Founders All Day IPA

Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan 
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 6-pack bought at Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: American IPA, 4.7%

Tonight I'm reviewing Founders' "All Day IPA." This is a "sessionable" IPA, clocking in at 4.7% ABV, and packing dem 42 IBUs. Who is Founders Brewing Company?

Founders is the holy grail of Michigan brewing. Based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders was founded in 1997 and produce some of the best beer in the world.

If you roll over to the All Day IPA page, you can get a little blurb about the beer. The beer is advertised as an IPA with big flavors, but low enough alcohol that you can drink a few of these without passing out. And indeed, at 4.7% ABV, this beer won't knock you out. This is actually a super inviting beer, with bright bottle art that shows a grassy landscape, with an old-school station wagon with a red canoe on the roof driving on through. At 42 IBUs, this beer is on the low-end of what you would expect for an American IPA. This beer is also on the low-end in terms of ABV as well. However, as far as American Pale Ales go, this beer is well within specs....hmmm. Let's get on with the review:

Founders All Day IPA

The bubbles on the side of my glass means I suck at cleaning my glass...in case you were wondering. The beer pours with 2-3 fingers of head, the head is slightly off-white in low light, and is made up of huge, dish-soap-like bubbles. In low light the beer is a copper/orange/bronze color. But low lighting lies. Seriously, I don't even know why I stage pictures in low light...this is a transparent, dark yellow/gold beer, with a white head. There is moderate carbonation in the form of small, rising bubbles. There's a bit of lacing.

The aroma on this beer is great. You get dominated with aromas when you pop the cap off the bottle, and they carry through in the glass. This is FRESH, sweet, and floral. This is a lawnmower beer (*coughpalealecough*) with fresh grass notes; fruity hops like melon, kiwi, and strawberry; hints of sweet bread/caramel malts, and a hint of pungent citrus. Overall, the nose is very bright, and fresh.

This is light, well-carbonated, and has a refreshing and crisp body. There is some acidic/bitter grass in the back end that manifests as bitter grapefruit/grapefruit rind as well. I'm tasting a lot of bitter hop notes, but I'm not being overwhelmed with bitterness (think: Pale Ale vs. DIPA). I taste grass, berries, bitter kiwi, bitter strawberry (or the strawberry stem, to be more exact). There's a hint of malt or grain in the back end, but I can't really place it. Overall though, this is really pleasant, fresh, and drinkable. It reminds me of the Daisy Cutter.  

Despite the 42 IBUs, this is stupid drinkable and crisp, especially at 4.7%. I could make six of these vanish in one sitting. This has a light-full to medium-light mouthfeel, with a thin but flavorful body, and crisp carbonation. The back end is crisp and refreshing, with just a hint of dry. As far as complexity and palate depth go, I'm really reminded of a Pale Ale. When I think about some of my favorite IPAs, this is moderately complex and has okay palate depth, but it's not wowing me. What IS wowing me is how drinkable this is (which is the point, I guess). Up front you get carbonation and grass; this rolls into the fruity and bitter middle; and finishes with that twang of grain/malt and crisp finish.

If this beer was a Pale Ale, I'd say it is:

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 89%

 

As an IPA...

 

Rating: Average

Score: 74%

 

Look...I can't not recommend this beer. This is a REALLY vibrant, bright, and fresh beer. Add in the fact that it is sessionable and super easy to drink, and yeah. I'd recommend you pick up a sixer of this for one of those warm summer nights. I don't want to be stuck to style-guidelines, but that's how I've been scoring the beer I review. The fact that I like this beer so much is actually making me reconsider how I score my beer (in fact, I'm thinking about doing away with the numbers/percentages altogether). Is this beer an All Day IPA? Maybe. That's up for you to decide.

Definitely pick this beer up...I'm going to ponder the state of how I score beer...and until next time, don't drink and derive. 

Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan 
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 6-pack bought at Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, 8.5%

Tonight I am going to confuse myself over a bottle of Founder's Dirty Bastard Ale! 

Founders is the holy grail of Michigan brewing. Based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders was founded in 1997 and produce some of the best beer in the world.

