St. Feuillien Blonde

Brewed By: Brasserie St. Feuillien / Friart in Le Roeulx, Belgium

Purchased: 330ml bottle from a St. Feuillien Gift Set bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Belgian Blond Ale/Abbey Ale/Strong Ale, 7.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

As with many of my purchases, this one was kind of a random, impulsive buy. It's been a while since I've had an Abbey-style beer, so I figured I'd put St. Feuillien through the runner. Speaking of, St. Feuillien has to be one of the most frustrating names to type out. I keep wanting to insert an "r" into the name. St. Feuillien is is an Abbey-stye brewery based out of Le Roeulx, Belgium, founded in 1873. The brewery's history goes back to the 7th century, when an Irish monk by the name Feuillien came to Belgium to preach the Gospel. Unfortunately...while traveling through Le Roeulx, Feuillien was martyred and beheaded. In memory of Feuillien, his disciples built a chapel in 1125, which became the Abbey of Prémontrés, later known as the Abbaye St-Feuillien du Roeulx. The Abbey prospered until the French Revolution. St. Feuillien makes use of natural ingredients, centuries-old brewing methods, and (I believe) all their beers are bottle conditioned. You can read more about them HERE. 

Tonight's beer, the St. Feuillien Blonde, is a Belgian Blond/Strong Ale, described as having a deep golden color and a smooth, frothy head. This beer should be perfumed, with some nice hops and spice. Let's glass this up and see what we get.

4/20 flame my shitty picture: St. Feuillien Blonde

This one pours pretty righteous, with a really nice cloudy orange/blond/gold color, and a finger of thick white head that is creamy and won't die. In bright light, this beer is a hazy blond/gold color, with some hints of orange. There's a ton of carbonation rising upwards in the form of small bubbles, and the head is thick, creamy, bright white, leaving lacing, and sustaining like crazy. Really...just a dynamite looking beer.

The aroma on this is super perfumey, with big floral Belgian yeast fruitiness, apples, pears, and other stone fruits, some white sugar, a bit of dust/powder, ghostly malt heaviness, and yeah. The nose is quite vibrant, really leaning on that yeasty fruitiness.

Wowza, the taste on this is creamy, smooth, and big. I'm getting a lot of yeast fruitiness, some big grain and Pils malt, lots of phenolic spice, perfumey fruits, and a little booze to boot. There's big pears, apples, stone fruit, hints of pepper and clove, grain, biscuit, and boozy smoothness that's pretty complex. There's a bit of hop kick in the middle, with some earthy and bittering hop bite, and a touch of citrus.

This is pretty nice. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, creamy, smooth, a touch dusty, and features complex and subtle booze. At 7.5%, this is appropriately boozy, and should be sipped on/enjoyed slowly. This would be perfect for the winter. The slightly dusty mouthfeel lends all sorts of faux credibility to this, and it really feels like an Abbey Ale, whatever that means. Palate depth is great, complexity is not far behind...up front is perfume, spice, stone fruits; this rolls into grain, Pils malt, bitter and earthy hops, hints of citrus; the back end rounds out with lingering grain, dust/powder, and a dry finish. Really nice stuff.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this, and might even go higher on a revisit. I'm a bit surprised, but this is a really solid brew. I would pair this with some strong cheeses, a meat and cheese tray, a burger with cheddar cheese and bacon, all things bacon and cheese, and even something like turkey or chicken. This beer would also work in the winter months, though I feel like I could sip it in the summer as well. Good stuff...not too expensive, would recommend.

Random Thought: It's supposed to be 80 tomorrow. Summer is finally here...at least for one day.

Samuel Adams Verloren

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 
Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch No. 1) from a Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Gose, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: 15

I love those random impulse buys, because this was totally that. Really though, all the Small Batch Series offerings from Sam Adams are reasonably priced at around 5-8 dollars per 22oz bottle, so here is me being brave and trying their interpretation of a Gose. About Sam Adams:

Samuel Adams was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, and currently the Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. Sam Adams is also the largest craft brewer in America, with over a million barrels of beer being produced annually. You can check out the Sam Adam's website for more info.

Gose, pronounced like "rose + uh," is a German style of beer. And so, we are off to the German Beer Institute. Gose is an ancient, sour, and salty ale, made from more than half malted wheat and the rest malted barley. The beer is fermented with yeast and lactic bacteria, and is spiced with coriander and hops. This beer is traditionally brewed with slightly salted water. The nose is supposed to be mild with some spicy coriander, and the taste should feature a sour spiciness with banana, green apple, dried apricot, zest, and coriander. The saltiness should be slightly present in the dry finish. The beer is traditionally served in a cylindrical-style glass, but it may also be served like a Berliner Weisse with a shot of raspberry or woodruff-flavored syrup. 

This 1000-year old beer traces back to the river Gose and the town it flows through, Goslar, in the state of Lower Saxony, 100 miles from Leipzig. Goslar was a bustling town in the 11th century, thanks to its copper, lead, zinc, salt, and silver mining. It was also known for its brew center. When the Goslar mines gave out in the Middle Ages, Goslar declined and Gose-brewing migrated to Leipzig. The beer was brewed in Leipzig no later than 1738, and by 1900, Gose was the most popular beer in Leipzig with more than 80 licensed Gose houses on record. For these reasons, modern Gose is now associated with the Saxon capital, Leipzig. 

