Pipeworks Chai Dog

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #108) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013  (bottled 8/14/2013)

Style/ABV: Milk Stout/Sweet Stout, 10.0% 
Reported IBUs: ?

Welcome to another Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. If you aren't privy to the happenings, the happenings are that on Thursdays I drink Pipeworks beers. Tonight's beer is courtesy of my lovely girlfriend who went out and snagged me a bottle of this beer. Last night I dusted off the Jones Dog, but tonight is all about the Chai, baby. 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. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The back of the Chai Dog bottle reads (this is verbatim/copypasta):

"Chai Dog is our Eastern answer to the coffee-centric caffeine concoctions popular here in the West. This silky smooth milk stout is brewed with cacao nibs, green cardamon, vanilla bean, star anise, black peppercorn and cinnamon. This delicious blend of spices creates a balance and complexity will transport you from your local watering hole to an authentic, old tea house in the heart of Mumbai."

Of course, we all know what vanilla, cacao, anise, peppercorns, and cinnamon taste like. Cardamon is an aromatic spice used in Indian cooking, and Chai is a blend of tea and spices. I actually enjoy chai tea quite a bit, so hopefully this beer will kick ass and take names.

Pipeworks Chai Dog

Like the Jones Dog, this beer pours into a black, dark body. I kicked up a finger of bready, dense, brown head...but the head was reluctant to form, and it faded quickly. You can thank all the spices for that, but as far as I can tell this beer doesn't have any carbonation issues. In bright light, you can not only see how dark and Imperial Stout-like this beer looks, but you can see streams of tiny bubbles rising upwards. There's a brown ring of carbonation around the edges, and swirling the beer kicks up some head, leaves some sticky lacing, and reveals some glossy alcohol legs.

The aroma on this beer is powerfully spicy, like a rapey-spicy pumpkin beer. I'm getting massive cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. This beer smells like two or three other beers I've had: the Sam Adams Merry Mischief Gingerbread Stout, the Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale, and the Southern Tier 2XMAS. This beer isn't quite the Christmas/Pumpkin beer I'm describing it to be. I'm also getting a lot of that green cardamon on the nose, which is super pungent and not-quite-curry and not-quite-ginger. If you sit there and smell the beer for a while, you also get some earthy ash/dirt/coffee. I can only guess how this will taste.

Whew...this -- thankfully -- doesn't taste like a Christmas beer. It doesn't really taste like a Milk Stout either. There's a lot going on here...but the large Stout base and the slight booze presence really helps temper the spice. Up front you get rich, dense, spicy chocolate/cacao. I'm getting a lot of cinnamon, some pepper, and a nutmeg/ginger/cardamon thing. This beer is chewy and dense, so the cacao/chocolate/vanilla thing really sludges along. The spices are earthy, and have a straight up Indian-cuisine vibe. The beer is aggressively sweet, and there's some layers of fruit/caramel/sugars in the mix. There's also some hints of earthy ash/roast/coffee, but it's very subtle.

All this beer really needs is the addition of Jalapenos, and bam! It's a fiesta. This beer is fucking weird, man. I don't mean to go all Pie Style up in this shindig, but yeah. I guess this beer does remind me of Chai Tea, so mission accomplished. This beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel, supported by good carbonation and tingly spice. At 10.0%, you do get some booze. The drinkability is probably going to be low for a lot of people courtesy of the spice, booze, and sticky sweet kisses this beer gives you. Palate depth is good, and I guess this is pretty complex...or intriguing? You get dense

You never go full Pie Style.

cacao/chocolate and spice up front; that rolls into more spice, some caramel/sugar/fruit, vanilla, flat out chai tea, and more cacao; the back end is lingering pepper and spice, some booze, earth/coffee/ash, and a sticky-sweet finish.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I like this beer and I like what is going on here, so I'm going to toss this a Light Above-Average. This beer has a strange appeal...I'd almost throw it into the "foodie" category. This is definitely a beer to pair with foods, and those foods are Mexican cuisine (a mole sauce? mmm) or Indian food. As a standalone beer, this is interesting to try and would be worth splitting with a friend or two. I might even seek something like this out in the late Fall or early Winter months. It kind of feels like a Christmas beer, but it really isn't. Having said all that, this is another excellent Stout from Pipeworks. Their Stout program continues to impress...can't wait to see how their barrel-aged stuff tastes. 

Random Thought: A final, final note about this beer...I know earlier in the review I stated that the huge Stout base and big ABV helps temper the spice. Well, the huge spice in this beer helps temper the sweetness. It all kind of gels in harmony. 

Pipeworks Jones Dog

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #65) bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013  (bottled sometime in 2012?)

Style/ABV: Milk Stout/Sweet Stout, 8.5% 
Reported IBUs: ?

I've been trying to catch up on all the Pipeworks beers I can get my hands on, for no reason other than they are around and I've already had a lot of their stuff. Tonight's beer is especially relevant, because I snagged a bottle of Pipework's Chai Dog...which is this beer + chai. It reasons that I should at least try to try the base beer first, so here we are. 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. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The back of the Jones Dog bottle reads:

"Jones Dog pays homage to our very own brew dog Jonas. Our chocolate lab has been with us since the birth of Pipeworks and so we honor him with this chocolate milk stout. Brewed with cacao nibs and lactose milk sugar, we hope you'll find this brew as smooth and chocolatey as the Jones Dog himself."

Pipeworks Jones Dog: a happy beer

First off, the bottle art on this beer is awesome. It may be my favorite Pipeworks' label. The beer pours into an oily, black body, and kicks up an inch of thick, bready, dark brown head. The beer looks the part of a Stout but actually looks very nice. In bright light you catch some brown tones on the edges. There's a nice hazy coating of head that is hanging around, and this beer coats your glass like a chocolate cumshot. There are alcohol legs that follow behind the sticky brown lacing that coats the glass....very impressive stuff.

