Abrasive Ale: F#%k Yea!

Yes, I have been slacking on my posts. I never thought working 50 hrs a week plus going to school could keep a guy so busy. Plus I need time in there to drink beer. Anyways, DLD is this weekend, so I will def be posting on that. I will have lots of fun stuff to read about.

For today, however, I have a review of Abrasive Ale from Surly. This beer was originally DVDA, then it was 16 Grit (which I had last year on tap at Stubs), and now is being canned for the first time with the name Abrasive Ale. It is Surly's version of a DIPA!

Poured into Surly Darkness snifter.

Pours almost a finger of beige khaki head. Fades down to a thin layer leaving some light lacing. Color is a glowing golden orange.

Aroma: I am smelling PtY here or what? The aroma reminds me so much of younger, but more floral notes. Huge floral hop profile. I can detect (yes this word is lame in a review) a fairly large biscuity malt profile (maybe some caramel malt as well which adds some sweetness to the beer). The citrus blend is also well represented in the nose. A big flavor. I dig it straight up.
Taste: Huge beer. Massive amount of floral hops, but the level of malts is high to keep it slightly balanced. Caramel and biscuit flavored malts keep things going here. The citrus notes are hard to separate, but there seems to be a lot going on. I would have to go with mango and grapefruit.There is a level of sweetness in there that reminds me a bit of the sweetness in hopslam as well (very little, but a bit). Big hop resin going on here.

Mouthfeel: It starts out relatively creamy, not the level of bitterness that I was expecting. It is bitter, but not too bitter. As it warms, however, the bitterness comes out more. Very big body for the style with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends very clean with some hop flavor sticking around. Nothing sticky or dry which is incredible for the style.

Overall, Surly has done it again. I had 16 grit last year on tap and this seems to top it. It reminds me a lot of PtY, which I thought was amazing. This beer packs more floral notes however, which is fine by me. It is extremely drinkable and my can is going fast. My wallet is going to be hurting for the next couple of weeks as long as this is on the shelves.

Do yourself and get some of this while you can!

Thanks for reading!
-Ben

Polish Beer Night

So tonight I have two Polish beers that I will be reviewing. To be honest, I reviewed them on separate nights so I didn't mess with my taste buds. My friend recently moved back to Poland after being in the states for over 4 years and she gave me two beers from Poland before she left. She knows I enjoy trying new beers so she always surprises me with something. So, these are two beers directly from Poland!

These beers are similar to the American macro lagers. They are light in color and flavor. Nothing to spectacular about them. Consider them the Bud and the Miller products of Poland. Up first is Lech Premium.

Poured into a pilsner glass.

Pours a large layer of fluffy white head.Decent retention. Leaves some nice lace which surprised me. Color is a clear golden yellow. Lots of active carbonation.

Aroma: Lots of rice, corn, and low level hops. Reminds me a lot of the typical macros in America. Nothing to special.

Taste: It is definitely different from the American macros. It has the pale malt present but also has a European flavor to it. Corn and rice flavors with some malt. Very basic but a little different from the American macro lager. Very dry with grassy hops... reminds me a little of a pils.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, smooth, relatively easy drinking. A little dry. Light bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. Ends a little dry and grassy.

Overall, it was fun drinking this beer. I knew it would taste like an American macro, but Europe/Poland has different malts and hops than us so it was fun to try something new. It was a fun experience. Fairly drinkable.

Next up is Zywiec. I think this beer is available on the East Coast, but this is from Poland so it is a bit more legit.

Poured into a pils glass.

Pours a little over a finger of creamy white head. Fades down to a thinner layer. Leaves a lot of splattered lace. Color is a clear straw yellow. Lots of carbonation bubbles in the glass.

Aroma: a lot like the typical American macro lagers. Grain and corn flavors, with a lower quality of grassy hops. Some light citrus zest with some pale malts.

Taste: Not as enjoyable as the aroma. It is very bready. Lots of pale malts and grassy hops. It is a bigger beer than I was expecting. Some grain and corn flavors.

Mouthfeel: Thick and chewy for the style. Crisp as well. Medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. Ends very dry and grainy.

Overall, it is always fun getting to try new beer and a Polish beer is never an exception. This tastes a lot like American macro lagers, but it definitely has that European tough to it with the hops and malt flavors I can taste. Relatively drinkable.

Firkin Fest 2010... Long Overdue

Well, I am still busy as normal, but I really had to get something up on Firkin Fest.

First off, let me say this... 64 casks under one tent is pretty solid. Firkin Fest is one of the only beer fests in which the host buys all of the beer. In this case, the Happy Gnome bought all 64 casks, which is quite impressive. There was many solid beers as well as some disappointments. Before I get to the beer I just wanted to comment on a few things.

Cost - $10 plus $1 each for an approximate 4 oz sample of any beer. I had talked to a few people in the beer industry and they had heard many people complaining about the price and the fact that they had to pay for the ticket and then the beer. I think that this fest is a great deal. After you pay for your ticket it cost $4 for a pint of beer! That is a great deal. Some beerfests range from $30 - $60 so this fest is in that range as well (unless you plan on drinking a ton of samples).

Space - It started out pretty packed. There was a line for a decent amount of time after the doors open. If you check out the picture here, you can get an idea of how many people were at the event. Seemed to be a popular event. The mass amount of people at the event made for a few problems. 1) Bathroom lines were very long. That was fixed later on in the event and they ordered more Out-houses. Also, the amount of people there caused the beer to run out an hour or two early. Lots of thirsty people I guess.