Gose is unlike any other beer style, in that it is brewed with slightly salty water. The style rose to popularity in Leipzig, up until World War 2, when the breweries sustained damage from the war and style faded away. Things were further complicated by post-World War II Germany, and the Berlin Wall. The modern Gose renaissance has been attributed to the Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof (Gose Brewery Bavarian Station), which opened in 2000 in Leipzig. For further reading, definitely check out the German Beer Institute...plus, their website is awesome, so why wouldn't you check it out? 

Now...this is a pretty nuanced style...so let's see what Sam Adams has in store. If you check out their Verloren page, you can find out what their thought process was for this beer. Sam Adams describes the beer as having a base of unfiltered wheat malt, with a touch of salt, and coriander for a peppery spice. This beer utilizes Saaz hops, two-row pale malt and unmalted wheat malts, top-fermenting ale yeast, and kosher salt and coriander. Clocking in at 6.0% and packing 15 IBUs, this is not a huge beer but SHOULD pack some really nice flavors. Let's glass this up.

Samuel Adams Verloren

With a malt base that's 50-60% unfiltered wheat, the head formation and slightly hazy body is not unexpected. This one kicked up about 3-finger's worth of orange/amber-tinted head. In low light, the body is a darker orange/bronze color. When held to a bright light, this beer is a pretty nice orange color with some yellow tones, and the head is just a tad off-white pulling color from the body. There's a lot of carbonation rising upwards in this in the form of small to medium-sized bubbles, and the head is sustaining nicely with some lacing. Props to Sam Adams for leaving this one unfiltered...it looks to be a touch hazy with some sediment. 

The aroma is surprisingly light and perfumey/fruity, with some citrus, grass, lemon zest and peppery coriander, a bit of wheat and biscuit, and maybe a dash of mineral/salt. It reminds me of the Sam Adams Summer Ale with a dash of mineral/salt quality. 

This is pretty light and refreshing, with a big blast of coriander and zesty citrus kick in the back of the front and mid palate. There's a mineral edge and hint of salt throughout, but especially towards the back. It really does remind me of the Summer Ale with a bit of that mineral kick. There's also a pretty nice biscuit and floral thing here...it's kind of herbal, and reminds me of flowers or rose pedals. 

I love the Sam Adams Summer Ale, so this is in my wheelhouse. This is light to medium-light in terms of mouthfeel, with lively carbonation and smooth wheat body driving this beer across your mouth. You get some really bright citrus mid-palate lighting up your tongue, and it reminds me of summer and makes me smile and shit. I mean...let's call a spade a spade, this is a great wheat beer. Missing here is the lactic bacteria and perhaps some wheat complexity...so it's probably fair to say this beer is a loose interpretation and perhaps a bit safe. Safe is accesible. Nevertheless, palate depth is really nice and complexity is okay. You get some wheat and a touch of mineral up front; mid palate is wheat, really bright citrus, zest, coriander, spice, and some biscuit/grain; back end is fading citrus, and dry to mineral/salt. 

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. Pretty nice stuff. It reminds me of the Summer, and I could see myself grabbing a bottle or two of this (especially at the price) for a barbecue or to pair with some pizza or salad. At 6.0%, this is drinkable and easy-going, but it also has the potential to take you to happy places...so you get nice citrus and coriander for your Ego, and your Id can feed its alcoholism. This isn't the most exciting beer...but it is what it is, which is pretty good. This compares well to wheat beers and Sam Adams' Summer Ale...I'd like to see how this would taste with the addition of some lactic kick. Overall though, I'll probably pick this up again at some point.

Random Thought: Don Cherry is an idiot.

Dogfish Head Noble Rot

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Saison/Fruit Beer, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: 18

Dogfish Head and Sam Calagione have always included comparisons to spirits or wine for their beers. They compare their Palo Santo Marron to an oak-aged baernet, their 120 IPA to whisky, their Bitches Brew to a Bordeaux, etc. They also make a number of spirits, including rums, vodkas, and a jin. It's probably no surprise, then, that Dogfish Head would dabble with infected grape must, and then blend it with a Belgian Strong Ale-esque beer. About Dogfish Head:

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.

If you roll over to the Noble Rot page, you can get the breakdown on this. It looks like the Noble Rot is brewed with pils and wheat malts, and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. According to Dogfish Head, the yeast gets to ferment sugars from "two unique wine grapes sourced with our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Wash." The first addition of sugars comes from unfermented grape must from viognier grapes that have been infected with the fungus botrytis. The second source of sugars comes from pinot gris must that has been intensified by a process called "dropping fruit," where clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality of those left behind. 

All-in-all, this beer is big at 9.0%, and features a lively Belgian yeast. The primary sources of sugar for this beer are grape juice, and should add some interesting complexity to the taste. Let's glass this up and see what this beer is about.

Dogfish Head Noble Rot

This one pours like a Pale Lager, at least upon first impression. The body is a light yellow color, the head is bright white, and there's a storm of carbonation visible in this transparent beer. As the finger of white head settles down, you're left with a Belgian/Saison-looking head. The body is reminiscent of a white wine, but there is a TON of carbonation in this. I wonder if this is bottle conditioned, and if so, how this would develop.

