Middle Brow Show Me Love

Brewed By: Middle Brow Beer Co. in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 12.7oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2016 

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Saison, 6.9% ABV

Reported IBUs: ?

I'm popping my Middle Brow cherry by popping a raspberry saison. It sounds pretty great, actually.

Middle Brow Beer Company is a CHARITABLE brewery founded by a group of home brewers in Chicago, Illinois. 50% of their proceeds go to courageous people who are fighting to improve the community..

The Show Me Love is a "farmhouse ale aged in wine barrels with raspberries." Ingredients here include a brettanomyces blend, seedling farms raspberries, and cabernet sauvignon barrels. "A portion of the profits from every bottle sold go to Cure Violence, a Chicago-based international violence prevention program."  

Middle Brow Show Me Love

A hard pour yields some cackling carbonation that quickly settles into a lifeless, juicy beer. The body of this beer is shades of ruby and orange, and it is comparable to the color of the inside of a grapefruit. Little dots of carbonation explode on the beer's surface, indicating that the beer is properly carbed. If you shine a bright light through the beer you can pick up yeast sediment suspended in the body. 

The aroma on this is wonderful. There is griping acidity: apple cider vinegar, sour fruits, and WOOD. There is some oak and leather. There is definitely a red wine aspect to the aroma that comes through. I'm getting rich, red grapes, and big sour cherries. There's also a seedy aroma to this, like the pit of a very sour blackberry. 

This is really interesting to taste. There's an airiness to the mid-palate...but more on that in a minute. Up front I'm getting a lot of jammy fruits: namely raspberry, strawberry, and some sour cherries. There is a good amount of Saison character up front, and it has a fruity, farmhouse character. The back-end of the front palate drops the oak and wood. The lingering flavors on the back palate include wine barrel, white wine, oak, gooseberry, sour cherry, and faint cabernet sauvignon. There's also a light kiss of alcohol and observable heat on the back.

Structurally, this is a vinous beer. It is very dry and juicy, and the carb is flat and even. The palate progression is really interesting. The front end is loaded with all those interesting fruit and farmhouse notes, and the mids kind of drop out a bit. And then you get hit with a lot of the barrel, oak, wood, and wine notes. I really think this is a beer that unfolds in two waves. There's actually a lot of complexity here, and this is a sophisticated brew. This is definitely one to think over.

Rating: Average (3.25/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This has a ton of complex nuance, and reminds me of Goose Island's Lolita. The jammy fruits are there, and the barrel complexity and wine notes are on point. It's a little acidic, and the airy mids leave me wondering if some small changes can really push this beer into the realm of divine beers. I would definitely recommend picking this up to try. 

Random Thought: Speaking of Lolita...the prohibitive price on GI's Sisters has relegated them to shelf turd status. I can literally walk into my nearest Jewel (a middle-of-the-road, regional grocery store) and walk out with $26 bottles of GI sours. I guess times could be worse. 

Une Année Xellensis

Brewed By: Une Année Brewery in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 750ml (1 Pint 9.4 FL OZ) bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015 (Batch #X151)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Belgian Inspired Blond Ale, 8.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

More Midwest shelf turds. About Une Année:

Une Année Xellensis - unsexy photo FTW

Une Année is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois located near the intersection of Grand and Ashland in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor (three blocks from the Goose Island Fulton St. production brewery). The brewery was founded in early 2012 by Jerry Nelson, who is "an Architect, Marine, Siebel Institute Graduate, and Chicago native who started homebrewing in 1995 while stationed in California." Currently, Jerry is the head brewer along with Dustin Zimmerman, who also attended the Siebel Institute, and previously brewed at Hamburger Mary’s Andersonville and worked at Nøgne Ø. The name "Une Année" means "one year" in French, and was chosen to reinforce the two main ideas behind the brewery: a focus on Belgian and French style beer, and an emphasis on seasonal beers. For more info, check out the brewery's website.

The Xellensis is a Belgian Inspired Blond Ale brewed with Brett. The bottle reads, "A not sweet blond, brewed exclusively with brettanomyces bruxellensis. This ale will go the distance-provoking your senses and only growing tougher over time. Are you up for the challenge?"

This pours into a blonde-orange body, kicking up a lot of thick, foamy, white head. There is a storm of carbonation in my glass, like Duvel. Head retention is good.

The aroma here is funky, chalky, uniquely Belgian, and Brett. I'm getting a lot of apples and wheat, big yeast esters, pineapple, leather, some earthy funk, must/chalk, and some fruity and spicy phenol notes. Peaches.

Oh wow...this is really nice. I wasn't expecting this. This is a lot thicker than I was expecting. I'm also not getting as much Brett as I thought I would. The Brett comes out as mild and fruity, with apples and pineapple. This has tons of tropical fruit notes, with pineapple, peaches, pear, and apples. There's a bitter kiss of Brett at the back end, with some wheat. This is rich with tons of clove. It kind of reminds me of Pipework's Pineapple Bling. This takes the Belgian thing to an extreme, and reminds me of Duvel and various other Belgian beers. 

 Better photo...

