1001 Beers

Beer No: 80
Page No: 892
Category: Specialty

Today's my stout party and I was going to wait until after to review one of the stouts I'm having, but I just couldn't wait until 3pm to have a beer, so during the England / USA match, I popped open Port Brewing's Hop-15 and enjoyed it during the first half.  In about an hour, the stout party begins and I can't wait to try all the different beers.  I'm giving everyone a rating book from 33 Beers.com and we'll be having a blind tasting of the Barrel Aged beers, and, if successful, another blind tasting of another select few beers.  Should be a great time.  Pictures should follow tomorrow.

As for the World Cup, I was up at 4:30am this morning and watched all three games.  I loved South Korea's counter-attacks, and though the US got lucky with their one goal, they had many chances, so I think the 1-1 outcome was fair, and the correct outcome.  I look forward to their next game and I'm just waiting now on Germany to play.

As an aside, this is a great article, busting the top 5 myths of "casual" beer drinkers (share with your friends who prefer the ice cold mugs and no head on their beer):

http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/beer/beer-experts-mythbust-the-top/index.php

And finally, the beer list:

Barrel Aged:
BrewDog Paradox (whiskey)
North Coast Old Rasputin XII (bourbon)
Haand Bryggeriet Norwegian Porter (aquavit)
Deschutes Abyss 2009 (bourbon)
The Bruery Black Tuesday (bourbon)

Smoked:
Alaskan Smoked Porter (2004)
Alaskan Smoked Porter (2009)
Stone Smoked Porter

Coffee Stouts:
Alesmith Speedway Stout (2005) x2
Alesmith Speedway Stout (2009)
Norrebro Bryghus La Granja Espresso Stout
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Requiem Espresso Stout
Terrapin Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

More:
Carnegie Stark Porter (2001)
Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (2009)
Brew Dog Rip Tide
Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout
Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel
Norrebro Bryghus Skargaards Porter
Mikkeller Black
Nogne O Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Stout
Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Three Floyds Dark Lord (2009)
Victory Storm King (2002) x2
Victory Storm King (2010)
Bear Republic Big Bear Black (pre-2005)
De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout
Sinebrychoff Porter IV
Avery Out of Bounds Stout (pre-2005)
Harvey's Imperial Stout (1999)

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Pizza Port Hop-15 from Port Brewing/Lost Abbey

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 17/20

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had from bottle June 12, 2010
The last time I had Hop-15, I opened a bottle that was about 6 years old. And, as we all know, hoppy beers don’t like aging, so it was, unfortunately, a drain pour. However, I’ve got a fresh bottle now, and it is pure greatness. The pour is the same as my first rating, a nice orange color with great clarity, no head, no lacing. Aroma is very strong citrus and pine hops. Flavor is heavy hops with just the right amount of malts to balance it out. I drank it slowly, watched World Cup soccer, and enjoyed the weather. It was a perfect beer for the day. If only I had a cold Maharaja to follow...I love this beer. Wish it were available year-round. A perfect amount of hoppy greatness with the right amount of malt sweetness to balance it out. Flavors linger for a long time and just sit perfectly on the tongue.

Had from bottle #111 on Friday, May 16, 2003
Popped the cork and was immediately hit with hops. The aroma is extremely strong and extremely hoppy (as one would guess by the name). The beer pours with a dark brown color - absolutely no head and nice clarity. The flavor is VERY hoppy. Very strong flavoring - definitely a beer to drink slowly. There are some malts to balance the hops, but not enough in my opinion. An enjoyable, slow drinking beer - but just too many hops for my mouth to process - not something you could drink every night.
Original Rating: 8/3/8/3/14 (3.6)

Beer No: 79
Page No: 93
Category: Amber

Well, despite a pretty boring second game with a 0-0 tie between France and Uruguay, the day went very well in South Africa.  Somehow, as the #83 ranked team in the world, South Africa was able to get a 1-1 tie with #17 ranked Mexico.  The game was actually very entertaining with Mexico dominating the first half, having a goal wiped away on an offsides (the correct call) and then coming out in the second half somewhat listless and allowing South Africa to score first on Tshabalala's goal - the first goal in a World Cup on African soil (trivia right there for y'all).  So with those four teams going, today's first World Cup beer came from Mexico - the Cucapa Barley Wine Ale.

