1001 Beers

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: 43/1001
Page No: 900
Category: Specialty

After last night's Cinco de Mayo festivities, I had planned on having more Mexican-inspired beers featured, but, alas, the margaritas took over and the beers stopped flowing.  So here is the first of two Jolly Pumpkin features - after which, I'll head back south of the border and finish off two more Mexican beers.

As I browse through 1001 Beers, it's been great to read all the articles on the different breweries, brewmasters, and origins of each beer.  As the book is broken down into five categories - Amber, Blond, White, Dark & Specialty, I think the specialty beers are really starting to grow on me - but that's probably because the specialty beers include all the sour beers - one of my favorite beer styles.  In fact, if you're going to be down in SoCal in July, you have to try and make it to the Stone Sour Fest.  I went last year and it was spectacular.  There were countless beer stations, all serving 5-15 sour beers, the weather was perfect (albeit a bit hot, but still...that's what beer is for), and the setting in the Stone World Bistro and Gardens was delightful.  If I had to attend one festival a year though, I'd be torn...Belgian Beer Festival at Pizza Port or Stone Sour Fest?  A very tough decision, luckily, one I don't have to make.

But back to La Roja, this "Amber Ale" seemed more like a Red to me - it's even called "The Red One" in Spanish.  But, it's labeled as an Artisan Amber Ale on the label, so an Amber (Specialty) beer it is.  Making full use of the oak aging, La Roja is a complicated beer.  Malty, tangy, sour, it's a wonderfully complex beer that finishes wonderfully sweet and sour at the same time.  If you can get your hands on this (or any of Jolly Pumpkin's fine aged beers), I'd say go for it.  Even if you don't like the beer itself (which is unlikely), it'll be a different experience and broaden your beer-drinking horizons.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

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

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Total Wine & More. Pours a wonderful reddish-brown, featuring more red than brown and a slightly off-white head that lingers until the finish. Aroma of sour cherries, oak, yeast, and fruit. Taste is complex - sweet and sour, a bit funky with hints of cherries, apples, oak woodiness, and malts. Finishes less sour than the nose would indicate with a bit of hops at the end. Wonderfully complex and tasty.

Beer No: 38/1001
Page No: 645
Category: Dark

As I mentioned with "yesterday's" post, I'm a bit backlogged, so even though these are coming on line Monday, they're being back-dated to keep up my beer-a-day.  The reason I'm behind a few days, as I mentioned, was because my weekend was pretty crazy.  With Friday's post, I explained how I was all over San Diego and Orange drinking tons of good beer and I kind of kept it up on Saturday.  Being May 1, it was a good friend's 30th birthday, and we were all heading up to the Magic Castle for an evening of drinks, food, and magic.  So, not only was most of my day lost to the Magic Castle and all the mysteries that lie within, but also to running around doing last minute errands and cleaning the house before 19 people showed up for a bit of pre-party drinking before boarding the party bus to head up to Hollywood.

So yes, I'm still behind, but luckily on Sunday, with The Bruery's Show and Tell, I made it up with yesterday's awesome KBS, and today's almost equally-as-good Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.  Having this at the same time as the Founders KBS really gave me a chance to compare the two and taste some subtleties that belie each individual beer and many of the similarities that you'll find across all bourbon barrel aged stouts.  When all was said and done, I found the KBS to be just a slightly better barrel-aged stout with more complexity and a more well-rounded flavor whereas I think the Goose Island just needed a little more time to fully develop and come together.  Either way though, both are top-notch stouts and would be a welcome addition to my fridge at any time.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout from Goose Island Beer Company

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

Raing: 4.1 / 5.0

Had from bottle at The Bruery. Pours dark brown / black with no head and slight lacing around the edges. Aroma of heavy bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, and alcohol. The flavors are the same - lots of bourbon, fig sweetness, chocolate, coffee and a well-masked alcohol. Finishes sugary sweet with coffee and smoke undertones. Very viscous with great aftertaste. Maybe needs a bit longer to mellow and blend, but still a very good stout with lots of wonderful flavors.

Beer No: 5/1001
Page No: 915
Category: Specialty

Ok, ok, so don't go crazy on me because of the off-topic photo.  But when I was updating the listing of all the reviews by date, I saw that there were 20 dates, however, I skipped one due to Easter, but the last review I just posted was my 20th, so something was off.  Somehow, I skipped #5.  So it's review #5 that'll come right between review #20 and #21.  For this review, we head back to a review from 2002 at the Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port, Carlsbad.  This was my first time ever sampling Russian River and since then, they have quickly become one of my favorite brewers with the amazing Supplication, Temptation, and Consecration all being featured in 1001 Beers and also some of my favorite brews.

The picture that accompanies this review is from last August when I held Arkh Brewing's annual Beers Around the World party.  Everyone picks a country and we go from there.  As you can probably see on the far right, someone picked the U.S. even though we usually don't allow it.  But we had to give in when he said he'd be bringing a Vertical Epic from 2002 through 2009.  An amazing series of beer, I can't wait for 2012 to break out the one 2002 bottle I have in storage and enjoy the series from start to finish with some good friends.  The picture atop was taken about 2/3rds of the way through the party.  The one below is what we ended up with at the end...