The aroma on this is really nice, I'm not going to lie. I'm getting grapes, gooseberry, white wine subtleties, a little bit of apple/apple skin, floral/perfume yeast frutiness, and some nice clove spice. There's a touch of grain and wheat as well.

If I said this tasted like a Duvel mixed with a white wine, I would hope it wouldn't be interpreted as me selling this beer short. There's a lot of wheat, pils malt, and some yeasty fruit/clove, and there's a huge grape presence, with white wine, and gooseberry. The beer is creamy from the wheat malt, but it also tastes fairly attenuated towards the back palate, where you are left with dry wine and dry grain. It's a really nice mouthfeel, with lots of subtle complexity.

This is quite nice at 9.0%, although there's definitely some warming on the back end of this and there's a hint of wine-esque booze. Basically, I would drink this like a wine. Problem solved. This is creamy and smooth, but also quite dry towards the back end...probably medium-light in terms of mouthfeel, with good supporting carbonation, and nice dryness. Palate depth is really nice, refined, and mature...and complexity is great too. I think an oak-aged version of this would be off the charts amazing, and I bet this would even take well to a Bourbon barrel. Just some food for thought....up front is clove, Belgian yeast fruitiness, and big gooseberry; middle is big white wine, grape, gooseberry, more Belgian yeast; back end is lingering grapes, lingering white wine, and dryness. 

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a Light Light Divine Brew on this. This is a really solid, delicious beer. In fact, this goes beyond a beer...this is a beer + wine. Really nice stuff, with big bold grape presence, gooseberry, and white wine characters. There's a really nice Belgian base beer with big wheat, pils malt, light grain, it's fantastic. I could see pairing this beer with muscles, alfredo, white pasta sauce, various Italian foods, strong cheese, chicken, Greek/Mediterranean food...you name it. 

Random Thought: This beer is surprisingly boozy at 9.0%, especially in the 750ml format. I know bigger beers have come in 750s, but this one sneaks up on you.

[Cellar Review] Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus (Brewed in 2006)

Brewed By: Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn in Kelheim, Germany

Purchased: 500ml/16.9oz bottle from West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 purchase

Style/ABV: Weizen Bock, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

Aventinus is one of my favorite beers, and a beer I penned thoughts on not too long ago. It's a huge, strong Wheat Bock, and it's one of the best strong wheat beers you can buy. The brewery has a little project going where they take that beer, and age it. I grabbed a 2006 and 2008 bottle, and am excited to see how this compares to the original. About Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn:

Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn have been challenging people with the pronunciation of their names since 1872. Their website is in German, but has an English translation button on the bottom of the site. I'm lazy, so I'm going off the Wikipedia article. The brewery began as a Bavarian brewery that acquired the Weisses Brauhaus/Microbrewery in Munich. The owners then expanded the brewery to Kelheim and Straubing. After Munich was destroyed in the 1944 bombing (World War II, folks), all production was moved to Kelheim. This is a family run brewery with lots of tradition, and is currently owned by Georg Schneider VI (source). 

I'm not finding any info on this beer on the brewery's website, but the beer comes wrapped in paper, and has a little tag with some info. The tag reads:

"Aventinus, the world's oldest top-fermenting wheat-doppelbock, has received accolades for the perfect balance of fruity spiciness (banana, clove, vanilla) and notes of chocolate (crystal & dark malts). In addition, the beer has demonstrated wonderful aging potential with aromas and flavors of chocolate (very soft), port and sherry when aged for three years or more. 

Therefore, in 1999, the SCHNEIDER brewery decided to age 240 cases of AVENTINUS each year in their historical ice cellar in Kelheim with each batch held for a minimum of three years. 

Each Fall for many years t come B. United International is proud to release a small allotment of the latest vintage to all our customers across the USA. Please enjoy it now or hold on to it in your own cellar for further development ...if you can handle the wait."

So that is that. There's not much more for me to elaborate on...except that when you think of aging/cellaring beer, you usually don't jump to a wheat beer, even if it's a strong wheat beer. Then again, at 8.2%...this is a big beer. Let's get this into a glass, and mull over it like the classy white trash we are.

Aventinus (2006 Vintage)

The bottle is definitely worn, as evidenced by the cap, and the shit around the top of the bottle. Surprisingly, a little carbonation hissed and some smoke poured out when I popped the cap off. This one pours a murky/hazy raisin color, and looks nothing like the beer when it is fresh. This beer BARELY kicked up a centimeter of head, and has settled with a ring of carbonation and some spotty cauldron happenings. Surprisingly, there's a ton of carbonation rising upwards in this, in the form of fairly large bubbles. Bright light casts a slightly golden color on the body, but this is still bayou murky. It's nowhere near as funky as some aged wild ales look, however.

The aroma on this is really interesting...I'm getting a big apple cider/apple juice aroma, lots of apple juice sweetness. It seriously reminds me of being a kid and getting the apple juice from the fridge, and diluting it with water to curb all the sugar. There's definitely a vinous thing going on, with some sherry/port, plums, and wet cardboard. Maybe it's just the color, but I'm getting some raisins...and I swear there is a little booze on the nose. I'm not pulling any chocolate off this. If you get chocolate on the aroma, you cray-cray.

