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. 

Spiteful God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter

Brewed By: Spiteful Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Batch #166)

Style/ABV: American Porter, 8.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

As my significant other would say, "It's peanut butter jelly time." About Spiteful: 

Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars. For more info, check out Spiteful's website, or their Facebook or Twitter. 

The God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter is without a website page, but the bottle provides a detailed description: "Normally we HATE gossip, but listen to this. Colin told us the Raspberry Pigeon and Pirate Pigeon were getting hot and heavy at the Chocolate Banana Pigeon's party. In fact, we heard they GOT IT ON! What you hold in your hands is their love child, bearing notes of peanut butter and tart raspberry. Unfortunately, this means more F-ing pigeons!"

Spiteful God Damn Peanut Butter And Jelly Pigeon Porter 

This pours out like a Stout/Porter, but the head crackles away into something reminiscent of cola. The body has those rooooby rad tones, and this is surprisingly thick all things considered. To me, this beer is oily and Stout-like, not like your typical light porter affair. 

On the aroma: peanut butter and jelly. Wow. Spiteful nailed this one on the nose. The peanut butter is really coming through the nose with assertive force. I'm getting some Porter-y notes, but they hint at bread crust, whole wheat bread, and cafeteria peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The jam is descriptive and raspberry. If you've had a lot of beer and know the ingredients, you can deconstruct this into notes of roast, fruit, and coffee...but honestly, this smells like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The secondary thing I'm getting on the aroma is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  

Oh wow. This is fantastic. This is an amazing fusion of peanut butter and jelly on a relatively non-intrusive Porter backdrop. Again, if you drink a lot of beer you'll be able to deconstruct some of the base with its roast, coffee, and cocoa notes...but then the beer goes all Ken Griffey and slams you with legit peanut butter, Reese's peanut butter candies, and jelly. This tastes like peanut butter and jelly. The raspberry notes in here are constrained and nicely done. This isn't too sweet or too thick...it's just right. 

I give a lot of love to Pipeworks, but Spiteful have been flying under the radar for whatever reason. This is a perfect example of a fantastic, local, Chicago beer. At 8.2% this is medium-bodied, well carbonated, and surprisingly refreshing and drinkable. I think a lot of that falls on the raspberry addition. This has fantastic palate depth for a Porter. Porters sometimes fall of in one area of the palate or another...this one provides a full ride without cheating (it's not Stout-like). This also has good complexity. If you can't tell, I'm quite smitten with this beer. It's a nice progression with raspberry, roast, and coffee up front; the essence of the Porter then shifts into huge peanut butter, with peanut butter, Reese's candies, and more jelly; the back end just dials up the peanut butter and jelly, with hints of bread fusing the two flavors together. The finish lingers the P&J with some hints of coffee and roast. It finishes clean too.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Strong Above-Average on this. Not only does it deliver the promised peanut butter and jelly that is advertised on the bottle, BUT it is also a really good Porter. I'm not a huge Porter guy...I prefer the denser, bigger, roastier, Imperial Stouts. But this is really working for me. This is clean and drinkable...but flavorful and expansive. I would pair this beer with a gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Or maybe a Monte Cristo. Dammit, now I want a Monte Cristo. 

Random Thought: I realize the irony of me giving high marks to an adjunct Porter after I submitted the DDB article about bitch palates to Reddit. Oh well. Ain't no shame in being a hypocrite. 

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. 

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Pretzel, Raspberry, and Chocolate Ale

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 750ml (1 pint, 9.4oz) bottle bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2013 bottle?)

Style/ABV: American Brown Ale, 5.4%

Reported IBUs: 31

Tonight's beer is another attempt at finding enjoyment from Rogue's Voodoo Doughnut beers. Their Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale just kind of sucks and was underwhelming, but I am optimistic that tonight's beer will be a little better. About Rogue:

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of their stuff. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

The Pretzel, Raspberry & Chocolate Ale comes in a captivating pink bottle, like all the Voodoo Doughnut beers. The back of the bottle says this beer is "dedicated to Tres & Cat Daddy, The Rogues of Voodoo Doughnuts." This beer is brewed with 14 ingredients: 2-Row, Munich, C120, Chocolate, Black, Kiln Coffee & Rogue Farms Dare and Risk Malts; Rogue Farms Rebel Hops; Pretzels, Raspberry Extract, Chocolate, Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water. It's a tall order calling your beer a "Pretzel, Raspberry & Chocolate Ale." Those are familiar flavors, and you practically set yourself up for disaster. Also, where is the Oxford comma. 

