Ommegang’s Game of Thrones: Take the Black Stout

Beer Take the Black Stout
Brewery Ommegang
Location Cooperstown, Ny
Type/Style Belgian Stout
ABV 7%

We just had out first snow of the season this year, and while it may have melted within a few hours, it put me in the mind of the changing seasons. My friend, Nigel, had given me this brew about a month ago, so I decided to embrace the simple fact that Winter is Coming. Time to Take the Black.

To The Eye: Thick and black, no real other way to describe it. Pours somewhat syrupy, with next to no visible carbonation. Leaves roughly one finger of a coffee-and-cream colored head with a long retention.

To The Nose: Very rich dark malts smell, mixed up with a little bit of dark fruit and the wild Belgian yeast smell that is not unusual with Ommegang brews. Slight spiced elements, probably due to the anise seed (and maybe licorice?)

On The Lips: Dominant flavor is the robust roasted, verging on burnt malts. A little bitter chocolate in there as well. This fades to the more delicate anise and wild yeast flavors, but still maintains a dark profile.

On The Tongue: Smooth drinking, with a brisk carbonation up front, which quickly dies down to next to nothing. Pretty solidly in the medium bodied category. A good mouth-coating remains after a few sips. You get a nice chest warmth on the way down, but not as strong as some 7% beers I’ve had.

While the burnt and roasted flavors are a bit heavy-handed, even for a stout, there are the lighter elements of the added spices and Belgian yeast to mix things up. I hoped this would be a big more complex, but I still enjoyed it. Dark and bitter with some strength, it’s not the powerhouse you find in a lot of American brewing these days. And for that, I do enjoy it.

C.K.

 

Maine Beer Company’s Lunch

Beer Lunch
Brewery Maine Beer Company
Location Portland, Me
Type/Style American IPA
ABV 7%

To The Eye: Dark gold leaning towards amber, with lots of visible carbonation and life. Pure white head. The carbonation settled down fairly quickly. Slightly opaque.

To The Nose: Strong resin and pine hops, bright and strong. Very full and well balanced bouquet, with hints of tropical fruits and a sweetness cutting in and out.

On The Lips: Easy drinking up front, with little to no bitterness at first. Very bright with a pine-like quality. A harsh bitterness comes in for the middle, but not overpowering (for my hop-heavy tastes). Finishes with a grapefruit/tropic mix of bitter and sweet. Very delicious!

On The Tongue: Light to medium bodied, very easy drinking. Balanced amount of carbonation, hint of stickiness left over. Bright and fun.

After enjoying Maine Beer Co’s Peeper Ale, I was excited to try their take on the more aggressive IPA. This is a great example of the American take on the style with a strong hop presence without it being heavy handed. Incredibly well balanced on all fronts, a huge hit in my opinion. These guys know their stuff.

C.K.

 

Elysian Peste Chocolate Chili Ale

Beer Peste Chocolate Chili Ale
Brewery Elysian
Location Seattle, Wa
Type/Style Spiced Ale
ABV 7.5%

To The Eye: Dark black with brown around the edges.

To The Nose: Strong chocolate smell with a spicy cinnamon like hint. Mostly smells like a rich, chocolatey/coffee dark stout.

On The Lips: Here’s where things pick up. Sweet at first, to a swift bitter chocolate bite. This is quickly overwhelmed by the heat from the chili (and lighter cinnamon) spices. The main player here is the chili spices; they are aggressive and hit with a force that sticks around for a while. Once your mouth adjusts a bit, you can taste the chocolate bitterness more throughout, but the real focus here is the spice.

On The Tongue: Very little carbonation, feels almost a little watery as a result. There’s a tingling from the heat instead, and has a very slight stickiness to it. Mostly, you feel the heat from the chili, again playing the big role here.

Opinion: Aside from the weaker body, I loved this beer. Very spicy, very rich, and a boozeyness you can feel as you sip. This one took me a while to enjoy. My only real critique is that the balance between the spice and the richness of the chocolatey flavors weighed in a bit heavy on the spice side. This beer was originally put out as part of Elysian’s Beers of the Apocalypse, and may not be easy to find anymore. Grab a bottle if you see it, and crack it on a cold night this winter when you have time to sit and sip.

C.K.

 

Abita Vanilla Double Dog

Beer Vanilla Double Dog
Brewery Abita
Location Abita Springs, La
Type/Style American Strong Ale
ABV 7%

To The Eye: Deep rich brown with a beige head.