Age and time hasn't done this beer wrong. That said, at 8.5% and with the addition of cacao, this beer certainly pushes the Milk Stout envelope into American Stout territory. I'm not even mad. I'm getting a huge blast of chocolate, cocoa, and cacao on the aroma. You also get a shitload of coffee. There's some espresso, coffee grounds, and fresh coffee dust. I'm also getting some earthy/ashy dirt, some coffee creamer/cream/lactose, some burnt sugars and roast, and hints of molasses and sweetness.

The taste goes in a slightly different direction than the nose, with tingly carbonation moving things along, and hints of emerging fruits like grapes and cherry. I'm curious if the grape/cherry in this is a consequence of age, but it's not a bad thing. In addition to the hints of fruit, I'm getting huge cocoa, chocolate...and Tootsie Rolls. This beer kind of tastes like liquefied Tootsie Rolls, with hints of ash/earth and coffee/espresso. The overall taste veers towards sweet, but somehow it never reaches cloying or sickly levels. It's like magic or something.

Actually, Tootsie Rolls are like the perfect candy...you can eat a whole bag of them without feeling bad. They're sweet and sugary (and artificial) without the saccharine assault. The Jones Dog is medium-bodied, and supported by nice carbonation. It's a solid mouthfeel. Palate depth is good, but the complexity is pretty much Tootsie Rolls, earth/ash/coffee, and some hints of fruit. I will commend this beer for being very drinkable. The 8.5% is nowhere to be seen, at all. It's actually kind of frightening  Additionally, this beer never punishes you with sickly lactose sugar..which is good. I'm getting dark fruits, cherries, and Tootsie rolls up front; that rolls into a wash of fruity sweetness, cacao, and more Tootsie Rolls; that fades into ash/earth/coffee, espresso, hints of roast, a hint of lactose, and a nice sticky finish that's a touch dry.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is surprisingly enjoyable for a Milk Stout, so I'm gonna toss it a Decent Above-Average. You definitely get the advertised cacao in this, and the build of this Stout reminds me more of the Pipeworks Abduction series than it does a stereotypical Milk Stout. But again, that's not a bad thing. This beer is cheap, it's available...and it doesn't accost you with lactose, which I can tip my tip to. I'm about to pair this beer with a burger. The earthy/chocolate thing will go well with ice cream, raunchy cheeses and carbohydrates (french fries), or desserts....

Random Thought: I'm thinking about knocking out the Chai Dog tomorrow night, but we'll see. The other downside to Milk Stouts is that they can wreak havoc on your plumbing. Something something joke about Pipeworks. 

De Proefbrouwerij / Cigar City Tropical Tripel

Brewed By: De Proefbrouwerij/Cigar City in Lochristi - Hijfte, Belgium  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 9.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

I'm really excited about tonight's beer, which was a lucky find for me in the Chicago-land area. Tonight's beer is a "Tropical Tripel," a beer brewed with some of the best things in this earthly existence. But more on that in a minute...

De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot) aka "The Proef Brewery," is a Dutch/Flemish brewery founded in 1996 by Dirk Naudt and his wife, Saskia Waerniers. Their brewery is based out of Lochristi, Belgium. Aside from brewing their own beer, The Proef Brewery also contracts out their equipment to other breweries. In addition to all this, Proef also has a Research and Development department dedicated to making their beer better.

Cigar City Brewing is a brewery based out of Tampa, Florida. The company was established in 2008 by Joey Redner, Jr.. In 2008, Redner met brewer Wayne Wambles, and hired him as the brewery's head brewmaster. The rest is tasty beer history.

Tonight's beer is described as a "Belgian Ale aged on oak chips with coconut and peaches." The back of the bottle reads:

"On February 18, 2013 Cigar City Brewers Wayne Wambles and Josh Brengle brought a bit of the Florida tropics to Lochristi, Belgium in the form of this unique Tropical Tripel recipe brewed in collaboration with De Proef Brewmaster Dirk Naudts.

Tropical Tripel was brewed with a classic Trappist yeast and the lesser known Brux III strain of Brettanomyces. During the boil Magnum and Simcoe hops were added along with Belgian candi sugar and lactose for added mouth feel. The beer is finished with additions of toasted coconut, dried peaches and medium toasted oak. We hope you enjoy this this collaboration of brewing styles, cultures, and climate. Cheers!"

And...of course, this beer is part of the "Brewmaster's Collaboration." Need I say any more? No. Into the glass this goes.

In lower light, the beer pours a radiant, but dark, golden-orange color. This one kicked up 3+ fingers of foamy, soapy, off-white head. I know they are calling this beer a Tripel, but the addition of Brett and American Hops almost has to push this into Wild Ale or Specialty Ale territory. In bright light the beer is a hazy golden orange, with moderately active streams of tiny bubbles rising upwards. The head is still soaking up some of the orange from the body, and it's creamy and sustaining. There is some nice lacing.

De Proefbrouwerij/Cigar City Tropical Tripel

The aromatics on this beer are incredible. This smells like everything the Stone R&R Coconut IPA should have been. Let me preface my thoughts on the aroma by saying that we are in the middle of a heat wave. It is both hot and humid out. The temps are pushing the upper 90s, and the humidity is at Florida levels of sticky. This beer couldn't be more timely. You get HUGE toasted coconut and toasted oak on the aroma right away. Swirling the beer unlocks aromas of orange peel, grains of paradise, mango, peach, pineapple, and even some hints of resinous orange. There's a big mango/pineapple/peach + coconut thing at work here, and it's awesome. Beneath all that is some hint at the Belgian yeast, a little sugary/honey/bread thing, and tons of orange peel/grains of paradise. Fuckin' A.