Tonight's beer, the Dirty Bastard Ale, is a Scottish Ale. Actually, this is a Strong Scotch Ale, or a "Wee Heavy." This beer falls under the Scottish and Irish Ale category of the BJCP, and is actually the strongest version of the Scottish Ales. In my review of Robert The Bruce, I gave a little information on the style. 

What is a Scottish Ale? If you consult the BJCP you will notice that there are three variations of Scottish Ales. The BCJP states that the Scottish Ale sub-styles are differentiated by gravity and alcohol strength. There is a good article on Scottish Ales at Winning Homebrew. According to their article:

The Scottish ales follow in the English tradition of having a confusing naming convention. The names are steeped in tradition and history, one thing the Scottish are famous for. To start with are the Schilling designations. These are remnants of the 1870 rating system in which the price of beer, including the taxes, was rated in the old pre-decimal shillings. 60 Shillings was a light ale; 70 Shillings was a heavy ale; 80 Shillings was an export; and 90+ Shillings was a barley-wine known as "wee heavy". If the names didn't confuse outsiders enough, it happens that the lighter ales, which were equated with the English mild, were dark beers. And the heavy beers, similar to English bitters, weer light in color. The fact that the breweries in Scotland still use these terms to describe their beers, shows how much the Scotts believe in tradition and history.

With all of that information out of the way...tonight's beer is a "Wee Heavy" or a "Strong Scotch Ale." The Scotch Ale is the strongest of the Scottish Ales, but it is not a Scottish Ale (by categorization...confusing, isn't it?). The BJCP describes the Strong Scotch Ale as deeply malty, with caramel, peaty, earthy, and smoky aromas. This is a malty tasting beer, with roasted malt, smoky flavors, and nutty characters. Hop flavors are supposed to be low.

If we go back to Founders' Dirty Bastard Page, we can see that this beer clocks in at 50 IBUs and packs 8.5% ABV. They describe the beer as dark ruby in color, and it is brewed with 7 varieties of imported malts. They suggest a complex beer, with hints of smoke and peat. Let's dig in and see what's up with this beer.

Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

The beer pours with 3-fingers of thick, bready, khaki/tan head. In low light this beer looks dark brown. The head doesn't hang around for very long, and quickly dissolves from 3-fingers worth to 1-finger worth, and then to a nice centimeter coating. When held to bright light, this beer is clearly a ruby-red/brown color. The beer is semi-transparent, and a nice stream of tiny bubbles can be seen rising upwards; moderate carbonation. There is some lacing as the head pulls on the glass; the centimeter of head is sustaining as a nice thin coating on the surface of the beer.

The aroma on this beer is incredibly malty. I'm pulling out huge sweet caramel malts that are manifesting as sweet raisins, sweet licorice (Twizzlers), bready esters, rum soaked cake, and brandy. There is a hint of earthiness in here, and I'm picking up on some peaty notes. There is a hint of booze in the nose.

This is incredibly sweet, with big peaty/caramelized/dark molasses/burnt sugar notes, and a hint of alcohol. I'm tasting raisins, rum/brandy soaked bread, huge caramel, earthy notes, peaty notes, hints of nuttiness and chocolate, molasses, Twizzlers, and even some hints of grain and roast. This is incredibly complex, and full of huge flavors.

Let's talk about the mouthfeel, complexity, and palate depth. This has moderate to high carbonation and is fairly smooth; there is a hint of viciousness, and it is fairly sweet. I would say this beer is medium-full. This is incredibly complex, and it has tremendous palate depth. Especially as it warms up. At 8.5% ABV, I consider this to be a sipping beer: however this is very drinkable. I think this beer would pair nicely with a cigar or a dessert. Up front you get carbonation and sweet malts; caramel, Twizzlers, sugars; this rolls into a slightly bitter middle that features peaty notes, earthy notes, dark molasses; the back end is lingering burnt sugars, peatiness, and a bit of drying.

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 92%

 

This beer right here is a lot of fun. The malt flavors in this beer are huge and complex. Lots of big caramel sugars, manifesting as these unique sweet notes...really good stuff. I could see myself pairing this beer with some Pecan Pie or a cigar. And, for what it's worth, I found this beer on the shelf (in 6-pack form) for like 8 or 9 bucks. That's a downright steal. I'm not familiar with aging Scotch Ales, but at 8.5% ABV, I have to imagine this beer can hold up for a few months. With that said...this is another good beer from the folks at Founders that is worth checking out. Until next time...cheers!

