Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

Brewed By: Evil Twin Brewing (Westbrook Brewing) in Copenhagen/Brooklyn

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout/Porter, 11.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is the definition of excess. An 11.5%, "Imperial Porter," brewed with coffee and natural flavors. Doughnuts? Mmm, doughnuts. About Evil Twin: 

Evil Twin is a Gypsy Brewery founded by founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø (brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø) in 2010. Like his twin brother Mikkel, Jeppe is a teacher, and a homebrewer who was tired of the mainstream offerings. In 2004, Mikkel went off to pursue brewing, while Jeppe opened up a bottle shop. In 2010, while teaching a homebrewing, Jeppe decided to sell and distribute the beer he was brewing via his bottle shop. Jeppe moved to New York in 2012. For more info, check out this interview/history here. 

The Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break is part of the Biscotti Break series. I love the Imperial Biscotti Break and the Imperial Biscotti Break Natale, so I'm expecting good things tonight. The back of the bottle reads:

"Did Imperial Biscotti Break also make your sugar levels rise and the bitter sweet flavors of coffee, almonds, and chocolate very sentimental - now we topped it off with insane amounts of doughnuts. This all time American favorite is making it's way back into the spotlight and we at Evil Twin Brewing are not letting a tasty trend pass us by without taking it to the next level. Drink it with great gusto - Forza Doughnuts."

Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break

This "dry-doughnuted" beer pours out exactly like its aforementioned peers: pitch black and opaque in body, with a finger of creamy/dense, mocha-brown head. Bright light confirms the same. Head retention is actually okay with a centimeter of sea foam coverage hanging around, and glossy alcohol legs and mocha residual coat the sides of the glass when you swirl this.

I'm into the aroma and I haven't made a single glazed joke yet. That in itself is worthy of some sort of accolade. The aroma is massive and complex, with huge coffee, chocolate, chocolate Long Johns, espresso, ash/dirt, dark fruits, booze, tobacco, woody intensity, and doughnuts. There's a lot going on in the aroma, between the coffee and intense roast/chocolate and doughnut sweetness.

Like the regular Imperial Biscotti, this beer is massive and chewy and bad for your diabetus. I don't even want to know how many calories this is doing me in for. Right up front is a huge blast of rich baker's chocolate, tobacco, doughnut thickfreakness, ash, earthy roast, and roast. I'm picking up a ton of coffee, earthy ash, roast, and creamy espresso in here. As I really camp on this beer, I'm getting some hints of dark fruits -- namely raisins and cherries -- and there's plenty of booze in here. This is somewhat potent. Way in the mix is some almonds and biscotti. What surprises me about this beer is how earthy it is up front. The doughnuts impart a tobacco note and it is dense and wowza. 

I'm still not sure if this is better than the regular Imperial Biscotti...that beer is just divine. I do like this though. It's a full-bodied beer, with a thick and chewy mouthfeel. There's tons of residual sweetness and sugar that will coat your mouth, but this isn't a Southern Tier beer. You do pick up on some of the alcohol, but at 11.5% I would kind of expect that. Palate depth is really good, and complexity is outstanding. Up front: roast, ash, earthy coffee, coffee, doughnuts, Long Johns, and HUGE tobacco. The mid-palate hits a sweet doughnut note with chocolate, baker's chocolate, dark fruits, woody notes, and velvety smooth espresso. The back end features lingering coffee, lingering tobacco, ash, and some lingering dark fruits and alcohol. The finish is pretty clean for an 11.5% diabetus cumshot Stout. Gonzo style. Ladies. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is about on par with the Natale, but not as good as the regular Imperial Biscotti. Curiosity is getting the better of me, and I really want to see how the barrel-aged version of the Imperial Biscotti tastes, but I digress. Don't pair this beer with food...not even dessert. This beer has enough calories to serve as dessert. If you must, pair it with ice cream like a 4-year old, or pair it with a nice earthy cigar. I don't remember how much this cost, and it's probably better that way.

Random Thought: Seriously though, I think the only variant of this I haven't had is the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Biscotti...I passed up on a bottle because of the price, but I may have to try it. 

Pipeworks Amarillo Ninja

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #330-332) bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled ??.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 9.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

Who doesn't love Amarillo and dat flowery, citrus-spice goodness. 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 Amarillo Ninja is brewed to 9.5% and features Amarillo hops, and whatever ingredients Pipeworks will eventually list on their website. The back of the bottle states:

"Amarillo is not to be underestimated!! Amarillo has been known to sabotage and infiltrate the Bland Clan, unleashing citrus and floral notes. Legend has it that Amarillo has both bittering and aroma powers, and the ability to summon drinkers from far and wide when working harmoniously with Delicious Malt and Clean Yeast Character. Other special abilities include the power to like cats a lot."

Pipeworks Amarillo Ninja

Oh lawdy, that aroma. As I pour this beer, I'm getting bombarded with huge floral citrus, tropical fruits, and grass. This is gun be good. The beer pours into what looks like a transparent body in low light. The beer is amber/bronze in lower light, and kicks up three fingers of dense, bready, amber-tinted head. Bright light confirms the amber-orange body, which is probably semi-hazy thanks to the bottle conditioning. Head retention is fantastic, with a finger-plus hanging around, and there is already nice lacing forming. There's also good carbonation in here.