It's incredible that this is still carbonated at all. This has some tingly carbonation up front, and then sort of turns into a wet dog. I say that in a good way. Wet dog, while not the most appealing thing, has some intrigue. And a wet dog is still lovable, or something. I'm getting a lot of rocky booze in my throat, like I just drank a strong spirit. There are raisins up front, with some plums, hints of red wine, sherry/port...and then the beer kind of fades into hints of banana, chocolate, and wheat. I shouldn't forget to mention the apple juice, which is definitely there, along with some grapes. 

Despite the sherry/port/spirit elements, the alcohol in here is pretty much masked until the back palate. I'm amazed at how fruity this is...in fact, this tastes nothing like the original beer. I probably haven't emphasized that fact enough. This beer fresh is creamy, lively, has champagne-like dryness, and just blows your palate away with distinct wheat, dark malts, banana, and fruitiness. The beer I'm drinking now is fruity, complex, and kind of reminds me of a Doppelbock or something. 

You get tingly carbonation up front, but this mellows out into something resembling a wine...as such, I'd call this medium-full. There's a quiet thickness about this, and you feel that 8.2% as rocky booze in your throat. Palate depth is quite spectacular, complexity isn't far behind. This is worthy of your snifter...as I find myself sipping rather than gulping. You get carbonation, raisins/grapes/plums up front, apple juice, and some red wine; this rolls into red wine, sherry/port, light cardboard, and faded wheat/chocolate/banana; the back end is lingering sherry/port, with some rocky alcohol. Finish is dry and musty. 

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this beer. How do you even rate something like this? I suppose I could compare this to the fresh version, in which case I'd preference this beer fresh. If you compare this to wines/sherries/port or even some Bockbiers, this might be a worthy investment. It's not hard to find the aged Aventinus, and a bottle is only 6 or 7 bucks. This is a great sipping beer, and an even better journey into aged beer. I might serve this with strong cheeses or meats...but honestly, why not try this with some red pasta sauce, or muscles, or calamari...you could also pair this with dessert....I have a 2008 bottle which I'll crack open soon. This one is 7 years old, the '08 will be 5 years old. 

Random Thought: Follow-up: the Bulls won. They didn't just win, they also supplied some good drama and entertainment by blowing a huge lead in the 4th Quarter and barely winning the game. But they won. Hooray. 

Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge

Brewed By: Brouwerij Bockor N.V. in Bellegem, Belgium, Belgium

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Flanders Red Ale, 5.5% 

Reported IBUs: ?

I love theme posts, and tonight I'm knocking out two beers. Ladies, gentleman, bimbos and hicks, I present: Two Sours, One Cup. Awww yeah that's some classy shit. (dis be part II).

Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge hails from the brewery/brouwerij Bockor N.V. Brouwerij Bockor N.V. was founded back in May 1892, in Bellegem, West Flanders, Belgium, near the French border. The brewery is family run, and pays homage with various beers including the Jacobins Gueuze, the Jacobins Kriek, and the Jacobins Framboise. The brewery is known for its use of natural ingredients and old school brewing techniques. 

The Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge is a Flanders Red/red Felmish Sour Ale, with big malt sweetness and acidic sharpness. This beer is made from a blend of spontaneously fermented and barrel-aged beer that is at least 18 months in age. This one ages in large oak foudres, and clocks in at 5.5%. Let's see how she stacks up.

Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge

This one pours a ruby red color that looks deceptively darker in low light, and I kicked up about a finger's worth of lightly tan head. The head on this one is not as pillowy as the Duchesse. In fact, the head on this quicky fades into a Saison-y, infected looking, cauldron effect. When held to a bright light, this beer takes on a vibrant ruby red color. This has some sediment floating around in it, and lazy mid-sized carbonation. As with the Duchesse, there's some nice lacing.

The aroma on this beer is awesome, with bright sour/tart fruitiness, raspberry, strawberry, and various berries, granny smith apples, acidic vinegar, leather, and some nice oak/wood. You get hints of cherry cola and vanilla on the aroma, but it's balanced out nicely by the fruit and sourness.

Wowza. My impression upon the first sip is that this beer is about twice as sour as the Duchesse De Bourgogne, but a tad behind the 2013 La Folie. I'm picking up Sour Patch Kids, sour watermelon, sour raspberry, and sour black cherry. This definitely has that fruity Warhead thing going on, and it's fucking awesome. There's some cherry and apple fruit skin in the taste, along with some woody/oak tannins, and a hint of of oak/cherry cola to kind of round out the huge sour fruits.

This is an incredibly playful beer, with vibrant, teeth-crushing sourness. Really, this bring the Warheads and Sour Patch kids...and if that's your bag, you're going to feel right at home with this. There's also deep underlying complexity...but more on that in a second. This one has lively carbonation, and a medium-light mouthfeel. This starts out sour, rolls into more sour, and finishes sour and dry. There's no alcohol in this, and aside from the crushing sourness, it drinks incredibly well. Palate depth is great, complexity is great. Lemme expand: Up front is sour fruits, oak, hints of malt sugars, fruit skins; this rolls into more sour fruits, oak, cherry cola, wood; the back end is lignering sour, wood, hints of sweetness...and fade to dry. The dry finish BEGS you to take another sip, which starts a cycle of sour punch, dry finish, sour punch, dry finish....I feel like a 5th grader trading Warheads again.