Now, I'm not a fan of Barley Wines - I think I've made that clear in the past.  The alcohol just isn't hidden enough for me and I always prefer hops to malts.  So these strong, high ABV, malty beverages just don't sit well with me and I tend to avoid them when I have the choice.  However, this was the only Mexican beer left that I could find in stores, so, a barley wine it is.  1001 Beers doesn't really have much to say about this barley wine and instead goes into how the brewery was named, which is probably a good idea, as I didn't enjoy this barley wine at all.  I found it just way too sweet - full of malts, alcohol, and flavors of raisins and sugar.  Overall, not the best start to the World Cup drinking experience, but, I'll be sampling upwards of 32 stouts tomorrow, so I'm sure that will be a much better experience.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cucapa Barley Wine Ale (Centenario) by Cerveceria Cucapa

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 11/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from 750 ml bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours ruby brown with no head and very slight carbonation. Lacing is good. Aromas of sugar, fruits, raisin, toffee, malts, and caramel. Taste is similar, very sweet, overpowering sugars and fruits. Heavy alcohol flavor with lots of malts and toffee. Finishes sweet. Not my favorite style, but I have had better barley wines. An ambitious beer from Mexico though.

Beer No: 76
Page No: 392
Category: Blond

After a failed attempt at two sours and a delicious delirium, I continued on to a duo of Chouffes.  First up was the Houblon Chouffe, aka Dobbelen IPA Tripel.  Wow, this tripel was good.  A wonderful blend of 9% alcohol, citrus hops, and malty undertones was just a perfect way to continue the night.  More on the beer later.  Now for my next endeavor...

With the World Cup starting in just a few days, I wanted to see if it would be possible to drink a beer from each of the different countries represented in the Cup.  So, let's see if this is possible.

The first game of the World Cup is South Africa v. Mexico.  South Africa actually has quite a few beers listed in the book - 6 to be exact.  However, I haven't heard of 4 of them, and I do not know if I'll be able to track down Castle Lager or Castle Milk Stout.  I will try and find them in time for the game though.  With Mexico, I'm presented with another problem...I tried to buy as many Mexican beers as I could to review around Cinco de Mayo.  So of the 7 Mexican beers, I've had Cucapa Chupacabras, Negra Modelo, and Dos Equis XX Amber.  That leaves just 4 others, including two more from Cucapa which I have not seen in stores along with Mexicali and Tijuana Morena.  Again, I will try and track them down.

Game 2 features Uruguay and France.  Uruguay does not have any beers in the book, but France sure does.  25 to be exact.  A lot of them I haven't heard of though.  And last time I was at Hi Time Wine Cellars, I looked for some French and Italian beers and didn't see many.  I will return though, search high and low, and hopefully return with some French beers to sample throughout the tournament.

The next day features three games, with South Korea v. Greece, Argentina v. Nigeria, and England v. United States.  Obviously England v. United States is the game of the day, but it's almost cheating to use that game for the day.  So while South Korea does have one beer in the book, Prime Max, I have never seen or heard of it, so I doubt I'll find it.  Greece, oddly enough, also has just one beer in the book - Mythos Red.  Apparently it's distributed to 30 countries, but I've never seen it, but will try to find it.  Argentina, like South Korea and Greece, also has just one beer listed, Antares Stout Imperial.  It sounds good, but chances of finding it are slim.  So I'm left with Nigeria, which also has just one beer listed, oddly enough, it's...Guinness Foreign Extra (Nigeria).  However, this isn't your standard Guinness.  The dark stout wort is imported from Dublin and then blended with a Nigerian-brewed pale beer made from locally grown sorghum and maize, resulting in a sweeter beer.  Chances of find this one...slim to none.  So what does that mean?  I have to take the easy way out with an English or American beer.  Blah.

Oh wait, I just remembered, Day 2 is the day of my stout party, so I'm most likely going to be having an English or American stout review that day.  And then I'll just save the rest of my stout reviews until the World Cup round robin ends.

Day 3 features the team I'm rooting for above all others, Germany, facing Australia.  But let's see if the other two matches can provide a drink.  First up is Algeria v. Slovenia.  No dice there, neither has a beer in the book.  Next up is Serbia v. Ghana.  Again, nothing.  So it will either be a German or Australian beer on Day 3.  Australia actually has 32 beers in the book, and even though I've had Barons Black Wattle Seed Ale and Coopers Sparkling Ale, I should be able to find something else from Australia.  If not, there's always Germany and its 96 beers in the book.

Day 4 has some matchups that could easily produce some good drinking.  Netherlands v. Denmark (13 v. 12 beers), Japan v. Cameroon (22 v. 0), and Italy v. Paraguay (47 v. 0).  Ok, so it seems like Netherlands v. Denmark is the most evenly matched, and maybe that will be the day to have Grolsch.  If not, we can go to Denmark and knock out a Mikkeller or two (since Elephant has already been done).  I'll save Japan and Italy for another day.

