[Cellar Review] He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn (17th Anniversary Ale - 2013)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: American Strong Ale, 17.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is a beer I first had back in November of 2013. And as I said back then: "this beer is a bit of a hot mess." But that was back then. This is now. Five years later. About He'Brew:

that was then, this is now

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The Jewbelation Reborn is part of the He'Brew Anniversary Ale series. The malt list is: 2-Row, Spelt, Vienna, Munich, Rye, Wheat  Einkorn, Emmer, Chocolate, Crystal Rye, Dark Crystal, Roasted Barley, Roasted Wheat, Flaked Oats, Caramunich 40, Carapilsner, and Kiln Amber. The hops include: Warrior, Columbus, Apollo, Palisade, Golding, Tettnang, Ahtanum, Cascade, Czech Saaz, Centennial, Chinook, Santiam, Simcoe, Summit, Amarillo, Citra, and Crystal.

He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn 2018 Cellared

So you're probably wondering, does this look dramatically different than its fresh counterpart? And the answer is surprisingly: YES! Look at the struggling head on the five year vintage. The cellar vintage pours out like coca-cola. Contrast that to the tight and thick head on the fresh 2013 vintage. But looks are deceiving, like that experienced senior in sweatpants who doesn't do their hair or give two looks about their apperance compared to the perfectly manicured freshy who would be lost in an eggplant factory. 

Gone on the aroma are the hops, along with the fruity berry puree notes. No, this does not smell anything like how I described the fresh vintage. The aroma is rich, and aged, with hints of soy, molasses, lovely sherry wine notes, dark fruits in the form of prunes, raisins, and plums, and oxidation for sure with some stale wet leaves and pine nuts.  

He'Brew Jewbelation Reborn 2013 Fresh

And wowza. Not only does this taste amazing...it is quite layered and complex. This has barleywine qualities with complex layers of burnt maple, caramel sugars, brown sugar, and toffee. There's a light fudgy aspect to the mix, which reminds me of the pre-2015 Bourbon County glory days when the beer seemed a bit hotter and less sweet. There is quite a bit of alcohol, which I would expect (and honestly) want in a 17% beer. The idea that a 17% beer would be without alcohol seems absurd, right? I'm not getting as much of the oxidation notes in the taste, which is GREAT. In fact, the faint oxidized hops in the aroma don't really show up on the palate. What I do get is a kiss of dark fruits and soy. It is a nice counterpoint to the beer itself.

This has some bitterness to it, which may be from the remaining hop oils or the dark shades of malt. This is wonderfully complex. This is also CONSIDERABLY better aged than fresh. It's too bad He'Brew dropped the anniversary year corresponding hops/malts/abv shtick. These are always fun to age, and sometimes you end up with a really nice sipping beer like tonight. Speaking of: up front you get dark fruits, raisins, light raspberry puree, alcohol, and complex caramel sugars; the mids touch of fudge, umami/soy/dark fruits, some light light oxy; the back end drops more fruits and fudge, with alcohol. This is sticky and deep like the adult side of the swimming pool. Palate duration is off the chain.

Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.25/5.0 Untappd)

Wow, so when you compare this beer fresh to the beer we are drinking today....it is really one of those night and day examples. I gave this beer a generous 3/5 back in the day and called it a "hot mess." The beer we have today is complex, layered, and delicious. My only regret is this was my last bottle. Wah wah. If someone from Shmaltz is reading this....please, bring this back. 

Random Thought: So what did we learn today? Well, we learned that this beer sucked fresh and needed at least a few years in the ol' cellar. Honestly though, this beer could have probably aged for another year or two. I just got antsy after five years. I really did have a debate in my mind about whether or not to open this beer. I'm glad I did.

[Cellar Review] 2017 Traquair House Ale VS. 2013 Traquair House Ale

2013 Vintage Traquair Ale

The Traquair House Ale is an instant classic. The beer has gained notoriety for its interesting history and ability to be aged. I lucked into a few bottles of this beer back in 2013, and thought I would throw one in my cellar. I was thinking about when I wanted to pull the beer and try it. And as fortune would have it, while cruising the import aisle at Binny's looking for some Irish Dry Stouts, I stumbled upon a new vintage of the House Ale. So here we are.

