Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: Single, big-ass, bomber (1 Pint, 6oz) from Binny's in Illinois; 2011

Style/ABV: Imperial Black IPA, 10.8% 

Does Stone Brewing need an introduction? Given how much you hear about Stone Brewing from within and even outside the craft beer scene, it is amazing to think these guys have only been around for 15 years. In 15 years Stone has pumped out some seriously over-the-top but awesome beers. Stone is the brainchild of Steve Wagner and Greg Koch, two guys who loved beer. Greg and Steve didn't just love beer, they owned it. In 1996 Stone Brewing Co. came into full fruition.

Stone Brewing Co.

You probably know Stone for their badass Gargoyle logo, or maybe you know them for their divine Arrogant Bastard Ale. One thing is certain; these guys make some really good over-the-top beer. Speaking of, to celebrate their 15th Anniversary, Stone has released a limited one-off beer. This has become an annual tradition for Stone, and this will mark my first experience with a Stone Anniversery beer.

Today's beer, Stone's 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, seems to be in line with Stone's extreme beer philosophy. This is an Imperial Black IPA. Black IPAs are an American style of IPA with a little more malt characteristic, a high ABV, and often utilize dry hopping. Stone goes above and beyond with their bottle artwork, painting their designs onto the bottle, and on this beer's bottle are some nice words of wisdom from Greg Koch and Steve Wagner. Now this is an Imperial Black IPA. Imperial anything usually means more alcohol, or more hops, or more everything. This is a bold beer, at 10.8% ABV, and I expect it to lay down a righteous ass kicking. I'm expecting a big hoppy bomb, possibly pushing towards 90+ IBUs, with hints of malt goodness.

Today's beer is brewed using Nelson Sauvin hops, a relatively new hop with a really unique profile. Nelson Sauvin hops are supposed to add a grape-like component to beers. It also can add extreme fruitiness to beers, with some people describing it tasting like passion fruit. This beer also uses Chocolate Malts, so I'm hoping to pull out a chocolate component. This beer uses Citra and Columbus hops, and is dry-hopped with the Nelson hops as well as Pacific Jade (bold, herbal, peppers, citrus). This is a sick line-up of ingredients, and with 10.8% ABV to back up this list of awesomeness... 

Is this an Imperial Stout? Had me fooled.

I admire beer when I pour it, but holy cow this is a ridiculous looking beer. This beer pours with a 3-finger, coffee-brown head. This beer is PITCH BLACK. I swear this is darker than a lot of Imperial Stouts. Even when held up to the light, there is nothing escaping from this beer. It's such an obsidian-colored beer that I cannot even tell you about the carbonation. Despite the 10.8% ABV I am getting decent head retention, and there appears to be some alcohol legs. There was smoke rising from the bottle when I popped it open, and I got hit with a blast of aroma within a second or two of opening this bottle...

...and man oh man is this aroma good. This is incredibly hoppy, and citrusy, and grapes, and then earthy. I am getting giant aromas in the form of sweet grapefruit and maybe orange. There is an overwhelmingly resiny quality to the aroma, and it really compliments the hops. There is a ton of grape and passion fruit, likely from the Nelson hops. There is an earthy component, but my untrained nose isn't really detecting any specific malt notes or any chocolate. At this point in the process the head has really winded down into a nice 1-centimeter coating. Beers with giant ABVs tend to have heads that diminish pretty quickly, for whatever reason, so it's not a big deal. There is also some nice lacing on my glass. 

Holy resin, Batman. This is a resiny beer. I also have isolated the chocolate malt, which is showing up in the body in a major way. This is actually super malty. This is super complex, with big citrus notes, some definite pepper, some woody/tobacco notes, tons of grapes and passion fruit, and an overlaying chocolate quality. In fact, the chocolate and grape cut through the whole palate and drop a ton of interesting flavors. I swear I'm getting a woody/tobacco quality along with the grape and passion-fruit. I think this is pulling around 100 IBUs, and it shows. This is bitter, and if you aren't used to bitter beers this is going to kick your ass. There is definitely some alcohol bite in the back end, and it kind of creeps up from your palate into your nose. But it isn't offensive, and compliments the huge resiny flavor of this beer. 

This is superbly complex, has tons of depth, and is incredibly fulfilling. At 10.8% ABV this isn't exactly something you want to chugging, but it is surprisingly drinkable. The body is resiny and full; this is a full-bodied beer. With waves of hops, malt, and hops and RESIN, you really feel the full weight of this beer. And it's wonderful. 

How do you rate a one-off beer like this? A beer so extreme that it defies most expectations established by day-to-day beers. This is a beer riding the line between Above-Average and Divine Brew, and because it is unique I'll buy into the hype and go ahead and throw done the Divine Brew. Pick this up if you can, while you can.

Rating: Divine Brew

Score: 91%

Even in light: pitch black

On the front end of my palate I get a lot of malt including chocolate, but there is a resiny hop note (the grape, passion-fruit) that rides through the front, middle and back. The middle is big hops, including grapefruit and more grapes. There is also some booze in the middle. The back end is dry as hell, and really gives way to those 100 IBUs. This is a bitter beer, 'nuff said. There is a pepper quality that comes and goes, which really compliments the resiny mouthfeel that dominates this beer. I also get a woody-tobacco quality to the beer, which may just be my weird interpretation of the spicy pepper component.