 Rogue VD Pretzel, Raspberry, and Chocolate Ale

The beer pours into a dark brown, cola-esque body, with brown and red tones. The beer kicks up two fingers of thick, bready, brown head, and head retention is nice with some good lacing. The beer looks good.

I have yet to unravel the mystery of the Voodoo Doughnut series of beers, which all have a dusty cocoa/chocolate aroma, with some maple syrup in the mix. You definitely get that on the aroma. I'm also getting some raspberry-chocolate and cherry chocolate on the aroma, with some malty biscuit and bready notes. The Munich malts really stand out, and I could see where you could interpret pretzel on this beer's aroma, but I probably wouldn't place it in a blind aroma/tasting. Lots of chocolate-raspberry and big fruity presence.

Annnnnddd...the taste runs into the same problems that the Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale ran into. This beer is front loaded with flavor, and kind of fizzes out. Although, this is a lot better than the Bacon Maple Ale. I'm getting tons of caramel, bready, sugary Munich malts in this, with big toast and biscuit. There's tons of dusty cocoa and chocolate sweetness, with hints of dusty raspberry, earthy/ash/espresso/dirt, and roast. This beer kind of reminds me of a Dunkler Bock with some raspberry thrown into the mix. The yeast is super clean, maybe to a fault, and the mid and back palate aren't particularly flavorful, with lingering toast, bread, and malt sweetness. Lots of chalky and dusty chocolate.

I feel like the biggest detractor to this beer is in the name. This beer implies so many good things: Pretzel, Raspberry, Chocolate. And it comes in a bright pink bottle that screams: "Bold." This beer is really anything but, dialing up moderate flavors with a disappointing palate depth and a serious lack of complexity for something that has had 14 ingredients thrown at it. The 5.4% ABV is a welcomed change of pace, and the beer is unique...I just want more for a beer like this. The beer has a medium-bodied mouthfeel with good carbonation: the first part of the sip is the best, with tons of bready biscuit, pretzels, toast, dusty cocoa, chocolate, Munich malt complexity, and an injection of raspberry up front; mid-palate starts with lingering raspberry, and dials up the bread, toffee, toast, and malt aspects, dusty cocoa; the back trails off those same flavors, with a dash of watery nothing, and then fade to black. Just okay.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This beer promises so much, and basically tastes like a pimped out Dunkler Bock or Marzen or something. It would make a great Fall seasonal, but I think Rogue was going for something a bit more bold here. Bold this is not, but it's not a total mess like the Bacon Maple Ale. These bottles are expensive though, retailing at around $12-15 per bottle. Maybe not worth it. Food pairings: evidently doughnuts, maybe I'll try that. In fact, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to pick up a doughnut to pair with the remainder of this beer tonight #YOBVDO (you only buy voodoo doughnuts once).

Random Thought: The Binny's off Clybourn is a total clusterfuck. What a nightmare. Too many people, too popular. Don't got there on weekends or during peak hours. Support your mom & pop shops.

Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #279-288) bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled ??.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Abbey Dubbel, 10.0%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's Thursday night so you know how we do. I'm talking about tonight's beer, which was a random shelf grab...but will hopefully taste amazing. Oh, and it's a Pipeworks beer and tonight is Thursday. That means it is an Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™!!! Woo. 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.

Tonight's beer is another beer in Pipeworks' series of Belgian-style Dubbels. The first one was their Date Sugar Yeast Magik, followed by their Blue Beardo. The back of the bottle states:

"Nelson Sauvin hops, Belgian yeast, and black Raspberries?! What's this abbot? Brother Razbeardo may be razz'n you, but he's not kidding around; this ale is a slam monk. The juicy hop aroma will entrappe you, while the tart black raspberries and warm, spicy yeast character will make you speechless. Brother's brewed a real zen outta zen. Better pour this one on the dubbel!"