But that aroma. Gosh darn. There's a huge mix of floral hops and hop spice on the nose. I'm getting grass, sweet hops, tropical fruit, orange, guava, Mandarins, pineapple, and some slightly resinous lemons. There's quite a bit of peppery hop spice on the aroma as well, with white pepper, lemon zest, rye, and some resin spice.

This is fantastic, with big Amarillo dominating the taste. The beer is a blend of giant hop spice (rye, white pepper, lemon zest, resin) with big sweet hop character. The hop character touches citrus, grass, pineapple, guava, tropical fruits, orange. The malt backbone is quietly present, with hints of caramel sugars and biscuit, some light bread and rye bread as well. The rye spice note is my favorite part of this beer...just a wonderful character that adds so much depth.

This is another dinger from the ever-expanding portfolio of Pipeworks' Imperial IPAs. The mouthfeel is medium-full to full-bodied, which you kind of expect at 9.5%. Pipeworks tends to dial up the malt body on their DIPAs, and as a consequence their beers aren't as bitter as say a....Stone Grapefruit Slam IPA. Nevertheless, this has vibrant hop character and it's super drinkable. Palate depth is fantastic, and the beer has good duration. Complexity is very good...it's really all about the sweeter hop notes and the big hop spice. Up front: citrus, orange, and big rye, white pepper, lemon zest, resin; the mids roll into more rye, white pepper, guava, pineapple, tropical fruits; the back end is lingering spice and some nice bitterness. There's some rye/biscuit/caramel on the malt backbone. This one is resinous and spicy, but never reaches pithy or scorched earth levels of bitter. The finish is dry and spicy.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is fucking delicious. I'm almost tempted to bump this to the world-class, divine brew status...but I feel like the ceiling has potential to be higher. I dunno, who cares. I would not pass up on this, especially at around $10 a bottle. The sweeter hop character in here will pair well with a chicken sandwich, barbecue sauce, mango salsa, and fruit salad. You could also pair this with chicken wings, American bar food, and pulled pork or fish tacos. 

Random Thought: It's been a long 24 hours. 

Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam IPA

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Chciago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 8.2% 
Reported IBUs: 95

Stone is a monumental force in beer. Everyone knows who Greg Koch is and who Stone is. Maybe that is why Stone is launching a secondary brand under the "Stochasticity Project" name? Who knows. About Stone:

Stone Brewing are one of the more prominent breweries in the American craft brewing scene. They were founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, and moved to Escondido, California where they recently expanded their operations. Stone was founded by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch. Koch has a reputation among the craft beer community for voicing his opinion, not putting up with shit, and standing behind his beer. Also...farking woot and fizzy yellow beer is for bitches. 

The Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam IPA is an IPA brewed with grapefruit peel! Shocking, I know. This beer features North American Pale and Light Crystal malts; and Centennial, Chinook and Magnum hops. The beer is dry-hopped with Centennial hops. Yum. Let's glass this up and see how Stone's secondary brand is holding up.

Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam IPA

The beer pours into an amber/bronze body that looks transparent in lower light. At first there was quite a bit of carbonation rising upwards, but that settled down. The beer produces three or four fingers of off-white/golden head, and as the head drops off there is nice lacing. Bright light confirms the bronze/gold body, and there is still some nice carbonation popping upwards. Head retention is good. It looks like an IPA.

On the aroma: lots of citrus-forward hoppy aromas ala a stereotypical West Coast IPA. I'm getting big orange, pine, resinous lemon/pine, grapefruit, and lots of peppery/white pepper hop spice. There's a touch of peppery alcohol as well, with some hints of cracker and biscuit.

Wow, this is intensely bitter, with the 95 IBUs and intense grapefruit rind. This is much more spicy and citrus-forward than it is sweet. I'm getting huge grapefruit rind, grapefruit, bitter and dry orange, pine, and peppery hop spice. There's some dry cracker/biscuit malt character in the mix, and hints of sweeter citrus on the back.

This is a medium-bodied beer, with good palate depth, average duration, and average complexity. I'm not getting any alcohol, and I imagine it is blunted by the intense bitterness. You do get 95 IBUs worth of bitterness in this beer, as the beer imparts tons of super bitter, dry hops. Up front: citrus, orange, grapefruit, pine, grapefruit rind and super bitter citrus, woody rind, bitter resin, peppery spice; that rolls into spicy pine, grapefruit rind, white pepper; the back end dials up some more peppery hops, cracker/biscuit, a dry woody finish, and lingering citrus on the back palate as your tongue works to replenish your saliva supply. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Light Above-Average here. This is like...your typical super bitter West Coast IPA, with tons of hop kick and cracker/biscuit malts in the mix. It's a good beer, but it's not mind-blowing. I feel like the addition of the grapefruit peel goes largely unnoticed, but the use of the three main hops is well done. I'd like to revisit this, especially at $7 a bottle. I would pair this beer with spicy chicken wings, over-the-top Mexican food, and pizza. This West Coast IPA begs for stereotypical American bar food, especially with the super dry and super bitter citrus hops and the cracker/biscuit character. Good.

Random Thought: I'd spend more time talking about why Stone is trying to launch a new brand under a different name, but I don't really care. 

Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 6.2%

Reported IBUs: 33

I had no plans to pick this one up but it caught my GF's eye so yeah woo. Beer. About Rogue:

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of their stuff. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

The HazelNut Brown Nectar is a European-style Brown Ale brewed with Great Western 2-Row, Munich, C-15, C-75, C-120, Kiln Coffee, Brown, Rogue Farms Dare & Risk Malts; Rogue Farms Revolution & Independence Hops; and Hazelnut Extract, Free Range Coastal Water, and Rogue's Pacman Yeast.

Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar

This one pours like a stereotypical Brown Ale: a dark brown/reddish, slightly hazy body, and a finger of bready, toast-colored head. A centimeter of head is hanging around, there is some nice lacing, and there is some dotty carbonation in my glass. Brown Ale all the way.

The aroma on this beer is awesome, with huge toast, nuttiness, intense caramel, melanoidins, and big raisins, dried fruits, and Twizzlers. Wow..the raisins and Twizzlers note is almost Doppelbock-esque, and this beer is giving off deeply rich aroma vibes.

The first thing I'm noticing on the taste that is a total surprise is the big hop note: there's a huge pine character that borders on pine sap, maple syrup, and Christmas. It's very Barleywine-esque. I'm getting pine nuts, nuttiness, caramel, raisins, dried figs, and some juniper in the taste. There's some caramel, toffee, and toast as well. The taste is very clean, with the nutty-pinenut-hops coming out first, and then the dark fruits and caramel flavors expanding next.

This has a medium-light body, supported by lots of carbonation. The palate depth is okay, and complexity is very high for the style. As this opens up a bit and warms up, you pick up a faint roast character. At around 6%, this is very drinkable. Up front: pine nuts, nuttiness, pine sap, maple syrup, juniper. The mids feature some toast, complex toasted malts and melanoidins; the back end is lingering toast/roast, and big raisins, Twizzlers. It finishes piney and dry.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. This is a really stellar Brown Ale, with some serious pine nuts and pine sap character that just makes the beer pop. This would be the perfect late Autumn, early Winter beer. I could see myself cracking into one of these in November or December. I could see myself pairing this beer with a hearty stew or soup, duck, and pork roast. Really good beer, I'll pick this up again in the 6-pack format.

Random Thought: See? Rogue also makes good beer; I'm not biased against Rogue, I'm just honest.

James Page Casper White Stout

Brewed By: Stevens Point Brewery in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz CAN from a six-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: White Stout/American Stout, 6.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

White Stout? How could I pass this up in stores. About JP Casper:

James Page Casper Brewing Company is a brewery founded by James Page in 1986. The brewery was one of America's original craft breweries, and one of the first breweries to put craft beer in a can. Four of the brewery's beers were purchased by Stevens Point Brewing in 2005.

The James Page Casper White Stout is a Stout brewed with Pilsen malts and hops. And that's about all they have to say about this beer. The can says, "beer with natural flavor added." Let's glass it up and see what we got.

James Page Casper White Stout

This is a simple beer, pouring into a pretty solid yellow/gold body that actually has some haze and yeast floating around. The beer produces a few fingers of fluffy white head that drop off into a centimeter of foam. There's nice lacing too. There's some large carbonation bubbles in here too.

The aroma is...weird. Right up front you get HUGE artificial cream soda, with chemical sugars and chemical vanilla/cream. There's some Pilsner malts on the aroma as well, with some biscuit and cracker. There's some white chocolate, cereal, honey, and graham cracker on the aroma as well. 

The taste follows through with the aroma...it's very sweet with huge artificial cream soda, fake sugars, tons of malt, vanilla/cream, graham crackers, cereal and Pilsner malts, and some honey and hints of white chocolate. It tastes kind of syrupy, and it is hard to approximate the exact flavor. It doesn't really make me think "white stout." The beer has a noticeable malt flavor you often find in cheap malt shakes. 

The mouthfeel here is full-bodied and malty, with good carbonation. It's actually pretty spot-on for 6%, providing enough density to convey the Stout vibes. This beer is all about the malts, but you do get some of the base Pilsen malts and some mild hop bitterness in the mix. Palate depth is okay, complexity is average. It would be more drinkable if not for the artificial cream soda thing. Up front: white chocolate, artificial cream soda, honey, cereal, graham crackers; mid palate rolls into big Golden Grahams and white chocolate; the back dials up the Pilsen malts and you get some hop bitterness. 

Rating: Strong Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This isn't bad and I would buy it again, but it's not perfect either. It's a touch cloying, and the cream soda and malt character comes across as a touch artificial. It does convey a Stout-like mouthfeel and body, and you pick up some nice white chocolate notes. It's not my favorite, but it is certainly an original beer. It's also priced very well at $10 for a 6-pack and it comes in cans. Cans are fucking awesome. I could see myself pairing this beer with coconut cake, chocolate cake, ice cream, or a burger or chicken sandwich with some tropical fruit salsa. Decent beer, totally conflicting style.

Random Thought: It's really like a malty Pilsner, no? I'm curious what the full list of ingredients for this beer is, malt extract and all.

Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Fourth Edition

Brewed By: Nøgne Ø in Grimstad, Norway

Purchased: 8.5oz/250ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (2013 Vintage)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout, 16.0%

Reported IBUs: 100

Nøgne Ø means "naked island," and isn't some cool drone metal band from some frozen European country. Nevertheless, I have been meaning to put them on the radar, and I am doing so tonight in pretty epic fashion. Or so I hope. About Nøgne Ø:

Nøgne Ø is a brewery based out of Grimstad, Norway. The brewery was founded in 2002 by homebrewers Gunnar Wiig and Kjetil Jikiun. The name Nøgne Ø, which translates to "naked island," is a poetic term used by the poet Henrik Ibsen to describe the stark, barren landscapes visible in the rough sea off Norway's coast. The founders co-opted the term, because they felt it was symbolic for their passion to share their beer. Sort of like a flasher, only with beer and not balls. This "uncompromising brewery" loves Marris Otter malt and American hops. With a passion to show you their goods and brew bold beer, what could you complain about?  

The Dark Horizon is a highly sought after, limited-release beer. The first Dark Horizon was released back in 2007, and won a Gold at the World Beer Cup 2008 in San Diego, California. The Dark Horizon Fourth Edition is a one-off brewed with Grimstad water, malted barley, Muscovado sugars, coffee, hops, and yeast. Punching in at an impressive 16% and 100 IBUs, this is a big big beer. The best before date is: "22.08.22." 

Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon Fourth Edition

The beer pours into a dark black, opaque body, and struggles to produce a finger of dark brown/tan head. It looks like an Imperial Stout that is punching in at 16%. You catch some brown on the edges in bright light, and beer has glossy alcohol legs and mocha-brown residual that coats the glass when you swirl the beer. Head retention is surprisingly okay, with some sea foam coating that keeps popping back up.

The aroma on this is huge...I would expect nothing less for such a strong beer. I'm getting lots of dark fruits, raisins, berries, and that meaty-raspberry aroma you get on these amped up beers that push the 15% envelope. I'm getting big cherries in here, and big berry-coffee aromas. The aroma is surprisingly smooth, with hints of coffee and chocolate, woody mocha and creamer, Frappuccino, dark grain, and espresso acidity. There's also some brown sugar on the nose as well.

So this is how I imagine Avery's The Beast would taste, if it was a Stout and was brewed with coffee. This starts out with dark fruits, Muscovado sugars, brown sugar, raisins and cherry sweetness. Mid palate dials up big coffee with mocha, wood, alcohol soaked raisins and cherries, HUGE HOPS that are nondescript, burgeoning chocolate-dipped peanuts, nutty notes; the back end punches in more nutty, chocolate-dipped peanuts, with lingering dark fruits and brown sugars, light soy sauce, and a huge boozy punch that warms you up. I don't know where the 100 IBUs went, but you don't get any of that here. In fact, the hops are entirely lost among the dark sugars, coffee, and giant malt bill. And that's how it should be.

I feel like I just drank this beer a few days ago. I'm referring to the Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout, which this reminds me very much of. That's fantastic company to be grouped with. Both beers are huge and malty and feature boozy fruits, and they both feature that chocolate-dipped peanut thing that is fantastic. This one is a little more fruity and has much less dark grain, and the coffee in here really pops. The coffee is a little more subtle in my opinion, with that coffee-mocha, coffee-chocolate, and chocolate dipped peanuts character. You do get some soy sauce and brown sugar as well. The mouthfeel is full-bodied but nicely carbonated. Honestly, this drinks super smooth for 16.0%, even with the noticeable boozy warming and light alcohol burn. This is a 32 proof beer. Palate depth is outstanding, as is complexity. There's a lot going on here: brown sugar, raspberry, meaty dark fruits, berries, and chocolate giving way to coffee up front; the mids dial up huge coffee, mocha, creamer, wood, alcohol soaked cherries and raisins, hop character without the hop flavor, burgeoning chocolate and chocolate-dipped peanuts; the back end drops a nutty, chocolate-peanut on you, with some lingering boozy dark fruits and growing alcohol. The finish is sticky, boozy, and dry.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Decent Divine Brew for this. The coffee is what makes this beer work, I think. It's just fantastically layered, with tons of complexity and big flavors that work well together. So yeah, big thumbs up. It's worth the price tag, even if it's a tiny bottle. Would I age this? Honestly, I don't know. This is drinking pretty good right now, and you know that coffee is going to drop off. If you do age it, make sure you try it fresh. Food pairings here would be dry chocolate cake or bust. Don't pair this with food...this is a beer meant to be sipped on. Just enjoy this. I mean, you paid for it.

Random Thought: I need to figure out what to do with all my beer glasses...

Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 5.3%

Reported IBUs: 43

Anyone that watches Iron Chef should know all about Masaharu Morimoto. The dude is a culinary badass, and one of the world's best chefs. It's also been hinted at for a long time now that Morimoto enjoys beer, so it's not surprising at all that Morimoto has designed his own line of beers with Rogue. I think it's a bit of an unfortunate pairing in some regards. Rogue doesn't have the best street credit among craft beer enthusiasts, and there are lots of creative breweries on the cutting edge that could develop awesome beer with an Iron Chef like Morimoto. But at the same time, Rogue's Pacman Yeast is kind of light and lager-y and plays well with the lighter styles of beer that Morimoto seems to be going for. About Rogue:

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of their stuff. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

The Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale is a Specialty Grain/American Black Ale that is probably similar to a Schwarzbier/Dark American Lager IF I HAD TO GUESS. This is described as a "richer version of our Soba Ale with the addition of specialty malts and a special blend of hops to give it a fuller, nutty flavor while retaining a clean, crisp finish." This one is malted with Roasted Soba, 2-Row, C-15, C-60, Carafa Special No. 2, Rogue Farms Dare & Risk, and Munich malts; this beer uses Rogue Farms Rebel, Liberty, & Independent Hope hops; and the beer is brewed with Rogue's Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water. Soba translates to buckwheat in Japanese, and is synonymous with a thin noodle made from buckwheat flour that is often served chilled with a dipping sauce, or in a hot broth. The more you know.

Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale

The beer pours about how I expected it to. This one pours into a Dry Stout/Brown Ale/Dark Lager type body that is somewhere between red and brown and black, not completely opaque, and will be betrayed by a bright light in a minute. The beer kicks up a really nice three fingers of bready, tan head. Head retention looks good, and it really does remind me of a Brown Ale or Dry Stout. In bright light the beer is a hazy brownish-amber color, with moderate streams of mid-sized bubbles keeping the head sustained. It looks okay. There's some tight lacing on this.

The aroma on the nose is really clean, with big nutty aromas, toast, some sea salt and salt, soy sauce, umami, and serious Schwarzbier vibes. You get some Munich malts and caramel/kettle malts in this, with some hints of Marzen-like sweetness. The two big aromas -- nuttiness and soy sauce -- sort of blunt any hop character, but the aroma isn't all malts. There are hops in the mix. They're just super nondescript.

And...it tastes kind of exactly like how I predicted it would. Love it or hate it, the Pacman yeast is subtle, light, and airy. It's clean too. It's maybe as close to a Lager as you can get with an Ale yeast, but I don't homebrew so I wouldn't know. This beer flirts with the whole Dark Lager category (Dark American Lager/Munich Dunkel/Schwarzbier), and I'd throw in Marzens and Brown Ales for good measure. I'm getting a lot of nutty notes, toast, Munich malts and sweetness, earthy/bitter/clean Noble hops towards the back, and some spice. There are hints towards coffee and chocolate, but it's very subtle. There are also some hints towards salt and umami, but I'm not getting any actual soy sauce. It's a hinting beer. It's actually a really nicely executed beer when you compare it to other Brown Ales and Dark Lagers.

Sometimes it's nice to kick back and enjoy a lighter style beer. This beer blurs the line between Ales and Lagers, but it has tons of complexity, good palate depth and duration for the style, and and easy going light to medium-bodied mouthfeel. There's plenty of carbonation, and you don't get any alcohol. There's some nice trailing hop bitterness, good malt flavors, and a clean Lager-like finish that works. Up front: malt sweetness, hints of fruits and berries, toasted malts, toast, Munich malts, hints of coffee and chocolate; mid palate hits toast, kettle/caramel malts, more Munich malts, some complimentary hop bitterness, earthy hop spice and Noble hops; the back end is trailing Noble hop bitterness, lingering toast and Munich malts. There's a layer of salt/umami that never quite comes to fruition.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. If this is the new standard to pair with Japanese food, then color me impressed (and throw out your Tsingtao). I could see myself drinking this beer with sushi, Japanese cuisine, and even with some Oktoberfest German foods. This beer won't hold up to the myriad of super hoppy and super malty beers out there, but it's a really good Dark Lager-style Ale. I admit, I think the Pacman yeast sucks when Rogue uses it in some of their beers, but for this beer it works. Also, this one is selling for a very reasonable price...I paid 6 or 7 dollars for my bomber. Maybe Rogue is taking a hint?  

Random Thought: Remember folks, you should never compare apples to oranges.

Stone Matt's "Burning Rosids" Imperial Cherry Wood Smoked Saison

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014

Style/ABV: "Imperial" Saison, 10.5% 
Reported IBUs: ???

Dying sucks. Especially when you are still young and have ambition...and especially when it's because of some freak brewery-related accident. Brewing beer is hard, dangerous work. Tonight's beer is Stone's tribute to a fallen employee: an experimental, small batch brew conceived by the departed himself.  About Stone:

Stone Brewing are one of the more prominent breweries in the American craft brewing scene. They were founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, and moved to Escondido, California where they recently expanded their operations. Stone was founded by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch. Koch has a reputation among the craft beer community for voicing his opinion, not putting up with shit, and standing behind his beer. Also...farking woot and fizzy yellow beer is for bitches. 

There's not much to say about Matt's Burning Rosids, other than check out the tribute on Stone's website. This "Imperial" Saison is brewed with cherrywood-smoked malts. I'm putting "Imperial" in quotes because I dunno, the style seems weird to me. 

Matt's "Burning Rosids"

The beer pours into a dark bronze, almost-amber body, and kicks up three fingers of gold tinted head. Even in low light the beer looks transparent and filtered. Bright light confirms the dark gold, filtered body. There's some moderate streams of moderate sized carbonation bubbles rising upwards, and a finger of foamy, white head is sustaining nicely. The head is leaving lots of lacing.