I suspect this beer is brewed more for the beer geek and the fans of Stone Brewing Co. than for the general public. This isn't remotely noobie friendly - and between the giant ABV, the huge resiny body, the extreme bitterness, and the giant hop kick - this is a beer that is really really good but also really extreme. This beer is kind of like Stone Brewing in a nutshell. 

I love how this beer looks, it is pitch black. I love the coffee-brown head, which hung around longer than I expected. I love that I'm belching up grapefruit. I love the Nelson hop notes in this beer: there are definitely notes of grape and passion fruit. Despite the huge malt presence and the chocolate notes, this beer is largely hop-forward and I do think this leans more towards hops. So I wouldn't call it balanced. 

But this is a one-off, an Anniversary Ale. If you like extreme beers, and if you are a beer geek, you owe it to yourself to try and snag a bottle of this while you can. Because it is muy bueno. If you see this beer, buy it! Pour it into your snifter, and grab some cheese and crackers, and enjoy your night. And thank you to Stone Brewing Co. for making awesome beer for the last 15 years. Respect.

Shitty Beer Tuesday #2: Foster's Lager

Brewed By: Fosters Group Limited in Southbank, Australia

Purchased: Single, big-ass, bomber can (25.4oz) from Jewel-Osco in Illinois; 2011

Style/ABV: Pale Ale/American Lager, 5% 

Foster's, Australian for Shitty Beer

I have a cousin who peaced out of the United States and went to live in Australia. I always assumed her motivation to leave America was because she grew up in New Jersey, but I never understood the Australia thing. I mean Australia is basically an ex-British prison colony, and that's only a few degrees better than the S-hole that New Jersey is.

 

Being the dumb American that I am, I always pictured Australia as the redneck cousin of Texas, only instead of having deers they have kangaroos. It turns out I'm not far off, because kangaroo is in fact eaten in Australia. Thanks to having a sheltered American childhood, which included watching Winnie the Pooh, I was always under the impression that kangaroos are some sort of mystical animal. It turns out that they are just BBQ and roadkill. So now I am going to destroy your childhood. 

 

Nature's fender-bender: try scraping this out of your grill.

Kangaroos are not only super common in Australia, but they are a giant pain in the ass. Kangaroos are constantly jumping out in front of cars, and cause massive damage and headaches annually. It turns out that kangaroos are essentially Australian roadkill, and are just as big of a pain in the ass as deer are in America.

I'm a deer, bitch!

Conversely, if you are Australian and are reading this, I need to inform you that despite what you saw in Bambi, everyone in America who drives a car hates deer. Sure, deer are majestic; and who doesn't "awwww" and "ohhh" when they see a deer while hiking. But the only people rooting for Bambi are 10-year-old kids and guys with snow plows on their grill. Also, deer transmit Mad Cow disease, so they are basically America's zombie roadkill. Deer have a tendency to dart out from the trees or underbrush on the side of the road, and they have a special affinity for headlights and bumpers. And sure, some dildo from PETA is going to point out that humans built roads in the deer's habitat, and that the deer doesn't know any better, but deers are seriously attracted to cars like flies are attracted to a bug zappers. 

 

At any rate, the take-home message here is that neither deer nor kangaroos are special. Which is why you should hit the accelerator, not the brake. Today's beer comes from down under, or maybe not. 

 

Part of the reason why I do Shitty Beer Tuesday is to point out that a beer that might have seemingly humble roots is actually owned by a huge corporation. Trying to figure out who owns Fosters is like trying to screw a dingo without it biting your donger off. Today's beer is owned and brewed by the Foster's Group, out in Melbourne, Victoria. Foster's seems to have humble roots, being founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster from New York. Anyway, these two bros owned a refrigeration plant, so being the only two people in Australia with air conditioning they decided they would make beer. According to Wikipedia there has been speculation over the years that Fosters might be taken over by either SABMiller, Molson Coors or Heineken International.

The plot thickens, because according to WIKIPEDIA SABMiller acquired the Fosters brand for Indian and Vietnamese markets in Africa and Asia. As if shit wasn't confusing enough, Miller-Coors (technically part of the mega-SABMiller-conglamerate) claims that Foster's is one of their brands. So who the fuck owns Foster's? The answer seems to be both SABMiller and the Foster's Group LTD. It's likely North American distribution of Foster's is either a legitimate import or produced and distributed by SABMiller, while the Australian stuff is still made by Foster's Group LTD. Either way, word on the street is that SABMiller wants to suck the whole thing up.  

 

Shitty beer, crikey!

I'm looking forward to this beer, because of kangaroos and Australian prisoners. So let's start with appearance....wait, what is that...uh-oh. It seems like all my talk of kangaroos and deer has stirred up some attention from the other side, because the Ghost of Steve Irwin just busted in and won't get the hell out unless I let him talk about today's beer.

Me: Alright, Mr. Irwin, so if I let you say a few things about this beer, you'll get the hell out of here, right?

Ghost of Steve Irwin: Crikey! Foster's is a pale lager, like that American-German animal Budweiser you were drinking last week! This shitty grog is brewed with lots of adjuncts, so you better watch out! 

 

Me: What is a grog, you goofy Australian bastard?

 

Ghost of Steve Irwin: This here grog is a beer! She's not a real looker, with a pale-golden piss body, lots of carbonation, and a white head. Typical pale lager.