Day 5 features matchups between New Zealand v. Slovakia, Ivory Coast v. Portugal, and Brazil v. North Korea.  New Zealand leads the way with 17 beers in the book, but I have heard of none of them, so I don't think my chances are good to find any.  Slovakia actually does have two beers in the book - Brokat Dark and Zlaty Bazant 12%.  I would love to find that 12%, but again, chances are slim.  Ivory Coast features no beers and Portugal has just three - Sagres Bohemia, Sagres Preta, and Super Bock Stout.  Again, I will try to find them, but I wouldn't count on it.  North Korea has zero beers (surprise, surprise), but Brazil has 9, including one of my favorite dark session beers, Xingu Black.  So you can count on me having that on at least one of the days that Brazil plays.

Day 6 features the final four teams of the 32 in Honduras v. Chile and Spain v. Switzerland.  South Africa will mix it up and play Uruguay that day as well.  Both Honduras and Chile feature no beers in the book, while Spain has 11, including Estrella Damm (one that I will definitely review during a "Spain Day") and Switzerland features 12 beers, however, I have not heard of any of them, but would love to try them all.  Hmm...maybe I should just go to Switzerland.

So in all, there's 15 days of Round Robin play.  After that, we have 4 days of Second Round play with 2 games each day.  Those teams are all to be decided, but chances are, many of the big teams will be there - England, United States, Germany, Brazil, Spain, etc. so I should be able to keep my "Beers of the World Cup" going.  There's then a couple days off, two days of quarter-finals (2 games each day), another couple days off, 2 days of semi-finals (1 game each day) and then another couple days off, a third place game (one match) and the final on July 11 at 11:30pm Pacific time.  Hopefully I'll be able to predict which teams will win each round and have beers ready and waiting for me as the teams progress through the later rounds.  Obviously, going with the smaller countries in the earlier rounds should leave me with plenty of easier-to-find beers to imbibe in the later rounds of the tournament.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel by Brasserie d'Achouffe (Moortgat)

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had from 750ml bottle. Pours a hazy yellow with good two-finger head, nice head retention, and good lacing. Aroma is heavy with citrus hops, pine, spices, and yeast. Taste is heavy hops, light blonde undertones with hints of malts and spices. A wonderfully balanced tripel that artfully hides the 9% ABV. Finishes slightly dry, but with good hop finish. A treat on a hot day.

Beer No: 50/1001
Page No: 694
Category: Dark

Wow, 5% done with all 1001 Beers...I can't believe I'm at 50 already and I easily have another 50 beers sitting in boxes around my room and in the fridge just waiting to be tasted, reviewed, and rated.  For #50, I picked a good one - the Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter.  According to 1001 Beers, it was first brewed in 2005 after Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide.  It features artwork from Ralph Steadman who did much of Hunter's illustrations, and also won the gold medal in the World Beer Cup in 2008.  So this is no slouch of a beer.

I usually don't drink porters or stouts on a daily basis as they're usually just too heavy for a mid-day drink, but this Imperial Stout was right up my alley.  Heavy on the hops (as the Imperial would imply) and the coffee, this complex beer is balanced nicely and made a nice addition to my chicken sandwich dinner.  That being said, come June, I'll have tons of stouts and porters lined up to discuss here.  June 12th I'll be hosting a Stout/Porter party at my place and I have a lot of nice beers lined up to taste that day.  I'll be starting with a blind tasting of barrel aged stouts/porters and then move into a blind tasting of smoked stouts and porters.  After that, if people are still up for blind tastings, I'll break out some other stouts and porters that aren't barrel aged or smoked and we'll go from there.  As of now, the stout/porter list stands at:

Barrel Aged:
BrewDog Paradox (whiskey)
North Coast Old Rasputin XII (bourbon)
Haand Bryggeriet Norwegian Porter (aquavit)
Deschutes Abyss 2009 (bourbon)
The Bruery Black Tuesday (bourbon)

Smoked:
Alaskan Smoked Porter (2005)
Alaskan Smoked Porter (2009)
Stone Smoked Porter

More:
Brew Dog Rip Tide
Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout
Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel
Alesmith Speedway Stout (2005)
Alesmith Speedway Stout (2009)
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Mikkeller Black
Nogne O Imperial Stout
Requiem Espresso Stout
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Stout
Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Three Floyds Dark Lord (2009)
Victory Storm King (2002)
Victory Storm King (2010)

Not a bad line up if I say so myself...

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter from Flying Dog Brewery

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

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

Had from 12 oz. bottle from Total Wine. Pours brown with huge tan head, good lacing, and slight head retention. Aroma is heavy on coffee and hops. Slight aroma of chocolate and caramel. Taste is full of hops and coffee. Hints of malts, sugar, chocolate, and citrus. Very well done imperial porter with heavy hop flavor that balances the coffee nicely.