Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel Wood Burner

Brewed By: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio  

Purchased: 375ml/12.7oz single bottle bought at And Beer in Athens, Ohio; 2014 

Style/ABV: American Bourbon Barrel Stout/Smoked Beer, 11.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I don't know if I have had a Bourbon Barrel aged smoked beer before. About Jackie O's Pub & Brewery:

Jackie O's is a brewery and brewpub based out of Athens, Ohio. The brewery was founded in 2007 by Art Oestrike and his friend, and brew master, Brad Clark. In 2012 when the production facility expanded, brew master Sean White joined the company. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The Bourbon Barrel Wood Burner is so OG it doesn't have a website entry. The bottle reads: "Over the years we have brewed a plethora of big stouts and porters, and the idea of brewing an imperial smoked stout was something we had been kicking around for awhile. When an open brew day presented itself, we knew exactly what to do. The base stout focuses on rich caramel and chocolate notes with a deep savory/smokey backbone. The entire batch found its way into bourbon barrels where it rested for over a year. An enticing combination of sweet and savory, with waves of dark chocolate and vanilla that wash over the palate. Cheers to stoking the creative flame in all of us!"

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel Wood Burner

As you can imagine, this pours into some dark, inky body, with a finger of brown head. There is some lacing and alcohol legs...usual stuff from the Stout assembly line. 

The aroma has mad bourbon appeal, with luscious Bourbon County-like chocolate, brownie, coconut, macaroons, and raisins-cherry sweetness. There's some alcohol jumping around in here, but nothing you wouldn't get in the spirit itself. The barrel isn't overtly pronounced, and I'm not getting the smoke on the aroma. 

Wow, this is really good. Like, Bourbon County good. Like holy shit, I was not expecting this banger after the other Jackie O's bottle offerings I have had. This has giant chocolate, brownie, vanilla, complex coconut and macaroon notes, intense oak/bourbon/barrel, and lots of alcohol spiciness. The smoke is more of an afterthought here, and the beer is all the better for it. Between the fruity whiskey notes, the cherry-raisins hints, and the sugary sweetness, this dips into alcohol and smokey spice. This stays away from the intense smoke...this isn't a Rauchbier, there is no bacon...and I'm not even mad. 

This is full-bodied, but the intense bourbon sweetness balances out the alcohol heat. It appropriately feels like an 11% beer, without any baggage. Palate depth is good, with lengthy duration. Complexity is high. I'm not gonna wax poetic, this drops Bourbon County chocolate, macaroons and coconut up front; whiskey sweetness, dark fruits, rum, alcohol spice, and smoke show up in the mids; the back end drives home nuanced barrel, bourbon, and smokey notes. This is fan-fucking-tastic and totally caught me off guard.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. I would need another bottle or two to convince myself that this deserve the 5.0/5.0, but it feels like it is basically there. It's like Bourbon County with that spicy, smoke wrinkle. This would pair well with a cigar, or just as a sipper like I am sipping now. Fantastic stuff...and just what I was looking for to round out the evening. 

Random Thought: There are many things about craft beer that suck, but one of the top annoyances are all the misconceptions about aging beer. 

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. 

[Cellar Review] Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (2011 Vintage)

Brewed By: Central Waters Brewing Co. in Amherst, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Humboldt Haus On The Boulevard Liquors And Spirits in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2011 bottle)

Style/ABV: American Stout/Imperial Stout, ?.?%???

Reported IBUs: ?

Back in early 2014 I reviewed the 2013 Vintage of Central Waters' Bourbon Barrel Stout. I love that beer, it's a fantastic bourbon barrel stout, and you should buy it if you see it. The story behind tonight's beer is that I was hunting for the 2014 vintage of the Bourbon Barrel Stout. So far, the 2014 vintage has not hit my distro yet. I did, however, see that someone was selling the Bourbon Barrel Stout per BeerMenus. I hopped in my car and went to check it out. When I arrived, I discovered that the store was selling the 2011 Vintage. WHAT? I asked the guy who was working there what the story is with the 2011 vintage. According to the employee, they put in an order for the 2014 Bourbon Barrel Stout, but it is currently unavailable. Central Waters was able to hook them up with some of this 2011 vintage. Apparently, they just have some of this stuff laying around. Cool beans. So...I guess we are doing an impromptu cellar review. About Central Waters: 

Central Waters was founded in 1996 by two friends, Mike McElwain and Jerome Ebel. The two bought an old brick building in Junction City, Wisconsin. During the next two years, the two restored the building, and put in brewing equipment. A few months later, Paul Graham joined the brewery. After three years under the original ownership, the brewery was sold to brewer Paul Graham and home-brewer Clint Schultz. On the brewery's five-year anniversary, Central Waters purchased a new brew house because the old location was having issues with equipment and age. In 2006, Clint Schultz left the brewery. The brewery is currently owned and operated by Paul Graham and Anello Mollica. To read more about the brewery, check out their history page.

The Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout is part of the brewers reserve series. This one is aged in used oak bourbon barrels, and is described as containing notes of bourbon, vanilla, and roast. 

Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (2011 Vintage)

The 2011 vintage pours into a dark brown, and eventually opaque body. This looks like it has thinned out a bit with time, pouring more into a cola brown than obsidian black. The beer kicked up a finger of brown head, but the head is short lived. There is some head retention in the form of a cauldron effect, and there is lacing and glossy alcohol legs. Overall, this has held up well in the bottle over the past few years.

On the aroma: one of my favorite things ever, especially in an aged beer. I'm talking about that mother fucking Twizzlers note. This also dives right into big flowers, huge floral aromas, dark fruits, perfume, figs, dates, raisins, and underlying whiskey/bourbon sweetness. After three years, I'm still getting some faint wood, vanilla, bourbon, and chocolate. The nose smells absolutely melded, and this smells like a well integrated beer. I'm really excited to taste this.

Wow. This is fantastic. I know now why Central Waters decided to selectively release a ton of this 2011 vintage into the local supply...this has aged fantastically, melding whiskey raisins and bourbon dark fruits into chocolate, cocoa, wood, and barrel. This is super fused and melded, with Twizzlers, dark fruits, raisins, figs, and subtle oak, bourbon, chocolate, molasses, and vanilla. This is reminiscent of the aged 50/50 Eclipse bottles, which is high praise.

At ~9.5% per Untappd, this is drinking smoothly. I'm not getting much alcohol, minus the warming in my chest. This is sticky and sweet, with a full-bodied mouthfeel. There is still some nice carbonation three years later. This is very complex, and the palate depth is good. Up front: chocolate, bourbon, dark fruits, Twizzlers; the mids roll into some bourbon spice, barrel, wood, tannin, cocoa, vanilla; the back end hits whiskey raisin bliss, with more dark fruits and tons of complexity. This is the fucking tits.  

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. I have to dwell on this before I bump it to that Divine Brew level, but holy shit, this 2011 Vintage aged gracefully. This has melded into something that is incredibly complex, balanced, and delicious. I would not age this any longer, because the touch of oxidation I am getting is only going to grow. Right now, this is amaze-balls. Food pairings here include nothing. Pour this beer into your glass, and fucking enjoy it.

Random Thought: When Central Waters hits their stride, they make some impressive beer. Their Bourbon Barrel Stout is the consolation prize for all you folks that couldn't land some Bourbon County Stout. 

[Cellar Review] Samuel Adams Griffin's Bow Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale (Vintage 2012)

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 
Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; [Batch No. 2] 2012
Style/ABV: American Barleywine, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: 45

Back on February 8, 2013, I reviewed the Sam Adam's Griffin's Bow. This inexpensive American Barleywine is both tasty and exotic. Brewed with Nelson Sauvin and Zeus hops, and aged on (or with) toasted oak, the Griffin's Bow is a creative take on the American Barleywine and part of Sam Adam's small batch series of beer. About Sam Adams:

The Boston Brewing Company/Sam Adams is, of course, the brain child of Jim Koch (and Harry M. Rubin and Lorenzo Lamadrid). Founded in 1984, Jim Koch got the ball rolling after college when he decided to resurrect and brew his favorite family recipe. That recipe belonged to his great-great grandfather, Louis Koch, and dates back to the 1870s (where it was brewed in a St. Louis brewery). That infamous family brew is the Sam Adams Boston Lager, of course. You can read more about the history of the Boston Brewing Company HERE, or check out their website HERE.  

Why age this beer? Good question. The bottle says: "Enjoy now or age it to further develop rich and unique flavors." The bottle also notes on the back: "From the aroma and notes of sweet honeysuckle, pineapple, and grapefruit, to richer hints of burnt sugar, and toffee, this intriguing brew is full of complex flavors. The distinct character of toasted oak adds depth and contrasts the light fruit sweetness. This unique take on a barleywine ale surprises with its smoothness and balance of fruit, hop citrus, and warmth." 

With that said, let's get this late 2012 vintage into a glass and see how a little over a year has done to this beer. 

Sam Adams Griffin's Bow (Vintage 2012)

This pours into a hazy, golden-orange body, and kicks up two fingers of dense, sustaining, golden-tinted head. Bright light confirms the hazy orange goodness, and you can see peppery dots of carbonation slowly ascending. Let me reiterate: head retention is really good here, with a finger still hanging around. There's plenty of lacing too. 

Even with the passion fruit/grape you'd expect from the Nelson Sauvin, I'm mostly getting pine, pine sap, caramel, toasted sugars, toasted oak, oak, and maybe some leafy hop aromas. There's some resin on the nose, and maybe some grape leaves, but there's lots of toasted sugars, sugar, and even a little grain/wood/coconut. 

As far the taste goes...this is inviting and warm, with lots of resinous pine, pine sap, and maple syrup up front; and some nice toasty oak, coconut, and toasted grains in the back. I wish this was a bit more complex, but it feels mellowed out at this point in time. There's a slightly harsh and astringent bitterness in here that I can't quite place a finger on...maybe a toasted grain character that shows up mid palate with some hop bitterness, before the beer mellows out into the oak in the back. Once you hit that oak note, you can dial up the wood and grain and things are okay. 