The two beers in their glory:

Brewed By: Traquair in Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland  

Purchased: 500ml (1 pint, 0.9oz) bottle bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Scotch Ale, 7.2%

Reported IBUs: ?
Best By Date: June 2018

2017 Vintage Traquair Ale

Brewed By: Traquair in Innerleithen, Borders, Scotland  

Purchased: 500ml (1 pint, 0.9oz) bottle bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2017 

Style/ABV: Scotch Ale, 7.2%
Reported IBUs: ?
Best By Date: May 28, 2026

[2013] Appearance: Both beers kick up an eggshell head, but the body of the 2013 House Ale is considerably more murky and worn. There are ruby red tones, but they reside in a swampy haze.

[2017] Appearance: Ruby red, filtered, and deceptively looking like your run of the mill bottle of Shamal Adams. An intriguing, ruby body.

[2013] Aroma: Here is where these two beers depart. The 2013 bottle features peat moss, raisins, leather, faint wood/barrel, oxidation, sherry, some port wine, hints of fortified marsala, and these beautiful tropical and stone fruit notes that come across through shades of peat moss. 

Side-by-Side

[2017] Aroma: The 2017 beer is brighter on the nose immediately, and has a strong grain and malt presence, with a fair amount of peat. There is oak, Scotch Whisky, toffee, caramel, and some toast. Cereal grains are present, and the beer smells warm and inviting. It smells not unlike a brewery. Lots of peat.

[2013] Taste: Wow. Not at all what I was expecting, the 2013 vintage basically sips like a nice peat whisky, sans the alcohol and burn. This is all about the sweet peat moss, with notes of raisins, woodsy mushrooms, musty leaves, peat, peat moss, greens, shades of fruitiness, and some lingering barrel character on the back. As the beer opens up in my glass, I'm getting some fruity notes too (probably from the yeast). Interesting stuff.

[2017] Taste: The taste of the 2017 vintage mirrors the nose in many ways. This is an assertive, grain-forward beer with lots of peat notes. There's a fair amount of astringency from the grain (and water and barrel, hang on) which drops some cereal and toasty notes. The barrel adds oak and wood tannin, and peat moss. The water is hard. There's a whole lot of peat. 

[2013] Finish: Wonderfully complex, this lays Scotch whisky in your glass and doesn't look back. The beer is medium-full, with shades of peat moss, fruit, grain and barrel tannin. There's some oak, chocolate, musty mushrooms, and layers of complex and developed graininess. Palate depth is banging, and this is endlessly complex. It really develops in waves, with peat moss and Scotch whisky up front, fruity notes and then oak/chocolate in the mids, and lingering musty mushrooms and wood and barrel in the back. 

[2017] Finish: The 2017 vintage is thicker, heftier, hoppier, and maltier. It is probably more in line with what I would look for in a beer as a pretty stereotypical American craft beer nerd. The beer is medium-bodied, with good palate depth and moderate to full duration. Each sip does linger in your mouth for 30-60 seconds. And there's good depth of flavor here. You get grains and peat moss up front; cereal and hoppy bitterness in the mids; the back end drapes some of the wood tannin, oak, and more peat moss. The lingering flavor is decidedly the peat moss. If you like Scotch whisky, this is a good contender. 

With flash/potato: 2017 on the left, 2013 on the right

[2013] Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.25/5.0 Untappd)

This was fun to age, and I would age a bottle again. I think the aged bottle is more complex and more intriguing, although it appeals less to my own preferences and sensibilities. I'm not a huge Scotch whisky guy, but I enjoy the complexities of a good peat drink. The layers of grain, smoke, and complex fruitiness are nice. There's no doubts about it, the 2013 bottle morphed into something quite nice and complex. 

[2017] Rating: Light Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

All around this is sweeter, hoppier, and smells and tastes like a brewery. The peat moss pops in as a secondary note, and brings along some oak, wood, and fruitiness. The yeast contributes some fruity characteristics to the beer as well. It's good, even thought it is not my go-to jam. It's no Dubbel. But this is an admittedly awesome beer. If you do see it, pick it up. This is one of those beers that comes around once in a while, and is worth checking out.

Random Thought: Proof that cellaring doesn't have to be super serious. Go buy some beers, stick them in your cellar, and see what happens. 

