1001 Beers

Beer No: 111
Page No: 63
Category: Amber

Yes...it's been a long time.  When the blog started, I was unemployed, had ample funds to support my beer buying, and more free time than I knew what to do with.  Now, I'm employed, don't have funds to spend on lots of beer (but I do anyways), and have less free time.  But...I think it's time to try and get this going again.  It's not going to be easy to get a review up every day, nor find beers that I can review each day, but I'll do my best.  I just went to the Belgian Beer Festival at Pizza Port, Carlsbad so I have a few reviews to post from there and I do have some beers from my previous review days saved up - and hopefully they'll still be good and not skunky - they've been stored properly, so I have high hopes.

So, Bitch Creek ESB...usually, in the original sense of the word, ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter - with a good amount of hops bringing the bitterness and a golden/brownish hue.  So when I opened this ESB from Grand Teton, I was quite surprised to see it so dark and have the big malty notes on the front.  Yeah, the hops are still there, but it was just darker than I expected.  Then I looked it up on Untappd.com (add me!) and they have it listed as an Extra Special Brown.  I guess it's a nice mix of the two - both bitter and brown, with a good amount of malts and a darker, amber color than I was expecting.  Either way, the malty, nutty flavors really come through but are balanced out at the end by a great hop finish.  Quite exquisite.

As for the amazing write-up in 1001 Beers, the Otto Brothers brew this beer, starting in Wyoming and then moving to Idaho.  But back in Wyoming, after getting brewpubs legalized, they were the ones that introduced the growler.  A bit of beer trivia that we all should know.

At the end of the 19th century, beer drinkers would carry beer home from the pub in a pail known as a "growler."  Lacking a bottling line and looking for a way to sell beer for his customers to cake home, Charlie Otto hit on the idea of putting a brewery label on a half-gallon glass container, calling it a "growler," and telling customer sthey coudl return empties to be refilled.  Brewpubs across the country soon copied the idea.

My review, cross posted at Ratebeer.com:

Grand Teton Bitch Creek ESB

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Had from 12 oz. bottle in pint glass. Pours dark brown/copper with large tan head that sticks around to the finish. Aroma of solid hops and bit of fruitiness that gives way to a solid nutty, malty aroma. Taste starts with the malts; toasty, nutty, toffee. Finishes with strong hop bitterness; pine, citrus. A solid ESB, bit darker than I expected, but quite tasty.

Beer No: 110
Page No: 838
Category: Dark

Once again, I'm starting to slack on my reviews.  It's odd because I'm not watching extra TV on my DVR, I'm not playing World of Warcraft or StarCraft II (though I might fire that one up again later today), but I've just become lazy I guess.  I'm working on two beers now that I had a few days ago (this one and the next review) and back dating them to the proper dates, and then I had a beer today (the 17th) and might have another one or two if they get cold in time, but it's more of a chore now to write all these articles on each one and rate them all.  But I'll try my hardest to keep it going, it just unfortunately means that there could be more periods of inactivity and then flurries of posts when I feel up to posting again.

Anyhoo, some back story on this fine German beer.  Named for the Asam brothers who built the abbey's church (yes, this is an abbey beer - brewed by monks), this malty beer is perfect for a cold evening as it warms with almost 7% ABV and fills with a huge malted flavor.  What's interesting about this brewery is they are one of the oldest, if not the oldest brewery in the world.  1001 Beers says they're most likely the 2nd oldest brewery in existence, but who can say for sure when records date back only to 1050.

"Weltenburger has a longer history of brewing than [the Trappist monasteries].  The monks arrived here on the banks of the Danube in the 7th century and probably began making beer immediately.  No records exist, but it is known that the abbey was brewing in 1050, which makes Weltenburger second only to Weihenstephan, just north of Munich."

First, second, or somewhere later, the monks here know what they're doing.  "loaded with sweet malts, balanced by local Hallertauer hops, and lagered for twelve weeks," this is one is definitely one to try.  Sweet, malty, hints of hops, a nice full-bodied balanced bock.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock by Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.6 / 5.0

Had from bottle. Pours dark brown with huge frothy tan head. Too much carbonation right off the bat. Aroma is heavy bready malts with a hint of some spices and a bit of toffee. Flavor is full-bodied with bit malts, molasses and roasted toffee. Mouthfeel is less carbonated than the pour and has good body to it. Finishes sweet and satisfying. A solid bock.