I'm digging this. This is one of the better Une Année beers I have had to date. I don't know if it as good as their Tripel or Quad, but it is pretty close. It also hides the 8.8% very well. This is creamy, full-bodied, and moderately complex. While the complexity could ratchet up, the rest of the beer holds up for the style. I'm wondering if throwing this in your cellar for a year or two would result in some additional Brett complexity. That's my one caveat with many of Une Année's offerings...they all seem like they could benefit from aging a bit longer.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. This is a solid beer, I'd love to revisit it with some age on it. Really, the base beer is a fantastic Belgian Strong Ale. It's approaching that top-shelf echelon. If the Brett was dialed up a bit, this would be an easy 4.5/5.0. 

Random Thought: I'm really looking forward to Une Année's sour program.

Stillwater Artisanal Night Vision - Sensory Series 3 - Tennis

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at Dog Brewing Co. in Westminster, MD  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2015

Style/ABV: Belgian Pale Ale/American Wild Ale, 6.9%

Reported IBUs: ?

About Stillwater Artisanal Ales: 

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 more info at the brewery's blog or their website. 

The Tennis is part of Stillwater Artisanal's sensory series. The Stillwater Sensory Series is a collaboration between Stillwater Artisinal and singular music artists. This release is in collaboration with the artist Tennis, and is inspired by the song Night Vision. Tennis is Denver couple Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley. 

Stillwater Artisanal Night Vision - Sensory Series 3 - Tennis

This pours into a radiant orange body, kicking up white foam and carb for days. The beer is slightly hazy, and the creeping chimney of carb in the bottle is appropriate for a Brett beer. You have to admire these Stillwater projects. 

Giant peach and pineapple jump out front on the aroma, with white pepper and strawberries, white wine notes that include gooseberry and sweet melon/sweet grass/sweet lemon, and there is impressive Brett funk coming off the aroma. The Brett is earthy and sweet. This smells juicy and amazing. 

The taste doesn't quite match the aroma, and the malt body is a bit thicker than you might expect, and the Brett hasn't quite dried this out. But, there actually is a good amount of dryness here, with wonderful Brett funk, lots of peaches and pineapple, and good hop bitterness showing up to drop some orange and lemon and rind and dry things out.

This is a medium-light bodied beer, with plenty of carbonation to move things along and a nice drying Brett character to clean things up. At 6.9%, this is fairly drinkable with just mild alcohol showing up between the cracks. This is vinous and wine-like, which is a good thing. The funk levels in here are acceptable as well. Overall, a really solid if not slightly underwhelming Stillwater release. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. Not Stillwater's best, but still a really solid beer. Having said that, if you can find a bottle, pick it up. You can't beat the price to beer ratio here. 

Random Thought: I'm so happy that Stillwater is all over Chicago.

Fantôme de Noël

Brewed By: Brasserie Fantôme in Soy-Erezée, Belgium   

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 201??? (pre-2013)

Style/ABV: Saison/Farmhouse Ale, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

The best part about Fantôme is definitely the part where they don't date their beer bottles, so you have no idea what vintage you are drinking. I'm not even being sarcastic, it's all part of the mystery and intrigue. About Fantôme: 

Fantôme is a brewery based out of Soy, Wallonia, Belgium, that was founded in 1988 by the mad man and mastermind, Dany Prignon. The brewery is located in a crumbling farmhouse in the Marche-en-Famenne district of Luxembourg province, and Fantôme's beer just might be more popular in the United States than it is in Belgium. Dany brews one type of beer: Saisons/Farmhouse Ales. Each of his Saisons have a unique twist, and he often brews his beers using herbs, spices, juices, and other off-beat ingredients. Their website is so hardcore it only comes in French, but check it out anyway. 

The Fantôme de Noël is Dany's Christmas Ale, brewed with all sorts of weird spices and who knows what. This one has been sitting in my cellar for a few years now, so it has some age. This was also a beer that I picked up circa 2012, I think. The beer was on clearance at Binny's for a discount price, so this may be a 2011 Vintage or older.

Fantôme de Noël (after cleaning up the spilled beer on the counter)

At any rate, opening this bottle resulted in a gushing explosion that continued for quite some time. Nothing to see here, as the beer settles into a dark red body. There are a few fingers of dense, web-like head, and the head soaks up some of the reddish and amber tones. This beer is unfiltered with obvious yeast sediment floating around. The rising carbonation from the gushing bottle is impressive, as I had to pour quite a bit off to get it to stay in the bottle.

The aroma on this beer is magical barnyard and farmland like nothing I have smelled. This reminds me of some of Jolly Pumpkin's stuff, only much better. There is hay, grass, horse blanket, complex caramel notes, pineapple, sweet lemon, tropical fruit, light tartness, and tons of funk. Honestly, the aroma is divine.

This is impressively light, especially for 10%. It doesn't really conjure up images of Christmas, but it does taste like the Belgian countryside. Actually, this is pretty nuanced, with Orval-like Brett funk, pineapple, lemon funk, and notes of raisins and deeply melded caramel. As this warms up a bit, the funk gets all lemony, with wheat notes, intense Brett funk ala Orval, and some notes that suggest dry hops but at this age and time are probably Brett. The Brett notes in here are surprisingly friendly, with nice tropical-fruit and wheat and dry hop-like funk. This never goes full band-aids or butcher shop or leather. 

