Out of the Cellar: Unibroue Trois Pistoles

Date Cellared: March 2004

Date Sampled: February 2008

ABV: 9%

Straight out of Quebec, one of the great North American breweries is Unibroue. They specialize in Belgian style ales and one of their best ales is Trois Pistoles. The beer is named after a village in the Les Basques region.

I have had mixed results aging Unibroue beers and the shelf life on this one is only supposed to be 3 years. Let's see what happens.

It pours an opaque brown with a huge creamy tan head. The aroma is dominated by the signature Unibroue yeast. Ahh, that spicy Unibroue yeast! Bready and earthy, rich dark malt, sweet, lush candy sugar.

Surprisingly smooth body, lightly dry considering the sweetness of this beer. Some breadiness in the malt, some peppery spice, still a hint of alcohol and the body has thinned out a bit from when fresh. Sweetish finish some alcohol warming. Lightly bitter in the finish.

Success! This one ages beautifully. I have more so we'll check it out again in a few months.

Unibroue

Tasting Notes: Mojo IPA

Brewery: Boulder Beer
Date Poured: August 2007
ABV: 7.0%

Never one to turn down an IPA, I picked this one up this summer during the trip to the Great Midwest.

It's a lightly hazy but bright copper in the glass. The head is snowy white with tons of lace. Crazy hop aromas here. The hops provide herbal, citrusy and floral aromas.

As expected, a nice amount of hops delivered in this beer. It's snappy and spicy in the mouth. A bit of pale malt but nicely showcasing the hops in this one. Hops dominate the finish and the aftertaste. A nicely hopped ale, at least for a regular IPA.

This is a nice beer and a nice surprise. I was disappointed with the dry-hopped Hazed and Infused but this beer delivers. Recommended.

Boulder Beer

New England Trip, July 2005: Part 2: - Beerhunting Through New England

It's only about 3-4 hours from Boston to Bangor and since Dave wasn't going to be off work until Friday evening, it was time for some beer hunting at the area liquor stores.

Heading north, the first place I stopped off at was Portsmouth, NH at a little place called Gary's Beverages. Gary's doesn't look like much from the outside. In fact, it could be mistaken for just about any bottle shop in northern New England. In truth, it's the best beer store in Portsmouth. The selection is great but the store is a bit cramped and disorganized so hunting for beer takes on a whole new meaning. I stopped here specifically for Smuttynose beer (especially the Big Beer series) and I was not disappointed. I got hold of some Smutty Barleywine, Wheat Wine and some Big "A" IPA. Also found some bottles of the Harpoon 100 Barrel Series, in this case it was the Triticus wheat wine.

Crossing into Maine, the next stop was Tully's in Wells. Tully's is housed in a shopping center anchored by a Hannaford and is easily the best beer store south of Portland and north of the New Hampshire border. That makes it a popular stop for people from Massachusetts and New Hampshire to find Maine beers that are not distributed outside of the state. (Can you say Cadillac Mountain Stout?) Tully's had expanded their selection since my last visit and had anything you could want as far as Maine brewed products. The selection of Belgian beers was also notable.

Next up was a stop to RSVP in Portland. RSVP is not the best beer store in Portland but it is reasonably easy to get to from the interstate. It's dingy and they don't dedicate near enough of their ample floor space to beer but the selection is still very good, they even sell growlers from draft-only Maine brewers. Again, lots of Maine beers but tons of micros "from away", certainly better than when I lived in state. RSVP also benefits from being in close proximity to the The Great Lost Bear, the best beer bar in Portland. Alas, the GLB was not yet open. That may have been a good thing as a quick lunch at GLB can quickly turn into a lost afternoon and I still had to get further north.

For kicks, I stopped off at Lou's Beverage Barn in Augusta. Lou's always had a great selection but notoriously kept really old beer in the store. It's no different now. I left without buying a thing. Back on 95 North.

Arriving in Bangor, I stopped off at the Natural Living Center and was pleasantly surprised that their beer selection was greatly improved. Natural Living Store had always been the best place for beer in Bangor by default (this is no longer the case, several stores in the area have stepped it up in recent years) but now it was worthy on its merits. Lots of singles, lots of in and out of state micros. I picked up some singles of old friends and some I wanted to become acquainted with...and headed further north still.

I know my destination was Bangor but up in downtown Orono (home of the University of Maine) is Burby and Bates, a fine little liquor store with an emphasis on fine wines and, more importantly, fine beers. You can mix your sixers, they have fresh growlers from area breweries but today I was all about the Dogfish Head. Georgia had recently raised the ABV limit on beer but that was only up to 14%. Hello World Wide Stout and 120 Minute IPA!

I had made better time than I had expected so it was down the street to sample some beer at the Bear Brewpub. Not the most imaginative name for a Maine brewpub, I'll grant you. Still it was a drizzly afternoon and I decided to grab a late lunch and kill some time over a pint or two. The salmon chowder was excellent and I had the house IPA with it. Was it a master stroke of beer pairing? No but the wicked herbal hoppiness did cut the creaminess of the chowder nicely. Not a bad little IPA here. After a couple hours, it was off to Dave's place for a good night's sleep before we ventured out on the next leg of the journey...

The Haul

Harpoon Triticus

Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA

Smuttynose Big A IPA

Smuttynose Summer Weizen

Smuttynose Barleywine

Smuttynose Wheat Wine

Allagash Summer Ale

Allagash 4

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Sea Dog Winter Ale "Cabin Fever"
Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Dogfish Head 120 Min IPA

Atlantic Special Old Bitter (S.O.B.)

Atlantic Brother Adams Honey Bragget Ale

Geary's London Porter

Magic Hat Blind Faith

Casco Bay Pale Ale

Frye's Leap IPA

Unibroue La Terrible

Maine Coast Irish Stout

Unibroue Ephemere Cassis

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Coaster: Bush Beer 7° (Clovis)

I grabbed this coaster from a pub in Brussels circa 1996. Not until I started this post did I realize that this coaster is not an advert for the more famous Bush Ambrée (known as Scaldis in the US) but a different beer entirely. This version is know as Clovis in the US but I have yet to try it. So much for attention to detail...