Oh puns. And hey! How about that. The Razbeardo pours into an opaque, purple body, kicking up a finger of purple-orange-purple head. That is totally unexpected. Bright light confirms this purple beer, which looks like some Lindemans' fruit lambic thing or beet juice. There's some visible carbonation in the mix, and some sea foam head retention, and nice lacing.

Pipeworks Brother Nelson Razbeardo

This may be the best smelling Pipeworks' beer I've had in a long time. The aroma is exploding with Nelson Sauvin hops, which impart an aroma reminiscent of the hoppy side of a Black IPA. I'm getting tons of passion fruit, leafy berries, grapes/plums/dark fruits, and some resinous/oily/sappy lemon. Pine sol grape passion fruit mmmm. The hops absolutely dominate this beer's aroma, and I'm just picking up a hint of bready caramel malt base. I would not peg black raspberries in a blind smelling...I might even call this beer some sort of Black IPA based on the aroma alone. A'i'g'h't. Let's have a sip.

Wow. Gooooodddd Goddd Damnnn! Wow! This shit is legit. This has to be one of the best things that Pipeworks has done, ever. You get bum rushed with a mix of the Dubbel base and Nelson Sauvin hops up front. We're talking about a double dose of dark fruits, grapes, plums, passion fruit, subtle caramel and brown sugar, some toffee, mild perfume and Belgian spice...the hops provide balance to the malt sweetness, and give the beer much needed bitterness and character. Once you transition to mid-palate the bitterness picks up with some resinous hops and hard dark sugar. And then on the back end: mother fucking raspberries. Raspberries man, the elusive fruit absent in the aroma. You get juicy/fruity raspberries on the back. And it finishes hoppy and dry. 

This beer is fantastic. Dumb luck or not, the combination of a Belgian-style Dubbel with raspberries and Nelson Sauvin hops works. First, this beer isn't overly complex. Then again, many of the Pipeworks beers aren't. They are simple, straightforward beers. And there's nothing wrong with that. But this beer is incredibly balanced, has good palate depth and duration, and features flavors that gel. The 10.0% ABV is completely undetectable. The mouthfeel is medium-full, featuring slightly low levels of carbonation. I suspect this one might condition in the bottle with some time. You get sugars and malt sweetness up front, which quickly turns into a mesh of Belgian Dubbel dark fruits and Nelson Sauvin fruitiness (passion fruit, grapes, etc); the middle rolls into some resinous lemon and hops, with some lingering dark sugars, and growing raspberry; the back hits you with raspberry, lingering Nelson Sauvin hops, and finishes bitter and malty. It's just so vibrant, refreshing, and balanced. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Divine Brew...just wow. I was not expecting this. It's amazing what Nelson Sauvin hops can do. But really, what defines this beer is how unique it is, and the incredible harmony and balance it strikes. This is just really fucking impressive. I imagine that there is even room for improvement, tweaking the carbonation up front, maybe adding some more hops? I dunno. Compared to the Blue Beardo and Date Sugar Yeast Magik, this beer is miles ahead. Dear Pipeworks, brew this again for me. K, thnx, <3. Food pairings: duck, honey ham, glazed meats, anything with a sweet sauce, Korean Barbecue, tartar, grilled meats, strong cheeses, and pork chops. I'm really feeling the pork chop vibe.

Random Thought: I came into this with low expectations, I left happy. Stay tuned for next week...I have another interesting Pipeworks beer coming down the shoot.

[Compare and Contrast] New Glarus Raspberry Tart vs. Lindemans' Framboise

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Brewed By: Brouwerij Lindemans in St Pieters Leeuw-Vlezenbeek, Belgium

Purchased: Single bottle 355ml/12oz bought at Malloy's Finest Wine & Spirits in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Lambic - Fruit, 2.5%

I recently reviewed New Glarus' Raspberry Tart and found myself comparing the beer to Lindemans' Framboise. As you can see, I did review the Framboise a long time ago. It's a shitty review, but that's par the course for this blog.