As for Pliny the Elder, it's a great beer as evidenced by my 4.1 rating from 2002.  Extremely hoppy, 1001 Beers notes that Vinnie Cilurzo brewed this back in 1994 for Blind Pig Brewing and started the "Double IPA" revolution.  I wouldn't doubt if his Pliny the Younger was the first triple IPA to break on to the scene.  The "younger" of the two is hopped three times more than the standard IPA and is dry hopped four different times.  Oddly enough, 8 years later, I rated Pliny the Younger a 4.1 as well.  I'll put both reviews below.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Russian River Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing

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

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

12/06/02: Had on tap at Pizza Port Strong Ale Festival
The first thing you notice about this beer is its strong hoppy aroma. The golden yellow appearance nicely hides the bite the beer has on the first sip. An amazing blend of hops and citrus flavor linger afterwards. My first Russian River brew - hopefully not my last.

Russian River Pliny the Younger from Russian River Brewing

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

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

Had on tap at Hollingshead’s Deli - first keg of the day. Pours golden yellow with slight head which persists for a long time. Slight lacing. Aroma of hops and some more hops and little more hops. For a triple IPA though, this beer is amazingly smooth. A bit oily, but very drinkable and a very pleasant beer. Finishes very bitter with a hint of sweetness - not too harsh - just about right for this type of beer. The ratings most likely are boosted by the difficulty in finding the beer and the mystique around it, but it truly is an amazing beer - able to pack all those wonderful hop flavors into a drink that is able to contain the bitterness in a smooth, drinkable beer.

Beer No: 18/1001
Page No: 356
Category: Blond

Last night, along with the AleSmith IPA, I had this awesome Allagash creation, the Curieux.  Aged in Jim Beam Bourbon barrels, this tripel is a very unique blend of spices, oak flavors, and hints of vanilla and fruit.  It probably wasn't the best beer to take to a fiesta, but by the time I arrived at this beer, the dust had cleared from the dinner table and I was able to enjoy the complexities of this beer in bliss.  It poured a beautiful orange/amber color with a nice frothy head which dissipated to a beautiful ring around the edge.  The beer itself is the result of a fortunate "accident" at the brewery according to 1001 Beers:

"Tod [founder of Allagash] insists on bottling his tripel reserve in special corked bottles imported from Belgium.  When a bottle shipment was delayed in mid-2004, the brewery found itself with a supply of the strong golden ale that would either have to be moved or tossed.  He scanned the brewery floor and his eyes fell upon some used wooden Jim Beam bourbon barrels that he'd planned to save for a batch of his dark and malty dubbel."

And thus, Curieux was conceived.  The complexity of this Abbey Tripel was transformed to a great beer with awesome undertones of bourbon which do not overpower the beer.  And the 11% ABV is definitely masked within the wonderful smooth sweetness of this tripel.  Very highly recommended.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Allagash Curieux from Allagash Brewing Company

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

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

Had from bottle - February 2010 bottling. Orange/amber color with beautiful frothy head which dissipates to a nice ring around the edges. Aromas of malts, sweetness, vanilla, and bourbon, with the slightest traces of alcohol. Taste is complex mix of spices, fruit, bourbon, and yeast. A very good blend of tastes that could easily overpower each other. Track down this seasonal beer!

Beer No: 6/1001
Page No: 865
Category: Specialty

Throughout the Belgian Beer Festival last Saturday, we had many different types of beers - ales, lambics, gueuzes, triples, blonds, strong ales, and more.  The ones the ladies seemed to go back for over and over again were the krieks.  The Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek (2007 vintage) seemed to be the one that was ordered a couple times at the festival.  And it's easy to see why.  It pours a dark red with the most pleasing aroma of cherries and raspberries.  It's hard to remember sometimes that these are beers and not fruit punch.

I think with each subsequent Cantillon tasting, it is quickly becoming the one brewery in Belgium that I must visit if I ever make it out there.  It seems like time after time, they put out a superior product to all others.  The Lou Pepe being no different.  In the Lou Pepe family, Cantillon puts out three different styles - a Framboise (should have strong raspberry flavors), a Kriek (should exhibit strong cherry flavors), and a Gueuze (a mix of younter and older lambics - most likely incorporating the Framboise and Kriek).  At Ratebeer.com, all three are within the 99th or 100th percentile, meaning, the three Lou Pepe derivations are better than 99% of all other beers in the category.

In 1001 Beers, the authore mentions that "the idea behind Lou Pepe...was to preserve the most authentic taste of the best old lambic and that of the finest fruits available."  And, in the end, they did it perfectly.  I hope to be able to track down the Gueuze as it too sounds pretty amazing, but it's the Kriek that's in the 100th percentile at Ratebeer, and it's not hard to see why.  It's pure, sweet, sour, cherry, raspberry heaven in a bottle.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cantillon Lou Pepe Pure Kriek from Cantillon

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

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

Had from bottle at Pizza Port Belgian Beer Festival - 2010 (2007 vintage).
Poured a cherry color with slight fizzing and a little bit of lacing. The head is mostly white with a bit of a red hue - it last all the way until the last drop. The cherries and raspberries dominate the nose and also the flavors. The nose is amazingly sweet while the beer itself is a bit on the sour side. The alcohol is completely hidden within the beer which finishes with the slightest bit of acidity. A must try.