At 10.0%, this is dangerous stuff since it drinks like a 4.0% Farmhouse Ale. This is legit stuff...what all Saisons should strive to be. People give Jolly Pumpkin a lot of hate and shit, but their beers really do remind me of Fantôme at times, which is my shout out to the Midwest. At any rate, this is a medium-bodied, highly carbonated, refreshing beer. Palate depth is fantastic, with tons of body from what I assume are wheat malts, and tons of interesting funk from the dry hops and Brett. I can't confirm the dry hopping, but it tastes like a dry hopped Brett beer. Complexity might be the only knock against this beer....it's definitely simple in some respects. But isn't simple good? Sometimes, you just want a really well done Saison, and there is nothing quite like Fantôme on a good day.  

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average. The complexity holds it back from busting out into that true divine beer status, but otherwise I have no complaints with this beer or this vintage at this time. This is one of the best Saisons I have had in a while, and I have to tip my fedora to Fantôme for being relatively available and awesome....even if their bottles gush and they are hit or miss. You could definitely pair this beer with your typical Saison pairings....chicken, squab, turkey, peppered potatoes, and rustic dishes...if you go more modern think of a leafy burger with cheese, or maybe some pickled things. Honestly though, if you are cracking a vintage 'tome, you should probably just kick back and enjoy the ride.

Random Thought: I think I paid like...10 bucks for this beer?

Against the Grain Brett The Hipman Hop

Brewed By: Against the Grain Brewery (and Smokehouse) in Louisville, Kentucky   

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: 64.5

I've been meaning to tackle some stuff from Against the Grain Brewing. These guys have a lineup of fun and oddly names beers. That can only mean good things, right? About Against the Grain Brewing: 

The Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse is a brewery (and smokehouse) that was founded back in October 2011. The brewery is located in the southeast corner of Louisville Slugger Field at the corner of Jackson and Main Street, in Kentucky, and is run by four dudes who are cooler than you. For more information, check them out on Facebook or check out their website. 

Tonight's beer, Brett The Hipman Hop, is an American Wild Ale brewed with Pilsner and German-style malts, and Apollo and Vanguard hops. This beer was fermented with ale yeast, and then the brewery added three strains of Brettanomyces to do their thing in a secondary fermentation. After four and a half months, the brewery then dry-hopped this beer with Amarillo hops. Punching in at 8.0% and 64.5 IBUs, this is all funked up.

 Brett The Hipman Hop

The beer pours into a hazy, lightly orange body, kicking up three fingers of head that is tinted by the orange, and has some caramel tones. The head retains nicely, leaving some pretty mean streaks of lacing. It's hard to tell what type of beer is suggested from the appearance, but yeah. This is also carbonated nicely. 

On the aroma: an explosion of hops and Brett. This is obviously in the same realm as Orval, or the Green Flash Rayon Vert, or Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Bière. This has big notes of grapefruit, orange, crushed aspirin, huge citrus juiciness that is unparalleled, and layers of musty and earthy Brett funk. The Brett notes in here drop some earthy and rotting notes...almost like rotting meat or a butcher shop. I personally love the aroma, and love the amount of funk that is dialed up here. This also rolls out some pineapple and peach, but it is hard to say if that is from the Brett or the hops. The aroma is pungent and huge...I am excited.

This isn't quite as substantial as any of the aforementioned beers...but it's unique in its own way, bringing in some candy sweetness and unique hop profile from the Apollo and Vanguard hops. I'm getting a lot of pineapple here, with some crushed aspirin, sweet-tart candies, massive waves of Brett funk, and lots of earthy dryness. Actually, this is super dry....probably thanks to the Brett. This has some funky leather in the mix, with that characteristic Brett leather note. The front end has a sweet candy note that I think is from the hops...it's almost like grape, or grape candy...really interesting. This also has some earthy notes that veer into green pepper or green beans. Honestly, I know I'm all over the board here, but this is a complex beer that really pushes the hop and Brett envelope. This also has some peppery spice.

This is medium-light bodied, thanks in part to the hops and the dry finish. This is super easy to drink at 8.0%, and is attenuated and dry. If you have no objections to lots of hops and Brett funk, you'll have no objections to this beer. The palate depth is fantastic and this has good duration. This has good complexity as well. Up front: citrus, pineapple, funky Brett, crush aspirin, candy sweetness; the mids take the candy sweetness and turn it into intense crushed aspirin, then the earthy notes grab hold with leather, super dry butcher shop funk, and tons of Brett punch, you also get some peppery spice; the back end continues with black pepper, white pepper, and citrus spice, and then fades into super dry nothingness. The finish is perfect, and you're left belching up citrus and pineapple. Mmmm. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is fucking fantastic, if not better than the score I'm giving it. It's maybe not as good as Green Flash's Rayon Vert...and it can't quite dial up the funk to Orval levels...but this is a great beer if you're a fan of these dry-hopped Brett beers. Food pairings here include funky and dry cheeses, rustic dishes, and maybe a leafy burger. I'd recommend this, no regrets buying this.

Random Thought: Hell yeah for 3-day weekends.