I thought it would be fun to do a quick comparison of the readily available Lindemans' Framboise vs. the New Glarus Raspberry Tart. So I headed out to the store, snagged a bottle of Framboise, and took some notes. The results are probably not surprising, but I was a little surprised at how far off I was in terms of how I remembered the Framboise.

Appearance:

Raspberry Tart (left) / Framboise - radioactive purple (right) 

Lindemans' Framboise: Fucking purple. You cannot miss this radioactive purple abomination. This looks like something straight out of a Marvel comic book that is going to give you super powers. This one pours into a purple body, and kicks up a couple of fingers of pink/purple head. The beer is super effervescent and has good lacing.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: I stand by my earlier review. This beer pours into a dark, hazy, mahogany/red body. This one kicks up a finger or two of mahogany/orange head, and has good lacing. This beer is also super effervescent.

Aroma:

Lindemans' Framboise: Raspberry syrup. Like the sugary stuff you buy at the store to put in your tea. This beer has that sucrose aspect that is artificial as hell but welcoming if you like sugar. There's also a good amount of raspberry currant and tea on the aroma, with some mild Belgian funk and barnyard esters. The sweetness dominates the funk.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: Subtle is the name of the game. There's not as much on the aroma here, but you get fresh raspberry. There's a mild tea note, with some hops. There's also big malts and sugars on the nose. There are some really nice complex sugars at work here, with some bready hints. Nice.

Taste:

Lindemans' Framboise: The taste mirrors the nose, with aggressively sweet raspberry syrup, currants, sugary sweet kisses, and some light barnyard funk that is overpowered by sucrose.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: This beer is exploding with authentic raspberry off the vine, mild currants/tea, and tons of malty complexity that hint at bread, caramel, brown sugar, and caramel. The level of malt complexity in the Raspberry Tart compared to the Lindemans' Framboise is like night and day. There's also an apple note here that I can't quite place, and a hint of pie crust.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability:

Lindemans' Framboise: This is super carbonated, super sweet, and very drinkable. The mouthfeel is medium-light to light bodied, and complexity is low but the palate depth is good. You get raspberry syrup up front; that rolls into currants; there's a hint of malt and barnyard funk, and the finish is sweet with fake sugar sucrose goodness.

Raspberry Tart is the clear winner here.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: Carbonated, drinkable, medium-bodied...good palate depth, good complexity. This is less funky than the Framboise, but a little more tart. There's legit raspberries up front; bready malts and complex sugars in the middle; and great raspberries on the finish.

Rating: 

Lindemans' Framboise: Strong Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: Strong Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

Final Thoguhts:

So, my memory totally sucks and failed me. The New Glarus Raspberry Tart is a complex beer when compared to the Framboise. The Raspberry Tart has a much more authentic, nuanced raspberry flavor, and it has way more depth of malt. The Framboise dials up the raspberry syrup, and it is much sweeter. The only thing going for the Framboise is that buried beneath the sugar is some Belgian "barnyard" funk and some nice bready notes. It's not a bad beer by any means, but the sugar is anything but subtle. Also, the radioactive purple looks totally fake. 

Also, New Glarus sells 750ml bottles of the Raspberry Tart for 10 dollars! The 750ml bottles of the Framboise retail for around 15 dollars. That makes the Raspberry Tart a better bargain and a better beer. 

Random Thought: Haters gonna hate. I still think the Lindemans' Framboise is a respectable beer. It's good for what it is, and pairs well with ice cream, and aggressive savory dishes. If you are taking note, you'll notice that I lowered my review/score of the Framboise. The Raspberry Tart holds steady, and will pair well with a myriad of savory dishes and sweet sauces. Om nom nom.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 4.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

Oh, the places I have gone, and the things I have done. Yes, I am back from my vacation. And if tonight's beer is any indication, my vacation was in cheese land. I went to the land where the New Glarus poureth freely and liberally. What a sweet land that place be. About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Raspberry Tart is fantastic, and I say that with the confidence of someone who consumed several of these bottles during my stay in Wisconsin. This framboise-style beer is brewed with Oregon raspberries that are fermented spontaneously in large oak vats. This beer also features Wisconsin farmed wheat, and year old Hallertau hops to help round things out.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart

The beer pours into a hazy, dark red body, with a finger of dark, off-white head. In lower light, the body of this beer is dark red with mahogany tones. In bright light, the body picks up some orange tones; the head also takes on an orange tint in bright light. There's a lot of carbonation streaming upwards in this, and the beer is super effervescent.