 

A giant foamy mess of a head, and a hard to pour beer.

Me: Also, pouring this beer was a pain in the ass. Getting beer from this oversized can into a glass resulted in spilling beer everywhere. But don't sell this beer short, Mr. Irwin, it actually has some head retention and bubbles hanging around the top unlike Budweiser. That beer had no head and no retention. 

Ghost of Steve Irwin: She's transparent too, so you can see through it. Not a very good camouflaged beer she isn't. Anyway, Jackaroo, I need to return to my shanty in Hell, there's a party at 6 that I need to get ready for!

 

Me: So you just storm into my blog, talk about how this shitty beer looks, and leave just like that? Mr. Irwin, you are hurting my heart. 

Ghost of Steve Irwin: I hope you hit a deer! Criiiikkkeeeeyyyyyy!!!!...

 

God damn Australians. Weirdest haunting ever. Anyway, back to the beer....aside from the incredibly typical pale lager appearance, minus a slightly more robust head, this beer smells pretty much like your typical adjunct pale lager. I smell a lot of cereal, and a definite corn or rice note. There is maybe a hint of caramel, and a trace hint of lager yeast spice (gingery or vegetabley). Overall it's clean, not all that aromatic, and typical of a pale lager. 

 

The good news is that so far this beer is surpassing Budweiser. And it continues to surpass Budweiser in the taste department. I complained that Budweiser had a slightly cloying sweet note, this beer has a slightly pale note that manifests as biting or bitter. This is crisp and refreshing, with an okay rice or corn bite and plenty of grainy cereal notes; some cardboard is coming along for the ride. There are subtle pulls towards fruity in the form of apple or pear, but it's not really definite. Truth be told, this might hold up with Sushi or Chinese food. 

 

This is very drinkable, clean and refreshing. However, as this beer warms up it leans more towards Australian piss than beer. Drink this one cold and don't let it warm up or sit around, because it takes on a slightly skunky and offensive taste. The 5% ABV is non-existent in the taste, and this one is pretty smooth minus the intense carbonation (/belch). You get carbonation and those subtle fruit notes on the front, malts and adjuncts in the middle, and the back end of the palate ends with a dominating adjunct profile. The body is thin, this is a light beer, and it is about as complex as water.

 

Rating: Average

Score: 53%

 

I want to throw this beer under the bus soooooooo bad. Pouring this beer was a nightmare, and the giant can is fucking ridiculous. Why not just spring for a bottle at that point? What is Foster's trying to say? No, I don't need to hold a giant beer can to feel manly. In Foster's defense, 99% of people who drink this beer are never going to pour it into a glass. I'm also upset because this beer stirred up the Ghost of Steve Irwin. That guy is really rude, showing up to my blog to talk about beer. 

Seriously?

Anyway, Foster's Lager is surprisingly drinkable and has enough lager-esque flavors to sort of give it a personality. This is better than Budweiser, and would go well with Asian cuisine me thinks. 

On a final note, the beer states "Get a Free Belt Buckle" when you buy three 25.4oz cans. This isn't helping not reinforce any stereotypes about rednecks and Australians. I'm just saying...I mean, the belt buckle is okay and all. It isn't my cup of tea, but I can see how it would come in handy. Especially if it was a belt buckle that can help you open your beer. But between the giant can, the belt buckle, and the kangaroos, I cannot help but laugh at how absurd this beer is. 

It turns out that Foster's fared better than I expected...it's on the low-end of your average pale lager. Pick up a few of these if you are looking to get smashed Aussie style, or pair this with some Asian cuisine. This has been another Shitty Beer Tuesday, so until next time, cheers.

Founders Red's Rye PA

I usually have unequivocal support for Ratebeer, but they really confused me with this one. There's a whole style of beers called rye beer. These beers use rye grain as one of the primary ingredients to give the beer a nice, complex, rye characteristic. Noticeable examples include the beer I'm reviewing right now, Founders Red's Rye PA, as well as Two Brothers Brewing's Cane and Ebel. 

The controversy or confusion at hand is the way Ratebeer has decided to categorize these two beers. The short story is that Ratebeer dumped Cane and Ebel into the American Strong Ale category, and the Founders Red's Rye into the Specialty Grain category. I believe that these two beers are both rye beers, and should be compared similarly.

According to Ratebeer, the "Speciality Grain" category categorizes beer that is made using specialty grain, including rye. Today's beer is the number one-ranked specialty grain beer on Ratebeer, sitting in the number one spot. 

Two Brothers Brewing Co

Meanwhile, Cane and Ebel, "A hopped Up Red Rye Ale," brewed with Thai palm sugar and rye, is placed into Ratebeer's "American Strong Ale" category. This poses a legitimate issue because it takes the Two Brothers' excellent rye ale and stacks it up against a bunch of over-the-top American Strong Ales. This is an issue for three reasons:

1) Cane and Ebel seems more like a rye ale than an American Strong Ale
 

2) Within the American Strong Ale category are a bunch of really good beers and a lot of hyped up beers with ridiculous rankings (E.G. Sam Adams Millennium, Lost Abbey Deliverance, Firestone Walker's lineup, Arrogant Bastard Ale, etc.)
 

3) DON'T COMPARE APPLES TO ORANGES!!!! How do you even compare a beer like Arrogant Bastard to Cane and Ebel? It doesn't make sense. And I'm not knocking either beer. I love Stone's Arrogant Bastard, which is an over-the-top example of spectacular brewing. But it's a much different style of beer than a rye ale.

