Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest

Brewed By: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles, California

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Naperville, Illinois; 2014 (Bottled on 07/07/2014)

Style/ABV: Oktoberfest/Märzen, 5.0% 

Reported IBUs: 24

I'm pretty sure that tonight's beer is not actually brewed in oak, despite its name. I'm assuming the name is a reference to Firestone's reputation for oak-aging beer, and is a coincidental and confusing pun. About Firestone: 

Tonight I'm looking at a beer from the folks at Firestone Walker Brewing. The brewery was founded by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone (son of Brooks Firestone) and David Walker (husband of Adam's sister). The brothers brewed their first beer in 1996, in a small facility rented from the Firestone Vineyard estate in Santa Barbara County. In 2001, the brothers-in-law purchased SLO Brewing Company in Paso Robles, CA, and set up camp. Despite being relatively new to craft beer, the brewery has a ton of accolades, and is known for their Reserve line and their oak barrel brewing system. You can learn more about the history of the brewery here and here. 

The Oaktoberfest is an Oktoberfest/Marzen style beer. Per Brewbound: "The name Oaktoberfest is a nod to the brewery’s hometown of Paso Robles—Spanish for “Pass of The Oaks”—as well as the longtime presence of oak barrels as a central part of the Firestone Walker brewing operation. The checkered blue and white pattern on the label echoes the Bavarian flag and pays homage to the style." This one is fermented in stainless steel, and brewed using Weyermann Pilsner, Weyermann & Vienna, Munich, Cara-Hell, and Cara-Red malts; and German Hallertau hops. Punching in at 5.0% and 24 IBUs, this one is available as a seasonal release.

This one pours into a dark golden-amber body, kicking up a finger of gold-tinged head. The head retains nicely for a Lager, and there is good carbonation. The carbonation is also persistent and lasts long for a Lager. There is some nice lacing, and a centimeter of head is hanging around for what looks to be the long haul.

On the aroma, I'm getting lots of gentle malts. There's some honey, toast, biscuit, biscuit-grain, light grassy hops, and lots of bread. It's a gentle, malt-forward nose.

This is straightforward and drinkable...this has big grainy bread, biscuit, toasted malts, some nice honey notes, and grassy hops that show up to clean things up towards the back. There's a Pilsner-like biscuit note on the back end, and this has a nicely attenuated and dry finish. If you take big mouthfulls, the malts really dominate with bread and toasted notes. It's clean, drinkable, and really very nice.

This is medium to light-bodied. It's clean and refreshing, with good palate depth and complexity for the style. At 5.0% you can drink lots of this. I think that's the point. Up front: sweet toasted malts, bready malts, biscuit; the mids roll into honey, toast, some grassy hops; the back end goes full biscuit, with a clean, dry, and attenuated finish. This is reminiscent of a Vienna, Pilsner, and Marzen...kinda rolled up into a nice and refined package.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is super clean and super drinkable...I'd pick this up again to pair with some football and Fall weather. It's probably not as good as Two Brothers' Atom Smasher, or Ayinger's Oktoberfest, but it should compliment your one liter glass and your sausage and pretzel dish. 

Random Thought: I bet this tastes fantastic when racked on oak. I'm still looking for that world-class Oktoberfest...

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

Brewed By: Boulevard Brewing Company (Moortgat) in Kansas City, Missouri

Purchased: 750ml bottle (1 Pin, 9.4oz) bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (batch #L14077-2, best buy 03-2016)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/American Sour, 9.0%

Reported IBUs: 8

I'm really pumped for tonight's beer. I've heard this one is super sour and funky fresh. I have very high hopes. About Boulevard:

Boulevard Brewing Company hails out of Kansas City, Missouri. They have a very nice website that is cleanly formatted, informative, and is not loaded with Java and Flash scripts. The company was founded officially in 1989, but began in 1988 when founder John McDonald began construction of the brewery. In 2006 the brewery had a major expansion, which allowed for additional brewing capacity. You can find more info on the brewery's history HERE. According to Wikipedia, Boulevard is the largest craft brewer in Missouri, and the 10th largest craft brewery in the United States.

The Love Child No. 4 is a barrel-aged wild ale brewed with Lactobaccillus, Brettanomyces, and whatever wild critters decided to show up. Most of this blend was aged in oak barrels, with a blend of beer ranging from 16 months to 6 years old. Part of the blend was aged for 11 months in stainless tanks, souring on Lactobacillus. This one punches in at 9% ABV and 8 IBUs.

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

This pours into a dark red/brown body that is hazy and oak-aged. It's battered and the faint orange tones are straining to be noticed. The beer does kick up an impressive three fingers of caramel head that rapidly fades into the abyss like the orange hints. A ring of carbonation settles around the edge of the glass, and the beer sizzles away with crackling carbonation. This is incredibly carbonated with numerous streams of tiny bubbles going up, and swirling the beer yields glossy alcohol legs with minimal lacing. It's very Flanders Red-esque.

On the aroma: the first thing jumping out to me is huge waves of oak. There is a lot of oak and wood tannin in here, with acidic funk standing out as the next main note that I am getting. This has incredible layers of cherries in the aroma, with sour cherries, sour cherry candy, black cherry Warheads, and apple cider vinegar. There is also a good amount of Brett funk lurking in the mix, with basement and attic funk, and buttery-oaky notes playing off the oak and wood. It's just a fantastic meld of sourness, funk, and oak, with serious fruity notes that border on being jammy.