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

Brewed By: Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California

Purchased: Big Ass 22oz Bomber from Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 8.0%

I'm in the mood for some hops, and nothing says hops like 102 "I.B.U.4.U." I fucking love Lagunitas, so I figure I can do no wrong tonight by cracking open their Hop Stoopid.

Lagunitas is a brewery I dabbled with when I hit up their controversially named "Kronik" (Lagunitas Censored) back in November 2010. The Lagunitas website has some cool info on the brewery and the beer, and can be found here. The brewery was founded in 1993 out in Lagunitas, California, and has since moved to Petaluma in California. It seems like Lagunitas is run by a bunch of deviant madmen geniuses, and the brewery appears to be a true grassroots movement, if you catch my drift.

In all seriousness, Lagunitas is one of America's most impressive breweries right now. I have yet to have a bad Lagunitas experience. Today's beer, Hop Stoopid, is a big ol' American Imperial IPA. This is a burly beer, clocking in at 8% ABV and packing a huge ass 102 IBUs. This beer is a whole 1 IBU more bitter than the Green Flash Imperial IPA I reviewed a while back. Lagunitas doesn't list a whole lot of ingredient information or tasting notes on the Hop Stoopid page, but they do say this about the beer:

 "For those mornings when you have to cut right to the chase, this is the one. Sure to blast through just about anything still lingering from the night before, this mouthful of Hops and huge rich Malt has a gaurantee built right into the name!" 

With that said...let's get into this review. If you are unfamiliar with Imperial IPAs, brush up on the style at the BJCP Imperial IPA page. These are fruity, bitter, hoppy beers. Medium malt flavors are supposed to support and balance the insane amount of hops. These range in bitterness from 60-120 IBUs, clock in between 7.5% and 10% ABV, and feature complex flavors and a big hop punch. My mouth is already watering (and puckering).

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

Wow! Let me just say, I was blasted with super pungent tropical fruit just from opening the bottle. It's always a good sign when you smell huge aromas before actually pouring the beer. That's impressive in and of itself. When held to bright light this is a golden/orange/bronze beer, with a super white head, moderate carbonation in the form of small bubbles, and a transparent and filtered body. In lower light the body is a bit more amber/bronze. The beer poured with one-finger of head made up of fine bubbles. The head is tugging on the glass and leaving some lacing. Overall, a really nice looking Imperial IPA.

The aroma on this is super resiny and bitter. There is no mistaking the 102 IBUs worth of hops in this beer. I'm pulling out resiny grapefruit, sweet mango, sweet/candied fruits, a hint of sweet candied malts, kiwi, apricot, peach, hints of sweet orange, and some alcohol. The nose is very sweet, fruity, maybe slightly floral, and with a hint of booze.

If you've never had an Imperial IPA, I urge you to go try one. These are fun beers to work your way through. Initially, you don't feel the 102 IBUs. But then you get this incredibly pungent hop finish, and a super dry back end. This actually reminds me a bit of Stone's 15th Anniversary Ale, with really earthy and pungent hop notes. I'm tasting peach, mango, orange rind, grapefruit, earthy hop notes, and towards the back end you get a hint of wood or tobacco, and then the hops just blast your palate. As I swish the beer on my tongue, I'm feeling that pulling bitterness, and that hugely drying back end. This is very sweet, with a touch of candy notes, hints of sweet bready malts soaked in booze, and lots of bitter hop notes and tropical fruits.

This beer has moderate complexity and good palate depth. This actually has a soft mouthfeel that is supported by moderate carbonation...still, at 102 IBUs, this is a ultra-bitter and a very sweet beer. I would say this has a medium-full or full-light mouthfeel, with moderate drinkability overall. For the style, I'm having no problem drinking this, and at 8% ABV, this isn't all that heavy for an extreme beer. I might venture to say this is actually on the lighter end as far as the style goes.

Up front you get sweet notes, hints of malt, carbonation, and burgeoning hops; the middle is a blast of hops ranging from citrus to tropical fruits; the back end finishes with those hops, and then the bitterness sets in; the back-back end is earthy and woody, super bitter, dry, and full of lingering, pungent hops.