This is full-bodied, with lazy carbonation. It would be smooth and creamy if not for the sugary body that almost pulls like a mead or heavy wine. It's never cloying (imo), and you don't feel the full burden of the 10%. Still, this is a sipper through and through. Complexity is moderate, but the palate depth here leaves a bit to be desired. I feel like this beer could be more expansive and feature more depth across the front to back. Up front you get lots of resinous, sugar-coated pine sap, maple syrup, piney notes, caramel, brown sugar; the mids roll into more sugars, and then you get a bitter and astringent woody note, some grains, bitter hops; the back end is pleasant with nice oak, wood, coconut, toasted oak, toasted grains, lingering fruity sweetness. It's okay.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this beer. I seem to recall enjoying the slightly more when it was fresh. The zesty pineapple notes you get from the hops when this beer is fresh cuts through a bit of the cloying sweetness that has now come out after a year of letting the hops drop off. It's not bad though...I would definitely recommend aging one of these for fun, especially at $7 or $8 a bottle. Food pairings here include creme brulee, fruit cake, fig pudding, and heavily grilled meats and sausages. 

Random Thought: As predicted yesterday, my run tonight was horrible. I guess a weekend of drinking to the point of a hangover will do that to you. 

Deschutes The Abyss (2013 Reserve)

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in Urbana, IL; 2013 ("Best after 08/16/14")

Style/ABV: Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: 86

Last night's Fresh Squeezed IPA was definitely a primer for tonight's beer. About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia. 

The Abyss really needs no introduction at this point. This epic Imperial Stout has been around since 2006? I think 2006. This one is brewed with all sorts of ingredients, and features a blend of three barrel-aged additions. The bottle reads: "The Abyss: malt beverage brewed with black strap molasses, licorice, with cherry bark and vanilla added with 6% aged in oak bourbon barrels, 11% aged in oak barrels, and 11% aged in oak wine barrels."  As suggested by the "Best after" date, this one will and can be aged...but I'm impatient and I think this vintage is doing alright fresh.

Deschutes The Abyss (2013 Reserve)

This beer lives up to its name, of course. It pours into a pitch black, opaque body, and produces three fingers of DARK BROWN, mocha-colored head. The head is thick and dense, like a root beer float, leaving massive webs of lacing as it drops off, and sustaining nicely for an 11.0% barrel-aged beer. Glossy alcohol legs can be seen trailing off the sides when you swirl the beer -- they lag behind the massive brown strokes of lacing that also coat the glass. Good stuff, yo.

This is fantastically complex in terms of the aroma. The first thing that jumps out to me is the massive barrel character that is present, followed by huge woody aromas, and then big cherry wood and cherry bark. It's huge. Beneath the massive barrel/wood character is huge meaty roast and coffee. There's a big coffee aroma on the nose. Also surprising (to me) are the fruity notes on the aroma. I'm not getting a ton of bourbon...but there's a lot of oak and a lot of slightly acidic pinot notes. I'm getting dark fruits, molasses, red wine, chocolate, and roast. You definitely get the licorice on the aroma too. The licorice plays off the molasses, acidic espresso, and pinot barrel. Just fantastic.

Wow...this is just blissful. Like I said, I think this 2013 Vintage is drinking just fine now, but it will definitely age gracefully. What do you taste? Well, a lot of stuff. The back end features layers of intense roast, coffee, chocolate, and lingering wood tannin; gripping barrel character, and some big bitterness towards the back. There's big cherries and licorice up front, with some woody notes, and the mid-palate hits a brief citrus-hop note and then pudwhacks your palate with coffee and subtle vanilla bean and anise. The cherry/raisin/molasses note is blissfully in your face up front, giving way to massive barrel goodness. I'm getting a lot of wood tannin and oak in here...with more pinot than bourbon. There are definitely shades of bourbon in the taste, but nothing jumping out at me. I probably wouldn't peg the bourbon in a blind tasting.

If you like aggressive, woody Russian Imperial Stouts with huge barrel character...this is your beer. But it's still reasonable at 11.0% and 86 IBUs. Maybe at one time that was on the high end of extreme, but these days, that's like, "okay, an American-style RIS." It's still a bad-ass beer though. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, with creamy, acidic, well-carbonated beer up front. That rolls into a hoppy midsection, which is almost juicy, and then the back end dials up the wood tannin, roast, dark grain, and dry finish. Palate depth is awesome, with great duration, and this beer is super complex. This beer embraces each barrel and ingredient, and unravels in layers. And it's drinkable (says the alcoholic). Palate progression? Up front, molasses, licorice, cherry, barrel/wood; the middle hits a hop note, citrus, wood, coffee, espresso, acidic pinot character, barrel, anise, chocolate/vanilla; the back end starts off with huge espresso/coffee, dials up the roast and dark grains, and finishes dry and sticky. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...I'm not going to bullshit with the 4.5. I'm always looking to give a critical rating to over hyped beers, but this one meets expectations and then some. It's all in the barrel character. This beer has massive barrel notes in the aroma and taste, and it makes the beer an absolute treat to drink. This one is dry, with lots of wood tannin, and aggressive bitterness. For those reasons, I wouldn't recommend this beer to newer beer drinkers. Those qualities also mean this beer will pair well with spicy foods...maybe chipotle dark chocolate, dry habanero wings, chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, or maybe a mole sauce. Recommended if you find it, even at jacked up prices.

