One Well Brewing Sweet Water Street

One Well Brewing Sweet Water Street

Brewed By: One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Purchased: 32oz Howler from One Well Brewing; 2015 (poured on 08/26/15)

Style/ABV: American Adjunct Imperial Porter, 7.1%

Reported IBUs: ???

This was, by far, the second best Porter/Stout I had on my trip to Kalamazoo. This beer deserves a nod and shot out, because it is really fucking good. The brewery isn't too shabby either. About One Well Brewing: 

One Well Brewing is a nano/micro brewery based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The brewery was founded by home brewers Chris O’Neill and T.J. Waldofsky, and currently features a 3-barrel brewing system. The tap house is warm and cozy, with board games and a bar. The place was packed an hour before closing, and the staff was friendly. My biggest regret is that I discovered this place during my last day in Kalamazoo...

The Sweet Water Street is an Imperial Porter brewed with donut holes from Sweetwater's Donut Mill, and coffee from Water Street Coffee Roaster. Coffee is my life force, so while in Kalamazoo I had a chance to visit Water Street Coffee Roaster twice. The coffee is solid, and is locally roasted. 

So good...

The Sweet Water Street itself pours into a dark body kicking up a couple of fingers of dense, tan-brown head. It looks like every other genero-Porter until you dig into the aroma and get that rich chocolate coffee cake smell. This kicks up espresso and hazelnut and lots of fresh coffee, but the coffee stays grounded in the cakey malt base. This hints at macaroons and candy bars, and suggests so much more than a straightforward coffee beer. 

And the taste lives up to the aroma's hype, and then some and more so. At whatever percentage this clocks in at (7.1%???), the malt body stands up to the strong coffee flavors. This has a cake-like body with chocolate malts, trailing malt balls on the back end, rich espresso, hazelnut, and liquid coffee cake. 

The mouthfeel on this is full and expansive, and this beer has depth and density. This squeezes all the money's worth out of the 7.1%, and the malt body does not go to waste. The palate is full-bodied, and this has enough layers to beckon complexity. It has good duration too...each sip lingers. You get a lot of straight Porter in the front, but by the mid palate this drops coffee and chocolate. The back end rounds out with earthy coffee notes, hints of macaroons, and malt balls. This cleans up nicely too...you would expect loads of residual sugars and you really get none of that here. 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. This is one of the best beers currently on tap in Kalamazoo, and you owe it to yourself to check this beer out. On top of that, One Well Brewing's other beers were good, and the vibe of their little bar is fantastic. Would definitely stop in again. 

Random Thought: The number one dark beer on my trip goes out to 18th Street Brewing...maybe more on that later. 

Local Option Mourning Wood

Brewed By: Local Option Bierwerker in Chicago, Illinois  

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

Style/ABV: Amber Ale/Hybrid Ale/Barrel-Aged Ale/Coffee Beer, 7.3%

Reported IBUs: ?

Local Option Mourning Wood

You can't stop the Chicago beer train. It's coming at you 100mph like Amtrak. About Local Option:

Local Option is a restaurant/bar (known for their intense Creole food) that happens to also brew their own beer.

The Mourning Wood is an oak-aged coffee amber ale. This beer sits in fresh American oak, and Dark Matter's El Salvador San Jose pulp-natural coffee adds some coffee kick. This one looks like it has been through barrel-aged hell. The beer is a murky, orange color, with tight lacing and surprisingly good head retention despite the barrel/coffee treatment.

The aroma here is dark grains, sweet hazelnut, nutty coffee, toast, oak, and some nice dark fruits. I'm getting some dried berries and figs on the aroma, and I'm reminded of Autumn-style beers (namely the Two Brothers Atom Smasher). As this warms up, the coffee on the aroma starts to pop.

This beer gets appreciably better as it warms, so keep that in mind when you crack this. As I sip on this, I am getting lots of dried berries, serious kicks of Dark Matter coffee ala hazelnut and light roast, toast, and light grassy hops. The oak comes through as a mild character that plays with the Amber Ale base. Caramel, light brown sugar, tapioca, iced coffee, wood, coffee creamer...pretty complex.

This hides the 7.3% with ease, and drops appropriate carb levels. Palate depth is good with nice duration, and this has a fairly complex layering of flavors for an Amber Ale. The oak addition is a subtle touch, and the coffee comes through as a light roast or Java flavor. I find this to be an intriguing Amber Ale, and you can't beat the price. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This is not revolutionary or mind-blowing by any means, but it is a solid Amber Ale. Also, the Dark Matter coffee comes through strong, as advertised.  

Random Thought: Awww yeah beer. 

Surly Coffee Bender

Brewed By: Surly Brewing in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Purchased: 16oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Whole Foods in Chicago, IL; 2015 (canned on 02/20/15)

Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 5.1%

Reported IBUs: 45

A coffee Brown Ale. Eh? About Surly Brewing: 

The Surly Brewing company is a brewery based out of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. The brewery was founded in 2005 by long time homebrewer Omar Ansari with the help of Todd Haug (Minneapolis's Rock Bottom Brewery). For more info, check out the brewery's about page.

Surly Coffee Bender

The Coffee Bender is brewed with Pale Ale, Aromatic, Medium Crystal, Dark Crystal, Oats, and Chocolate malts; and features Columbus and Willamette hops, and English Ale yeast. The beer is also cold pressed with Guatemalan coffee that is roasted locally.