The taste immediately reminds me of the Founders' Mango Magnifico (without the Habanero, of course). Only instead of getting blasted with mango, you get blasted with huge peach. There's big peach in this, along with toasted oak/coconut, lots of pineapple, mango, and citrus...and bitterness? Yeah, the citrus takes a turn towards catty and fairly bitter mid palate. It's gotta be the Simcoe hops. You get bitter citrus and peach, with some catty Simcoe-hop-kick. The back palate rounds out with some woody Bretty dryness, more oak, and some booze. The booze in this beer has some bite and complexity, with hints of rum...I'm assuming the toasted coconut and the toasted oak add synergy to the booze. The backbone of this beer is somewhat bready and sweet, which is nice.

I've already read one review calling this beer cloyingly sweet. Pffft, talk about amateur hour. It's a Tripel, homie. Brewed with Belgian candi sugar. Do you even Belgian beers? This beer is off the hook in terms of drinkability, with refreshing peach/coconut, solid hop bitterness, and a drying, Brett-driven finish. Do I even need to mention the awesome palate depth or high complexity? At 9.5%, you get some booze, but it's the complex coconut-oak-rum variety. The mouthfeel is medium-full, and there's plenty of carbonation to go around. Peaches, toasted coconut, and pineapple, mango, etc. up front; that rolls into mango, citrus, orange, and catty Simcoe hops; that rolls into lingering coconut, oak, grain, complex rum/booze, and a dry Brett-driven finish. 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This beer is channeling summer vibes, and I would definitely buy this again...and in fact, I just might do that if it's still available later in the week. It's a bit pricey at ~15 dollars a bottle, but this is fairly complicated stuff. What I really dig about this beer is the clearly detectable toasted coconut and oak in both the aroma and taste. You also get tons of peaches and tropical fruits, a nice amount of hoppy citrus, and some really nice Brett dryness. I suspect this will age well, but you will probably lose out on some of the coconut. If this is conditioned, and I assume it is, the Brett will step up to kick some ass. It could be a fun cellaring experiment. I would pair this beer with sushi, a Hawaiian burger, beach food, and a mother fucking beach. Or...a nice summer night. If you like Tripels half as much as I do, check this beer out.

Random Thought: On a serious note, there's some real cognitive dissonance at work. It's 90 degrees out, and I'm seeing pumpkin beers on shelves. That is not okay. I'm going to need the weather to whip into shape so I can enjoy Autumn beers and football in a few weeks.

Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

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

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (2011 bottle???)

Style/ABV: Eisbock, 12.0%

Eisbock...I haven't talked about those yet. Thankfully, it's like the most straightforward twist on a popular style of beer. Eisbock is a traditional Kulmbach beer, brewed by freezing a Doppelbock (freeze distillation, baby) and removing the ice to concentrate the flavor and alcohol. I guess I am kind of half-assing it, since my homies at The German Beer Institute have a lengthy write-up on the style. 

Obviously, this style is pronounced "Ice-Bock," only in ze Germans. Ice Bocks are a warming, nourishing, comforting beer -- perfect for the winter. These strong beers benefit from the fact that water freezes before alcohol, so you can remove the water from beer (or any alcoholic solution) to increase alcohol concentration. Eisbocks are members of the Bockbier family, and are most similar to Doppelbocks. The style should have some alcohol present, but as a "fiery afterglow," not a harsh assault. This is as style of beer intended to be sipped like a Sherry or Port...which is funny, because many American breweries have pushed the envelope well past 12.0% ABV. You can read more about the accidental discovery (or alleged history) of the Eisbock at the German Beer Institute...and definitely do, their website is the tits.

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). 

The Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock is a hearty beer. Punching in at 12.0%, this beer is described as featuring aromas of ripe plum, almonds, marzipan, banana, and clove. Ratebeer has a blurb about how Aventinus re-discovered the Eisbock by accident, when prior to the 1940s Aventinus would ship their beers across Bavaria in containers that didn't have temperature control. I'm curious how that story holds up, but I'm no beer historian. Anyway...

Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

The beer pours a raisin, dark brown, cola-black color, with a hazy body. This beer looks like it has some age on it, and if the "2011" by the bottle number indicates anything, it's that this beer has seen some serious shit. With an aggressive pour I kicked up a finger or two of tan head, but that rapidly fizzled away. There's a ring of tan lacing on the edges, and swirling the beer unlocks some sexy alcohol legs. In bright light the beer is a dark golden raisin/grape/swamp brown color. Ain't no light shining through this murky stuff.

When I was pouring this I was getting aromas of raisin bread, and hot damn, I love raisin bread. This has a sweet aroma, with lots of wheat, and HUGE banana. I'm also getting BIG banana bread...like, melted banana bread. There's some clove, bubble gum, waves of raisins and grapes, hints of leather, and an earthy, wine-like aroma. The nose is also velvety and smooth...hinting at what I'm likely about to taste.

This is some nice shit. This is super smooth, but it retains a wheat beer quality without going full Doppelbock...but it's still very clean. There's some booze in this, but it's a warming heat more than anything. I'm getting big wheat, banana, banana bread, raisins, grapes, berries, blueberry syrup, almost maple/maple syrup, and a big kiss of heat...the heat is fantastic, without any tannin presence or kick. It's like a super smooth port wine or something. As you pick up the heat towards the back palate, you get those complex berries and fruits with the booze, along with kisses of sugary maple. Really fantastic stuff.

