Brewed By: Steinhaus Brewing Co. in Paso Robles, California
Purchased: Big 650ml bomber (22oz) bought at Trader Joe's in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 8.5%
Today I'm reviewing another exclusive beer from Trader Joe's. I talked a little bit about Trader Joe's when I reviewed their 2011 Vintage Ale. I mentioned that Trader Joe's contracts their brewing out to a number of companies, including Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Unibroue (Sapporo), and the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. The Vintage Ale was a beer made by Unibroue. Today's beer is made by the "Steinhaus Brewing Co.," which is apparently a front for Firestone Walker Brewing.
For anyone wondering what Trader Joe's is: Trader Joe's started out as a small chain of convenience stores back in 1958. Back in 1958 the chain was known as "Pronto Market." The first store named after founder Joe Coulombe opened in 1967. Trader Joe's is known for its organic and gourmet foods, and they sell lots of food straight from the manufacturer at lower prices than other retailers. That's the textbook definition...Trader Joe's is a grassroots style store that sells a lot of fresh, organic, and hippy products. It's a cute little store, and it has gained a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. They are especially popular for their cheap wine, and they also sell Trader Joe's branded beer that is typically much cheaper than the competition. For example, the beer that I am drinking today costs around 2.99-3.50 a bottle. That's a steal for a bomber of 8.5% ABV Strong Ale.
Googling "Steinhaus Brewing Co." results in Firestone Walker Brewing Co. as the second most popular hit. Firestone Walker Brewing is considered to be one of the best breweries out there by many craft beer enthusiasts. For that reason, it is very exciting to see such a cheap beer being outsourced to such a high quality brewery. If you stroll over to the history page, you can get some background on Firestone Walker Brewing. The brewery is based out of Paso Robles, California, and was founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone and David Walker.
Before I jump into the review, I want to mention again that this beer is a great bargain. The bottle states that this beer "showcases complex malt flavors with roasty notes layered in and medium hop character. It is a blend of three incredible brews carefully blended for maximum aroma and flavor." The label goes on to say that this beer is an Imperial Brown Ale (which is perfect since I had this beer not too long ago). It's pretty rare to see a beer made out of blended beers sold at this price. I did have the 2011 version of this beer last summer. My opinion was that it was a great beer with lots of malts. I did find the 2011 version to be somewhat vicious with a lot of sharp alcohol. The 2011 version settled down when I drank a bottle a few months later. If I had to guess right now, I would say that this beer is probably going to be a bit heated. With a beer this cheap, it is worthwhile to invest in 2 or 3 bottles so that you can drink one fresh, and throw another in the cellar to drink down the road. Let's pop this open and see what we get!
The pour reveals a brownish looking beer with a one-finger, hazy brown head. The head is made up of small, thin bubbles. When held to bright light, this is clearly a redish/orange-brown beer. The head is leaving a nice cauldron effect atop the brew, and there is some lacing as head pulls away from the glass. The beer is murky and hard to see through, but there is quite a bit of carbonation visible as tiny bubbles stream upwards. All-in-all, not a bad looking beer.
The aroma on this is slightly less vicious than I remember the 2011 edition. In fact, I recall the 2011 version having more molasses, twizzlers, and sharp malts. I'm pulling out some roasted malts, some chocolate, some twizzlers, and some sugary notes. I'm definitely picking up some hops, with hints of orange and grass, and some floral and mild English hop notes. Maybe a hint of pine, maybe a hint of vanilla, and faded hints of fruit sweetness.
The taste is definitely a lot more subdued than the 2011 version. Right up front I'm getting some interesting malt flavors, including caramel and molasses. There are hints of alcohol in the back, but honestly this hides the alcohol very well and is not giving off any vicious burn. I'm also picking up some interesting dark fruit notes: raisins, raisin puree, cherries even. There are notes of butterscotch, some DMS (veggies), and hints of German malts (think: Oktoberfest). There is some chocolate in here, and hints of roasted malts as well. The hops seem to provide balance to the malts, and you do get some bitterness in the back palate, along with hints of pine. It seems like some mild hops balance the beer throughout (think English hops; or the balance in a Pale Ale). Lots of big malt flavors though, including that really interesting raisin and chocolate note.
Well, I am impressed. This is truly a value beer, especially at the price of around 2.99-3.50 a bottle. There are a ton of big malt flavors driving this beer, and the notes of chocolate and raisins are awesome. There is also a nice hop balance, with some good bitterness. Unlike last year's edition, this beer does not seem to need any time to "cool down." I remember the 2011 edition being a little bit more malty, but it also had a lot more vicious alcohol qualities. This beer is balanced and good to go. For the price that this beer costs, this beer is a steal. It also happens to be a damn delicious brew. There are really good flavors in here. This is worth picking up several bottles of. I would highly recommend this beer, and I would happily pair this beer with some fish or chicken. You might also be able to pair this with some sweeter, or even dessert. So until next time, cheers.