Tasting Notes: Spanish Peaks APA

Brewery: Spanish Peaks Brewing Company
Poured: July 2007
ABV: 5.7%

Still more notes from the Great Midwest excursion. Two thoughts: Damn, I bought a lot of beer on that trip and Damn, I need to do something a little more creative on this bog pretty soon.

It's a lightly hazy copper, yeast in suspension with a fluffy ivory head. Sweet, sweet hops in the nose, sweet pale malt too.

The sweet hop aroma does not hint at the herbal biting bitterness the hops deliver. It's like a turbo charged English style pale ale. Mouth is dryish lots of herbal hops in the finish and aftertaste.

Something about this beer doesn't mesh well, the hops (Crystal, Mt. Hood, Horizon) are not right for the malt profile or they overpower it too much. Whatever, it just doesn't work for me. Only fair.




Spanish Peaks Brewing

Tasting Notes: Summit India Pale Ale

Brewer: Summit Brewing Company
Poured: July 2007
ABV: 5.8%

Yet another beer found during my trips to the midwest this summer...

It pours a deep clear amber creamy khaki head. There's a lot of lacing on the glass. The nose is full of herbal and floral hops. It's a wonderful sweet aroma.

Very herbal hops in the flavor, some hints of loose tea from the hops as well. The body is crisp but lightly sweet malt comes through and it finishes with the low-level herbal hops. The hops linger in the aftertaste.

A nice surprise. A well-balanced and tasty regular IPA. I've been pretty impressed with Summit so far. They make solid, tasty beers.

Tasting Notes: Bell's Java Stout

Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Poured: January 2008
Style: Coffee Stout

Still more stout from Bell's and more beer from the trip to the Great Midwest...

It pours blacker than black with a thin tan head. Powerful coffee aromas, big mocha and bitter chocolate. Roasty but still lots o' sweet chocolate.

The flavor is dominated by coffee. Lots of mocha and bitter chocolate. Unfortunately, the coffee taste builds and overwhelms the beer in time. It's too much coffee for me. A lingering bitterness in the finish.

Outside of the heavy handed coffee, it would be an outstanding beer. Even so, it's still pretty good. In the interest of equal time, K (my wife) loves this brew.

Bell's Brewery

Tasting Notes: Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Brewer: Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing

Date Poured: January 2008

Style: American Wheat

One of the fringe benefits of having people over for poker is that they sometimes leave beer at your place that you wouldn't normally buy on your own. Somebody left this Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat in my fridge a couple weeks ago.

This beer pours a hazy pale orangey gold and is topped with a lacy and frothy snowy white head. The nose is full of citrus, lemon and orange. Almost mimosa type smells with light a sweet spiciness.

The first taste is quite bitter with over the top orange peel flavors. Crisp but sweetish wheat malt with a spicy finish. A sweetness starts taking over, an orangey sweetness with a extracty kind of taste.

I'm not a fan of American wheat beers as a rule and they tried to do a Belgian wit here but missed the mark.

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

Tasting Notes: Kalamazoo Stout

Brewery: Bell's Brewing Company

Date Poured: September 2007

ABV: 6.5%

I love Bell's Brewing. I unabashedly state that they are the best brewers of stout in the country. So I am thrilled to finally get ahold of some Kalamazoo Stout, one of the few Bell's offerings I have not tried.

This beer is pitch black in the glass with a dense tan head you could support small coins. Smells sweet and chocolatey with light hints of mocha. Very nice.

There is much more coffee in the flavor than in the nose. More bitter than I was expecting but with a sweetness that offsets it. The bitter and the sweet lead to flavors reminiscient of dark chocolate.

A nice thick body that is just heavenly in the mouth. Drinks smooth as silk with some light smokiness in the aftertaste acconpanied by hints of coffee and a creamy sweetness.

It's money. I might drink nothing but stout if Bell's distributed to Atlanta...

Bell's Brewery

The Session #11: Doppelbock

"The (Paulaner) brewery Has its origins...with a community of monks of St. Paul, who became well known throughout the city for the strong beer they brewed, call Salvator (Saviour) to sustain themselves during Lent...Most other double-bock beers echo the Saviour's brew by bearing names ending in -ator."

- Michael Jackson


With these words echoing in my head, I got off the train in Munich. Did I say I? I mean "we". It was the fall of 1996 and I was with my girlfriend (eventually my wife) K. It was my first proper stop in Germany and the day was going to spent hopping about the various biergartens and I was like a kid in a candystore.

Being on small budget during this backpacking excursion around Europe, many lunches were bought at local grocery stores in the form of bread, chesse and various suasages. Munich was no different and to go with lunch, I bought my first Salvator...in a .5 litre can! Barbarian that I was I drank it from the can as well! Even so, it had a profound effect (from both a spiritual and physical sense) on me and I spent most of the rest of the day trying to sample as many examples of the style as I could, as well as getting a proper serving of Salvator in a glass later that afternoon.

The day is quite hazy or I'd run down all the places we went. Let's just say a day in Munich is a marathon and not a sprint. K took a liking to doppelbocks too and paid to price for it by evening's end!

These days I tend to neglect the original doppelbock. Up in Helen, GA there's a little German restaurant called the Old Bavaria Inn. Sometimes, you can get a bottle of Salvator on special for $1.50. A hell of a deal that I never pass up. Because of this, when I see a bottle of Salvator (like the one non the table before me) I can't help but think of camping up in the north GA mountains.

So to wrap up this tribute to the original doppelbock, some quick tasting notes from tonight's bottle.

