste of peas or vegetables on my deep back end. Quite woody, and lots of cherry notes up front. There are some big chocolate, vanilla, and wood notes following the cherry, which work well. Slightly acidic, and slightly less carbonation than I was expecting. Again, very woody. On the front of the palate is slightly acidic and carbonated sour; you get the cherry and that fruitiness. This rolls into chocolate, vanilla, dark malts, slight roast, maybe a tug towards stale coffee. The back end is very woody, slight tang, vegetables, and dry. 

 

Not quite as complex as I was expecting, and pretty medium palate depth. The balance seems to work okay, and there is nothing offensive about this brew. I think they could dial up the sour a little bit more. This is medium full, and medium-carbonated. I would guess this actually is slightly more carbonated, but the acidity gives the beer a "flat" nature that acts as a counterpoint to the carbonation. 

 

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 80%

 

You know...this isn't my favorite beer, but it is pretty good. First, we have to address the style ambiguity. How the hell am I supposed to score this beer? What am I comparing this to? A stout? A sour? Frankly, this tastes very much like a Stout with some components of a Sour. I would hardly call this a Sour. I'm not 100% sure I agree with the American Wild Ale categorization. I think this is a very ambiguous beer because it is 80% Stout and really feels like a Stout from top to bottom. Having said all that: this is a stellar Stout, but an average Sour.

 

I really enjoy the woody back end of this beer. And the flow is quite nice: you get sour fruit, chocolate and vanilla, and then wood and drying. That's a pretty nice flow of flavors. 

 

On the downside, the Sour notes are a little too subdued. The body of this beer isn't quite as full as you would expect for a 9% beer, and this isn't all that complex. Clutch kicks ass. Stouts and Sours kick ass. If you make a Clutch beer that combines a Stout with a Sour, it better knock me on my ass. 

 

Having said all that...this is still quite tasty, and definitely Above-Average. If you are a fan of Clutch or New Belgium, you owe it to yourself to check this beer out. I would drink this beer again, and I hope Clutch collaborates to make more beer in the future.

 

Until next time, drink more beer, and listen to more Clutch.