This is a pretty beer, albeit deceptively darker in low light. Bright light betrays the hazy, reddish body, and a cloud of yeast and sediment can be seen mucking up the beer. The head is fluffy and Guinness-like™, and there is good lacing and retention. 

This has an amazing aroma of cold pressed coffee, stale toast that has been sitting out for a few minutes, coffee sitting in the filter, hazelnuts, and a light but crisp hop aroma. The coffee elevates what is otherwise a fairly derivative style of beer, and I am reminded of New Glarus' banging, low-ABV, coffee beer, their New Glarus Coffee Stout.

same beer, with light

Kudos to Surly for basically turning a Brown Ale into iced coffee. This is a fantastic beverage, if you want coffee not beer. That's not a sideways compliment or passive insult. This is really nice, with cold pressed coffee, coffee in the filter, light creamer, hints of toast, hints of lactose, hazelnut, and light nuttiness. This is also somehow light and refreshing, with lots of straight and light hops providing a palate cleanse. 

This is medium-bodied, but light and refreshing at the same time. The beer has great palate depth and complexity for the style...really, this owns the Brown Ale category, and the 5.1% market. This is hard to top, and I think it edges out the New Glarus Coffee Stout by just a bit. This hits the coffee/toast breakfast combo hard up front, rolls into hazelnut and lactose coffee, and then finishes with sharp coffee and hops. Pretty rad.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. This is pretty much as advertised, and you will be cold pressed (get it?) to find a better coffee beer in the 5.1% range. The coffee here is also clean without any acridity or weird earthiness or fruitiness. Pretty much for sure I will buy this beer again, and you should too.

Random Thought: I like you too, and don't call me Surly. 

Begyle Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas 2014

Brewed By: Begyle Brewing in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Bottles & Cans in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, 9.8

Reported IBUs: ?

After the dust cleared in Chicago following Black Friday, beer shelves were left stocked with hidden gems like Dino S'Mores, Backwoods Bastard, and Begyle's Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas. I'm not saying that says anything, but it seems like a lot of tourists and non-beer nerds show up to get their BCBS. And I'm okay with that....more tasty beer for me. About Begyle Brewing: 

Begyle Brewing is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery's motto is, "A Community Supported Brewery," and that is how they promoted their successful Kickstarter and successful launch. The brewery was found on 2012, and offers a subscription for their growler program, as well as growler fills and bottles. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas is a "barrel aged imperial stout" aged in bourbon barrels. Per Begyle, this is their coffee infused oatmeal stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. The Begyle Flannel Pajamas is an oatmeal stout; the Begyle Imperial Pajamas is an imperial oatmeal coffee stout; and the Begyle Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas is an imperial oatmeal barrel-aged coffee stout. Shit is getting real and deep.

Begyle Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas 2014

As you might expect, this pours into a black, opaque body, kicking up a finger of brown/tan head. The head leaves some nice lacing and alcohol legs, and has a nice ring around the glass with some sea foam/cauldron effect action. It's a good looking beer, but what beer isn't.

On the aroma: lots of bourbon. Lots of Heaven Hill sweetness, which has big notes of raisins, and lots of whiskey sweetness. The Heaven Hill barrel notes are distinct, and channel similar vibes found in the FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout - Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Barrel. There is some big underlying sweetness on the aroma, with coconut, dark fruit, and cherries coming up. There's also a medicinal or cola-like note that I can't quite place. I'm getting some Twizzlers, and a lot more whiskey/fruit. Heaven Hill has #rekt this base beer.

Wow. This is unassuming upon first sip, with big whiskey and raisins sweetness not opening up into anything. But about 10 seconds into the sip, the oatmeal, coconut, and chocolate grabs hold, and the beer rattles the cage with subtle coffee notes, vanilla, bourbon, brownie notes, and tons of depth. As you acclimate yourself to the two sides of this beer, you pick up some integration between the whiskey fruits, cherries, Twizzlers, raisins, and intense bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, and barrel. This definitely has coffee in it, and the coffee plays with the alcohol in the beer, hinting at alcoholic coffee and vodka infused Kahlua. This is impressively complex, and continues to hit new notes for me: roast, faint espresso, macaroons, fudge, brownie, bourbon, and an umami note like soy-dipped chocolate sans any soy sauce. 

This is an incredible beer. Most barrel aged oatmeal stouts are, but this just hits so many awesome notes with so much complexity. It's an impressive package, throwing an imperial oatmeal stout into Heaven Hill barrels. At 9.8%, you do get some booze, but this is not hot. Palate depth is good, and this has amazing duration. This doesn't quite coat your mouth like some beers, but despite that fact, this still manages to come in as lightly full-bodied. I've heard some people call this beer "thin." Those people are wrong. This is not thin. This isn't as thick as other BBA stouts, but it's just dandy. Up front: waves of dark fruits, cherries, raisins, Twizzlers, growing bourbon and chocolate; the mids hit this fantastic coffee/chocolate/coconut thing, with some alcohol, Kahlua; the back end dips into barrel, more bourbon, more lingering one-off notes, and just tons of complexity. I could drink this all day.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is a great bourbon-barrel aged beer, would buy/drink again. I don't even want to pair this with food, just sip on this monster. The fact that this beer sat around on shelves for so long is perfect, I look forward to hunting this down next time it is released. 

Random Thought: 2014....RIP mufucka. 