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

Brewed By: Boulevard Brewing Company (Moortgat) in Kansas City, Missouri

Purchased: 750ml bottle (1 Pin, 9.4oz) bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (batch #L14077-2, best buy 03-2016)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/American Sour, 9.0%

Reported IBUs: 8

I'm really pumped for tonight's beer. I've heard this one is super sour and funky fresh. I have very high hopes. About Boulevard:

Boulevard Brewing Company hails out of Kansas City, Missouri. They have a very nice website that is cleanly formatted, informative, and is not loaded with Java and Flash scripts. The company was founded officially in 1989, but began in 1988 when founder John McDonald began construction of the brewery. In 2006 the brewery had a major expansion, which allowed for additional brewing capacity. You can find more info on the brewery's history HERE. According to Wikipedia, Boulevard is the largest craft brewer in Missouri, and the 10th largest craft brewery in the United States.

The Love Child No. 4 is a barrel-aged wild ale brewed with Lactobaccillus, Brettanomyces, and whatever wild critters decided to show up. Most of this blend was aged in oak barrels, with a blend of beer ranging from 16 months to 6 years old. Part of the blend was aged for 11 months in stainless tanks, souring on Lactobacillus. This one punches in at 9% ABV and 8 IBUs.

Boulevard Love Child No. 4

This pours into a dark red/brown body that is hazy and oak-aged. It's battered and the faint orange tones are straining to be noticed. The beer does kick up an impressive three fingers of caramel head that rapidly fades into the abyss like the orange hints. A ring of carbonation settles around the edge of the glass, and the beer sizzles away with crackling carbonation. This is incredibly carbonated with numerous streams of tiny bubbles going up, and swirling the beer yields glossy alcohol legs with minimal lacing. It's very Flanders Red-esque.

On the aroma: the first thing jumping out to me is huge waves of oak. There is a lot of oak and wood tannin in here, with acidic funk standing out as the next main note that I am getting. This has incredible layers of cherries in the aroma, with sour cherries, sour cherry candy, black cherry Warheads, and apple cider vinegar. There is also a good amount of Brett funk lurking in the mix, with basement and attic funk, and buttery-oaky notes playing off the oak and wood. It's just a fantastic meld of sourness, funk, and oak, with serious fruity notes that border on being jammy.

Holy cow, this is sour! This assaults your palate with overt sourness: apple cider vinegar, oak, wood, lemon, tart cherry Warheads, citric acid and nectarines, and piercing lactic funk. There's some other stuff going on here too. This has some nice vanilla notes lurking beneath the sour, with oak and wood. There are also nice waves of tart and jammy cherries, apple slaw salad, peaches, and even some apricot funk. The back end hits the back of your mouth with some hints of malt. This is fantastic.

This is pretty high on the sour scale, with a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel that is made easier to drink by the sourness and carbonation. The alcohol is completely hidden, and this is pretty easy going. I'd call this a sipper, but an easy-going sipper. Palate depth is fantastic, and the complexity isn't far behind. Up front: sour notes, apple cider vinegar, lactic punch, lemons, sour nectarines, black cherry Warheads; the mids roll into serious oak and butter, vanilla, wood, nectarines, jammy fruits and cherries, Brett funk, more oak, wood; the back end drops oak, vanilla, malt sweetness, and the finish is dry. This is subtle, complex, funky, and not very sweet...I like it.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew  on this. This is incredibly complex and funky, with notes ranging from oak and wood tannin, to lemon and nectarines, to jammy cherries and sweet malts....it's a well-crafted beer, and you can tell that the blend was put together with some thought and finesse. This also has the potential to age in the bottle, making it obtainable and probably one of the best mainstream American sours. I'd recommend not pairing this with anything...sip on this one, enjoy it. It's really good.

Random Thought: Boulevard going mainstream = the best thing ever. I love Duvel. 

Lake Effect Brett Frambois

Brewed By: Lake Effect Brewing Company LLC in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Batch #150)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Fruit Beer, 5.5% 

Reported IBUs: ?

After the not-so-impressive Pamplemousse, I wanted to give Lake Effect another shake. Here is to hoping for redemption. About Lake Effect Brewing: 

Lake Effect Brewing is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery was founded by 
Clint Bautz and Lynn Ford back around 2012. 

Like the Pamplemousse, this has no website...this is a "beer brewed with spices and raspberries added." The bottle reads: "Fresh raspberries are added to our 100% Brettanomyces fermented base beer creating a secondary fermentation resulting in a brilliantly fragrant and deliciously tart beer. Savor its color and effervescence in a clear glass to maximize your drinking pleasure."

Lake Effect Brett Frambois

This one pours into a paper-light red body, with some pink highlights. This is all murky, and kicks up two fingers of pink/red-tinged head. Head retention here is surprisingly good, with a pinky hanging around. There is also a lot of carbonation at work here in the form of medium-small bubbles coming from various streams. The body has a gorgeous red body in bright light. There's nice lacing here too.

On the aroma: improvements. This already smells much, much more substantial than the Pamplemousse. I'm getting really nice, musty, attic funk here...and layers of raspberries. This goes from dusty, attic-funk raspberries, to wet rain and refreshing raspberries, to some currants and steeped tea raspberries, to raspberries on the vine. Unlike the Pamplemousse's flat aroma, this beer transports me to numerous places. There's some really nice Brett funk lurking beneath the aroma, with leathery and butcher shop seduction. Pretty excellent from the onset, let's see how it tastes. 

