1001 Beers

Beer No: 102
Page No: 918
Category: Specialty

The last of my Stone Sour Fest reviews, this is the Lost Abbey Red Poppy.  It's easily one of my favorites (though their new Russ - strawberry sour - was pretty amazing as well), but the Cuvee de Tomme still ranks as my favorite Lost Abbey brew (I'll post both reviews below).  One day, when I'm rolling in cash, I'll join the Lost Abbey Sinners & Saints program, but for now, I'll be content with my Bruery Reserve Society membership.  Enough with Lost Abbey, on to the beers.  For the final listing, here are the beers from "C" East Side of Lawn - all on draft.  A * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival.

• "C" East Side of Lawn
  • Lagunitas Pinot Noir Barreled Sonoma Farmhouse Saison Style Ale
  • The Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze *
  • The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa *
  • The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale *
  • The Lost Abbey Russ *
  • The Lost Abbey Veritas Ale 07 *
  • Moylan's Barrel Aged Kilt Lifter with Brett
  • New Belgium La Folie
  • New Belgium Lips of Faith Eric's Ale º
  • New Belgium Lips of Faith Transatlantique Kriek º
  • New Belgium Love - Felix (dry hopped) *
  • New Belgium Love - Oscar (spiced) *
  • New Belgium Tart Lychee *
  • Ommegang Zuur *
  • Russian River Consecration º
  • Russian River Supplication º (tomorrow's beer)
  • Six Rivers Raspberry Lambic *
  • Triple Rock Sour Cherry Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels *
  • Dogfish Head Festina Peche º
  • Drake's FrakenBerry Sour
  • Drake's Kuato

I think this quote from Lost Abbey's director of brewing, Tomme Arthur pretty much sums up my feelings on all the sour ales (my personal favorite style of beer):

"Perhaps the single most defining beer moment for me came when I experienced my first Rodenbach Grand Cru.  It was a seminal moment, as I only then began to understand that beer could possess a range of flavors outside of bland and watery.  The beer was ruby with brown highlights.  It was at once sweet and sour, woody and dry.  This beer was an epiphany for me."

I think any craft beer drinker can agree with Tomme.  There's that moment when you discover that there's a whole world out there outside of the Corona, Bud Lite, and Miller High Life.  There's a world full of flavor, complexity, and range.  A beer can at once be "sweet and sour, woody and dry."  It doesn't have to taste like nothing and only serve the purpose of getting you drunk.  A good beer should be imbibed to experience a full range of flavors, and once experienced, there's no going back.

Thank you to all the visionaries out there.  Those at Stone, Lost Abbey, Cascade, Russian River, AleSmith, The Bruery, Bootlegger's, and countless others whom have made my life better through drink.  Keep up the good work, maybe one day I will work beside you.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

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

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had on tap at Stone Sour Fest 2010. Easily one of my favorite Lost Abbey beers. The Red Poppy pours with a deep brownish-red color and slight tan head. Aroma of cherries, oak, lactic acid, vinegar, and citrus. Taste is equally complex with the cherries being the dominant flavor with the citrus and acids backing it up. Well balanced, finishes nicely, a true gem from Lost Abbey.

Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

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

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

Had on draught at The 12 Hour Belgian Beer Party at Pizza Port Carlsbad on March 8, 2003  #34 on the program and #100 for me!!!

The beer has a very pleasing aroma - a slight wine smell laced with cherries. It's a bit tart, but wow, it's extremely flavorful. The beer has a beautiful appearance with no head and a clear, dark red hue. The beer is sweet, slightly acidic with a very complex, flavorful density. I had actually left the Beer Fest for dinner, but upon reviewing my program, saw I missed this highly recommended beer. I went back, bought another ticket and enjoyed this very fine beer. An absolutely wonderful beer.

