Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL
Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #279-288) bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled ??.??.2014)
Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?
It's Thursday night so you know how we do. I'm talking about tonight's beer, which was a random shelf grab...but will hopefully taste amazing. Oh, and it's a Pipeworks beer and tonight is Thursday. That means it is an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!!! Woo. About Pipeworks:
"Nelson Sauvin hops, Belgian yeast, and black Raspberries?! What's this abbot? Brother Razbeardo may be razz'n you, but he's not kidding around; this ale is a slam monk. The juicy hop aroma will entrappe you, while the tart black raspberries and warm, spicy yeast character will make you speechless. Brother's brewed a real zen outta zen. Better pour this one on the dubbel!"
Oh puns. And hey! How about that. The Razbeardo pours into an opaque, purple body, kicking up a finger of purple-orange-purple head. That is totally unexpected. Bright light confirms this purple beer, which looks like some Lindemans' fruit lambic thing or beet juice. There's some visible carbonation in the mix, and some sea foam head retention, and nice lacing.
This may be the best smelling Pipeworks' beer I've had in a long time. The aroma is exploding with Nelson Sauvin hops, which impart an aroma reminiscent of the hoppy side of a Black IPA. I'm getting tons of passion fruit, leafy berries, grapes/plums/dark fruits, and some resinous/oily/sappy lemon. Pine sol grape passion fruit mmmm. The hops absolutely dominate this beer's aroma, and I'm just picking up a hint of bready caramel malt base. I would not peg black raspberries in a blind smelling...I might even call this beer some sort of Black IPA based on the aroma alone. A'i'g'h't. Let's have a sip.
Wow. Gooooodddd Goddd Damnnn! Wow! This shit is legit. This has to be one of the best things that Pipeworks has done, ever. You get bum rushed with a mix of the Dubbel base and Nelson Sauvin hops up front. We're talking about a double dose of dark fruits, grapes, plums, passion fruit, subtle caramel and brown sugar, some toffee, mild perfume and Belgian spice...the hops provide balance to the malt sweetness, and give the beer much needed bitterness and character. Once you transition to mid-palate the bitterness picks up with some resinous hops and hard dark sugar. And then on the back end: mother fucking raspberries. Raspberries man, the elusive fruit absent in the aroma. You get juicy/fruity raspberries on the back. And it finishes hoppy and dry.
This beer is fantastic. Dumb luck or not, the combination of a Belgian-style Dubbel with raspberries and Nelson Sauvin hops works. First, this beer isn't overly complex. Then again, many of the Pipeworks beers aren't. They are simple, straightforward beers. And there's nothing wrong with that. But this beer is incredibly balanced, has good palate depth and duration, and features flavors that gel. The 10.0% ABV is completely undetectable. The mouthfeel is medium-full, featuring slightly low levels of carbonation. I suspect this one might condition in the bottle with some time. You get sugars and malt sweetness up front, which quickly turns into a mesh of Belgian Dubbel dark fruits and Nelson Sauvin fruitiness (passion fruit, grapes, etc); the middle rolls into some resinous lemon and hops, with some lingering dark sugars, and growing raspberry; the back hits you with raspberry, lingering Nelson Sauvin hops, and finishes bitter and malty. It's just so vibrant, refreshing, and balanced.
Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is a Strong Divine Brew...just wow. I was not expecting this. It's amazing what Nelson Sauvin hops can do. But really, what defines this beer is how unique it is, and the incredible harmony and balance it strikes. This is just really fucking impressive. I imagine that there is even room for improvement, tweaking the carbonation up front, maybe adding some more hops? I dunno. Compared to the Blue Beardo and Date Sugar Yeast Magik, this beer is miles ahead. Dear Pipeworks, brew this again for me. K, thnx, <3. Food pairings: duck, honey ham, glazed meats, anything with a sweet sauce, Korean Barbecue, tartar, grilled meats, strong cheeses, and pork chops. I'm really feeling the pork chop vibe.
Random Thought: I came into this with low expectations, I left happy. Stay tuned for next week...I have another interesting Pipeworks beer coming down the shoot.
Reported IBUs: ?
