Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2014 Reserve - "Best after 02/24/15")

Style/ABV: English-style Barley Wine, 11.2%
Reported IBUs: 53

Tonight's beer had a limited release event --- which I missed. But I was very happy to find it in bottles. About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia. 

The Mirror Mirror Barleywine is part of Deschutes' Reserve Series of beers. This beer began as a double batch of the Mirror Pond Ale, and should feature lots of big, Barleywine goodness. The bottle says a couple of things, including "best after 2/24/15;" "Mirror Mirror: Barley Wine Ale with 50% aged in wine barrels;" and, "The Reserve Series romance all began with our first release of this limited-edition brew. Mirror Mirror, born of a double batch of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, is an inspired barley wine ale layered with intriguing nuances. Explore this latest incarnation and enjoy its delicious complexity in every sip." 

Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

This pours out exactly as you'd expect. Pick your tone: red, orange, amber, copper. It's kind of a murky haze of all of them. The beer produces two fingers of caramel/amber-tinted head, and the head is made up of really nice bubbles. There is impressive lacing, alcohol legs, and some head is retaining for the long haul. Bright light confirms much of the same, and you can see the dots of tiny carbonation rising upwards. Actually, the tight spiderweb lacing left on my glass is one of the best parts about this beer's appearance. 

On the aroma: I'm getting a lot of fruity notes and wine character here. I'm pulling out barrel and wine-driven dates, raisins, grapes, berries, cherry, strawberry, and tons of barrel/wine character. There's some nondescript hops on the aroma, with mild pine sap and hop sap, and there is also some underlying brown sugar and toffee sweetness. Overall though, the aroma on this one is somewhat subtle.

This is on the lighter side of Barley Wines, and it is still hoppy enough that it doesn't quite fall into the straight up English Barleywine category. I suspect with age some of these hops are going to mellow out into pine sap, maple syrup, and pine...and it's going to be very nice. I'm getting a lot of toffee, brown sugar, berries, wine tannin and barrel, sweet and candied hops, and sugary goodness. There is some nice barrel character in here, and the wine notes are very subtle with mild grape and tannin kick. It really does kind of taste like an amped up Pale Ale that has been given the wine barrel treatment. There are some cherries and raisins in the taste as well, along with hints of plums.

I'm gonna have to see how this one ages down the stretch. Right now this is Above-Average but it's not quite world class. It's very good though. I'd almost call this balanced and drinkable, especially for the style. While the mouthfeel is full-bodied, it is also thinner and lighter for the style. Nevertheless, you would never guess this is an 11.2% beer as the booze is largely hidden. The beer is well carbonated, and the hops and barrel help balance out the sweetness. Palate depth is fantastic, and the complexity is moderate. Up front is big hop bitterness, pine sap, candied hops, brown sugars, bitterness; that opens into more bitterness, barrel character, wine, tannin, dark sugars, fruits, toffee; the back end dials up some berry sweetness, figs, raisins, more barrel and tannin, lingering wine. The finish is dry and sweet, with tons of barrel and tons of brown sugar/fruit. I think this is going to be stellar in two years.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. Unlike The Abyss, I think this one will actually really benefit from aging. It's a bit hoppy right now, and that seems to be throwing things off a bit. Having said that, this is incredibly drinkable and balanced. I'm amazed at how smooth and drinkable this is for 11.2%. This is still nuanced enough to work as a sipper, but if you must pair it with food, I'd go with sweeter desserts like bread pudding, or maybe a burger with a sweet barbecue sauce. Good shit, I look forward to revisiting it.

Random Thought: I'm tired of reading about Session IPAs, right?

Deschutes The Abyss (2013 Reserve)

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Urbana, IL; 2013 ("Best after 08/16/14")

Style/ABV: Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: 86

Last night's Fresh Squeezed IPA was definitely a primer for tonight's beer. About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia. 

The Abyss really needs no introduction at this point. This epic Imperial Stout has been around since 2006? I think 2006. This one is brewed with all sorts of ingredients, and features a blend of three barrel-aged additions. The bottle reads: "The Abyss: malt beverage brewed with black strap molasses, licorice, with cherry bark and vanilla added with 6% aged in oak bourbon barrels, 11% aged in oak barrels, and 11% aged in oak wine barrels."  As suggested by the "Best after" date, this one will and can be aged...but I'm impatient and I think this vintage is doing alright fresh.