Trappist Westvleteren 12 follow-up

I was gifted a bottle of the Trappist Westvleteren 12, and wanted to follow up with my previous Belgian Quad blind tasting. I figured I would do a more traditional review of the Westy 12, and compare it to one of the readily-available, American-import-Quad-stalwarts, the St. Bernardus Abt 12. 

The beers: 

Abt 12

St. Bernardus Abt 12
Brewed By: St. Bernard Brouwerij in Watou, Belgium  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Costco in Chicago, IL; 2016 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 10.5%

Westy 12

Reported IBUs: ?

Trappist Westvleteren 12

Brewed By: Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus in Westvleteren, Belgium

Purchased: 11.2oz/33cl bottle generously gifted to me (imported from Belgium); 2016 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 10.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

The Westvleteren 12 definitely pours into more of a battered body. The beer is swampy, murky, reddish-brown, and could be confused for pond water. Admittedly, the aroma of the Westy 12 is a lot more appealing than the aroma of the Abt 12. The Westy 12 touches on dark raisins and prunes, plums and dark fruits, and hints of licorice. But the main aromatic character is the huge earthy aroma. I get a lot of tobacco, leather, chocolate, fruit bread, and molasses cookies. It's a complex, rich aroma. The beer tastes a lot more subtle than you would expect. It is a dry, complex, wine-like, boozy drink. You get the leathery notes, then the molasses and prunes/plums/dark fruits. The beer is vinous and earthy, with a medium-body and moderate carbonation. It finishes boozy and dry.

Rating: Strong Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

The things I do on Saturday nights...

On the other hand, the St. Bernardus Abt 12 is like a nubile; filtered, ruby-red, and clean with good head retention (where the Westy 12 had virtually no head retention). The aroma is offensively sweet compared to the Westy 12. I jotted down "fruity, hefeweizen-like yeast." I was also picking up lots of bubblegum, banana, vanilla, clove, candy sugar, and perfume. The Abt 12 carries the aromas into the taste, with big cherries up front, followed by lots of stone fruits, banana, perfume/candy sugar, and some brown sugar. The beer is phenolic and sweet. The Abt 12 has a slightly fuller body, in my opinion, and does not finish as dry. It is a boozy beer.

Rating: Decent Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

Realizing there is a lot of bottle/age variability, palate bias, etc., I'm happy to report that the Westy 12 fared better in a nuanced tasting than it did in my blind tasting. It is entirely possible that the Westy 12's subtle, dry character makes it a poor standout in a blind tasting. Compared to the Abt 12, the Westy 12 is considerably more complex and has a lot more nuance and depth. It's also more "mature," in terms of the overall flavor profile. 

Having said that, I'd still rather just buy a Rochefort 10 or a Ommegang Three Philosophers. 


Random Thought: I binged Netflix's Stranger Things this weekend, and I have no regrets. The show is a wonderful amalgamation of 80's tropes and nostalgia. It reminded me of recent films, The Guest, and It Follows (and to some extent, Super 8 and The Crazies). If you have an appreciation for 80's horror and sci-fi, you better get watching. 

Trappist Westvleteren 12: Quad Blind Tasting

For this write-up I wanted to do something a little different than a straight review. A bottle of Westy 12 was generously gifted to me, and I wanted to seize the opportunity since it is not everyday that you find yourself in possession of one of the world's most sought after and hyped up beers. If you are unfamiliar with Westy 12, good. The beer is brewed by the monks at the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus in Vleteren, Belgium. The brewery makes three beers: their Blonde, 8, and 12. These beers are only available at the brewery in Belgium, which has added to the beer's hype and mythology. The Westy 12 did have a limited American release (for charity), and was absurd and a total shitshow. Since then, the trade value of Westy 12 has crashed like the US housing market. 

Having a bottle of this rare and sought after beer in my possession is like owning the Ark of the Covenant. You feel like a God, until the hype machine melts your face off. Anyway, here was the blind tasting lineup:

Trappist Westvleteren 12
Brewed By: Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus in Westvleteren, Belgium  

ABV: 10.2%

St. Bernardus Abt 12

Brewed By: St. Bernardus Brouwerij in Watou, Belgium  

ABV: 10.0%

Destihl Quadrupel

Brewed By: Destihl Brewery in Bloomington, Illinois  

Quad Blind Tasting 

ABV: 11.0%

Delirium Noël

Brewed By: Brouwerij Huyghe in Melle, Belgium  

ABV: 10.0%

Rochefort Trappistes 10

Brewed By: Brasserie Rochefort in Rochefort, Belgium  

ABV: 11.3%

Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve

Brewed By: Chimay in Baileux, Belgium  

ABV: 9.0%

Ommegang Three Philosophers

Brewed By: Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat) in Cooperstown, New York  