Holy cow, this is sour! This assaults your palate with overt sourness: apple cider vinegar, oak, wood, lemon, tart cherry Warheads, citric acid and nectarines, and piercing lactic funk. There's some other stuff going on here too. This has some nice vanilla notes lurking beneath the sour, with oak and wood. There are also nice waves of tart and jammy cherries, apple slaw salad, peaches, and even some apricot funk. The back end hits the back of your mouth with some hints of malt. This is fantastic.

This is pretty high on the sour scale, with a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel that is made easier to drink by the sourness and carbonation. The alcohol is completely hidden, and this is pretty easy going. I'd call this a sipper, but an easy-going sipper. Palate depth is fantastic, and the complexity isn't far behind. Up front: sour notes, apple cider vinegar, lactic punch, lemons, sour nectarines, black cherry Warheads; the mids roll into serious oak and butter, vanilla, wood, nectarines, jammy fruits and cherries, Brett funk, more oak, wood; the back end drops oak, vanilla, malt sweetness, and the finish is dry. This is subtle, complex, funky, and not very sweet...I like it.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew  on this. This is incredibly complex and funky, with notes ranging from oak and wood tannin, to lemon and nectarines, to jammy cherries and sweet malts....it's a well-crafted beer, and you can tell that the blend was put together with some thought and finesse. This also has the potential to age in the bottle, making it obtainable and probably one of the best mainstream American sours. I'd recommend not pairing this with anything...sip on this one, enjoy it. It's really good.

Random Thought: Boulevard going mainstream = the best thing ever. I love Duvel. 

Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

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

Style/ABV: Belgian Quadrupel, 9.3% 
Reported IBUs: 40

Tonight we are trying another beer from Stone's Stochasticity Project. In case you are not in the loop, the Stochasticity Project is Stone's other label for people who aren't stupid. Are you stupid? Do you like talking gargoyles? Well turn around, there is nothing for you to see here. 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 Quadrotriticale is a Belgian-stile Quad brewed with triticale, "a hybrid grain combining the pleasant flavor of wheat with the elemental durability and spice of rye." To be more exact, this beer uses Pilsner and Flaked Triticale malts, Dark Candi Sugar, Ardennes Strain Belgian Yeast, and unknown hops. Let's get this gargoyle-hating beer into a glass.

Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale

From the onset, this looks the part of a Belgian Dubbel with those dark ruby red and orange tones. The beer kicks up two to three fingers of creamy, dense, wheat-fueled head....it's the stuff you expect with a dark Belgian Strong Ale. This beer is also super effervescent with tons of carbonation. Head retention is nice, with a wispy coating hanging around for the long haul. There's also tight like a tiger lacing.

On the aroma: good things. I'm actually surprised at how straight this beer plays things. I say that for a few reasons...one being how weird Stone's Saison was, and two, the Belgian beers that Stone brewed for the Vertical Epic Series (and that they alluded to in the description of this beer) are somewhat off the beaten path. I'm getting big candi sugars, cherries and dark fruits, clove and phenol spice, and some nice waves of caramel and vanilla. This has a really nice depth to the aroma, with some bready, rye-like notes popping against the Belgian candi sugars and perfume fruits. It smells surprisingly awesome.

Wow...this is a pleasant surprise. This is actually really good, and kind of embraces everything I love about the Dark Strong Ale style while retaining a little bit of Stone's unique point of view. This is full-bodied and expansive with a substantial mouthfeel. You want that for this style of beer. However, this cleans up somewhat refreshing and dry, with dark fruits, rye bread, wheat malts, and then some nice hoppy punch. I wonder if Stone slipped some American hops into the boil...up front, this drops blissfully balanced and clean Belgian candi sugars, with lightly bitter hops and rye bread, phenol spice, hints of cherries, and then bam...the back end cleans up towards the slightly bitter. Nice.

This is full-bodied, but very drinkable. It hides all the boozes, with none of the 9.3% showing up in the taste. Palate depth is fantastic, while complexity isn't quite up there with some of the heavy hitters. I do like this beer, however. Up front: sugars, bread, rye, bitter hops, candi sugars, phenol spice; the mids roll into dark fruits, hints of cherries, more sugars, more dark bread and rye; the back end gets uppity with the hops, and finishes somewhat dry and clean with lingering sugars and bread. There is some nice boozy warming.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm calling this a Strong Above-Average. This is a fantastically crafted beer...I hope Stone continues to brew this one and keeps it on the shelves. I'd even call this memorable in some regards, I could not only see myself buying this again but I bet this one would be fun to age. This has potential to pair well with strong cheeses and a meat tray, grilled meats, rustic dishes likes stew and potatoes, and cold Winter nights. I have to tip my hat to Stone for this one; this is a good beer.

Random Thought: Stone killed it with their Indiegogo campaign. 

Pipeworks Harbinger of Doom

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #483/484) bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 08.15.2014)

Style/ABV: Belgian-Style Witbier, 8.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's Sunday night, and it is hot and humid out...so how about a "Belgian Style Wit Beer with Elderberries added." 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 bottle of this fruity Witbier reads:

"We believe this beer is a "window" - a beer marked by long periods of strange sightings, monster reports, and alien abductions of unusual persons. In each curious sip you will find sings of tart elderberry, lemon, and Hallertauer Tradition hops. The unclassifiable result is perplexingly refreshing as well as herbaceous and jammy. Allow this beer to guide you through the mist and into another dimension. While this is the Harbinger of Doom, the only thing that is "doomed" is normality. But don't believe us, the truth is out there...in your glass."

