[Cellar Review] Samuel Adams Griffin's Bow Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale (Vintage 2012)

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 
Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; [Batch No. 2] 2012
Style/ABV: American Barleywine, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: 45

Back on February 8, 2013, I reviewed the Sam Adam's Griffin's Bow. This inexpensive American Barleywine is both tasty and exotic. Brewed with Nelson Sauvin and Zeus hops, and aged on (or with) toasted oak, the Griffin's Bow is a creative take on the American Barleywine and part of Sam Adam's small batch series of beer. About Sam Adams:

The Boston Brewing Company/Sam Adams is, of course, the brain child of Jim Koch (and Harry M. Rubin and Lorenzo Lamadrid). Founded in 1984, Jim Koch got the ball rolling after college when he decided to resurrect and brew his favorite family recipe. That recipe belonged to his great-great grandfather, Louis Koch, and dates back to the 1870s (where it was brewed in a St. Louis brewery). That infamous family brew is the Sam Adams Boston Lager, of course. You can read more about the history of the Boston Brewing Company HERE, or check out their website HERE.  

Why age this beer? Good question. The bottle says: "Enjoy now or age it to further develop rich and unique flavors." The bottle also notes on the back: "From the aroma and notes of sweet honeysuckle, pineapple, and grapefruit, to richer hints of burnt sugar, and toffee, this intriguing brew is full of complex flavors. The distinct character of toasted oak adds depth and contrasts the light fruit sweetness. This unique take on a barleywine ale surprises with its smoothness and balance of fruit, hop citrus, and warmth." 

With that said, let's get this late 2012 vintage into a glass and see how a little over a year has done to this beer. 

Sam Adams Griffin's Bow (Vintage 2012)

This pours into a hazy, golden-orange body, and kicks up two fingers of dense, sustaining, golden-tinted head. Bright light confirms the hazy orange goodness, and you can see peppery dots of carbonation slowly ascending. Let me reiterate: head retention is really good here, with a finger still hanging around. There's plenty of lacing too. 

Even with the passion fruit/grape you'd expect from the Nelson Sauvin, I'm mostly getting pine, pine sap, caramel, toasted sugars, toasted oak, oak, and maybe some leafy hop aromas. There's some resin on the nose, and maybe some grape leaves, but there's lots of toasted sugars, sugar, and even a little grain/wood/coconut. 

As far the taste goes...this is inviting and warm, with lots of resinous pine, pine sap, and maple syrup up front; and some nice toasty oak, coconut, and toasted grains in the back. I wish this was a bit more complex, but it feels mellowed out at this point in time. There's a slightly harsh and astringent bitterness in here that I can't quite place a finger on...maybe a toasted grain character that shows up mid palate with some hop bitterness, before the beer mellows out into the oak in the back. Once you hit that oak note, you can dial up the wood and grain and things are okay. 

This is full-bodied, with lazy carbonation. It would be smooth and creamy if not for the sugary body that almost pulls like a mead or heavy wine. It's never cloying (imo), and you don't feel the full burden of the 10%. Still, this is a sipper through and through. Complexity is moderate, but the palate depth here leaves a bit to be desired. I feel like this beer could be more expansive and feature more depth across the front to back. Up front you get lots of resinous, sugar-coated pine sap, maple syrup, piney notes, caramel, brown sugar; the mids roll into more sugars, and then you get a bitter and astringent woody note, some grains, bitter hops; the back end is pleasant with nice oak, wood, coconut, toasted oak, toasted grains, lingering fruity sweetness. It's okay.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this beer. I seem to recall enjoying the slightly more when it was fresh. The zesty pineapple notes you get from the hops when this beer is fresh cuts through a bit of the cloying sweetness that has now come out after a year of letting the hops drop off. It's not bad though...I would definitely recommend aging one of these for fun, especially at $7 or $8 a bottle. Food pairings here include creme brulee, fruit cake, fig pudding, and heavily grilled meats and sausages. 

Random Thought: As predicted yesterday, my run tonight was horrible. I guess a weekend of drinking to the point of a hangover will do that to you. 

Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #279-288) bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled ??.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's Thursday night so you know how we do. I'm talking about tonight's beer, which was a random shelf grab...but will hopefully taste amazing. Oh, and it's a Pipeworks beer and tonight is Thursday. That means it is an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!!! Woo. 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.

Tonight's beer is another beer in Pipeworks' series of Belgian-style Dubbels. The first one was their Date Sugar Yeast Magik, followed by their Blue Beardo. The back of the bottle states:

"Nelson Sauvin hops, Belgian yeast, and black Raspberries?! What's this abbot? Brother Razbeardo may be razz'n you, but he's not kidding around; this ale is a slam monk. The juicy hop aroma will entrappe you, while the tart black raspberries and warm, spicy yeast character will make you speechless. Brother's brewed a real zen outta zen. Better pour this one on the dubbel!"

Oh puns. And hey! How about that. The Razbeardo pours into an opaque, purple body, kicking up a finger of purple-orange-purple head. That is totally unexpected. Bright light confirms this purple beer, which looks like some Lindemans' fruit lambic thing or beet juice. There's some visible carbonation in the mix, and some sea foam head retention, and nice lacing.

Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo

This may be the best smelling Pipeworks' beer I've had in a long time. The aroma is exploding with Nelson Sauvin hops, which impart an aroma reminiscent of the hoppy side of a Black IPA. I'm getting tons of passion fruit, leafy berries, grapes/plums/dark fruits, and some resinous/oily/sappy lemon. Pine sol grape passion fruit mmmm. The hops absolutely dominate this beer's aroma, and I'm just picking up a hint of bready caramel malt base. I would not peg black raspberries in a blind smelling...I might even call this beer some sort of Black IPA based on the aroma alone. A'i'g'h't. Let's have a sip.

Wow. Gooooodddd Goddd Damnnn! Wow! This shit is legit. This has to be one of the best things that Pipeworks has done, ever. You get bum rushed with a mix of the Dubbel base and Nelson Sauvin hops up front. We're talking about a double dose of dark fruits, grapes, plums, passion fruit, subtle caramel and brown sugar, some toffee, mild perfume and Belgian spice...the hops provide balance to the malt sweetness, and give the beer much needed bitterness and character. Once you transition to mid-palate the bitterness picks up with some resinous hops and hard dark sugar. And then on the back end: mother fucking raspberries. Raspberries man, the elusive fruit absent in the aroma. You get juicy/fruity raspberries on the back. And it finishes hoppy and dry. 

This beer is fantastic. Dumb luck or not, the combination of a Belgian-style Dubbel with raspberries and Nelson Sauvin hops works. First, this beer isn't overly complex. Then again, many of the Pipeworks beers aren't. They are simple, straightforward beers. And there's nothing wrong with that. But this beer is incredibly balanced, has good palate depth and duration, and features flavors that gel. The 10.0% ABV is completely undetectable. The mouthfeel is medium-full, featuring slightly low levels of carbonation. I suspect this one might condition in the bottle with some time. You get sugars and malt sweetness up front, which quickly turns into a mesh of Belgian Dubbel dark fruits and Nelson Sauvin fruitiness (passion fruit, grapes, etc); the middle rolls into some resinous lemon and hops, with some lingering dark sugars, and growing raspberry; the back hits you with raspberry, lingering Nelson Sauvin hops, and finishes bitter and malty. It's just so vibrant, refreshing, and balanced. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Divine Brew...just wow. I was not expecting this. It's amazing what Nelson Sauvin hops can do. But really, what defines this beer is how unique it is, and the incredible harmony and balance it strikes. This is just really fucking impressive. I imagine that there is even room for improvement, tweaking the carbonation up front, maybe adding some more hops? I dunno. Compared to the Blue Beardo and Date Sugar Yeast Magik, this beer is miles ahead. Dear Pipeworks, brew this again for me. K, thnx, <3. Food pairings: duck, honey ham, glazed meats, anything with a sweet sauce, Korean Barbecue, tartar, grilled meats, strong cheeses, and pork chops. I'm really feeling the pork chop vibe.

Random Thought: I came into this with low expectations, I left happy. Stay tuned for next week...I have another interesting Pipeworks beer coming down the shoot.