Point number 3 is where it hurts the most. I believe that Cane and Ebel is getting low-balled on Ratebeer for being stacked up against American Strong Ales, when it it clearly more in line with a rye ale or "Specialty Grain."

So who cares and why do I keep talking about Cane and Ebel when I am reviewing a Founders beer. Because I really like Cane and Ebel, bias announced. My concern is simply that Founders Red's Rye PA, a delicious beer, is not being given the right competition on Ratebeer. If you go to BeerAdvocate, their top rye beer is the Founders Red's Rye PA, with Cane and Ebel coming along in the six spot.

So there is my confession out in the open, total transparency: I love Cane and Ebel and I think it is slightly more intriguing than the Founders. Having said that, the Founders is more hoppy, drinkable, and balanced. I've had my fair share of Cane and Ebel, and I've already killed 3 of these Red's Rye PAs. So let's dig into bottle number four and get the low-down. 

Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan 
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2011
Style/ABV: Red Rye Ale, 6.6%

Founders has a great website with lots of good info on their beer. Considered by many to be one of the best breweries in the world, Founders was ranked as the 4th best brewery in the world by Ratebeer (still a credible source, despite missing the style boat every once in a while /sigh). Founders is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was founded in 1997 by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers (more here). I have to give props to a local brewery, Founders is not far from Chicago and a big part of the Midwest beer scene.

Nearly perfect pour; suck it, beer.

I love an excited beer; premature carbonation, baby. After opening the bottle a bunch of carbonation started creeping out of the neck, which resulted in a rushed pour that turned out better than I could have hoped for. I guess this bottle of beer is pissed; I shouldn't have waxed on about Cane and Ebel for so long.

Red's Rye - 0, Me - 1

This beer has a beautiful red body, with hints of brown and orange escaping in certain light. There is a nice creamy head that is eggshell approaching tan. There is moderate carbonation, and this beer is semi-transparent. It looks filtered, but you cannot see all the way through it. The head is sticking around, at least a good centimeter, which is down from about 3-fingers worth at pour. And there is lacing. Still, I'm pretty egotistical, and I think most men and women would take me over this beer. (Sorry eligible bachelors, I don't play for that team).

Red's Rye - 0, Me - 2

This beer uses Amarillo hops, specifically during dry-hoping, so it should have a nice citrusy aroma and taste. This also is a rye beer brewed with four varieties of Belgian caramel malts. The nose is a decadent bouquet of overripe oranges, grapefruit, dry floral notes, earthy grass, and caramel. This beer hit my nose after opening the bottle, while pouring, and even while mocking it. A good beer pleases my nose before I smell it, and this one got me.

Red's Rye - 1, Me - 2

70 IBUs is nothing to scoff at. That is serious IPA-bitterness. This beer has a nice bitter kick, but it is balanced wonderfully with a slightly sour rye flavor. The hops are solid, with grapefruit and orange rind. While the nose was slightly sweet, this is more bitter. The rye and malt provides a slightly bread quality, with definite traces of sourdough and bread in the beer. The beer is really well balanced, but it doesn't trade off flavor at the expense of it. Imagine the Civil War in your mouth...this is that, with less racism. The website says this beer is spicy...I can't really peg a spice, but I can say that it is very earthy and grassy, and those notes might play off the rye giving some impression of spice. I also don't really note anything specifically Belgian in the taste, so the Belgian malts that were used were more to enhance the American qualities of the beer than to add a Belgian flare.

Red's Rye - 2, Me - 2

This is a full-bodied beer with big depth. The mouthfeel is pretty thick, and this beer is slightly sweet and sticky from the hops. There is just a lot of sugar in this beer. That may pose an issue for non-beer drinkers or people getting into beer...but my take on the situation is that the 70 IBUs and the carbonation keep this beer grounded. This is actually highly drinkable, and goes down pretty smooth despite the 6.6% ABV and 70 IBUs. Very drinkable, and unlike me this one will go down without a complaint.

Red's Rye - 3, Me - 2 

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 91%

The front end is carbonated, smooth, and full of malts and rye; the middle rolls the malts and rye into a big hop beating; the back end takes the hops and finishes with a nice dry, slightly sticky-sweet finish. There are big hops and rye left in the aftertaste, and it stays on your palate for quite a while. This is a big beer that is highly complex and drinkable. It's like a mesh between a really good IPA and a really rye-infused beer. 

Red's Rye - 4, Me - 2

Did I just lose to a beer? No, of course not. Because if you think about it, I just drank this beer...so combine all my awesomeness with all of this beer's awesomeness....and bam, I clearly am winning. Me - 6. 

This is a Divine Brew...within a beer style that doesn't have a million competitors, but seems to be expanding rapidly. I love so many things about this beer, so I'll start with what I like best. IPAs are a style of beer that have been perfected by everyone and rendered dull because everyone brews an IPA. So all the fun twists on super hoppy beers are hugely welcomed. This is one of those fun twists. This is a beer that is incredibly hoppy and bitter, but it also is balanced by a really nice malt and rye component. I also love how drinkable this beer is. Despite having a huge mouthfeel that is sticky and lasting, there is enough bitterness and carbonation to hold the production together. 

Lacing, or porn for beer geeks.

