1001 Beers

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: 100
Page No: 862
Cateogory: Specialty

Truth be told, there's really few other brewers that I would choose to be my 100th beer on my journey to 1001.  The Grand Cru was an amazing beer and an absolute delight amongst all the other fine beers available at the Stone Sour Fest.  So, just to tease you all who might not have been there, here's the full list of all the beers available (a * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival).

• Bottle List
  • 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze
  • Alvinne Cuvee Freddy
  • Avery Brabant º
  • Avery Depuceleuse
  • Avery Sui Generis
  • Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Style Weiss
  • Birr del Borgo Duchessie
  • Birrificio Italiano Series
  • Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru *
  • Cantillon Classic Gueze *
  • Cantillon Cuvee des Champions *
  • Cantillon Iris º
  • Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze 2006 *
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek 2007 *º
  • Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus *
  • Cantillon Vigneronne
  • Cascade Kriek Ale
  • Cascade The Vine
  • De Proefbrouwerij Flemish Primative 2008 Special Vintage Reserve
  • De Proefbrouwerij Zoetzuur º
  • De Ranke Kriek
  • Dogfish Head Red & White º
  • Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label º
  • HaandBryggeriet Wild Thing
  • HaandBryggeriet Haandbakk
  • Hanssens Oudbeitje
  • Hanssens Oude Kriek
  • Ichtegem's Grand Cru
  • Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
  • Liefmans Kriekbier º
  • Lindemans Gueuze Grand Cru Cuvee Rene
  • The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomee º
  • The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale º
  • The Lost Abbey Sinners 09 *
  • Ommegang Zuur
  • Oud Beersel Framboise
  • Oud Beersel Kriek
  • Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Vieille º
  • Panil Barriquee
  • Petrus Aged Pale
  • Reinart Flemish Wild Ale º
  • 2009 Russian River Consecration º
  • 2010 Russian River Consecration º
  • Russian River Supplication º
  • Russian River Temptation º
  • Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne º

But what you have to realize from this list is this was just the bottle list.  There's another 2 pages full of sour beers on tap that I'll post tomorrow along with another review of one of these spectacular beers that I sampled.  Many thanks to the wonderful people at Stone Brewing who put this on - especially Dr. Bill.  The only downside to the event was the long line at the bottle tasting bar and the limit of just 15 tickets.  With a lot of the good (i.e. rare) beers costing two tickets, and no ability to buy more tickets, the limit of 15 taster tickets really put a damper on things.  We arrived at 9:30am and we were done at 12:30pm.  We were not drunk, we had a designated driver, and with the event going until 7pm, we had plenty of time left to sample more beers.

That being said, I have to reiterate that it was an amazing day, staff was friendly and helpful, weather was beautiful (about 90 degrees - which was actually much cooler than last year when it was 100+ with high humidity), and we had an awesome table to sample our beers at.  The day really couldn't have been any better.

On to the beer...The Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella 1900...I had it late in the day which probably upped my anticipation a bit and more than likely enhanced my appreciation for the beer.  Looking back at an old 2009 rating, I can't say I disagree too much when all is said and done.  I enjoyed the small taster I had at Stone, but when you have a full bottle, you're able to grasp the subtleties of the beer better.  So...without further ado...

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru by Cantillon

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

750ml bottle from High Time Wine. Pours with a few bubbles, but flat. Had to question whether it was supposed to be this flat or if I got a bad bottle. Aroma was of strong oak (expected after aging three years in a barrel) with a hint of tartness - apples perhaps - and some malt. Color is clear, crisp, gold with again, no bubbles to speak of.

Flavors are intensly lambic, oaks, woods, but a bit too much like a cider or wine. The tartness of the citrus comes through at the end, a satisfying finish, but in the end, I felt it lacking overall.