This is pretty good, actually. A big improvement over the muted and painfully dull Pamplemousse. This is still kind of light and mild...but at least the flavors advertised are present. Or at least some of them. This isn't really tart, but it definitely finds some funk. I'm getting a lot of wet rain, attic, and watery raspberries in the mix here. The raspberries go the jammy direction, and there are also a lot of raspberry tea and raspberry currant notes. There's actually some malts here, a wheat base? As a straight up fruit beer, this would be pretty solid. The raspberries stand out as a dominating flavor, with currants and raspberry tea. I don't know if I'd peg the Brett in a blind tasting, but if you pointed it out you could identify it.

This is light-bodied and refreshing, with a juicy and watery embrace. This drinks lighter than the 5.5%, which isn't a bad thing. Palate depth is solid here: this one excels as a fruit beer. Complexity is kind of average to below-average, I think, given the promise of raspberries gone wild. You know...I wonder if the Brett will funk up in the bottle here, but it's gonna be at the expense of the fruit. Up front: jammy and water raspberries; that rolls into raspberry tea, raspberry currants, a little wheat; the back end trails with raspberries, with some notes of Brett funk, and hints of raspberry fruit-roll-ups. The finish is actually really nice. I'm a little conflicted where I stand on this one.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Average . This is a big improvement over the Pamplemousse, and something I would try again. I think this would be a fun one to age, and it makes me want to try more Lake Effect beers. As a Wild Ale/Brett Ale...this is average. As a fruit beer, it's still average. But it's a better fruit beer than a wild. Food pairings here: fruit salads, delicate fish, and angel food cake with strawberries.

Random Thought: Again, the onslaught of sour ales has elevated the bar, even in the Midwest. 

Lake Effect Pamplemousse

Brewed By: Lake Effect Brewing Company LLC in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014 (Batch #152)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Fruit Beer, 5.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Oh jeez, more Chicago breweries? About Lake Effect Brewing: 

Lake Effect Brewing is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery was founded by 
Clint Bautz and Lynn Ford back around 2012. 

The Pamplemousse is so OG it doesn't have a website...this is a "beer with grapefruit added." The bottle reads: "Ruby red grapefruit is added to our 100% Brettanomyces fermented base creating a secondary fermentation resulting in a wonderfully fruity and tart ale. Savor its refreshing and sparkly nature in a clear glass to maximize your drinking pleasure."

Lake Effect Pamplemousse

This one pours into a hazy, lemon-juice/Lifesaver candy color, kicking up a finger of rapidly fading white head. There is some active carbonation in the mix, but it is buried beneath the murky body. This looks like a Berliner Weiss or a Gueuze or a Radler. Pick one and throw things in that random direction. The spotty, soda-like head retention is unclear in its intentions, and the beer looks very similar in low and bright light.  

On the aroma: not a whole lot. It's amazing what the abscense of hops and sugars does to a beer. This reminds me of a Berliner, with faint funky wheat, gym locker, and sweaty sock. There isn't any real lactic character present, and I wouldn't expect it. This never veers into cheesy cum sock land, or whatever you do in your free time. Fucking weirdo. There is some faint grapefruit and melon notes on the aroma (watermelon), hinting at grapefruit soda. I dunno. Let's see how it tastes. 

Wut...this literally tastes like seltzer water meets flat carbonation meets flat grapefruit. I'm not really getting a whole lot of Brett or funk in this. It's kind of heavy on the palate even, especially for 5.5%. This kind of pounds your mouth with nondescript honey and apples notes. It goes juicy, but more like pear and apple juice than tart and crisp grapefruit. I have no idea what the bottle is talking about when it references "Brett bases" and "fruity and tart ales." That's just outright lying. Come on. 

This is possibly the blandest beer I've had this year. And I'm a guy that appreciate the simple things. I like finding nuances in boring Pale Ales and Pilsners. This though...the mental gymnastics required to describe this beer is rough. Palate depth is not particularly intriguing. Complexity is zero. Mouthfeel is medium-full with honey-like sweetness and dull, watery fruit juice. This promises so much: Brett, grapefruit, tartness. It's like Justin Bieber's transition from a lesbian into a criminal. Or something. Up front: watery juice, honey; the mids roll into apples, pear juice, water; the back end is watery and juicy. The carbonation is lacking, but if it was more carbonated it would literally be club soda. This makes the Petrus Oud Bruin look like a flavorful banger. 

Rating: Below-Average (1.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Below-Average. This is just...underwhelming. I hate throwing beers under the bus, but the bottle literally says: "Ruby Red Grapefruit is added to our 100% Brettanomyces Fermented base...resulting in a wonderfully fruity and tart ale." Well, there is nothing "wonderfully fruity and tart" about this beer. Sorry. More so, Brett isn't sour. Brett is funky. Grapefruit juice can definitely be tart...but you need to add a substantial amount. I dunno. This is a huge disappointment at $11 a bottle. I could not recommend this beer in good faith. There are so many better Berliner Weissbiers, Sours, American Wild Ales, and Radlers that execute this approach much better. This flat-chested, apple juice-box preteen mess should be shelved. 