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 86%

 

There's not much to say about this beer. Lagunitas is a big league brewing company, and this is a big league Imperial IPA. There's some alcohol warming, which is nice, and the lingering bitterness is also very nice. But then, I'm a masochist for these super hoppy beers. I think the biggest thing that strikes me is how cheap this beer is. I've seen this on shelves ranging from 4 to 7 bucks. For a bomber of an Imperial IPA, that's not a bad deal. All-in-all, this is really impressive stuff, and it worth your time checking out if you are interested in big hoppy beers. So until next time, cheers.

Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout

Brewed By: Fort Collins Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: 22oz Bomber bought at in Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout (American), 8.1%

Today I went on a culinary adventure, and decided to cook some chili. I found a recipe for some vegetarian (mmm...healthy) chocolate chili. The recipe featured the usual suspects like onions, garlic, pinto, kidney, and black beans, tomatoes, and jalapenos. But unique to this recipe were the chipotle chiles in abodo, the chocolate, and the chocolate beer. The recipe didn't specify what beer to use, so that choice was left up to my imagination. Since the chili was spicy, savory, and chocolate-based, I wanted to stick with a dark beer. I probably could have gone with a dark Lager (I'm sure San Miguel's Dark Lager would have been great), but I was thinking Porter or Stout the whole time. In fact, I was kind of thinking about trying to find a bottle of Southern Tier's Choklat, but I was unable to locate a bottle. Ultimately, I found the Fort Collins Brewery's "Double Chocolate Stout, and figured why not try this beer. And that's why we are here today. Fortunately, the beer came in a bomber, so there are about 10oz left for me to review. 
  
The Fort Collins Brewery is actually both a brewery, and a restaurant (the restaurant is called: Gravity ten twenty or "Gravity 1020"). I was unable to find any "about" information regarding the brewery on their website, so I took a trip to their Facebook page. I hate Facebook, so consider this a privilege (to all you 3 people who read this blog). Fort Collins Brewery is labeled as a "Brewery Bar." The brewery has been open for 7 years (it was actually founded in 2003, I believe, and the Facebook page is just out of date), and has 7 full-time beers, and 4 seasonal brews.

What is lacking in brewery info, is also lacking in beer info. If you roll over to the Double Chocolate Stout page, you can read a little blurb about the beer. This is a seasonal beer (available through February) with "big chocolate and roast flavors," with some "subtle hop bitterness" to round out the malt sweetness. At 8.1% ABV, and around 45+ IBUs, this is an interesting Imperial Something. The bottle says this beer has "roasty flavors," a "rich chocolate nose," "coffee undertones," and "impeccable balance." It's not clear whether this beer is brewed with actual chocolate or not, and Ratebeer has labeled this beer as a "Sweet Stout," while BeerAdvocate is calling this an "American Double."

Rather than farting about style guidelines, let's just pour this damn thing and see what is going on. I'll give my prognosis of the beer, and you can decide if this is worth checking out. The review:

Fort Collins Double Chocolate Stout

It's probably worth noting that I had this beer opened a number of hours ago (8+), but I closed it back up using a wine stopper. With that said, there seems to be virtually no decline in freshness with respect to the pour. I've heard people say that this beer does not have an impressive head, and I disagree. I worked out a finger's worth of thick, bready, bubbly head. The head is a little darker than khaki/tan, but not quite coffee/brown. The head dissolves into a sexy cauldron effect after a couple of minutes. As the head dissolves, you are left with magnificent lacing on the side of the glass. I would say this is a black beer, or a very, very, dark brown beer. When held to bright light, I am seeing some brown escape, bur virtually no red.

The aroma on this is very nice, with a nice blend of bittersweet dark chocolate, and strong coffee aromas. I'm pulling out a woody, roasted chocolate note. There is also a strong, earthy, coffee note. There is a hint of complex malt sweetness, manifesting as molasses and chocolate. Overall, I really like the nose on this beer.

The taste...I'm almost getting no front end on this, as the beer initially hits the palate. Mid-palate is an assault of wood and roast, and then chocolate. The back palate is sweet, and actually does kind of flirt with a Sweet Stout. There is quite a bit of roast in here, and there seems to be some hop presence (earthy; floral; bitter). The finish is roasty, bitter, and dry. There is a pull towards the Russian Imperial Stout style, with hints of a Sweet Stout. This is definitely an Imperial Something. I'm getting quite a bit of booze and alcohol warming on the back-end. I taste bittersweet chocolate, hints of dark fruit, wood, roast, molasses, a hint of cream, and some alcohol. The more I drink, the more I get hints of coffee and grain on the front end. 