Pig Minds Brewing Joe Daddy Barrel Aged

Brewed By: Pig Minds Brewing Co. in Machesney Park, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber generously gifted to me on Black Friday; 2014 

Style/ABV: American Stout, 9.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Let me extend a thanks for this bottle. Black Friday was a lot of fun, even if my toes were numb by the end of the morning. I did stand in line for my allotment of Bourbon County, and I'm glad I did. 2014's Bourbon County release in Chicago was nothing but a shit show. But enough about that....About Pig Minds Brewing:

Pig Minds Brewing Co. is a brewery based out of Machesney Park, IL. The brewery was founded around 2012, by owner Brian Endl and head brewer Carson Souza. For more info, check out their Website or Facebook page. 

Tonight's beer, the Joe Daddy Barrel Aged, is a twist on their Joe Daddy, which is a coffee stout brewed with two gallons of molasses, brown sugar, and Guatemalan Coffee roasted locally at Jadabug Roasters. The bottle of the Joe Daddy Barrel Aged reads: "Joe Daddy's back. He's bigger, bolder, and older than before. He got himself a job at the distillery, stacking and racking oak barrels 9 to 5. Wooza, nice abs, Joe! This is our Jada Bug Coffee imperial stout brewed with brown sugar and molasses that ol' Joe Daddy made famous. Only this time we've barrel-aged this blend to give you that oaken experience that warms you way down deep. Now who's Joe Daddy?" 

Pig Minds Brewing Joe Daddy Barrel Aged

This pours into a thick, oily, opaque body, kicking up a finger of dark brown, mocha-tinged head. The head retention on this beer is fantastic, and there is also really nice lacing and big glossy alcohol legs to set the tone.

I know this glass calls out the aroma for you, but when I poured this beer I was smacked with HUGE waves of coconut, vanilla, barrel, bourbon, and alcohol. This smells absolutely potent and fantastic. When I stick my nose into the beer, I am getting big macaroons, coffee, coffee liquor, vanilla, alcohol, and RICH coffee. The coffee on this aroma is oily and thick. This smells amazing, anything short of this aroma in the taste is going to be a disappointment...I hope this delivers. 

For the most part, this does deliver. This isn't as thick as Bourbon County, but at 9.0% I wasn't expecting it to be. What I'm getting here is a ton of barrel, vanilla, alcohol, and coffee. The alcohol is not fusel at all, and has a marked complexity, like a hot whiskey. This has hints of raisins soaked in alcohol, fusel and quad-like fruits, complex coffee fruits, and lots of complex dessert alcohol notes. It reminds me of a dessert liquor, or a nice digestive. The kick of oak, vanilla, and bourbon on the back end is just icing on the cake. I'm going to let this warm up, and report back. UPDATE: oh yeah, as this warms up, this continues to improve in terms of depth, complexity, and drinkability. At warmer temps, this becomes a coffee liquor banger, with nice barrel and booze notes. This is just the perfect after-dinner treat, and a sipper to chew on.

I'm quite smitten with this brew. It's not quite Bourbon County Coffee, but not many beers are. Actually, the coffee in this beer is just one of many elements that defines the overall experience. At 9.0%, this is both boozier and bigger than its britches. The mouthfeel isn't quite thick freaky, but it is full-bodied with really nice complexity and palate depth. Right now, this is pretty hot...I think with 6~12 months of age this is going to mellow out. But I love alcohol, whiskey, and dessert spirits. I'm enjoying this because it is boozy, and I think the booze plays with the coffee and the barrel. The booze is also fairly complex, not unlike a good digestive or cognac. This unravels in waves of complexity, but you get a lot of alcohol, coffee, and complex booze up front; that rolls into coconut, bourbon, vanilla, dessert spirits, more coffee, liquor, and tons of goodness; the back end trails with coffee, liquor, alcohol, and lots of barrel. This finishes dry, and there isn't as much residual sugar kicking around as you might initially think. I'm enjoying this...and I'm finding this to actually be a sipper, which is rare for me.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. This is my type of Imperial Stout. Layered, coffee, bourbon, alcohol, booze, and a true sipper. This is somewhat alcohol-forward, so be warned if you prefer your beers to be more "integrated." I'm not a huge fan of aging beers, but I think this will meld a bit down the road. For me, I like this fresh. I would not pair this with anything, except for maybe some dry chocolate cake and ice cream. This is just a great sipping beer...I would totally buy this if I saw it on shelves. 

Random Thought: People who read this blog will obviously note that I do age beers, and I'm not 100% against aging beer. I think there is some misconception that I am completely against aging beers...I'm not...I just think that people should put some thought into aging beer. It's a lot more complicated than just picking a beer with a high ABV, or a beer that meets "X style guideline."

Sierra Nevada Coffee Stout

Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California 
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2014 Snowpack purchased at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014
Style/ABV: Coffee Stout, 6.2%

Reported IBUs: 53

DAE Cerro Nevarros? I do. For $14.99 the 2014 Snowpack was too cheap to pass up. This year's Snowpack features their Porter, Pale Ale, Boomerang IPA, and Coffee Stout. About Sierra Nevada:

Sierra Nevada are one of the big players in craft brewing, and one of the first craft breweries to arrive on the craft beer scene. If you check out their history page, you will see that founder Ken Grossman began his quest to build a brewery in 1976. In 1980, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi brewed their first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. According to Wikipedia, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the second best selling craft beer behind Boston Lager. Sierra Nevada is the sixth largest brewing company in the United States as well, cranking out over 750,000 barrels in 2010. For more info, check out their website.

