Pipeworks End of Days (Batch #62)

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #62, red wax) bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 

Style/ABV: Milk/Sweet Stout, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

Alright! I'm getting the best of both worlds tonight. After drinking Revolution's Mad Cow, which was a supped up Milk Stout, and Sam Adams' The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock, I'm ready to embrace a chili-infused Milk Stout. Thankfully....Pipeworks delivered. 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. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Pipework's End Of Days was brewed to commemorate the end of the world...and this beer is totally appropriate. Why, you ask? Because the Mayans liked chocolate and chilies, and made chocolate drink. The back of the bottle states:

"End of Days is our tribute to the coming of the end... of the Mayan calendar! We've aged this milk stout with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and ancho chilies. The result is a rich chocolaty stout, with just a hint of spice. We hope you'll enjoy this beer before the End of Days."   

One final note of interest...this beer doesn't have the usual warning about being bottle conditioned, which leads me to wonder if it is not. Hmm. 

End of Days (Batch #62)

This one pours surprisingly dark, and has a rapidly dissolving, thin/sickly looking head. The head had a coffee-brown color, but faded into a bit of a lighter color as it went away. I'm reminded quite a bit of SKA's Autumnal Mole Stout. When held to a bright light, this beer is still ink-black, with a nice brown head that you can kick up by swirling the beer. There's a ton of microscope bubbles providing carbonation for this beer, and a ring of brown is sticking to the sides of the glass. Really, this is sexy stuff.

I really like the aroma on this, and I'm reminded (again) of SKA's Autumnal Mole Stout...only with more of that Sweet Stout base. I'm getting roast, lactose-roast, leather, earthy chilies, green chilies, cinnamon, chili spice, and earthy cocoa and chocolate. This one has some really earthy smells, with that leather-chili-almost dirt thing going on. Maybe coffee?

Oh dang...full disclaimer, I love chili. This beer is spicy! I'm getting some mad chili on the back of this thing. Up front is some chocolate, vanilla, cocoa, and coffee...this rolls into lactose-vanilla-coffee, and then bam! I'm getting firey chili spice, cinnamon, mole sauce, dirt, ash, spent coffee, and some impressive chili heat down the back of my throat. The chili heat is amazing, with some nacho-jalapeno-salt kick. This is smooth, but features flat carbonation, and some slight sticky on the finish. 

This beer makes me happy, and fuck the haters. But I gravitate towards overly spicy food. This is smooth, slightly creamy, and dense...but features flat carbonation, and transitions into tingly chili goodness. Mouthfeel is medium-full to full. The palate depth on this is good, with solid chilies hanging around in the finish, and complexity is moderate to high. At 8.2%, I could drink this all night long. Up front is coffee, roast, chocolate, vanilla, a hint of dark fruit, lactose; the middle starts with lactose, then cinnamon, then dirt, ash, hints of smoke, fire; the back end is cinnamon, chili spice, and some nice chili heat. Slightly sticky; slight alcohol on the finish; definite chili heat.

Rating: Divine Brew

This is fan-fucking-tastic, and is surely a Light Divine Brew. I've heard that previous batches didn't have the body to support all the stuff going on here, but Batch #62 is a big boy Stout. This is one of the better things I've had from Pipeworks, but I'm biased in that I love spicy food. You get mad mole flavors and mad chili flavors in this, and I just want to pair this with some chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, a churro with chocolate dipping sauce, chili, assorted Mexican food, a pork sandwich, or anything that works with chilies/mole. Solid stuff.

Random Thought: I am biased as hell, so take that for what it is...also, this is quite the "Milk Stout." I'm curious what the recipe for this beer is prior to the addition of the vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, chili peppers, and cinnamon.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Brewed By: Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 12-pack that was gifted to me; not sure where it was purchased (possibly Oh hi, Oh!); 2012
Style/ABV: Pale Lager, 4.4%, 4.9%? Who knows.

Reported IBUs: ?

WIKKKKKIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEDOOOOOO

A review of Yuengling Traditional Lager? Why? Because....it's Tuesday, and I was getting that itch. For...Shitty Beer Tuesday! Except, I don't know if it's fair to throw Yuengling Brewery into the ring. According to Wikpezza, Yuengling is tied with the Boston Beer Company as the largest American-owned brewery. Oh, and Yuengling is America's oldest brewery. According to Wiiiiipedia, it's pronounced "Ying-Ling. That's German for "young man," and not Chinese import for "shitty to average beer." Oh, and their logo is an Eagle. According to WIIIIIZZZZZZARRDPEDIA.

I usually do the history on the breweries, but Wiki-wiki-stylie has a pretty decent breakdown. But so does the Yuengling website. I guess the story starts with David G. Yuengling, who immigrated from Wurttenberg, Germany to live in the coal-mining town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 1829, David decided to open the Eagle Brewery, only to see it burned down by a fire two years later. David decided to build a new brewery, and in 1873 the brewery changed its name to D.G. Yuengling & Son to commemorate the partnership between David and his son, Frederick. The next 20 years were a bit of a drag; in 1877 David Yuengling died, and in 1899 Frederick Yuengling died. The brewery was then passed on  to Frederick's son, Frank. During prohibition, the brewery survived by selling "near beer," or according to HARRRY UR A WIZZZZZARRRRD, low-alcohol beer. Following the passing of Frank D. Yuengling in 1963, the brewery was survived by Richard L. and F. Dohrman. In 1985, Richard L. Yuengling Jr. purchased the company and became the president, and during the 1990s and early 2000s, the brewery saw massive expansion. In 2010, Yuengling surpassed 2 million barrels. Yuengling continues to grow, and is one of America's most popular breweries. For more info, check out the Yuengling history page, or go to WIKIKIKIKIKI.

Yuengling makes a number of beers, but their flagship is definitely their Traditional Lager. The Yuengling website has this to say about their Traditional Lager: "famous for its rich amber color and medium-bodied flavor -- with roasted caramel malt for a subtle sweetness and a combination of cluster and cascade hops, this true original delivers a well-balanced taste with very distinct character." The paraphrased version is 'something something you can drink 12 in one night and piss excellence.' Let's glass this up.

Not Shitty Beer Tuesday??? #8: Yuengling Traditional Lager

Balla...I have no respect.

This beer, mad skills. The beer pours with 3-fingers of amber tinted head, and a transparent, filtered body that is copper/amber. When held to a bright light, the beer has a nice dark copper/amber color. There's some head hanging around, picking up 'dem copper tones, and leaving some respectable lacing. You can see the carbonation in the form of mid-sized bubbles. Eye of an eagle.

For a lighter Lager, this has a solid aroma profile. Would smell again. You get some bread/biscuit, cereal, and honey. This is mostly malt, but rounds out with some floral and earthy hop aromas. Maybe a dash of grass or lemon.

This is fairly crisp, refreshing  and drinkable. You do get some cereal graininess in the taste, along with a hint of bread/toast, and there is some nice grass/light lemon hop kick to clean things up. This has a bit of that "harshness" going on, like you would find in a English Ale with hard water. There's that touch of mineral/sulfur. 

Refreshing...drinkable...smooth and creamy, and supported by lively carbonation, this is a beer that beckons you to have more than one. Or maybe that's just the alcoholism talking. This is light-bodied, has decent complexity for the style, and has good palate depth. This sort of reminds me of a Kölsch or a Dortmunder. Up front is refreshing, cereal, grains; this rolls into hints of fruit, grassy hops; the finish is honey, lingering cereal, sweet malts. A touch dry? But refreshing.

WIKICHHHEEEEEEETTTTTTTAAAAAAHHHH

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This PROBABLY doesn't belong on Shitty Beer Tuesday, but I'm not a calender wizard. It's Tuesday!!! There's not a lot going on here, but there isn't a lot to complain about. This doesn't have any skunk, and you get some solid malt goodness and some solid hop balance. But you know that. I mean, why am I even reviewing this? Exactly. Food pairings: the bar, the food at the bar, the skank you pick up at the bar, the bouncer you punch at the b....wait, this isn't Stella. 

