Prairie Artisan Ales The Beer That Saved Christmas

Brewed By: Prairie Artisan Ales in Tulsa (brewed in Krebs), Oklahoma  

Purchased: 500ml (16.9oz) bottle bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013  

Style/ABV: Old Ale, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight is one of those nights, but I ain't complaining. About Prairie Artisan Ales:

Prairie Artisan Ales are yet another brewery that began as a Kickstarter campaign. Founded in 2012 by brothers Chase and Colin Healey (nice beards), the duo have been busy making beer as Gypsy Brewers, but also have their own brew facility (complete with barrels!). You can check them out on Facebook here.

The Beer That Saved Christmas is an "Ale aged in oak barrels with a mixture of wild bacteria." This one happens to be an Old Ale, and is described as having notes of chocolate, cherry, vanilla, and caramel. I like all those things, so this should be good.

Prairie The Beer That Saved Christmas

This beer pours about how you expect: brown, murky, dirtier than the mall santa's lap, and with a finger or two of bready, dark brown head. In bright light the beer takes on red/brown/purple tones, with streaming carbonation, sticky lacing, and glossy alcohol legs. It's an Old Ale, yo.

The barrel and the "wild bacteria" give this beer some noticeable fruity character on the aroma, with raisins, dates, cherries, figs, plums, fruitcake, peppery and phenolic esters, and tons of wood. The wood leans towards that wine-like, fruity character. The chocolate/vanilla/caramel also comes through on the aroma.

You almost expect this beer to blunt you with malt thickness and caramel/chocolate/vanilla...but this beer is super subtle, with tons of cherry, wood, fruits, oxidized/sherry notes, and growing booze on the back. The back palate really hits you up with wood, chocolate, some nuttiness, and booze. It's a surprisingly complex beer, despite not being as big as you might expect.

I usually roll through the palate progression last, but this is a strange beer. So here we go. Up front: fruity notes, namely cherry, raisins, plums, perfume/phenol; the middle dials up some vanilla, wood, chocolate, sherry/oxidized fruits; the back rolls into dense woody character, chocolate, nuttiness. This beer is surprisingly complex, but the duration is a bit short. The funky yeast mostly manifests as fruit, and you get tons of wood character. It's a medium-full bodied beer with high complexity and an average palate depth and duration. The 10% comes and goes...I do pick up some alcohol in this, but it is mostly blended into the scenery.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Light Above-Average on this. This beer is surprisingly complex, especially if you sit down and mull over it. If you drink this beer in a hurry or without much thought, a lot of the flavors are going to get lost. I do wish it dialed up the mouthfeel a bit, but it technically achieves Old Ale status with the boozy complexity, rich malts, and rich dark fruits. I bet this one will age well for a few years. Food pairings: nutty desserts, dry cakes, anything with gravy, anything with a berry/fruit sauce, pork or beef roast, duck, and certainly meats and cheeses. This one didn't cost much and worked out in the end. I would recommend grabbing a bottle or two. You pretty much can't go wrong with Prairie. 

Random Thought: This has seriously been the longest week ever.

Innis & Gunn Original

Brewed By: Innis & Gunn Brewing Company in Edinburgh, Scotland (brewed at Wellpark (C&C Group) in Glasgow)

Purchased: 11.2oz single from an I&G gift pack bought at Malloy's Finest Wine & Spirits in Naperville, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: English Strong Ale, 6.6%

Reported IBUs: ?

Wrapping up with the threesome of Innis & Gunn beers and capping off tonight with a twofer, we have Innis & Gunn's original. About Innis & Gunn:

Innis & Gunn are a brewery based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. The brewery was founded in 2003, but began when Dougal Sharp walked into his father's brewery and decided to become a brew master at the Caledonian Brewery. In 2002 the William Grant distillery asked Dougal to flavor barrels for their cask reserve whisky. The brewers noticed that the barrel-aged beer was delicious, so they started aging the beer in the barrels. You can read more about that story HERE. In 2003 Innis & Gunn was born. 