This is dense, full-bodied, and has growing heat/booze on the finish, followed by sticky sweetness. I should say, the wheat and smoothness of this beer help carry it front to mid-palate, where it is more like a medium-full beer. Palate depth is divine, and complexity is alright. I feel like this could go places...but it's still fantastic. Wheat, banana, clove, banana bread up front; that rolls into a touch of hop bite, almonds, marzipan, complex fruits, grapes, raisins, burgeoning berries and booze; the back end is warming heat, berries, maple syrup, complex sugars, and fade to a hot, sticky finish (oh..la...la).

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'll go with a Decent Divine Brew. I'm really enjoying the way this beer works across the palate, providing a nice variety of flavors and finishing with a fantastically complex boozy/warming back end. This beer would be dynamite in the winter months. I know there are stronger beers out there, but for whatever reason, the 12.0% in this beer really gets the job done. I'm feeling a lot of warming in my tummy, and it's pleasant and nice. I would drink this beer by itself, or pair it with some pecan pie. You could also pair this beer with something really spectacular, like a super raunchy burger, duck, or something like that. This sells for like 6 or 7 bucks a bottle...which is a steal. Check this out.

Random Thought: I love three-day weekends. And the best part isn't just the holiday weekend, it's the fact that the following work week is only four days long. Four days to go...

Val-Dieu Triple

Brewed By: Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu in Aubel, Belgium 

Purchased: 11.2oz/330ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Tripel, 9.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Fuck Sunday nights. About Val-Dieu:

The Cistercian Abbey “Notre Dame du Val-Dieu” was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, near Maastricht (the capital city of the Dutch province of Limburg) and the county of Dalhem. The legend goes that the uninhabited valley into which they settled was so hostile the locals called it the "valley of the devil." The monks renamed it "Valley of God," or Val-Dieu in French. Val-Dieu was the only Belgian abbey to survive the French Revolution. Today, the abbey is still linked to the Cistercian Order, and the abbey of Lérins.  

According to Wikipedia, the abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of Limburg Succession, and again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and again in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV. Under Abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 to 1749, the abbey flourished, until the church was destroyed again in the French Revolution. 

The brewery (Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu) was established in 1997 at the abbey farm. Originally, the monks of Val-Dieu brewed beer to make the water drinkable and to avoid diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. The beers brewed at the abbey today are inspired by the original recipes of the monks. The abbey emphasizes basic ingredients, a rigorous brewing process, and straight up legit water from the regional Gileppe dam. For more info, check out the abbey's website, or the Val-Dieu website.

The The Val-Dieu Triple is the result of a long fermentation and lots of sugar...I dunno, the Val-Dieu website doesn't really elaborate very much, and why the fuck should they. If you are buying offbeat Abbey beers, odds are you know what a Tripel is.

Val-Dieu Triple

I shook this beer like a satanic baby prior to pouring it, but damn this is some dark, murky stuff. As you can see, the beer takes on a dark gold/brown body, and it's swampy and gritty. The head is pristine, all white and elegant and coming with two fingers. Oh, entendres. In bright light the beer is a hazy golden-orange. Head retention is nice, there's some lacing, and if you brave a full pour you'll see lots of suspended yeast in the mix. Good times.

Honestly, the aroma here is kind of one-dimensional. I'm getting a lot of floral notes, and HUGE apple juice. Lots and lots of apple juice. Along with the apple juice is some shades of raisin, wheat, and some clove. And that's about it.

The taste is creamy and smooth, and hides the booze magnificently. You wouldn't know this was punching in at 9.0%, and that's the intent. There's a lot of wheat notes in this, with some light bitterness towards the back, and some peppery/phenol spice. The front is loaded with lots of apples, some lemons, perfume, a touch of Belgian candi sugar, and hints of hop bitterness. Notably absent is any dominant orange, but I suppose that happens. 

I see now why they don't go into great lengths to describe this beer...this is very much standard stuff, if that. This has a creamy, smooth, medium-full mouthfeel. Palate depth is par the course, as is complexity. The 9.0% is hidden well, but the taste is mostly apples and wheat up front with creamy head; some creamy head and clove in the middle, with some growing apple/lemon hop bitterness; perfume/spices/phenol on the back, with lingering wheat and apples. The finish is a touch dusty, a touch dry, and works.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. There's nothing going on here that exceeds expectations or anything like that. This works: it hides the booze well, has a rustic vibe, and finishes with a nice dusty/cellar twist. Aside from that, you get a lot of wheat, and some sweeter apples with hints of raisins and lemons. I would pair this beer with chicken or turkey, or a peppery steak, and some potatoes and carrots. This is about on par with the Val-Dieu Blond, but right now the Val-Dieu Brown/Brune/Dubbel is the clear winner.

Random Thought: I had the most amazing burger today at Au Cheval. The burger was greasy, dense, and topped with bacon and cheese. It was over-the-top and will be one of many things that results in my heart attack, but it was worth it. 

Founders Bolt Cutter

Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Friar Tuck in Urbana, IL; 2013 (2012 Release)
Style/ABV: American Barleywine, 15.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer has been a year in the making. I stumbled upon this beer twice last year, once in Michigan over Thanksgiving weekend, and once again in Urbana. I snagged a bottle the second time around. The full name of tonight's beer is: Founders Backstage Series #5: 15th Anniversary Bolt Cutter Barley Wine. Too many words. About Founders:

Founders is the holy grail of Michigan brewing. Based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders was founded in 1997 by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, and produces some of the best beer in the world. If you haven't heard of Founders...well, what are you doing? Get on that, now.