On the aroma: raspberries. Like, straight legit raspberries off the vine. You also get some raspberry currants, and tea-like raspberry aromas. There is also some sugary malt sweetness on the nose, almost hinting at caramel. There are tons of tart raspberries, and maybe a hint of mild, floral hops.

The taste reminds me of one of my favorite beers, the evil and hated Lindemans' Framboise. I would love to do a blind tasting comparing the Raspberry Tart to the Lindemans' Framboise, and in fact, maybe I will do just that in the future. The taste here is pretty simple, but it is so elegant and spot on that you can't complain. You get hit up with super fresh, bright raspberry. The raspberry is slightly tart/acidic, with a hint of raspberry currants and hops, and a hint of malt sweetness and "oak sweetness" to round things out. The oak and sour in this are super mild. However, this beer is plenty tart, and features vibrant raspberry juice in the taste.

At around 4.0%, this beer is super drinkable. It's also easy-going, like a framboise should be. It's a fruity beer that accomplishes everything it sets out to accomplish, while keeping the complexity on par for the style. Palate depth is off the charts, as this beer explodes in your mouth with a medium-full body that drinks way lighter thanks to the fact that the main flavor is tart raspberry, and there's tons of carbonation. You get tart raspberry and raspberry currants up front; that rolls into tart and juicy raspberry, with more raspberry tea; the finish rolls out some malt sweetness which packages things up nicely. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I'm hesitant to elevate this to top-tier, divine brew status. While this beer is fucking amazing like magnets and unicorn blood, it also suffers from a few of the fatal flaws that the Lindemans' Framboise suffers from. Namely, it's a bit one-dimensional and sweet. Maybe a bit more sour, funk, or oak would elevate this, but who am I to complain. I have a feeling the folks at New Glarus could change this beer, but they aren't because they like it. And I say cheers to that. I'll echo the food pairings on New Glarus' website. I think this beer would go great with fresh berries, cheesecake, chicken, duck, strong cheeses, and anything that benefits from the addition of some raspberry. I'd recommend this, especially since the 750s are only like 10 bucks. 

Random Thought: Some thoughts on my delay...two words: food poisoning. I got it on the last day of my trip, and I've been recovering ever since. I'm actually still in the recovery process, so we will see how tonight's beer goes. 

Goose Island Lolita

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (owned by AB InBev) in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 765ml bottle bought at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled 6/20/2013)

Style/ABV: American Wild Ale/Sour/Saison, 8.2% 

Reported IBUs: 32

It is unseasonably warm outside, which means a fruity sour should hit all sorts of the right spot. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The Lolita is inspired by pedophilia or something. Fermented with wild ale yeast and aged on raspberries in wine barrels, this wild Belgian-style Ale features Super Styrian, Styrian Goldings, and Saaz hops, and 2-Row and Caramel malts. The beer also uses sugar as a fermentable, and Goose Island lists it as a malt. Punching in at a variable ABV around 8.2%, and packing 32 IBUs, this beer is an all-American sour. 

Goose Island Lolita

The beer pours into a swampy, reddish-orange-brown, auburn color. There was a pinky of amber head that rapidly dissolved before I could snap a picture. This beer is quite lively, with crackling carbonation, and tiny bubbles rising upwards in the glass in streams. It's quite effervescent. Bright light confirms the same stuff.