Random Thought: I have another beer from Lake Effect hanging out in my fridge...a chance for redemption. And if that beer doesn't work out I'll give one of their more standard beers a shot. I realize that brewing sours, Brett beers, and fruit beers isn't easy. But seriously, if you put words on a bottle you gotta back that stuff up. This isn't 1985. The 2014 craft beer scene is full of breweries cranking out amazing fruit beers; sour or otherwise. 

Russian River Beatification

Brewed By: Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, California

Purchased: 12.68oz (375ml) bottle generously gifted to me in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Bottled on 09/11/2013 - b6)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Sour Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Since I'm not big on the beer trade scene, tonight's beer is truly a special treat...a California banger that was generously given to me for no reason other than people who drink beer are really nice. At least white people who drink beer. White people who aren't white trash. Anyway, Russian River everyone:

Like the Russian River really needs an introduction. The Russian River is where the salmon jumps five feet high out of blue streams. The Russian River is where brown bears go to sunbathe and mate. It's where the great Pliny the Elder lives. The brewery is also owned by the pint glass-hating couple, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo. When the Korbel Champagne Cellars (founded in 1997) in Guerneville, California got out of the beer business in 2003, they gave the rights to the brand to Vinnie and Natalie. During the early years, Vinnie used his relationship with the nearby winery to experiment with brewing beer in wine barrels. And in April 3, 2004, Vinnie and Natalie reopened the Russian River Brewing Company as a brewpub in downtown Santa Rosa. In 2008 they opened a production brewery. The rest is beer history...but you can envy how you probably won't drink this beer, or you know, start trading. 

Tonight's beer, the Beatification, is 100% spontaneously fermented. The beer starts out in a cool-ship tank collecting wild yeast, and is then transferred to oak wine barrels. 

Russian River Beatification

This beer is too cool to even waste time with pretentious head retention or any of that crap. The white head on this one fizzles and cracks off in a matter of seconds, like it's some sort of Pale Lager or cider thing. The body here is murky yellow, cloudy like piss or Gatorade diluted with water. There is active carbonation in here...but this just radiates maximum funk. It's like some sort of wine-beer thing, because that's pretty much exactly what it is.

The aroma is oaky as hell, with big barrel character storming out straight away. I'm getting big Brett funk on the aroma as well, with hints of sweaty funk and leather. There are dry champagne notes in here, with vinous white wine hints and gooseberry, white grape, pineapple, peaches, and suggestive tropical-peach-Brett fruitiness. There are some kisses of lemon/lactic sourness on the aroma, but the main character seems to be giant barrel, Brett funk, and those fruity tones. 

This skips the petty insults and goes straight for your throat with a ridiculous attack of huge wood, sour candies, and lemony funk up front. We are talking about punishing levels of sourness. The mids dial up more ridiculous lactic acid and barrel character, only with growing sweetness and some lightly buttery oak; the back end drops tons of crushed pineapple, peaches, gooseberry, champagne dryness, and white wine character. This is an enamel stripper, doing damage from front to finish, but the finish is clean and dry like champagne...but this has so much more depth than any champagne. 

Reviewing this beer is completely unnecessary, other than for my own personal validation that Russian River does in fact make divine beers. This beer is sort of like heaven....imagine a dry champagne or white wine with lots of gooseberry and lemon notes...now imagine what that would taste like if it had gripping sourness. That's basically this beer. You don't get any alcohol here. The mouthfeel is light-bodied but aggressively dry and tart. Palate depth is fabulous (fantastic, whatever), and this has serious complexity. A lot of beers in this category overdo the Flanders Red levels of sourness, or end up with malts leaking out. This beer is all barrel, wine, and intense Brett/lactic funk. Again, the front end assaults your face with huge barrel, sour lemons, and aggressive kick with some oak; the mids drop more oak, huge lactic acid that claws into your stomach, and sweet tropical fruits on the horizon; the back end is a pineapple/peach festival, with wine notes and gooseberry and champagne goodness. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew here. There's not much else to say...if you can get this beer, pick it up. If you can't access it locally, maybe trade for it? This is one of the best sours I have had in general, and definitely one of the best wine-aged beers I have had. This reminds me of Jolly Pumpkin in some ways, but with a lot more balls. Sour balls. If Jolly Pumpkin can inject that warhead level of sourness...hot damn. Food pairings here are pretty much super strong cheeses, fatty burgers, poutine, and strong American bar foods. Maybe goat cheese crostinis? 

Random Thought: It rained a lot tonight, and consequently Lake Shore Drive was flooded. It was surreal having to pass up several exits just to get off the northbound side. I saw two cars completely under water. 

Stillwater ’Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar’ (Babylonian Style Ale) Remix

Brewed By: Stillwater Artisanal at Westbrook Brewing in Baltimore, Maryland  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Belgian Ale/Saison, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I need to drink more Stillwater Artisanal Ales. I think that's a reasonable goal to have for the rest of this year. About Stillwater Artisanal Ales: 

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 Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar, is labeled as part of "The Remix Project." The bottle says: "Inspired by the artistry and assertiveness of Omnipollo's Nebuchadnezzar, I decided on a demure approach. Expressing the lovely hop profile of the original & tying it together with farmhouse yeast & brettanomyces for a fruity, funky fiesta;7" -Brian (Stillwater Artisanal) 

Stillwater Babylonian Style Ale

This one pours out into a juicy, unfiltered, body. It's a glorious thing to behold, that raw Saison juice, with radiant yellow and gold/orange tones. The beer props up a finger or two of white, Saison-like head. Bright light confirms the same stuff, with a nice coating of head hanging around, and lots of white webs of lacing abound.