On an Aesthetic note...this beer has epic lacing, which laces the glass down to the bottom. The head also hangs around for the drinking duration. The hop bite also really lingers in my mouth. Even after finishing the bottle, I am still tasting grapefruit and rye some 5+ minutes later. And, Founders is widely available in the Midwest. A 6-pack of this beer is no more than 8 or 9 dollars, which is basically a steal for this much craft, alcohol, and deliciousness.

Ultimately, I can happily recommend this beer. I believe this beer is more hoppy and hop-forward than the Cane and Ebel. But for this year (2011), I still think the Cane and Ebel edges this out as my (my opinion, bitches) favorite rye beer. But this is 2011, and beers change annually and my palate is always evolving. I will be picking this up again for sure, and I will pick up the Cane and Ebel again for sure as well. So perhaps someday I will do a blind comparison. In the meantime, PLEASE pick up this beer, especially if you are a hop-head or like interesting and exotic beers. Highly recommended.

New Belgium Trippel

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado 
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Illinois; 2011
Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 7.8%

New Belgium Trippel

I love Belgian Tripels and I love New Belgium Brewing. This may be one of the few times where I don't have a lot of cynical things to say. Tripels are an interesting style of beer. They are similar to a Belgian Strong Ale, and are very complex, spicy, effervescent, and boozy but with the alcohol being well masked.

Now, I rarely talk about the head size on beer in any specifics outside of what I observe. That's because the size of the head is not a hard science. How much head you get depends upon your pour, your glass, and the temperature of the beer. Still, you ideally want a nice head as it stirs up the volatile components in the beer, releases gases, and preserves the beer. Tripels seem to benefit from a narrow tulip with a narrow neck, but most glasses will do: the important thing is to get the beer into a glass.

Today's beer pours with a nice pale, golden body. There is slight orange tone to the beer depending on how you hold the beer up to light. There is a gorgeous 2-finger head that is white in color. The head is foamy, but it isn't quite as thick as some of the heads you get. As the head diminishes there is excellent lacing on the glass. Belgian lacing is the best, right? There is medium carbonation in the beer, and the beer is slightly hazy so you cannot see all the way through it. This isn't the most effervescent Tripel I have encountered, and the head goes away a bit quicker than I would like, but it still is a good looking Tripel

What do I smell on the nose? Bananas, white sugar, some of that pale malt, maybe some lemon or orange zest, perhaps a hoppy note. There is a touch of clove or corriander, but I'm not really getting pepper. Floral and perfume notes, but not super spicy.
 
According to New Belgium's website today's Tripel uses Saaz, Liberty, and Target hops. It also uses Pale, Munich, and Victory malts. The Liberty hops are clean and add some of that spicy character, Saaz hops are earthy and spicy, and Target hops are pleasant but intense. I would definitely describe this Tripel as earthy. There is this earthy banana-like component. There is a hint of orange-citrus, and a lot of yummy malts in the body. I get clove in the taste, and I do pick up on some pepper which was absent from the nose. There is a slight hop note, especially on the back end, which seems to be where the 25 IBUs are channeled. I pick up trace hints of booze, but at 7.8% this hides it well.

Rating: Average

Score: 75%

It is tempting to peg this beer as Above-Average, but I just can't...so let's break it down:

At the end of the day, this beer is pretty well-rounded. It hides it's alcohol well, it is very drinkable, and it has an okay taste. The front end is carbonated and malty-spicy-fruity, with the middle hitting more spices and fruit, and the back end finishing off slightly bitter with an alcohol bite. The back end is slightly drying. The mouthfeel has a slightly sticky viscosity from the sugar, but is well carbonated to keep it drinkable; this is a medium-bodied beer. 

There isn't a ton of complexity or depth, and the flavors in this beer don't exactly stand out. However, a 6-pack of this stuff is like 8 or 9 bucks. To put that into perspective, a 4-pack of Maredsous or Karmeliet can easily push 14 or 15 bucks. And that is just for a 4-pack. New Belgium's Trippel is really accessible, drinkable, and it is cheap as hell. I also don't have any specifics to complain about, which means this beer works for me.

To conclude, this is a widely available and pretty tasty Tripel. It hits all the right notes, and doesn't do many things wrong. If this beer had a bit more flavor and depth, I would have bumped it. Given that this beer is widely available, you can likely can find it near you for a reasonable price. And at 7.8% a bottle...you could have a fun time. Definitely check this out, especially if you are new to Belgian beers or Tripels. This is a nice gateway Tripel and another solid brew from New Belgium Brewing.

New Belgium Hoptober Golden Ale

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado 
Purchased: Single bottle (6oz) from a 12-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Illinois; 2011
Style/ABV: Golden Ale, 6.0%

Halloween and October are both more than a month away, which means I am premature in my choice to drink an October-themed beer. The story here is that my best friend was heading back to college. We were hanging out for the night, and I wanted some beer. I went to my local Jewel-Osco on a quest for beer, and came back with this. New Belgium is a good haul for Jewel, a store that doesn't specialize in special beer. 

New Belgium is a brewery that shouldn't need an introduction, because they are one of the more popular craft beer outfits. If you aren't sure, you might know New Belgium from this: 

The beginning of a good thing...

Fat Tire is one of those stepping-ladder beers into the world of craft beer. It was one of my first beers way back in the day, and still holds up pretty well despite my refined palate. I actually have lots of good memories associated with Fat Tire, so someday I will review it. 