Random Thought: The wax on this one was a PITA. I ended up scratching my finger trying to get the bottle open. 

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout - Old Fitzgerald Barrel

Brewed By: FiftyFifty Brewing Co. in Truckee, California

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (2012 Vintage)

Style/ABV: American Stout/Imperial Stout, 9.5%

Reported IBUs: 75

Tonight is a lazy night, so it's the perfect night to sit back and quaff a certified shelf turd. About FiftyFifty: 

The FiftyFifty Brewing Company is a brewery/brewpub based out of Truckee, California. The brewery was founded by Andy and Alicia Barr in 2007, and has become renown for their barrel/bourbon-aged Imperial Stouts. For more info, check out the FiftyFifty website or Wikipedia.

You can read all about the FiftyFifty Eclipse Barrel Aged Imperial Stout series in my previous post when I had the Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Barrel variant. If you reference FiftyFifty's website, you can see that the 2012 Blue Wax bottle is aged in Old Fitzgerald barrels.

50/50 Eclipse - BLUE WAX / Old Fitzgerald (2012)

You would -- PROBABLY -- never guess this, but the beer pours into a dark, opaque body, and kicks up a finger of creamy, bready, tan-colored head. I'm actually catching some ruby red tones when I shine a bright light through this beer, and a pinky of dense, foamy head is hanging around. There's nice lacing and alcohol legs as well. All-in-all: it's a mother fucking Imperial Stout. What do you expect? Rainbows?

The aroma here is very whiskey-forward. I'm getting big whiskey, caramel, raisins, chocolate, toasted nuts, earthy coconut, and some fudge/brownie. There's some molasses dancing around with the caramel-raisin thing, and the nose suggests lots of sweetness from the barrel/spirit.

Yum...that's nice. This is velvety smooth, like an Oatmeal Stout. There's huge depth of flavor, as the palate lasts for a while. I'm getting nice boozy warming on the back, with lingering chocolate and woody notes. The front end has big raisins, molasses, caramel, and chocolate. I'm getting some coffee, vanilla, toffee, and aged English Barleywine sweetness mid-palate. That includes a little brown sugar. There's some hints of vanilla in here, along with alcohol-soaked cherries and raisins. At this point, the whiskey/bourbon is very well integrated into the beer, providing nice sweetness and raisin/molasses notes. There's maybe a touch of oxidation as well, but it works.

This is stellar stuff, but maybe not as good as the Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Barrel. The mouthfeel is medium-full, probably closer to full...the bourbon helps cut through the base beer. The carbonation is light, but it's spot on for the style (IMO). The beer is also velvety smooth. At 9.5%, I feel like this is very manageable. Yes...this is a big beer, but there are plenty of bigger beers. This is very drinkable. And speaking of that, palate depth is somewhere around "great" or "outstanding," and complexity is average for the style or maybe a little above-average. I guess this nearly two-year-old beer is pretty mellow. Up front are big raisins, caramel, molasses, brownies/chocolate/fudge; the mids hit those English Barleywine notes, and throw in some vanilla, coffee, brown sugar, and some residual hop sap; the back end has alcohol-soaked cherries and raisins, big lingering whiskey, some barrel character, a touch of oxidation, port/sherry, and fade to sticky and dry with lingering sugar and chocolate. Boozy warming on the back is perfect.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. I would not hesitate to recommend this, especially at the price I paid ($15). This is just a phenomenally good beer, with tons of English Barleywine-esque sweetness. I don't know if that's the aging that has mellowed this out into such a pleasant and sweet beer...but yeah. Delicious. It's a very sweet, rich, and velvety smooth beer...great depth, above-average complexity...and something to sip on for dessert. Don't pair this beer with food. If you are cellaring one of these, I'd say give it a try right now. If you can find this on shelves still, maybe pick one up.

Random Thought: I'm going to go enjoy the second half of my bottle with a movie now, so heck yeah to lazy Wednesday nights.

Stone Matt's "Burning Rosids" Imperial Cherry Wood Smoked Saison

Brewed By: Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014

Style/ABV: "Imperial" Saison, 10.5% 
Reported IBUs: ???

Dying sucks. Especially when you are still young and have ambition...and especially when it's because of some freak brewery-related accident. Brewing beer is hard, dangerous work. Tonight's beer is Stone's tribute to a fallen employee: an experimental, small batch brew conceived by the departed himself.  About Stone:

Stone Brewing are one of the more prominent breweries in the American craft brewing scene. They were founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California, and moved to Escondido, California where they recently expanded their operations. Stone was founded by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch. Koch has a reputation among the craft beer community for voicing his opinion, not putting up with shit, and standing behind his beer. Also...farking woot and fizzy yellow beer is for bitches. 

There's not much to say about Matt's Burning Rosids, other than check out the tribute on Stone's website. This "Imperial" Saison is brewed with cherrywood-smoked malts. I'm putting "Imperial" in quotes because I dunno, the style seems weird to me. 