The Innis & Gunn Original is the OG beer, aged in oak barrels, dating back to around 2003 just after the brewery accidentally discovered that putting beers into oak yields sexy results. Belgium did it first, but shhh. As an added note, this one uses Crystal and Raw Wheat malts, Super Stryian hops, and is aged for 77 days in bourbon casks and over bourbon-infused heartwood.

Innis & Gunn Original

This one pours into a hazy, vibrant, golden-orange body. The color is very nice, and the beer kicks up two fingers of off-white, orange/amber-tinted head. In bright light the beer looks much the same, with visible carbonation rapidly ascending, and some nice lacing forming as the head settles. It's a good looking beer. I still hate the clear bottle, though.

The aroma is all about the malts, with some oak in the mix as well. I'm getting toast, nuttiness, a little toffee, some big vanilla, BIG malted barley (like the aroma when you walk into a brewery), a little wood and oak, and some treacle, raisin sweetness. I'm not getting assertive bourbon on the nose, so any aroma of bourbon is super faint if present at all.

This isn't a knock on the Innis & Gunn Original, but this beer is par the course with the last two beers I've had from Innis & Gunn. You get toast/bread, raisin sweetness, hints of toffee, and grains and malts up front. That rolls into some big vanilla and oak, with hints of bourbon on the way back finish. The finish is pleasant, mild, subtle, and nice...with prominent oak and vanilla. It's good, but it's not some world class, life-changing beer.

So yeah...this is rich, medium to full-bodied, with good carbonation, and an expansive mouthfeel and good palate depth. Complexity is moderate, with lots of front-loaded English Ale stuff: bread, grains, toffee, raisins...the middle is more raisin and toast and grain...and then you get hit with a nice wave of vanilla, oak, and faint bourbon. The finish is good with vanilla and oak, and the 6.6% is elusive but slightly warming. It's not a barn burner, but it's somewhere between average and above average. 

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. It's riding that Above-Average line, but to be honest, I found both the Bourbon Stout and the Rum Cask to be a bit more complete in terms of base beer + oak barrel + complexity. That's not to say that this beer isn't very good...it is...I really enjoy the light and drinkable sweet malts, and the oak and bourbon is very balanced. This is a very drinkable beer, and would pair well with pub food, English food, fish and chips, burgers, and things like that. I would recommend buying this, but stay the fuck away from any clear bottle that has been sitting naked on the shelf. 

Random Thought: And that's all folks...time to get into bed, I have to wake up early tomorrow to unfreeze my car.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask (Rum Aged/Oak Aged Beer)

Brewed By: Innis & Gunn Brewing Company in Edinburgh, Scotland (brewed at Wellpark (C&C Group) in Glasgow)

Purchased: 11.2oz single from an I&G gift pack bought at Malloy's Finest Wine & Spirits in Naperville, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: English Strong Ale, 6.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer was a random grab. As they go. I saw the Innis & Gunn gift pack at the store, and it was retailing for 10 dollars. The gift set comes with three beers and a glass. It's nothing fancy but my hope is that these beers are relatively fresh, and hey, glass. About Innis & Gunn:

Innis & Gunn are a brewery based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. The brewery was founded in 2003, but began when Dougal Sharp walked into his father's brewery and decided to become a brew master at the Caledonian Brewery. In 2002 the William Grant distillery asked Dougal to flavor barrels for their cask reserve whisky. The brewers noticed that the barrel-aged beer was delicious, so they started aging the beer in the barrels. You can read more about that story HERE. In 2003 Innis & Gunn was born. 

Anyway...tonight's beer, the Innis & Gunn Rum Cask, is matured over oak heartwood, and infused with rum. I'm not 100% sure what the base beer is...the back of the bottle says -- "This ruby red beer has been aged with rum oak chips, resulting in a brew with a delicious warming character that is bursting with fruit and warming spiciness. These vibrant flavours perfectly balance the beer's toffee-malt backbone which have led it to win numerous awards around the world." -- into the glass she goes.

Innis & Gunn Rum Cask

The beer pours into a reddish-brown, transparent body, and kicks up a finger of tan/brown head. The head doesn't hang around for long. Bright light confirms much of the same...a reddish-orange beer, with a ring of white around the edge of the top of the glass.