The story goes, back when Founders was located on Monroe, they were defaulting on their loans. The bank called and threatened to chain the doors shut if they didn't pay up. Founders had seven days to come up with half a million dollars. So co-founder, Dave Engbers, bought a pair of bolt cutters, determined to keep brewing beer no matter what. As part of Founders' Backstage Series of beers, the Bolt Cutter was brewed to celebrate 15 years of brewing, and to remind everyone how far Founders has come since brewing their first beer in November 1997.

The Bolt Cutter is an extreme beer in every regard. Punching in at 15%, this beer is dry-hopped with Cascade hops, and balanced by huge malty sweetness and spicy complexity. This beer is technically a blend, with some of the beer aged in bourbon barrels, some in maple syrup-bourbon barrels, and some not aged in any barrels. The beer was then allowed to mature in bottles and kegs for four months. This beer should expand and open up as it warms.

Full disclaimer: this is a huge beer, and I'm a pussy. I'll probably take some tasting notes now, and come back later and finish this up. 

Founders Bolt Cutter

In lower light, the beer pours a hazy amber/orange color, with a pinky's worth of caramel-tinted head. You can see some carbonation too. My first observation in bright light is: "Damn. Look at those tears/alcohol legs. So glossy." In bright light, the beer is a dark orange/tangerine/blood orange, almost veering towards brown or amber. There's a lot of carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles streaming upwards, and there's a lot of creamy head settling atop the beer, like ocean foam. And dat lacing and those alcohol legs. It looks the part of a Barleywine.

Even after a year of age, right away I'm getting blasted with a ton of resinous citrus on the nose. There's big grapefruit and orange. After the citrus, I'm picking up lots of malt: caramel, brown sugar, pine sap, maple syrup. There's a splash of bourbon, and some nuttiness/marzipan. As this warms, the malt density and barrel character starts to come out a bit more on the nose.

Wow, this is impressively dense stuff. The mouthfeel is dangerously thick, and I'm getting tons of maple, sap, sugary grapefruit and orange, lemon, and light barrel character. Huzzah. There's tons of complex sugars in this this, with brown sugar, molasses, and lightly burnt sugar. At this point, the barrel character and hop character both seem fairly integrated into the beer, with splashes of orange that are lemon-like or pine-like. There's some hints of wood and bourbon, as well as booze, but it all gels together. 

A year of time has evidently done this beer well. This really opens up as it warms up. When it is a bit cooler, the hops seem a bit more prominent. As this warms up the malt sweetness really pops, and oh is it good. The malt sweetness, barrel character, and hops all integrate into something that is pretty damn smooth for 15% ABV. This is boozy, but I'm not having any issues with drinkability. And more importantly  this is not cloying or overpowering like some American Barlyewines (it is cloying...just not in a bad way). The palate depth is great, complexity is good. This is full-bodied, dense, sticky, and sweet. I'm getting a blast of malts, cherries, pine/maple sap, and brown sugar up front; that rolls into lemon, pine, resinous hops, spice, brown sugar; the back end gives way to some bourbon/booze, light wood and barrel, and a dry, sticky, boozy finish.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. I've been nursing this for the past few hours during the Bears' preseason game, and it's been drinking real nice. This is a well-made American Barleywine. It definitely seems to lean towards the hoppy side of things, but as this warms up some nice malts and sugary complexity come out. As the balance shifts towards something a bit more even, the beer starts to really pop. MAKE NO MISTAKE, though, this is an in-your-face, American-style Barleywine. This is pure, unadulterated, American goodness. This does not dial up the malt complexity to 11. Much of the sweetness in this beer comes from the booze, the sticky citrus hops, and the barrel. If you have a bottle of this in your cellar, you can drink it confidently today, or wait another year. You can pair this beer with creme brule, a cigar, pecan pie, or just drink it all by itself. This is a great sipping beer, or a beer to share with some friends. This is a fun beer, and a good example of a style that I'm not a huge fan of. With that said, I'd rather see Founders put a Stout in their maple barrels. 

Random Thought: Speaking of the Bears, their offense looks alright against the super crappy Oakland Raiders. However, this team seriously lacks depth. Once we pulled the starters...eh. We have a long way to go, but I'm super curious to see how our offense looks against a real team.

Pipeworks Smoked Porter (20% Smoked Malt)

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #86) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (bottled 2.15.13)

Style/ABV: Smoked Porter, 7.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Pipeworks has been busy rolling out new beers on a weekly basis, and I still haven't caught up to all of their old stuff. That's good news for Pipeworks, bad news for my liver, and.....///drumroll///...my cue to announce another Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. There's something about smoked beers that screams Autumn, and this beer should hit the spot tonight. 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. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The Smoked Porter is brewed with 20% smoked malt. The back of the bottle states:

"Pipeworks Smoked Porter is brewed with classic rauch malt and cherrywood smoked malt, totalling 20% of the grist. This first offering in our smoked series starts with a rich malt base with hints of roast, finishing with a moderate level of smoky campfire-goodness. We'll be brewing this one with different levels of smokiness throughout the year, so we're sure to find something with just the right amount of smoke for you!"

This shouldn't happen.

I love how I vicariously learn how to brew beer through Pipeworks. Opening the cap yielded a loud "POP" and beer gushed out the side. And this is a first for me: the all foam pour. I've never actually poured a beer that has been ALL foam. Crazy. For what it's worth, I'll take an over-carbonated bottle of beer versus an under-carbonated one every day out of the week. Also, the picture to the right was taken about 30 seconds after I poured it. That half inch of beer in the bottom of the glass was not present when I first poured this beer. It was LITERALLY* all foam. (* and fuck you, Oxford, for trying to change the definition of literally).