Coffee Stouts are maybe my favorite thing ever, so I have some pretty high expectations with this one. The Coffee Stout punches in at 6.2% with 53 IBUs, and is brewed with Nugget hops; Two-row Pale, Caramel, Chocolate, Wheat, and Brown malts; and cold brewed coffee and lactose. 

Sierra Nevada Coffee Stout

This pours into a near-black body, kicking up a finger of dark brown head. Bright light betrays some of those brown tones around the edges, but this is basically opaque through and through. Head retention is good, with solid lacing. 

The aroma here: coffee, hazelnut, mocha, coffee + creamer, a little espresso, and lots of filter coffee and coffee that has been leftover in the filter. There is also a substantial amount of lactose on the nose, with hints of creamer, vanilla, and milk.

This pretty much follows the nose to the tee...leading off with lots of sweet coffee, filtered coffee, espresso, ground coffee, and some hazelnut sweetness. Along with the coffee onslaught is a lot of hints of mocha, creamer, lactose, and sweet notes. The sweet notes include some sugars and hints of dark fruits...beneath the coffee is some hints of roast complexity, but this is mostly a sweet coffee ride.

This is pretty straightforward, but gets credit for being medium-full at just 6.2%. The palate depth here is really good, but this isn't the most complex beer in the world. This pretty much rides sweet coffee up front, with tons of coffee, espresso, and hazelnut; the mids roll into some creamer, lactose sugars, mocha, and earth/tobacco; the back end trails with lots of coffee sweetness, and has a bit of roast. The theme here is sweet and coffee. A part of me wonders if this beer would be elevated if it had a little more roast or dark malt complexity to balance out some of the sugars.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. This is a really solid coffee stout, especially at the ABV, but I do think it could be a bit more complex. Still, this is a great addition to the winter pack, and also a tasty beer. I would pair this with some dessert....maybe some dry chocolate cake. Yum.

Random Thought: The 2014 Snowpack doesn't have any mind-blowing beers, but it does feature four very good beers. I'd say it is worth the $14.99. 

5 Rabbit Yodo Con Leche

Brewed By: 5 Rabbit Cerveceria in Bedford Park, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer, 8.2%

Reported IBUs: 38

These Summer nights and running [X miles] followed by drinking [Y Imperial Stout] is apparently becoming a thing. And I'm okay with it. It's not like I just mowed a lawn. I swear...I still love wheat beers. About 5 Rabbit Cerveceria: 

5 Rabbit Cerveceria is an Illinois-based craft brewery launched in 2011. The brewery has a unique perspective, focusing on Latin-themed craft beer. The company is lead by CEO Andrés Araya, Creative Director Randy Mosher, and brewmaster (and former Goose Island employee) John J. Hall. For more info about the brewery, check out their Facebook or their website. 

The Yodo Con Leche is an "Imperial Porter brewed with milk caramel and Costa Rican Coffee" The bottle reads: 

"A Costa Rican slang term for coffee, "Yodo" means something rich, dark and intense-a perfect name for this distinctive beer. We use "Finca Agrícola Cafetal" coffee beans from Lourdes de Cirrí de Naranjo, Costa Rica, custom roasted by Gaslight Coffee Roasters for the freshest, smoothest flavor. We combine this with Argentine dulce de leche (milk caramel), three caramel malts, three dark malts including chocolate rye, and finally oatmeal, creating several layers of creamy chocolatey roasted character.""

Yeah, you read that right...this is a malt bomb, brewed with Costa Rican coffee. The exact malt bill includes 2-Row, Caramel, Roasted Wheat and Rye malts, and Patagonia C-120. This also has the Dulce de Leche (milk caramel) and Costa Rican coffee. The hops here include Pilgrim and Summit, and this one is finished with dem English yeasts. It sounds like the coffee is a late addition, post-fermentation, steeped in some of the beer and then blended into the final result. I'm excited, are you?

5 Rabbit Yodo Con Leche

In true Porter-but-not-Imperial-Stout fashion, this one pours into a mostly black and mostly opaque body, but in reality you catch some brown tones and this is slightly transparent around the edges. The beer kicks up a finger or two of mocha-brown, coffee-infused head. The beer generally looks the same in bright or low light. Head retention here is nice...courtesy of all the proteins and malts. Swirling the beer kicks up sex in the glass, and there's nice lacing and alcohol legs. It's a good looking beer...I say that rarely, so prepare your fap chamber.

Damn...I really love coffee beers. I can't emphasize that enough. Really, really, love coffee beers. This has sweet aromatics and with rich coffee overtones. It smells more like a coffee bean shop than a Starbucks, with sweet and earthy coffee beans emerging as the dominating aroma. I'm getting sweet, earthy coffee beans, mocha, huge espresso and coffee creamer (like the canned energy drink espresso), ash, and earthy hazelnut. This plays up the hazelnut as you sink into the aroma, and I'm getting a ton of vanilla and caramel sugars too. I'd say this aroma leans towards the sweeter, earthy, unprocessed side of coffee...and that's not a bad thing.