Now for a few comments on the beers:

First beer I started out with was Surly's 2010 Oak Aged Dry Hopped Darkness. I was a little letdown with this beer. It was good, but not as good as regular Darkness. It had a lot of chocolate flavors but a very odd mouthfeel. I would have liked the oak to show a bit more as well.

Next was a huge letdown: Avery's Uberschwein Barley Wine. This is their double dry hopped Hog Heaven. It tasted like ditchweed alcohol. 'Nuff said.

I then had the Ola Dubh 18 yr followed by the 40 yr. These were some big beers that had a lot of barrel flavors to them. The 40 yr tasted more like scotch/whiskey than it did beer. Pretty good though. This beer was only available with a golden ticket that you got if you bought 20 tickets. It sold out pretty fast.

Nightstalker on cask = bad. It had way to much citrus notes and it didn't even compare to what it is like on tap. I barely wanted to even finish my sample. Big stout meet citrus fruit. Ugh.

Fulton War and Peace. This beer pretty much was near the top of my charts for the day. I love coffee stouts and this one competed with some of the other top coffee stouts I have had. The peace coffee they used was so fresh and blended with the stout really well. I was shocked a new brewery (Fulton) could make a beer this solid. My hat is off to these guys!

Brau Brother's Elisha Old Ale.... not too much of an old ale imo. I am glad I had this hear and didn't have to buy a $10 750 mL bottle of it to try it. This beer was nothing near the caliber of some of the old ales I have had. It just had some caramel and toffee malt with some dark dried fruits. Some people may like it, but if I want an old ale, I will go with Hair of the Dog.

Founder's Double Dry Hopped Red's Rye was awesome. It was the typical goodness of Red's Rye with some great citrus flavors. Very fresh and extremely drinkable. I just wish Founders would have had some 'special' treats cough kbs/cbs cough.

The last beer that I want to comment on is by the Lift Bridge crew. These guys are awesome. I had a blast BS-ing with Steve and glad I got to try some of his wild beers. The beer that I want to talk a bit about is Ol' Pine Box. This is their Cross Cut Pale Ale dry hopped with Cascade hops and grapefruit zest added in. This beer tasted like Christmas. Lots of spruce pine notes. Very awesome tasting and original beer. The pictures with the LB guys are of the trophy they won for best cask at the event.

I had a 'few' other samples but these were just a few I wanted to write about. I have all my reviews posted on BA if you care to check them out.

Overall, the fest was great and I am glad I went. I will be back next year.

Thanks for reading and sorry it was delayed so long!

Cheers,
Ben

Summit is off the hook! (Unchained)

So the other day I grabbed the latest Summit Unchained beer. This is the 3rd in the Series and is an India Style Rye Ale. Mike Lundell, one of the senior brewers at Summit, came up with this recipe.

Poured into bells tulip

Pours 1/2 finger of creamy beige head. Decent retention with some great lace walls. Color is a dark copper brown with a slight ruby hue. Very nice looking beer.

Aroma: Lots of spices and rye. Very malty with some roasted notes and caramel. Reminds me of campfire smoke. Has some earthy hops flavor, but mainly malt here. I really like it though. Very complex.

Taste: Lots of spices again. Crushed black pepper sticks out a lot. Rye of course. I get some bitter floral hops here which add yet another level to this beer. A decent amount of roasted/smoked malts really work with this beer. I must say I am impressed.

Mouthfeel: Roasted, smoked, and bitter. Medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation. Ends dry with a lot of spice and rye flavors.

Overall, I am very impressed with Summit. This has to be one of the best beers to come out of their brewery. I have never met Mike, but I give props to him for this creation. Very drinkable.

If you get a chance, this one is worth picking up a 6er of. I hope the Unchained series continues to produce some wonderful beers.

Cheers,
Ben

I have been slacking!

I just wanted to put up a post apologizing for the lack of content lately. Getting a new job and now working 50 hours a week plus going to school allows me for very little time for much else.

I will try and break my post on Firkin Fest into two pieces. I know it is a little outdated, but still should make for a decent read.

As always, if you have any topics you want me to blog about or a beer you want me to review, just comment on this article.

Be sure to follow me if you like my material!

Thanks,
Ben

Cafe Twenty Eight and Surly Four

Last week while in the Twin Cities I decided to roll by Cafe Twenty Eight for some Surly Four. Linda Haug happened to be around and I was able to chat with her a bit. Linda is Todd Haug's wife and Todd happens to be the brewmaster at Surly.

Cafe Twenty Eight has been open for almost 8 years. When they opened they had 5 of the 8 trappist ales available and focused on serving quality beers. Once Surly opened they were the first account to have Surly on tap. Linda told Todd that if it didn't sell well, she would have to take it off the tap line. Not once did she have to take Surly off (big surprise).

Linda says that Surly is aggressive and not everyone will like it. She will bring samples to the customers so they can try something new and some really enjoy the beer.

A random question came about while I was talking with her. Feel free to comment if you can answer this question. What will future generation beer drinkers be drinking as their 'standard' beer? For her it was Summit's EPA and now for me it is Surly Furious. The beers keep developing and getting better, so it really makes me wonder what will bring about for the next generation.

Now, onto Surly Four. This was poured in a Darkness snifter and enjoyed on the patio at Cafe Twenty Eight on a gorgeous spring day (sounds amazing, right?).

Served with 1 finger of thick, creamy mocha tan colored head. Decent retention with some very nice lace walls. Color is a dark black.

Aroma: Tons of coffee flavors, with a large amount of hops. Big roasted malt profile with some rich chocolate. Vanilla notes in the background.