Once the PCP-driven head chills the fuck out, you are left with a dark, cola-black body, and a mountain of foamy, brown head. The head to body ratio on this beer would make Giada De Laurentiis blush. In bright light, the body of this beer is a murky brown, total swamp haze, and the head has woody brown tones. 

The good news is that this smells authentic and delicious. I'm getting lots of smoked wood, dry sauna, BBQ, some smoked pork, a hint of roast, and really nice smoked malt complexity. Unlike the amateur homebrew pour, this smells like the real deal.

Pipeworks Smoked Porter (20%)

Weird...I was expecting a lot more of the smoked malt up front, and a lighter body. This has Stout-like thickness, with dense chocolate and coffee up front, that gives way to smoke, smoked wood, and smokey chocolate. The back end dials up some big roast, and you get lingering smoked malt on the back. This sort of defies what I've come to expect from both Rauchbiers and Porters. The huge pull up front also digs up some sweetness, maybe molasses? Dark fruits? Hmmm.

So, I really dig this. The smoke is nuanced and subtle, and there's a dense, full body that reminds me of a hearty Stout. And all at 7.0%, which is completely under the radar. The drinkability of this beer is too damn high! The balance in this beer seems out of whack...but it works. It's an idiot savant, but whatever. Palate depth is phenomenal. Complexity is average. You get huge malt density, chocolate, molasses, dark fruits, roast, and smoke up front; that rolls into big roasty smoke, barbecue, hints of pork; the back end trails with roast and smoke (with wood, sauna), and the finish is smokey and dry. So nuanced, so awesome.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I fucking love this, and I'm throwing this a Strong Above-Average. The balance doesn't suggest a Porter or Rauchbier, this is all Stout baby. And you know what? That makes this beer all the more impressive. At 7.0%, this has the density of a much higher gravity beer. That's awesome. My only complaint is the carbonation issue, but again: I'd rather have too much carbonation than no carbonation. At 7 or 8 bucks a bottle, this beer is worth checking out. Grab a bottle while it's still out there, if you can. I'm about to pair this beer with a salami sandwich of toasted bread, but this would go wonderfully with a pulled pork or anything BBQ. Awesome, awesome stuff.

Random Thought: I'm really enjoying the progress that Pipeworks is making. I still think Two Brothers and Revolution have the edge in terms of making consistent, refined beer, but if Pipeworks keeps this up the future will be bright.

Val-Dieu Brune (The Brown Val-Dieu)

Brewed By: Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu in Aubel, Belgium 

Purchased: 11.2oz/330ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Ah, the infamous doubleheader. Much more enjoyable when your team isn't the 2013 White Sox and they don't suck. About Val-Dieu:

The Cistercian Abbey “Notre Dame du Val-Dieu” was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, near Maastricht (the capital city of the Dutch province of Limburg) and the county of Dalhem. The legend goes that the uninhabited valley into which they settled was so hostile the locals called it the "valley of the devil." The monks renamed it "Valley of God," or Val-Dieu in French. Val-Dieu was the only Belgian abbey to survive the French Revolution. Today, the abbey is still linked to the Cistercian Order, and the abbey of Lérins.  

According to Wikipedia, the abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of Limburg Succession, and again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and again in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV. Under Abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 to 1749, the abbey flourished, until the church was destroyed again in the French Revolution. 

The brewery (Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu) was established in 1997 at the abbey farm. Originally, the monks of Val-Dieu brewed beer to make the water drinkable and to avoid diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. The beers brewed at the abbey today are inspired by the original recipes of the monks. The abbey emphasizes basic ingredients, a rigorous brewing process, and straight up legit water from the regional Gileppe dam. For more info, check out the abbey's website, or the Val-Dieu website.

The Brown Val-Dieu is described as having a coffee/mocha character, with some roasted malt character and spice.

Val-Dieu Brune (The Brown Val-Dieu)

Like the Blond, this beer was eager to leave the bottle, and poured with crackling, cackling carbonation. The beer pours into a cola-black body, and a centimeter of head quickly peaced out like some Date Sugar Yeast Magik shit. In bright light this beer is a hazy raisin-purple, and there's a brown ring of carbonation clinging to the edge of the glass. Agitating the beer does kick up some head.

The aroma here is more of the same stuff you get on the Blond: lots of wheat, perfume, fruity esters, and Belgian phenol stuff. There's a heavier chalky aroma coming from this, along with some hints of underlying booze, roast, and dark fruits. I'm getting some grapes, plums, raisins, and hints of rum.

You get a lot of chalky dark fruits in this, with some big boozy phenols, and some smoke and roast in the back. The surprise twist in this? The blast of mocha and chocolate towards the back. I'm getting rum, grapes, plums, perfume/phenols, hints of pepper, boozy depth, some powder/dust, and that malty blast of anise/smoke/roast/mocha/chocolate. The depth of flavors is nice.

It's apples and oranges to compare this Brown to the Blond, but the Blond was middling compared to similar beers. This beer is a legit contender in the Abbey Dubbel ring. The mouthfeel is medium-full to full-bodied, with creamy carbonation smoothing everything over, and chalky density with some hints of powder/dust and spice in the back. Palate depth is outstanding, with each sip taking you on a journey, and each journey lasting 15-30 seconds. Complexity is also good. I'm getting a blast of wheat/stone fruits, and then dark fruits up front with some rum; that rolls into boozy perfume and phenol, peppery spice, chalky density; the back has chalky malts, anise, smoke, roast, mocha, chocolate, and finishes seductively boozy with lingering spice. At 8.0%, this has seductive booziness, but drinkability is high.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Hot damn, this is a good Belgian Dubbel. The expansion of flavors across the palate is top notch. I would buy this beer in a 4-pack or 6-pack format, or by the bomber. Like the Blond, this has a vinous quality that might work with Parmesan chicken and spaghetti with a red sauce, anything with a red wine sauce, purple potatoes or potatoes in general, rustic dishes, and meats and cheese, of course.