Beer No: 82
Page No: 745
Category: Dark

Day 3 as the World Cup journey continues.  Today's games were again not that exciting.  The Netherlands beat Denmark 2-0, in a fairly unremarkable game, but I did enjoy seeing Japan beat Cameroon 1-0 for Japan's first World Cup win off their home soil.  Also, I did enjoy the Italy vs. Paraguay match as Paraguy were heavy underdogs, but took the lead 1-0 in the first half.  Unfortunately, Italy battled back to tie it 1-1, so it was a good result for Paraguay.  Today's beer comes from the game 1 loser, Denmark.  The Mikkeller Black is about as subtle with its flavors as the vuvuzelas that are heard in the background of every World Cup game.  Heavy handed with alcohol flavors, coffee, and sugary sweetness, the Black is definitely an acquired taste (I don't think I'll ever get there).

After just having a wide cacophony of stouts and porters a couple days ago, it's quite stunning how up-front the Mikkeller Black is with the alcohol flavors.  Almost to the point of having a slight paint thinner taste.  When you have wonderful beers like the Dark Lord (my new #1 beer of all time), AleSmith Speedway Stout, and The Bruery's Black Tuesday, it just goes to show how different each and every Imperial Stout can be.  There's no balance in the Black.  It's just so heavy-handed and off-kilter that it just is not a very drinkable beer.  Each sip has to be forced down, else you get hit with the alcohol aroma, flavors, and sugary-sweet aftertaste all at once - enough to knock you out of your seat.  I've got another bottle, so I'm really interested now to see how my friends react to the beer, but for me, I'll pass on this one.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Mikkeller 黑 / Black by Mikkeller (Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij)

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 8/20

Rating: 2.6 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours thick black with no head on pour, but a slight tan head materializes after all is poured and linkgers throughout. Aroma is strong alcohol, coffee, cream, and sugar. Almost like an alcoholic coffee in the morning. Taste just hits you with alcohol. At 17.5%, it’s to be expected somewhat, but when the good Imperial Stouts like Dark Lord, Speedway and Black Tuesday can mask their alcohol, it just really stands out that this one can’t. Flavors are mostly chocolate, coffee, more alcohol, licorice, and sugar sweetness. Aftertaste has lingering alcohol and sugar - not the best flavor to keep around. Each sip just hits you again with more alcohol and sugar. Not a fan of this heavy, oily, sweet, concoction.

Beer No: 59
Page No: 243
Category: Amber

As you can see, I had this one on tap at The Bruery.  But it wasn't just your run-of-the-mill tasting session, it was The Bruery's 2nd Anniversary party!  I obtained tickets for the first of four sessions, running from 12-3pm on Saturday and had been looking forward to this for a while.  After hearing all the different beers they'd have on tap, I just couldn't miss this one.  I showed up just a few minutes before the 12pm session was about to start, quickly got my tickets as they were handing them out to those in line and we were all let in promptly at 12.  We were each handed a glass on our way in and the party was ready to get started.

Our group immediately headed for the Strong Ale counter where I was itching to get some more DBJW in my system.  After spending my first ticket on a meager pour of DBJW (it is quite rare - a wonderful blend of White Oak and Papier - I had sampled it previously at their Reserve Society Initiation Party and thought it would never see the light of day again), I then went back for another pour of DBJW.  Those tastings were then quickly followed with samples of Melange No. 3, Melange No. Sechs, Bourbon Barrel Aged Coton, and regular Coton.

After we had exhausted about half of our tickets, we decided to go grab some food which was catered by Beachwood BBQ.  They had an amazing spread that consisted of fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, sausage, chicken, corn on the cob, beans, pretzel rolls, and 6 different sauces, all made using The Bruery's beers.  I opted to skip the chicken and load up on sausage which was quite good - very spicy, but it was just great.  The corn on the cob was amazing though - perfectly cooked, sweet, and succulent.  We found four empty seats at a table that just so happened to be occupied by Claire from The Kitchy Kitchen.  She was taking pictures of all the goodness and her video of the event is posted below.  She also loves to experiment with various Bruery brews as evidenced with her Mischiefelada and Saison Reuben (which I still really need to try and make myself).

