Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale (2013)

Brewed By: Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado  

Purchased: Single 12oz bottle bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 18.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Ahhh...Avery. What to say about these guys. Avery is a brewery that was founded in September 1993 by homebrewer Adam Avery. You've heard this story before: homebrewer makes awesome beer, homebrewer jumps into the booming craft beer scene with great beer. Between 1993 and now, Avery has expanded numerous times, including bigger tanks in 1995 and in 1997. In 2000, the brewery replaced their brewhouse, and in 2002 more tanks were added, and 2004 marked the second year of Avery's barrel program. Since then, it's been all uphill with more expansion, canned beer, and continued success. To read more, check out Avery's website.

The Beast Grand Cru is part of Avery's The Demons of Ale series, and is one big beer. Dubbed a "Grand Cru," this beer features a grocery list of ingredients. The hop list includes Magnum, Galena, Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, and Hersbrucker hops. The malt bill is two-row malted barley, honey malt, and imported Belgian specialty grains (aromatic, pale wheat, roasted wheat, and Special B). In addition to all that, the beer also features Dates, Molasses, Dark Belgian Candy Sugar, Alfalfa Honey, Raisins, Turbinado sugar, and sweet, sweet Rocky Mountain water. This year's release punches in at an insane 18.0% and should age beautifully. 

Avery The Beast Grand Cru Ale (2013)

The beer pours a dark reddish color...talk about carnage in a glass...and kicks up two fingers of tan, Belgian-esque head. This beer is seriously carbonated, and head retention (about a pinky, at the moment) is good for a beer punching in at 18.0%. In bright light, the beer takes on a reddish-orange color, and the head is soaking up some amber tones. This beer is super effervescent at the moment, with tons of carbonation rising upwards in various streams.

The aroma on this reminds me of Dogfish Head's Fort and 120 Minute IPA. There's a ton of fruity, boozy complexity on the aroma. I'm pulling off berries, raspberry, raspberry puree, raisins, weird meat/leather, and tons of perfume candy sugar and turbinado sugar on this beer's nose. There's some rum-like qualities to the aroma, but I don't think this beer has aged to that point just yet. I'm not getting any solvent or fusel alcohol on this, but you know this beer is hot.

WOAH. Fuck me...this beer is huge. I'm drinking this hot with the intention to age a second bottle, but right now the first sip results in an explosion of spicy, boozy fullness...the beer just unravels in your mouth, and finishes with trailing booziness that would make any rum drinker blush. I'm getting some raspberry puree and berries up front, followed by tons of brown sugar, turbinado, and candy sugar. There's some boozy dark fruits in the mix, including plums and raisins, and then the beer veers into HARD Quad territory with overripe fruit booze. The finish is boozy, and then growing heat rises up your throat from your tummy. You get a lot of peppery spice in this from the booze, and some weird, peppery leather/butcher shop shows up from the alcohol heat. 

What we have here, right now, is a beer that's a wee bit one-dimensional. It's hard to say if the 18.0% is going to age into something with more complexity, but at the moment this is mostly hints of fruit, rum, candy sugar, and booze. Obviously, drinkability is low here. This full-bodied beast is a sipping beer through and through. Even if you age this, you're going to want to sip on this. The palate depth is outstanding, but this desperately needs some complexity. You get some berries and fruit puree up front; that rolls into huge sugars, candy sugar, brown sugar, and perfumey booze; the back end is more booze, rum-spice and rum-alcohol, hints of Quad-like dark fruits, and a boozy/warming finish.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This beer reminds a bit of the Two Brothers 16th Anniversary Ale. It's like bringing a rocket launcher to a fist fight. Then again...this beer has the advertised rum character going on, and this is definitely a sipper. As a fresh beer, I would only recommend this to be sipped on over the course of a cold Winter evening. As a beer to age...well, age away. I'll echo Avery's thoughts and agree that this beer would pair well with a pineapple upside-down cake, or any other fruity dessert cake. This beer might also work grilled meats. This beer has a niche...but I dunno. I'll have to sleep on this.

Random Thought: I guess BrewDog and Jim Koch brewed a Scotch ale with lobster and crabs in it...and then they made it sour, by sitting nude in the mash. That's super cool. I like to get naked with my fellow, same-sex coworkers (NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!!!) and make sour beer. Boop. 