On the aroma...fruits, man. I'm getting a lot of Scotch Ale and Marzen-like aromas. Big raisins, toasted malts, caramel and toffee, some fruit cake, maybe some dark sugars...and a hint of woody essence and spice. I don't know if I would peg rum on the aroma in a blind tasting, but I see where you might get that.

Hmm...this beer is subtle. It's very malty and fruity, with raisins up front, tons of sweet caramel and toffee, that caramel/kettle note you get in Scotch Ales and Marzens, some mild toast and nuttiness, and way in the back is some oak and vanilla, and a little rum and spice. The oak and rum does come through in this beer, and the beer finishes fantastically. The finish is the best part of this beer. You get hit with this vanilla-clove-banana-rum note, and the beer fades out. It's really nice stuff. 

This is stupid drinkable for 6.8%. That's actually a reasonable ABV, and this beer smashes any hint of alcohol. This is growing on me as I sip it...at first I was really underwhelmed, but this is unraveling like a classy Scotch Ale. I'm reminded of the Traquair House Ale, which is just a fantastic beer. This one is medium-bodied, with good carbonation. Palate depth is good, and the complexity is good as well. When you think "rum barrel" you probably think of some crazy American beer...curb your expectations and this will please. You get caramel/toffee/toast malts and raisins up front; that rolls into a huge wash of malts, with big toast, nuttiness, and some yeast funk; the back end dials up some spice, and you get hit with subtle oak/vanilla, rum, and the beer fades out on this blissful rum-vanilla note. Subtle. Good. I'd pick this up again.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. Very nice stuff...but subtle. Keep that in mind. This beer is all about the malts and the subtle barrel. You can probably pair this with something like ribs, or lightly charred/grilled meats. This will also pair well with a hearty stew or wintery foods. In fact, I feel like this beer could be advertised as a winter warmer. And hey, it's below zero outside so that works out perfectly. 

Random Thought: I really hate the clear bottles. The clear bottles are a crime against beer. Here's the deal. When I bought this gift pack, the bottles came in a box. I've seen Innis & Gunn singles just wasting away on sun-lit shelves in stores, and that is a fucking shame. This is some Corona or New Castle level of bullshit, and it's gimmicky and stupid and a crime against basic beer preservation. Put your beer in a brown bottle. 

Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Old Ale/English Strong Ale, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: 50

Concluding Sunday Funday....about Dogfish Head:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

The Immortal Ale is one of Dogfish Head's oldest beers, dating back to the brewpub in 1995, and making its way to bottles in 1997. This beer featuers maple syrup from the Red Brook Farm (Sam's family farm in Western Massachusetts), peat-smoked barley, and vanilla. The beer is fermented out with a blend of English and Belgian yeasts, and aged in oak tanks at the brewery. Punching in at 11% and 50 IBUs, this Old Ale/Scotch Ale/Barleywine hybrid is a big, badass brew. 

Dogfish Head Immortal Ale

The Immortal Ale pours a hazy, orange-red color, and kicks up a finger or two of dense, foamy head. The head is off-white, with some tan/red/orange/amber tones, and is leaving plenty of lacing and legs. It is also sustaining nicely, and probably is fueled by some hops.

On the aroma: booze, brown sugar, peated malt, meats and raspberry puree, turbinado sugar, maple syrup, oak...it smells like the Dogfish Head Fort with some oak, maple, brown sugar, and peated malts.

Surprisingly simple taste...lots of oak, toffee, brown sugar/turbinado sugar, tons of maple syrup and molasses, and sugary malts. There's some resinous hops in the form of pine and citrus that plays off all the sugar and maple syrup. In addition to all the maple, there's some vanilla and fruity notes (ala a Quad maybe?) as well. There is some peated malt and smoke as well.

Full-bodied mouthfeel, sticky, dense and heavy...but drinkable for 11% ABV. Palate depth is blissful, but complexity is moderate to lower. Sweet malt and maple syrup up front; maple and peated malt, smoke, oak, vanilla, spice in the middle; fruit notes, wood, oak towards the back...syrup hoppiness abound. Good.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. Average, but not mind blowing. Especially compared to beers like the 75 Minute IPA, Burton Baton, and Palo Santo Maron. This tastes like maple syrup with some heavy sugars, sugary/resinous hops, and some peated malts and smoke. Good beer that I would pair with pancakes and sausage, biscuits and gravy, potatoes and gravy with meatloaf, and with fruity cakes and dessert.