The aroma is like a mix of a Hefeweizen with a mild Rauchbier...the aroma is bursting with white sugar, bananas, clove, bubblegum, and Belgian funk. The hint of cherrywood is undeniable in the aroma, with light salt and sauna wood. I'm getting a little hop character, and orange/lemon zest in the mix as well, with plenty of wheat malts. It smells very German, but not like a German, or at least not like any German I've smelled. 

This is very luscious and full-bodied. I wasn't expecting the dense assault of creamy wheat, vanilla, clove, bubblegum, and banana that you get up front. The beer then rolls into some really mild and subtle smoked wood notes. In between is some grain and alcohol. The smoked wood notes impart some leather, dry wood, and dark grain...it reminds me of Fantôme a bit, but eh. It's kind of boozy, to be honest. I still hate the "Imperial Saison" label. I feel like this falls between a Doppelweizen/Weizenbock and Saison with smoked elements that would bump it to a specialty beer category anyway. Or better yet, #YOLO, so define it however you want.

Again, this is a full-bodied beer. The 10.5% isn't completely hidden, with some alcohol showing up. The alcohol does play off the dark grains and provide a counterpoint to some of the smoked malts. Complexity is okay, and palate depth is good. As I sip on this some more, I'm getting more and more bitterness on the finish. I can't tell if that is the dark grains and smoked malts, or if this is also generously bittered with hops. I assume the latter, because Stone. You get creamy wheat, clove, bananas, white sugar, orange/lemon zest, and bubblegum up front; that rolls into bitter hops and spent bubblegum, and then the cherrywood smoked malts kick in with sauna wood and bitter grain; the back end features bitter grain, cherry wood, hoppy bitterness, and a drying finish. From thick, creamy, and sugary to smokey, bitter, and dry.  

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this beer. It's probably a notch above average and it should get points for being experimental and original. And the dark grains + bubblegum wheat + bitter hops + smoked malts make for an interesting and incredibly bitter beer through and through. When you juxtapose the extreme bitter elements with the huge sweetness and 10.5%, you get something pretty enjoyable. Calling this beer a Saison is probably fair...it has many Saison elements. It's very Belgian-ale or German-ale esque. I'd love to see this beer aged, but I'm pretty sure it's not conditioned. Throw in some Brett and I think this could be banging. It really does remind me of Orval, or even the Engelszell Benno, with that earthy grain thing. There are flashes of Fantôme's mystery and greatness, but those Saisons are in a class of their own that is probably impossible to reproduce anytime soon. Food pairings for this beer: dry, spicy wings, barbecue food, pulled pork, dry rub ribs, grilled lamb, and hearty stews with lots of fat. Maybe a corn chowder? Yum.

Random Thought: Beer is supposed to be fun, and this beer is definitely that. Stone did a classy thing by temporarily immortalizing Matt with this brew. Here's to hoping they throw some Brett into this beer and maybe re-release it down the road. 

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout - Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Barrel

Brewed By: FiftyFifty Brewing Co. in Truckee, California

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (2012 Vintage)

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

Reported IBUs: 75

FiftyFifty's Eclipse series is the best kept secret you won't afford. These are certified shelf turds, sitting around on shelves while equally alluring beers sell for half the price. I'm not a rich man, so I've held off on every impulse and compulsion...until last Friday. I was able to find a couple of dated vintages of this beer on the shelf for $15 dollars a pop. And the store even aged it for me. I'm very curious and excited...I hope the hype is worth it. Even for a 2012 vintage. About FiftyFifty: 

The FiftyFifty Brewing Company is a brewery/brewpub based out of Truckee, California. The brewery was founded by Andy and Alicia Barr in 2007, and has become renown for their barrel/bourbon-aged Imperial Stouts. For more info, check out the FiftyFifty website or Wikipedia.

Tonight's beer is part of the FiftyFifty Eclipse Barrel Aged Imperial Stout series. Every year the brewery brews their Totality Imperial Stout -- a behemoth of a Stout clocking in at 75 IBUs and 9.5% ABV; brewed with Rahr 2row, Simpsons Golden Promise, Gambrinus Munich Light, Dark and Honey Malt, Rahr Red Wheat Malt, Crips Pale Chocolate Malt, Simpsons Brown, Chocolate, Black, and Roasted Barley Malts; hopped with German Magnum, German Perle, and Mt. Hood hops; and finished with Dry Malt Extract, Rice Syrup Solids, and "exotic sugars" -- and then ages the Totality base beer in various whiskey/bourbon barrels. To confuse people, the brewery doesn't label their beers with obvious descriptions. Instead, they wax each label in ambiguous colors that are hard to tell apart, and then you can reference their website to figure out what the fuck you are drinking. Sometimes I just want to get drunk, bro. According to the FiftyFifty website, the green wax 2012 is their Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye barrel-aged Eclipse. I don't know anything about Heaven Hill's Rittenhouse Rye, but it sounds delicious. Without further dicking around, let's embrace this shelf turd. 

50/50 Eclipse - GREEN WAX / Heaven Hill

After painstakingly removing layers of green wax, I was able to crack into this beer...some head was creeping out of the bottle, and as you can see from the pour, this one is pitch black and opaque in body, with two or three fingers of thick, dense, creamy tan/khaki head. Head retention is surprisingly good (or maybe not...look at that malt bill). A pinky's worth of head is hanging around, and the head that did drop off is leaving lacing all over the place. I should mention the glossy alcohol legs, which are in fact present.