Matt's "Burning Rosids"

The beer pours into a dark bronze, almost-amber body, and kicks up three fingers of gold tinted head. Even in low light the beer looks transparent and filtered. Bright light confirms the dark gold, filtered body. There's some moderate streams of moderate sized carbonation bubbles rising upwards, and a finger of foamy, white head is sustaining nicely. The head is leaving lots of lacing.

The aroma is like a mix of a Hefeweizen with a mild Rauchbier...the aroma is bursting with white sugar, bananas, clove, bubblegum, and Belgian funk. The hint of cherrywood is undeniable in the aroma, with light salt and sauna wood. I'm getting a little hop character, and orange/lemon zest in the mix as well, with plenty of wheat malts. It smells very German, but not like a German, or at least not like any German I've smelled. 

This is very luscious and full-bodied. I wasn't expecting the dense assault of creamy wheat, vanilla, clove, bubblegum, and banana that you get up front. The beer then rolls into some really mild and subtle smoked wood notes. In between is some grain and alcohol. The smoked wood notes impart some leather, dry wood, and dark grain...it reminds me of Fantôme a bit, but eh. It's kind of boozy, to be honest. I still hate the "Imperial Saison" label. I feel like this falls between a Doppelweizen/Weizenbock and Saison with smoked elements that would bump it to a specialty beer category anyway. Or better yet, #YOLO, so define it however you want.

Again, this is a full-bodied beer. The 10.5% isn't completely hidden, with some alcohol showing up. The alcohol does play off the dark grains and provide a counterpoint to some of the smoked malts. Complexity is okay, and palate depth is good. As I sip on this some more, I'm getting more and more bitterness on the finish. I can't tell if that is the dark grains and smoked malts, or if this is also generously bittered with hops. I assume the latter, because Stone. You get creamy wheat, clove, bananas, white sugar, orange/lemon zest, and bubblegum up front; that rolls into bitter hops and spent bubblegum, and then the cherrywood smoked malts kick in with sauna wood and bitter grain; the back end features bitter grain, cherry wood, hoppy bitterness, and a drying finish. From thick, creamy, and sugary to smokey, bitter, and dry.  

Rating: Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this beer. It's probably a notch above average and it should get points for being experimental and original. And the dark grains + bubblegum wheat + bitter hops + smoked malts make for an interesting and incredibly bitter beer through and through. When you juxtapose the extreme bitter elements with the huge sweetness and 10.5%, you get something pretty enjoyable. Calling this beer a Saison is probably fair...it has many Saison elements. It's very Belgian-ale or German-ale esque. I'd love to see this beer aged, but I'm pretty sure it's not conditioned. Throw in some Brett and I think this could be banging. It really does remind me of Orval, or even the Engelszell Benno, with that earthy grain thing. There are flashes of Fantôme's mystery and greatness, but those Saisons are in a class of their own that is probably impossible to reproduce anytime soon. Food pairings for this beer: dry, spicy wings, barbecue food, pulled pork, dry rub ribs, grilled lamb, and hearty stews with lots of fat. Maybe a corn chowder? Yum.

Random Thought: Beer is supposed to be fun, and this beer is definitely that. Stone did a classy thing by temporarily immortalizing Matt with this brew. Here's to hoping they throw some Brett into this beer and maybe re-release it down the road. 

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout - Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye Barrel

Brewed By: FiftyFifty Brewing Co. in Truckee, California

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2014 (2012 Vintage)

Style/ABV: American Stout/Imperial Stout, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: 75

FiftyFifty's Eclipse series is the best kept secret you won't afford. These are certified shelf turds, sitting around on shelves while equally alluring beers sell for half the price. I'm not a rich man, so I've held off on every impulse and compulsion...until last Friday. I was able to find a couple of dated vintages of this beer on the shelf for $15 dollars a pop. And the store even aged it for me. I'm very curious and excited...I hope the hype is worth it. Even for a 2012 vintage. About FiftyFifty: 

The FiftyFifty Brewing Company is a brewery/brewpub based out of Truckee, California. The brewery was founded by Andy and Alicia Barr in 2007, and has become renown for their barrel/bourbon-aged Imperial Stouts. For more info, check out the FiftyFifty website or Wikipedia.

Tonight's beer is part of the FiftyFifty Eclipse Barrel Aged Imperial Stout series. Every year the brewery brews their Totality Imperial Stout -- a behemoth of a Stout clocking in at 75 IBUs and 9.5% ABV; brewed with Rahr 2row, Simpsons Golden Promise, Gambrinus Munich Light, Dark and Honey Malt, Rahr Red Wheat Malt, Crips Pale Chocolate Malt, Simpsons Brown, Chocolate, Black, and Roasted Barley Malts; hopped with German Magnum, German Perle, and Mt. Hood hops; and finished with Dry Malt Extract, Rice Syrup Solids, and "exotic sugars" -- and then ages the Totality base beer in various whiskey/bourbon barrels. To confuse people, the brewery doesn't label their beers with obvious descriptions. Instead, they wax each label in ambiguous colors that are hard to tell apart, and then you can reference their website to figure out what the fuck you are drinking. Sometimes I just want to get drunk, bro. According to the FiftyFifty website, the green wax 2012 is their Heaven Hill Rittenhouse Rye barrel-aged Eclipse. I don't know anything about Heaven Hill's Rittenhouse Rye, but it sounds delicious. Without further dicking around, let's embrace this shelf turd. 