So here we are, 7% of the way through 1001 Beers...a loooong way to go.  And here goes beer #2 on my trip through 4 oddly shaped 330ml bottles.  This time it's Piraat from the same brewery as Gulden Draak, Brouwerij Van Steenberge.  Here again, we have a heavily malted beverage and again, 10.5% ABV.  This time it's a little bit easier to classify - a Belgian Strong Ale.  Hopped a little more than the Gulden Draak, this time, they add rice and sugar to the mash tun to ensure plenty of sugar for fermentation, hence the 10.5%.

Again though, this sort of heavily malted beverage just isn't up my alley.  But, like Gulden Draak, it's not a bad beer.  In fact, if I were a fan of these heavier malted beverages, Piraat would be right up my alley.  In fact, back in the day, I used to visit a local eatery, Hollingshead's Deli, I used to get Piraat quite often.  But then again, in those times, it was probably the 10.5% that attracted me to it.  Either way, if you haven't had a Piraat, it's definitely one to try - at least once.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Piraat by Brouwerij Van Steenberge

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

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

Pours golden yellow / orange with a slight white head. Aroma is mostly sweet with hints of honey, oranges, spices, and hints of citrus hops. Taste is mellow - sweet, malty, low hop flavors. Another fizzy beer from Van Steenberge, finishes slightly astringent with alcohol lingering. Good, just not great.

Beer No: 60
Page No: 234
Category: Amber

Yes, that's a Hangar 24 cup.  Not an Alpine Beer Co. cup.  Today, due to the extra rough night and having way too much fun yesterday, I'm calling one in.  Using a review from years ago and not actually drinking this as I go through my 1001.  Maybe I can come back to it later, but for now, a word about Hangar 24.

Hangar 24 is a relatively new entrant into the Southern California craft beer scene and is putting out some really good brews.  They have five year round brews that I sampled over the weekend and they also were serving a special cask of blueberry-infused Orange Wheat.  I was very impressed by their operation as they have quite a good thing going out in Redlands.  It's a bit of a drive for me, but I hope to make it back out there often.  The reason I was out at Hangar 24 on this particular day, however, was for the first Hangar 24 Homebrew Competition.  Expecting about 150 entries, they received over 250 and the turnout for the awards was great.

Of the three beers entered by myself and Scott, my brewing partner, our English Pale won a silver medal.  Our American Pale did not place, but it also was in the most contested category, and we believe we have a good product on our hands.  Our stout also did not place, but we didn't expect much as the bottle conditioning was not complete and we most likely entered a flat stout, but any notes on the flavors we get back will be invaluable to us.

So that's our trip to Hangar 24.  In fact, I liked the place so much, I sent in my resume today.  It'd be quite a commute, but would be an amazing job.  *Fingers Crossed*

As for the beer I'm reviewing today, I don't really remember it from back in the day when I first tasted it, but my notes say that I'd rather have a bottle than a cask of it, so I'm really going to try and update this post once I can get my hands on a bottle and re-review this beer.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Alpine Beer Company Pure Hoppiness from Alpine Beer Company (CA)

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

Had at Real Ale Festival on from cask - May 30, 2003
I heard good things about this beer, and while it's an enjoyable beer, it wasn't my favorite at the festival. The aroma is hoppy with a lot of pine. The beer pours with a amber/orange coloring and a small head that completely disappears. The flavor is extremely hoppy and has lots of pine flavoring. The texture of the beer was a bit watery/oily, but overall, a good beer - I'd like to have this one from a bottle rather than cask conditioned.

Beer No: 56
Page No: 312
Category: Blond

Today (or maybe it was yesterday), the House of Representatives passed a Beer Resolution!  Saluting "the goals and ideals of American Craft Beer Week," the American Craft Beer Resolution passed the House and is now officially recognized - whatever that means.  Personally, I think they have bigger issues to deal with, but a quick vote on beer is never a bad thing I guess.  So I hope everyone is enjoying their American Craft Beer Week.  I know I am.