Random Thought: Does anyone else remember the second Sox game in that double header that went until 1am? No? I don't either, and I doubt the 7 people that were left in the stands at 1am remember either. 2014, baby.

Val-Dieu Blond

Brewed By: Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu in Aubel, Belgium 

Purchased: 11.2oz/330ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Blonde Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Intrigued by the Val-Dieu beer glass that I purchased, I went looking for some of their beer. I ended up finding their Grand Cru/Quad, and a gift pack thing with three of their beers. So off we go. About Val-Dieu:

The Cistercian Abbey “Notre Dame du Val-Dieu” was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, near Maastricht (the capital city of the Dutch province of Limburg) and the county of Dalhem. The legend goes that the uninhabited valley into which they settled was so hostile the locals called it the "valley of the devil." The monks renamed it "Valley of God," or Val-Dieu in French. Val-Dieu was the only Belgian abbey to survive the French Revolution. Today, the abbey is still linked to the Cistercian Order, and the abbey of Lérins.  

According to Wikipedia, the abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of Limburg Succession, and again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and again in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV. Under Abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 to 1749, the abbey flourished, until the church was destroyed again in the French Revolution. 

The brewery (Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu) was established in 1997 at the abbey farm. Originally, the monks of Val-Dieu brewed beer to make the water drinkable and to avoid diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. The beers brewed at the abbey today are inspired by the original recipes of the monks. The abbey emphasizes basic ingredients, a rigorous brewing process, and straight up legit water from the regional Gileppe dam. For more info, check out the abbey's website, or the Val-Dieu website.

The Val-Dieu Blond is described as a fresh, light beer. Punching in at 6.0%, this is the lightest (or one of the lightest) of the Val-Dieu mainstay offerings.

Val-Dieu Blond

The beer pours a hazy yellow/straw color, with a swampy body that looks like murky pond water. There's some yeast floating around, and the beer kicked up a finger of white, crackling head. This one gushed, so I let some air escape before fully popping the cap. What looks like bukkake Mona Lisa in low light looks like Mona all done up for prom night in bright light. The beer has a radiant golden body in bright light, with a pinky of hazy white head that left magnificent spider web lacing behind. There's also streams of tiny carbonation bubbles, of the likes of Duvel.

The aroma reminds me of the aged Schneider Aventinus. You get lots of wheat, big perfume, fruity esters, and huge fruity sugars. I'm getting Juicy Fruit, caramelized apples sprinkled with sugar, apple juice, wheat, prunes, apricots, and hints of darker fruits, and some hints of boozy phenols.

You get much of the same stuff in the taste, with a smack of funk, some clove, a touch of saffron/flowers/honey, and some light powder/dust towards the back. I'm getting lots of wheat, apples, pineapple, some floral hop bitterness, perfumey yeast, and some light dusted lemon.

This is very much standard stuff. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, creamy, smooth, and supported by pillows of carbonation. Palate depth and complexity are both par the course, and this is drinkable with pleasant perfume-y phenols. You get creamy head and fruits up front; that rolls into more fruits and wheat with some light hop kick; the back end has some of the perfume/phenol/powder. The finish is light and not very drying. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. There's not much to see here, but this beer has the authentic trimmings of a Belgian Blond. It's more enjoyable than something like a Leffe Blonde, minus the price and availability, of course. And it doesn't tack on the "e" for the dumbass American market. Or should I say the French American market. Wee wee. Freedom fries, what? You can pair this here beer with cheeses and meats, but that's not thinking outside the box. There's an almost wine-like quality to this beer, so you could also pair it with lighter pasta and mussels or something of that ilk.  

Random Thought: And now for part 2...

Allagash Fluxus 2013

Brewed By: Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine  

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

Style/ABV: Porter, 6.4%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer was a random hook-up. I saw "ale brewed with blood oranges," and like orange pasties at a rave I was drawn in without checking my shit. The next morning I realized the gravity of my situation, and I did the only thing you can do when you're given oranges. Put them in your ass. About Allagash:

Allagash is a brewery based out of Portland, Maine. The company was founded in 1995 by Rob Tod, who designed a 15-barrel brewhouse, and began brewing some of the first American Belgian-style ales. Rob found success with the Allagash White, and expanded his operation. In 2001, Allagash began caging, corking, and bottle conditioning their beers. Since then, they have continued to celebrate Belgian-style beer.

The Fluxus is part of Allagash's Tribute Series. Allagash donates $1.00 from every bottle sold to a different group, organization, or fund. The Fluxus is brewed every year to commemorate the anniversary of Allagash's first beer sold in July 1995. As indicated on the bottle, "fluxus" means flowing or continuous change. Every year Fluxus is brewed with a different recipe. The 2013 Fluxus is a porter brewed with 2-row, coffee, and chocolate malts, with blood orange pulp and zest. If you know me, you know that I love coffee and citrus, and think the pairing is fabulous. This beer was hopped using Perle, Tettnang, and Glacier hops. The beer is finished with Belgian Abbey yeast. Described as a full-bodied beer with chocolate, roast, and orange notes, this beer should be anything but boring. Last and most importantly, for every Fluxus 2013 sold, $1.00 goes to the Allagash Pediatric Nurses Scholarship at the Maine Medical Center. 