Pipeworks Harbinger of Doom

This pours into a super hazy, orange-amber body, kicking up a finger of thick, wispy, wheat-fueled head. There is a lot of carbonation here in the form of small carbonation bubbles, and head retention is fantastic as you'd expect.

On the aroma: lots of clove, vanilla, and some banana funk...this veers into straight up Hefeweizen territory, in some regards. The wheat malts in here are strong and assertive, with vibrant wheat and wheat malts, banana, banana bread, banana caramel/toffee, and light lemon and orange floral fruitiness. I would never guess there are berries in here, but this smells clean and inviting otherwise. I also might peg this as a Hefe.

I am getting some refreshing berry notes in the taste...which is a nice contrast from the nose. The taste is still dominated by that creamy wheat body, with assertive clove, vanilla, banana, Belgian funk, and heavy wheat. But through the clouds of this typical [of Pipeworks] heavy-handed Witbier is some jammy notes of berries, blueberry/blackberry compote, and jammy breakfast syrup. It all rounds out with some hints of lemon and citrus, and then bitter and floral hops. You do taste the hops, and they provide a nice counterpoint to the otherwise heavy wheat malts.

This is still typical of Pipeworks' Belgian offerings...a tad too heavy-handed, and lacking some of my preferred finesse with the style. Still, this buries the 8.5% ABV, and is delicious. The mouthfeel is expansive with great palate depth, and this has solid complexity. This is medium-full-bodied. Up front: berries, clove, bubblegum, vanilla, bananas; the mids roll into wheat and perfume funk, with some berry compote and light lemon/citrus; the back end drops into those hops with lingering wheat. It finishes nicely. All-in-all pretty damn tasty.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average. I'd actually say this is an improvement in some regards to previous wheat beer offerings from Pipeworks. I do like this a lot, and I would not hesitate to pick this up at around 8 or 9 bucks a bottle. IMO, this is worth it. Food pairings here: white fish, fruit salads, and warm weather. Tonight is the perfect night for this beer.

Random Thought: Is this a Belgian Wit though? It's not as characteristically spicy as I'd expect...

Oskar Blues Old Chub: Nitro vs. Regular

Brewed By: Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado

Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Whole Foods in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Canned on 05/19/2014)
Purchased: 16oz NITRO CAN from a 4-pack bought at Whole Foods in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Canned on 07/07/2014)

Style/ABV: Scotch Ale, 8.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

DAE like getting drunk on a Thursday night? Does anyone else like comarison reviews? About Oskar Blues: 

Oskar Blues has a few claims to fame, like being the first American craft brewery to put their beer into cans. The brewery was founded in 1997, by Dick Dale Katechis, as Oskar Blues Restaurant. In 1998, Oksar Blues began brewing beer in the basement of their restaurant. In 2002 Oskar Blues became the first American craft brewery to can a beer, with their Dale's Pale Ale. During 2008, the brewery moved from its original Lyons location to a new, 35,000-square-foot facility in Longmont, CO, turning the Lyons location back into a brew pub. And in 2012, the brewery expanded its capacity to over 100,000 bbls. The brewery continues to celebrate success, and has been turning out some awesome beer...in a can. Their website is pretty kick-ass, so check it out HERE for more information about the brewery and their history.

The Old Chub is, at this point in time, iconic. Described as a "jaw-dropping Scottish strong ale," this one is brewed with malted barley, specialty grains, and a "dash of beechwood-smoked malt." What more could you ask for in a beer? I guess Nitro, right. For this comparison, the Nitro will be in the 4 Hands glass, and the Regular will be in the Sam Adams glass.

Appearance

Nitro - so I wasn't expecting to see any big differences with the apperance, but the Nitro definitely settles into a darker, cola-black body, with a persistent finger of perfectly whipped head. It's like Guinness, only better looking. There is some lacing, and when held to a bright light you do catch hints of red.

Getting a chubby for that Old Chub

Regular - Regular Old Chub pours into a slightly lighter body. It's dark, dark, ruby red...with cola tones. Also, the regular Old Chub kicks up way more head (as you'd expect) since it relies on good old fashioned CO2 instead of Nitrogen. Head retention on both beers is nice, but the regular version leaves a lot more lacing courtesy of the head.

Aroma

Nitro - The aroma on this beer is subtle, but when you really get into it and start digging around, you find lightly toasted bread, peated malts and beechwood, and hints of dark fruits. The fruits range from cherries to raisins, with some hints of almost Quad-like perfume spice. It's a nice aroma that doesn't go over the top.

Regular - The regular Old Chub seems to pop a bit more on the aroma, which isn't overly surprising. It seems like (IMO) the nitrogen hinders the release of aromatics a bit. I'm getting a lot of big peat malts on the nose, with light smoke, beechwood, toast, and far-reaching dark fruits and sugars. It also smells good.

Taste

Nitro - Wow...this is maybe the smoothest beer I have ever had. The nitrogen irons out any bumps, and you're already dealing with a malt-forward beer. This is simply delicious, with toffee, caramel sugars, hints of bread and toast, rye spice, kisses of beachwood malt, some caramel sugars and cocoa ala a Brown Ale, hints of nutty, and some dark fruits (raisins, cherries). 

Regular - This is still super smooth...however, the carbonation does changes the entire profile of the beer. This one has some bite. You get those tannin notes from the malts, with some peat malt astringency, and some bready and toasty astringency. It's welcomed, this is a Scotch Ale. It definitely changes the complexion of the beer. It may be the age, but the regular version just has more malt "umphh" with the sugary and subtle fruit notes coming afterwards. Really fantastic.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability/Final Thoughts

Nitro - Both of these beers have above-average complexity and brilliant palate duration. They both mask the 8.0% as well. The Nitro is way smoother. It also shifts the balance towards the sweet sugar, with less bready malts and less astringency. Both of these beers are full-bodied. On the Nitro,  you get silky smoothness, sugars, cocoa, and bread/toast up front; that rolls into more cocoa, some peat malt, beechwood, and some raisins; the back end drops lingering peat malts, but it is sweet. The finish is sweet and blunt.

