1001 Beers

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?

Photo courtesy The_Photographer

Beer No: 66
Page No: 333
Category: Blond

After a rough Friday night, what better way to spend a Saturday than with a trip down to Stone Brewing Co?  It just so happened that at noon, the lovely Laurie from 100 Beers in 30 Days was going through Saisons and Dr. Bill lined up a beautiful selection of Saisons on tap just for her.  Of course, all of us other peons at the bistro that day were able to partake in the tap lineup.  Not knowing which were in 1001 Beers, I just picked one at random, the Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux.

And, it just so happens that the Dupont beer is in the book.  Not really knowing, I forgot to break out my camera, but I did get a chance to use my new books from 33 Beers.com.  These little books fit in any pocket and handily hold 33 beer reviews.  I didn't want to take too much time to work through my review, but what I returned home with was a 4/5 rating and notes of, "spicy, fruity, golden orange, no head, adequate lacing, finishes dry, bitter."  The ABV is a surprising 9.5% and on the flavor wheel (a very simplified version of the one on the site linked), I have high "linger" and "fruity/citrus" with medium floral, bitter, astringent, and body.  Sour, toffee, and burnt were all low on the wheel.  But it's really fun to be able to quickly take notes, toss the book back in your pocket, and continue on with the lunch.

After a good lunch (I wasn't impressed my first time there, but was very happy with both the pretzels and the chicken tikki), we went on the Stone tour, which I had not done yet - which is crazy since it's really only one and a quarter to one and a half hours away.  The tour guide was awesome and gave a pretty good overview of the basic brewing techniques.  It's pretty cool to just see that they do what I do at home, but just on a larger level (e.g. boiling for same amount of time, milling their own grains, etc.).  He said that currently they produce 1/1000th of Anheuser Busch and that their goal is 2.5/1000 and they'll be done growing at that point.  As long as they keep the quality high, I'm all for more Stone Brews.

Here's a couple quick pictures I took - including boxes of bottles for their upcoming 14th Anniversary brew - an Imperial IPA.  Boy, I can't wait for that one.  Hops galore me thinks.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux from Brasserie Dupont

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

Rating: 3.7 / 5.0

Had from bottle on April 18, 2003 at the Suffed Sandwich
An interesting beer, it pours with a small white head and a cloudy yellow coloring. The flavor is initially acidic with a bitter finish. I enjoyed the citric flavoring which masks the 9.5% ABV very well.

 

Beer No: 34/1001
Page No: 544
Category: Blond

It's somewhat saddening that my journey through Green Flash's offerings with this, their IPA.  They have two listings in 1001 Beers, the other being the inordinately complex Le Freak (a blend of "San Diego Style" IPA and a Belgian Tripel), but despite my Green Flash tastings being done from the book, I do hope to try the rest of them.  Both of the beers I tried from this smaller brewery down in San Diego were top-notch, and heck, who doesn't like an old-time car filled with beer every once in a while? (Flip through the pictures above).

On an unrelated note, today while flipping through my usual reading material, I stumbled across this article from Northern Brewer - Make wine for better beer.  Now, a couple of people have already asked if I have thought about making wine, mostly because they enjoy wine more than beer, but I've always said no.  I'm not the biggest wine fan, however, when paired correctly, they can be amazing.  I'll take my beer pairings any day too (like the one on my last birthday at the Crow Bar featuring Stone Brewing's beers).  Back to the article...it really just focuses on one point of wine making - preventing oxidization.  We as beer makers do that too, but, as mentioned in the article, not to the extend of winemakers.  In fact, topping off the carboy is all but impossible with the way beer ferments so rapidly.  During any aging process though, I can see how it would be beneficial to top off the carboy via CO2 or some other mechanism, but it seems in beer making you really have to go out of your way to get oxidization.  Perhaps beer is a bit more forgiving than wine, but I've never had a brew oxidize (fingers crossed), so either I'm doing something right, or I'm just getting really lucky.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Green Flash West Coast IPA from Green Flash Brewing Co.

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Total Wine. Pours a golden orange with good carbonation, small head, and adequate lacing. Very hoppy, yet fruity aroma. Flavors of pine, hops, citrus, grapefruit, and orange. Standard hoppy, bitter finish, but nothing too astringent. Very good IPA. Quality San Diego beer.

Beer No: 29
Page No: 193
Category: Amber

My love for IPAs is no secret and I have enjoyed this Meantime IPA on many occasions in the past.  It's easily one of my favorite IPAs, tying in fact (by rating) with the Alesmith IPA.  In fact, as of this writing, I have ranked only one IPA higher than the Alesmith and the Meantime IPA - Stone's 3rd Anniversary IPA back in 2003 (here are all my IPA ratings).  Reading back through my Stone 3rd Anniversary rating, I think what's notable is that both it and this Meantime IPA don't go out of their way to hit you over the head with hops.  Now, don't get me wrong - the hops are there - and in great amounts, but they are so perfectly balanced with all the other flavors that the whole beer is simply elevated to another level.