Back to the beer, the Allagash Tripel Reserve is made following the standards of a classic Belgian-style tripel without any special ingredients.  According to 1001 Beers, brewmaster Rob Tod says what makes this tripel special lies in the yeast.  Using primary fermentation and a secondary fermentation with bottle conditioning, it's the yeast that gives this tripel its special flavors.  Unfortunately, I just wasn't a fan.  I felt the herbs and spices brought out by the yeast was just too overpowering and completely overwhelmed the classic tripel flavors that should have been present.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Allagash Tripel Reserve from Allagash Brewing Company

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating 3.2 / 5.0

Had from bottle from BevMo. Batch No. 144. Pours a hazy golden yellow with large, thick head. Aroma is sweet and spicy - fruity and yeasty with lots of herbs and spices. Taste is overwhelmed by spices. Also very sweet with sugar and herbs at the finish. A dry, astringent aftertaste lingered. I had higher hopes, but thought the spices completely took this beer over and were way too pronounced.

Beer No: 53
Page No: 828
Category: Dark

It really is a shame that this is Abita's only entry into the list of 1001.  I'm a fan of their Purple Haze (which oddly enough is really lowly rated on RateBeer).  For a "fruity" wheat beer, I think the Purple Haze balances the fine line of being too fruity and all wheat very well.  If I'm ever in a pinch and need a refreshing wheat beer, Purple Haze normally is the way I go.  I pretty much fell in love with it on my road trip when visiting Abita's home state of Louisiana.  I wish I would have had time to visit the Abita brewery, but I do hope to go back to Louisiana sometime soon as even two full days in New Orleans was not nearly enough.

As for the Turbodog, billed as a "dark brown ale," the balance between going too dark and yet remaining a flavorful brown ale.  Here, Abita has excelled.  The malty and chocolate undertones of a darker ale are evident, but it doesn't get too heavy and remains a solid brown ale.

Looking back at my travels to Louisiana, I also remember having the Jockamo IPA from Abita many times with some local favorites such as gumbo and prawns, but again, I find the beer rated lowly on RateBeer.  I think there's a tendency amongst the raters to stay "in line" and rate lowly rated beers low and highly rated beers high.  Similarly, there's certain stigmas with regards to breweries.  If everyone's rating Abita low on RateBeer, others just follow in step.  Meanwhile, breweries like Cigar City and The Bruery are always rated high, and everyone just follows along.  Even beers that might not deserve a high rating are just rated high simply based on the brewery's name.  It's a shame, but there's really nothing you can do about it other than rate the beers honestly and try and avoid reading other reviews until your rating has been submitted.

But, even as I write this, I know that I'm not wholly innocent here.  With an average score given of 3.28 and an average beer rating of 3.41, it appears that, even though I try and be objective and honest with each rating, I still end up within 0.13 points of each beer's average rating.  And even with the Turbodog, which I rated 8 years ago, my rating of 3.2 is exactly what the weighted average of the beer is after 1,050 ratings.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Abita Turbodog from Abita Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

A very dark brownish-red beer with a slight head (about 1/2 inch on pint glass). Had on tap at Callahan’s 10/16/02. The odor is slightly fruity and taste is similar with a mild nutty malt flavor. An interesting beer with a bit more carbonation than usual beers. A very drinkable beer, but nothing special.

Beer No: 40/1001
Page No: 174
Category: Amber

Ahh, Leafer Madness, how can you go wrong.  So obviously a reference to Reefer Madness, cult film of the 1930's.  Oh wait, it's not??

Yeah, somehow, according to 1001 Beers, owner and brewer at Beer Valley, Pete Ricks says that this beer is not named for Reefer Madness.  For some strange reason, I don't believe him.  He states that back when hop prices skyrocketed in 2007, a local hop farmer offered him free hops that were about to be plowed under because some plants had been damaged in a nearby fire.  So he drove out in the middle of the night during a storm and started shoveling hops into garbage bags with a five gallon bucket.  This "madness" brought about the name of the beer.

Still not convinced?  Neither am I.