Regular - As noted above, this is full-bodied with good complexity and palate depth. Up front: sweetness, but more towards the malty side with sweet peated malts, beechwood, bread, toast; the mids hit some serious Scotch Ale notes, with some bread, rye, brown sugar; the back end dials up sugars with some fruit notes (raisins, cherries). Wow...I'm amazed at how much these two beers differ. 

Rating

Nitro - Strong Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

Regular - Decent Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

Well, I think the ratings speak for themselves. For me, I'm really digging the nitro version of this beer. It's smoother...and it hits those sweet notes without going too far into the peat/smoked malts. The regular version is still delicious though, and this is the perfect beer to pair with grilled meats, or in my case, nachos. Yum. If you haven't checked this one out, do it now. This is a certified classic, and one of the better American Scotch Ales.

Random Thought: TGIF...T..G...I...F. 

New Holland Pilgrim's Dole

Brewed By: New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack purchased at Binny's in IL; 2014 (Vintage 2014)

Style/ABV: American Wheatwine, 12.0%

Reported IBUs: 30

Oh lordy, reformatting laptops and backing up files takes a long time. I'm happy to be cracking into a beer. About New Holland:

New Holland Brewing Company are a Midwest brewery based out of Holland, Michigan. The brewery was founded in 1996, and they produce about 10,000 barrels annually. They have a handful of staples, including their Mad Hatter IPA and their The Poet Stout, and they also have a handful of seasonal offerings.

The bottle of the Pilgrim's Dole reads: "Rich, malty body with unique caramelized character and hints of raisins, nut and figs. Pairings: fruit crisps, creme brulee, salted caramels, slow-roasted meats." This one is brewed with 50% wheat malt, and uses U.S. Golding and Nugget hops. 

New Holland Pilgrim's Dole

No surprises here: this pours into a slightly hazy, reddish-brown, Barleywine color, kicking up two fingers of caramel-tinged head. The head retention is persistent like Nintendo fans on OkCupid, and the lacing has those mad Spider-Man clings. This is a well-carbonated beer, with numerous streams of small to mid-sized carb rising up through the reddish/orange body (in bright light). It's a Barleywine with wheat.

The aroma on this is really fantastic, with all sorts of sugary and malty notes dancing to the forefront. I'm getting big raisins, figs, dried berries, and Twizzlers. The oak and bourbon add some layers of raisins, wood, and vanilla to the nose...and this smells both dense and somewhat boozy. There are some nice layers of sugars, molasses, and cherry fruits on the nose as well, with a hint of almonds and amaretto. 

Ah...this is blissfully delicious. The taste mirrors the nose, but adds a layer of pastry-like goodness...I'm reminded of Baklava, with all those nuts and caramel and sugars. This hits big caramel sugars, molasses, and raisins out the gate...with some tannin from the wood, bourbon burn, and raisins coming along for the ride. There are layers of cherries, figs, caramel sugars, molasses, browns sugar, chocolate, and nuttiness. Like most malt-forward Barleywines, this one is somewhat one-dimensional in its approach...and yet it's so delicious. 

This is full-bodied, dense stuff. I am getting a lot of bourbon in here, but the alcohol is tempered at 12%. This is still a sipper. The carbonation helps move things along, but tannin from the wood, bourbon-raisin burn, and diabetus-inducing sugars slow things down. As they should. It's a Barleywine, yo. Having said that, while the palate depth is spot on with great depth and duration, the complexity is a bit 1-D at the moment. I dunno though. Up front: fruit notes, figs, cherries, quad-like overripe fruits, wheat malts; the mids roll into huge waves of sugar, bourbon-raisins, Baklava, amaretto, brown sugar, caramel; the back droops some lingering bourbon, chocolate, wood....the finish is sticky and boozy. Nice. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. I look forward to laying this one down in the cellar for a year or two, but right now this is pretty fantastic. This is a real sleeper from New Holland...I don't know if I like this more than Dragon's Milk, but it is definitely more complex. Or at least as complex as you can get for being essentially an English-style Barleywine. I'd second some of the food pairings: I'd like to pair this with grilled meats, Baklava, or a cigar.

Random Thought: Now that I have my new laptop in order, I need to work on building my desktop...FML. 

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Extra! Ale

Brewed By: Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California 

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Naperville, Illinois; 2014

Style/ABV: American Imperial IPA, 8.5%

Reported IBUs: 64

Wow how about that blast-from-the-past review. Look at me talking about A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale.I also did A Little Sumpin' Wild. So tonight's beer was a logical must-tick. About Lagunitas (Pronounced: "LAH-goo-KNEE-tuss"):

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

The A Little Sumpin' Extra! Ale is a hoppy American Double/Strong Ale thing, probably in the same wheelhouse as a Double IPA. This one is available in July, is brewed with "lots of wheat," and punches in at 8.5% and 64 IBUs. The bottle reads: "These words are the voice of the beer you are about to drink, they are an attempt to be understood. The beer beneath is more than just words. It is a promise. You are the promised. Revel in your times."

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Extra! Ale

This one pours into a transparent, golden-amber color, kicking up two fingers of sustaining, sticky, hop-fueled head. The head is golden-tinged, and leaves substantial lacing. The beer looks much the same in low light, and is sort of unassuming with its golden body. 