The body is a luminous orangey brown with a frothy ivory colored head. You can get a wisp of alcohol in the nose, it's a fairly fresh sample (bottled in October) but mostly you get that rich nutty malt character typical of a doppelbock. I have never been able to put that aroma (or flavor) into words but once you try a few doppelbocks, you'll see what I mean. A doppelbock has a distinct flavor and aroma imparted by the malt.

The flavor is dominated by that same maltiness, some nutty caramel with just a bit of fruitiness too. It's velvetey smooth and drinks easy, masking it's strength. Why don't I pick this up more often? Sometimes the constant search for the new makes you overlook the old reliable. But make no mistake, this is still classic.

For more posts for The Session, pop over to Brewvana who is hosting this month's session.

Tasting Notes: Flying Monkey Four Finger Stout

Brewer: Flying Monkey

ABV: ???

Poured: 10/2007

(I'm clearing out some old notes from back in the fall. Here's the first one...)

Still more from the stash rounded up this summer from the Great Midwest...

This stout pours black, of course, with a dense brown head. Lots of mocha aromas and supported by burnt malt and roasty smells. Strident but lesser sweetish dark malt aromas mixed in there as well.

It's a nice balance of sweet and bitter flavors, damn near perfect balance as far as I'm concerned. Lots of dark chocolate flavors here with sweetish finish, lightly sticky and rich. Very full bodied with a lightly bitter finish.

It's nice, one of the best stouts I've had in awhile. I am impressed. Run, don't walk.

Flying Monkey Beer

Liefmans Brewery In Bankruptcy

I don't usually comment a lot on "the beer business" but I was saddened to see that Riva, the parent company of Liefmans, has declared bankruptcy. This has been talked about on several beer related sites and blogs but seems to be covered quite well on Stonch's blog.

Terribly sad news. We may be jumping the gun as the beer may still be made - during bankruptcy proceedings and perhaps after a restructuring of the business.

Still, there is always a chance that the brand won't survive. Goudenband is one of my favorite beers ever. I have always liked their fruit beers since they used an Oud Bruin as a base instead of lambic or, increasingly, a bland wheat beer.

It looks like I'll have to go find some Gluhkriek just in case.

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 25: N'ice Chouffe 2004

One last entry in this series and for the last entries I picked one of my all-time favorites. According to the bottle, this winter ale is brewed with spring water, barley, hops, dried orange peel, thyme (?!?) and "a lot of candy sugar". Guess that candy sugar helps boost the alcohol content up to 10% ABV. The bottle also suggests that this beer may be aged up to 5 years. This version is from 2004, three years of age on it.

It pours an opaque nutty brown with a enormous, frothy head. Tons of thick lacing. A very spicy nose and not just sweet spice. There a bitterness and peppery quality to the aroma.

Although this is a big beer, there is nary a hint of alcohol in the mouth. Nor is this beer overly sweet like so many big ales from Belgium. The body is thinner than you might expect, though not too thin, and the spice and hops really shine through. It's a nice balance that makes this enormous beer quite the easy drinker. The spice and hops create an interesting bitterness, especially in the finish. Is it the thyme? I think so. The orange peel flavor is there to giving that dryness to the body. It's a really interesting beer and takes awhile to wrap your head around.

One thing for sure is that this one's a one of a kind ale. Go get some.


Brouwerij Achouffe

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 24: Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic

I had to scuttle the original beer scheduled for tonight. It was a 2004 version of SweetWater Festive Ale. When fresh, this beer is a bit heavy on the spice so I thought it might age well. I was wrong. It was completely spoiled. Undrinkable.

So I dipped into the Samuel Adams Winter Mix yet again and snagged a bottle of Cranberry Lambic. I don't have the loathing for this beer that many "beer geeks" do but it does usually linger and I end up using it for cooking more often than not. Although it is not a true lambic, the Sam Adams website states that they do use a strain of wild yeast in the brewing process. It's a sessionable beer at 4.6% ABV.

It a pleasant orangey copper in the glass with a frothy but quickly dissipating ivory head. The smell is the unusual part. It sour but sweet. But not too sweet as the sweetness imparts a bit of tartness. There's a sour, bready wheat malt. But overall it is sweet. It's not puckering at all. But still...there's a tad of sourness. It's odd but not nearly as complex as I'm making it out.

That hint of sourness disappears in the taste. It's sweetish but not overpoweringly so. There's some tartness but it's certainly not sour. A bit of graininess or cereal like flavors from the malt. It finishes surprisingly clean, not a lot of residual stickiness in the mouth.

It's really not so bad but it's certainly not my style. But adding it to your chili? It adds a nice flavor and some body...

Boston Beer

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 23: Anchor Old Foghorn

Anchor Brewing is taking over this list! Along with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Old Foghorn was one of the first widely available American barleywines. It is listed at 8-10% ABV on their website, is hopped with Cascades and then dry hopped with more Cascade during aging.

It is a murky orangey brown in the glass with a wispy thin khaki head. Smells of big, rich, nutty caramel malt. Very sweet aromas. Citrusy hops aromas, grapefruit and orange rind.

The first thing that strikes me is how balanced this beer is. It has big flavors but the voluminous hops and malt balance each other very well. As much as I love Bigfoot, the hops dominate that beer unless you lay it down for a few years. Big cascades and big nutty malt. The finish is lightly sweet but, again, is then balanced by the hops in the aftertaste.

It always delivers. A good beer when the weather turns chilly.

Anchor Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 22: Unibroue Quelque Chose

This is one of my favorite winter beers and one of the more unusual. Why? Because this is a beer that's designed to be served hot.

Quelque Chose is "ale brewed with cherries" and is 8% ABV. This particular bottle is a couple of years old but it holds up very well.

I warmed the beer up on the stove. This is how I typically do it: Uncork the beer, place a pan with some water on the stove, place the bottle in the pan and heat on low until the bottle is hot.

This one pours a ruby brown with very little froth. This beer is very still by nature. The aroma is sweet with cherry and fills the nose with sweet spices.