Random Thought: I feel like a ticker. Tick tick tick.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 12-oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: [Oak-Aged] Imperial IPA, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: 70

The only thing better than no snow is tasting her tears.

I'm pretty sure Chicago just set the new record for longest stretch without measurable amounts of snow (281 days, bitches!), which is pretty awesome. Don't get me wrong, I like snow...I just prefer being able to drive more than enjoying the snow. A year or two ago, I drove through three pretty rough snowfalls. The best two trips were the 120-mile drive to Urbana, on Christmas Eve, in the middle of a snowstorm. The roads weren't plowed and cars were in the ditches; it took me 5+ hours to make a trip that usually takes around 2 hours. I also drove from Chicago to the burbs in the middle of a snowstorm during a Bear's game. I timed that trip especially bad as I was ahead of the plows. Fun times. 

To celebrate this monumental occasion (excuses to drink beer, #763), I want to crack open something special. And what could be more special than an Oak-aged Imperial IPA? Awww yeah. About Dogfish Head:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

If you roll over to the Burton Baton page, you can get all the info on this lovely beer. This beer uses a blend of an English-style old ale and an Imperial IPA (the 90 Minute IPA, I believe?). The two beers are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks, and then blended together in a giant oak tank, where the beer sits on the oak-wood-goodness for a month. This beer melds flavors of citrus, wood, and oak. Ratebeer gives a slightly different synopsis for "how this beer is made." According to what is posted on Ratebeer, this beer is made from Pilsner and Amber malt (getting up to 11% ABV), and is then hopped with Warrior and Glacier hops. They say that this beer is then fermented using two yeast strains, an American and English yeast; and then the beer is conditioned on oak for four months. Then the beer is dry hopped with Glacier hops; and then the whole mess is blended 50/50 with the 90 Minute IPA bringing the beer to 10% ABV. It's entirely possible that Dogfish Head has since tweaked the brewing process for this beer. Nevertheless, at 10% and 70 IBUs, this is a formidable beer. Let's glass this up.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

The beer pours a rusty, copper/amber color, with 2 to 3 fingers of big creamy head. The head has a copper tint to it, and there's a ton of carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles visible in the beer. When held to a bright light, the body of this beer is more orange-amber, and the head picks up those orange hues. There's nice head retention with a fat, creamy, finger hanging around; and there's some mad lacing. This beer is very carbonated, and appears to be a touch hazy or unfiltered? This beer is supposed to lay down nicely; so it may have some yeasties floating around. 

There's a fuck-ton of hops and sweet malts on the nose of this. This is very Barleywine-esque, and you get that marriage of super sweet malt sugars with giant citrus hops. I'm getting very light wood aromas, and any oak/vanilla is masked by the huge malt sweetness. I'm getting big dank pine, huge oranges, orange candies, some shades of pineapple and sweet tropical fruit, molasses, a brandy complexity (seen in the 90 Minute), maybe a dash of raisin, and some wood.

Wow...this is awesome. This is not what I was expecting at all. This is incredibly balanced, with huge sweet citrus, brandy, bready cake, raisins, caramel, and molasses up front; all balanced by nice, but gentle, woody notes. The middle cleans up with sweetness and bitterness from the hops, and the back end features alcohol complexity. The whole mess is slightly sticky, but very balanced. Even at 70 IBUs, the hops are held in check by the giant malt profile. And the 10.0% ABV is well-hidden. This has notes of wood, but any oak is blending in with the giant malt-hop thing. 

This is insanely smooth and drinkable. At 10.0% ABV, this drinks like much less. This is definitely a sipping beer, and fits the winter season well. I can feel this warming my belly. Palate depth is outstanding; and the mouthfeel is medium-full to full, with some stickiness and sweetness. This is carbonated, and balanced, which lends to drinkability. Complexity is okay. Up front is just smooth carbonation, and then a blast of sweet hops with big malts; this rolls into malts, boozy malts, hop spice; the back end is lingering hops and sweet malts. There's wood throughout, and nice boozy complexity.