The aroma is anything but unassuming, with massive waves of grapefruit, zesty citrus, white pepper, tropical fruits, sweet peppery pine, and big bready sugar backings. It smells exactly like how I stereotype Laguintas: sweet, aggressively hopped with American hops, citrus-forward, and bold. Some really nice citrus does pop on the aroma, with tangerine, orange, grapefruit, and yeah. It's nice.

My friend commented that he prefers this to the regular A Little Sumpin' Sumpin', because this is "sweeter and easier to drink." That would be those malts, baby. Surprisingly though, this isn't that much boozier than your standard ALSS. This is delicious though, with cakey malt sweetness, brown sugar, caramel/bread, and an onslaught of tangerine, grapefruit, oranges, marmalade, tropical fruit cake, pineapple cake, and even some hints of grain-coconut. There's a lot of hop oils present here, and this veers into the land of dank. You do get a little hemp in here, but it's not super earthy or resiny. 

At 8.5% this is way more drinkable than it should be...or than it really is. You don't get much alcohol if any, so this is a sleeper. And the cakey malts are held in check by tons of hops and lots of carbonation. It's a recipe for getting drunk, and two or three of these will certainly do that. But if you have no place to go, this is a great beer to kick back with. It has amazing palate depth and somewhat limited complexity. It's also hard to say if this is a Double IPA or more of a Strong Ale...who cares, really. Up front: sweet malts, hops, tangerine, sweet orange, grapefruit, pine, sweet hemp; the mids roll into peppery spice, brown sugar, more hops, cakey malts, some grain, coconut-grain; the back end drops hop sugars, hop oils, sugar, cakey malts, and some sticky and dank kisses on the sides of your lips like grandma. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a delicious beer, and it is well-crafted. It doesn't break the Laguintas mold, but it doesn't have to. All of the Little Sumpin' beers are worth checking out, and this one stands on its own as a bigger, boozier brother to the standard Little Sumpin'. Pair this with spicy American food, wings, or even Mexican food.

Random Thought: I gotta hand it to Lagunitas, they have by far the best price to booze ratio. 

Pipeworks Citra Saison

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #463/464) bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 07.26.2014)

Style/ABV: American Saison, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ is all about dat Citra. In a Saison? Hmm, I'm intrigued. Seriously though, this beer better be banging. 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 Citra Saison is self-explanatory. The bottle reads:

"When you need a break from fighting life's epic battles, unwind your nunchuckus, high kick off the ol' work booties, and get a good death grip on life's simple pleasures like a saison hopped generously with Citra hops. Move swift! Move stealthily! Pour this Citra Saison into your glass, and enjoy when the summer sun is HIYA! in the sky, or during a warm, shuriken filled night. Shiken Haramitsu Daikoumyo."

Pipeworks Citra Saison

The appearance is an absolutely hazy, dark-yellow body, that almost borders a turbid brown/straw color. This one kicks up two fingers of substantial, egg-whites thick, white head. Head retention is great with a pinky lingering, and there's massive lacing on the glass. The body retains its juicy appeal in bright light, and peppery carbonation can be spotted with ease.

Oh man, if you love Citra...and let's be real, who doesn't love Citra...you are gonna like this beer's aroma. The aroma here features a HUGE blast of Citra hops right off the nose, with juicy citrus, tropical fruits, and funky apricot/mango. I'm getting orange, pineapple, and some big white pepper and zesty citrus. Beneath the Citra assault is a ton of Belgian funk, with barnyard, dry biscuit and bread notes, black pepper, clove, and a deep and dry Citra-band-aid funk that I can't really describe. This is legit, though. This is the most authentic smelling Saison Pipeworks has released to date. But will it taste the part? 

Wow, this is a pretty big departure for Pipeworks. This is knocking on the door of Allagash or any other Belgian-inspired brewery that knows how to turn out a good Saison. This is creamy, but peppery and hoppy, full of Citra notes, and has tons of backdoor funk. I'm getting big splashes of citrus: namely orange, pineapple, some grapefruit. Then the beer dials up the black and white pepper, clove, and biscuity dryness. The back end shifts into deeply funky fun, with lingering black pepper and citrus. There are shades of mango in here, and the Belgian funk veers into a weird bubble-gum/barnyard/band-aid territory. It's really good.

This is refreshing and clean, and amazingly drinkable. The dry finish cuts through all the bloat, and this is supported by nice carbonation and a creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Pipeworks has a habit of cranking up the ABV when it isn't needed, but the 9.0% is welcomed here and goes unnoticed. This has fantastic palate depth, and is very complex. I'm calling this medium-bodied, but I'm finding it to be very easy-going. Up front: sweet Citra splashes with orange, grapefruit, and pineapple against some nice cracker/biscuit malts; the mids roll into biscuit, black and white pepper, clove, barnyard, Belgian funk, bubblegum; the back end continues with the bubblegum and funk, with lingering hop notes and biscuit...it finishes dry and yeah. This is nice.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is probably the best non-Stout/non-IPA that Pipeworks has made. This is also the best Belgian-style Ale that Pipeworks has brewed. Far and away. This rings with some authenticity, and again, I'm reminded of bruisers like Allagash's Saison. Only with dat Citra twist and funk for days. Not only would I buy this again, but I would recommend you buy it (fresh). Pair it with a nice burger, gourmet salad, strong cheese, or a chicken dish. Good shit....yum.

Random Thought: Using Citra is like playing with wall hacks though. 