Taste: Tons of espresso and coffee flavors with roasted malts up front again. Huge earthy hop profile really balances this beer out, but still it is big. Very typical of Surly to hop the hell out of their beer. I like it. Big chocolate flavors with a light amount of vanilla. Well done.

Mouthfeel: Roasted, creamy, smooth, and bitter Medium (very nice amount) of carbonation with a medium to full body. Ends roasted and very clean.

Overall, extremely drinkable. It was hard to set my glass down. I really enjoyed this beer and I think it was well done for the style. I am glad I got to drink it. I hope I can find more of it around. This one is a must have!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Ben

March 2010 Tasting - Part 2

Thanks for stopping back to check out the second part of the tasting. No need for an introduction as you already know whats up ;)

Next we opened Bell's Eccentric Ale 2008. This was a 12 ounce bottle, so it went pretty quick. This beer was just a massive amount of unique spices. Juniper berries, honey, maple, molasses, and syrup. Very unique and tasty, but a small pour was enough for me. Very unique. I wonder what the cellar would do to this one.

The next beer was a beer that I have been wanting to try for a long time: Ithaca LeBleu. Brad knew I really wanted to try this one and brought one to share! This beer was one of my favorites from the night. It is an American wild ale with blueberries and champagne yeast. This beer is brewed with brett. Everyone agreed that this was a unique sour in the sense that it had a massive amount of carbonation from the champagne yeast. It was crazy how much carbonation this beer produced. I really think it worked for this beer. A lot of sours are good with a lower amount of carbonation, so this was a complete 180 from many of the other sours I have had. The brett and oak flavors were very subtle, but I have a feeling with some age in the cellar this beer could change a lot.

I think it was before or after the LeBleu that we had the white whale of the night. Brad had traded for this beer and was itching to open it. It happens to be one of my favorite sours and something I would never pass down. Brad popped open the cork of an Isabelle Proximus! This is a beer that the other guys were very excited to try and I was stoked to get to have it again. This is a sour that was bottled at Lost Abbey, but is a collaboration between 5 brewmasters. They include Adam Avery, Tomme Arthur, Vinnie Cilirzo, Rob Todd, and Sam Calagione. These guys toured Belgium's finest gueze producers in 2006 and then came back to the states and brewed Izzy. I had this a few months back and noticed that it was more sour. Not a lot, but noticeable. The fruit flavors were taken over a bit by the sharp sour notes, but still very present. If I had another bottle, I wouldn't cellar it much longer as I think it is peaking (I really wish I had it fresh so I could better judge it). This is an awesome beer and I am so glad that Brad shared it with us all! (yes I had to get a picture with Izzy)

Somewhere in this spree of sours, we cracked a Supplication as well. This was from the recent 4th batch. I have had batch 3 with some age on it and loved it. Fresh batch 4, however, doesn't stand up to the Russian River standards that I know of. It just wasn't sour enough compared to what age can do to this beer. It has some sour cherries and a dominate oak flavor, but nothing mouth puckering. This beer will get much better with time, but it was great getting to try it fresh; it really makes a guy appreciate what a cellar can do to a wild ale!

Next we switched it up from the wild ales to a porter. A very solid porter for that matter! We opened up a Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak: Rum Barrel Aged. As you can probably guess, this is a smoked porter aged in wine barrels. What I really enjoyed about this smoked porter is that the smoke flavors were dulled down a lot and the oak and rum flavors were able to stick out more. I am not the biggest smoke flavor guy, but some beers benefit with a hint of smoke in them and I think this one did. It was surprisingly a beer that stood out in the tasting. A very basic style, but thrown in barrels really adds some layers to this beer.

Finally, we cracked open Cigar City's Barrel Aged 110K + OT Batch 2. This beer had rich whiskey flavors with a nice amount of chocolate going on. It has some vanilla flavors which rounded out the roasted malt profile a lot. The vanilla and oak went together well. It was also fairly hoppy. I noticed there was a big earthy hop flavor with this RIS. One thing that I really enjoyed about this beer was that it wasn't taken over by the barrels. It had the right amount of barrel aged notes to let you know it was barrel aged, but not something that tasted like straight whiskey. Another great beer at the tasting and something I wouldn't mind drinking again.

Well, that is all for our March tasting. I will be sure to get more pictures (and of better quality) for the next tasting. Hopefully we all throw down some treats again!

As always, thanks for reading! My next post will be on Firkin Fest 2010!

Cheers,
Ben

March 2010 Tasting - Part 1

Last Thursday a few BAs got together. It was Kevin (kbutler1), Peter (pmccallum86), Brad (mistofminn), and myself each throwing down a few beers. We started at around 5:30 and went until about 2:30. It was a very fun night. We opened some exiting beers and some big time letdowns. We had a few side by sides along with what some may consider a white whale. From sours to stouts and even Belgian strong dark ales, we had quite the variety. I have some brief notes for the beers here, but will post full reviews on BeerAdvocate later on.

Just wanted to thank Kevin for providing a sweet place to hold the tasting and for the great hospitality! Also, I would like to thank all the guys for bringing some sweet treats!

We started the evening with Cigar City's Humidor Jai Alai. This is their IPA aged on cedar. Kevin brought this one back from his trip to Florida. The aroma on this beer was fantastic. Lots of cedar with a big fruit aroma. This was one of the most unique ipas I have tasted. Think of drinking an ipa in a sauna. It was great getting to try something so unique. The cedar took away from some of the fresh hop profile, but added a new layer of complexity.

Next we had the Bruery's Oude Tart. I had this on tap at the Bruery while visiting California and was a little disappointed with it since it wasn't very sour. After just a few months of aging in the bottle, however, it has started to develop some sour characteristics. I think that it still needs some more time, but it could turn into something great. This is a beer that I would like to be able to get easily. Very drinkable.