It looks like an Imperial Stout...and it kind of behaves like one. This is full-bodied, well-carbonated, and has good palate depth and moderate complexity. It actually goes down pretty smoothly for 8.1% ABV, although it's a tad boozy and dry on the back end. It is well-balanced: it is sweet, but also bitter and dry. Up front I'm getting coffee and grain; mid-palate is woody, roasty, and bitter dark chocolate; the back palate has some hops, dark fruits, hints of a Sweet Stout (cream), and then a roasty, bitter, dry finish. Is this a "Double Chocolate" stout, or a "Russian Imperial Stout with a chocolate emphasis?"

Rating: Above-Average  

Score: 77% 

Fort Collins may or may not be doing a disservice to this beer by generously calling it a "Double Chocolate Stout." That seems to imply a beer that is going to bring out the chocolate in full force...kind of like Southern Tier's Choklat. However, this beer does have wonderful chocolate notes, they are just subtle. So...if you don't like your beer overwhelmingly sweet or assertive (like the Choklat), this might be your cup of tea. I don't think this beer is quite a Sweet Stout...for my money, this tastes like a Russian Imperial with a nice chocolate and coffee kick. Is this beer a pioneering or defining beer? Probably not. Is it worth trying? Definitely, at least once.

But, more importantly, this beer worked out really well in my chili. This was a beer I have never had, and ultimately it yielded great chili. The beer wasn't overly sweet, and added some nice balance and complexity to the base of the chili. I would definitely cook with this beer again, or pair it with food. With that said...cheers to cooking with beer and cheers to the Fort Collins Brewery.

Goose Island Nut Brown Ale

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

Purchased: Single, 12oz bottle, from a 6-pack bout at Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: English Brown Ale, 5.3%

Today I'm drinking a beer that I haven't had for a several years. The last time I had this beer, I was a beer noobie on the fringe of craft beer. At this point in time, I've experienced quite a variety of Brown Ales, and I feel fairly comfortable talking about the style.

Before I start I want to get the style guideline stuff out of the way. Goose Island's Nut Brown Ale is a "Northern English Brown Ale". It's a pedantic definition for sure (the BJCP notes stylistic differences between Brown Ales from the northern vs. southern region of London), and you can simplify the style to "English Brown Ale," like both Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate have done. If you are wondering what differentiates an English Brown Ale from an American Brown Ale: my answer would be "the hops."

So for simplicity sake (I may elaborate on the history of the Brown Ale at some further point in time), we can say this is an "English Brown Ale." Surprisingly, I have not reviewed any English Brown Ales thus far. I have only danced with American Browns on this blog. The BJCP gives some notable commercial examples of Northern English Browns. Some of those include: Newcastle Brown Ale, Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Wychwood Hobgoblin, and today's beer, the Goose Island Nut Brown Ale. This style of beer should have a toffee/nutty/caramel aroma, with some light UK hops. This beer should have malt sweetness in the taste, some nuttiness, a little caramel, and a medium-dry to dry finish. For reference, this is drier and more hop-oriented beer (and highlights a nutty character rather than caramel) compared to the Southern English Brown style.

With that out of the way, let's talk about Goose Island and let's talk about their Nut Brown Ale. 

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover.

If you cruise over to the Nut Brown Ale page on Goose Island's website, you can find some info about the beer. This is one of their "classic" beers that has been around for a long time; as of 2012, this beer has been available since March. I believe this beer was not in production last year, due to limited brewery availability. The beer is described as using domestic and imported malts to provide subtle notes of chocolate, honey, and fine tobacco. The finish is described as "nutty." This beer is brewed with 2 Row, Caramel, Wheat, Dark Chocolate, and Victory malts; and UK Fuggle (mild, pleasant, hoppy, and robust) and Willamette (mild, pleasant, slightly spicy, floral, fruity, and earthy) hops. This beer clocks in at 5.3% ABV, and packs 25 IBUs. With all of that said, let's pop this open and see how it stacks up. Review:

The beer pours with 3 to 4 fingers worth of thick/foamy head that is khaki/tan in color. There is almost a finger's worth of thick heading hanging around, and it is made up of moderate sized bubbles. I'm getting a little lacing as the head pulls away. The body of the beer is a dark red/brown color, depending on how you hold it up to light. It looks to be filtered, and although I cannot see through the beer, it has a slight transparency to it. I'm guessing low to medium carbonation. A final note (and I think I mentioned this in the past): I love the Goose Island bottle caps. They are aesthetically wonderful.