Let's talk about the aroma. There is tons of lactic funk and tart vinegar on this beer's nose. You get apple cider vinegar, the essence of pickled foods, and lots of sour fruits. You also get some nice wood and barrel character, with some notable wood tannin and distinct red wine notes. There is also some sweet and sugary aromas, with some jammy raspberries and strawberries. The jammy fruit notes are my favorite part of this beer, and despite the murky appearance and assertive tartness, no 12-year-old would say no to a sip of this.

This beer is aggressively sour, but in all the right ways. The taste is a mixture of jammy fruits, raspberry currants, sour/tart raspberry, and tons of wood tannin from the barrel. You get some red apple cider vinegar, and there is a lot of acidic vinegar and lactic funk in this. As the beer warms up, the rich caramel malt base starts to pop, and you get a lot of raspberry candy and sugary raspberry. There's even a hint of dark caramel in the mix. It reminds me a bit of the New Belgium Frambrozen, only with about five more levels of inception or complexity or whatever.  

I love this beer, and the fact that it is sitting on shelves right now means you can love it too. Hide yo' 12-year-olds or make them your wife. This one isn't quite world class, but it's pretty damn good. The mouthfeel is medium-full, with tons of supporting carbonation. The beer is driven by acidic tartness, and finishes high and dry. As it warms up the caramel malts start to pop, which adds some complexity to an already complex beer. Palate depth is good, complexity is also good. You get tart fruits, raspberry currants, and raspberries up front; that rolls into some caramel malts, sugars, apple cider vinegar, raspberry candy; the finish is super dry raspberry. There's a version of this beer brewed with tea, and it makes a lot of sense as to why. There are tons of raspberry currants which bring that herbal/medicinal/tea vibe.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is really good for an American sour brewed with raspberries. Major league stuff, and you can age this or drink it fresh. It's also available, and priced reasonably at a little over ~$20 a bottle. It's not the Juliet, but what can you do. The barrel character and wine-like elements suggest food pairings like steak, beef, grilled meats, and olives and cheeses. The strong vinegar element would also work with anything that benefits from some aggressive, woody acidity.

Random Thought: I was going to bust out the Juliet tomorrow, but I think maybe not. I might try to drink the Halia instead. 

New Belgium Frambozen

Brewed By: New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 6.5%

Reported IBUs: 16

With Winter knocking on the door and Thanksgiving this week, a raspberry brown ale seems strangely appropriate. About New Belgium:

New Belgium is based out of Fort Collins, and opened in 1991 when founder Jeff Lebesch took his home-brewing into the commercial world. At this point in time, New Belgium has mainstream fame from their Fat Tire, and craft beer credit for their sour beers. New Belgium is the thrid-largest craft brewery in the United States. You can read more about New Belgium if you check out their company page, and definitely cruise their website.

The Frambozen is a winter seasonal. The side of the bottle states: "Flemish for "raspberry", is our big, luscious celebration of the ruby red fruit found in Belgium's Framboise ales. Our version is brewed with real northwestern raspberries. Gaze upon Frambozen's deep warming color and infuse your senses with berry goodness. This Colorado holiday tradition should be served cool in a worthy glass for the best sensory experience." Brewed to 6.5% ABV and clocking in at 16 IBUs, this fruity brown ale is brewed with berry juice which gets added in fermentation. Brewed with Target hops, Pale, Munich, C-80, Carapils, and Chocolate malts, this is described as a caramel-raspberry explosion.

New Belgium Frambozen

The Frambozen pours a dark, reddish-brown color, and kicks up two fingers of pink/dark red/brown-tinted head. The head dissolves into some haze with a ring of carbonation hanging on the edge of the glass with residual lacing. Bright light confirms the filtered, dark red body. There's not much carbonation in this.

The aroma here is all about the raspberry currants, raspberry tea, sour raspberry candy (as per NB's website), some raspberry puree/jam, and lots of caramel sugars and raspberry sugar.

And the taste...surprisingly straightforward, there's a fair amount of malt and malt density, with some caramel, light brown sugar, a little toast and nuttiness, raspberry candies, and some bready density and legit pie crust notes. I'm getting lots of hints of pie. It reminds me of Dogfish Head's Fort, minus the booze and all that. The pie thing reminds me of Founders' Cerise. 