It's Thursday night so you know how we do. I'm talking about tonight's beer, which was a random shelf grab...but will hopefully taste amazing. Oh, and it's a Pipeworks beer and tonight is Thursday. That means it is an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!!! Woo. 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.
Tonight's beer is another beer in Pipeworks' series of Belgian-style Dubbels. The first one was their Date Sugar Yeast Magik, followed by their Blue Beardo. The back of the bottle states:
"Nelson Sauvin hops, Belgian yeast, and black Raspberries?! What's this abbot? Brother Razbeardo may be razz'n you, but he's not kidding around; this ale is a slam monk. The juicy hop aroma will entrappe you, while the tart black raspberries and warm, spicy yeast character will make you speechless. Brother's brewed a real zen outta zen. Better pour this one on the dubbel!"
Oh puns. And hey! How about that. The Razbeardo pours into an opaque, purple body, kicking up a finger of purple-orange-purple head. That is totally unexpected. Bright light confirms this purple beer, which looks like some Lindemans' fruit lambic thing or beet juice. There's some visible carbonation in the mix, and some sea foam head retention, and nice lacing.
 |
| Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo |
This may be the best smelling Pipeworks' beer I've had in a long time. The aroma is exploding with Nelson Sauvin hops, which impart an aroma reminiscent of the hoppy side of a Black IPA. I'm getting tons of passion fruit, leafy berries, grapes/plums/dark fruits, and some resinous/oily/sappy lemon. Pine sol grape passion fruit mmmm. The hops absolutely dominate this beer's aroma, and I'm just picking up a hint of bready caramel malt base. I would not peg black raspberries in a blind smelling...I might even call this beer some sort of Black IPA based on the aroma alone. A'i'g'h't. Let's have a sip.
Wow. Gooooodddd Goddd Damnnn! Wow! This shit is legit. This has to be one of the best things that Pipeworks has done, ever. You get bum rushed with a mix of the Dubbel base and Nelson Sauvin hops up front. We're talking about a double dose of dark fruits, grapes, plums, passion fruit, subtle caramel and brown sugar, some toffee, mild perfume and Belgian spice...the hops provide balance to the malt sweetness, and give the beer much needed bitterness and character. Once you transition to mid-palate the bitterness picks up with some resinous hops and hard dark sugar. And then on the back end: mother fucking raspberries. Raspberries man, the elusive fruit absent in the aroma. You get juicy/fruity raspberries on the back. And it finishes hoppy and dry.
This beer is fantastic. Dumb luck or not, the combination of a Belgian-style Dubbel with raspberries and Nelson Sauvin hops works. First, this beer isn't overly complex. Then again, many of the Pipeworks beers aren't. They are simple, straightforward beers. And there's nothing wrong with that. But this beer is incredibly balanced, has good palate depth and duration, and features flavors that gel. The 10.0% ABV is completely undetectable. The mouthfeel is medium-full, featuring slightly low levels of carbonation. I suspect this one might condition in the bottle with some time. You get sugars and malt sweetness up front, which quickly turns into a mesh of Belgian Dubbel dark fruits and Nelson Sauvin fruitiness (passion fruit, grapes, etc); the middle rolls into some resinous lemon and hops, with some lingering dark sugars, and growing raspberry; the back hits you with raspberry, lingering Nelson Sauvin hops, and finishes bitter and malty. It's just so vibrant, refreshing, and balanced.
Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is a Strong Divine Brew...just wow. I was not expecting this. It's amazing what Nelson Sauvin hops can do. But really, what defines this beer is how unique it is, and the incredible harmony and balance it strikes. This is just really fucking impressive. I imagine that there is even room for improvement, tweaking the carbonation up front, maybe adding some more hops? I dunno. Compared to the Blue Beardo and Date Sugar Yeast Magik, this beer is miles ahead. Dear Pipeworks, brew this again for me. K, thnx, <3. Food pairings: duck, honey ham, glazed meats, anything with a sweet sauce, Korean Barbecue, tartar, grilled meats, strong cheeses, and pork chops. I'm really feeling the pork chop vibe.
Random Thought: I came into this with low expectations, I left happy. Stay tuned for next week...I have another interesting Pipeworks beer coming down the shoot.
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