If you've ever had mulled wine then you know the sensation this beer delivers up front. Warm sweetness with sweet spice shining through. Cinnamon, nutmeg and clove flavors. Faintly sour in the finish. The body is wicked smooth. It's just silky.

It's a good one and a unique beer experience. I've had this beer cold and warm now but I recommend it warmed up.

Unibroue

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 21: Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Yet another winter tradition from the Sam Adam Holiday Mix Pack. It's a bock beer (single bocks are a rarity around these parts), seems to be spiced and weighs in at 5.8% ABV.

It pours deep amber with a lacy off-white head. It smells lightly spicy. Orange aromas perhaps? Also some lightly malty sweet aromas.

Taste is malty and sweet, much maltier than I remember this beer being before. Fruity undertones with hints of citrus and cloves. Medium bodied and sticky with a caramel and molasses aftertaste with a moderately hoppy finish to balance it out. Very drinkable with a suprisingly full body.

I may have sold this beer short in the past. This is damn good. Worth a second look.

Boston Beer Company

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 20: Anchor OSA 2003

The final edition of this mini-vertical within the greater Christmas beers focus.

No need to describe the appearance. It's the same as all the other editions! Plus, I have a picture posted right?

Smells of sweet dark malt, some nutmeg and clove aromas.

Fruity malt, some bituing spice, allspice and ginger flavors. Faint citrusy flavor, lemony. Odd oxidized finish. Some piney flavors especially in the aftertaste.

This one is still good but just a tad haphazard with the flavor profile. It shows signs of being just about ready to fall apart.

Anchor Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 19: Anchor OSA 2004

Yet another version of Anchor OSA, this time from 2004.

Like all the other versions, it pours opaque brown with a thin tan head. More pine in the nose for this version and a touch more of that sweet spice.

There's still lots of pine in the mouth and some clove and nutmeg spice as well. Sweet dark malt and a sticky and resiny finish and aftertaste. It's real good.

Of all the years sampled thus far, 2004 is holding up the best by far.

Anchor Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 18: Sierra Nevada Celebration 2003

Against my better judgement, I put a bottle of Celebration in the cellar for a number of years. I have heard of other people doing this and while I don't typically don't lay down IPA's, my curiosity outweighed my prudence. It does have nearly 7% ABV and is bottle conditioned so you never know. This bottle has been in my possession for 4 years.

It pours a reddish copper with a quickly dissipating head (from the age I presume). Still quite hoppy in the nose with slight fruity malt and some aromas from mild oxidation.

The hops have faded revealing some lightly fruity pale malt. The body is quite fizzy, perhaps from bottle conditioning creating more carbonation. Some light oxidation and lightly stale cascade hops. Lightly sticky finish.

It's not great but I was expecting a mess. It actually aged quite nicely for the style. Not recommended but an interesting experiment.

Sierra Nevada Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 17: Samichlaus 2003

Perhaps one of the first Christmas beers, Samichlaus is only brewed once a year on December 6th and stored for more than 10 months at the Eggenberg brewery before release. It was at one time the strongest beer commercially available at 14% ABV. Originally the beer was brewed in Switzerland but after a disappearance and revival it is brewed in Austria. This beer was bottled in 2003 and has been in my cellar for three years.

It pours bright red with a bit of golden brown mixed in and topped by a thin tan head that quickly dissipates down to a wisp. The nose is filled with powerful fruity malt. It an enormous aroma of vanilla, oak, dark fruit, overripe plums, lightly sour cherries and big caramel flavors.

In the mouth there is still some alcohol present and it is surrounded by the swirling flavors of dark fruit, vanilla, oakiness and big rich caramel malt. Also it is sugary and sweet. However the finish is relatively clean.

It's huge and a slow sipper for sure but a once a year treat.

Schloss Eggenberg

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 16: Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

The Samuel Adams Winter Classics Mix Pack is a tradition and has been in my house for about 14 years. The selection has changed over the years and three years ago Boston Beer added the Holiday Porter which at the time was the only porter in their lineup. (They have since revived their excellent Honey Porter.) It's an easy drinker clocking in at 5.9% ABV.

It pours a dark brown with a frothy and dense light brown head. Lots of fine lacing. A sweet malty smell but also some significant hops in the aroma as well. Smoky chocolate in the nose too.

Very creamy mocha taste takes over the palate. Bitter and roasty notes are prominent. Roasty bitter finish as well.

If you like your porters to deliver some of that roastiness from the malt (and I do) you'll like this porter. It does deliever some balancing creaminess too.

Boston Beer

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 15: Ommegang Three Philosophers 2004

Not a winter seasonal per se but just seems to call to me in the winter. Three Philosophers is an unusual ale in that Ommegang brews a big quadrupel (9.8% ABV) and then blends with it a portion of Lindemans Kriek before bottling.

This ale pours a murky brown with a quickly dissipating head. Big fruity malt aromas. Quite bready and hints of sour dark fruit.

Big malty and fruity flavors in the mouth. Dark fruit and oak, hints of vanilla. If I search I can still pick out the cherry from the Lindemans Kriek in there but as opposed to when fresh all the flavors have melded together. Whereas it was easy to taste that this one beer was once two, it is nearly imperceptible now. There is still some light sour flavors but the overall body is big and rich now with a sticky fruity finish.

A gem at three years. Wonderful.

Brewery Ommegang

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 14: Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 04-05

I am woefully behind in my 25 Beers posts. Let's try to catch up...

Another old winter favorite takes the stage next. Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is an annual ritual and one of the better aging beers I've experimented with. Upon release it needs a good year in the cellar before it really shines. At 10%, it's sometimes a little hot right away. This bottle is three years old, the 04-05 version.

Pours like motor oil with a quickly dissipating light brown head. Smells chocolatey with hints of alcohol esters. There are aromas of dark fruit from oxidation and a hint of vanilla.