Rating: Divine Brew (5/5 Untappd)

Yo, I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. This beer is the tits. I stumbled upon this beer when it was on tap at one of my local watering holes. I enjoyed it to the point that I sought it out...it turns out it's just as great in the bottle. There's so much going on with this beer: intense sourness, fruit skins, sour fruits, candy sugars, oak tannins, wood, vanilla...and it's all cobbled together in a winning way, like tiger blood or something. Really though, huge sour watermelon, black cherry, Warhead, and Sour Patch Kids. Oh, and my teeth. Owe. Food pairings: same as the Duchesse, really. Strong cheeses, raunchy burgers and BBQ, maybe even a Muffaletta...mmm. 

Random Thought: Tomorrow I am going to a Bulls game. With them luck. 

Duchesse De Bourgogne

Brewed By: Brouwerij Verhaeghe in Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Flanders Red/Brown, 6.2% 

Reported IBUs: ?

I love theme posts, and tonight's theme is that I'm knocking out two beers. Ladies, gentleman, bimbos and hicks, I present: Two Sours, One Cup. Awww yeah that's some classy shit. (dis be part I). 

The Duchesse hails from the brewery/brouwerij Verhaeghe. Brouwerij Verhaeghe was founded in 1885 by Paul Verhaeghe in Vichte, West Flanders, Belgium. The brewery would ship beer from Vichte to Brussels, and established a reputation for brewing their Flemish Red/Brown ale, Duchesse De Bourgogne. You can check out more at the brewery's website. 

The Duchesse de Bourgogne is described as a "West-Flemish red brown ale." This sweet-fruity ale is brewed with roasted malts, very few hops, and is matured in oak casks for many months. This one clocks in at 6.2%. Let's see what we got.

Duchesse De Bourgogne

The Duchesse pours a hazy, reddish-brown color, with 3 finger's worth of soapy, thick, tan-colored head. There's a little sediment floating around in this one, but this is mostly a semi-murky ruby red color in bright light. There's a lot of active, visible carbonation, and the head is leaving nice lacing and sustaining nicely. 

The nose is pretty Brett and oak-forward. I'm getting some worn leather, and definitely a fair amount of apple cider vinegar. It actually smells like the dye-soaked vinegar solution that was always leftover after dying eggs for Easter. Fruit skins make an appearance here, notably apple and cherries....and there's some woody oak. 

This is incredibly blissful on the palate, with light sourness, light funk, and tons of oak, wood, cherry cola, and some hidden gems deep in the beer, like raspberry puree, apple skins, and cherries. There's an oaky vanilla thing in here that's really subtle and balanced, and works well. The oak adds just a touch of buttery mouthfeel. 

This beer has an absolutely phenomenal mouthfeel. It's probably not something you want in every situation with respect to sour/wild beers, but for the style, it's incredibly pillowy, rich, smooth, and even slightly buttery (in a good way). It veers towards a Kriek, and there's a lot of rich oak, vanilla, cherry, and cherry cola in this beer. The mouthfeel is medium-full, drinkability is amazing with no alcohol present at 6.2%, and palate depth is great. Complexity is high as well...but you feel like this has some untapped potential. You get lots of cherries and hints of sour/vinegar up front; this rolls into huge oak, wood, cherry cola, light Brett funk/leather; the back end trails off with lingering cola, subtle fruit skins and puree, and cherry sweetness. The finish is fat rather than overly dry and/or attenuated.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this beer. This is a great beer, and the fact that it doesn't get too aggressive with the sour or Brett funk means you can probably serve this to your unsuspecting friends and get good results. I'm not dogging this beer at all...I love it, and I buy it regularly when I get the chance...I just feel like the stakes are high with this style. Certainly worth re-reviewing down the road, but don't take my thoughts as a knock. In fact, scores themselves are largely meaningless compared to the words in the review. What you should take from this review is that the Duchesse is an incredibly refined, balanced, and fairly easy-going Flemish Brown/Red ale. It's also available, priced well, and comes in various formats (4-pack and bomber). You could pair this beer with strong cheeses, Poutine, a cheese and meat plate, fondue, a raunchy burger or barbecue sandwich, and even a plate of pickled things. I like this beer a lot, and would put this on a "100 beers to try" list.

Random Thought: I bet this beer would even be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or chocolate ice cream. In a cup. Because who doesn't love smearing chocolate ice cream in a cup all over someone's face and licking it off. Yum. Part II...coming up...

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Brewed By: Unibroue (Sapporo) in Chambly, Canada  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 (maybe 2013?)

Style/ABV: White Ale/Belgian White, 5.0%

Reported IBUs: 10

It's been a while since I've had anything from Unirboue: 

Unibroue is a brewery out of Chambly that specializes in Belgian beers. The brewery was founded in 1990 by André Dion and Serge Racine. The duo invested in the failing brewery, La Brasserie Massawippi, and became majority shareholders. In 1991, they finalized the takeover of La Brasserie Massawippi, and completely merged with their company, Unibroue, in 1992. Dion became the President and CEO, and Racine becamse the board of directors. In 1992, the brewery released their first beer, Blanche de Chambly, and decided to specialize in Belgian brews. In 1993, the brewery moved to their cutting-edge microbrewery in Chambly, Quebec, and by 1994 the brewery was exporting beer to the U.S. and Europe. In 1991, Brewmaster Paul Arnott joined the company; trained in traditional, monastic Belgian brewing, he helped release new beers including the Éphémère series of beers. 