Allagash Fluxus 2013 

The 2013 Fluxus pours a cola-black color with one to two fingers of dark, coffee/khaki/brown head. In bright light the beer has radiant shades of ruby and red on the edges, with a brown/black center. There's a torch of carbonation exploding off the glasses' nucleation point, and a pinky of head is sustaining nicely as you might expect (thanks Belgian yeast). 

The aroma is spicy and smokey and earthy, and I'm getting some leather. There's big peppery spice, coffee, chicory, some very woody chocolate/vanilla, and faint orange fruit. 

This is pretty easy-going, with lots of peppery spice, coffee, chicory, hints of light, earthy, Noble-esque hops, a kiss of orange, and some woody roast. Some velvety chocolate comes and goes, and there are hints of anise and black licorice in the mix. The Belgian Yeast is spicy and assertive, and drops some hints of dark fruits, and the whole thing has hints of earth and smoke.

As far as Porters go, this is very nice. Certainly up there with a Stone or Firestone. This is medium-bodied with good palate depth and good complexity. The 6.4% is completely hidden, despite a few reports that this is boozy and dense. What? This has good density/body, but in the best way possible. I guess my only thought is the blood orange could be a bit more pronounced, and for the grocery list of ingredients, I'm mostly getting coffee, roast, and some wood/earth/smoke. You get roast, a kiss of orange, and coffee/chicory up front; that rolls into earth, smoke, some peppery spice and Belgian yeast, and some hop kick; the back end is smoke, anise, some dark fruits and pepper, more roast, and fade to dry. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

 

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I'm a pretty tough critic regarding Porters, and this is certainly up there with the better ones. There's a nice underlying complexity here, and the Belgian yeast actually provides a nice subtle twist to this beer. I wish the orange was a bit more pronounced, but what can you do. Bottles of this were selling between 15 and 20, which is a lot. I wouldn't necessarily prioritize this, but it's worth checking out if you're looking for a good Porter. This is certainly comparable to Stone's Smoked Porter or something like that. I would pair this beer with meaty pizza, dry chocolate cake, a raunchy burger with fries, poutine, or anything playing off the chocolate/cheese thing. You could also pair this with ice cream or vanilla. 

Random Thought: I'm glad it is hump day, because I'm ready for the weekend. Is that bad? Probably. 

New Belgium Pumpkick

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I can't believe Pumpkin beers are already on shelves. Well, some of them are. Like Shipyard's cinnamon soda, Pumkinhead. That beer is like the Miller Lite of Pumpkin beer. Like, someone dumped cinnamon and allspice into a Miller Lite. And then you have Pumking, which apparently already hit shelves. There's supposed to be a second wave, but what the hell? Anyway, New Belgium, of all breweries, has a lot of experience brewing pumpkin beers and Autumn seasonals at this point. For those reasons, I happily gambled on tonight's beer, even in mid-August. About New Belgium:

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. At this point in time, New Belgium has mainstream fame from their Fat Tire, and craft beer credit for their sour beers. New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. You can read more about New Belgium if you check out their company page, and definitely cruise their website.

The Pumpkick is a is a spiced pumpkin ale, brewed with pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, lemongrass, and cranberries for a little tart twist. This looks to be the 2013 Fall Seasonal, and my early impressions are this is pretty tasty. 

New Belgium Pumpkick

The beer pours into a dark, brownish-orange color, and kicks up two fingers of off-white head. In bright light this beer is a dashing Autumn-orange, and the creamy, porridge-like head is soaking up nice orange/amber tones. There's some moderately busy carbonation in the beer, and this looks to be semi transparent. I suspect there will be lacing and all that good stuff.

You get a lot of nutmeg on the nose, along with some pumpkin, a tart note (cranberry?), tart wheat character, some tart pumpkin, and raw pumpkin seeds. There's also some hints of sugary stuff, probably from the cinnamon.

I'm reminded of the New Belgium Kick, without any hint of sour. Lots of meaty, cooked pumpkin comes through: it reminds me of Thanksgiving, turkey, and gravy. The pumpkin mingles with some caramel/bread malt sweetness, and the advertised cranberry does come through. There's a hint of tart wheat pop on the back, along with maybe a touch of hop bite. There's a layer of nutmeg and cinnamon that is present throughout, but not overly assertive.

At 6.0%, this is targeting the "standard" pumpkin ale market. That is, this isn't an Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and it doesn't come in a fancy bomber. This compares favorably to other similar beers, and it might even rise to the top with a nice balance between real pumpkin flavors, light tartness, and mild malt. It's not bad, with good palate depth, above-average complexity, and good drinkability. The mouthfeel is medium-light, and the carbonation is lively and present. The only thing that might hinder drinkability is some light astringency that I assume are tannins from the cranberries or pumpkin. After a quick wash of tart wheat, I get big pumpkin, Thanksgiving trimmings, and toast up front; that rolls into cranberry, a hint of hop bitterness, pumpkin seeds; the back end lays some sweet malt, lingering pumpkin, and the whole thing has underlying nutmeg and cinnamon.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. I almost went Above-Average, because I feel like this beer is in the B-range, but there's an astringency that grows as you work through this that I'm unsure of. That same astringency is probably the result of the cranberry and lemongrass (and wheat???) twist. It's a case of damned if you do, and damned if you don't. However, I actually think the cranberry twist works here, and the whole beer has a very Thanksgiving-dinner vibe. The best part is 6-packs of this cost 7 or 8 bucks. I would pair this beer with Thanksgiving food, a turkey sandwich, or chicken and rustic potatoes. This is a very good pumpkin beer with a twist, just make sure you keep the twist in mind.

Random Thought: Pumpkin beers are some of my favorite things, so I always welcome Pumpkin beer season...even if it is only August.