Up next we decided to do a side by side of Hoppin Frog's BORIS and BA BORIS. Everyone at the table agreed that the regular BORIS was a very dull RIS (oatmeal ris for that matter). It lacked flavor and didn't bring the flavors that a good ris can bring to the table. None of us wanted to finish the bottle. The BA BORIS was much better. The barrel aging really added a ton of flavors to this beer. I was able to come up with many more flavors in the barrel aged version. I was able to find flavors of licorice, dried cherries, and of course the barrel flavors. Don't waste your time with the regular, stick to the barrel aged edition of this beer.

Next we took a dinner break and ate some grilled goods and drank some Union Jack IPA. We all agreed that this was a solid ipa and something we wish he had more of (in Peter's case, at least a case of it). It was an easy drinking ipa with tons of citrus fruit and something I thought was comparable to Ballast Point's Sculpin (a top rated IPA and a personal favorite for the style).

Back to the tasting, we did a side by side of Footill's Sexual Chocolate and a collaboration brew: Olde Rabbit's Foot. The ORF is a blended collaboration beer from Foothills, Duck Rabbit, and Olde Hickory brewing companies. They each took their RIS and blended them together and aged them in 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle barrels. The SC was a little bit of a let down. It was a ton of chocolate and cocoa, but nothing much else that stood out. To me, it was a very 1 dimensional ris. It was good, but nothing earth shattering. The ORF on the other had was a tad better. The aroma brought a lot of spices to the table and the taste kicked in with a huge bourbon profile. Having had the SC right next to the ORF, I was unable to taste the SC in the ORF. There just wasn't that huge chocolate level, but instead more of a bourbon layer. They claimed to have brewed it with honey and I found it in the nose, but the barrel aging took over that flavor in the taste a lot. I was expecting more of a sweet taste from the said honey. Thanks Brad for bringing the ORF and Kevin for driving all the way to Carolina for the SC!

Next was another offering from the Bruery: White Oak. This is a beer that is 50% ale and 50% ale aged in bourbon barrels. It is classified as a Belgian strong pale at @ 11% abv, you could have fooled me! The taste in this beer is great! It has huge oak flavors, with vanilla, coconut, and a nice level of bourbon. The aging of only half the beer in barrels was a great choice for the style. This beer was extremely drinkable at 11% and could catch you off guard easily. This one may be harder to acquire since they only sell it at the Bruery, but if you get a chance, don't pass it up.

I will have the rest of the line up posted tomorrow night (hopefully), so check back. There are a few goodies that we had the pleasure to enjoy!

Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Ben

Dark Horse Night @ Stubs

It was a special night this past Friday at Stub and Herbs, considering the Dark Horse guys were coming down and Jon had a special treat for everyone: Double Crooked Tree through the Randal. What is the Randal (sorry about the dark picture) you are probably asking? The Randal is basically a water purifier cartridge packed with hops. There is a hose coming from tap to the purifier and then out another hose into a glass. The water purifier is filled with cascade leaf hops. I had a very long conversation with Mike, the director of sales and marketing, and he said this was the first time DH has served a beer like this. The Randal has been used at places like EBF, but never around Minnesota.

I asked Mike what happened to the original 13.7% Double Crooked Tree and he said that the beer changed a bit after the first batch since they brewed more of it. The recipe has stayed the same since batch 2 and is consistent at 12% abv. For ever 21 barrels made, they use 90 lbs of dry hops! Onto the review and then more about DH!

Served in a pint glass with a finger of creamy beige white head. Very thick head. Leaves some thick lace walls. Color is a dark orange hued copper. A hazed beer.

Aroma: Tons of floral hops up front with an orange, grapefruit and tangerine citrus mix. Some caramel and bready malts.

Taste: Very floral and a mildly aggressive citrus blend up front. Low alcohol flavor for the 12% abv. Caramel malts balance it out a bit.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, and bitter. Medium to full bodied for the style. God carbonation. Ends slightly dry. Well done.

Overall, this beer is awesome and drinkable. My pint went way to fast and I wanted more (but had to drive). This beer was well done. Tons of hop flavor done right. Worth a try if you can ever get a chance at it!

Now back to some more on DH. I was very happy that Mike shared a lot with me.

Dark Horse Brewing is very small at a 7 barrel brewhouse. Mike said that is smaller than Stub and Herbs is (if you have been there). They Brew 4000 barrels and year and next fall they will be expanding and adding on a 20 barrel brew house for a total of 27 barrels.

Dark Horse beers get brewed and out the door very fast. Mike said he sometimes doesn't even get to try the new beers before they leave the brewery since they get them out so quick. Since they are so small, they have great turnover rates. No dust on the bottles for DH. I asked Mike why they (or other breweries for that matter) don't put dates on their bottles. He said that the machines to code and date the bottles are very expensive and also that it gives consumers a perception that the beer is bad before they try it. Many of their beers get better with age, he said. In addition, it brings a lot of hassle if the bottles got dates on them. Then they have to worry about shipping beer that is probably fine back to the brewery which can get very expensive. All in all, it is more hassle than what it is worth, especially with their turnover rates.
Mike said that the only times people complain is when they pour the settled yeast into their glass. DH beer is unfiltered and the yeast will naturally settle and is meant to be swirled and dumped into the beer or completely left out.