The aroma here is absolutely awesome, with giant hops, tangerine, grapefruit, and tropical fruits...all upholstered on a funky Brett backdrop. The aroma has that dry citrus from the hops that is accentuated by the Brett. It's earthy and raw, like smelling raw hops. There's a lot of citrus on the nose: grapefruit, orange, and big lemon. And I'm getting big peaches and Brett. Enough said.

This is a bit heavier on the taste than I was expecting. It's a bit lower in carbonation (although not to a fault) with lots of juicy character, and an almost rustic, mead-like quality. Okay, it's not as heavy as a mead...I mean, this is still amazingly drinkable and crushable like you would expect from a Saison. I attribute a lot of that to the Brett cleaning things up. I'm getting juicy pineapple, citrus, grapefruit, orange, lemon, and big peaches in here. There are also big notes of Brett, dry wheat, barnyard funk, mango, and some crushed Aspirin bitterness (again, not a bad thing). 

This is medium-bodied, and totally juicy and crushable at 6.0%. The carbonation that is present does a great job, and the mild dryness from the Brett is perfect as you get Brett funk and big peaches and tropical goodness. The bitterness here isn't over-the-top, and there's very little in the way of peppery spice. Palate depth is fantastic, and complexity is middling. There's not much to add. Up front is big citrus, hops, tropical fruits; the mids roll into Brett funk, dryness, bitter hops, huge peaches; the back end cleans up with bitter hops, bitter Brett, earthy, and mild bitterness. It's all done very well, and dat juicy goodness.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this...this is just more confirmation that Stillwater is awesome and I need to snag more of their stuff when I see it. Truly impressive beer here, I would pair this with Mediterranean dishes, Greek salad, lamb, a leafy burger, Italian pizza, or some rustic potatoes and poultry. Really good shit and reasonably priced. 

Random Thought: Brett makes farmhouse ales better, yo

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

Brewed By: 3 Fonteinen in Beersel, Belgium  

Purchased: 750ml corked bottle (Bottled on 17 Jan 2013) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Gueuze, 6.0%? 

Reported IBUs: ?

Woo! Sunday night. Wait...no, I'm just kidding. Hopefully this week flies by, and it should, especially with a Bears game on Thursday night. About 3 Fonteinen:

3 Fonteinen is a brewery based out of Beersel, Belgium. The brewery was founded in 1887 as a café and geuzestekerij (a place that blends lambics to make geuze). The company was purchased by Gaston De Belder in 1953, and left to his sons Armand and Guido in 1982. The company bought a brewery in 1998. 3 Fonteinen is one of the few remaining geuzestekerijen. As per the back of my bottle:

"For decades, Armand Debelder has worked as a Geuze blender - just as his father did - mixing young and old lambics from other lambic brewers to create the classic beer of Belgium. Armand has lately begun brewing his own lambic. The Drie Fonteinen beers are among the very few traditional and authentic Geuzes and Lambics being made in Belgium today." 

Tonight's beer, the Oude Geuze, is a natural/authentic geuze consisting of a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year-old lambics aged in oak barrels. The back of my bottle states: "A true Geuze - a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year-old lambic, unfiltered and unpasteurized, and aged in the bottle for at least a year after blending. Refermentation in the bottle gives this Geuze its famous champagne-like spritziness. The lambic that goes into it is brewed only with 60% barley malt, 40% unmalted wheat, aged hops, and water, spontaneously fermented by wild yeasts, and matured in oak casks."

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

This beer is aggressively carbonated, as evidenced by the gushing upon pulling out the cork. The beer pours into an orange body, and kicks up two to three-plus fingers of fizzy, spritzy, white head. The head is supported with violent streams of carbonation. This beer is super carbonated in the glass, with numerous streams of bubbles quickly rising to the beer's surface. In bright light the beer is a radiant orange, and the head is clearly white. It's a good looking beer.

You get a lot of fruits and woody tannin on the aroma. I'm getting wood, sulfur, and light basement funk...there's some very faint hints of buttery oak as well. I'm also picking up lots of apples, some grapes, lemons, hints of pears and other stone fruits, and some mild tartness. It's worth noting that this bottle is relatively fresh, and I plan to revisit this beer sometime down the road when it has had a chance to "funk up" in the bottle.

This is actually very nice, and the tartness grows as your drink it. This beer also opens up as it warms, and things are more manageable once the carbonation settles down a bit. For all these reasons, you probably want to give this beer some time in the glass to warm up and settle in. I'm getting bright/tart lemons, sour lemon candy, some apples and grapes, lots of woody tannins, and some wine-like, buttery oak. There's some nice underlying funk, with mild basement, mildew, and hints of gym locker. It's a nice blend of wood, oak, tart lemon and fruit, and good funk.