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. For reference, New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. That is awesome because New Belgium seems to be available in many places, and they make beer that overall is pretty tasty. 

Cool Artwork

Speaking of tasty beer, today's beer, Hoptober, is a Golden Ale/Blonde Ale...on hops. Blonde Ales are an American style of beer that are supposed to be malt-forward and easy to drink. Today's beer certainly is malt-forward, using four malts including pale and wheat malt, as well as rye and oats. This should yield a creamy and smooth mouthfeel. The catch with this beer is that it also uses five hop varieties. This beer is brewed with Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hops. The hops contribute to the beer's 40 IBUs, and should give it a nice grass, pine, or citrus kick. 40 IBUs is pretty hefty for this style, and this beer is fairly hoppy for an October-themed beer...so let's see how she plays out. 


This beer is clearly golden in color, and filtered as well. You can easily see right through the body. There is moderate carbonation, as evident from the bubbles, but nothing extreme. However, there is a glorious head perched atop this beer. The head is white and foamy, and as it slowly recedes it is leaving wonderful lacing around the glass. I feel compelled to mention the awesome bottle artwork. Depicted on the front of the bottle are black silhouettes of people around a bonfire. The colors used are very autumn-esque, and just looking at the bottle makes me think of bonfires, autumn sunsets, and music that I associate with autumn. It sets the mood nicely.

Hops dominate the aroma, which isn't all that surprising being that five of them are used in the brewing process. I get a lot of grass and some earthy pine on the nose, with maybe even some lemon or tangerine-grapefruit. It's VERY fresh smelling, and is quite pleasant. I'm not picking up any specific malt characters on the nose, but again, with five hops used in the beer...you would expect to get lots of hop notes.

What I don't get in the nose I do get in the flavor. There are a ton of malts in this beer providing a nice cereal-caramel counterpoint to the hops. The rye and oats actually do come out in the taste, with an almost cereal or oatmeal quality coming from the oat malts. Considering that five hops were used, I get mostly grass and piney notes with subtle pulls towards citrus that never really blossom into any immediate flavors. This is a very well-balanced beer, but I wouldn't call it complex. Still, it has moderate depth and a nice medium body. It also is incredibly drinkable, and despite the 6.0% ABV, I could put 2 or 3 of these back without any issues.

Rating: Above-Average
Score: 84%

This beer makes me happy. But does it make me think of fall and October...we will get back to that.

Epic lacing...

This is a creamy beer that is easy to drink, but also packs enough bitterness to keep things interesting. On the front of your tongue you get mild carbonation, and a lot of malts including rye and oats. The middle is smooth and the hops come in with a very earthy and grassy quality. The back end is more hops and finishes with a slightly dry and refreshing punch from the 40 IBUs. Again, this isn't complex despite all the ingredients, but it is well-balanced and has enough depth that it could stand alone.

I'm a fan of this beer. I do think that this beer is fitting for October. It has a lot of earthy hop notes that are refreshing but not distracting. Golden Ales are supposed to be drinkable, and this beer certainly is. I am also an alcoholic and a hop-head, so the fact that this beer packs five hop varieties, 40 IBUs, and clocks in at 6% ABV all adds up to a win-win for me.

Pick this up if you like malty, hoppy beers. I will throw out a final disclaimer: while 40 IBUs is hardly a lot, this beer is definitely on the hoppy side of life. ESPECIALLY for a Golden Ale. If hops and bitter beers aren't your bag, be warned. Fat Tire would be the hop-less counterpart to this beer, if you wanted lots of bready, biscuity goodness. Check it out.

Leffe Blond

Why did the blond appear twice on the bottle?

Because foreigners are stupid, that's why.

I bet you weren't expecting that, but here is a bottle branded "Leffe Blonde - Blond." The extra "e" is for the French translation of blonde; or, the absence of an "e" is for us Americans. Obviously this beer is not freedom fries compatible.

Brewed By: A-B InBev/InBev Belgium in Leuven, Belgium 

Purchased: Single bottle (6oz) from a 12-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Illinois; 2011

Style/ABV: Belgian Blond Ale, 6.6%

After destroying Budweiser, it seems appropriate to dabble in one of A-B InBev's classier brews. Leffe is owned by InBev Belgium, the European branch of A-B InBev. Despite being owned by one of the big guys, my understanding is that the beer is brewed in the abbey Notre Dame de Leffe. The abbey was founded in 1152, went through a bunch of rough times, and came out brewing beer in 1902. There's a good amount of information about the abbey's history on the abbey's website. The information includes discussion of the beer.

Today's beer is a blond Belgian Ale brewed with light malt, corn, water, hops and yeast. The website suggests that this beer is thirst quenching, and that it has a full, sweet, and fruity taste.

This is a golden-orange beer that is relatively clean and clear. There is good head retention which is likely supported by the tremendous amount of carbonation. A nice stream of medium-sized bubbles continue to rise upwards. The head is slightly off-white, perhaps orange in color. It is sort of thin and not particularly foamy. The aroma reminds me of a Tripel quite a bit. There are good candy and spice notes, including some clove and maybe a hint of orange peel. There's also a huge funky note that is very earthy and barnyardy. I get some slight sugar notes. Overall it's a fairly perfumey head with a fair amount of maltiness.