We headed back inside after we finished as much as we could of Beachwood's spread and continued on with our beer drinking - going for some Oude Tart, Humulus Lager, and Humulus Gold.  And even though we had eaten dessert before our lunch, now is as good of a time as any to talk about it.  It was a delectable dessert plate filled with a Belgian waffle, three artisan cheeses, and chocolate covered bacon.  The waffle really stole the show though.  It was perfectly made, had just the right amount of sweetness and crunch, and was enjoyed by all.  The cheeses were hit and miss for me.  I enjoyed the Cana Becabra, but thought the Bleu Des Causses was just way too salty and the Gouda was good, but a bit on the salty side for me as well.  I enjoyed the chocolate covered bacon, but it didn't get rave reviews from all.  Grant was hoping for something a bit "crisper" as if it had just been fried and then dipped.  But because they had to cook up so much bacon and dip it all before hand, there's not much more you could have expected.

All in all, it was a wonderful anniversary party, everyone had tons of fun, and we all wish The Bruery the best of luck for many years to come.  So without further ado, here's Claire's 2nd Anniversary video and my review of Saison Rue is below.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

The Bruery Saison Rue from The Bruery

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

Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

Had from bottle and on tap many times, recently on tap at Bruery’s 2nd Anniversary party. Pours golden orange with a nice off-white head. Aroma is heavy on malts, spices, and hints of hops and herbs. Tastes of citrus, spices, and rye. A drinkable beer, good carbonation and satisfying finish, but just not my favorite from The Bruery. Saison de Lente one-ups Saison Rue easily.

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: 37/1001
Page No: 689
Category: Dark

So as you might have noticed, I have somewhat of a backlog to make up.  So while I'm writing this on May 3rd, it's still going to be April 30th's post.  I just had a really busy weekend, but it was pretty fun and amazing all at the same time.  Friday was great as a friend and I returned to my old college stomping grounds - good ol' San Diego.  First stop: Callahan's Pub and Brewery.  I haven't been in ages, but back in college, a large group of us from work would go ever Wednesday for $0.25 wing nights.  So I was pleasantly surprised to a) see it still standing and b) find the jalapeno beer cheese soup as good as ever.  However, I was not happy with their most recent addition to their list of home-brewed pours - the Callahans Peep Show Pale.  Made with Peeps candy, it was advertised as a "pink-ish" color with the taste of a pale and that's about all it was.  The Peeps were most definitely just a gimmick, and, honestly, it wasn't a good pale anyways.  I knew I should have stuck with the good ol' IPA or Red as I've had those countless times and they are usually pretty solid.

After Callahan's, we headed back towards Miramar and hit up AleSmith.  I was a regular back in the day, and one of my co-workers who was big into home brew back in college still works there.  He gave us a great tour around the newly expanded facilities and then we went over to the tasting area where we just missed Decadence by one day.  Since Decadence is one of the 1001 Beers, I will get back to it at some point, but I was disappointed they were out of it on tap and in bottles.  So I'm probably going to hit up BevMo later today (or maybe Hi Time Wines) to try and track down one of the last bottles of the season.

You'd think I'd be done drinking by now, but for shame - never!  After picking up a friend in Oceanside, we headed up to Pizza Port, San Clemente where we were greeted with an almost empty restaurant.  A few tables downstairs were taken over by a group of about 10 guys that all refused to sit within 5 feet of each other.  So we headed upstairs, got the Angels game on TV, beer buddies on our table, and a couple of pitchers to keep us busy.  And then all hell broke loose.  Apparently, Pizza Port is THE place to go after school or little league games or whatever because the whole upstairs turned into a kid's playground.  It was quite annoying as I was elbowed, kicked, and had random sticky toys come flying in my direction from the countless kids that were running wild all over the place.  It was a madhouse and I was not happy with the experience.  I really wish we had gone to one of their other locations that doesn't have the room for rowdy kids to run wild and unaccounted for...