Deschutes The Abyss (2013 Reserve)

This beer lives up to its name, of course. It pours into a pitch black, opaque body, and produces three fingers of DARK BROWN, mocha-colored head. The head is thick and dense, like a root beer float, leaving massive webs of lacing as it drops off, and sustaining nicely for an 11.0% barrel-aged beer. Glossy alcohol legs can be seen trailing off the sides when you swirl the beer -- they lag behind the massive brown strokes of lacing that also coat the glass. Good stuff, yo.

This is fantastically complex in terms of the aroma. The first thing that jumps out to me is the massive barrel character that is present, followed by huge woody aromas, and then big cherry wood and cherry bark. It's huge. Beneath the massive barrel/wood character is huge meaty roast and coffee. There's a big coffee aroma on the nose. Also surprising (to me) are the fruity notes on the aroma. I'm not getting a ton of bourbon...but there's a lot of oak and a lot of slightly acidic pinot notes. I'm getting dark fruits, molasses, red wine, chocolate, and roast. You definitely get the licorice on the aroma too. The licorice plays off the molasses, acidic espresso, and pinot barrel. Just fantastic.

Wow...this is just blissful. Like I said, I think this 2013 Vintage is drinking just fine now, but it will definitely age gracefully. What do you taste? Well, a lot of stuff. The back end features layers of intense roast, coffee, chocolate, and lingering wood tannin; gripping barrel character, and some big bitterness towards the back. There's big cherries and licorice up front, with some woody notes, and the mid-palate hits a brief citrus-hop note and then pudwhacks your palate with coffee and subtle vanilla bean and anise. The cherry/raisin/molasses note is blissfully in your face up front, giving way to massive barrel goodness. I'm getting a lot of wood tannin and oak in here...with more pinot than bourbon. There are definitely shades of bourbon in the taste, but nothing jumping out at me. I probably wouldn't peg the bourbon in a blind tasting.

If you like aggressive, woody Russian Imperial Stouts with huge barrel character...this is your beer. But it's still reasonable at 11.0% and 86 IBUs. Maybe at one time that was on the high end of extreme, but these days, that's like, "okay, an American-style RIS." It's still a bad-ass beer though. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, with creamy, acidic, well-carbonated beer up front. That rolls into a hoppy midsection, which is almost juicy, and then the back end dials up the wood tannin, roast, dark grain, and dry finish. Palate depth is awesome, with great duration, and this beer is super complex. This beer embraces each barrel and ingredient, and unravels in layers. And it's drinkable (says the alcoholic). Palate progression? Up front, molasses, licorice, cherry, barrel/wood; the middle hits a hop note, citrus, wood, coffee, espresso, acidic pinot character, barrel, anise, chocolate/vanilla; the back end starts off with huge espresso/coffee, dials up the roast and dark grains, and finishes dry and sticky. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...I'm not going to bullshit with the 4.5. I'm always looking to give a critical rating to over hyped beers, but this one meets expectations and then some. It's all in the barrel character. This beer has massive barrel notes in the aroma and taste, and it makes the beer an absolute treat to drink. This one is dry, with lots of wood tannin, and aggressive bitterness. For those reasons, I wouldn't recommend this beer to newer beer drinkers. Those qualities also mean this beer will pair well with spicy foods...maybe chipotle dark chocolate, dry habanero wings, chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, or maybe a mole sauce. Recommended if you find it, even at jacked up prices.

Random Thought: The wax on this one was a PITA. I ended up scratching my finger trying to get the bottle open. 

Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

Brewed By: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan  

Purchased: 750ml bomber bought at Jolly Pumpkin in Ann Arbor, MI; 2012

Style/ABV: Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 9.0%

Reported IBUs: ?
Batch 1198, Bottled 09-18-2012

It definitely snowed all day today, and was fairly cold last night. It's still snowing off and on, and it looks more like Christmas outside than Spring. It's quite literally, the perfect night to put the kibash on some Christmas/Winter beer. About Jolly Pumpkin:

Jolly Pumpkin has three enterprises: a restaurant, brewery, and distillery located in Traverse City; a cafe and brewery in Ann Arbor; and a factor for their Artisan Ales in Dexter. The brewery itself was founded by brewmaster Ron Jefferies. Ron began brewing professionally in 1995, and quickly became known as a respected brewer among the Michigan craft beer scene. In 2004, Ron opened Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. Jolly Pumpkin is known for brewing beer that is aged in wine barrels containing brettanomyces. Brettanomyces is a naturally occurring yeast that is typically unwanted in beer because it imparts a "sour, leathery, barnyard, horse funk" profile. When used properly, beers made with brettanomyces can have desirable flavors. These flavors are often found in Lambics and Geuzes, and more recently in American Wild Ales.

If you check out Jolly Pumpkin's Noel de Calabaza page, you can see that this beer is a winter seasonal, aged in oak barrels, clocking in at 9.0% ABV. This beer is described as a deep mahogany, with big malts, hops, figs, raisins, sugar plums, cashews, and rum laden truffles. The bottle states:

"From our family to yours, please enjoy this special beer. Join us in celebrating the season with wishes of peace and joy for all. Deep mahogany and malty, layered hops and hints of fruit and spice. The perfect accompaniment for all times of good cheer. Please enjoy our beers in good health, Cheers & Mahalo plenty!"

Noel de Calabaza

This one pours a swampy purple/brown color, that almost looks black in low light. This one had some creeping carbonation from the bottle, but didn't gush. As such, I poured this very slowly, and still wound up with 3-finger's worth of foamy, tan/gray/sandy/soda-esque head. In bright light, this actually looks quite Dark Strong Ale-like, and you wouldn't notice the sinister funk lying beneath based on the appearance alone. In bright light, this is a swampy orange/brown/red/purple color, with a cloud of sediment in the middle, tons of tiny, lively carbonation bubbles, and a creamy tan head that won't die. Nice stuff.

The aroma is nice, with some funky nutmeg, a hint of Band-Aids from the Brett that is manifesting as Eggnog (Brett + nutmeg = Eggnog), big dark fruits in plums, figs, and raisins, and a touch of powdery/dusty cellar, with some dusty cacao, and some graham cracker. Also, mother fucking pecans. If you dive straight into this and take a huge whiff, you get straight up pecans. It's the weirdest thing...

This is a great holiday beer...with a lot going on. The pleasant surprise for me is the slightly boozy complexity, along with the smoke and anise I'm getting on the back. I'm getting some nutmeg, pine, ginger, and Christmas spice. There is some nice oak, tart/bright wood, and tart and funky plums, raisins, and figs in this. This seems wine-like. There's some earth, a touch of dirt, basement cellar, and some hop kick mid-palate. The back end finishes with a Belgian yeast kick: hints of clove, white sugar, and big apples, cider, and bright fruits. 

Really complex...this is the epitome of a sipping beer. At 9.0% ABV, this is very drinkable, but you just want to slow down and dissect every sip. Add in the ageability of this beer, and you have a complex beer right here. This has biting carbonation, but really fights for a smooth finish. It's the battle of smooth vs. biting. There's some hop bitterness mid-palate, and smoke on the back. Alcohol complexity is abound, and this finishes sticky and dry. I guess this is medium-full in terms of mouthfeel. Palate depth is great, complexity is even better. The oak, wood, and wild yeast all add another dimension to this. Up front is a ton of spice, dark fruits, and a hint of tartness; mid-palate is more spice, hops, hints of Brett funk; the back end trails off with big Belgian yeast, apple cider, lingering spice, boozy complexity, dusty cellar, dusty cacao, and fade to smoke/anise. 

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...how many Belgian Dark Strong Ales get funked up in an oak barrel, and subjected to Brett/whatever additional wild yeast? This beer is very complex, and it has some really nice wine-like qualities that remind me of the very refined and tasty Corsendonk Pater. It also has a whole spice thing going on, which is very Christmas-y. This is just a funky, fun, complex beer...and I'd love to taste one of these 4 or 5 years down the road. I'll have to do that. I would pair this with a cold winter night, prior to Christmas, with a spicy dish like ham, sweat potatoes, or a nice wintery soup. You could also pair this with peppery steak, pepper chicken/turkey, or any meat that plays well with spices. 