The taste is sweet and chocoaltey with almost no hint of alcohol. Lightly bitter with smooth mocha flavors. A big sweet sticky mouth. There's some light oaky and black currant flavors from oxidation. Sticky finish with some estery alcohol in the finish.

It's a good one. Throw a couple in the basement.

Brooklyn Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 13: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2004

One of the oldest stashes of beer in my collection is the several bottles of 2004 Bigfoot. Ah, a (nearly) four year old classic! This was the first barleywine I ever had (back in the mid-90's) and it ages wonderfully. Bigfoot clocks in at 9.6% and 90 IBU.

Pours the color of cherry wood with a thin tan head. Sparse lacing on the glass. The nose can still pick out some Cascade hops but mostly is big caramel malt and the oxidized flavors (sherry, vanilla, raisin) mixed in.

The bittering hops are still quite evident in the mouth although greatly muted from when the beer is fresh. The muted herbal hops are now in good balance with the big caramel malt. Fruity flavors from the malt, raisin and black currant. Big sticky mouth. Hops take over again in the finish. Nice.

Sierra Nevada

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 12: St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel

Straight out of Belgium, next up is Cuvee de Noel from Brasserie St. Feuillien. It's an abbey ale brewed to 9.5% ABV.

Pours opaque ruby brown brimmed by a frothy and dense tan head.

The aroma... Rich maltiness and caramel malt, strident spiciness, perhaps from the yeast. Lightly fruity almost like tart apples.. Some hops seem to be present in the nose. Crazy.

Flavor is very malty, fruity malt and caramel malt, considerable spice, some bitterness, tastes like hops but may be a product of the spice as this style usually doesn't display hops lightly sticky sweet finish and aftertaste.

That is one tasty abbey ale. Good stuff.

Brasserie St. Feuillien

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 11: Avery Old Jubilation 2007

I was knocked over by a two-year old version of Old Jubilation early in this little project which astonished me given that I wasn't that crazy about it when I had it fresh. Was this due to changing perceptions or was it really a beer that improves greatly with age? I decided to find out with a fresh sample.

Most of the initial impressions are the same. "Pours a nearly opaque reddish brown with a wispy thin tan head. No real lacing to speak of. Smells very malty. Sweet with some sweet spiciness some alcohol in the nose." These are all still valid observations.

The taste is another matter. While the hops are still present, the fruity malt with all it's blackcurrant and raisin has the upper hand on those hops. The earthy hops are still quite present but they do not shine like they did in the aged version. This seems counter intuitive as hops usually are one of the first things to fade when you age beer. There is a bit more alcohol evident in the flavor so maybe the hops come out when that fades. Or maybe the oxidation cancels out some other malt flavors and the hops win out again. Whatever the reason, this beer does improve with the age on the bottles. It's still quite good but the two-year old sample was better. Good to know...

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 10: Rogue Festive Ale 2006

Rogue Festive Ale is a Saison that goes clocks in at 8.5% alcohol. According to the website, it's brewed with a variety of spices including Grains of Paradise, ginger root and orange peel. This is a bomber I picked up last year. Let's see how it held up.

This pours a hazy bright orange topped with voluminous frothy khaki head that leaves light lacing. The aroma is filled with spice. There's coriander and pepper smells (I'm guessing from the Grains of Paradise) along with some lightly fruity malt.

The flavor is also dominated by the considerable spice. I can't pick out the ginger root but the orange peel is quite evident in the middle of the spice. Some sweet fruity malt. Quite big flavors. Not too sweet as the spice tend to dry the palate a bit. Spices dominate the finish and aftertaste.

This is clearly the best American brewed Saison I've ever tasted.

Rogue Ales

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 9: Mendocino Winter Ale

There's a couple of firsts here with beer number 9 in the 25 beers of Christmas. First, it's the first Imperial IPA on this list (and the only winter seasonal I know that is made in this style). Second, I didn't remember seeing this one before and according to the website this is indeed the first year this beer has been offered. It weighs in at 7.5% ABV, so lets dive in.

This ale pours crystal clear copper with a creamy ivory head. The head leaves spotty lacing down the side of the glass. Sticking a nose into the glass reveals the most beautiful citrusy aroma from the hops. Copious amounts of grapefruit and tangerine with hints orange rind.

Bitter, bitter, bitter. This one hits you it the mouth. It's chewing on an orange rind bitter. The hops dominate but somehow a biscuity malt profile does manage to break through now and then. Mostly it's the bitterness, overpowering at times but that's what you drink an imperial IPA, right? It's hoppy in the finish and aftertaste. Full bodied.

Nice IPA. It's nice to break up the malty ones for once, right?

Mendocino Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 8: JW Dundee's Festive Ale

The JW Dundee line is brewed by High Falls Brewing in Rochester. High Falls is probably most famous for brewing the Genesee line (sadly, this no longer includes the excellent 12 Horse Ale) but don't let that pedestrian lineup fool you. JW Dundee label has graced some fantastic beers including the unique and amazing Pale Bock. This is the first year I have seen the Festive Ale (6.2% ABV, 30 IBU) so I decided to check it out.

This one pours a clear dark mahogany and builds a frothy and persistent khaki head that leaves thick sheeting lace. There's the definitive smell of sweet spice. I'm getting nutmeg and coriander, along with other peppery spice aromas. There's a hint of lightly fruity malt.

In the mouth, this ale gives a nice balance of malt and spice. Although it's quite spicy up front, soon the fruity malt takes over and dominates the finish. The spice (nutmeg, cinnamon) lingers in the aftertaste as well.

A nice surprise and one that I'll have to seek out again.

High Falls Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 7: Stoudt's Winter

Stoudts Winter is a roasty porter from the brewery out of Adamstown, PA. The recipe tends to change every couple of years so there is little available on how this beer is made.

This beer is jet black with a light brown head. No real lacing. The aroma is equal parts roasty malt and sweet malt.