Beer No: 109
Page No: 933
Category: Specialty

I'm finally back from my second big beer-related road trip of the year.  Though not quite as long as an epic pilgrammage to Decatur, Georgia, this weekend's trip up through wine country brought with it some amazing breweries.  First up was Firestone Walker on Friday night.  I had the sampler there and already knew that I'd enjoy their DBA and IPA but I didn't realize just how good their Firestone Walkers Reserve is.  It was an almost perfect blend of roasted malts, citrus hops, and a creamy body that all just worked together amazingly.  The next day I had a wedding to attend, but before the reception, I made sure to pick up a six pack of Anchor Liberty Ale, one of my new go-to beers when I'm in a pinch at a liquor store with limited selection.  The wedding and reception were amazing, though the beer selection was lacking (so I just stuck with vodka tonics).

Day 3 of the short road trip took us to Russian River, where, as you can see by the picture accompanying this article, we enjoyed their sampler tray with every beer they had on tap including...Little White Lie, Aud Blonde, Gaffer's Bitter, O.V.L. Stout, Perdition, Damnation, Sanctification, Supplication, Consecration, Temptation, Russian River IPA, Blind Pig, Pliny the Elder, and Hopfather.  The standouts were, of course, the Supplication and Consecration.  But what both my friend and I were impressed by most was the Hopfather.  The highest IBU beer they had on tap, it had over 100 IBUs, more than even Pliny the Elder, and it was surprisingly drinkable.  The hops were balanced perfectly.  You got that strong pine hop flavor, but the finish was what sealed the deal.  It didn't linger all that long, and that fresh pine flavor was just tantalizing.

After Russian River, we made the long trek out to Chico to visit Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.  There we enjoyed some good food and a couple good beers - both the Sierra Nevada Old Chico Brand Crystal Wheat (a filtered wheat beer) and 30th Anniversary Jack & Ken's Ale were very good.  However, the night was ruined by the Brewer's Blackbird IPA.  They really should be sued for calling it an IPA.  There's no hops!  Maybe the faintest hop flavor, but the whole thing was just sweetness and ass.  A horrible beer that maybe we just got a bad pour of, but straight from the tap room itself, I would expect lines to be clean and kegs to be properly stored, so there's no excuse.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Russian River Temptation by Russian River Brewing

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 17/20

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

Had on draught at Russian River. Pours golden blonde with a small white head and very nice lacing. Aroma is strongly vinous with hints of oak, yeast, and acid. Taste is amazingly complex with strong flavors of oak, chardonnay, malts, acetic acid, and the perfect amount of sourness. An easier drinking sour than the Consecration and Supplication, but no less complex or enjoyable. Worth $25/bottle? Perhaps. Worth it on tap straight from the source, any day.

Beer No: 108
Page No: 91
Category: Amber

It's always sad to read a story like this:

A small crack in a fermentation vat at the Okanagan Springs Brewery in Vernon, B.C., may be to blame for a creamy beer bomb that blew more than 32-thousand litres of fermented foam across a downtown street.

Similarly, to hear about such floods at other breweries, like the one we were told when I last visited the Stone Brewery, just make my heart sad.  All that good beer, flowing down a street, down a drain, not into my belly, just upsets me.  But alas, not every drop can flow into my belly where it belongs, but on my upcoming trip this weekend, I hope to have enough beer to make up for the beer that is spilled for no good reason.

I'll be visiting the fine folks at Firestone Walker later today and then heading out to Russian River and Sierra Nevada on Sunday.  So until I return, there shall be no new beer posts.  And I apologize for the missed days earlier this week.  I'm still trying to get back on track, but it just gets tough some days when you've got other more pressing priorities.  But hopefully when I return from the trip, I'll be rejuvenated and ready to drink more amazing beers.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Coopers Vintage Ale by Coopers Brewery

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating: 3.4 / 5.0

Had from bottle - 2008 vintage. Pours dark red/brown with slight tan head. Aroma is full on malts, caramel, slight fruity aroma with just a bit of alcohol. Flavors are surprisingly good. Well balanced malts and spices with a hint of some fruit and the slightest bit of acid. It was good and a pleasant surprise given previous Coopers tastings. A well done vintage ale.