This is pretty aight. At 6.5%, this beer has a really dense body, punching in with a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel. Palate depth is good, and complexity is moderate. This combines bready, pie-crust like malts with blunted raspberry. Actually, credit to this beer for not making the raspberry overly sweet. Drinkability is high. You get some sweet brown sugar and malt up front; that gives way to raspberry, raspberry currant, pie crust, raspberry tea, raspberry candy, lightly tart raspberry, jam; the back end drops in some toast and nutty raspberry, very festive.

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. Very solid. I don't know how else to describe it. It removed my pants, but didn't spell the alphabet with tongue. Actually, I'm not dogging this beer at all...this is a Winter classic, and that raspberry candy juxtaposed with dense malt goodness makes for a solid brew. I would give this a recommendation for the Winter at around 10 dollars a 6-pack, but there are better fruit beers out there. Food pairings: duck, purple potatoes, turkey with gravy, grilled meats, beef roast, red meats with fruity sauces/glazes, rustic vegetables. This is almost vinous like a red wine, and seems like it would be right at home at the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table. What a fantastic food beer we have right here.

Random Thought: Ughh. My liver. Tonight be a twofer.

Founders Rübæus

Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Fruit/Vegetable Beer, 5.7%
Reported IBUs: 15

Today is the best kind of Sunday, the lazy kind. About Founders:

Founders is the holy grail of Michigan brewing. Based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders was founded in 1997 by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, and produces some of the best beer in the world. If you haven't heard of Founders...well, what are you doing? Get on that, now.

The Rübæus is pretty bitching for a fruit beer. Described as "not another boring summer wheat beer or shandy," the Rübæus is brewed by adding fresh raspberries during multiple points during fermentation. Punching in at a reasonable 5.7% ABV and packing a mild 15 IBUs, this beer has the makings of a tasty summer brew.

Founders Rübæus

The beer pours a hazy, dark ruby-red color, and kicks up a finger of vibrant, fizzy, pink head. The head looks like sexy, pink sea foam...and it's hanging around nicely and depositing some lacing. This beer just looks the part of a raspberry fruit beer, and is all the better for it.

Aside from some sugary malt sweetness and a lightly bready malt base, this beer plays the raspberry thing straight. The aroma is dominated with raspberry jam, huge fresh raspberry, some light tart fruit, raspberry puree, raspberry tea, and big crushed raspberry juice.

The taste is much of the same, with pie-filling sweetness and bready malts supporting lots and lots of raspberries. I'm getting raspberry jam, pie filling, cherries, cherry pie, raspberry puree, sugary raspberries, and some very light fruit tartness. There's a caramel sugar note in here, almost like a more complex, cooked out or burnt sugar.

In terms of the raw product, I enjoy raspberries more than cherries. I think I like this beer better than the Founders Cerise, and I thought that was a greatly executed fruit beer. This beer is packed with flavor, and none of it tastes artificial. This beer is easy going and refreshing, but it still packs a fairly dense, medium-light to medium-full mouthfeel. Palate depth is great, and the complexity is raspberry as advertised. At 5.7%, this is very drinkable. You get raspberry puree and bready raspberry fruit up front; that rolls into raspberry, raspberry tea, raspberry jam, some raspberry pie filling, cherry, cherry pie; the back end drops a hint of bitter sugary complexity (some caramel; burnt sugar)...the finish is refreshing and juicy.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

For a fruit beer this is Strong Above-Average stuff. This is really straightforward in its approach and appeal, and it works out nicely. This is a great summer beer, and would pair well with a fruit salad, fruit pie, any dessert with fruits, chicken, sandwiches, lightly spiced grilled food, or a fruity sauce/puree. I hope Founders continues to crank out these fruit beers.

Random Thought: Speaking of fruit beers...

Pipeworks Raspberry Truffle Abduction Imperial Stout

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 1 Pint 9.4oz (750ml) bottle (Batch #94 - Purple Wax) bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout (Spice/Herb/Vegetable), 10.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

I am excited for tonight's beer. Why? Because Pipework's Abduction Stout is awesome. And their Coffee Break Abduction Stout was just a stellar beer in every regard. 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.