The aroma was exploding out of the bottle when I popped it; I was getting giant waves of whiskey and raisins on the pour. When you stick your nose into the glass, you are greeted with big raisins, sherry/oxidation, cherries, whiskey, rye whiskey, dark rye bread, barrel character with some wood/oak, hints of faded woody chocolate, and some of that bourbon/coconut/oak. It still smells pretty good for a 2012 vintage...she said.

Oh...wow. This is incredibly smooth...and it's layered too. There's some hefty malt character in the back dialing up roast, oats, chocolate, malt balls, and brownies. Up front is really mild whiskey character, with raisins, bourbon sweetness, hints of toasted coconut soaking in alcohol, fusel cherries....the mids dial up some chocolate sweetness, wood, barrel character...and then the back layers on the malt base. The finish is boozy and big, but just slightly sticky. 

This is fantastic...it's slightly chewy and the malt base is substantial and has held up well over the past year or two. Seriously, look at the grain bill for this. The whiskey has melded into a wonderful accent, with hints of barrel and even some rye bread and rye showing up. This has a little booze in the mix, but not so much the burn...it hides the 10% well, but the beer has heft and the barrel character might turn off people that hate whiskey. It's definitely a sipper though, worth unraveling. Palate depth is really good, and complexity is outstanding. The mouthfeel is medium to full-bodied, even with the barrel and the aging. I just wonder if I'd be as happy about this beer if I paid $30 for a bomber. One last time...up front: velvety smooth chocolate and wood, dark fruits, raisins, brown sugars, rye spice, cherries and coconuts swimming in alcohol; the mids dial up more rye spice, some wood tannin, barrel, chocolate; the back hits the malts with hits of roast and oats and chocolate. The finish is dry with lingering bourbon sweetness...slightly sticky, she said.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Light Divine Brew for the 2012 vintage...this is drinking pretty good right now, so maybe consider that an endorsement if you are camping on a few bottles. Or don't. The fuck do I know about aging a beer I didn't try fresh. Truth is, this beer is retired and I have no baseline. I just like bourbon barrel-aged Stouts and this one is fantastic. It's like a less boozy Bourbon County Stout, only with its own unique personality. It would be a tragedy to pair this beer with anything but a cigar, dry chocolate cake, or a super raunchy burger or steak with strong cheeses. 

Random Thought: I chose to be a bit more analytical in my review, but speaking freely, this beer kind of reminds me of a Barleywine. An English-style Barleywine. Namely, the Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine. If I had to pick between the two, right now I'd opt for another bottle of the 50/50 Heaven Hill 2012 vintage aged. BUT, I have high hopes and expect good things to happen to the Bourbon County Barleywine. We will see.

Half Acre Big Hugs Imperial Stout

Brewed By: Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2013 vintage; December 15 release)

Style/ABV: Russian Imperial Stout, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is dedicated to my cats, and all cats out there. Cats are awesome. DAE cats? I cat. About Half Acre:

The Half Acre Beer Company was founded in October 2006, which is young for craft beer in general, but great for the local Chicago scene. The founders of Half Acre started out by working with the Sand Creek Brewery in Black River Falls in Wisconsin. They eventually developed their Half Acre Lager, and began distributing and selling it in Chicago during the August of 2007. The beer was successful enough that Half Acre was able to buy out a space in the Bucktown area of Chicago. With continuing sales, Half Acre was eventually able to purchase equipment from Ska Brewing Co. and moved to their current location on Lincoln Avenue on the north side of Chicago. Half Acre has been brewing at their Chicago location since 2009, and seems to be really expanding in both amount of distribution and popularity. Check out the full story HERE, and check out their website for a low-down on all their beers and info. 

The Big Hugs is a cuddly, coffee-infused Russian Imperial Stout that Half Acre began brewing five years ago. This beer has become famous for its vibrant and cuddly artwork, but word is that the actual beer is pretty good too. This RIS features the addition of coffee from Dark Matter Coffee for that Imperial-Coffee-Stout-breakfast-twist. This beer is like cats in the wall. You just don't understand them, Dee. "Cats do not abide by the laws of nature, alright. You don't know shit about cats."

Half Acre Big Hugs Imperial Stout

The beer pours very much like every other stereotypical RIS: that is to say, opaque, black, and with two or three fingers of brown/mocha head. Head retention is very nice, with a centimeter hanging around, and as the head drops off it leaves some really nice lacing. Bright light confirms the same thing.

On the aroma: good things. This has a velvety smooth aroma, with big ash, roast, campfire, and s'mores. I'm reminded a bit of the S'more Money, S'More Problems. There's some earthy tobacco and dirt, baker's chocolate, and mocha-coffee on the nose. The more I dig into the aroma, the more I get dry/woody baker's chocolate, and big emerging coffee, espresso, and mocha. It smells really good.

I'm happy that this beer has a fairly hefty mouthfeel, it ought to at 10%. The taste is a nice continuum of the aroma, with luscious s'mores, ash, roast, earthy coffee and roast, dry baker's chocolate, hints of espresso and mocha, and woody dry sweetness. There are some hints toward lactose in here, with some shades of coffee creamer and cream. And you get some light, berry-like acidity from the coffee, with some coffee tannin and coffee carbonation.