Goose Island Nut Brown Ale

The aroma on this is light, and malty. I'm pulling out sweet malts, sweet caramel, hints of a chocolate-like note, maybe some of that honey they advertise, and maybe a hint of mild and earthy hops.

The taste is pretty good. Up front you get caramel and toffee, the middle is sweet with some caramel, the back palate is slighty toast, with a lingering nutty note. The finish is slightly toasted with even a hint of roast, and dry. I taste caramel, some earthy hops, sweet caramel, a hint of fruit (berries or something sweet), and a nice rounding out with that toast/roast and nuttiness.

Despite being dark in appearance, Brown Ales are intended to be easily consumed. At 5.3% ABV, this is pushing the limits of a session beer (especially if you're a Brit). But this has a medium-light body, with moderate carbonation, deep palate depth for the style, moderate complexity for the style, and huge drinkability. I could easily drink a few of these in a sitting. Up front you get those sweet malts: caramel and toffee (even some hints of chocolate pop in and out), hints of honey; the middle remains sweet with caramel and maybe honey; the back palate hits you with that roast/toast, and it dries up a bit, and the finish rounds out with lingering nuttiness.

Rating: Above-Average

Score: 81%

 

There's not a ton to say about this beer. This is a superbly drinkable and balanced English Brown. The toasted character on the back end, followed by the nuttiness, really takes this beer to the next level. But otherwise, while I find this to do very well with the style, this isn't blowing my mind.

I will say that this is a lot more desirable than Newcastle, and the Nut Brown Ale is just as available (in the Chicago-land area) and actually may cost less. In that situation, I would take this beer every time. I wish Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale wasn't so expensive, because I actually really enjoy that beer. I always feel kind of bad buying Goose Island beers these days, now that they are owned by AB InBev. Still...this is a really good beer, an inexpensive beer, and a beer that is worth trying at least once. With that said, cheers.

Dogfish Head ApriHop

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack from Binny's in Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer (American IPA), 7.0%

 

Hey-yo. For the past couple of weeks, I have slowly been working my way through the Discovery Channel show, Brew Masters. The show features Sam Calagione, founder and owner of the Dogfish Head Brewery. It's an interesting TV show, and worth checking out if you are a beer geek. I've been digging the stuff I've had from Dogfish Head lately, so I'm excited to crack open and try their ApriHop. In case you were wondering:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

I have high expectations for today's beer. The bottle states that the beer is "an India Pale Ale brewed with real apricots." Cool stuff, right? The BJCP has a "Fruit Beer" category, and ApriHop is one of the listed commercial examples. The Fruit Beer category is kind of a catch-all for brews that marry fruit and beer. If you roll over to Dogfish Head's ApriHop page, you can get some more info.

The website states that this is an American IPA brewed with Pilsner and Crystal malts. The beer is continuously hopped; including dry hopping after fermentation. The beer uses Amarillo hops (citrusy, flowery) and apricots. I also believe this beer uses Willamette and Cascade hops. Willamette are mild, slightly spicy, fruity and floral; Cascade are spicy and citrusy with some grapefruit notes. This beer clocks in at an impressive 7.0% ABV, and packs 50 IBUs. I'm going to link to the BJCP's American IPA guidelines: HERE. If you have not tried an IPA, it is worth glancing over the guidelines. This beer is within reason, as American IPAs are supposed to clock in around 40-70 IBUs and 5.5-7.5% ABV. With that said, let's get on with the review:

Dogfish Head ApriHop

This is a gorgeous looking beer, but it's a bit darker than I was expecting. The beer pours with 2-fingers of gorgeous, thick, foamy head. The head is slightly off-white, and has that egg shell color. The body of the beer is a dark copper color in low light, almost approaching light brown. This is a transparent and filtered beer, as Dogfish Head beers often are. There is moderate carbonation in the form of small bubbles rising upwards. The head is actually hanging around quite nicely (it's been a few minutes, and there is still a good centimeter of head). There is some thick and sticky lacing hanging on as well. 