This is blissfully drinkable, and the flavors mirror the aroma with huge hazelnut, caramel, vanilla sweetness, earthy ash and ground coffee, raw coffee beans, and big espresso with creamer. At times this reminds me of chewing on a chocolate-dipped coffee bean, with hints of chocolate-caramel and caramel-vanilla sweetness. You have to wonder how this beer would taste aged in a barrel; preferably a bourbon barrel. Probably well, as I answer my own question. For whatever reason, this one avoids the lactose sugar notes...I'm getting a lot of sweetness here, but it's well balanced by measured levels of roast. This is truly a balanced, well-made beer.

I'm really surprised by the lack of love, hype, and reviews for this beer. Apparently no one gives a fuck about Randy Mosher's epic brewery thing, but whatever. This is a medium-bodied beer, but it is creamy and smooth...so smooth. This drinks like a Milk Stout in every way possible, and sort of rides the line between medium and full. I'm not getting any of the 8.2%, which is a good thing. Palate depth is great, especially for a Porter. And this is very complex. Really, this is one of the most memorable Porters I have had in recent memory. Up front: caramel sugars, sweet coffee, espresso, vanilla, creamer, mocha, hazelnut; the mids roll into huge hazelnut, with earthy and ashy coffee, caramel-vanilla, some roast; the back end trails with roast, more ashy/earthy coffee and coffee beans, and tons of lingering residual sugars. This is sticky and unashamed about it. It's basically a coffee Sweet Stout dubbed an Imperial Porter. Pretty good.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here...almost reaching that divine brew plateau. I'd have to revisit this to commit to a divine brew rating, but this is clearly one of the best things that 5 Rabbit has made. I do recommend seeking this out if you can find it on the shelves. There's not much else to say...I think you could pair this with burgers, coffee-braised beef or pork, pork chops, gamy meets, and maybe even some Thai or Indian food. The sweeter notes in this beer seem like they'd compliment a curry dish. Obviously this would work with chocolate desserts, vanilla ice cream, or breakfast as well.

Random Thought: I should probably mention that I will be going to graduate school soon...within the next two months. How that will effect my blogging or beer purchasing remains to be seen, but what is for sure is that I'll be on a tighter budget. It may be back to 6-packs and the occasional bomber. I can't say I'm thrilled about that, but I'm not even 1000 beers into my beer-drinking journey. I have so much to learn, still. So much to see. I doubt I am going to be bored with beer anytime soon...even boring shelf turds. But stay tuned, I guess.

Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp 2014: Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout (brewed with Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, Oregon)

Brewed By: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California 
Purchased: Single 12oz bottle from the 2014 Beer Camp bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 (PKG 05/30/14)
Style/ABV: American Imperial Stout, 7.6%

Reported IBUs: 60

What is Beer Camp? It is Sierra Nevada's celebration of craft beer and the numerous breweries across America that make that craft beer. For 2014, Sierra Nevada collaborated with 12 different breweries to make 12 different beers. They also have a Beer Camp Across America Beer Festival, which will stop at seven different cities and feature many different breweries and beers.

About Sierra Nevada:

Sierra Nevada are one of the big players in craft brewing, and one of the first craft breweries to arrive on the craft beer scene. If you check out their history page, you will see that founder Ken Grossman began his quest to build a brewery in 1976. In 1980, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi brewed their first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. According to Wikipedia, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is the second best selling craft beer behind Boston Lager. Sierra Nevada is the sixth largest brewing company in the United States as well, cranking out over 750,000 barrels in 2010. For more info, check out their website.

The Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout is a collaboration with Ninkasi Brewing Company, a brewery that is going to put beer in space like anyone cares. At least astronauts can get their drink on now. My bottle reads: "Inspired by the perennial café favorite, Double Latte combines two great things: coffee and beer. Oregon's Ninkasi Brewing knows their way around a good cup of joe. Featuring cold-press coffee from legendary Stumptown Coffee Roasters and a dose of milk sugar, this coffee milk stout is a rich and roasty treat."

Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout

Describing Imperial Stouts is like describing a zebra, or something. You know, it's a horse with black and white stripes. This one pours into an opaque, black body...and kicks up a finger of super creamy, tan/brown/mocha head. There's nice carbonation visible on the side of my glass, and it is tiny in size. This looks much the same in bright light. Notable here is the ridiculous head retention, with a finger hanging around for the long haul. In fact, the other thing to note here is how creamy and dense this head is. It's like whipped egg whites...this makes Guinness look like a chump. Really impressive head here, like drunk chicks.

WOW, dat aroma. This smells fucking amazing...I'm getting blasted with deep coffee, light hazelnut, light espresso, big latte notes, chocolate, mocha, and tons of lactose sugar. Did I mention the head is STILL hanging around?

This tastes amazing...and they nail the bitterness. This is a huge Stout, with tons of lactose, milks sugars, and chocolate density. But there's a ton of coffee notes in here, ranging from straight up coffee, hazelnut, latte, cappuccino, and then big espresso that grows and grows as the hop bitterness takes hold and punishes your palate. Before the bitter hop/coffee wallop, you get some nice lactose-cocoa sweetness, but then BAM. Non-intrusive but bitter hops show up, and then the bitter coffee unloads big espresso notes. There's tons of creamy coffee creamer and lactose sugar in the mix, and yeah.