The aromatic and pils malts really come through and provide the bulk of the flavor. I do pick up a slight corn or grain note, but overall it's a perfumey beer. The profile of the overall flavor kind of reminds me of a wheat beer, and the characters of a Tripel don't show up as much here in the body or taste. There is some definite clove notes here, and a lot of earthy notes I cannot quite place. The alcohol does come through, but not in a bad way. The back end is slightly drying, and reminds me a bit of a white wine. As I progress through the beer, I pick up more grain and some slightly hoppy characters which seem to take preference over any fruit notes. There is still some subtle orange peel here and there, but it was more dominant in the nose.

Rating: Average

Score: 70%

The more I drank, the more corn and grain I got. There is still an undoubtedly complex, or at least mildly complex, Belgian thing going on here. This beer has okay depth, and a pretty refreshing mouthfeel that is on the medium-light side despite the moderately high ABV. The front end is carbonated and full of  cloves with hints of orange peel, the middle smooths out in a malt-tastic fashion, and the back end dries up a bit and may include some hop bite. It's malty, earthy, and spicy, but it also is a tad thin and watery. 

I like that there was solid lacing working down my glass. The head also held up as well. Overall I'm pretty pleased with this beer because it meets my expectations. Look, this isn't a fancy or particularly unique beer. However, at a price of around 8-10 dollars for a 6-pack, and at 6.6% ABV, this is a drinkable and available beer. If you don't have a specialty beer store nearby, and you want a Belgian Ale, this could potentially fulfill those needs.

In conclusion, if you want something moderately spicy, earthy, and with a nice malt and clove undertone, you might like Leffe Blond. Or Blonde, if you're French or whatever.

Shitty Beer Tuesday #1: Budweiser

Today is a special day; the first Shitty Beer Tuesday! I don't think I've been this excited to drink a macro beer. Let's break it down.

Brewed By: Anheuser-Busch InBev in St. Louis, Missouri 

Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 12-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Illinois; 2011

Style/ABV: Pale Ale/American Lager, 5% 

Does anything good come out of St. Louis, Missouri? The answer is no. That's why the state is named Misery. It really is named that, inbreds just can't spell. Now I know what you're thinking...not everyone in the bible belt marries their cousin, and you are absolutely correct. Some people are fortunate enough to have sisters. 

America: founded on mating outside the royal family

Budweiser is seemingly as American as Ford and blowing shit up on Independence Day. That is why it is the "King of Beers;" because democracy ain't what this country was founded on. Budweiser was founded by Adolphus Busch, a German dude (if "Adolphus" didn't give it away). He left Germany and came to America in 1857, where he then married Lilly Anheuser. 

Lilly's father, Eberhard Anheuser, owned a lager-based brewery. Busch partnered with Eberhard, and Anheuser-Busch was born. I was personally rooting for the name Eberhard-Busch, but that's because I have the maturity of a 4th grader. Busch traveled through Europe to observe and study the newest and best ways to brew beer. Applying what he learned across seas, Anheuser-Busch was the first U.S. brewery to use pasteurization, which increased the longevity and durability of their beer. Apparently Busch encountered mostly light, lager beers during his travels, because Anheuser-Busch began brewing a light Bohemian-styled lager. This beer was aptly dubbed Budweiser (saucy sources here: wiki).

All was going well for Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser until the conservative, bible-thumpin' Americans decided that drinking was the root cause of all evil and decided that we needed to outlaw alcohol. This period was known as prohibition, and would have sucked ass if people actually stopped drinking. After prohibition, in 1933, A-B began brewing Budweiser again. So here we are, some 70+ years later...ready to enjoy an American classic.

T-minus 20 seconds on that head

The beer pours with a big white head that sticks around for about 20 seconds. This is typical of Pale/American Lagers and is not shocking. The body is pale yellow and looks like piss. Also not surprising for the style. There are giant bubbles popping upwards and it is evident that this beer is extremely carbonated. There's not a lot in the aroma. Some rice, some grain. There is that slight sweet-sharp note indicative to this type of beer. It's clean.

This is a beer brewed mostly with rice, and hops and barley. The taste is of rice, with a slightly cloying sweetness that I'm not completely sold on as being pleasant. It's still fairly clean. The taste is mostly watery and there is not a lot of depth or flavor. The mouthfeel is watery and carbonated; the depth extends a bit further than a glass of water. On the front end is carbonation, the middle is where some of that sweet grainy rice note is, and the back end is that slight cloying sweetness and not a whole lot else. It's kind of refreshing...

The cloying sweetness is what really gets me. My beef with many Pale Lagers in general is that they are not pleasant to belch up, throw up, or taste in the morning after a night of heavy drinking. And thus, this may not be a hangover friendly beer for you. The sweet note isn't assertive, offensive or an immediate issue: but drink 6 of these and belch a few times, or drink 12 and throw up, and tell me how you feel about that sweet note.

Rating: Below-Average

Score: 35%

This is very drinkable stuff. It's supposed to be...it is mass-produced beer made in a part of the United States known for trailer parks and meth. It will get you drunk, and your cousin even drunker, so that neither of you will remember what happened during the night. Also, NNNAAASSSCCCAARRRRR!!!!! And yes, I'm a dick, I apologize.

This is actually an okay beer, but the style has so many better offerings. I like how this isn't a carbonation bomb: it is moderately carbonated, but I'm not belching nonstop after drinking a bottle. I would even go as far as to say this would taste pretty good if you were at the fair, eating BBQ, and getting your 'redneck on' under the hot sun. 