In 2004, the Sleeman Brewery purchased Unibroue, and in 2006, Japan's oldest commercial brewer, Sapporo International, purchased Sleeman. Since then, Unibroue has been regarded as a global treasure, as they export their beer everywhere. They produce some of the best, high-quality beer in the world. These guys are one of my favorite breweries, and it's always a treat to drink their beer.

Tonight's beer, the Blanche de Chambly, is a Belgian Witbier. This one has been brewed since 1992, and clocks in at 5.0% ABV, and packs 10 IBUs. Brewed in the style of a classic Belgian White/Witbier, this one is described as spicy, with citrus, yeasty bread, coriander, clove, and wheat. Let's glass this up and see how it stacks up.

It's probably worth noting that last time I had this beer I wasn't hugely impressed...but I'm pretty sure I had bottle that wasted away on the shelf for a while. Although this is bottle conditioned, Witbiers aren't really meant to be aged far as I know.

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

This one pours a super hazy, bright and vibrant, yellow/straw color. This beer is poppin', and looks hella good. That's douche bag frat boy for "would bang." This one kicks up a couple of fingers of white head. The head is cloudy and thick, ala a WHEAT beer. In bright light, this beer is a lemony-yellow juice color, and still has a nice haze. This beer has haze. You can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles moderately making their way upwards, and the head dissolved into a nice hazy cauldron effect. Really nice looking stuff.

The aroma on this is really nice....lots of clove up front, wheat, deep black pepper notes subtly sitting in the back, and lots of light/watery citrus. I'm also getting some pears, apples, plums, and other fruitiness. There's maybe a touch of biscuit as well. 

Wow...this one is juicy, tingly, and so light on the palate. I can understand why I regarded this beer as average when I last had it, but already I'm feeling the vibe here. There's a lot of juicy and refreshing orange in here, light citrus, suggestive apples and pears, tons of mild peppery spice and clove, and a bunch of big grainy and wheat notes. 

This is very complex and balanced for a 5.0% Witbier...and it's not cloying or weird like Hoegaarden can be on occasion  I'd say this has a light mouthfeel, with medium-high and dry carbonation. Palate depth is good and complexity ain't bad either. You get refreshing carbonation up front, followed by big juicy fruits, citrus, apples, and some clove/wheat; this rolls into clove, light peppery spice, more fruits, more wheat; the back end is clove, grain, tons of wheat, and has a dry, attenuating finish. Nice!

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. I still feel like the palate on this is occasionally on the lighter side of things, but that's also what makes this beer so great. This is super quaffable, and you can easily put down 750ml of this without feeling bad. This is the type of beer to pair with mild cheeses, a salad, a fruit dish, or something light. Maybe fish or chicken? As with most of Unibroue's stuff, this is all around nice!

Random Thought: I'm feeling like I could go for some unlimited soup, salad, or breadsticks in my near future....hmmm...

Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger

Brewed By: Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio 
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: Rye IPA, 7.5%

Reported IBUs: 92

I haven't dabbled with Great Lakes Brewing since Christmas, so why not toss in a short review to cap off the weekend. About Great Lakes:

Great Lakes Brewing Company was founded on September 6th, 1988, brothers Patrick Daniel and Conway Daniel. It became the first microbrewery in the state of Ohio. The brewery expanded both in 1992 and 1998, and in 2010 and 2011 the brewery spent over 7 million dollars to improve their brewery and brewery equipment. The brewery produces over 100,000 barrels annuals, and serves 13 states and Washington D.C.. According to the Brewers Association "top 50 breweries list" from 2010, Great Lakes Brewing Company is ranked #22 for beer sales as a craft brewer, and #31 for beer sales in general (in America). You can take a stroll to the Great Lakes Brewing history page to get the full story about the brewery.

If you check out the Rye of the Tiger IPA page, you can get all the essentials for this beer. Clocking in at 7.5%, this one is pushing an impressive 92 IBUs. This one uses Harrington 2-Row Base Malt, Crystal 45, Biscuit, and Rye malts. This one is hopped with Columbus, Warrior, and Simcoe hops. Suggested food pairings are fried chicken, blue cheese, and spiced desserts; this one is described as an "India Pale Ale with bite." Let's glass it up and see how it goes.

Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger

This one pours a light amber/orange color in low light, with a transparent body that has a ton of visible carbonation in the form of mid-to-large sized bubbles. I kicked up two fingers of creamy, thick, slightly off-white head. In bright light, this beer has almost a Pilsner-esque, dark gold color. There's a ton of carbonation streaming upwards, and the head is creamy, off-white, and sustaining nicely. Swirling the beer yields your typical IPA lacing.

The aroma on the nose is subtle...and dare I say a bit mild. I'm pulling out a lot of citrus, woody hops, resin, and some big peppery/rye spice. There's a bit of pine, and some rye bread on the nose as well. The rye is fairly pronounced on the aroma, and definitely differentiates this from your standard IPA.