The aroma on this beer was popping before I even poured this thing. This beer smells really good. I can smell the trademark Dogfish Head yeast...or some sort of aroma that you get in the 60 and 90 Minute IPAs. There is a big, thick, sticky, juicy, boozy hop presence in here. I'm pulling out earthy hop notes, citrus spice, some zest, some Lemon Pledge. There is also that sweet, malty, and boozy malt backbone, manifesting almost as fruit cake. And hell yeah, there are definitely apricots in here. I love apricots. Apricots are complex, interesting fruits. You pull out some tart and meaty apricot notes on the nose, with hints of plum and peach (interestingly enough, Apricots are actually a member of the plum family). All-in-all this beer smells great, with a nice balance of fresh hops, fresh and funky apricot, and sweet and boozy malt balance.

 

Interesting! The taste on this is surprising. You get a sharp kick of (dare I say?) acidic apricots. The apricot flavors really hit you up front, and they are sharp, pointy, and fresh. Mid-palate turns into a mixture of a good IPA with some apricots, and the back end is hoppy, and kind of dry. I'm tasting spicy hops, apricots, peaches, hints of citrus (like a faint shadow), some interesting berry and even tart cherry notes playing off the slightly acidic kick, and some pretty nice apricot tang. 

 

I really like this. The mouthfeel is light-heavy or medium-light. There is some mild IPA heaviness, with flashes of that hop/malt balance and the usual suspects like resin and sweet. But there is this huge apricot flavor cutting through this beer, with hints of tang, acid, and crispness. I mean this stuff is stupid drinkable, especially at 7.0%. I am pounding this back like it's a 4.0% ABV fruit beer. This stuff is dangerous. This is well-carbonated, smooth, and finishes crisp, tart, and a touch dry. The palate depth is huge, the complexity is wonderful; up front you get apricots and some spicy hops; this rolls into a middle of hop/malt balance with apricots; the back end is lingering hops and apricot, with some slight drying. Stellar stuff. 

Rating:  Above-Average

Score: 89%

 

I'm on the verge of pushing this into Divine Brew territory. This is some damn good beer. I'm really digging the tangy, slightly sour apricot flavors this beer imparts to the style. The apricots aren't obnoxious; they are subtle, and work in tandem with the spicy and citrusy hop flavors. All-in-all, I am really impressed with this beer. I can see myself trying to pick this up whenever I see that it is available. Recommended, and I will buy again.

Southern Tier Choklat

Brewed By: Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, New York 

Purchased: Giant 22oz Bomber bought at in Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout (American), 10.0%

Happy Easter (or zombie Jesus day)!!! Today was a beautiful day, with gorgeous weather, and some exciting Chicago baseball. The Cubs finally won today, and the White Sox are about to start their game in a bit and go for their second win. Unfortunately, the Bulls lost today, but they will hopefully pull it together come the Playoffs. In the spirit of zombie Jesus day, I'm going for something savory and over-the-top. Southern Tier's "Choklat" seems to fit the bill, clocking in at a ridiculous 10% ABV. 

Southern Tier Brewing Company is based out of Lakewood, New York. The brewery was founded in 2002 by Phineas DeMink and Allen "Skip" Yahn. Using equipment purchased from the old Saddleback Brewing Co., the company began production with the vision of reviving traditional small batch brewing to the region. By 2003, the brewery was distributing their small batch ales, and by 2005 their sales covered New York and Pennsylvania. Before the brewery had any seasonal beers, it produced a Pilsner, Mild Ale, and IPA. Due to popularity, in 2009 a 20,000 square foot facility was built to allow for the brewing of large-scale beers. Since then, Southern Tier has continued to expand, and continued to invest in better equipment to keep up with the increasing demand for their beer. You can read more about Southern Tier's history on their history page.