Again, sweetish malt in the mouth balanced by some light roastiness and metallic flavors. The roastiness builds the more you sip. Lightly sticky mouth and a roasty finish.

Pretty drinkable porter and a nice winter brew.

Stoudts Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 6: Blue Moon Full Moon

The year was 1997 and I was still in the Navy. Money was tight and I was a newlywed making very little money on my E-5 salary. But I loved my beer.

Enter Blue Moon Brewing. I knew they were a subsidiary of Coors but the six-packs of Blue Moon were only $4.99 and they were often accompanied by $1.00 off coupons placed around the neck of the bottle. Thus, they were a go-to beer for my fridge.

Back then, there was Blue Moon Belgian White and their Pumpkin Beer seemed to be available year round. They also had Blue Moon Abbey Ale. I had already been to Belgium twice at this point and knew it wasn't truly authentic but it wasn't bad at all. It was a frequent purchase but disappeared from the shelves a couple of years later.

Tonight I had Blue Moon's Full Moon and I believe it is actually the same recipe for the Abbey Ale I enjoyed many years ago.

It pours a clear reddish-orange and is topped by a thin ivory head. Smells lightly spicy and fruity.

It tastes lightly metallic. Some candy sugar flavor, some estery flavors. Is a bit sticky in the mouth but finishes cleaner than you would expect.

Don't expect your typical Belgian abbey but it's pretty good stuff.

Blue Moon Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 5: Anchor OSA 2005

Still more Anchor "Our Special Ale", this version is from 2005.

An opaque brown with a creamy tan head. Sheeting lace on the glass. A quite piney smell under which is the aroma of rich roasty malt

The flavor is of roasty malt and lots of piney bitterness. Lightly sticky in the mouth with that piney taste all over the finish.

Lots more pine taste and a lot less spice than the 2006 recipe. Good stuff.

Anchor Brewing

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 4: Delirium Noel 2004

The next beer is a three year old sample of of Delirium Noel, the christmas beer in the Delirium line, brought to you by Brouwerij Huyghe in Melle, Belgium. It's a big one at 10% ABV but there's not much more information about the beer to be found. So let's get to drinking!

This big ale is a hazy dark orange in the glass and topped by a voluminous tan head. Some light lacing is evident on the side of the glass. It smells very fruity, like sweet cherries and some tart raspberry. Raisins and spiced tart apple aromas are evident as well.

Taste is all that sweet fruitiness. Spiced apple and cherry, black currant and raisin. Still a bit boozy. Is there licorice in the finish? There's certainly something bitter but certainly doesn't taste like hops.

The age seems to have taken the stickiness out of the finish. It does seem to have improved but this one remains a once a year affair for me. But I will report that if you finish one of these by yourself, you may begin to see the pink elephants march right off the label.


Brouwerij Huyghe

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 3: Anchor "Our Special Ale" 2006

I've been drinking Anchor's OSA for so long it's nearly become a family tradition. So, of course, OSA will be prominently featured in the 25 Beers of Christmas. First up, the 2006 version (5.5% ABV) which was pretty understated compared to previous years in my opinion. There seemed to be a bit more spice but much less pine and malt flavors.

It's a dark mahoghany in the glass and sports a dense and frothy tan head. Nice thick lacing on the glass. Ginger and other sweet spice (perhaps nutmeg and clove) fill the nose, underpinned by a sweet, dark, almost biscuity malt. There's a hint of pine but its very subdued.

The mouth is filled by the flavors of the rich dark malt and it dominates the taste buds. Slowly, the sweet spice mentioned before becomes apparent. It finishes with some piney flavors, much more pine than in the mose, and woodier in the aftertaste. Its a very full mouth, a bit sticky but an offsetting piney aftertaste as the beer goes down.

So far I'm 3 for 3, every one of these beers has been fantastic. The cellar likes me. It really, really likes me!

Anchor Brewing Company

Updates

I have been out of commission for awhile due to protracted illness, the worst part of which was I could not drink beer during this time! So, what did I do instead? I kept reading about beer on other beer related blogs. Here's a few of them I wish to highlight and I will add these to the existing links.

First, The Brew Site checked in and let me know that they too are doing a "Beer Advent Calendar" this month so that ensures I'll be checking in to see if our lists overlap!

Second is a site that is so excellent it is unmissable. The blog on The Belgian Beer Board is outstanding. It's full of information about new beers, new cafes, new breweries and beer festivals - all in Belgium and written by a very knowledgeable Belgian, Filip Geerts. Indispensible if you are planning a trip to the beery motherland and downright addicting even if you aren't.

Shut Up About Barclay Perkins is an entertaining read about an English ex-pat living in The Netherlands and his various pubs that he has the pleasure to visit. Even more interesting than that though is all the historical information about beer that he manages to dig up (including the Whitbread gravity book) that is quickly putting some myths about British beer styles soundly to bed.

Delving even further into the beery history (primarily) of Great Britain is Zythophile. Lots of great posts that are impossible to stop reading once you start.

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 2: Avery Old Jubilation 2005

In my neverending cellaring experiments, I put down a couple bottles of Avery's Old Jubilation in December of 2005. This was not too difficult as I was underwhelmed with this beer upon my original sampling. This big ale clocks in at 8% ABV and, according to the Avery website, is a blend of 5 specialty malts. It also says, "Cellarable for two years". Perfect!

Pours a nearly opaque reddish brown with a wispy thin tan head. No real lacing to speak of. Smells very malty. Sweet with some sweet spiciness some alcohol in the nose

The hops in this are crazy. Even with the age on this beer, even with the big malt profile, these earthy bitter hops still come through. I imagine this hop is the source of the sweet spice I smelled. Underneath that, there's a sweet fruity malt, lots of dark fruit flavors, blackcurrant and maybe a little raisin too. Again, lots of hops in the aftertaste. The bitterness lingers on the cheeks and gums.