Pipeworks Scotty's Weirdo Pear Pale Ale

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #453/454) bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (bottled 07.11.2014)

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer/Pale Ale, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

I had the pleasure of trying tonight's beer at the Naperville Ale Fest, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. This one is an "English inspired Pale Ale brewed with cinnamon and pears." Okay then. 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 bottle of Scotty's Weirdo Pear Pale Ale reads:

"There once was a scooper named Scott
Who liked the pairing of pears and cinnamon a lot
He put spice in the brew
And all of the pears too
The result is an ale sure to hit the spot"

Pipeworks Scotty's Weirdo Pear Pale Ale

This one pours into a super cloudy, super juicy, non-descript, orange-yellow color. I did get a finger of gold-tinged head, and there's a nice sea foam/cauldron effect hazing of head hanging around. There is also some lacing....and alcohol legs, because this is punching in at 9.0% for some reason. The beer looks very similar in bright light, with some streams of carbonation visible courtesy of the glass.

On the aroma: not a whole lot. I'm getting faint pear juice and some hops, but what I'm really getting is cardamom, cinnamon, and some malty caramel/vanilla. This veers into super floral and fruity, with honeysuckle, straight up honey, and some notes that give off a Middle Eastern or Indian vibe. It is an interesting aroma, to say the least.

I'm not entirely sure why this is being called a Pale Ale...this is boozy and malty, with intense honey notes, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, and pear juiciness. This veers into notes of honeysuckle and saffron...with an almost, cider-like or mead-like quality. I'm definitely getting pear, apple, and white grape notes...it's in the realm of wine or mead though, with an interesting dryness on the back end.

This is definitely a weird beer. This is some boozy, intense, full-bodied stuff. I don't even know why? I'm not complaining, but the 9.0% puts this in that American Double category. It's not hard to drink...in fact, this is well-carbonated, and cleans up nicely. This has substantial palate depth with good duration, but the complexity is kind of like "eh." Some people are reporting that this is a cinnamon bomb...I don't agree. I think the cinnamon in this can stand out sharply at times in tandem with the booze, dryness, and vinous qualities...but in context I think this works. For me, I'm getting a lot of sweetness, honey, and vanilla sugars up front; that rolls into vanilla, cardamon, sage, more honey, almost tannin-like astringency, white grapes; the back end drops the apple and pear juice, and then it gets weirdly hoppy and dry. To me, this tastes similar to a Doppelweizen or a strong Bock. 

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this beer. I don't want to shit all over it for being weird...it's not bad. It seems to be in the realm of a Doppelweizen or an Imperial Witbier. I'm just not seeing the connection to a Pale Ale...I mean, it does dry out towards the back, but an English Pale Ale? For what it's worth, I'm belching up pear juice which is quite nice. And this really isn't a cinnamon bomb. I'd call this a strong candidate for food pairings....again, I would go with Indian or Middle Eastern food...maybe couscous...you could even go Greek/Mediterranean here. This is vinous and mead/wine-like. I'd revisit this again, but they should dial up the pear juice.

Random Thought: Time to catch up on my Untappd backlog. 

Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp 2014: Beer Camp Across America West Coast Double IPA

Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California 
Purchased: Single 24oz bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Bottled 06/20/14)
Style/ABV: American Double I-P-A, 8.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

What is this, Beer Camp extras? 

blah blah (What is Beer Camp? It is Sierra Nevada's celebration of craft beer and the numerous breweries across America that make that craft beer. For 2014, Sierra Nevada collaborated with 12 different breweries to make 12 different beers. They also have a Beer Camp Across America Beer Festival, which will stop at seven different cities and feature many different breweries and beers.) blah blah

About Sierra Nevada:

Sierra Nevada are one of the big players in craft brewing, and one of the first craft breweries to arrive on the craft beer scene. If you check out their history page, you will see that founder Ken Grossman began his quest to build a brewery in 1976. In 1980, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi brewed their first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. According to Wikipedia, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the second best selling craft beer behind Boston Lager. Sierra Nevada is the sixth largest brewing company in the United States as well, cranking out over 750,000 barrels in 2010. For more info, check out their website.

The Beer Camp Across America West Coast Douple IPA isn't a movie. It's not a musical porno. But ask yourself this: shouldn't it be a musical porno? I mean seriously, what's with the name here. This Double IPA is a "liquid invitation" to invite beer drinkers to attend Beer Camp Across America. Fun fact: I picked this up at my local Binny's after Beer Camp rolled through Chicago. You can't win 'em all. But if it was a musical porno...

This one features five hop varieties! Five! "Two of which went into Sierra Nevada’s “Hop Torpedo” dry-hopping device." Woo. 

Beer Camp Across America West Coast Double IPA

This should-of-could-of been non-musical porno pours into a deeply golden-amber body, kicking up three fingers of super dense, fluffy, gold-tinged head. The carbonation in here is ample. Thanks, teku. You get your usual tiny streams of bubbles...I do like the glass. This one takes on a vibrant gold color with some orange tones in bright light. It looks the part of an IPA or Double IPA. [Also of note: the nice lacing and fantastic head retention].

The aroma here is very much reminiscent of a West Coast IPA, with pungent and dank pine, orange, resin, and super-sweet cakey malt backings. I'm also getting a hint of onion and garlic in the mix. It also smells a bit watery and grassy to be honest, veering towards the lighter side of things.

This basically tastes the part of the nose...very much your standard West Coast IPA, with nice resinous and dank pine, dank citrus, and big caramel/cakey malts. The hop spice plays off the cakey sugars and veers towards lime zest and even brown sugar. The bitterness in here is nice, but this definitely has the malt backings to keep everything in check. It's enjoyable but it's not overly memorable.