WHERE IS THE FLAVOR!!!!??!!?!

As far as economy goes - and I know economy fuels a lot of the sales of macro beer - you can pick up a 12-pack of something made by Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, or Goose Island (for the Chicago-Illinois-Midwest area) for around the same price if not much more than a 12-pack of Budweiser. 

And when you consider calories, one bottle of Budweiser nets you 145 calories. To put that into perspective, 12oz of Guinness Draught is about 125 calories. So Guinness, the famed "meal in a can/liquid bread," actually has less calories than Budweiser. A better comparison would be to look at another Pale Lager. Heineken has 150 calories per 12oz serving, but packs much more flavor than Budweiser (and is less cloying sweet).   

Lastly, and somewhat of a non sequitur: earlier I poked fun at Budweiser's slogan, "The King of Beers." It's an ironic slogan in the sense that A-B InBev has done some things that might be beneficial to them, but not so beneficial to the craft beer industry. It's almost like an ironic warning label.

At the end of the day, neither the economy nor the calories seem to favor Budweiser. The beer is about as bland as the reputation that proceeds it, and it even leans towards a cloying sweet flavor that could render this beer undrinkable halfway into a 6-pack. There are many better options as far as pale lagers go, including PBR, Coors Original and Heineken. 

Orval

Brewed By: Brasserie d'Orval in Florenville - Villers-d.-Orval, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle (11.2 oz) from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Belgian Ale, 6.9% (Variable ABV)

I dug out my bottle of Orval, and now have a newfound excitement to try this beer. From the bottle shape to the bottle logo...to the minor details. I hold in my possession a bottle of Orval that was bottled back in 04/22/2010. That makes this bottle over one year old. What that means to me, the perspective drinker, is that all the funk and yeast inside the bottle should be dynamite. My bottle also is clocking in at an ass-kicking 6.9% ABV. Orval is brewed with variable ABV which ranges from 5.2% ABV to 7.2% ABV.

The brewery website can be found here. The brewery, Brasserie d'Orval, is an authentic Trappist brewery located within the Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval in the Gaume region of Belgium. Throughout the history of Orval, there has always been a brewery within the monastery. The brewing of beer was customary, and beer was consumed for its nourishing properties; the nourishing beer brewed has been dubbed "liquid bread," and actually had the nourishment to sustain (unlike Guinness and the douche nozzle who inaccurately dubbed it liquid bread). Orval was first brewed in 1931, and is a bottle conditioned Belgian Ale. Like all authentic Trappist breweries, proceeds from the beer go to support the monastery, charities, and the community around the region. So drinking authentic Trappist beer is like doing the Lord's work....kinda.

Drinking beer, my charity.

So yes, I am on a mission from God today. I'm also on a mission to try a beer brewed with the yeast strain Brettanomyces. I did a whole write-up on Brettanomyces in my previous post, so check that out. Basically, "Brett" is a super funky yeast strain that is added to Orval after brewing before they bottle it up.

 

I opened up this beer expecting an explosion. Luckily I just heard a nice fizz, saw some smoke and bubbles leak out, and the beer didn't blow up. This is an amber-orange beer that is slightly murky with some sediment floating around in it. The head is an absolute wonder, it is foamy and thick as hell. There are about a million bubbles packed into the foamy head, and the beer is super effervescent and carbonated. I just want to drizzle my finger through the head, and then bathe in it.

I smell tons of floral notes, malt, and a barnyard-leather quality which I am assuming is the Brett. There are some medicinal aromas coming off this beer too. I also get a bit of lemon or orange peel/zest.

The taste is really intriguing, to say the least. The whole profile of the beer is sort of musty with a slightly pungent quality, as if it has been mulling over itself for a while. The front end is malty, band-aids and tart, you also get some carbonation as the bubbles from the head come along for the ride; the middle features a lot of complex fruit, floral and medicinal profiles, along with some more malt and alcohol warming; the back end is drying with some alcohol warming. The fruity notes include lemon and orange zest. There is a slight sour/tart component, possibly from the Brett, which yields that band-aid and leather quality. There are also some subtle notes like raisins and grapes. Any hops compliment the slight sourness, and there is a twang of bitterness here and there. This is super funky, is full-bodied, has large depth and is super complex. But it's still very drinkable. 

Rating: Divine Brew

Score: 95%

Look at that foamy head...!

Complex, full of depth, band-aids? This is super drinkable, at 6.9%. There is good carbonation, the head is sticking around for the duration: and it isn't just a wussy one-centimeter covering. There is about 1/4 or 1/8 inch of solid bubbles covering the beer as I work my way down.

A bottle of Orval will run you 4 or 5 dollars a pop. If you consider the complexity of this beer, the variability (which you come by via aging), and the durability of this beer, then this becomes one of the best bargains at that price range, especially for the style.

I don't have much else to say. I was hyped for this beer and the beer didn't let me down. Believe the hype. This is one of the most intriguing and unique Belgian Ales I have had. Aside from having an awesome appearance and an awesome profile, this beer also is reasonably priced, is brewed with a huge sense of history and tradition behind it, and embodies everything that I love about craft beer. The "Brett" is an oddly compelling quality that I suspect some will like and some will hate. There is only one way to find out where you stand: go grab a bottle and try it for yourself.