To The Nose: Bready dark tones, hints of vanilla. Almost Bock like, with a rich and earthy yeast smell.

On The Lips: Rich and sweet, light vanilla sweetness backed up by a strong maltiness. Slightly bitter, but very understated in the finish, more in the line of coffee/dark chocolate bitterness versus hop flavor. Oaky taste maybe? Caramel sweetness present throughout.

On The Tongue: Silky smooth, with very little carbonation. Only a slight residual stickiness.

A special brew from the folks at Abita, the Vanilla Double Dog is a celebration of their 25th anniversary, inspired by their delicious Turbodog brown ale. My lovely girlfriend picked up this limited release as a treat for me. I thouroughly enjoyed it as a rich toffee-like flavors when paired with some nice cheeses. It’s retired now, and thus will be pretty difficult to find, but be sure to check out it’s cousin Turbodog for a similar if simpler flavor.

C.K.

 

Ommegang Rare Vos

Beer Rare Vos
Brewery Ommegang
Location Cooperstown, Ny
Type/Style Belgian Amber
ABV 6.5%

To The Eye: Orange to amber, lots of visible carbonation. Cream colored head, leaning towards straw, which quickly dissipated.

To The Nose: Spices, tart Belgian yeast, some hints of citrus as well.

On The Lips: Warm spice hits you up front. This very quickly turns to the wild yeasty flavor found in Belgian beers. Next come a lot of lemony-citrus notes, like other crisp fruits (maybe a little apple?). Spice follows softly at the end, balancing out the profile.

On The Tongue: Lots of bright carbonation, and some warmth from the spice (and a little boozey alcohol feeling.) Left my tongue feeling slightly fuzzy and sticky. A “ticklish” beer.

Opinion: Incredibley well-balanced, very easy drinking, Rare Vos is often touted as a great American example of the Belgian style. As I’ve said before, I tend to not enjoy Belgian ales as much as other styles, but I enjoy this one in spite of myself. Great complexity while still being approachable.

C.K.

 

Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

Beer Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale
Brewery Rogue Ales
Location Newport, Or
Type/Style Smoked
ABV 5.6%

Day 3 of American Craft Beer Week!

A little preamble: Despite growing up in Seattle, I actually rarely made it down to Portland, OR. One of the first times I did, I was probably 19 or 20. A friend took us to this funky little doughnut shop that evidently had quite a following. They were open all night, and were a perfect stop in the early morning hours after a night out. I was captivated by the creations they had there, including Captain Crunch donuts, some covered in M+Ms and one shaped like… well a man’s genitalia. But none interested me more than the Bacon Maple Bar. Simple, and delicious, I remember returning to school out east that fall and telling everyone about the best doughnut in the world. Years later, when one of my favorite breweries teamed up with Voodoo (yes, this is a collaboration brew) to create an oddball beer, I knew I’d need to try it.

To The Eye: Orange/amber in color with a 1/2 inch of creamy head atop.

To The Nose: Smells like breakfast and a diner. Smokey bacon and sweet maple strongly.

On The Lips: A salty and smoked start, which quickly gives to the powerful maple sweetness. It’s actually a fairly simple beer, which delivers what it promises. It tastes like that last bite of bacon you’ve used to soak up all the leftover maple syrup on your plate.

On The Tongue: Medium bodied with a slightly sticky finish, but not as syrupy as other sweet beers. Smooth drink, with very light carbonation.

Okay… this is a unique beer. To be honest, it’s really a novelty, and I’m glad to have tried it. I split the 1 pnt 9.4 oz bottle with my girlfriend (who was lovely enough to find this specialty for me) and we both had had enough by the end. It’s a powerful and delicious beer for the first few sips, but all its complexity eventually is overpowered by the two primary flavors: smoke and maple. It’s exactly what it is. If you’re curious and can still find one, go for it. You won’t regret it, but it’s not a repeat drinker in my opinion. The novelty is its strong point.

C.K.

Ps. Rouge and Voodoo have come up with another collaboration since this guy, a Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana ale (in homage to Elvis’s favorite sandwich). I may look into trying that one… eventually.

 

HopDevil

Day 2 of American Craft Beer Week!

Beer HopDevil
Brewery Victory Brewing Co
Location Downingtown, Pa
Type/Style American IPA
ABV 6.7%

To The Eye: Orange to copper color, with a very clear body. One finger thick cream colored head.