50/50 Eclipse - GREEN WAX / Heaven Hill

After painstakingly removing layers of green wax, I was able to crack into this beer...some head was creeping out of the bottle, and as you can see from the pour, this one is pitch black and opaque in body, with two or three fingers of thick, dense, creamy tan/khaki head. Head retention is surprisingly good (or maybe not...look at that malt bill). A pinky's worth of head is hanging around, and the head that did drop off is leaving lacing all over the place. I should mention the glossy alcohol legs, which are in fact present.

The aroma was exploding out of the bottle when I popped it; I was getting giant waves of whiskey and raisins on the pour. When you stick your nose into the glass, you are greeted with big raisins, sherry/oxidation, cherries, whiskey, rye whiskey, dark rye bread, barrel character with some wood/oak, hints of faded woody chocolate, and some of that bourbon/coconut/oak. It still smells pretty good for a 2012 vintage...she said.

Oh...wow. This is incredibly smooth...and it's layered too. There's some hefty malt character in the back dialing up roast, oats, chocolate, malt balls, and brownies. Up front is really mild whiskey character, with raisins, bourbon sweetness, hints of toasted coconut soaking in alcohol, fusel cherries....the mids dial up some chocolate sweetness, wood, barrel character...and then the back layers on the malt base. The finish is boozy and big, but just slightly sticky. 

This is fantastic...it's slightly chewy and the malt base is substantial and has held up well over the past year or two. Seriously, look at the grain bill for this. The whiskey has melded into a wonderful accent, with hints of barrel and even some rye bread and rye showing up. This has a little booze in the mix, but not so much the burn...it hides the 10% well, but the beer has heft and the barrel character might turn off people that hate whiskey. It's definitely a sipper though, worth unraveling. Palate depth is really good, and complexity is outstanding. The mouthfeel is medium to full-bodied, even with the barrel and the aging. I just wonder if I'd be as happy about this beer if I paid $30 for a bomber. One last time...up front: velvety smooth chocolate and wood, dark fruits, raisins, brown sugars, rye spice, cherries and coconuts swimming in alcohol; the mids dial up more rye spice, some wood tannin, barrel, chocolate; the back hits the malts with hits of roast and oats and chocolate. The finish is dry with lingering bourbon sweetness...slightly sticky, she said.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Light Divine Brew for the 2012 vintage...this is drinking pretty good right now, so maybe consider that an endorsement if you are camping on a few bottles. Or don't. The fuck do I know about aging a beer I didn't try fresh. Truth is, this beer is retired and I have no baseline. I just like bourbon barrel-aged Stouts and this one is fantastic. It's like a less boozy Bourbon County Stout, only with its own unique personality. It would be a tragedy to pair this beer with anything but a cigar, dry chocolate cake, or a super raunchy burger or steak with strong cheeses. 

Random Thought: I chose to be a bit more analytical in my review, but speaking freely, this beer kind of reminds me of a Barleywine. An English-style Barleywine. Namely, the Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine. If I had to pick between the two, right now I'd opt for another bottle of the 50/50 Heaven Hill 2012 vintage aged. BUT, I have high hopes and expect good things to happen to the Bourbon County Barleywine. We will see.

Mikkeller drumBAR Black Sap

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (brewed & bottled at De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium)

Purchased: 375ml (12.7oz) bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: Imperial Porter, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I honestly can't believe I have only ever reviewed one other Mikkeller beer, which is the

gimmicky but delicious 1000 IBUs. I guess I just prefer the Evil Twin? Ah...aha...get it? Anyway, 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. 

So yeah, tonight's brew is so OG and original there doesn't even appear to be a blurb on the website. I guess Mikkel is too busy flying around gypsy-brewing beer to update his website, IT'S OKAY I LOVE YOU ANYWAY. The bottle on this beer quietly states: "Imperial Porter brewed with coffee & aged in maple syrup barrels." That's good news for me, because I like maple syrup, coffee, and Imperial Porters. 

Mikkeller drumBAR Black Sap

The beer pours into a black, cola-esque body, kick up three fingers of sandy/tan head. The head is bready and thick, and sustaining surprisingly well. Bright light confirms the same stuff...opaque, black body, and a finger of brown head that is still hanging on. There's some nice lacing as well. 

On the aroma: surprising anise and dark fruits...probably from the coffee. If you dig a bit further, you get walloped with dense, thick, earthy coffee. I'm getting intense coffee, espresso, char, dark roast, fudge, hints of mocha or dark baker's chocolate, and some maple/pine sap sweetness. There is some oak and wood as well.

The taste is a collision of maple sap sweetness, tart dark fruits, subtle coffee, and huge char, roast, dirt, earthy espresso, and dark baker's chocolate. The front end has lots of maple sweetness and dark fruits, but the back end dials up huge roast and char, with hints of baker's chocolate, espresso, coffee, and some boozy mouthfeel. The back end even gets a bit ashy, with some leather and tobacco. 