For a beer pushing 92 IBUs, this one is still fairly balanced. While you do get some woody and super dry hop kick on the back, this one opens up with sticky and sweet citrus, some caramel, bread, and then the beer blasts you with rye. The mid palate dials up the rye spice and rye bread, with tons of wonderful rye. The back palate is where you feel the brunt of the 92 IBUs, with woody pine, citrus rind, and dry bitterness. 

This is very balanced, has a nice rye-forward flavor profile, and works for the style. This is drinkable, but I wouldn't describe this as a beer you would drink excessively. At 7.5% and 92 IBUs, this is on the extreme end of the style. This works as a sipper, but you could also put two of these back during a game. Complexity is simple and low, but palate depth is wonderful. The mouthfeel is medium-full and fairly smooth...aided by creamy and assertive carbonation. You get lots of sweet, sticky hops and caramel up front; this transitions into big rye flavors and rye spice; the back end is lingering rye spice with dry woody hops.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. This beer does a great job balancing the rye with the hops, and it pretty much delivers what it promises in a nice refined package. I don't have a lot to complain about -- and, in fact -- I really like the intense bitterness this beer brings to the table. At 92 IBUs, this one will keep you engaged. And that has nothing to do with cock-waving or dick-fighting or whatever "throw your penis around to prove your beer is the geekiest and most extreme" metaphor you can come up with. Like most of Great Lakes stuff, this one is refined and classy. The intense bitterness and rye spice would work well with spicy chicken wings, or assertive cheeses. I would pair this with a burger or pizza or wings. At 10 bucks a 6-pack...this is a steal.  

Random Thought: After a hell of a week, I'm looking forward to a calm, relaxing, boring week.

Pipeworks Close Encounter

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #57) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Stout/Black IPA/Cascadian Dark Ale, 8.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

How bout dem apples. Just like I predicted last night, today's commute was a clusterfuck, with streams turned into rivers, streets turned into streams, and underpasses turned into mini lakes. Like a champ and/or idiot, I made the trek to work...only to get sent home per company policy. Hooray! On the bright side, today was a half day. Oh, and it's unofficial official Pipeworks Thursday...about Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The back of the Close Encounter (Hoppy Double Stout) bottle states:

"Close Encounter is a bold venture into depths unknown. The best of both worlds co-exist between a rich roasted malt character and an aggressive hop presence that will probe your taste buds like nothing you have experienced before. Don't fear the unknown, embrace it! You never know who or what you may encounter..."

Pipeworks Close Encounter

Clocking in at 8.5%...this is a big beer. So let's glass it up.

This one pours a dark black color in low light, and kicks up two finger's worth of super dark brown/coffee head. The head is bready and thick, and is sustaining nicely. When you swirl the beer around in the glass, the head coats the beer with thick brown lacing and residuals. This one pretty much looks the same in bright light, only you can pick up some dark brown/ruby tones in the body. The head on this is killer.

Wow, the aroma on this beer is incredible. I'm getting big pine, resin, woody hops, orange, tobacco, chocolate, and coffee. The chocolate and coffee profiles in this are both intense and huge. There is a pine-wood-chocolate connection on the nose driving this beer.

In the taste: tons of bitter, pissed off, woody citrus, and lots and lots of roast. You can feel this beer aggressively coating your tongue like it coats the side of your glass, despite the fact that this is more like medium-full thanks to the dryness, this is still super chewy and roasty. I'm picking up intensely roasted malts, dirt, coffee, tobacco, and lots of piney/citrus hop kick, especially as this dries out and lingers on the palate. There's a rich chocolate component at work as well, with some super bitter dark chocolate showing up.

As I suggested, this is medium-full in terms of mouthfeel, thanks to the dry finish. It does bounce between a tad watery and a tad dense, but this is mostly just chewy, roasty, and resinous. Some powdery dark chocolate/cacao is abound. Palate depth is great, particularly with the way this just coats your tongue. Complexity is probably average for the style...and I think they could have maybe dialed up the bitterness here. Up front is roast, cacao, coffee; this rolls into more roast, hops, cacao; the back end hits the piney/citrus hops, and fades to a woody dryness.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

This is a Decent Above-Average for the style. I do like Cascadian Dark beers....such a fun style, and a nice mesh of the Stout richness, roast, and chocolate, with the huge hop character I enjoy. This is a good beer, and would pair well with a burger, dry chocolate cake, and any dish that benefits from chocolate, roast, and hops. Really nice stuff, especially at around 10 dollars a bomber.

Random Thought: I don't mind the rain, but now we are back into the 40s and 50s. Maybe if I stop drinking Stouts winter will go away.

Shmaltz/Terrapin Reunion Ale 2012 - A Beer For Hope

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York (with Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, Georgia)

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 7.6%...8.0%...???

Reported IBUs: ?

Wrapping up with the Shmaltz Holiday Gift Pack, tonight I'm looking at a beer that Shmaltz brewed with Terrapin, which is pretty legit. About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

I should probably mention that Terrapin is a brewery based out of Athens, Georgia, founded by Brian Buckowsski and John Cochran in 2002. If you roll over to the Terrapin Beer page, you can see that the Reunion - A Beer For Hope, is a series of beers. The 2012 edition is brewed with cocoa nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon. According to Terrapin, this one uses Canada 2-Row Silo, Victory, Special Roast, Crystal, Brown Malt, and Chocolate malts; and Willamette hops. They state that this clocks in at 7.6%, and the beer is described as a dark strong ale. Shmaltz also has this beer listed on their website (what's the difference, yo?)....according to the Shmaltz website, this beer uses 2-Row, Victory, Briess Special Roast, Fawcett Crystal, Brown, Dark Crystal & Chocolate malts; Warrior and Summit hops, and clocks in at 8.0%. Proceeds for this beer go to the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, which is pretty cool. Let's glass this up...and do the best kind of drinking...drinking for a good cause!