Beer No: 107
Page No: 247
Category: Amber

At first I thought I had made a mistake, because this bottle is part of the "Imperial Series" by Samuel Adams and the beer listed was just the Double Bock, but upon turning to the page in 1001 Beers, it's clear that this is the beer they intended to put in the book.  Which is kind of annoying because I didn't really enjoy this beer at all.  I thought the flavors were a bit medicinal and the "imperialization" of the beer just didn't really help out at all.  The taste was just acceptable with some smoked malts and some hints of coffee, but the heavy hops they tried to add just threw things out of whack.  That being said, it certainly didn't ruin my International Beer Day.

And in honor of International Beer Day, here's a wonderful song about Duvel, among my favorite beers as well.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Samuel Adams Imperial Double Bock by Boston Beer Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.6 / 5.0

Had from 12oz bottle. Pours dark brown with slight tan head and good lacing. Aroma is heavy smoked malts, some coffee, and alcohol. Taste is alcohol, lots of malts, and a nice hop bite at the finish. A bit disappointing, had expected something a bit more complex and less medicinal.

Beer No: 106
Page No: 420
Category: Blond

It's funny, back to back posts where I originally rated the beer 7-8 years ago, and then looking back today, I feel completely different about it.  I really enjoyed this Liberty Ale and it'll be my go-to in the future if I'm just looking for a quick six-pack to take to a party (previously I usually just picked up Sierra Nevada Pale).  I really enjoyed this American Pale Ale finding it to be incredibly complex, yet wonderfully balanced.  Easy to drink with tons of flavor, I just couldn't have been happier this morning.  As mentioned, this is the second beer in a row that I've taken another look at and a commenter yesterday picked up on the change and I agree with him how fun it is to sometimes look back at old ratings and see how our tastes have evolved.

I really like the fact that you came back and did a re-review. It's interesting from a beer drinkers' perspective to see how our tastes and moods change from one sitting to another over time. And from a readers' perspective it's interesting to see two different takes on a beer - especially if they're from the same person. Gives a more complete idea of the beer.

In beer news, the Craft Brewers Alliance bought Kona, rescuing them and allowing Kona to contiue to create great craft brews.  When I first read about the acquisition, I at first thought of Kraft, and found a brewery to be an odd choice, but then realized it's something completely different:

Under the agreement, Kona will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Craft Brewers, which also distributes the beers of Chicago's Goose Island Brewery. Craft Brewers was formed with the merger of Portland's Widmer Brothers Brewing and Woodinville, Wash.,-based Redhook Ale Brewery in 2008.

I'm glad Kona will be able to continue to produce the beers the way they want to and hopefully the Craft Brewers Alliance can provide distribution that will help them grow.

((And yes, this review is being back-posted to fill in some gaps in reviews.  So you'll notice the re-rate on August 4th and the article from August 3rd despite the article being "posted" on July 29th.))

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Anchor Liberty Ale by Anchor Brewing Company

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

UPDATED: AUG 4, 2010 Wow, what a difference 7 years makes. Had from bottle, this beer is thoroughly refreshing. Pours golden yellow with a slight orange tint and tons of head. Beer actually foamed over on me when taking the cap off. Aroma is perfect balance of floral hops and muted malts. Flavor is wonderful. Quite possibly my new favorite easy-drinking beer. The perfect amount of hops complement the complex malts. Probably my new favorite in the APA category. Wonderfully smooth finish, a very well-rounded beer.

Had on tap at Callahan’s on February 19th, 2003
The beer was poured a golden yellow with a slight head that dissipated quickly. Aroma is slightly fruity, but weak. Taste is hoppy and bitter with an aftertaste that is slightly acidic. Not an outstanding taste - drinkable, but not tops on my list.
Original Rating: 4/3/6/4/12 2.9/5.0

Beer No: 105
Page No: 572
Category: White

Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse is easily one of my favorite Hefewiezens.  So it saddened me so when half way through drinking this beer and reading the Wall Street Journal, a fly landed in it and could not escape.  Such a shame to waste this beer.  My friends all told me to fish out the fly and continue drinking, but I just couldn't do it.  That being said, I still got to drink half of the beer and then went in and started on a new beer - Speakeasy Prohibition Ale - a nice amber, but nothing too special.  Easy to drink and a good representation of the style.