I also asked Mike about sour beers at DH since we got on a discussion about Jolly Pumpkin beers He says that they bottle a sour every holiday season and sell them at their 4 Elf party. They are bottled in 750s and sold only at the brewpub. The first sour they made was 'Lambeak Wants' and last year they made 'Lambic Framboozin' - a lambic with Oregon raspberries. Both of these beers were aged for 4 years in bourbon barrels. They have also done a brett beer - 'Whiskey Richard' which is a Belgian Pale Ale in bourbon barrels.

Well, that's all I got for tonight. Stay posted this week for a post on Firkin Fest and a post on a sweet tasting me and a few buddies had!

Cheers and thanks for reading!
-Ben

Nothing like cracking open a can of Furious

Just keeping it simple tonight with my post.

Furious, an American IPA with 99 IBUs clocking in at 6.2% abv. This is a beer that I used to take for granted that it was available around me, but not anymore. Every time I had furious I really enjoyed it and wanted more, but for some reason I just didn't buy that much of it during the past few months. I tried a bunch of other IPAs and none of them really could compete with Furious and it took me until a few weeks ago to realize this. Furious is simply a well crafted IPA.

A little side note here. Many craft breweries have year round IPAs because they sell easily. However, if they don't sell then they obviously sit on the shelves and their hop profile fades. The most annoy thing when buying beer is realizing you bought an old ipa. The thing I like about furious is that it sells so fast around here. I never have to worry about it not being fresh.

Furious has a huge pine hop profile with tons of citrus. Combine that with the toffee and caramel malt flavors to give it the slightest touch of balance and you have yourself a radical IPA that can be drank all day. This beer is a hop lovers dream and I am very fortunate to have access to this one!

My beef with JL Beers

I went to JL beers a while back and had a bad experience there so I didn't want to post anything before I gave them a second chance. The bartenders were rude, pushy, and demanding. They seemed to be very snobby and thought they new a ton about craft beer when almost half of there selection consists of Rootbeer, cider, or BMC products.

Anyways, I decided to venture back for a second round since I figured I would try a Rogue Chocolate Stout on tap. I get there and the place is filled (only seats 24 people), but my buddy and I found a table in the back.

A bartender came up to us instantly and asked what we wanted but we wanted to look at the menu for a bit (which didn't take too long). Then another bartender came up to us and I asked if I could have a sample of a beer to see if I wanted an entire pint of it. She simply said I had to order a flight if I wanted to have a sample. Most real beer bars will pour you a small sample. Strike 1. So I decided to simply order a Rogue Chocolate Stout since it was the only reasonably priced beer for the quality there. The beer is served with the head overflowing and the glass sticky with beer on it... sure. (review posted at the end)

I am sipping on my beer and happen to notice that same bartender give two customers a sample of a beer. I could be wrong, but I think she said they don't do that and you need to by a flight. Strike 2. I am a little upset at this point.

I continue jotting notes on my beer and observe the bar some more to see that the same bartender decides she is thirsty and pours herself some beer. Strike 3. If you are working at a beer bar you wait until after you are done working for a beer. I have worked at a bar before and we never drank on the job. Who really wants to be served by employees that are drinking on the job?

A few other things that really made me wonder about this bar:

1) Last call at 11:43 on a Friday night?
2) We simply asked for out bill to be split into to checks (shouldn't be that hard, right?) and the bartender brings us one bill. Awesome service.
3) They claim to be a beer bar. I have never seen a beer bar with Blue Moon, Bud Light, Coors Light, Guiness, Hoegaarden, Kokanee, Leinenkugel's, Miller Light, Newcastle, Rootbeer, Stella, and Woodchuck all on tap. Many of the other beers are hardly considered craft beer.
4) A short is 16 oz and a tall is a little over 20 oz (I believe). Hmmm... a pint being a short pour? Good marketing I guess...?

I was excited to see that Fargo was getting a beer bar and I like what they are trying to do, but I won't be going back anytime soon. I would rather drink something decent at home. I understand that Fargo can't get a lot of great beers, but charging over $6 for a two hearted (their best beer on tap) and taking up tap line space with macros is terrible. I almost forgot to mention it cost $20 for a bottle of Lindemans. Yikes. The terrible service, no space, and tap line (or lack of) will keep me away from this place.

Here is a review of my beer, which was decent.

Served in a pint glass.

Served with 1/2 finger of creamy chocolate milk colored head. Fades to a thin layer. Some sticky lace left. Color is a dark chocolate.

Aroma: Some toasted malts and cocoa powder. Not to much for the nose, but decent.

Taste: Rich chocolate and cocoa powder. Very creamy with some roasted malts again. Some fresh earthy hops as well. A fairly straight forward beer, but decent none the less.

Mouthfeel: Very rich, smooth, and creamy. Full bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends roasted and dry.

Overall, a decent beer. A ton of chocolate. Very thick like a milkshake. Pretty easy to drink a pint, but very filling. I dig it, but wouldn't buy it too often.

Central Waters in Minnesota

According to the Central Waters Facebook page, they will be expanding to Minnesota. This is great news as they have a lot of top notch beers. Some of their highlights include their Bourbon Barrel Stout, Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout, Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, Coffee Stout, and Peruvian morning. And these are just a few off the top of my head. They say that they will be here in the next month or so. This may save many people from the TC and myself included a few trips over to Hudson!

In order to celebrate CW in MN, I will be reviewing their Brewhouse Coffee Stout and Peruvian Morning. (Just to clarify, these beers were drank on two separate occasions and not reviewed side by side. I say this because the second beer review would be influenced from the first beer since they are quite similar)

First up is the Brewhouse Coffee Stout, a stout made with Emy J's coffee.

Poured into Bells tulip.

Pours 1/2 finger of burnt coffee tan head. Fades to a thin layer. Leaves some splattered lace. Color is a deep bronze hued brown when held up to the light. Color is a dark brown otherwise.