This is a full-bodied, rich, complex, Stout. Palate depth and complexity are both very high. This is well-carbonated, and has really nice balance between sweet lactose Sugars, roasty Stout notes and chocolate, and tons of coffee. The hops in here are strictly to provide support to the bitter coffee that shows up on the back end. Up front: lactose sugars, roast, earthy notes, ash, growing coffee, hints of espresso; the mids hit hazelnut, latte, cappuccino, more dirty and ash, some woody notes, cocoa, lactose sugars, caramel; the back end rolls into bitter espresso, bitter coffee, more lingering milk sugars, and a nice drying finish that leaves sticky, residual sugars up in the corner of your lips. Really nice.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. This is not just a great example of how to make a coffee stout, but this is a really, really good coffee stout. This puts a lot of the competition to shame...and rivals some top-notch coffee beers. This is even more impressive when you consider that it only clocks in at 7.6 and 60 IBUs. This beer is refined and balanced, making use of every single square inch of that ABV and hop addition. I love everything about this beer, but I really like the balance and the deeply bitter espresso notes that show up on the back end. You could pair this beer with breakfast foods, chocolate bacon doughnuts, dry chocolate desserts, or a big aggressive cheeseburger with strong cheeses. You could also pair this with grilled meats that are heavily seasoned. Great stuff....I am impresed.

Random Thought: This beer is clearly the standout from the 2014 Beer Camp. What a brew...

Pipeworks Mocha Abduction

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #435/36/37) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled 05.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout (brewed with cacao, vanilla, and coffee), 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

Happy Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™ everybody. I'm not going to ramble on for too long here. All you need to know is beer good, Friday better. 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.

The Mocha Abduction ominously states:

"I don't think these aliens are that bad. What's that you ask? That they don't like you? That they don't like me either? WRONG! I mean maybe we've all just been brainwashed by Hollywood alien invasion movies. Has anyone even tried to talk to them? Here, I'll go bring them a Pipeworks Mocha Imperial Stout with coffee and rich chocolate. This beer is amazing. No disintegrations. " 
- Jeff's last words before being encased in choconite.

Pipeworks Mocha Abduction

The Mocha Abduction pours out like every other Abduction, only datglass.woah and thistle.jpeg and yeah. Look at that glass: head retention, massive cascading foam -- fuckin' a. The body of this beer is dark black and opaque, and depending on your glass of choice, you'll be left with several fingers of dense, sustaining, mocha-tinted head. Bright light confirms the same stuff. 

The aroma: oh yeah. This is the good stuff. I'm getting massive waves of chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, vanilla bean, coffee, mocha, and big-ass biscotti. Wowza. There's some really nice coffee notes on the nose, with hazelnut, freshly brewed coffee, and nutty-coffee-sweetness. Dayum.

Mmm...this is blissful. Wow. This dials things up past Southern Tier levels of sweetness, with huge hazelnut, sweet vanilla, bitter espresso bite, mocha, and some velvety smooth vanilla/cacao notes. The coffee stands out strong in the mix, and provides a much needed backbone and counterpoint to all the sweet notes. The hazelnut lingers for quite some time, and then as that drops off you are left with lingering coffee and alcohol warming. There are big molasses and cakey sweetness up front, and this beer screams "dessert" with notes that hint at coconut cake and chocolate cake. Just...fantastic.

I'm smitten. I wasn't even tasting a Stout tonight...."drink the hoppy pale ale," I was thinking, as I drove home from work. This beer is fantastic. Easily up there with the Coffee Break, maybe better. You definitely get some alcohol warming, but you don't taste any of the 10.5%. This beer is slick and smooth, with just enough carbonation. It's still full-bodied, but the coffee provides much needed contrast to the heavy body and sweetness. Palate depth is off the charts, and this is fairly complex when you consider the one-dimensional concept. Up front: molasses, huge swaths of sweet coffee, hazelnut, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, espresso, mocha; the mids roll into some dark fruits, more molasses, chocolate, coffee, bitter coffee; the back end continues with bitter coffee, mocha, espresso, and a really nice coffee finish. The finish is sticky and sweet with those sugary kisses, and then your drunk uncle, Alcohol, shows up to tuck you in and hold you tight. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew here. This is blissful and hitting the spot. This beer is basically dessert, but I can't help but think it would pair really well with a raunchy burger, vanilla ice cream, dry chocolate cakes, and anything with coffee in it. Or you could light up a cigar with deep tobacco notes, and just unwind. I should have picked up another bottle of this, but I was being considerate. 

Random Thought: Seriously, as far as over-the-top glassware goes, this giant Scotch Ale glass/thistle is pretty near the top. It's almost on par with the Kwak glass or the Tripel Karmeliet glass. 

Gigantic Too Much Coffee Man

Brewed By: Gigantic Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon  

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

Style/ABV: Belgian Stout/Saison/Farmhouse Ale/Black Saison/wut, 8.2%

Reported IBUs: 25

I've been tempted to jump on Gigantic for a while now; their bottle art is catchy, and the logo and glassware is awesome. Tonight's beer caught my attention and pushed me over the edge. One, I love coffee. Two, the artwork reminds me of Megamind or The Incredibles. At any rate, about Gigantic: 

Gigantic Brewing Co. is a brewery based out of Portland, Oregon. The brewery was founded by Ben Love and Van Havig during sometime around 2012. And no, those aren't made-up names. But they are definitely great porn star names. Ben Love is Gigantic's Brewmaster, and Van Havig is Gigantic's Master Brewer. I'm not sure what the difference is, but I am intrigued. For more info, check out the their website or Facebook page.