Reunion Ale 2012 - A Beer For Hope

This one pours a dark red/brown color, that looks black in low light. The head on this beer is absolutely gorgeous, with root beer float thickness. The head is a lovely light tan/sandy color. Head retention is nice, and the head has a nice khaki color in bright light. This beer is a murky brown black/purple/brown color in bright light, and you can see some carbonation rising upwards on the side of the glass. The head is leaving some nice lacing.

The aroma on this reminds me quite a bit of Sam Adams' The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock. I'm getting a ton of rich chocolate on the nose of this, lots of cocao, some dirt, cheap coffee with cheap creamer that you find in your office's break room, cinnamon, earthy spice, dirt, jalapeno, salt, vanilla bean, and some strong caramel malt. There's an elusive hint of really earthy fruit on the nose as well.

This is really nice, with tons of cocoa abound, and nice cinnamon-fruit kick up front. I'm getting lots of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla bean, crappy coffee with creamer, and a TON of cinnamon, with a hint of dirt and salt, and some mild hop bitterness on the finish. This end's a touch bitter, dry, and with lingering cocoa.

This has a decent amount of carbonation to help keep the body in check, giving this a medium-full mouthfeel. Nevertheless, the body has some density to it, and feels pretty thick and creamy in the mouth. There's almost a tannin quality to this beer, likely from the cinnamon. And yeah, you get a lot of cinnamon in this. Palate depth is great, and complexity is just okay. This one doesn't scream complexity, but it delivers the cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon in a big way. This also does an incredible job masking the 8.0% ABV (or 7.6% or whatever). Up front is caramel malts, cocoa, and vanilla; that transitions into big vanilla and cinnamon; the back end is trailing cinnamon, spice, dry cocoa (almost cacao at that point), and some hop dryness....really solid stuff here.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

This is about Decent Above-Average stuff, which is not bad at all. Really solid on the chocolate/vanilla/cinnamon thing, and has nice warming. I would pair this beer with some chocolate cake, or a burger, or some coffee-braised meat. You could also conceivably sip on this, though it would work better in the 22oz format rather than the 12oz bottle I have. NICE STUFF, good job Terrapin and Shmaltz.

Random Thought: It's raining, it's pouring...no seriously, we are projected to get like 4 more inches of rain, and it's been raining nonstop since like 5pm. I'm sure the roads and streams and retention ponds will be a source of much entertainment and frustration tomorrow. Hooray for adventures!

He'Brew Genesis Ale

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2012 Holiday Gift Pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: American Amber Ale, 5.6%...6.0%...???

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the He'Brew 2012 Holiday Gift Pack...here is part two of tonight's festivities! About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

Looking at the Genesis/Messiah page, you can see that the Messiah is a "dry hopped session ale." This one uses Specialty 2-Row, Munich, CaraMunich 40, Wheat, and Dark Crystal malts; this uses Warrior, Centennial, and Cascade hops...and is dry hopped with Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe. 

He'Brew Genesis Ale 

In low light, this one pours an amber/orange color, with two fingers of hazy, off-white head. In bright light, this beer's body is bright orange, unfiltered and slightly murky, and you can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles ascending upwards. The head grabs some of those orange tones, and is leaving some nice sticky lacing. 

The aroma on this is solid, with bright candied citrus, caramel, fruit cake, orange cake, cake batter, pine sap, grass, very very faint catty hop, and some elusive fruits. 

This pretty much takes the aroma, and runs with it. I'm getting a lot of bready orange, tons of caramel, lots of sweet pine sap, grass, iced-tea, hints of lemon, hints of light catty hops, and some faint grain/biscuit/coconut. 

Pretty simple stuff here, but this is incredibly balanced and features a vibrant nose, and lots of subtle flavor. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel, with moderate to high carbonation supporting things. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is good for the style. It's a fucking Amber Ale, people. Also, phrasing. Orange and hops up front; sweetness; trailing hops...light, refreshing, great in a 6-pack+ format.

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. There's not much to say here, but what I will say is this is remarkably drinkable, balanced, and full of flavor. For a lighter, Amber Ale, you could do much worse than this. In fact, I've had some pretty dull, boring, and crappy Amber Ales...and this is not that. This one doesn't really cheat the style either by stretching the ABV or IBUs or whatever. Not bad. Food pairings: anything except for maybe pasta and heavy meats. This would be a great beer to drink out of the bottle at a party.

Random Thought: It's weird when you only drink extreme beers for a couple of weeks, and go back to two beers that are a little bit more down to earth. I love a sessionable Brown Ale, and Amber Ales are great too. I feel like the He'Brew Genesis would go especially great with a barbecue...specifically, barbecued ribs. I think the sweetness in this beer would play off ribs wonderfully. But that's just me.