This is medium-bodied approaching full, with good carbonation to help drive things, and lots of hop bitterness and cakey-sweet malts. It's easy-going for 8.5%, but I'd say the balance is towards the sweet side. Palate depth is good, but the complexity is very much par the course. It's kind of just a West Coast IPA....I mean, it's well crafted otherwise, but yeah. Up front: hops (duh, stupid), dank pine/orange/tangerine, resin; the mids roll into more dank hops, with some cakey and caramel undertones; the back end drops the bitter, along with some spice, hinting at lemon zest, rind, and some brown sugar. It's a notch away from being an Imperial Red...it's knocking on the Lagunitas door.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this beer. Average+. A well-crafted West Coast Imperial IPA that does nothing other than what it advertises. Food pairings here include sandwiches, pizza, spicy foods, wings, American bar food...you know...the works. Anything with some spice that isn't delicate. 

Random Thought: This prelude to the beer camp seems apropos. Too bad I found it post-Beer Camp (or maybe not).

4 Hands Contact High

Brewed By: 4 Hands Brewing Co. in Saint Louis, Missouri

Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Whole Foods in Naperville, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Wheat Ale Ale, 5.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Even though the store shelves say otherwise, it is still Summer. About 4 Hands Brewing Co.: 

4 Hands Brewing Co. are a brewery based out of Saint Louis, Missouri. The brewery was founded in 2011 by owner/president Kevin Lemp. The brewery features a number of brewers, including ex-Goose Island guru, Will Johnston. 4 Hands is all about hand-crafted beers, and they feature a barrel-aging program that uses wine and spirit barrels. Exciting stuff. Definitely check out their website or Facebook page.

The Contact High is an American Wheat Ale brewed with "copious amounts of pacific northwest hops and dry hopping with fresh orange zest."

4 Hands Contact High

The Contact High pours into a dark yellow, deep golden body, kicking up a finger of off-white and short-lived head. Head retention exists as a faint coating, and there is short lived cling from the lacing as you swirl the beer. This has moderate carbonation. All-in-all: not a looker by any means.

The aroma, on the other hand, does catch your attention. Right up front, I'm getting HUGE orange zest. The orange zest is beefed up with big hop notes that include iced tea, crushed aspirin, honey, pine, lemon, lemon tree leaves, and huge dank citrus and citrus zest. I'm reminded a bit of Pipeworks' MariLime Law brewed in collaboration with Tired Hands. 

You get big orange zest in the taste as well, with punchy orange juice and orange zest showing up with assertive authority. This is refreshing and juicy, and reminds me of seltzer water and orange Fresca. The hops in here pull towards orange and pine, with some hints of iced tea and wet leaves. 

This is light, refreshing, and simple. At 5.0%, this is incredibly crushable. Canning this was a good idea, and reinforces the portability of this brew. It's not complex at all, and the palate depth feels a bit one-dimensional. As far as how this stacks up: orange zest up front; more orange and lime zest in the middle, with citrus juice, orange juice, and some hints of citrus hops; the back end drops some iced tea and leaves, with lingering orange juice. The bitterness here is mild. It really reminds me of orange soda. 

Rating: Light Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. I'm a little conflicted...in this instance, I think the orange zest might actually detract from some of the potential hop flavors you can get out of a beer using just hops. I look at something like Zombie Dust and think to myself, "now that's a Pale Ale." Even the Akari Shogun has this one beat, with ease. It's a preference thing for me, but yeah. This works as a fruited beer though, and I love the 6-pack format. In cans nonetheless. I agree with the suggested food pairings: spicy foods that benefit from a hint of lime or citrus would pair wonderfully with this beer. So would poultry, and also fish or seafood, I think. Maybe a ceviche? I can't complain. This isn't a bad buy, not at around $10 a sixer.

Random Thought: Another year, another forgettable season of Food Network Star...

A quick Beer Camp 2014 meta-analysis. Was it really that bad?

I posed a hypothetical question to myself while driving home the other afternoon. "What if the Beer Camp 2014 didn't advertise Sierra Nevada's involvement with the 12 beers?" Would it matter? Maybe not, since Sierra Nevada is beloved by all. Even the most pretentious beer snobs will find something redeeming about Sierra Nevada. And they should, Sierra Nevada is a good brewery. They are also "the West Coast" brewery. Or one of them. And everyone loves the West Coast. Well, almost everyone. 

I digress. 

This year's Beer Camp mix-pack was a success. People are buying it. It's selling out. It's a craft beer commodity. When the craft beer children want something, they get it. They'll wait in line at a brewery after driving hundreds of miles. They'll package up their valuables and ship them halfway across the country. And in the case of Beer Camp 2014, there was no shortage of threads in the regional BeerAdvocate Forums asking questions like, "has anyone seen Beer Camp in [insert location here]." 

Yeah, it sold out. But how the fuck does it taste?! 

Does it matter? No, seriously. Think about the logistics of assembling this mix-pack. Sierra Nevada collaborated with 12 breweries, many of whom are as far away from California as can be. The spread here includes breweries from Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and California. Many of these breweries, if not all of them, are popular and already operating on thin margins in terms of space and time. New Glarus doesn't even ship out of Wisconsin, and yet here we find them being distributed on a national level, just for that one time. How cool is that? 

Apparently...not that cool. If the response from the beer community is any indication, the 2014 Beer Camp has been middle-of-the-road. A dissapoint[ment]. A mix-pack full of average beers. I'll ask again: even if these are middling beers, does it matter?