ABV: 9.7%

There wasn't a ton of thought behind this lineup of beers. I could have added more beers, but I wanted to keep the lineup shorter to avoid palate fatigue. I put the Destihl beer in the lineup to give the Midwest a chance. I wanted to end up saying, "local brewery does okay." Unfortunately, the Destihl Quad was clearly among the worst of these beers. Spoilers. The Abt 12 and Rochefort 10 are both easily available and I enjoy them a lot. The Chimany Blue is a classic. The Noël is a crowd favorite that I don't get. And the Three Philosophers is my favorite, readily available, American Quad. With all that said, let's see how these beers stacked up.

My blind, final ranking: Ommegang, Rochefort 10, Delirium Noël, Chimay, Abt 12, Destihl, Westy 12

My brother: Delirium Noël, Rochefort 10, Ommegang, Chimay, Abt 12, Destihl, Westy 12

My girlfriend: Ommegang, Abt 12, Delirium Noël, Chimay, Rochefort 10, Destihl, Westy 12

Average/Mean position of each beer (w/ standard deviation): 

Woo, statistics!

This was a simple tasting with just three people. And this is about as deep as I want to go. The results are pretty clear...the Three Philosophers was loved by everyone, and that doesn't surprise me. It's a top-notch Quad, despite being on the sweeter side of the style. The Delirium Noël was a total dark horse that we all enjoyed, and I'll pen some tasting notes on each of these beers in a minute. The Rochefort 10 should not shock anyone. I debated putting the Rochefort 10 in my number one spot, and my brother was right behind me in loving it. My girlfriend is hop-aversive, and we all agreed the Rochefort 10 had the most hop punch. The Chimay was middle-of-the road for ALL of us. It's a good standby, and you can buy it anywhere these days. The Abt 12 had a bit of variation in its ranking...I wonder about the bottle age. The Destihl was universally panned compared to the top beers. And then we had the Westy 12...all the way at all of our bottoms. When we were doing the blind tasting, we all thought the Westy 12 was the Delirium Noël or the Destihl.

Some tasting notes: 

Trappist Westvleteren 12 - oxidized, aged, apples, saffron, smuckers jam, phenols, leather, medium-bodied; harsh finish

St. Bernardus Abt 12 - Phenolic, banana, cherries, dark fruits, brown sugar, full-bodied; crisp; light fruity flavor, cardboard

It's just beer...

Destihl Quadrupel - sweet, light, fruity, apples, cherries, saffron, fruity/caramel, not complex; bland; harsh, not clean

Delirium Noël - Rye, spice, bread, some vinegar/soy sauce/umami, oxidized dark fruits, raisins, intensity and complex; very fruity, apple juice; raisins, very clean

Rochefort Trappistes 10 - HOPPY, resin, dark fruits, brown sugars, hop candies, BIG, not sweet; cookie dough; some alcohol

Chimay Bleue (Blue) / Grande Réserve - cherries, fruit, dark fruits, sweeetness, lighter, thin; apples and pears; smooth

Ommegang Three Philosophers - Bananas, phenolic, perfume, brown sugar, cherries, candies, candy sugar, thick, sweet, not boozy; bananas; slightly bitter

Results/Discussion/Conclusion/Final Thoughts

What to make of these results? I really don't know. First off, Belgian Strong Ales are one of my favorite styles of beer, if not my absolute favorite style of beer. Having said that, I think tasting these beers in a blind tasting format is restrictive in some ways. By the end of the tasting, my palate was whacked and I was having a hard time discerning between beers. There's some meta commentary there about the hoarders on Ratebeer that tick 200 beers a day, or go to festivals and rate 40 beers using 2oz pours. People are both the best raters of things like food and drink, and also poorly tuned instruments. There are so many biases at work -- your mood, your palate that day, how many beers you had before, etc. -- that I just can't take tickers seriously. What I am proposing is a premise/argument that the ticker on Ratebeer with 20,000+ ticks is contributing meaningless content and is wasting time. But hey, if they are happy, good for them.