This is surprisingly medium-light bodied, with lots of carbonation and tart fruitiness to help move things along. Palate depth and duration is surprisingly good, as the beer drops off and then kicks into second gear with huge roast and char and baker's chocolate. You really don't get any of the 10% except for some welcomed boozy complexity and warming in your chest. This is moderately complex as well. So I don't know why I'm not madly in love with this...up front: sweet maple syrup, tart dark fruits, sweeter coffee and espresso. Then, go for a jog or something and wait a minute. Better late than never, right? The mid palate shows up...about 20 seconds later (impressive), with MASSIVE roast, char, dark molasses, grilled meats, earthy dirt and coffee and espresso, dark baker's chocolate, and some ash; the back end features trailing roast and char with some leather and tobacco, boozy warming, a dry roasty finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here...this is a very complex, subtle beer. It reminds me very much of The Beer That Saved Christmas, because both beers have really complex flavor profiles that don't assault your senses. You could probably miss out on everything that is good about this beer if you drink it too cold (drink at room temp), or if you drink it too fast. This beer is the type of beer you'll want to mull over for a while, and you'll want to drink the entire bottle. So don't bring this to a bottle share. The contrast of sweet maple sap/syrup and dark fruits and the huge earthy char is nice. It suggests to me that you could pair this beer with a robust cigar, grilled meats, steak, a big burger, or strong aged cheeses. I'd love to see this beer in a slightly larger bottle format, 12.7oz is just not enough to properly mull over. Especially since this wasn't cheap. But I'll toss this a soft recommendation. 

Random Thought: It's totally snowing out...and....I don't even care anymore. Whatever. I'm ready for Spring and Saisons.

Revolution Bean Gene

Brewed By: Revolution Brewing Company (Revolution Beer LLC) in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Capone's Liquor & Food in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Robust Porter, 8.5%

Reported IBUs: 28

Bean Gene is the best Gene. About Revolution:

Revolution Brewing is a brewery and brewpub based in Chicago. Revolution's roots are tied to founder Josh Deth, a homebrewer who began working at Golden Prairie Brewing. A few years later, while working at Goose Island, Josh dreamt up the idea for Revolution Brewing. In 2003, Josh and his wife opened Handlebar, while Josh worked as an Executive Director of Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. While working for the Chamber of Commerce, Josh found an old building on Milwaukee Avenue, and the wheels began to spin to open up a brewery. After three years of raising funds, Revolution Brewing opened its doors on February 2010. In July of 2011, Revolution added a 2nd floor Brewers' Lounge. And in 2012, the company opened a new production brewery and tap room. The brewpub is located in Logan Squre on 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave; the brewery is located on Kedzie Avenue at 3340 N. Kedzie Ave. For more information on Revolution, check out their history page here! 

The Bean Gene is like going into Inception and then plugging into the Matrix or some shit. The beer takes Revolution's Eugene Porter that has been aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels for 36 weeks (aka their Mean Gene), and then tosses in some coffee from Dark Matter Coffee. The Bean Gene is steeped with Dark Matter coffee beans prior to bottling. The bottle states:

"Bean Gene is our first variation on our barrel aged porter, Mean Gene. After months socked away in bourbon barrels, we steep it with Dark Matter coffee beans prior to bottling. Smooth and well balanced, with hints of vanilla and in your face coffee flavor, enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner." 

Revolution Bean Gene

Punching in at 8.5% ABV and 28 IBUs, this is a relatively mild take on something aged in bourbon barrels. This one pours into a mostly opaque and black body...it's inky and dark, but not the darkest I've seen. The beer kicks up three fingers of sandy/tan head, and head retention is pretty good, leaving some nice lacing as it drops off. When held to a bright white light, you catch some brown tones around the edges.

The aroma is a really nice blend of bourbon and coffee. I'm getting a lot of earthy coffee, roast, espresso, dirt, some mocha and chocolate, and a little dark fruit sweetness. The barrel character melds into the backdrop, with wood, light bourbon, and some vanilla and oak.

Wow...this is amazing. Like, restrained and balanced but huge and expansive...I'm getting a lot of coffee, roast, espresso, earthy dirt, light nuttiness and mocha, and then tons of subdued vanilla, oak, light barrel, and some kisses of bourbon and booze. There's mocha in here, hints of dark fruit, some roast, and even some hints of bread/toast. Just wonderfully balanced and drinkable.

This is just...amazing. It's so restrained and drinkable. It sort of drinks like an 8.5% beer, which it is. But you know, sometimes those huge barrel-aged beers get exhausting, and this doesn't. The coffee adds some nice character to the body, with that roasty, coffee-bean texture in the body and carbonation. This is a medium-full to full-bodied beer, with tons of carbonation and coffee tingling on your tongue, and great duration, depth, and complexity. Up front: tons of sweet coffee, earthy coffee, nutty, hints of hazelnut, earthy, dirt, dark fruits; that rolls into big mocha and chocolate, roast, vanilla, bourbon, oak, barrel character, wood, more coffee, some roast; the back end is all about the bourbon/vanilla, oak, some lingering oaky-vanilla sweetness, and a dry vanilla finish. Light, balanced, drinkable, super refined. 