The back of the bottle states:

"It is a shame human, that we must wipe from your memory the rich chocolate delight that is Raspberry Truffle Abduction. Its soft raspberry flavor blossoming like frivolous human emotion, both subject to dissection during your galactic absconce at the long fingered hands of we cosmic plumbers."   

This giant stout is brewed with raspberries and cacao, and should age with the rest of them. Let's get this into a glass.

Pipeworks Raspberry Truffle Abduction

This one pours a reasonably dark black color, with a finger's worth of coffee-brown head. The head is thin and apathetic, and quietly dissolved into a nice cauldron effect. There's a few bubbles popping away in the middle of the glass. There's some aggressive lacing on this, and the head coats the glass like paint. There's also some nice legs. In bright light, you catch some brown on the edges...but that head. It reminds me of the Ten FIDY.

For a beer brewed with raspberries and cacao, the nose is really refined. I'm getting a lot of coffee, roast, orange, and raspberry. If you drink a lot of coffee, you'll know that coffee has a very astringent/bitter/earthy flavor that is kind of similar to orange or berries. I'm getting a lot of that in the nose of this. Earthy coffee, light cacao, big roast, elusive booziness, and assorted chocolates: dark chocolate with cherry fruit in the center; and that chocolate you get in the assorted Fannie May packs that has orange/marmalade in the center. You definitely get raspberry truffle on the nose, or similar smells. Good stuff.

On my first sip, I would say this is surprisingly fruity up front. The fact that this is slightly thinner and lighter helps give that impression too. This has long palate duration, as the fruit turns into intense roast and coffee, and then fades into really complex booziness and raspberry. You get a ton of bitter/earthy cacao dancing around in here, and the whole thing has strong coffee flavors. I'm getting canned coffee, spent coffee in the filter, chicory, and fruity/bitter/astringency that you find in really dark coffee blends. I know the base beer is THE TITS with coffee, but the base beer works really well with the tart/acidic fruitiness of the raspberries as well.

But seriously, if you don't know what I'm talking about. Go get some extra dark, black (no milk/sugar/cream) coffee from Starbucks. Let it cool down a bit so you can actually taste it. Take a sip and appreciate it like a good beer. There are fruity notes in coffee, with that tangy, bitter/astringent berry-citrus thing. 

This beer is medium-full to full-bodied, with some fruity acidity/astringency driving the mouthfeel, and a ton of roast and boozy complexity dropping in to keep things in check. This is maybe slightly oily, and has thin, non-assertive carbonation. This is uber complex, and has solid palate depth for the style. Up front is a blast of cacao, coffee, and raspberry (with raspberry truffle); the middle rolls into raspberry truffle, truffle, and earthy coffee/chicory and big roast/elusive smoke; the back fades to lingering roast, and awesome boozy/fruity complexity. I'm belching straight up raspberry truffle, so this beer is doing something right.

Rating: Divine Brew

Oh man, I gotta go with a Light Divine Brew on this. You know, I love coffee...and I'm a big fan of that fruity note you get in super dark coffee. So there's that. The raspberry note in this beer is kept in check by the big coffee and roast flavors. But you definitely get raspberry in this, and you do get waves of "raspberry truffle." I don't know if this is quite as good as the Coffee Break Abduction, but for 11 or 12 dollars a bottle, this beer right here is a steal. I would pair this with raspberry cheesecake, dry chocolate cake, ice cream, or a nice medium-rare steak. The slightly lighter mouthfeel might work well with a burger too, and I'm sure this beer could stand up to some strong cheeses. If you can snag a bottle of this, do it.

Random Thought: I don't really listen to music on the radio anymore...but I do occasionally dabble. Back in the 90s, I spent hours everyday listening to the radio. Is this a generation thing? A people thing? Do most people pick a decade and declare it their wheelhouse? Since the 90s, I've continued to pursue music, but mostly on my terms. The obscure hip-hop, metal, and other shit I listen to likely won't be seen on mainstream radio for a long time, if ever. But 90's radio...we could jam.