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a light Divine Brew on this. This is insanely well-balanced, refined, mature, and not at all what I was expecting. Complexity is a little low, but the Barleywine-esque malt and hop sweetness play off the wood in such a mature and refined way...and at 10.0% ABV, this is really a smart winter warmer. I would pair this beer with spring rolls and peanut sauce, spicy wings, and temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees. Any colder and you might need to upgrade to something with more aggressive heat. This is definitely worth checking out...and I'm going to lay down a few of these to see how they hold up in a few years.

Random Thought: I'm getting cats. Well, kittens. I haz excitement. Excuse, #814 to drink beer. Right? 

Wells Banana Bread Beer

Brewed By: Wells and Young's Brewing Company in Bedford, England
Purchased: 11.2oz bottle from a 4-pack purchased at Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 5.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

Have you ever had déjà vu? I have, because I could have swore I had reviewed Wells and Young's Banana Bread Beer before.

Well's and Youngs began began in Bedford, England, back in 1875, when Charles Wells returned from 20 years in the Merchant Navy. Charles Wells settled down with his soon-to-be-wife, Josephine Grimbley, and bought a brewery and thirty-two pubs in an auction. By 1890, Charles Wells owned 80 pubs, and was brewing over 12,000 barrels of beer annually. Charles Wells died on April 18, 1914, and was succeeded by his wife Josephine and five sons. In 1976, the decision to build a new brewery was made, and a new brewery was constructed in Havelock Street, Bedford. And in 2006, Charles Wells merged with Young and Co (of Wandsworth, London) to form Wells and Young's. 

Today's beer, the Wells Banana Bread Beer, is an ale that features "banoffee aromas tempered by a grassy, lemony nose all leading to a finely balanced, fresh, delicate flavour of peppery hops with a lingering dry finish." Let's get this into a glass, and see how it stacks up.

Wells Banana Bread Beer

The beer pours an amber/copper color, with 3-fingers of thin, foamy, off-white head. When held to bright light, this beer is totally transparent, looks to be filtered, and has A TON of carbonation rising upwards in the form of mid-sized bubbles. In bright light this beer has a sort of amber/gold color, leaning almost towards pale. The head is still slightly off-white in bright light, and a centimeter is sustaining nicely; there is some lacing.

This bottle is slighlty past-expired, but this beer has been sitting in a COLD fridge since I picked it up. I had a bottle of this beer the other night, and it was about the same as I remember it fresh. The nose on this is banana bread, banana, bread, some grass and earthy hop aromas, and a hint of sugars and toffee.

The taste is about the same...really nice banana, banana bread, toffee, slight sugar, and a grassy hop thing that is pervasive throughout. You do get a slight watery/astringent edge to this beer, which contributes just a slightly burnt or artifical complexity to the flavor. I've heard this beer described as being "burnt rubber," but I call shennanigans. This beer tastes a lot like banana bread; don't believe me, go make some yourself.

At 5.2% ABV, this drinks incredibly easy. This is light to medium-light in terms of body, has moderate plate depth, and not a whole lot of complexity. Up front you get smoothness, water, and then banana bread; this rolls into banana bread, burnt banana bread, and some hint of hop spice and grass; the finish is crisp with grass, and light hops, hint of spice, lingering banana bread, and a finish that isn't all that dry. It's light, refreshing, and accomplishes what it set out to accomplish.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. It's pretty hard to rate this beer in terms of any style guidelines, so I'll just say that this beer has a wonderful and lovely banana bread flavor, but isn't overly complex, and has a slight burnt/metallic astringency throughout. On the other hand, this is surprisingly clean, refreshing, and has some nice light, grassy hops providing some much needed balance. I'd pair this beer with Chinese food (take out? mmm), dried cake, banana bread, birthday cake, ice cream (I wonder how this would taste as a float), or even as a foil to some tamales or something.

Random Thought: It's easy to fixate on the gimmicky nature of a banana bread beer, but this shit is probably hard to brew consistently. What goes into making a beer like this? And does it really count as beer if it has banana in it? People, I think I just found an excuse to drink 20 "banana beverages" on a weekday afternoon.