Aroma: Massive amounts of fresh coffee with a perfect amount of roasted malts. A perfect amount of coffee. Absolutely delish. I don't know if I have smelt a better coffee stout.

Taste: Lots of roasted malts and fresh coffee. Straight up coffee in your face. It has a lot of roasted malt with fresh earthy hops. Everything about this beer is fresh. Some chocolate as well.

Mouthfeel: Roasted, smooth, and crisp. A medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends very roasted and dry.

Overall, this coffee stout is solid goodness. If you enjoy coffee, this is your beer. Fresh coffee, roasted malts, and fresh hops. Very smooth drinking and easy to drink. I am really enjoying this beer.

Next is Peruvian Morning. This beer is a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout made with freshly roasted Emy J's coffee!


The pour is a clear copper brown, but when it settles in the glass it is dark brown, near black. Pours hardly and tan head.

Aroma: Bourbon, vanilla, and coffee right up front. Some oak in the background. The bourbon is subtle, but it works well for this beer. It has a nice roasted malt flavor coming from it. I am already enjoying this.

Taste: The coffee and roasted malt flavors are right up front and then the bourbon, vanilla, and oak kick in after the roasted malts settle a bit. I have never had a ba stout with coffee and it sure is interesting. I am not sure what I think of it yet. It also has some fresh earthy hops and chocolate, dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and bubbly (more carbonation than the pour would suggest). It is also a bit roasty and slightly smooth. A relatively full body goes along with this. Ends with a big roasted aftertaste that is very dry.

Overall, this is a very interesting beer. It has a lot of flavors that I like in a stout and I think they are combined well. However, the mouthfeel seems to be a tad off and the coffee/roasted malt seems to overpower the bourbon notes. I think time may do this beer wonders as the coffee flavors will drop and the bourbon will begin to round this beer out.\

I look forward to having CW around the TC and I am sure the Minnesotans will welcome them with open arms. They are a solid brewery and will be supported well in Minnesota! I am always excited when a new brewery decides to sell their products in our state!

Flat Earth Tour

While on a beer adventure to the cities, Flat Earth Brewing happened to have a brewery tour. After leaving Town Hall and heading over to Hudson to pick up some Wisconsin beers I quickly made it back to St. Paul and found the brewery. It was a little hard to find, but Google provided decent directions this time. I arrived 5 minutes late and they had a guy outside saying the tour was full as people were still walking towards their building. Luckily I told him I was from up in Fargo and showed him my college ID and he let me sneak in since I was from far away.

I immediately understood why he said he couldn't let anybody else in as the place was packed. Right when I got in, I was handed a their Belgian Pale Ale to sample. Not bad to drink a beer and listen to the brewmaster speak about the brewery. The tour was a standing tour where everything was done in one room. After the tour was over they gave out generous sized samples of their porter, steam lager, and coffee stout. I am always a fan of their coffee stout and it is made with Dunn Bros Coffee.

Flat Earth only makes 900 barrels a year, which isn't too much. They have two smaller tanks in which they are working on some newer things it seems like. I asked them about their Flanders Red and why they don't make it more often and the reason is because it takes them over a year to make, which really cuts back their production. They said they have some kind of a sour ale developing in one of their smaller tanks right now, so hopefully that turns out well. Flat earth also hand bottles everything. I was quite shocked to hear this because I watched as they filled a bottle and it looked like it took quite a lot of time.

All in all, the tour was fun and getting to sample beer is always great. The tour is free which is another bonus. After the crowd that showed up last tour, they have no had to go to a reservation system like Surly does. I have yet to be on the Surly tour, but once I live in the TC, that will be the first on my list.

Thanks for reading!
-Ben

Town Hall Part 2

Here is my second installment of my trip to the cities since my first post got a little long.

Woke up Saturday morning and headed to Town Hall. Got there a little after 11, so an hour before the release. I was planning on drinking some Port barrel aged Odin, but that had already been kicked, so it looked like I had to wait an hour for my Jack Daniels Barrel Aged Czar Jack. It was a few minutes before noon and the bartenders started lining up goblets of the BA Czar Jack and I was ready to give it a try.

Served in a 10 oz goblet.

1/2 finger of dark tan head. Very thick and creamy. Good lace as well. Color is a dark black.

Aroma: The aroma starts out with some subtle notes of Jack Daniels. It is not overpowered but it lets you know it's there. Then comes the roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee. Dark fruit notes show through in the background. Oak and vanilla up front. Very nice.

Taste: Lots of cherries and dark fruits are apparent from the first sip. There is a nice amount if Jack Daniels, but again, it is not over done. Oak, vanilla and roasted malts follow after the JD with some chocolate and coffee.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, and roasty. Full bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends very clean. Everything I could ask for in an RIS.

Overall, a very solid beer. Tons of flavor and the barrel aging was perfectly done. Some beers can adapt the whiskey flavors too much, but this beer was perfectly crafted. I highly recommend. Very drinkable. No heat at all with this beer. Simply amazing.

I had over 2 glasses of this and still wanted more. This beer is one of Town Hall's finest.

I am very lucky to have got to try this and this was worth the drive. I really wish they had this on tap more often, but I am afraid it won't be showing up for a while. They had a limited amount of growlers for sale and they sold out in just over an hour with a 2 growler limit!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my next post on my visit to Flat Earth Brewing!
-Ben

Back on Track

So I am finally getting caught up from my mini Beercation to the cities. I have a ton to blog about so tonight I will just throw down about Town Hall's Big and Barrel Week. I got to Town Hall right around 4:30 after google took me in the wrong direction and I got lost. I have been to Town Hall many times and figured something was wrong when I printed the directions, but didn't double check. To my surprise, none of the kegs from early in the week had been kicked. This meant I had a lot of drinking to do as I wanted to try them all. I stared out with the Big Ben DIPA.