Your typical beer Vlogger (not pictured: a line of expensive #whalez)

Beer Camp, the festival and the mix-pack, is a celebration of beer in America. I don't think the target demographic for this mix-pack was the fat neckbeards that display their bottles of expensive and rare beers when they film their shitty video beer reviews. The target demographic for this mix-pack wasn't the pretentious Double-IPA critics, or people who are looking for barrel-aged beers where the barrel has been aged inside another barrel for that extra meta rareness. 

In an ideal world, I'd like to think Sierra Nevada was marketing this beer towards the every man/woman. Imagine if you could sell a few of these Beer Camp mix-packs to the Joe Average-guy who buys the Sam Adams seasonal variety packs. The Beer Camp is so much better. The Beer Camp is simultaneously a gateway and celebration of craft beer...something you can hang your hat on and say, "fuck yeah, America, titties, craft beer." It's like everything Magic Hat envisioned when they started releasing variety packs, without the Magic Hat. So it's better. 

So, it's super disappointing to see reviews of this mix-pack complaining about the price, or the bottled-on dates, or whatever. Yeah, the Chico King Pale Ale sucked, and it tasted faded. But the rest of this mix-pack was on its game. And complaining about the price? Really? These complaints are coming from the same people that will drop $30 on 750ml of beer. Move your yeard out of the way, push your man tits together, and harden the fuck up. And FYI: no one cares if you don't fancy English-style Bitters, Scottish Ales, or Altbiers. This mix-pack has all three, and all three are pretty good. 

I'm gonna stop...this is an early morning rant, typed up between a cup of coffee and my morning dump. But while we are talking about how not bad the 2014 Beer Camp was, here was my breakdown of the mix-pack. This much needed meta analysis will help to stimulate my brain and colon. Here's how the 2014 Beer Camp stacks up:

1. Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout Divine Brew (Decent) 4.5/5
2. Tater Ridge Scottish Ale Above-Average (Strong) 4.5/5
3. CANfusion Rye Bock Above-Average (Light) 4.5/5
4. Maillard's Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale Above-Average (Strong) 4/5
5. Alt Route Altbier Above-Average (Strong) 4/5
6. Yonder Bock Tropical Maibock Above-Average (Decent) 4/5
7. Torpedo Pilsner Hoppy Pilsner Above-Average (Decent) 4/5
8. Electric Ray India Pale Lager Above-Average (Light) 4/5
9. There and Back English-Style Bitter Above-Average (Light) 3.5/5
10. Yvan The Great Belgian-Style Blonde Above-Average (Light) 3.5/5
11. Myron's Walk Belgian-Style Pale Ale Average (Strong) 3.5/5
12. Chico King Pale Ale Average (Light) 3/5

Out of 12 beers, there was a total of 60 potential points available. When you add up all the scores, the final total is: 47/60, or a percentage score of 78.3%. If you take the mean/average, you end up with a final score of 3.9/5.0. You know, for all you Untappd people. 

That's not a bad final score. It's somewhere between average and closer to above-average, which is where I feel this mix-pack stands out. And while there were no perfectly scored beers in this mix-pack, the Ninkasi collab comes pretty damn close with a 4.5/5.0. It also stands out as the only Divine Brew in the mix-pack. I feel confident calling it world-class (like that means anything). It's a good beer if you like coffee stouts. 

Other favorites include the Tater Ridge, which was a nice take on the Scotch/Scottish Ale style. It had substantial body and a welcomed sweetness that would fit right at home in an Autumn beer. The CANfusion Rye Bock was also delicious, with a nice blend of complex malts and interesting hops. The Maillard's Odyssey and Electric Ray should also get serious props, although both beers fail in terms of being original or classics. 

The biggest losers here are clearly the Chico King and the Yvan The Great. Even if the Chico King was bottled closer to the release, I'm confident the beer wouldn't have done anything other than middled it. What a disappointing beer...and honestly, it's not surprising when you look at some of the underwhelming stuff FFF has been shoving into bombers as of late. And selling for high prices. I still love Three Floyds and no one does it better...but come on. The Russian River and Sierra Nevada collab was also a huge disappointment. The bottle promised a great experience and the beer was average and hardly innovative. The fact that Sierra Nevada and Russian River are neighbors doesn't help their case either. These two breweries could have collaborated to make something really outstanding...but oh well.

Last but not least, let's talk about the There and Back English-Style Bitter. I thought this skirted by as an Above-Average take on the style. Honestly, New Glarus crafted a delicious beer with this one, it just so happens that the Bitter style isn't particularly exciting for most American beer drinkers. Having said that, New Glarus' regular lineup of beers (including their seasonal offerings) features a bunch of Bocks and Lagers...boring beers by many accounts...but beers that are crafted masterfully. While New Glarus has gained notoriety for their sours and fruit beers, their regular lineup is stellar stuff. There and Back is no exception and pretty much embodies what they do. 

With that said...it's August. The Beer Camp 2014 has probably peaked. I don't know if I would still seek this out given that some of the beers were bottled as early as May. At this point in time (8/8/2014), I'd pay no more than ~$24 for the 12-pack. If you were fortunate enough to jump on this one in early July like I was, then you were rewarded with a fun celebration of American craft beer.

I hope Sierra Nevada reads this post and ignores a lot of the lazy reviews and beer snobbery that has surrounded this release. And then hopefully they mail me free shit. Sierra Nevada, email me: Cums4Hops69@hotmail.com

Also, I look forward to Beer Camp 2015