Random Thought: This hits the Christmas thing pretty hard with the nutmeg and plums, but I'd almost be okay drinking this beer in transition between October and November. This beer has so much going on, there's likely to be a ton of variability with the experience. Because of that, reviewing this beer is like a shot in the dark. Considering bottles go for around 12-15 dollars, I would definitely pick up one or two and try it yourself. 

Stillwater Barrel Aged Series - Stateside Saison (Ale Aged in Oak Chardonnay Barrels)

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at DOG Brewing Co. in Federal Hill, Maryland  

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Saison/Farmhouse Ale (in Wine Barrels), 7.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

Stillwater Artisanal Ales are a Gypsy Brewery based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 2009-ish, the beer is brewed by Brian Strumke. You can find the brewery's blog/website HERE.

Tonight's beer, the barrel-aged version of the Stateside Saison, is aged in empty Chardonnay barrels for 9 months, and then re-fermented with multiple strains of Brettanomyces. I've heard this beer is a gusher, so proceed with caution!

Stateside Saison (Ale Aged in Oak Chardonnay Barrels)

And...this one pretty much exploded as I opened it up. Thankfully, I got most of this into the glass. Once the initial eruption was done, this one poured fine and dandy. This one pours a juicy, murky, orange/yellow color, with a finger of Saison-like, white head. In bright light, the head picks up a touch of orange, but it's mostly white. There's some lacing, and a centimeter of head is hanging around. This definitely has a Brett/Saison/funky head. The body is orange juice, with medium to large bubbles poppin' like its hot.

The aroma is sex, with a Mimosa like thing going on, as the champagne-y, oak, and grape chardonnay notes meld with the funky, farmhouse, and citrus notes from the Saison. I'm getting grapes, pears, stone fruits, musty basement, barnyard funk, oak, wood, orange juice, and some more Brett. Really juicy, bright, and nice funk meets wine.

Juicy at first, with tons of citrus, pear, grapes, apples, and sweet citrus. It's almost like drinking orange juice. It's very sweet, but then you get a blast of basement funk, like blowing off an old book. There's a bit of mildew, and barnyard Brett funk. A touch of hops come forward, and the back end dries out, with lingering wood and light oak tannins complementing the acidic and dry Brett finish. The chardonnay is VERY evident in this beer, especially as you drink into it. I'm pulling out pretty prominent wine notes, with grapes, gooseberry, lemon zest, pineapple, sweet tropical fruits, and a dash of citrus. There's slight oak and wood in this beer, but it's not overly tannic.

At 7.2% ABV, you get a dash of booze in the back, with some warming and alcohol heat. However, this is ridiculously drinkable, even at 7.2% ABV. The price I paid is fine and dandy, at around 6 or 7 bucks a bottle. I wish I had more (I say all the time.../sigh). The mouthfeel is light-full to medium-light, with lively, high carbonation. Palate depth is good, and complexity is moderate...all things considered, this is (1) aged in wine barrels, (2) re-fermented with a bunch of Brett. In this beer's defense, I'm drinking it fairly fresh. I'm curious how this will taste in say...5 years. Up front is some funk, citrus, and fruits; mid palate is where the wine shines, with a dash of oak; the back end is oak, dry, Brett. Good stuff.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this, and I think this will get better with time. I have two more bottles, and I'll probably throw them into the cellar and forget about them. Right now, the Brett isn't very funky, and the beer is very sweet. I'm wondering if some of the sweetness will drop off with time, and if more funk will come out. The Chardonnay notes are very strong in this, so I think they will hold up with time. The oak/wood will probably drop out. It almost seems like a shame to pair 11.2oz of this stuff with food. This is a beer you want to enjoy, all things considered. Having said that, I would pair this with a cheese and meat tray, or some sort of finger foods. This is one of those beers you want to enjoy....don't fuck it up with a bunch of food.

Random Thought: It's windy out, and the temps are in the 40s. I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the nice, warm weather. I have my window open, and I will probably sleep like a baby. The nice thing about Spring is the warm weather...the bad thing is I still have a handful of Winter-y beers I need to wrap up. I'll probably knock a few out this week....