Random Thought: According to WIKICHHHEEEEEEETTTTTTTAAAAAAHHHH, Yuengling is the oldest brewery in America. DO YOU UNDERSTAND. THEY ARE AMERICA'S OLDEST BREWERY. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION. WIKIAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.

Samuel Adams The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 
Purchased: 22oz bottle from Sam Adam's Small Batch Collection "gift set" [Batch No. 2]; 2012
Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable (Bock), 8.5%

Reported IBUs: 20

I didn't ask for much this Christmas, so I was surprised to unwrap the Small Batch Collection "gift set," which was a nice treat. Mi familia knows me well. The Small Batch Collection features "limited release beers" that are slightly more experimental or unique in nature, and may or may not be brewed again. About Sam Adams:

Samuel Adams was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, and currently the Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. Sam Adams is also the largest craft brewer in America, with over a million barrels of beer being produced annually. You can check out the Sam Adam's website for more info.

Today's beer, The Vixen, is a Chocolate Chili Bock brewed with cinnamon, spices, and cocoa nibs. I'm hoping this beer fares better than their Chocolate Bock. The Vixen is described as smooth and rich, with a touch of sweetness and spicy heat. This beer is brewed with 2-row pale malt, Munich, Caramel 60, and Weyermann Carafa I malts; it also uses Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops. But the real allure to this beer is the fact that it is aged on a bed of cocoa nibs from Ecuador, and then ancho and chipotle chilies are added, along with spices and cinnamon. Let's glass this up, and see what's going on.

The Vixen Chocolate Chili Bock

In low light, the beer pours a dark brown color, with two fingers of thick, creamy, light tan/khaki head. When held to a bright light, the body of the beer is a reddish-brown color. This beer is transparent and filtered, and features good carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles. Head retention on this is pretty nice, and I'm kicking up head as I swirl this (classy, I know). You get some clingy lacing, and some alcohol legs. (seriously, it's been like 10 minutes now, and there is still a centimeter of head hanging around)....

The aroma on this is pretty clean and mild...I'm getting chocolate, cocoa, molasses, powdered cream (the stuff you dump in your coffee if you suck), hints of coffee, hints of dark fruits (plums mainly), caramel, and maybe hints of floral and bread. I'm not getting a whole lot of spice or chili on the nose.

Well, this is not the Chocolate Bock. This tastes fairly rich, and has reasonable density (which you expect at 8.5% ABV). You get chocolate and cocoa up front, along with molasses and caramel, and hints of plums and raisins. I'm getting very subtle chili flavors on the back end, with hints of chili spice and cinnamon. As I continue to drink this, the spice starts to creep up into the front of the palate, and it compliments the chocolate in a very nice and subtle way.

Everything that wasn't fun about the Chocolate Bock is improved here. This has a fuller and denser mouthfeel; this is a medium-full beer, supported by tingly carbonation, and a peppery/cinnamon/chili backbone. Palate depth is average, and complexity is moderate. At 8.5%, this is very drinkable. Up front is chocolate, mocha, cocoa, molasses, hints of coffee and powdered cream; this rolls into more sweetness, raisins, plums; the back end terminates with lingering cocoa sweetness, and a hint of chili and cinnamon. As you drink this, the chili and cinnamon starts to creep towards the front palate, but it never grabs hold to dominate this beer.

Rating: Average

I'm feeling a Strong Average here. This is a nice improvement over the Chocolate Bock, and adds a much-needed layer of complexity. Still, I wish the chili and cinnamon were a touch more assertive, and this isn't the most complex beer in the world. But this is a really solid beer in many ways, and I could see myself trying to mix this in with some chili. I would pair this with chili, or a burger, or go the complete opposite direction and drop a scoop of ice cream in this float style...I bet that would be delicious. This is pretty solid stuff, and MUCH better than the Chocolate Bock. Recommended...especially if you can snag it for less than 8 or 9 dollars.

Random Thought: Time to go watch the Denver vs. Baltimore game....I'm conflicted, I like to cheer for the underdog, but I want to see Manning face off against Brady in the Championship game.