Wow. I was not real impressed with this beer when I had it fresh but it's outstanding now. Is that the aging or simply a different point of view two years later? I don't know but I'm sure a fresh sample will help solve that dilema.

Avery Brewing Company

25 Beers of Christmas, Day 1: Smuttynose Barleywine 2004

F0r the Christmas season, I've decided to do a review of 25 different beers, one each day in December, just like a beery advent calendar. I will be focusing on Christmas and winter seasonals but there may be other special treats I pull out of my cellar.

The first beer is a bomber of Smutynose Barleywine from 2004. It was their winter seasonal and I picked up a few bottles on my way out of Maine during my move down to Georgia, fearing it would be a very long time before I laid my hands on it again. (It was.)

Smuttynose did something kind of unusual with their barleywine in that they used primarily Belgian malts and then used primarily Simcoe for bittering. It's bottle conditioned and clocks in at 10% ABV. Let's see how this one holds up after three and a half years.

It pours a kind of hazy burnt orange with a creamy and persistent tan head. Rich caramel malt in the nose and not much else to be detected.

Upon taking the first sip, I am shocked that there are still a ton of hops present in this beer, even after all this time. But while the hops overwhelm early, a substantial malt profile becomes apparent. Lots caramel, toffee and lightly fruity malt flavors. It's got thick and sticky body and while the hops dominate early, it's all malt in the finish and aftertaste.

Man, this one aged brilliantly. It's calmed down as far as the alcohol burn but all the other flavors have melded and maintained the intensity. I thought this one would be a nice candidate for aging but this has surpassed even my expectations. Excellent start to this exercise!

Smuttynose Brewing Company

Tasting Notes: Anchor Small Beer

Brewery: Anchor Brewing Company

Date Poured: August 2007

ABV: 3.3%

In the interests of science, (yeah, right) I have always wanted to try Anchor Small. Why? First, it the only beer where the brewery admits it make the wort from second runnings of another beer. Second, it it made from the second runnings of one of my all time favorite beers, Old Foghorn. Third, it's really rare to try a good low alcohol craft beer in this country. So let's get to drinking!

This one pours very pale copper with a frothy ivory head. Smells surprisingly malty for a beer so light. Sweet caramel malt with underpinnings of floral hops.

Initially, lots of carbonic bite in the mouth. Very, very carbonated without a lot of body to offset it. You can taste some caramel malt in here but it is, as expected, quite thin. Very fizzy, very crisp and very light.

If the carbonation was backed off a little bit, this would be a pretty tasty and refreshing ale. The ample carbonation, however, serves to overpower the rest of the flavors instead of enhancing them. I'll have to give it another try sometime but this one is pretty disappointing.

Anchor Brewing

Coaster: Pilsner Urquell

I got this coaster in a 12-pack of Pilsner Urquell in 1997. I remember it because the coaster is made out of leather which is pretty unusual I think.

Dead Reckoning Porter

Brewer: Troegs Brewing Company
ABV: 5.4%
Poured: September 2007

Filled my Troegs growler while passing through Harrisburg, PA on Labor Day weekend.

Pours a nearly opaque dark brown with mahogany highlights. Smells of roasty and sweet malt but clearly a lot of spicy hops aromas as well.

The hops bite right up front. Certainly the hoppiest regular porter I've ever tasted. The only other porter that would rival its hop profile would be Flying Dog's Imperial Porter and that's saying something. Anyway, after the hops it's creamy smooth and some sweeter flavors shine through. The finish glows with hops and the hops linger long after the beer has entered the gullet. There's an odd yeasty profile too, somewhat English in character but I can't really put my finger on it.

Definitely a unique porter but plenty tasty. I had no trouble finishing off the growler!

Out of the Cellar: Rogue Old Crustacean and I2PA

For this installment of Out of the Cellar, a couple of 12 oz bottles from Rogue's XS series. When Rogue began switching from 12oz bottle to the big ceramic bottles for their XS series, I snatched up a bunch of the more reasonably priced bottles of Old Crustacean and I2PA. Both were hot and raging with hops so I put a few down to mellow.

Fast forward 3 years. Time to check them out.

Rogue Old Crustacean

This one pours a muddy opaque brown sporting a thin brown head. A whiff reveals huge citrusy hops(still!). Some alcohol aromas but not as overpowering as when young. Looks like the "heat" ahs subsided a bit. And of course rich decadent malt aromas fill the nose as well.

The first sip...still smacks you right in the face. Enormous hops, even after all this time, assault the tongue. Very citrusy, very bitter. Lots more alcohol than I would have expected in the flavor as well. Guess it hasn't mellowed quite as much as originally thought.

Overall though, it's not as hot, the hops have toned down a bit and the flavors are blending a lot more. It's also fruitier than I remember.

But this is all relative. It's still a wild one and it can go a lot longer. I have heard people say that this beer holds up after 11 years and I'm beginning to believe them.

Rogue I2PA

As a rule, I never even attempt to age any sort of IPA even doubles and triples. IPAs are meant to be drunk sooner than later in my opinion.

However, this one was so hoppy and so hot that I thought it might defy convention so I gave it a shot. Really, it drinks more like a blonde barleywine so it's a good candidate. This bottle has been in the cellar for two years.

The I2PA pours very hazy but luminous copper with hints of orange. Lots and lots of little yeast floaties in suspension and a dense and frothy ivory head. Lots of hops in the aroma, mostly cascade. Big citrusy smell of the hops, some sourish fruity malt and hints of alcohol in the aroma.

Taking a drink, the hops are agressive but toned down a bit from when fresh. There is a slightly fruitier malt profile and certainly flavors are better balanced. A bit of alcohol flavor is evident but nowhere near as pronounced when young. Sweetish finish and lingering hops after the swallow.

This one's ready to drink now. A couple of years on it has done wonders but she's ready to go.

So, to recap, Old Crustacean can keep on aging past 3 years and after 2 years the I2PA is still primed and ready.