But, the beer and pizza was great as always as we tried a few of the local Port Brewing brews on tap and finished the night with an AleSmith YuleSmith.  So, back to the beer...I didn't have this one until Sunday, but, like I said, it's my Friday beer since I'm a bit behind.  Somehow, after all the beer I had at AleSmith, Callahan's, and Pizza Port, I didn't get one from my book, but luckily, on Sunday, the Bruery had a "Beer Geek Show and Tell."  Basically - bring in 2 12oz. beers or 1 750ml (or 22oz.) and receive 10 tasting tokens.  So, I brought in a 2006 AleSmith Grand Cru which was absolutely wonderful - thankfully I have a couple of bottles still left in my cellar.  And then I donated a Stone 13th Anniversary for my friend who had crashed the night before after another crazy night (for tomorrow's post) and also 2 12oz. bottles of Arkh's English Pale Ale.

After a few people had arrived at The Bruery, the first thing to be opened was a growler of Newport Beach Brewing's Hop-Weizen - a nice mixture of hops and wheat which would make for a good session beer, but I just wasn't too impressed by it.  Upon returning to use my second token, I saw that someone had requested the AleSmith Grand Cru, so I immediately hopped on to that and also had my two other friends get a cup of it since it's just such an impressive beer that has aged incredibly well.  From there, I moved on to a Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine (have not rated), tastes of both the 2008 and 2009 Bells Expedition Stout, a Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza, HeBrew Origin Pomegranate Ale, Piccolo Birrificio Seson, Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout, Lightning Electrostatic Ale, Founders KBS, Goose Island Bourbon Country, and finally, AleSmith YuleSmith (yes, again after Pizza Port a couple days earlier).

All in all, it was a great time and many thanks to the Bruery for putting on such a fun event - and also, many thanks to the people who brought such a diverse and amazing range of beers.  I'm always glad to try new stuff and with a couple of exceptions, almost every beer was very tasty and a treat - the exceptions were the Piccolo Seson and the Chelado (yes, a joke beer).  As for the KBS, this was my favorite bourbon stout of the day.  It had a sweetness to it that balanced the bourbon and roasted malts perfectly.  It was just slightly above the Goose Island (though the Goose Island was quite tasty as well).  However, we all agreed that the Bay Harbor Cadillac Mountain Dry Stout was the winner on the day.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) from Founders Brewing Company

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

Rating: 4.3 / 5.0

Bottle at the Bruery. Pours thick, black with no head and slight residual lacing around the edges. Aroma of strong bourbon, sugar, coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. Flavors to match. A very complex bourbon flavoring with a sweet, chocolate finish. Texture is smooth, yet a bit oily with a very sweet, dry, coffee aftertaste. Very well done, among my favorites.

Beer No: 30/1001
Page No: 351
Category: Blond

Today I have seen a couple of people passing around this list of "50 Beers to Try Right Now."  Since it's an annoying GQ.com slide show, I figured I'd just list them out here and see how many are in the 1001 Beers book as well.  A star (*) will denote that it is NOT in the 1001 Beers book.

1. Allagash White*
2. Anchor Christmas Ale*
3. Anchor Steam
4. BrewDog Smokehead*
5. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
6. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron*
7. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse*
8. Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
9. Hitachino Lacto Stout*
10. Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout*
11. Leelanau Whaleback White*
12. Lion Stout*
13. Ommegang Hennepin*
14. Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale
15. Oskar Blues Old Club*
16. Picobrouwerij Alvinne Melchior*
17. Pretty Things Jack D'Or*
18. Rodenback Grand Cru
19. Rogue Dead Guy Ale
20. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout*
21. Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale
22. Sixpoint Sweet Action*
23. Smuttynose Barleywine*
24. Stone Imperial Russian Stout*
25. Stone Old Guardian*
26. Trumer Pils
27. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
28. AleSmith Speedway Stout
29. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
30. The Bruery Saison Rue
31. Cantillon Iris
32. De Struise Pannepot
33. Dieu du Ciel Route des Epices*
34. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA*
35. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja
36. Marin Brewing Company IPA*
37. Orval
38. Port Brewing Shark Attack Red*
39. Russian River Pliny the Elder
40. Saison Dupont
41. Schneider Aventinus
42. Westvleteren Abt 12
43. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil
44. Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
45. Double Mountain Black Irish Stout*
46. Samuel Adams Utopias
47. Founders KBS
48. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
49. Russian River Beatification*
50. Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