Served in a 10 oz goblet.

Served with 1 finger of off white head. Good retention and nice lace. Color is a clear copper.

Aroma: a massive amount of fresh pine hops with some caramel malts to balance it out. A big blend of citrus and some pineapple. The Amarillo hops stick out a lot.

Taste: lots of fresh hops. Big pine flavor. The amarillo hops stick out the most again. Lots of caramel malts. Big flavor.

Mouthfeel: bitter and more bitter. Huge hop bite. Medium bodied but big for the style. Decent carbonation. Ends with a big amarillo hop flavor a little dry.

Overall, an awesome beer from TH. Glad I got to try it. Very drinkable! Good rep of style and I normally don't like amarillo hops that much. Would have again.

Next was one of the beers I wanted to try really badly: Twisted Jim (Jim Beam Barrel Aged Twisted Reality Barleywine).

Served in a 10 oz goblet.

Served with 1/2 finger of beige head. Fades to a thin layer. Leaves some splattered lace. Color is a dark hazed caramel brown.

Aroma: Bourbon, oak, vanilla, and tons of malt up front. Lots of raisins, molasses, and cherries. Some caramel and cocoa. This beer is pretty big.

Taste: The Jim Beam and oak really shows here. Vanilla and molasses also heavy. Huge caramel and toffee malts. Some earthy hops balance it out. Very light heat. Big flavors. Very nice.

Mouthfeel: smooth creamy and warm. Fuller bodies with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends a little dry, but pretty clean.

Overall, this is a solid beer. Very drinkable and I want more. Glad I have a growler to cellar. I highly recommend this one. This one is a beer I could drink all the time.

The next beer I had was the Scottish Wee Heavy - Aged in American oak wine barrels

Served in a goblet.

Poured with 1/2 finger of light tan head. Fades to a thin layer. Color is a dark ruby hued copper. Very dark brown.

Aroma: big and malty. However it has some oak and big grape flavors. Some caramel and smoke. Just a big malt bomb with some extra additions.

Taste: the wine barrel aging in this beer is odd. Very odd taste. Grapes, oak, caramel, toffee, smoke, and roasted malts. Decent, but odd.

Mouthfeel: smooth, creamy, and bubbly. Medium bodies with a higher amount of carbonation. Ends malty, sticky, and oaky.

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this one. It was good but nothing amazing. I think they should have picked other barrels. I think Scottish ales age very nicely in bourbon barrels, but not oak wine barrels. Not something I want too much of.

Finally, I tried the Barrel Aged Batch 1000. This one is a DIPA aged in wine barrels. Sound unique, right?

Poured into goblet.

Pours 1/2 finger of beige head. Decent retention with some nice lace. Color is a hazed burnt orange.

Aroma: sweet malts and grapes. Very interesting ipa. Subtle oak notes. Huge citrus blend. Floral hops, but faded a bit. Very nice

Taste: wine notes a mashed grape flavors. It blends well with all the grapefruit citrus flavors. Big pine flavors. Lots of hops. Some oak.

Mouthfeel: bitter but creamy. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky and typical for the style.

Overall, a very interesting take on a dipa. Good and unique. The grapes complement the citrus well. Very bitter. Fairly drinkable.

After that I grabbed a growler of Masala Mama and I was finally leaving Town Hall, knowing I would be back in around 16 hours.

I will blog again tomorrow more about my weekend, including my thoughts on the Barrel Aged Czar Jack!

Thanks for reading!
-Ben

Aging Victory Wild Devil

So tonight I decided to take something out of the cellar that I had been aging for awhile to see what would happen to it. The beer is called Victory Wild Devil and it is their year round Hop Devil with brettanomyces (brett) added to it. In case you don't know what brett is, it is a wild yeast strand that can make a beer very funky. It can be hard to control and many breweries don't want to mess around with this particular yeast strand. However, it seems as if a few more breweries these days are taking chances with the 'bug.'

I orginally had this on tap last summer when it was released and it was more of the ipa with a little funk. However, aging it for 10 months has taken a complete 180 on this beer. The brett kicked in nice and provided a nice Belgian flavored beer. Here is a review of the aged bottle:


Cork comes off with a loud pop and gushes out a bit.

Poured into New Belgium Globe glass.

Pours a massive amount of head. I poured it slowly and the head rose up very fast. Over four fingers of khaki head. Finally fades down and I can get at this one. Leaves some rings and splattered lace. Color is a orange hued burnt copper.

Aroma: Tons of funk. The brett seemed to have develop nicely, maybe overpowering the ipa components. Has the barnyard funk to it with some spices and cloves. It has some citrus flavors, but the hops aren't very present.

Taste: Tons of barnyard funk and brett. The hops bring some bite as well, but not as present as when the beer was fresh (pretty obvious). Has some hints of bananas and cloves with some grapefruit citrus. The hops are floral and they blend well with the funkiness in this beer. A decent amount of black crushed pepper.

Mouthfeel: Bitter, but funky with some crisp notes. Medium bodied with a higher amount of carbonation. End dry with an awkward aftertaste that I can't determine.

Overall, this was a fun beer to age. It really changed a lot and I enjoyed to see what a few months did to it. It was very funky and not to much of an IPA anymore. It is drinkable. The 750 shouldn't be too big of a problem.

Thanks for checking out my review. Try aging a few beers yourself. It can be fun to see what happens to them. If you need suggestions, feel free to comment here.