Like a Gueuze should be, this beer is highly carbonated, very drinkable, and features a light to medium-light mouthfeel. The taste improves as the beer sits in the glass and warms up. At colder temps the beer isn't as sour, and veers into watery territory. At warmer temps, the oak and tart funk comes out. Palate depth is good for the style, and complexity is okay. This beer is going to get better in the bottle, I think. I'm guessing this beer will be fantastic after 3-5 years. You get a blast of tart fruits, wood/oak, and sour funk up front; that rolls into more fruits, some pale malt/straw; the back end dials up the lingering oak/wood tannins. The finish is dry, with lingering wood tannin and some buttery oak.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average, and really reminds me of a nice, oaky white. I would pair this beer accordingly, with pasta with a strong cheese sauce, or fried mushrooms, or calamari. You could also pair this beer with strong cheeses, fruit salads/desserts, and maybe even a grilled chicken or something along those lines. I feel like this Gueuze is a nice blend, and will be even better down the line. I look forward to cracking open a vintage bottle of this in a few years. This one is kind of pricey, but you can't put a price on authentic Belgian beer. (You actually can...and at 15 dollars per 750ml bottle, I think this one worked out). 

Random Thought: The Bears can't lose to the Giants. Right?....?

Saint Somewhere/Prairie Artisan Ales Carbone Colline

Brewed By: Saint Somewhere Brewing Company in Tarpon Springs, Florida  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Saison/American Wild Ale, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is a collab between Prairie Artisan Ales and Saint Somewhere Brewing.

Saint Somewhere Brewing Company is a small brewery based out of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Founded in 2007 by Bob Sylvester, the brewery focuses on smaller batch Belgian-style Ales. 

Prairie Artisan Ales are yet another brewery that began as a Kickstarter campaign. Founded in 2012 by brothers Chase and Colin Healey, 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 back of the bottle reads: "Brewed in collaboration with our friends at "Prairie Artisan Ales" in Oklahoma. A rustic Farmhouse Ale brewed with blackberries and toasted pecans. Named for "Carbon Hill" Alabama which is halfway between Tarpon Springs FL and Tulsa OK." 

This beer has some carbonation issues...I unscrewed the wire on the cage, and the top exploded off, cork and all. The cork almost took my head off, and the cork and cage took flight. The beer then proceeded to gush everywhere. Even my gentle pour resulted in a glass full of carbonation, so I'm typing up this little paragraph while I wait for the beer to settle down so I can take a picture of it.

Saint Somewhere/Prairie Artisan Ales Carbone Colline

After the Hulk of a head settles down, you're left with a swampy and murky, dark, orange-brown beer. The head is a brownish color, and it's sticky and dense and has good duration. When held to a bright light, the body of this beer is a dank, murky, dark orange. The head is pulling off huge orange-brown tones, and the lacing on this is nice. You can see carbonation on the edges. I like my Saisons swampy, and this one meets that criteria.

The aroma on this beer is awesome...this beer was obviously fermented with Brett, and has that classic, cellared/aged Orval funk. The aroma features funky leather, sweat, butcher shop, horse blanket...there's also some citrus, lemony funk, and nondescript fruits/berries and sweetness. 

I'm trying hard to pull out blackberries or pecans in the taste, but this mostly lays a heavy layer of Brett-funk, yeast, bready yeast and malt thickness, and berry sweetness on your tongue. There's also a nice layer of hops, which provide some bitterness and another level of depth. There's some peppery spice in here with the Brett-funk, and some berry notes (that you wouldn't peg blind). This gets a touch earthy, with a hint of leather/ash, but it's no Fantôme.

This beer is raw in its execution, with an arid finish and tons of bitterness. It's also exceedingly funky. This is my kind of Saison, yo. The 8.0% ABV is masked completely, and this has good drinkability. The mouthfeel on this is medium-bodied, but this beer is propped up with tons of carbonation. Palate depth is outstanding, but complexity waffles. This beer can't decide if it wants to embrace the Brett/lemon/pepper funk, or celebrate the addition of the berries and nuts. All-in-all though...you get some bitter punch up front, followed by huge Brett funk with lemon/citrus goodness; that rolls into some berries, hops, presumably some of that toasted pecan, peppery Brett-funk, and more citrus/Brett funk; the back end is lingering berries and fruit, and then a blast of bitter/funky dryness. The backbone of this beer has nice malt density. Good stuff.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I gotta go with a Decent Above-Average on this. I'm really digging this...even if I don't necessarily get strong blackberry or pecans. This is just a super funky, Brett-forward Saison, and that's my bag, baby. The price was right too, at around 12 dollars for a 750ml bottle. I'm going to pair this beer with some cheese sticks...because I'm classy like that. Really though, you could pair this with strong cheeses, a cheese and onion soup, anything rustic and peppery. I'm glad I bought this.

Random Thought: I need to buy more stuff from Prairie. Fact. I should probably talk about the NFL today...but I'm still recovering from all the noon games that were decided by a final score in the last few minutes of the game. The Chicago Bears didn't look like a team that just beat two of last year's playoff teams (albeit...last year's crappy playoff teams...), but they still looked better on offense than they have in a long time. That's a start, right?