And then they have "Five easy-to-find brews that beer geeks and the everyman can (pretty much) agree on:"

1. Budweiser
2. Tecate*
3. Magic Hat #9
4. Red Stripe
5. Yuengling*

So there you have it.  24 of the 50 are not in the 1001 Beers book and it seems like with some of their picks they intentionally stayed away from picks from the book.  Like the two Dogfish Head picks - 120 Minute and Palo Santo Marron - I'm sure they're two great beers, but why not the 90 Minute, World Wide Stout, Midas Touch, or Raison D'Etre that are in the book?  Either way, an interesting list and I'll be sure to keep working my way through the 1001 and maybe when I'm done, I'll circle back around to these 26 beers that are not included (yes, I'll even rate Tecate and Yuengling).  Trivia note: Yuengling is the oldest operating brewery in the United States.  We had that question during a Bruery trivia session and guessed wrong.  But now you know.

Oh, did I mention I had a beer from the book as well today?  Cooper's Sparkling Ale hails from Australia (my 2nd Australian beer in 3 days) and doesn't really sparkle as much as the name would imply.  I also clearly did not read the label well enough to figure out that it was bottle conditioned as I emptied the whole bottle into my glass, yeast and all (which was fine, it didn't impart any off flavors nor make the beer chunky and hard to drink).  I think I was just expecting something different, something more from this beer.  When all was said and done, it was just pretty plain, just a standard ale; nothing special, nothing outrageous.  It was good, but not great, so, in all, a let down, but still refreshing with my freshly made pizza.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Coopers Sparkling Ale from Coopers Brewery

Aroma: 5/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Total Wine. I was expecting something completely different. I guess when you call it a sparkling ale, I was expecting something with a bit more carbonation, a bit more sparkle, when all this is is your standard ale. Bottle conditioned, it pours a golden orange with your standard carbonation, a slight head, and good lacing. I poured the whole bottle in the glass, so I got the yeast and all, but it didn’t impart any unwelcome flavors or textures. Your standard ale with malty aromas and flavors, hints of hops, bread, and a bit of fruit throughout. Very drinkable, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Beer No: 19/1001
Page No: 654
Category: Dark

Sometimes, there's just something comforting about going back to what you know.  And you always know what you're going to get with Chimay Blue (and of course Red and White as well).  Last night, after a fun trip to the Bruery where we lost at trivia due to some really tough (and some absurd) questions, we stopped by BevMo and stocked up on good beer.  There was Chimay, Lost Abbey, Allagash, etc. - all waiting to be consumed.  But it was all for naught, we needed food too, so we stopped at Albertsons, and bought some cheap beer, since I guess the good beer would need to be saved for another time.

So maybe tomorrow I'll open the Lost Abbey Angel's Share - I'm not sure what else I have in the fridge from the book other than that right now.  But back to the Chimay.  Malty, spicy, sweet, fruity, it's a good beer - every time.  It goes well with almost any food and it's just a perfect beer to always have lying around when company comes over.  For a little history on Chimay, we turn to 1001 Beers:

"For those who find it odd that monks produce beer, a little history lesson is in order.  Since the Middle Ages and possibly earlier, monasteries have been centers of brewing, providing citizens with nutritious ales that were often far safer than the local drinking water because any contaminants would have been removed during the boiling process.  The Trappist edict dictates that the monks are prohibited from accepting charity and must therefore participate in commerce in order to both survive and fund any charitable works."