Cheers,
Ben

Updates with a Review

A few updates on the TH Big and Barrel Week. It appears that the kegs are being tapped at 12 and available in a growler and in a 10 oz pour. Also, it seems as if they have a decent amount of growlers available. I was expecting them to sell out right away, but I guess not. My guess is that the BA Czar Jack will be gone fast. I heard from a few buddies that the beers released today were great. I am looking forward to my trip down to the cities.

Now for the review. Today I am drinking Bristol's Old No. 23 Barley Wine. I got this from a buddy in Colorado. Thanks Andy!

2009 Vintage

Poured this one into my Old Guardian glass.

As I pour it, it seems as if it is flat, but after a few seconds the carbonation kicks in and a half finger of head of khaki head forms. It then settles pretty fast. Not a lot of lace left. Color is a dark copper brown with a slight ruby hue to it.

Aroma: Big and malty with a nice layer of hops as well. Lots of caramel and toffee flavors mixed with some pine hops. It also has some dark dried fruits in the background. Maybe some raisins and dried cherries. The aroma is very good, but not that big.

Taste: Again, big malt flavor. This is a pretty big beer. The toffee sticks out a lot more than the caramel here. Also the malt seems to have covered up more of the pine hops, but they are there to balance it out a bit. This beer packs a little heat to it. It is sweet with the cherries a little more present here. Also has some molasses and raisin flavors.

Mouthfeel: Sweet, creamy, and a little hot. Full bodied with a lower amount of carbonation. Ends a little dry and very sweet.

Overall, not a bad barleywine at all. I think this is a local and a solid local at that. I am very glad I got to try this one. I hadn't had a barleywine in awhile and Bigfoot hasn't shown up yet, so this will hold me over. It did remind me of Bigfoot with a year or two on it. Not as many hops as bigfoot fresh, but once the hops fade a bit, then these two are comparable.

Thanks for reading!
-Ben

Big and Barrel Week at Town Hall

Next week is a very special week at Town Hall. Town Hall is putting on a event called: Big and Barrel Week. They are releasing 7 beers over the course of 6 days. The beers will be available for growler fills, but very limited quantities. Here is the line up for the week.

Monday 2/22 –
*Big Ben Double IPA
*Jim Beam Barrel Aged Twisted Jim

Tuesday 2/23-
*Wine Barrel Aged Batch 1000 (Double IPA)

Wednesday 2/24-
*Wine Barrel Aged Scottish Wee Heavy

Thursday 2/25-
*Wine Barrel Aged Grand Cru

Friday 2/26-
*Port Barrel Aged Odin

Saturday 2/27-
*Jack Daniels barrel aged Czar Jack

I plan on making the trip down from Fargo on Thursday evening so I can hopefully try the Wine BA Grand Cru and then of course the Friday and Saturday beers.

This is going to be a busy week for Town Hall.

My EBF Story

So every year BeerAdocate holds an event called the Extreme Beer Festival. They have Night of the Barrels (100% Barrel Aged Beers all night), Session 1, and Session 2. I think they limit each session to 500 people. Basically, there are tons of great beers from many different breweries and you get to try a lot of things that normally wouldn't be available.

My buddy, Matt, from California was going to be going out there and had an extra ticket so I got this idea that maybe I should be going as well. I had less that 20 hours to get this trip worked out as my plane would have left Wednesday right after class (Matt was going to use his miles so my flight would be cheaper and this was the only option out of Fargo). I managed to get my work shift covered, my bags packed, and most important a place to crash on Wednesday and Thursday evening. It took a long time to get everything set in stone, but I was ready to go.

I got to sleep trying to calculate the numbers and just relax and think if this was a good idea or not. I woke up in the morning and realized that this was one of the dumbest ideas ever. The trip would have cost well over $500 and with Darklord Day and maybe a trip to Cali over summer, I really couldn't afford this.

Anyways, I guess the moral of the story is that you need to spend money on beer where it counts. Granted EBF would have been great, I am looking more forward to going to DLD with a bunch of buddies.

Thanks for reading, next time I will having something more relevant.

-Ben

Follow up on Bell's Batch 9000

So Bell's Batch 9000 has finally been released and Moorhead was lucky to get some in today so I will be cracking one up and throwing down a review! I originally posted about this beer, so if you need details on it, you can check that out as well.
Poured into Bell's Snifter glass.

Pours 1 fingers of creamy, yet a little fizzy, mocha tan head. Color pours a dark caramel brown, but settles black in the glass. Not as dark as I was expecting.

Aroma: Right away, I can already tell this is going to be a sweet beer. Lots of molasses and licorice as the bottle suggests. Some caramel, roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate also present. A little smokey as well, but very sweet.

Taste: This is a pretty interesting imperial stout. It is extremely sweet and syrupy. It reminds me a little of Darkness 2008. Tons of molasses and licorice with a big malt backbone. Some dark dried fruits like cherries and raisins add to the sweetness level. Big chocolate and coffee notes with some roasted malt. The aftertaste brings even more licorice.

Mouthfeel: Sweet, syrupy, creamy, and smooth. Full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sweet and dry.

Overall, this beer is solid. I think aging it in the cellar might do some great things for the beer. It is really young right now and needs a little time to develop and round out. I do love the sweetness of this beer. I am glad I got to try it. Drinkable as well.

If you have a chance to try this one, it is worth the price. It will retail around $17 per 6er, but for over 3 bombers of an imperial stout, you can't go wrong.

Thanks for reading. I will get details about my failed attempt to going to Boston for the EBF.

Cheers,
Ben