He'Brew Rejewvenator Dubbel Doppel (2013 Limited Release)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel/Doppelbock, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

As a gentile, I have to give props to He'Brew for taking their beer names and sticking it to all the folks that can't enjoy an awesome name like "Rejewvenator." I say that as a gentile, though. About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2013 Rejewvenator is all kinds of crazy. The bottle states that this is a "Belgian Style Dubbel Ale" AND a "Doppelbock European Lager." How can that be, wondered no one reading this crappy blog. According to my bottle, this beer is brewed with Lager and Belgian Ale yeast, in addition to some 2-row, Munich, CaraVienna, and Dark Crystal malts, and some Warrior, Cascade, Amarillo, Crystal, and Goldings hops. Oh, and this beer tosses in some dates and figs because why not! You can also check out the 2013 Rejewvenator at the Shmaltz Brewing website. 

This one gushed a bit upon opening, but I assume this is bottle conditioned so blah blah tread lightly. The beer pours into a reddish-brown body that doesn't look half as murky as most Belgian Dubbels, and I kicked up a finger of bready, tan-colored head. In bright light the beer is a clear, transparent, SUPER CLEAN, reddish-orange color. Maybe it isn't conditioned? I don't know how they worked the Lager yeast and Belgian yeast. The beer has a hazy cauldron effect, and swirling the beer kicks up some healthy carbonation, along with some lacing and legs. It's a good looking beer.

He'Brew Rejewvenator 2013

The aroma on this beer is super weird...I'm getting big plums, figs, and clove...but it's clashing with dates and apples (and apple slaw salad), and a clean (but slightly spicy) Lager yeast. There's some candi sugar and musty funk on the nose as well. I'm also getting some faint toast/chocolate...hmmm...

If you drink a lot of Belgian Dubbels, you will immediately know that something is amiss here. You get plum and clove in this, along with some musty Belgian funk, but that transitions to a sharp Bock-like cleanness with fruity and malty flavors. I'm picking up some apple, berries, and lighter caramel. You do pick up on the dates and figs, and there's lots of shades of purple grapes and plums and dark fruits in this. You also get some hints at toast, and the finish leans towards a Bock.

I'm inclined to say this is more of a Bock than a Dubbel, as this drifts towards malty sweetness. It's good though. The mouthfeel is medium-full, and super clean. The beer is supported by good carbonation, and a malty-sweet body. There's a touch of booze in the back, but it's like a subtle kiss in a good dessert wine...so drinkability is high. Palate depth and complexity are both alright. Up front is big clove, Belgian yeast, and some plums/figs/dates; that rolls into some malty sweetness, a hint of bitterness, some musty funk, and some burnt sugars; the back is dry malty sweetness, some toast, and a very Bock-like finish.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This was a fun experiment, and this beer reads like a Fall/Autumn beer. Which is perfect, because Autumn is around the corner. Having said that, I kind of feel like a beer brewed with dates, figs, and fermented out with two types of yeast should blow me away. This works nicely as a good, solid Doppelbock...I wouldn't call it a Dubbel. Though, there's a lot of nods towards plums and clove in this, and perfumey candi sugar. It's a fun beer for sure, and I look forward to seeing what the 2014 Rejewvenator will be. I'm going to pair this beer with a brat and some salads, but the malty sweetness and kiss of booze you get in this beer would go well with desserts, creme brulee, or even a burger/steak with caramelized onions and a nice dark, sweet sauce. 

Random Thought: What is up with people photographing/recording their wedding proposals, and then posting that shit on Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook. First off, how creepy is it to have a camera person hidden in some bush 500 yards away from where you are proposing. Even if that person is your friend, it's still fucking weird. And then you have to make sure the camera person doesn't blow your cover, or you don't give their position away when you keep stealing glances in their direction. And then to top it all off you are going to post what is supposed to be one of -- if not THE MOST -- romantic and intimate moment in your life so all your dumbass friends can see it on Facebook? I guess. Whatever floats your boat, honky. 

Pipeworks Date Sugar Yeast Magik

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #167) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 9.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's Wednesday night, so it's NOT Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™! Yay! Exclamation points!!! Tonight's beer is something special, so let me say mean things.

