Cantillon Blåbær

So yesterday marked my 700th review on BeerAdvocate, so I pulled something rare from the cellar. I went with Cantillon Blåbær, a lambic that is made specifically for a shop in Copenhagen called Olbutikken (technically you are only able to find it there, but a few shops in Europe have came up with bottles and sell them at their shops). A unique aspect about this lambic is that it is made with blueberries. Now for the review:

2009 Vintage

Poured into Lost Abbey tulip.

After I took of the cap, the cork slowly rose up, which I thought was weird. I didn’t even need a cork screw and it popped off like a rocket and hit the ceiling.

Pours a massive fluffy raspberry pink head. Fades to a thin layer and decent retention from there. Leaves some splattered lace. Color is a dark blackberry purple. Very nice looking beer.

Aroma: Wow, this is funky. Lots of sour acidic flavors. Leather and horse blanket. This beer is very funky and mouth watering. I get a nice amount of oak along with a decent amount of blueberries. It is smelling very fine.

Taste: This beer is very sour and acidic. A decent amount of vinegar flavors. I also get some cough syrup light flavors which I find to be odd. Lots of leather and horse blanket, maybe even some tobacco. Lots of oak flavors. If I didn’t know it, it would be hard to pick out the blueberries. I get more dry cherry flavors. A very nice beer, but it isn’t what I was expecting.

Mouthfeel: Sour with some tartness. Nothing compared to some of their other sours in terms of sourness. Medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. Ends dry and oaky relatively sweet.

Overall, this is a solid beer, just nothing I was really expecting. I am really glad I got to try it, but I would be hard to trade off a bunch to try another bottle. Definitely worth a try. Pretty drinkable. I won’t have a problem with this 375. I dig it. Very unique.

Bell's Batch 9000... Better Late Than Never

After months and months of anticipation, Bell's Batch 9,000 was finally packaged January 27th. This is one of those releases that beer geeks have been drooling over for quite some time. It was originally scheduled to be released in the fall of '09, but the beer just wasn't ready yet.

So what style is it and why does everybody in the beer world want it?

Batch 9,000 is a 12.5% abv Imperial Stout that is brewed with molasses and brewer's licorice. From the back of the label: Batch 9,000 is part of our commemorative series celebrating our progress with special brews. Black, dense and rich, this is a great ale for the cellar.

This pretty much sums up why everyone is trying to get a case of this or at least a 6er. I am crossing my fingers that Fargo/Moorhead gets some of this, but if not I may need to road trip to the Twin Cities.

Jon, from Stub and Herbs, just let everyone over at BeerAdvocate know they he is supposed to be getting a keg of it in. Whether he taps it in the near future or Darkness Eve (big beer party the night before Darkness Day), is the big question.

Retail price on this one is supposed to be are $18 a 6er and it will definitely be worth it. I will post a review here once I get chance to try it.

Stub and Herbs Takes 12th in the World!

I should have written about Stub and Herbs a long time ago, seeing it is my favorite bar in the area (a very big area at that), but now is as good of a time as any. Stub and Herbs has recently been voted in the BeerAdvocate magazine as the 12th best place to enjoy a beer in the world! That's right, in the world.

Stub and Herbs was the first beer bar I went to and ever since I had my first beer there, it will always remain my favorite. The tap list is always incredible and always changing. They have great prices and happy hour almost all day long, which is never a bad thing.

Jon, the bar manager has put a lot of time and effort into getting Stubs to being a great beer bar. I don't know a lot about the past version of Stubs, but I heard the beer selection was nothing to brag about. However, that is all gone. Jon gets all kinds of beers. From locals and seasonals to limited/rare treats that no one else in the area gets, Jon manages to provide quite the variety. Stub and Herbs also has cask beers and Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey on tap.

A few reasons why Stub and Herbs deserves to be on this list:
1) The amazing beer selection and the prices that come along with the beer.
2) The service is great.
3) The atmosphere is comfortable and fun.

If you are in the Twin Cities, I highly recommend paying a visit to Stub and Herbs. You won't be let down. Anytime I am in the TC, I will be at Stubs at least once.

Surprised by 3 Squares

I originally wrote this December 30, 2009.

Yesterday, I had a few hours to kill after stopping by Princeton Liquors in Maple Grove, so I decided to check out 3 Squares for the first time (only a few miles away). They have their happy hour from 3 to 6 and then 9 to close. I was impressed with their happy hour special of $2 pints and half off appetizers. Their tap list consists of many Summit products, Furious, Smoke, Snowstorm, Sweet Child of Vine, NB Fat Tire and Lips of Faith Biere de Garde, and a few ‘craft’ marcros. Unfortunately, the Smoke wasn’t available for the happy hour special.

I decided to go with the NB Lips of Faith, considering the value was amazing. Normally, $10 a bomber at any store in the areas, $2 for a pint was great price. Also, I decided to get an order of chicken drummies. The beer was great, see review here. Surprisingly, it went pretty well with the chicken. I have had this beer other places on tap and for some reason it just wasn't the same. I really enjoyed it during my visit.

A few comments on the place. The service is great. I had no problem with anything there. I always had a beer in front of me and the bartender checked up to make sure everything was alright. There was probably only one issue I had with the bar. The TV’s were placed on the sides of the bar and not in front of it, so in order to watch it, I had to consistently turn around. Not the biggest deal in the world, but something they could consider.

I ended up staying for another Bierde de Garde and then rolled on out to stubs.

If you are in the area, I recommend stopping by 3 Squares for a few well priced pints and appetizers.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

Time to get this started with a review of Kunhnhenn's Tenacious Cassis

It is a Wednesday evening and I have nothing better to do, so why not enjoy a 15% Eisbock.

2007 6.3 oz bottle into Stone Old Guardian glass

Pours the slightest amount of tan head that doesn't last but seconds. Color is dark murky brown with a ruby hue to it.

Aroma: I don't know if I have had a beer with currants before, but this is smelling amazing. So much fruit in this beer. It is a little sour and mouth puckering, but nothing like a wild. Also has some chocolate and toffee to it. Lots of sweet flavors.

Taste: Wow, this is a huge beer. From the aroma, I wasn't expecting such a huge body, but this packs flavor. It starts out with the currants, then goes into a lot of the bock flavors. Roasted malts, toffee, chocolate, and caramel. A nice amount of heat shows. It settles down to a raspberry taste, but probably is just more currants.

Mouthfeel: A little tart, but relatively creamy. There is a lot of heat in this beer. The aftertaste is like that of taking some kind of liqueur shot. Full bodied with hardly any carbonation showing.

Overall, this is an interesting beer to say the least. It is a big time sipper. The 6.3 oz bottle is a perfect size for this beer. I really am shocked with the taste of this beer compared to the aroma. Very unique and worth a try. It does have a high abv and the heat shows, so it isn't the most drinkable beer, but I do like it.