These are ALL nuanced beers. The Abt 12 has different complexities than the Rochefort 10. The Delirium Noël is way different than any other of these beers. I would argue that none of these beers are bad. You could go into the store and walk out with any of these beers and be okay. However, for my palate, I'm quite content knowing that I can buy an Ommegang Three Philosophers or a Rochefort 10 at just about any liquor store, and get that authentic dark strong ale experience without having to jump through any hoops. I've rated both the Three Philosophers and Rochefort 10 very high in the past. 

The Delirium Noël is the real dark horse in this tasting. Many "what the fucks?" were made after it scored so high. My theory behind the beer's success is that it is complex, has these awesome bread/rye notes, and pulls out some serious raisin punches. The vinegar/soy/umami that I was tuned into (my tasting partners were not) suggests to me that the beer has suffered from some autolysis...Delirium bottle-conditions all of their beers, and you can pour out some really nasty yeast chunks if you aren't careful. Who knows how old that bottle is.

Why did we all pan the Westy 12? I have no idea. I didn't pan it, initially. I actually had it ranked in the 4th spot before finalizing my rankings. I think the bottle I have might have some age on it. But also, the Westy 12 wasn't as assertive or bold as the Rochefort 10 or the Ommegang Three Philosophers. I won't speak much to the hype...because this blind tasting was limited. We only had one bottle. And there are biases at work. So maybe in another blind tasting we would rank it higher. Maybe in another blind tasting we would have a bottle that tastes different. There is definitely bottle variation with this style of beer. So there are a lot of unknowns and limitations at work here. Also, our sample size was too small and hardly significant. To legitimize this tasting, we would ideally have 20 people tasting these beers. That should provide more useful data...but I did what I could.

And that's all I really have to say. This blind tasting was fun, and I recommend that people jump on this ship and start blind tasting beers themselves. Beer reviews ARE bullshit. But blind tastings add an element of credibility to what is otherwise a lot of words. Words. Ratebeer. 20,000 ticks. Tick tick tick tick. Tick.

Random Thought: WHAT?!!?! No review score? Duh. How the hell am I supposed to rate these beers from a blind tasting? Also, I can't speak for my compadres. 

Guinness Draught vs. Murphy's Irish Stout

Brewed By: Guinnes Brewing Company/St. James’s Gate (Diageo) in Dublin, Ireland   

Purchased: 14.9oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Brewed By: Heineken International/Murphy's Brewery in Cork, Ireland   

Purchased: 14.9oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Dry Stout, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

It has occurred to me that I have never officially reviewed Guinness Draught on this blog. That doesn't matter though, because if you haven't tasted Guinness you can Google for hundreds of reviews or videos showing you the perfect pour. But let's get down to business. Which beer is better for car bombs or that once-a-year dry stout craving, because there is no other reason to buy a dry stout. Ever.

Appearance THE FUCKING SAME. Seriously, look at these two beers. Creamy, dark, mad Irish sex appeal (that's not a thing). The Murphy's might be a tad darker but I'm not pulling out my SRM ruler like some kind of beer reviewer.

Aroma The Guinness has that watery roasted aroma, with some barley, smoke, and faint roast. The Murphy's is slightly fatter, with more roast, more barely, more hints of smoke, and some faint chocolate. These are pretty evenly matched beer in the aroma department.

Guinness Draught vs. Murphy's Irish Stout 

Taste The Murphy's Irish Stout has a nice flavor profile with dark grains, smokey barley, and some faint chocolate/roast. It's a dry stout through and through and lets you know it. The Guinness is more watery, and compared to the Murphy's Irish Stout, is actually more fruity. Yeah, what the fuck? The Guinness seems to have more yeast character, along with the smokey grains and usual roasted barley notes. The Guinness veers into hints of plums and dates...candy sugar...???

Finish These are both light-bodied beers. At 4.0%, you'd expect and want that. Anyone that calls Guinness a "meal in a can" has no idea what they are talking about and should be promptly ignored. They might be from Europe too, so promptly open an American BA Adjunct Stout and chug it. And then call it a session beer. Neither of these beers are particularly complex, but they are smooth and creamy and work. The main difference aside from the light roasted barley notes is that the Guinness seems to have more fruity notes and yeast character, and the Murphy's is a bit more malt-thick and has some chocolate/coffee that the Guinness lacks. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on both of these beers. I really can't not recommend these two beers, but they aren't special or unique. They go great in a car bomb and taste good paired with certain foods in March. I don't really seek either of these beers out during the rest of the year. The Murphy's is definitely a bit thicker and leans towards chocolate and coffee; the Guinness is fruitier. I'd recommend getting the Murphy's over the Guinness based on the price alone. BUT, Guinness also has their Foreign Extra which is considerably more adventurous than the Draught. 