Tonight's beer, the Too Much Coffee Man, is: "An experiment perfected! This beguiling blend of Imperial Black Saison and custom roasted cold pressed Coava coffee will have your olfactory zones erogenized and begging for more." This so-called Belgian-Style Black Ale with Coffee punches in at 8.2% and 25 IBUs. The bottle art is fantastic, and done by Shannon Wheeler. How could you pass this one up?

Gigantic Too Much Coffee Man

The Too Much Coffee Man pours into a dark brown/blackish body, kicking up a nice finger of funky, Belgian-esque head. The head is brown and sustaining. The beer looks like a Porter, with that Belgian-esque head. There's some good lacing, and good head retention here. Bright light doesn't betray the dark brown/black body, and the beer retains some nice opacity. Nice.

I'm not 100% sure about dumping this into the Saison category...the aroma reminds me of Belgian Stouts, with lots of roast, smoke, big coffee, and BIG chalky, charred notes. There is a lot of char on this aroma. It smells like barbecued meats. It's not a smokey/Rauchbier smell, it's totally unique to this beer and the style. I've smelled a lot of the notes on this beer's nose before. This beer reminds me of Jester King's Black Metal Farmhouse. The Black Metal also had some Fantôme elements on the nose, and you get those here too. I'm getting leather, smoker's jacket, chalky cacao, and deep, deep coffee. It's a fantastic aroma. 

The taste is a bit more Saison-like, but I still think this leans towards a Farmhouse Stout thing. I'm getting a lot of spice and funk on the taste, with heavy waves of coffee. The coffee isn't acidic or bitter, it's more like a note integrated into the beer. There are notes of dark fruits and figs, maybe some cherry, gentle coffee, big caramel notes, woody notes, char, and some peppery spice, clove, and Belgian funk. I shit you not, I'm also getting some green beans and unroasted coffee beans on the finish. This is really unique and interesting. I'm picking up some cocoa in here, a little lactose, and chalky mouthfeels. Those mouthfeels, man. 

Let's talk about this beer's perfect mouthfeel. This beer is GENTLE. This is like...a Milk Stout. The mouthfeel is medium-full to full-bodied, but damn! This smooths out with coffee and carbonation. The balance here is a bit towards the sweeter side, and that holds the complexity back just a bit. But the palate depth is fantastic. At 8.2%, this hides the alcohol with ease. I'm digging this. Up front: sweet caramel, fruits/figs/cherries, sweeter coffee; the mids roll into coffee, char, woody notes; the back end is spicy with some Belgian funk and clove. The lingering profile imparts woody-sweet coffee, and the finish is unroasted coffee beans and green beans. Weeeeiiird but good.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this. As this warms up and I work my way through the bomber, I'm losing some of the complexity as the sweetness takes over. It's a bit one-sided in terms of where the balance is at. I should talk more about the coffee, since that's a big feature in this beer. The coffee notes present here are really good. They are well-integrated and sweet, almost in that hazelnut/mocha range. I like it. This beer begs to be paired with grilled or charred meats, and dry chocolate desserts. This is really unique and pretty damn tasty. I recommend this, especially at the price. 

Random Thought: I know the Black Saison style is about as ambiguous as ambiguous can be, but tell me this isn't a Belgian Stout/Farmhouse Stout. 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (Brewed at Lervig Aktiebryggeri)

Purchased: 12oz single bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial Oatmeal Stout, 10.9%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the second Beer Geek beer of the night...About Mikkeller: 

Mikkeller is that European brewery that does things like an American craft brewery. The brewery was founded in 2006 by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a humble math and physics teacher who enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing. Mikkel and his childhood friend Kristian Keller bought a few American books about brewing, and began brewing beer and entering it into competitions (and winning!) for two and a half years. Eventually, Mikkel and Keller began brewing beer at the Danish microbrewery Ørbæk, and Mikkel's twin brother Jeppe began selling their beer at his beer shop. Mikkeller's first big break came with their infamous "Beer Geek Breakfast." Since then, the brewery exports beer to over 40 countries, and brews the majority of their beer at de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. However, Mikkeller is also nicknamed the "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery, as they brew at a number of host facilities in many different countries; they have also brewed over 100 different beers in a wide variety of styles. You can read more about the brewery here. 

The Beer Geek Brunch Weasel should not be confused with the Beer Geek Breakfast. The Brunch is amped up at 10.9%, clocking in at true Imperial range. The Beer Geek Brunch Weasel is brewed from with "one of the world's most expensive coffees, made from droppings of weasel-like civet cats." Yup, this is a shit beer. Literally. I already reviewed (and loved) the De Molen Kopi Loewak, so the bar is set. Will this top the fantastic Kopi Loewak? 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

I could be totally making this up, but I think the Brunch Weasel actually pours out darker than the Breakfast. The head is certainly a bit darker. Dem Black Patent Malts, amirite? Seriously though, unlike the Breakfast, the head does not hang around on the Brunch Weasel. Swirling the beer kicks up glossy alcohol legs, and you can revive the head -- but it's short-lived. 

The aroma on the Brunch Weasel seems more blunted than the Breakfast. I'm getting coffee, dirt, ash...the coffee is slightly less bitter and acidic here. There are some woody and roasty notes on the nose, with some hints of meaty roast. I'm getting a little baker's chocolate as well. 