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm going to go with a Strong Divine Brew on this. This is just blissful, fantastic, brilliance. I'm amazed at how easy to drink this beer is...the 8.5% is completely subdued. This beer also has tons of flavor in terms of barrel, coffee, chocolate, and the base beer, but nothing is overwhelming. This beer is like everything that the Deth's Tar isn't. Avoid the Deth's Tar and just by this, yo. Yeah, it's a little pricey at $20 dollars a bottle, but this is quality shit. Good job, Revolution, I will be buying this again. Food pairings: ribs, grilled meets, vanilla ice cream, your snifter and a cigar. Just fantastic...

Random Thought: If you were wondering, yes I am an alcoholic, and yes I took Monday off. Why did I take Monday off? Because it's the Monday after the Super Bowl, and I believe that day should be a national holiday. Who wants to go to work after eating too much food, drinking too much alcohol, and watching a late night football game? The answer is nobody, that's who. 

St. Feuillien Grand Cru

Brewed By: Brasserie St. Feuillien / Friart in Le Roeulx, Belgium

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle (bottled on 17/01/14) from a 4-pack gift set bought at Binny's in IL; 2014
Style/ABV: Grand Cru/Belgian Golden Strong Ale, 9.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

I feel pretty good about my Super Bowl pick, and specifically my pick that the Seahawks and the Seahawks' defense would probably trounce the Broncos, but I really didn't expect the ridiculous blowout and bed crapping that we got. Oh well. About St. Feuillien:

St. Feuillien is is an Abbey-stye brewery based out of Le Roeulx, Belgium, founded in 1873. The brewery's history goes back to the 7th century, when an Irish monk by the name Feuillien came to Belgium to preach the Gospel. Unfortunately...while traveling through Le Roeulx, Feuillien was martyred and beheaded. In memory of Feuillien, his disciples built a chapel in 1125, which became the Abbey of Prémontrés, later known as the Abbaye St-Feuillien du Roeulx. The Abbey prospered until the French Revolution. St. Feuillien makes use of natural ingredients, centuries-old brewing methods, and (I believe) all their beers are bottle conditioned. You can read more about them HERE. 

The St. Feuillien Grand Cru is a "specialty beer" brewed with noble hops and nondescript ingredients. Punching in at 9.5%...this is a big beer. So yeah, hooray for descriptions. Let's get this into a glass. 

St. Feuillien Grand Cru

The Grand Cru pours into a luscious, Belgian-esque, Golden Strong Ale body. We're talking about a hazy pineapple-orange body, and two fingers of soapy, thin, rapidly dissolving white head. In brighter light the body is an orange-yellow, Mimosa color. There is some carbonation rising upwards, along with some peppery yeast sediment floating around. The head settles into a nice cauldron effect, and glossy alcohol legs coat the glass.

I'm really digging the aroma here. I'm getting a lot of perfume phenol and esters, floral aromas, some wheat/Pils malts, orange and lemon and citrus zest, some stone fruits, apples and pears, some grassy and floral Noble hop bitterness, a touch of zesty alcohol, and some mild barnyard/farm characteristic.  

This is boozy and fantastic, with expansive wheat that is creamy and luscious, hints of banana, bubblegum, white sugar, and clove, and tons of floral Noble hop pop. I'm getting citrus: pineapple, orange, lemon, and some other elusive stone fruits. There's some nice Belgian funk with hay and barnyard in the mix, and hints of zesty and medicinal booze. There's also some grain, bread, toast, and nuttiness in the mix. Quite complex, boozy, and big.

This is a medium-full bodied beer thanks to all the carbonation. But it's still creamy and dense, and wheat-fueled. The 9.5% booze is hidden and subtle, like you'd expect in a Belgian Strong Ale or Tripel or Quad. But you still do get some booze. Palate depth is great, and complexity is pretty good for the style. I find this beer to be drinkable. I also find this beer to be pretty funky, with lots of Belgian funk and hay. It's also very balanced and easy-going, with lots of hop character, malt character, citrus fruits, and some subtle bready/nutty notes. Up front: wheat, clove, phenol spice, pepper, peppery booze, and citrus; that rolls into more citrus, some bitter Noble hops, floral notes, some hay and grass, Belgian funk; the back end picks up on the booze, with some toast/nutty/grain, and the finish is dry with lingering Noble hop goodness. Really nice and refined.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Somewhere in that B+ to A- range...it's very much what I would expect from a boozy Tripel or Belgian Strong Ale, without doing anything that is really blowing my mind. Nevertheless, this is a well-crafted beer. The booze is warming, and this is a beer I would pair with meats and cheeses, grilled meats, rustic dishes, and a meal at home. It's the perfect Winter Pale Ale. Boozy and big, but still bright and fresh. Good stuff, would bang again.

Random Thought: I hate it when I break my beer glasses. There is no feeling worse than the sinking feeling when you chip a beer glass. Fuck.