This is just part of the full page they have on Chimay Blue - they also talk about the brewery itself and of course about Chimay Blue.  Just a wonderful book - even if you aren't going to try all 1001.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Chimay Bleue (Blue) from Chimay

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating: 3.4 / 5.0

Had from bottle. Pours dark brown with off-white/tan head which lasts a while. Aromas of malts, sugars, caramel, and fruits. Complex flavors of more malts, fruits, and spices. It’s a standard around my household - always a good Belgian to go to that most company will enjoy. Not too over-the-top with the flavors, but a good balance that works well with most meals

Beer No: 16/1001
Page No: 477
Category: Blond

In anticipation of my weekly trip to the Bruery (and today's special Humulus Humanless release), I popped open a 375 ml bottle of Brasserie Dupont's Saison Dupont.  This hazy farmhouse ale pours with an awesome head and lacing and is just a perfect beer.  Easy to drink, complex in flavors and aromas, spicy, fruity, and sweet.  It was paired with a roast beef sub from Ralph's Deli, a deli I used to visit on a weekly basis that I had all but forgotten about.  Their bread is nothing special, but just does wonders to tie their sandwiches together, and though it wasn't quite as good as my home made pizza yesterday - built from scratch - my meal was quite acceptable today.

As for tonight, like I said, another trip to The Bruery.  I submitted an application yesterday to work there as I would love nothing more than to work with beer all day.  But if that doesn't pan out, it's still my favorite local brewery and I can't wait to try their new brew on tap today.  Last time they had a release like this was for Amulet: Tyler's Magical Unicorn which was unfortunately sold out by the time I arrived at 7pm on Friday (they open at 4pm).  So today I'm hoping to get there just as they open to try the Humulus Humanless:

"This pilot has been dubbed “Humulus Humanless” by our brewer Jay. It's made from the second runnings of Black Tuesday and then dry-hopped with Summit and Sterling. Delicious!"

After the Bruery, it's back to studying.  I'll be watching a webinar as training to become a Certified Cicerone and hopefully it will help me in my weak areas that I think I discussed yesterday (or maybe the day before).  Speaking of beer study, I just started my in-depth reading of Tasting Beer today.  The first 30 or so pages chronicle the history of beer through the ages and it really is quite impressive.  The book itself is really quite awesome as it covers so many different topics in-depth with great writing.

Back to the Saison Dupont though...I really did enjoy this beer today.  It's complex and refreshing with a nice texture and no hint of the 6.5% alcohol buried within.  Very highly recommended.  My first review of this beer was back in February, 2007 and I did not update it today.  Although I could add a little more detail to the review, I find the review still holds.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Saison Dupont Vieille Provision from Brasserie Dupont

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0

Bottle conditioned, not pasteurized, I found this at the local Beverages and More and had to give it a try.

Citrus smell, bottle-conditioned yeast floats beautifully through a hazy, yet still clear body. Pours with a thick head and light, crisp consistency.

Quite good for a Saison, slight sour aftertaste, it is easy to drink with an almost oaky finish. Well above average!

Beer No: 12/1001
Page No: 623
Category: Dark

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a nice Easter Sunday.  I certainly enjoyed the day with a trio of beers - Arkh Pale Ale (home brew of course), New Belgium's Transatlantique Kriek, and then The Bruery's Oude Tart.  So after starting with a nice malty and hoppy pale, I made the transition to fruity, sour beers.  And boy was it delectable. None of those beers are part of my 1001, so I'm heading back to a beer I had Friday night, the Asahi Black.