The interesting thing about this Meantime IPA is that it's actually meant to be aged for a few years.  I didn't know this, so I'm definitely going to go pick up a bottle and throw it in my beer storage unit.  However, I'll have to be careful on how long it ages because, as evidenced with the Port Brewing Hop 15, things can definitely go wrong if you cellar a heavily-hopped beer for too long.  Also, reading back through the recent reviews of the Stone 3rd Anniversary IPA, the overall rating of the beer has been dragged down by people who stored the beer too long and it's gone bad.  Which is a shame - back when I sampled the 3rd through 5th anniversary IPAs, they were all at their peak.  Fast forward 5, 6, or 7 years later, and what do you expect?  Beers don't last forever, so it's a shame to see an amazing beer like the Stone 3rd Anniversary be in only the 56th percentile of IPAs when it truly was a great beer back in the day.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Meantime India Pale Ale from Meantime

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

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Total Wine & More. I’ve had this beer multiple times in the past and it’s one of my favorite IPAs when I don’t want to get bashed over the head with hops. Pours a dark orange / copper color with a perfectly sized head. The head sticks around for a while and the beer has good lacing. Aroma of hops, grapefruit, orange, and a hint of malts. Mouthfeel is slightly oily with good carbonation and a medium body. Tastes of hops, malts, and citrus. A very, very well balanced beer that ranks up there with almost any other IPA. The hops are not as aggressive as the description states as the IPA offers more of a complex blend of flavors than you’re used to in most highly hopped IPAs.

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: 9/1001
Page No: 500
Category: Blond

So today was an interesting day.  I had planned out the exact beer I was going to sample with my leftover lunch from Hollingshead's Deli, but then I got the call.  My crazy cousin needed help as she is completely renovating her new home.  After I skipped out on her on Tuesday due to my slight illness, she knew I couldn't say no, plus - what else would I have done today?  Yeah, nothing.

So I head over there, paint the closet, clean up a few messes in other rooms and I'm about to leave when she says, why don't we just have a beer and then you can take off.  And what are the chances that one of the 1001 beers would be in her fridge?  I'd say 0.01%...it's usually full of water bottles and Heineken.  But there it was, a single Stone Ruination IPA hiding in the back.  Calling my name.  Drink me!  Drink me hoppy head.  So I did, and it was IBU overload and hoppiness to the extreme, but it's a wonderful beer.

It was the perfect beer after a long day of manual labor - well, maybe not the perfect beer - I'm sure some people wouldn't like the shock of hops after working a long day, but for me, awesomeness.  The Ruination IPA came from their 5th anniversary beer after the people at Stone started with an IPA for their 1st anniversary, a double IPA for their 2nd, and so on, getting hoppier for each release.  For the 6th anniversary, they went with a smoked porter, and thus, their 5th anniversary, and hoppiest beer to date, became their new Ruination IPA.

So, given the circumstances, I didn't have proper glassware, I didn't take a picture, and I had no tasting notes, however, the taste of Ruination is so unique and distinctive that rating while drinking isn't necessary.  But, truth be told, I rated this back in December of '09, so there won't be an update to this one.  So, without further ado...

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Stone Ruination IPA from Stone Brewing Co.

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

Rating: 4.3 / 5.0

Easily among my favorite IPAs. This Stone Brew holds nothing back and hits you again and again with hop flavors. Pours a beautiful golden color with slight lacing and good carbonation, the first and last thing you’ll smell is the wonderfully floral aroma of hops. There really is nothing better with a good steak or on a hot day than a beer as full of flavor and hops as this masterpiece from Stone Brewing.

First off, welcome to my humble new website.  My name is Blake and I've been an avid beer geek for the past 10 years.  Going to college in San Diego and living just blocks away from Alesmith afforded me a unique opportunity to follow the craft beer movement not only in San Diego, but also throughout the rest of California.  Living within driving distance of Stone Brewery, before they were the large brewer they are today and also Port Brewing (and the amazing Pizza Port chain) gave me ample opportunities to try new brews, experiment at beer festivals, and get to know many great people throughout the SoCal craft beer scene.

These days, I still love my beer, but just do so from beautiful Orange County.  Home to The Bruery (2 years old almost), I hang out there almost every weekend and I'm lucky enough to have many great retailers that stock a wide range of beer selections - BevMo, Hi Time Wine, and Total Wine and More.  Through the years, I've maintained my beer geek status and will always try new things.  I am also an avid home brewer (Arkh Brewing), and have bi-annual parties each year at my home - the largest being an "Around the World" beer festival where each participant chooses a country and brings enough to share.  We have also started to have an "Around the U.S." beer gathering as well since there are so many fine craft breweries throughout the United States that a lot of people never get to try.

Since I am currently unemployed after a five year stint at a real estate consulting firm (this real estate market really isn't helping our country's recovery at all...), I decided recently to take a two week trip around the United States, picking up local brews from each market I stopped in and also stopping at brew pubs and breweries wherever possible.  Upon returning home, I was browsing the internet and happened upon a new book that was released on March 23rd, 2010, 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die.  I could sense a challenge, and thus, this site was born.

I ordered my book on the 24th, it arrived on the 25th, and I now have approximately 50 beers ready to be sampled, reviewed, and discussed.  I plan on post a review a day, but I know I can't keep that pace up forever.  At some point, my local beer shops will no longer be able to satisfy my need for a new beer from the book.  Luckily, there are always festivals that I can hit up (including the Belgian Beer Festival this Saturday, March 27th at Pizza Port, Carlsbad) where I will try and pick out some of the rarer Belgian beers that are in the book, but not available in store.  But if I can keep up the pace of 1 a day, it will still take me 2 years and 271 days to review every beer.  Compounded by the fact that there will be many rare beers that are just not available to me without traveling large distances, my goal is to review as many beers as humanly possible.

Follow along with me, suggest new beers that I should try, let me know what you think of the beers that I review, and, most importantly, if you're not a beer geek like me, I hope this site will open up new flavors, styles, and experiences in beer that you have not yet had the opportunity to sample.