On a side note, I found it pretty funny that just days after BrewDog comes out with the world's strongest beer at 55% and names it "End of History," another brewery, just for fun comes out with a 60% beer and names it "Start the Future."  A fun game of one-upmanship and hilarious product naming.  However, one downside to "Start the Future" is it doesn't come bottled in roadkill...

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier by Spaten-Franziskaner-Brau (InBev)

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

UPDATED: AUG 1, 2010 Rerate 7/28/2010
Not quite sure what happened with my original rating 8 years ago - maybe I had a bad bottle or something, but since then, Franziskaner has become one of my favorite Hefeweizens. The aroma has a wonderful blend of fruits, spices, yeast, and bananas while the taste is pretty much exactly what a hefe should be. Fruit, cloves, and vanilla all dominate the tasting and blend together perfectly. A truly wonderful hefe.

I’m usually a huge fan of hefeweizens, but this one seemed a bit bland. The color is the usual hazy yellow with a medium sized head. The aroma is slightly fruity and the taste as well, but overall, it seemed weak with a taste that left something to be desired. A refreshing beer, but nothing special - not a stand-out hefe.

Original Rating: 6/4/6/3/13 3.2/5.0 on 10.10.2002

Beer No: 104
Page No: 400
Category: Blonde

Yeah, so maybe that's not the proper way to pour a beer, but hell, it's a pilsener, and a poor one at that.  Tasting of skunky beer, there's not much that can help this brew rise from the depths.  I still can't fathom why breweries continue to use green bottles.  Perhaps they're just trying to emulate Heineken skunk flavors?

In unrealted news, it appears that Stone may be heading to England.  I knew they were looking for a European base of operations, so where better than in an old, closed-up brewery?  The Birmingham Post reports that Stone might be interested in bidding on the old Highgate Brewery.  Seems like a perfect fit to me.  The only place that would fit them better I think is Estonia - get it? E-STONE-IA...haha.

The Stone Brewing Company, based in Escondido, California, is thought to be lining up a bid for the listed building and the brewing equipment from the 112-year-old Black Country brewery, which has been up for sale since the previous brewers collapsed earlier in the summer.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Jever Pilsener by Jever (Oetker Group)

Aroma: 2/10
Appearance: 2/5
Taste: 4/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 5/20

Rating: 1.5 / 5.0

11.2oz. green bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours clear golden yellow with heavy carbonation and good head. Aroma is skunky - can’t really get any malts or hops. Taste is standard pils with skunky grains and grass. Not my cup o’ tea. Why do breweries still insist on using green bottles?

Beer No: 103
Page No: 930
Category: Specialty

Yum, yum, yum.  This is the reason I'm heading up to Russian River in August.  Their beers are legendary here in California, and most likely across the United States.  Amongst those that know a good sour, they know Russian River.  You really have no idea how excited I am to be able to visit Russian River in early August.  I'll be there for a nice lunch at their restaurant, hope to take a quick tour of the brewery, and then hit the road to have dinner and a tour up at Sierra Nevada a bit further north.  I had planned to continue my trip by heading up to Portland, but with finances still being tight, I just can't justify the cost of added hotel nights, more gas, more beer bought (well, that's justifiable), and other expenses.  But checking Kayak, round trip flights up there are just $221, so I'll probably go at some point, find a nice downtown hotel, and not even worry about having a car.

As for this amazing Russian River brew, I rated it almost exactly the same as the awesome Consecration.  I think it really says something about this beer when it's the #2 sour ale on all of RateBeer.com.  Lost Abbey's Yellow Bus is #1 and I almost got some of it last Saturday, but instead went to the home brew competition results luncheon at the Orange County Fair to accept our award for our first place Sweet Stout ("our" being Arkh Brewing).  Hopefully I'll have the chance to try Yellow Bus soon as I can't live without knowing what the #1 sour beer tastes like.  Oh, by the way, Supplication is #3 on the site.  Lost Abbey / Pizza Port holds spots 4 through 7 and Russian River holds spot #8 with Temptation (one of the 1001 and coming in mid-August).  Pretty insane that the top 8 sour beers come from just two producers.  If only I could figure out a way to master this type of brew.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Russian River Supplication by Russian River Brewing

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall: 17/20

Rating: 4.4 / 5.0

Batch 005X3 from Hi Time Wine Cellars. An amazing way to follow up last week’s Stone Sour Fest and an absolutely wonderful beer that I’ve had many times, but never rated. Pours with a reddish brown hue, fine carbonation, and slight tan head which dissipates quickly. Nose is mostly cherries, pinot, brett, lactic acid, and sour vinegar. Taste is perfectly balanced sourness with lots of cherries, plums, oak, wine, vinegar and citrus. Finishes perfectly with lingering fruits and oak. I just love this stuff.