Asahi is more well known for their Super Dry Asahi, but the black seems to be gaining traction after being introduced in 1995.  Not as heavy as a Guinness, the Asahi Black is a dark pilsner brewed with barley, maize, and rice.  Though you might expect a darker beer to be a bit heavier in texture, the lagering and cold conditioning really make the Asahi Black a very drinkable, crisp, and almost light beer.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it easy to drink and flavorful.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Asahi Black (Kuronama) from Asahi Breweries

Aroma: 4/10
Appearance: 3/5
Flavor: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 11/20

Rating: 2.6 / 5.0

Had from bottle, pours a dark brown, almost black color with very small brownish/beige head. Lacing is minimal and head dissipates quickly. Aromas of roasted malts, nuts, and coffee. Flavor is balanced nicely between malts and hops, but a bit on the weak side. It’s a crisp, easy-drinking beer, but nothing I’d go back to given a choice.

Beer No: 10/1001
Page No: 420
Category: Blond

I'd like to say it's been another long week and I'm glad the weekend is here, but, well, it's been busy, but the week hasn't been all that strenuous.  It started out with the slightest of colds on Monday, it lingered 'til Tuesday around noon, Wednesday I watched Clash of the Titans (1981), Thursday was Clash of the Titans (2010), and then Friday was preparation for brewing, and a trip to the wonderful Bruery.  At the Bruery this weekend, they have their amazing Humulus back on tap - a heavily hopped beer, it finishes with the perfect amount of bitterness and just gives you a quick jolt when you take that first sip.  Along with Humulus on tap, they also had it dry hopped on cask three ways - Citra, Centennial, and Simcoe - and all three ways - heavenly.

But as I ran around from task to task today, I never had time to get to my beer, so I took it along with me to the Bruery, and after tasting all four variations of Humulus, I poured the Green Flash Le Freak.  I had picked it up earlier in the day at O'Shea's where Scott and I needed to pick up our four different yeast strains for brew day tomorrow.  We'll be making a pale ale and then splitting it at the end and using two different strains of yeast - California Ale and London Ale.  We'll also be brewing a stout and we'll split that one at the end too, using a Cream Ale Yeast and the Burton Ale Yeast.  It should be a fun, yet busy day tomorrow.

Back to the Le Freak.  Billed as a blend between a "San Diego Style" IPA and a Belgian Tripel, this is most definitely a flavor profile I had never tried in the past.  The aromas are of sugars and citrus as the tripel definitely comes through there, but on the first sip, the IPA smacks you across the palate at the start and then finishes sweet with hints of sugar and spices.  The aftertaste is then slightly bitter again from the IPA, yet it warms you as you would expect a 9.2% ABV tripel to do.  It's a very complex beer, and definitely was an unexpected twist in the night.

1001 Beers describes brewmaster Chuck Silva's strange beer cross-breeding as such: "Le Freak begins with the same malt base as in Green Flash Imperial IPA, rather than the Tripel, and is jammed with hops from the American Northwest...For fermentation, Silva's house yeast, an American strain, combines with a Belgian strain to bring Le Freak forward, creating the fruit-and-spice character common in Belgian tripels."

However he does it, Le Freak definitely surprises you and then lulls you into a happy place as it mixes one of my favorite beer styles with the easy-drinking Tripel.  I haven't had too many beers from Green Flash, a quasi-local San Diego brewery, other than the more common Green Flash IPA, but I will definitely track down some of their more rare and experimental beers from here on out.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Green Flash Le Freak from Green Flash Brewing Co.

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

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had from 750ml bottle picked up at O’Shea’s Brewing. Pours a deep golden/orange color with a nice head which dissipates slowly and leaves behind a good amount of lacing. The aromas are mostly the tripel - sugars, sweetness, candies, with just a hint of citrus and hops. The initial taste kicks your palate into high gear however, packing over 100 IBUs of bitterness as the IPA half of the beer bowls you over. Once the hops and bitterness subside, it finishes with a sweet, candy flavor and then leaves you feeling nice and warm inside afterward. The mix of an IPA and a Tripel was completely unexpected and a very nice surprise. I wasn’t quite sure how they would pull it off, but it all works very well together, a very nice, tasty beer.