This isn't the most mind-blowing coffee beer you can get, but it really does a good job at masking the 10% alcohol while providing enough mouthfeel to add the fullness necessary for the style. The mouthfeel is medium-full to full, with moderate palate depth and duration, and pretty above-average complexity. There's enough going on here to keep you engaged. Up front: velvety smooth mocha, chocolate, coffee, earth/ash, and huge ass s'mores; that rolls into more s'mores, woody dry chocolates, lactose, coffee, espresso, bitter, roast, espresso; the back end trails with bitterness and dry chocolate. You get lingering espresso, coffee, and coffee-berry acidity. The finish is ultimately pretty dry. Really nice. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here...no ragrets. As I continue to sip this, I'm picking up some boozy complexity ala Rum or Bourbon, with hints at raisins and other complexities. It's a really nice, well-made brew. That's all you really need. I like how the coffee in this beer is very integrated. This isn't a coffee show, this is an Imperial Stout with strong coffee character. I also really enjoy the velvety, woody dryness that this beer has. It's very enjoyable. Food pairings: dry chocolate cakes, ice cream, baklava, tiramisu, chocolate chip pancakes, and raunchy burgers with aggressive cheeses.  

Random Thought: Unlike yesterday's beer, the Big Hugs is worth all the $10 or so you'll pay for it.

Goose Island Class of ’88 Belgian Style Ale

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

Purchased: 765ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 01/13/2014)

Style/ABV: Belgian Strong Ale, 11.2% 

Reported IBUs: 7

It's hard to believe I was just a wee little baby in 1988, sucking on dem titties and crapping my pants. I missed out on hairy bushes, bright pink lights, and cocaine. Wait, on second thought, I'm okay with that. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The Class of ’88 Belgian Style Ale was brewed in collaboration with Deschutes Brewery to celebrate both brewery's "silver" or 25th anniversary. Goose Island opted to brew this beer using whole flower Mt Hood hops, which were introduced in 1988. They then transferred this beer to Muscat casks and aged it on Michigan Riesling Grape juice and Oregon Pinot Noir grape must. It's kind of wine-like, like the Dogfish Head Noble Rot. The Goose Island Class of '88 features a Best Pilsner malt base, and punches in at 11.2% ABV and 7 IBUs.

Goose Island Class of ’88 

The beer pours into a slightly hazy, apple-juice amber/orange body, kicking up a finger of rapidly dissolving white head. The head crackled and fizzed away like soda, leaving a ring of white carbonation on the edges of my glass, and tons of alcohol legs. Bright light confirms the apple juice color of the beer's body, and some tiny carbonation bubbles are rising upwards with moderate authority.

The aroma is pretty subtle, with apples, grape juice, oak, and some peppery Belgian spice. If I really dig into the aroma I get some candi sugar and orange, lemon, candy malts, and some nondescript floral aromas. Kind of meh.

Wow...this just...sucks. Totally flat with dull Muscat and stale Riesling, obnoxious waves of glaring Belgian candy sugar and sappy candy oranges, and just...meh. There's hardly any barrel or oak, and there's little wine complexity. The finish is equally as flaccid and sad. For an 11.2% Belgian Strong aged in wine barrels with grape juice, I was expecting big things.

When the best part about a beer is the boozy warming, you know (1) you're an alcoholic, and (2) the beer sucks. This isn't quit the abortion that the Blue Moon Grand Cru was, but it's about on par with the novelty that Kwak is. I'm kind of offended that Goose Island would even bottle this, let alone in their fancy 765ml format and at an asking price of $20 a bottle. Fuck no. Maybe this needs some time to age in the bottle? I think there's some Brett in here? I dunno. Complexity is at an all time low, especially for a Belgian Strong aged in wine barrels with grape juice. Palate depth is okay I guess, and the 11.2% is hiding like minorities at the state fair. Up front: flat candy citrus, grape drank, sugary grape/orange, orange candy, weird chemical; mid palate rolls into more grape drank and apple juice, stale sugar, stale white wine, the "L" car that the homeless person peed in; back end is lingering sweetness and booze. Grapes, wine complexity, and barrels be damned. There's none of that here. Any Brett funk is in the alpha stages. I guess when Greg Hall isn't pissing and cumming on things, magic doesn't happen.

Rating: Below-Average (2.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Light Below-Average beer. Just...disappointing as my first three kids. Seriously, hit the fucking softball, it's on a tee for cripes crates. This beer is disappointing from the onset: no pop when you open it, no aroma when you sniff it from the bottle, and a pour that would only make the thirstiest homeless person happy. On the plus side, this beer isn't as bad as it could be...I mean they could have mixed the 312 with some grape juice and slapped a shiny label on it and stuck it in their trademark 765ml bottle. About that, do I really have fucks to give about the extra 15ml? No, I don't. I'm not even going to recommend food pairings in good faith here, because I honestly wouldn't waste 20 dollars on this. If you do blow your load on this expensive beer, age it for a few years because yeahhhh. BOOOOO.

Random Thought: Hey, it happens. At least Kwak comes with a cool glass that you can use as a butt plug or to butt chug.