Today I'm reviewing another exclusive beer from Trader Joe's. I talked a little bit about Trader Joe's when I reviewed their 2011 Vintage Ale. I mentioned that Trader Joe's contracts their brewing out to a number of companies, including Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Unibroue (Sapporo), and the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. The Vintage Ale was a beer made by Unibroue. Today's beer is made by the "Steinhaus Brewing Co.," which is apparently a front for Firestone Walker Brewing.
For anyone wondering what Trader Joe's is: Trader Joe's started out as a small chain of convenience stores back in 1958. Back in 1958 the chain was known as "Pronto Market." The first store named after founder Joe Coulombe opened in 1967. Trader Joe's is known for its organic and gourmet foods, and they sell lots of food straight from the manufacturer at lower prices than other retailers. That's the textbook definition...Trader Joe's is a grassroots style store that sells a lot of fresh, organic, and hippy products. It's a cute little store, and it has gained a lot of popularity over the past couple of years. They are especially popular for their cheap wine, and they also sell Trader Joe's branded beer that is typically much cheaper than the competition. For example, the beer that I am drinking today costs around 2.99-3.50 a bottle. That's a steal for a bomber of 8.5% ABV Strong Ale.
Googling "Steinhaus Brewing Co." results in Firestone Walker Brewing Co. as the second most popular hit. Firestone Walker Brewing is considered to be one of the best breweries out there by many craft beer enthusiasts. For that reason, it is very exciting to see such a cheap beer being outsourced to such a high quality brewery. If you stroll over to the history page, you can get some background on Firestone Walker Brewing. The brewery is based out of Paso Robles, California, and was founded in 1996 by Adam Firestone and David Walker.
Before I jump into the review, I want to mention again that this beer is a great bargain. The bottle states that this beer "showcases complex malt flavors with roasty notes layered in and medium hop character. It is a blend of three incredible brews carefully blended for maximum aroma and flavor." The label goes on to say that this beer is an Imperial Brown Ale (which is perfect since I had this beer not too long ago). It's pretty rare to see a beer made out of blended beers sold at this price. I did have the 2011 version of this beer last summer. My opinion was that it was a great beer with lots of malts. I did find the 2011 version to be somewhat vicious with a lot of sharp alcohol. The 2011 version settled down when I drank a bottle a few months later. If I had to guess right now, I would say that this beer is probably going to be a bit heated. With a beer this cheap, it is worthwhile to invest in 2 or 3 bottles so that you can drink one fresh, and throw another in the cellar to drink down the road. Let's pop this open and see what we get!
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| Mission St. 2012 Anniversary Ale |
The aroma on this is slightly less vicious than I remember the 2011 edition. In fact, I recall the 2011 version having more molasses, twizzlers, and sharp malts. I'm pulling out some roasted malts, some chocolate, some twizzlers, and some sugary notes. I'm definitely picking up some hops, with hints of orange and grass, and some floral and mild English hop notes. Maybe a hint of pine, maybe a hint of vanilla, and faded hints of fruit sweetness.
The taste is definitely a lot more subdued than the 2011 version. Right up front I'm getting some interesting malt flavors, including caramel and molasses. There are hints of alcohol in the back, but honestly this hides the alcohol very well and is not giving off any vicious burn. I'm also picking up some interesting dark fruit notes: raisins, raisin puree, cherries even. There are notes of butterscotch, some DMS (veggies), and hints of German malts (think: Oktoberfest). There is some chocolate in here, and hints of roasted malts as well. The hops seem to provide balance to the malts, and you do get some bitterness in the back palate, along with hints of pine. It seems like some mild hops balance the beer throughout (think English hops; or the balance in a Pale Ale). Lots of big malt flavors though, including that really interesting raisin and chocolate note.
I'm really surprised at how balanced this beer is. I was originally pulling for some cellar time, but I feel like the malt and hop balance in this beer is pretty solid as is. This is incredibly drinkable, with nice maltiness, good bitterness, and alcohol that is pretty well-hidden for 8.5% ABV. This is well-carbonated, with a medium-full mouthfeel that has some bitterness. The finish is a touch dry. Complexity is moderate, but the palate depth is is large. Up front you get carbonation, sweet malts, hints of chocolate and caramel; the middle is more sweet malts, with some dark fruits, DMS, and those Oktoberfest malts; the back end rounds out with some pine, even hints of citrus, and hop bitterness balanced with malt sweetness; the finish is malty and dry.
Rating: Above-Average
Score: 84%
Well, I am impressed. This is truly a value beer, especially at the price of around 2.99-3.50 a bottle. There are a ton of big malt flavors driving this beer, and the notes of chocolate and raisins are awesome. There is also a nice hop balance, with some good bitterness. Unlike last year's edition, this beer does not seem to need any time to "cool down." I remember the 2011 edition being a little bit more malty, but it also had a lot more vicious alcohol qualities. This beer is balanced and good to go. For the price that this beer costs, this beer is a steal. It also happens to be a damn delicious brew. There are really good flavors in here. This is worth picking up several bottles of. I would highly recommend this beer, and I would happily pair this beer with some fish or chicken. You might also be able to pair this with some sweeter, or even dessert. So until next time, cheers.
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