Random Thought: Time to shelve these away until next March. 

[EPIC THROW DOWN] #Midwest vs. Fucking Vermont

Rawwwrrr

IN CORNER #1 we have....Heyoka!:

Brewed By: Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 16oz/1 Pint CAN bought at Half Acre in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: India Pale Ale, 7.0%
Reported IBUs: There's a cat hugging a dinosaur. It doesn't get any more bitter than that.

IN CORNER #2 we have....Vermont Whalez:

Brewed By: The Alchemist in Waterbury, Vermont  

Purchased: 16oz CAN generously beer-mailed/gifted to me; 2014 

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 8.0%
Reported IBUs: 120+????

When life gives you lemons, you have a lemon party. Tonight we are doing a throw down between these two completely overrated beers. Seriously, these beers suck, don't buy them. 

Appearance: 

Heady Tophers

Heady Topher is hazy like grandpa's memory with champagne bubbles, and orange juice comparisons are incoming. It figures that Vermont would basically ferment orange juice and call it beer. Heyoka! has less head, is a bit more refined, and goes to church on Sunday. It's basically the #Midwest. Winner: No one. Does anyone except neckbeard BJCP warriors give a shit about the appearance? NEXT.

Aromas: 

Toppling Tophers greets the olfactory with dank ass pine, resin, weed...this is basically That 70's Show. This veers into some weird agave and guava territory, and then lays out orange juice for days. You might get iced tea at colder temps but only noobs drink freezer beer. Hey Yoko smells super bright, like 5th graders in accelerated math. This is a zesty citrus show with some grass and citrus spice. There's also cracker malts to mix things up, I mean why not. And some grapefruit rind to remind everyone that the Midwest vicariously lives through Florida and California's fruit supply. Winner: me. I bench pressed like 215 this week.

Gag Reflex Potential:

Chiraq doesn't mess around, Hanukkah! is refreshing like lemonade, with razor sharp hops that assert dank lemon and orange zest on you like getting femdomed by citrus. It suggests grassy, tropical fruit notes, with water chestnuts (wut) and grapefruit rind. Minimal cracker character shows up like a snorkel to save you from the hypnotic citrus-thigh assault. Handy Tophers is expansive and full-body, truly a BBW in the world of 8% IIPAs. This literal whale is dank like weed, with tons of orange juice. You get some pine, guava, and agave, but this mostly drops that fresh OJ with no malt interference. Winner: OJ Simpson (relevant). 

Lemons. This was literally torture. 

Quaffabilly:

The Heady Doppler is clean and refreshing, but full-bodied. A rare trait that is mitigated just slightly by low complexity. Still, this isn't a moped. This is a dank, sticky weed affair. It rips a bong load of dank orange juice that will impress your stoner friends. Namely, Steve. The Midwest shelf turd, Hey-yo!, is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's also clean and refreshing, but has a cracker malt backbone that reminds me of a Pilsner. Both beers are bangable, but Hey-yo! is slightly brighter and more zesty. Can you fault the Midwest for trying to channel that grapefruit rind and tropical fruit vibe? Winner: mopeds. 

Rating/Winner: Strong Divine Brew (5.0/5.0) for both these bangers. Both of these beers show up in clutch time, and deliver what they promise. Like a fresh corpse, you want to hit these when they are fresh. The Topher is a big-bodied, orange juice affair. The Halo, K?! is a zesty banger with citrus zest/rind, balanced sweetness, and cracker malts. Both of these beers come in a 4-pack. Both of these beers can be consumed out of the can, or in the can, or out of the can in the can, or in a glass, or wherever. Both of these beers excel in their respective category, and at this point Handy Topher is pretty much a classic staple of beer despite its status as a #whale. 

If you think this review is a cop out, it totally is. But between you and me, I'd probably take the Heyoka! to my deserted island because it seems to be slightly more refreshing. On the other hand, if you age that Vermont whale I hear it turns into a pretty awesome Barleywine. 