At some point, we all mature and stop brewing Stouts and IPAs and start making some Abbey-style Belgian Ales. Unfortunately for Pipeworks, they also didn't mature to realize that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are middle-of-the-road douche rockers. I don't want to totally dog the Peppers and their songs about sex, California, and having sex in California...but their last few albums have been a chore. Of course, tonight's beer is paying homage to Blood Sugar Sex Magik, one of the good ones. Even a bag of douche nozzles hits a dinger twice in their career. Blood Sugar Sex Magik came out in 1991, and pretty much rocks from start to finish with songs like Breaking the Girl, Suck My Kiss, I Could Have Lied, and Give It Away. It's also a punishingly long album at over 70 minutes, and features the radio friendly killer Under The Bridge. Under The Bridge is the song that launched 20 more songs about Dani, California, and having sex with Dani in California. My jokes are repetitive, kind of like Chili Pepper's singles. Anyway...About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is brewed with dates, and Trappist yeast, so good things should lie ahead. The bottle states:

"What we've got you will definitely want to get and put it in you. Dates, Sugar, Yeast, Magik is a Belgian Dubbel brewed in collaboration with Cleetus Friedman of The Fountanhead and inspired by the classic album of the nineties. Ample amounts of dates, Belgian candi and dark demerara sugars and Trappist ale yeast will take you to the place you love (take you all the way) and make it difficult to give it away (even to your momma, your pappa or your daughter)."

It's worth noting that "Fountanhead" is misspelled on the bottle. It's also worth noting that Fountainhead is a restaurant/bar in the Ravenswood/Lincoln Square/North Center neighborhood of Chicago. Cleetus Friedman is an executive chef at Fountainhead. And lastly, "demerara sugars" are just dark/brown sugars.

Depressingly...the beer pours totally flaccid. I kicked up maybe a centimeter of tan head, and that rapidly dissolved into the beer's raisin-colored/brown body. This isn't the first flaccid beer I've had from Pipeworks; and these things do happen...but yeah. In bright light the beer is a super murky/hazy orange/brown color, with some strangled carbonation trying to reach the surface. There are some legs...and a ring of bubbles sticking to the side (but not really lacing). As an aside, the new orange logo'd caps are fucking awesome.

Pipeworks Date Sugar Yeast Magik

This actually smells alright, with big banana, plums, and tons of candi sugar. It's not overly complex, and it reminds me a bit of Kwak, which is a touch worrisome. If you haven't tried Kwak, don't. There's a touch of phenolic spice and clove on the nose as well, and lots of shades of undefinitive stone fruits. 

Unfortunately, the lack of carbonation carries through in the taste, and this is a style of beer that really needs carbonation. The taste is alright, better than Kwak to be sure...but not by a lot. There's dark candi sugars in here, pretty strong plums/dates, and grain. There's also a bit of Quad-like booziness and overly ripe fruit: bananas and apples, namely. 

Pipeworks brews A LOT of beer, so I've come to terms with the fact that they'll occasionally have some issues (the infected Blue Lady batch; the flat bottles of Nisperos De Batata). The cool thing is Pipeworks does tend to fix their beers in later batches. I recall early reviews for the End of Days citing a lack of body, but latter batches have totally nailed it. I also don't know how prevalent the carbonation issues are for this batch...so we'll see how this one goes.

That said, this beer is without carbonation. It has a medium-full body, and the palate depth would be good if not for the lack of carbonation. Complexity is low. Thankfully, this beer isn't boozy or hot...it's not quite the hot mess that Kwak was, but yeah. I'd like to see how this tastes with proper carbing and maybe some time in the bottle/fermenter. DAE secondary? Up front is candi sugars, bananas, and sweet dates; that rolls into more of the same with some Quad-like booze and overripe fruit; the back end has a touch of bittering, with some lingering sugary fruits. There's a note of grain/oats/creamy...which I've seen before in other Dubbels, but yeah. Le.

Rating: Below-Average (2.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Light Below-Average, and mostly due to technicalities like lack of carbonation and middling to low complexity. I almost went with an Average rating because I really dig some of the flavors going on here, and I think this beer has serious potential...I know this is a collab brew, but I hope Pipeworks will brew this again and tweak the process a bit. Belgian Ales are kind of my favorite thing, and I love me a good Dubbel, Tripel, or Strong Ale. Compared to the infected Blue Lady, this beer might as well be the divine juice from a monk's loins. That said, I'm going to pair the second half of this with a burger...this is worth checking out for all you Pipeworks fans, and I'm hoping to see future batches tweaked or a carbonated version of this on tap.

Random Thought: Dear Red Hot Chili Peppers,

And here we go again, it's never gonna end

We're all so sick of California Songs

Yeah, we know you love L.A.

There's nothing left to say

Please no more California Songs