However, this double IPA does know how to pack a punch and the amount of hops crammed into the beer is madness. I found that I started to enjoy the beer a lot better after it had warmed up a little.  Coming from a 22 oz. bottle, this beer pours with tons of head, so I got almost three pints out of it and I started enjoying it more as I got further into the bottle.  Maybe it was the 9% ABV that was warming me up, or it was the hops seeming to mellow a bit as the beer warmed, allowing more of the other flavors to shine through.  I was a bit mixed on this beer while tasting it initially, thinking the hops were just too much even for a hop-head like me, but it really grew on me and I enjoyed the finish of this fine DIPA.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Beer Valley Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Ale from Beer Valley Brewing Company

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

22 oz. bottle from Total Wine. Pours orange with excellent lacing and a nice head from start to finish. Very sweet, hoppy aroma. Citrus, grapefruit, pine, and orange. Flavor is heavy on hops - very piney, with undertones of malts and caramel. Mostly hops hops and hops. Beer came together well when it warmed up a bit as the hops seemed to almost mellow a bit and the other flavors were allowed to shine. A very well done DIPA.

Beer No: 35/1001
Page No: 937
Category: Specialty

Today, a couple of my friends and I went down to the Haven Gastropub for their release of Firestone Walker's Solace - a summer wheat beer.  We arrived early and they were just getting the keg ready, so we had time to kill before we could sample the Solace.  I started with a Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge (a Flemish red sour ale) while my friends each went with the Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA.  As we finished our first round, I noticed Tokyo* on the draught list and ordered a glass to share amongst the table.  Clocking in at 18.2%, it's served as a 6 oz. pour in a sifter.  We passed it around, all marveled at the heavy alcohol aroma, and then dove in.

The Tokyo* was very complex, with strong flavors of bourbon, alcohol, cherries, coffee, and chocolate.  It finishes a bit harsh, but nothing too strange for an 18%er.  Like I say in my review, it was definitely an experience, and I'm glad I at least tried this one, but at $13 for 12oz. bottle, or $11 for a 6oz. pour on tap, it's very expensive and not quite worth it in my opinion.  I always find it funny when a beer like this gets such a high "Overall" rating at Ratebeer.com - it's in the 96th percentile of all beers.  However, it's just in the 48th percentile for Imperial Stouts.  With Imperial Stouts being rated so highly at both RateBeer and BeerAdvocate, it's tough to crack the top there - and even if your beer is better than 96% of all others, over 50% of imperial stouts are better than this.

As for the Firestone Walker Solace, well, after my Rouge and Tokyo*, it was pretty much a let down.  It was easy to drink, but the standard hefe flavors all seemed to be missing.  I didn't get the banana or clove flavors in abundance and just wasn't impressed, unfortunately.  I like Firestone Walker, but it seems like they were just trying to capitalize on a burgeoning market and failed to really put too much effort into this one.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

BrewDog Tokyo* from BrewDog

Aroma: 5/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

Had on tap at Haven Gastropub. 6 oz. pour, sifter. Poured a dark brown / black with very small tan head and no head retention. Aroma of cherries, oak, coffee, and alcohol - lots of alcohol. The alcohol aroma almost put off one of the other drinkers, but we powered through. The taste is similar to aroma - heavy in alcohol and sweet. Hints of oak, bourbon, chocolate, and coffee. Finishes a bit harsh with alcohol and some lingering fruits. A complex beer that just has too much alcohol that is not well hidden at all. An experience, but no need to repeat.

Please note: This was a test post / review before I started reviewing the 1001 Beers.

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Flavor: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

Had from 12 oz. bottle from Hi Time Wine. Pours reddish brown with head that does not linger at all. Very slight lacing and off-white bubbles that remain through drinking. Aromas of apricot (of course), citrus, hops, and a hint of malts. The apricot flavor is surprisingly mild with the hops dominating the taste. I am not a fan of fruity beers in the least and Dogfish does a very nice job to disguise the apricot, but it’s definitely in there. The finish is dry and slightly bitter, but you do get that little hit of sweetness, that little kiss of apricot on the end. Enjoyable, but seemingly lacking something, just not sure what.