Wow! This tastes nothing like the Breakfast...in fact, there is some much needed sweetness here. Not only am I getting coffee, but I'm getting some vanilla, espresso, and even a hint of mocha. There's some chocolate in here, with definitive chocolate sweetness on the back end. The beer finishes roasty and bitter, much like the Breakfast. There are some hints of earthy nuts in here, along with hints of boozy fruits. 

This is the full-bodied experience I was craving in an Imperial Stout tonight, and you feel the weight of this beer, 10.9% and all. I'm getting some booze, which I welcome from my Imperial Stouts at this ABV. Palate depth is really outstanding, but again I feel this could dial up the complexity even more. This tastes hoppy and bitter, and I wonder if aging this for a year would mellow this out. Unfortunately, that would be at the expense of the coffee. Up front: big sweet coffee, espresso, mocha, vanilla sweetness, chocolate; the mids roll into more espresso and mocha sweetness, straight legit coffee shop; the back end fuses mocha and espresso with hoppy sweetness, and the beer goes into roast, ash, dirt, bitter coffee, and finishes bitter and dry. The finish is one or two degrees away from being offensive, but it holds it together. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here...at the respective price of $10 for the Brunch Weasel single, and $6.99 for the Breakfast single...I just can't justify these beers. They are good, but there are better coffee Stouts available. The Brunch Weasel definitely beats out the Breakfast. It's a bigger, bolder, sweet beer...and I want to pair this above beer with dry chocolate cake, chocolate chip pancakes, tiramisu, or even an aggressive burger or steak. This beer is probably worth checking out once, but yeah. Serious hesitation if I'll pick this up again.

Random Thought: I love Spring storms. A storm came through tonight and dropped marble-sized hail with some impressive lightning. It was quite the spectacle.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (Brewed at Lervig Aktiebryggeri)

Purchased: 12oz single bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2014

Style/ABV: Oatmeal Stout, 7.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

This beer and the Beer Geek Brunch have been on my to-do list for a long time, but damn these are expensive singles. About Mikkeller: 

Mikkeller is that European brewery that does things like an American craft brewery. The brewery was founded in 2006 by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a humble math and physics teacher who enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing. Mikkel and his childhood friend Kristian Keller bought a few American books about brewing, and began brewing beer and entering it into competitions (and winning!) for two and a half years. Eventually, Mikkel and Keller began brewing beer at the Danish microbrewery Ørbæk, and Mikkel's twin brother Jeppe began selling their beer at his beer shop. Mikkeller's first big break came with their infamous "Beer Geek Breakfast." Since then, the brewery exports beer to over 40 countries, and brews the majority of their beer at de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. However, Mikkeller is also nicknamed the "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery, as they brew at a number of host facilities in many different countries; they have also brewed over 100 different beers in a wide variety of styles. You can read more about the brewery here. 

The Beer Geek Breakfast is an Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee. According to Ratebeer, the ingredients include water; pils, oat, smoked, caramunich, brown, pale chocolate and chocolate, roasted barley, and flaked oats malts; centennial and cascade hops; ale yeast; and gourmet coffee.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

As you'd probably guess, this beer pours jet black kicking up a finger of dark, mocha-brown head. There are fantastic alcohol legs, even at 7.5%, and greasy head leaves dark residual coats on the glass. There's something about seeing a hearty Stout that makes me happy, I wish my sponsor understood.

Even at slightly cool temps, this beer is exploding with aromatics. It's like opening up the cupboard that houses the coffee in the break room at work. I'm getting stale coffee, biscotti, mild coffee acidity, slight tang from the acidity, cherries, chocolate, chocolate-dipped cherries (duh), and some rich nutty notes. Peanuts and pecans come to mind. There's that oatmeal note on the nose as well....just a complicated myriad of good smells. 

The taste follows through with some of the nose, only with a slightly diminishing body. Honestly...I'm gonna let this warm up a bit, as right now I'm getting a lot of bitter hops and bitter coffee. You'll have to take my word that after this sentence I went to shower.....and I'm back. Yeah, as this warms up some of the coffee notes start to unravel a bit, with bitter, stale coffee. I'm getting biscotti, bitter coffee, spent coffee in the filter, woody notes, ash, dirt, some roast, and super bitter baker's chocolate. Cocoa, the legit stuff.

This is a medium-full bodied Stout, thanks largely in part to the coffee which cuts through the body like a sword. When you add the carbonation to the coffee, it really thins the base beer out, for better or worse. Palate depth is good, but complexity leaves a bit to be desired. At this point I'm well-versed in coffee Stouts, so I feel comfortable saying this could dial things up a bit. It's just kind of one-note. I do like how the 7.5% is completely hidden. Up front: acidic and tangy coffee, some fruity notes, hops, bitter coffee; the mids roll into more bitter coffee, woody notes, dark baker's chocolate, cocoa, dirt/ash; the back end is trailing bitterness, with more stale coffee, dirt/ash, and bitter. Not enough diabetus tones.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average here...the aroma promises so much, but I'm not feeling the vibe so much in the taste. This is a nicely executed, bitter coffee Stout. If you like that raw, bitter coffee note...this will be right up your alley. It actually reminds me of real cocoa, the bitter stuff. Baker's chocolate. I wonder if this beer would pair well with chocolate, or something sweet like vanilla ice cream. I'd even suggest pairing this with biscotti. I guess you could also pair this with breakfast trimmings, the coffee stands out loud and proud.

Random Thought: It's Brunch time, right?