Today's beer, "Choklat," is a big and mean American Imperial Stout. This beer is not part of the brewery's "Seasonal Imperial" series as I thought it was; according to the bottle this beer is part of the "Black Water Series." The bottle states: "The Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya, unfolds a complex web of mystery around a beverage known as xocoatl (ch-co-atle)." I can't find any information about this beer on the brewery website, but fortunately the bottle features a lot of good info.

The bottle art features a block of chocolate, with the words, "A Stout Brewed with Chocolate" on the front. There is also a snifter on the bottle with a 48 degrees Fahrenheit marking; the bottle says, "best at 48 degrees Fahrenheit." This beer clocks in at a mean 10%, and is brewed with 2-row barley, caramel 60 malt, barley flakes, chocolate malt, and bittersweet Belgian chocolate. Can you say yum? This beer also feature some hops: chinhook and willamette are added to the kettle. Chinook are mild to medium-heavy, spicy, piney, and grapefruity. Willamette hops are mild and pleasant, slightly spicy, fruity, floral, and a little earthy.

This is an American-made Stout that happens to clock in at 10% ABV. Because of that, this probably qualifies as an American Stout, although the definition doesn't exactly fit (and is honestly outdated). I'll have to taste this and see if it flirts with the Russian Imperial Stout category, but I'm expecting something with over-the-top chocolate. It's also possible that because this beer uses bittersweet Belgian chocolate it might qualify as a Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer. Honestly, I couldn't care less what the BJCP thinks, and I'm sure Southern Tier couldn't care less as well. I'm calling this bad boy an American Imperial Stout, so let's dig in and review this beer.

Southern Tier Choklat

This beer pours like an Imperial Stout. The beer pours a pitch-black color, and about half a finger's worth of dark/coffee-brown head. The head dissolves fairly quickly, as you might expect with a 10% ABV beer. There is a nice cauldron effect, with a hazy layer of bubbles sitting in the middle of the glass, and some thicker bubbles clinging to the edge of the glass. There is some lacing when I swirl the beer, and there are some mean alcohol legs on this. Around the edges are hints of brown, but this beer is black as night, with no light escaping. If I had to guess, I would guess this is well-carbonated.

The aroma...well let me tell you, what we have here is something awesome. The nose is a lot more subtle than I was expecting. I was expecting to smell something with super-sweet, rich chocolate. The nose is a lot more subdued, with this huge note of Tootsie-Rolls. I'm pulling out Tootsie-Rolls, Hershey's Dark Chocolate, cocoa, a slightly grainy chocolate malt note, hints of boozy alcohol, and definitely a hint of spicy/earthy/floral hop in there.

Wow...the taste is a wonderful follow-through of the aroma. You get hit with a huge Imperial Stout punch: including some wonderful citrus hops. But there is a ton of chocolate and dark malts in this, and it is sweet, almost like a Milk Stout. I'm getting sweet bitter chocolate, orange, earthy hops; and then a blast of Imperial Stout including woody and earthy notes, and some roasted notes. I'm tasting Tootsie-Rolls, Dark Hershey's Chocolate, a slight creamy and smooth chocolate note, and hints of cream.

At 10% ABV, this is a sipper. The mouthfeel on this beer is heavy, especially up front. The chocolate flavor is a little bit thinner than I expected, and the finish is dry, but there is a lot of flavor going on in this beer - even if it is subtle. I would call this moderately complex, with large palate depth. Up front you get big chocolate notes that are laid on thick; some Hershey's syrup, Hershey's dark chocolate, Tootsie-Rolls; the middle is sweet and balanced with some hops (orange, and earthy notes); the finish is big Imperial Stout notes, including earthy wood, hints of roast, and lingering chocolate. The finish is dry, and not as boozy as I was expecting.

Rating: Above-Average  

Score: 88%

 

I've heard a lot of people say that this beer is super sweet. This beer is definitely sweet, but the chocolate notes are a lot more subtle than I was expecting, and there is some nice balance from the hops. Is this a beer I would reach for all the time? No, this is definitely a "specialty" beer, with a very unique profile. This beer is something I could see myself reaching for once or twice a year, to share with a friend, and pair with some dessert. I guess you could also pair this with a really raunchy burger or barbeque. All-in-all, this is a really good offering from Southern Tier, and this is definitely a beer you need to try if you enjoy chocolate or Imperial Stouts. I will definitely be drinking this again.