Random Thought:

The new Bongripper album is dope:

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. 

[Compare and Contrast] New Glarus Raspberry Tart vs. Lindemans' Framboise

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Brewed By: Brouwerij Lindemans in St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle 355ml/12oz bought at Malloy's Finest Wine & Spirits in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Lambic - Fruit, 2.5%

I recently reviewed New Glarus' Raspberry Tart and found myself comparing the beer to Lindemans' Framboise. As you can see, I did review the Framboise a long time ago. It's a shitty review, but that's par the course for this blog.

I thought it would be fun to do a quick comparison of the readily available Lindemans' Framboise vs. the New Glarus Raspberry Tart. So I headed out to the store, snagged a bottle of Framboise, and took some notes. The results are probably not surprising, but I was a little surprised at how far off I was in terms of how I remembered the Framboise.

Appearance:

Raspberry Tart (left) / Framboise - radioactive purple (right) 

Lindemans' Framboise: Fucking purple. You cannot miss this radioactive purple abomination. This looks like something straight out of a Marvel comic book that is going to give you super powers. This one pours into a purple body, and kicks up a couple of fingers of pink/purple head. The beer is super effervescent and has good lacing.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: I stand by my earlier review. This beer pours into a dark, hazy, mahogany/red body. This one kicks up a finger or two of mahogany/orange head, and has good lacing. This beer is also super effervescent.

Aroma:

Lindemans' Framboise: Raspberry syrup. Like the sugary stuff you buy at the store to put in your tea. This beer has that sucrose aspect that is artificial as hell but welcoming if you like sugar. There's also a good amount of raspberry currant and tea on the aroma, with some mild Belgian funk and barnyard esters. The sweetness dominates the funk.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: Subtle is the name of the game. There's not as much on the aroma here, but you get fresh raspberry. There's a mild tea note, with some hops. There's also big malts and sugars on the nose. There are some really nice complex sugars at work here, with some bready hints. Nice.

Taste:

Lindemans' Framboise: The taste mirrors the nose, with aggressively sweet raspberry syrup, currants, sugary sweet kisses, and some light barnyard funk that is overpowered by sucrose.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: This beer is exploding with authentic raspberry off the vine, mild currants/tea, and tons of malty complexity that hint at bread, caramel, brown sugar, and caramel. The level of malt complexity in the Raspberry Tart compared to the Lindemans' Framboise is like night and day. There's also an apple note here that I can't quite place, and a hint of pie crust.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability:

Lindemans' Framboise: This is super carbonated, super sweet, and very drinkable. The mouthfeel is medium-light to light bodied, and complexity is low but the palate depth is good. You get raspberry syrup up front; that rolls into currants; there's a hint of malt and barnyard funk, and the finish is sweet with fake sugar sucrose goodness.

Raspberry Tart is the clear winner here.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: Carbonated, drinkable, medium-bodied...good palate depth, good complexity. This is less funky than the Framboise, but a little more tart. There's legit raspberries up front; bready malts and complex sugars in the middle; and great raspberries on the finish.

Rating: 

Lindemans' Framboise: Strong Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: Strong Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

Final Thoguhts:

So, my memory totally sucks and failed me. The New Glarus Raspberry Tart is a complex beer when compared to the Framboise. The Raspberry Tart has a much more authentic, nuanced raspberry flavor, and it has way more depth of malt. The Framboise dials up the raspberry syrup, and it is much sweeter. The only thing going for the Framboise is that buried beneath the sugar is some Belgian "barnyard" funk and some nice bready notes. It's not a bad beer by any means, but the sugar is anything but subtle. Also, the radioactive purple looks totally fake. 

Also, New Glarus sells 750ml bottles of the Raspberry Tart for 10 dollars! The 750ml bottles of the Framboise retail for around 15 dollars. That makes the Raspberry Tart a better bargain and a better beer. 

Random Thought: Haters gonna hate. I still think the Lindemans' Framboise is a respectable beer. It's good for what it is, and pairs well with ice cream, and aggressive savory dishes. If you are taking note, you'll notice that I lowered my review/score of the Framboise. The Raspberry Tart holds steady, and will pair well with a myriad of savory dishes and sweet sauces. Om nom nom.