To The Nose: Very powerful hop characteristics, mostly citrus, with some grassy or piney notes as well. Slightly spicy scent.

On The Lips: Slightly sweet citrus at first. Quickly replaced by the powerful resin and bitter hop flavor. Once adjusted to the bitter bite, there is a sweet malt or biscuit like taste that helps balance it out.

On The Tongue: Very exciting as it first passes your lips, due largely to the hops. Mild carbonation, just enough to keep it crisp and tingly but not enough to draw attention. Medium bodied but a fairly easy drinker.

This is one of my go to IPA’s for a good hop kick that a Northwest boy like me loves. Well balanced, leaning towards the stronger side, it’s a casual IPA for hopheads, and a good push for those trying to get into the style. Easily available out here in NYC, I pick one up every now and then as one of my standards.

C.K.

 

Yeti Imperial Stout

Beer Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewery Great Divide Brewing Co.
Location Denver, Co
Type/Style Imperial Stout
ABV 9.5%

To The Eye: Thick dark brown, almost black in color. Syrupy pour with a slight hazel colored head which dissipated quickly.

To The Nose: Strong roasted malt smells; coffee and chocolate. Very slight hint at a piney hop profile. Gives a nice warning of its strength with a alcohol smell to it.

On The Lips: Bitter bitter bitter at first pass. My first impulse is of dark chocolates, but there are hints of something sweet that kick in (maybe a slight vanilla taste? Can’t quite pin point it). Ends with a very bitter coffee and dark chocolate bite.

On The Tongue: Thick and syrupy, very quickly coasts the tongue and mouth, giving a long aftertaste and lasting mouthfeel. As excepted, next to no carbonation, so it’s a smooth drinker.

Opinion: A deliciously thick and complex stout, with quite a heft to it. One meant to sit and savor, rather than throw back at the pub with friends (not to say I can’t appreciate a Guinness now and then). Should not have done the whole bottle myself on a night before work, but very enjoyable and I can’t say I regret the decision too strongly. Get one of these for a cozy night in and let it’s warmth fill you from the inside out.

C.K.

 

Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel

Beer Altbairisch Dunkel
Brewery Ayinger
Location Aying, Germany
Type/Style Munich Dunkel Lager
ABV 5%

To The Eye: Shade lighter than a dark brown, shade darker than ruby. Still transparent. Decent cream-colored head (which dissipated before the picture was taken)

To The Nose: Roasted and malty. Hints of coffee and mabye something else… molasses? Brown sugar? A raisin or prune tartness to it.

On The Lips: Rich full and bitter, with coffee and chocolate present. Makes one thing of dark, hard-crusted bread. Similar to the smell, a raisiny sweetness to it, which I found surprising. No real hop characteristics.

On The Tongue: Lighter bodied than I expected, goes down easily. Slightly sticky feeling on the tongue, partially due to being lightly carbonated. Easy drinker all in all.

One of the better examples of the dunkel style, I was surprised how sweet this brew was. I don’t normally like lagers, having sipped far too many of them in my simpler college days, but this beer helps prove that no style is without its charm. Full bodied and rich flavor, this is not a far cry from it’s cousin the pilsner, and thus is quite enjoyable. A nice, easy-drinking dark beer for those who like flavor, but don’t want to fight their drink.

C.K.

 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale

Beer Bigfoot Ale
Brewery Sierra Nevada
Location Chico, Ca
Type/Style American Barley Wine
ABV 9.6%

To The Eye: Dark ruby red with thick, cream-colored head.

To The Nose: Piney hop scent, with slight mellow caramel malty follow up.

On The Lips: No hop flavor upfront, leads with a malty taste, almost smokey. Definite alcohol flavors that play into mouthfeel. Sweet and toffee-like, as promised by the aroma. Complex mix of sweetness and richness, before it finishes with an incredibly strong hop bitterness.

On The Tongue: Thick and syrupy. Coats your tongue and mouth quickly. A slightly carbonation prickle keeps it from being unpleasant. Get a nice alcohol warmth in your chest. Smooth through and through. You can still taste the bitterness a long time after a sip, thanks to the thick bodied coating it leaves on your tongue.

Opinion: Deliciously complex, good warming beer for a nice cold night. Definitely a sipper, with a little bit of everything; bitter, sweet, malty, fruity. Rich is the best word for it. It can be a bit overpowering at times, but if you go in expecting a beer with a ton of character, you will be rewarded.

C.K.