Beer No: 102
Page No: 918
Category: Specialty

The last of my Stone Sour Fest reviews, this is the Lost Abbey Red Poppy.  It's easily one of my favorites (though their new Russ - strawberry sour - was pretty amazing as well), but the Cuvee de Tomme still ranks as my favorite Lost Abbey brew (I'll post both reviews below).  One day, when I'm rolling in cash, I'll join the Lost Abbey Sinners & Saints program, but for now, I'll be content with my Bruery Reserve Society membership.  Enough with Lost Abbey, on to the beers.  For the final listing, here are the beers from "C" East Side of Lawn - all on draft.  A * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival.

• "C" East Side of Lawn
  • Lagunitas Pinot Noir Barreled Sonoma Farmhouse Saison Style Ale
  • The Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze *
  • The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa *
  • The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale *
  • The Lost Abbey Russ *
  • The Lost Abbey Veritas Ale 07 *
  • Moylan's Barrel Aged Kilt Lifter with Brett
  • New Belgium La Folie
  • New Belgium Lips of Faith Eric's Ale º
  • New Belgium Lips of Faith Transatlantique Kriek º
  • New Belgium Love - Felix (dry hopped) *
  • New Belgium Love - Oscar (spiced) *
  • New Belgium Tart Lychee *
  • Ommegang Zuur *
  • Russian River Consecration º
  • Russian River Supplication º (tomorrow's beer)
  • Six Rivers Raspberry Lambic *
  • Triple Rock Sour Cherry Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels *
  • Dogfish Head Festina Peche º
  • Drake's FrakenBerry Sour
  • Drake's Kuato

I think this quote from Lost Abbey's director of brewing, Tomme Arthur pretty much sums up my feelings on all the sour ales (my personal favorite style of beer):

"Perhaps the single most defining beer moment for me came when I experienced my first Rodenbach Grand Cru.  It was a seminal moment, as I only then began to understand that beer could possess a range of flavors outside of bland and watery.  The beer was ruby with brown highlights.  It was at once sweet and sour, woody and dry.  This beer was an epiphany for me."

I think any craft beer drinker can agree with Tomme.  There's that moment when you discover that there's a whole world out there outside of the Corona, Bud Lite, and Miller High Life.  There's a world full of flavor, complexity, and range.  A beer can at once be "sweet and sour, woody and dry."  It doesn't have to taste like nothing and only serve the purpose of getting you drunk.  A good beer should be imbibed to experience a full range of flavors, and once experienced, there's no going back.

Thank you to all the visionaries out there.  Those at Stone, Lost Abbey, Cascade, Russian River, AleSmith, The Bruery, Bootlegger's, and countless others whom have made my life better through drink.  Keep up the good work, maybe one day I will work beside you.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had on tap at Stone Sour Fest 2010. Easily one of my favorite Lost Abbey beers. The Red Poppy pours with a deep brownish-red color and slight tan head. Aroma of cherries, oak, lactic acid, vinegar, and citrus. Taste is equally complex with the cherries being the dominant flavor with the citrus and acids backing it up. Well balanced, finishes nicely, a true gem from Lost Abbey.

Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 5/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

Had on draught at The 12 Hour Belgian Beer Party at Pizza Port Carlsbad on March 8, 2003  #34 on the program and #100 for me!!!

The beer has a very pleasing aroma - a slight wine smell laced with cherries. It's a bit tart, but wow, it's extremely flavorful. The beer has a beautiful appearance with no head and a clear, dark red hue. The beer is sweet, slightly acidic with a very complex, flavorful density. I had actually left the Beer Fest for dinner, but upon reviewing my program, saw I missed this highly recommended beer. I went back, bought another ticket and enjoyed this very fine beer. An absolutely wonderful beer.