Beer Roundup

We've hit a point at my Actual Job where volume goes through the roof (175% increase - nearly triple what we normally do). Visits to anyplace other than my living room are not going to be common for the month of January. This is par for the course, but decompression in the evening can and will involve beer, so I can still review new things.

We'll start with one I mentioned a few posts back, the Widmer '11 / KGB Imperial Stout. I have been a strong advocate of the last few Reserve releases from the Brothers W. Last year's 'Pitch Black IPA' (cue every CDA-name lover twitching uncontrollably) was one of my favorite examples of the style and I probably bought more of it in January 2010 than any other beer. I can almost guess that W'11 is going to do the same thing. It's a very drinkable Russian Imp-Stout with toasty notes and only the slightest burn from the alcoholic content. And, by the way, FULL points to these guys for dropping a 9+ abv beer into six-packs. You normally see these in four-ways or in bombers, but snagging a six of this for under 8 bucks feels like theft. Recommended sampling, just be careful since that 9% sneaks up on you without warning.

Keeping on the dark side of the fence, Cafe Negro (Bridgeport) is another new release that recently hit the shelves. As previously noted, I am all kinds of down with a good coffee porter and I had some of this batch to go with our 'New Year's Breakfast For Dinner' party. The coffee notes have a great earthy/dirty quality that I look for in this style and there's a hop effect on the back end that had some bite to it. That was strange for a porter, but it worked okay with the flavors involved. If you like coffee in your beer, I'd advise picking some up.

My last 'new' beer in recent weeks was Billy the Mountain (Upright) and it's another "you will not find stuff like this elsewhere" kind of brew. This is not going to be for everyone and, truth be told, I'm not entirely sure it was my cup of tea. I'm uncertain if this was just the bottle I purchased or what, but there was nearly zero carbonation as I poured it into my glass. I've seen other reviews and write-ups talking about 'over carb'ing" so I have no baseline to run with here. But with the lack of fizz, the brett and the dark fruit in the nose, and the reddish coloring, this was a bit like drinking a tart wine. Dates/raisins and some of the oaky-ness from the aging are present, but I wasn't getting into it with quite the degree of enthusiasm which I had hoped. It's not bad stuff, but either I need to snag it on-tap at Upright or I need to try another bottle to see if my particular purchase was out of character.

I'm trying to find the time for a Hopworks run (new batch of Secession) this weekend, but energy levels are going to dictate what happens. Might just drag myself to John's or Belmont and keep working through 'new' stuff.

Happy New Year

As I sit sipping the new Widmer '11 (KGB - Russian Imperial Stout . . . full review later, doing a very good job of masking the 9+ abv, for what it's worth), I'm currently thinking back over the good beer I've had this year and the fun I'm having finding new locations, new creations, and new discoveries. Definitely been an enjoyable year in terms of what I got to drink.

Last year's 'First Beer Of The New Year' went to Elysian and their Dragonstooth Stout. This year, I'm pulling out my bottle of Jubelale 2010 and breaking it open for my toasting glass for midnight. This is their once-a-decade creation (granted, only done a couple of times thus far) of a double version of Jubelale aged in pinot. It's a month away from the "best after" date on the bottle, but I'm willing to take a risk.

I'll have the San Diego visits up over the weekend. For now, please have a safe and fantabulous New Year.

Brrrbon - See You In 2011

A few months back, Widmer announced their third release in the Brothers' Reserve series. The first (Cherry Oak Doppelbock) and the second (Prickly Pear Braggot) were both reasonably decent, but the headline for the third had me pretty excited: Barrel Aged Brrrbon. That would be Brrr (Widmer's winter offering) aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels for four months. I like Brrr. I like barrel-aging. You can see why I'd be intrigued and (possibly) drooling. This was targeted as a must-try when it hit the shelves.

On Friday I was able to pick up a bottle at John's along with a few other things. The stats:

Malts: 2-row pale, Carapils, Caramel 10-L, Caramel 80 L & Dark Chocolate
Hops: Alchemy (bittering), Simcoe & Cascade (Aroma)
ABV: 9.4%
IBU: 40

I'd like to be able to give some flavor characteristics other than "there's a hint of caramel bourbon flavoring", but I'm unable to do so at this time. This is because the 9.4% was punching me in face on every sip. Front end, middle end, back end - booze, booze, and more booze. The heat off the alcohol was extremely difficult for my taste buds to navigate, but there were one or two sips where I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Halfway through warming up, I got an very nice mix of some sweet vanilla/caramel with the malt/spice of the Brrr. I just wish there were more of those moments instead of fighting through it.

Predisposed to like this, I'm a little sad that I can't sing it's praises right now in this incomplete form. Brrrbon will, in all probability, be an enjoyable beer when it matures a bit. I'm planning on picking up another bottle and putting it straight into the Beer Cabinet of Perpetual Darkness - we'll say hi again around Halloween of 2011. But, yow, straight-up green with this stuff? Only if you have developed an ability to ignore boozy heat and find the underlying flavors. Even then, it's going to be a challenge.

Reviews on-deck from the weekend: Alaskan's 2010 Smoked Porter, Deschutes' Hop Trip, and a realization that Ninkasi's Believer is a wholly different beast on-tap than what I remember out of the bottle.