1001 Beers

Beer No: 97
Page No: 560
Category: White

It's been almost a month with no beer reviews, so I figure that's ample time away.  I guess other things just got the better of me.  It started with a weekend missed due to prior engagements and then I just didn't have the inclination to catch up from the missed weekend and the weekend turned into a week, and from there, it just spiraled out of control.  Then came Sunday, Stone's 4th Annual Sour Fest kicked my butt into gear.  I had an amazing time sampling some absolutely amazing beers (I'll post the full beer list in a bit).

So I'm back.  I've still got tons of beers lined up to enjoy from the book and I can't wait to start reviewing them again.  So we'll start with a nice German wheat, the Ayinger Ur-Weisse.  I'm generally a fan of Ayinger's beers and I enjoyed this nice wheat beer that packs a bit of malts along with it.  Not as fruity as your standard wheat, nor really having all of the spices, this beer is well balanced and a perfect fit for a warm day in the sun.

It's good to be back and hopefully I can stay on schedule again and not take a few weeks off any more like I did here.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Ayinger Ur-Weisse by Brauerei Aying

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

500mL bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours cloudy, hazy yellow/orange with nice head and some lacing. Aroma is slight wheat, spices, and malts, all blended together nicely. Taste is refreshing, light, malty, nice balance of wheat and cloves. Slight bitterness at the finish, but a very nice finish and easy drinkability.

Beer No: 72
Page No: 186
Category: Amber

The last in my quick travel through the four oddly shaped 330ml bottles from Belgium, we end with the Maredsous 10 Tripel after having the lovely Maredsous 8 Dubbel yesterday.  Not much new to note here after going over the "Certified Belgian Abbey Beer" label yesterday, but I did enjoy this tripel.  On par with the Piraat as far as alcohol content (10.0% vs. 10.5%), I found the Maredsous to be clearly superior.  So, after declaring the Maredsous 8 better than the Gulden Draak, we have Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat 2, Brouwerij Van Steenberge 0.  However, all four of the beers were above average, and if I were a fan of malty beers like all four of these were, I'd be content to drink them in rotation until the end of days.  And here they are, crazy 330ml bottles and all:

On a completely unrelated (well, maybe related note), yesterday The Bruery announced their intentions to open a store in Old Towne Orange, just a few blocks (ok, maybe a lot of blocks - 2.3 miles - or 11 minutes on bike) from my house.  And I couldn't be happier.  The Buery Provisions will feature not only their own brews, but also a vast selection of hard-to-find beers, a nice tasting room, and most likely, choices of cheese and other charcuterie.  It'll be absolutely awesome to be able to bike on over, have a couple beers, some cheese, purchase some bottles, and bike on home.  They can't open soon enough for me.  Welcome to Orange.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Maredsous 10 by Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Had from 330ml bottle from BevMo. Pours golden orange with slight white had. Aroma is of citrus hops, spices, and lots of malts. Taste is of alcohol, malts, sugar, spices, fruits with very slight hops in the finish. Pours fizzy with an aftertaste of alcohol and the smallest amount of bitterness. Had in succession with Piraat and this is clearly a superior beer with the same alcohol content. A very good tripel, but not the best I’ve had.

Beer No: 61
Page No: 154
Category: Amber

I'm usually not a fan of barleywines.  I find them excessively malty with a watery/oily texture that just doesn't really go well with what I have come to expect from my beer.  I like some bite with my beer - most notably a nice hoppy bite.  So while 1001 Beers is filled with all sorts of beers in all sorts of categories, I've really been putting off trying any of the barleywines.  But, it was either the Avery Hog Heaven or a Duvel last night and for some reason, I figured a Hog Heaven would hit the spot.

And boy did it.  Not your standard run-of-the-mill barleywine, Avery's Hog Heaven packs a hop wallop with 100+ IBUs and a hoppy nose that will knock you back a step.  Using the Columbus hop - a high-alpha acid hop variety - the pine and citrus aromas and flavors really dominate this barleywine.  Perhaps that's why the label calls it a "Barleywine-style Ale" and not just your standard barleywine.  Whatever you call it, Avery once again delivers a top-of-the-line product here with a malt richness that is balanced well with the hop bite.  I have just one more Avery beer to go in the book, but I'll definitely be going back to their fine ales, as they really have blown me away with their flavors and quality of beers.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Avery Hog Heaven from Avery Brewing Company

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Had from bottle from BevMo. Pours cloudy orange with a nice bubbly white/tan head. Aroma is a nice blend of hops and malts with the hops really coming through. Sweet malts are dominant as well in this barleywine. Though I’m not the biggest fan of barleywines, the taste of Avery’s really worked for me. I think the hops really upped the drinkability as the malts don’t dominate the flavors here. Taste is initially bitter from the hops, finishes a bit dry and sweet. A nice ale for those that probably aren’t huge barleywine fans.

Beer No: 33/1001
Page No: 42
Category: Amber

So here I was, in the middle of writing a quick review for RateBeer.com and I took a few seconds to hop on over to Google Reader ot see what was new in my in-box.  I click on my "Beers" category and what was this!? Anchor Brewing has been sold!  Brookston Beer Bulletin has the full story.

The Griffin Group, an investment and consulting company focused on beverage alcohol brands, announced its acquisition of Anchor Brewing Company which includes its portfolio of craft beers and artisan spirits, including the award winning Anchor Steam Beer.

I was shocked.  As you can see on the bottle, it's been brewed since 1896 and has weathered all sorts of ups and downs in the market, but now, it appears that they couldn't weather the storm any more.  The article goes on to note that the new owners worked with the brewery during the purchase and they are looking to keep the brewery as-is, but that's hard to imagine.  I'm sure there will be some changes, but hopefully they can continue to put out great beer.

I think I have to agree with what Fritz Maytag (former president?) of Anchor Brewing states in the last paragraph of the 1001 Beers write-up: "It's not a radical beer, just mellow, pleasant, rich, and satisfying.  On my world travels, I always find myself wondering how it will taste when I get home.  I've always just been thrilled."  There's nothing outrageous about this beer.  It's just a solid, well-brewed, refreshing beer.  I usually tend to lean towards liking beers with more hops than malts, but this malty beer really delivers.  Crisp, cool, it just quenches your thirst and is a solid, reliable beer to pick up when you're in a pinch.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Anchor Steam Beer from Anchor Brewing Company

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Had from six-pack from BevMo. Pours a beautiful copper color with slight head, slight lacing, and good carbonation. Aroma is malty - hints of toast and caramel. Good balance of malts and hops with a little more of a lean towards malts. Finishes dry and sweet, very nice

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

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Flavor: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Had from 12 oz. bottle from Hi-Time Wines. Pours dark black with slight tan head which dissipates quickly (leaves thin tan film on top). Slight lacing, carbonation not very strong. Aroma of hops, sugar, chocolate, and alcohol. Flavors are bitter and sweet, of hops, sugar, and more alcohol. Finishes with spices, roastiness, and more sweetness. Overall, a nice collaboration, enjoyable, but not their best.