Against the Grain MacFannybaw

Brewed By: Against the Grain Brewery (and Smokehouse) in Louisville, Kentucky   

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Friar Tuck in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: American Smoked/Rauchbier, 8.5%

Reported IBUs: 25

Tonight's beer is just so much wuuutt. It's literally wutt. About Against the Grain Brewing: 

The Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse is a brewery (and smokehouse) that was founded back in October 2011. The brewery is located in the southeast corner of Louisville Slugger Field at the corner of Jackson and Main Street, in Kentucky, and is run by four dudes who are cooler than you. For more information, check them out on Facebook or check out their website. 

The MacFannybaw is a barrel-aged Rauchbier, aged in Angel's Envy Bourbon Barrels. The bottle reads: "We're not blowing smoke up your rear! This barrel-aged rauchbier offers up all the complexity and flavor you could ask for, without all the highfalutin and grandiloquent ideas folks have about that famous islay liquid gold. MacFannyBaw is a sweet, smooth, smokey, and salty lionn, brewed with alderwood smoked salt and conditioned in barrels to add a touch of Kentucky flavor." With a Munich malt base and tons of Beechwood and Peat smoked malts and Alderwood smoked salt...this should be weird. 

Against the Grain MacFannybaw wuttt

This basically pours out exactly not how you would expect: orange and bright, with two fingers of gold-tinged head. This is as clear as my kidney infection, and looks like some sort of juicy and dank Saison or IPA.

I'm wondering again if this beer is infected, because it sure brings an ample supply of band-aid funk to the aroma. Along with the band-aid funk are rubber bands that would make T.I. jealous, and copious layers of smoked malts. Beneath all that are some honest-to-goodness citrus and pineapple notes. I just don't know.

This is more or less a wuttt affair with weird ass band-aid funk whiskey smoke notes piling on like a Comedy Roast. Honestly, this is equal parts confusing as hell and interesting, with smoked malts, beechwood, and salt coalescing with whiskey, barrel, oak, and some obscure and faint honey sweetness that lingers in the backgroud. I honestly don't think this infected, this is just an eclectic beer.

I'm drawn to things that don't make sense, and this is no exception. I don't even know what this is. A funky Rauchbier? It's relatively clean, hides the alcohol well, carbonated, and medium-bodied. Palate depth is fine and it's complex....I just don't know. The weird mash of smoke, salt, and ubersweet beechwood malts up front give way to that funky band-aid/rubber band man middle...the back end drops off oak, whiskey, barrel, and faint pineapple which suggests a few more years in the bottle and you'll have Orval. Wut. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Average on this. This beer is kind of like going on vacation to your aunt's house. Everything is cooler and more laid back, but also weird and different. Things smell different, and she cooks hamburger helper way different than mom does. Food pairings here include chili and that's about all I have.

Random Thought: Wut

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.