Beer For 18 Year Olds?

Not a shocking proposal to me but I was shocked to see this opinion column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) written by a UGA senior. Not an notion that would normally be entertained in the Bible Belt south. Good stuff, even only if it means people are beginning to talk about the idea.

*****

I never really addressed this story about the Georgia Legislature making changes to what is allowed in brewery tours in the state. The change that's really sticking in the brewers' craw in the provision that would make it unlawful to charge admission and then serve beer. Now I don't agree that this would "cripple" the brewers' as Fred Bench from Sweetwater says. I've been to plenty of tours and I can't think of one that charged me a cover to get in. I mean, there are other business models out there that allow for tours and samples that would be OK under this new law.

But really, what's the big deal? Is this practice that is done by three breweries in the state and makes up a mere fraction of a percent of GA's beer drinkers really worth all this consideration? For being such a Republican state, Georgia is sure inhospitable to small business sometimes...

*****

The Brick Store Pub in Decatur is participating in the Michael Jackson Toast on September 30th. Ditto for Aromas up in Athens, GA.

Beer Coaster: Lieve

Yet another coaster from my last Belgium trip in 1997. I got this one in Antwerp and after your drink your beer you can flip the coaster over and write a postcard to brag to your friends about where you are drinking.

Lieve was a golden ale that I believe is brewed by a Dutch brewery but honestly it's all a bit hazy...

Tasting Notes: O'Fallon Cherry Chocolate Ale

Brewery: O'Fallon Brewing Company

Date Poured: September 2007

ABV: 5.7%

Still more bottles from this summer's trips west of the Mississippi...

This one pours a deep reddish dark copper with a tan frothy head. Some light lacing. Smells like...black cherry soda. Let me try that again...(sniff, sniff)...yeah, black cherry soda mixed with a malty pale ale. That's what it smells like. I am shuddering to see what it tastes like.

It tastes a lot like a bizarre radler of black cherry soda and pale ale. There's lots of extracty cherry flavor with the weird underlying chocolate extract. The chocolate flavor is understated but is just odd in this beer (hell, maybe any beer). The cherry and chocolate flavors do not compliment or meld with the malt flavors (or even each other). They just sort of sit there on top like a plastic coating.

The mouth is surprisingly crisp with the light caramel malt. A bit sticky in the finish though. This is pretty much a mess. Take a pass.

Brewery News From Around Georgia

Twain's brewpub down in Decatur is planning their first ever beer dinner on September 27th. Five courses and five house beers for $40. Beers on tap at Twain's these days: Saison DuCATUR, Hannibal Red Ale (nice and hoppy), Sleepy Conscience ESB, Up The Kriek ("Our Saison DuCATUR brewed without spices then conditioned with a sour cherry slurry") among other regulars. More found here: Twain's Billards and Tap

The opening of the Terrapin Brewery in Athens draws ever closer. (They have primarily contract brewed up to this point...). The target date for the first brewery tour is October 18th. Also, the fall seasonal Big Hoppy Monster is set for release and the India Brown Ale, originally a one-off for the brewery's fifth anniversary, will now be a year-round offering. More at TerrapinBeer.com

Sweetwater's latest addition from their recent "Catch and Release" series will be a big hoppy barleywine called Donkey Punch! It will be released on September 21st in liter bottles, perfect for the cellar. More at SweetwaterBrew.com

Beer Travel: Troeg's Brewery

OK, I'll write this up even though I lost all the damn pictures I took during my visit to the brewery! Argh!



Anyhow, this past weekend (September 1) I was passing through Harrisburg and went to tour the Troeg's brewery as well as to fill up my old Troeg's growler with some tasty beverage. I arrived about 15 minutes early for the tour but they were serving free samples so I decided to partake. The first beer I tried was a very spicy tripel they had brewed called Scratch Beer #3. It clocks in at 10% ABV and showed it a bit in the taste but a very nice tripel for sure. Also sampled some of their new fall seasonal, a porter named Dead Reckoning. Very hoppy for a porter! I ended up filling my growler with that beer so more on that at a later date.



Chris Troeg, one of the two brothers who are the brewery's namesake, gave the tour and it was fairly informative without getting too technical and going over the heads of the non-beer geek crowd. What was interesting to me is how small Troegs still is. You see their beers all over Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania so you get the impression that they would be a bigger operation. Their bottling line in downright tiny!



Anyway, it was a typical brewery tour. They are building some new, bigger fermenters and looking to expand a bit. The most unusual part of the tour is that when it was done, Chris let us basically have the run of the place so we could take a look around. It was then that I found (where the new fermenters were going to be located) several new oak barrels with names of beers scrawled in chalk. There was the name of a beer and then a date (ex: Naked Elf 071407) I did not know that Troegs barrel aged any of their beers so it was quite a surprise to find these.



On my way out, I was paying for my growler and Chris was nearby and I asked him if they were releasing any oak aged beers in the future. He said that no they weren't and that those barrels were holding beer that was being treated with wild yeasts as an experiment. You mean like brett is being added? Yes, he replied. Cool.

Tasting Notes: Kilgubbin Red Ale

Brewer: Goose Island
Poured: August 2007
ABV: 4.5%

More from my trips out west this summer:

I was curious to see Goose Islands take on an Irish Red. I am a fan of their Honkers Ale and IPA but this beer should be malt focused, not on the hops. Hmmmm....

Pours more of a deep orangish-copper than red. Topped by a wispy ivory colored head. Smells of fruity english type of malt. Bready aromas and british hops. Sweetish malt smells.

This beer is fruity and spicy in the mouth. There's light but distinct dark roasted malt flavors. A quite bready malt profile and decent balancing hops in the finish. Sweetish mouth but not overly done. Quite a nice and drinkable brew.

Does Goose Island make a bad beer? This is not even a style I am particularly fond of but the guys at Goose Island do it up right. Recommended.

Goose Island Beer Company