Drinking a Blue Mountain Mandolin right now. I think it is similar to a La Fin du Monde, but it may even be a bit better. That would be an interesting blind taste off.
Crooked Stave – “St. Bretta” Witbier Spring 100% Brettanomyces (Colorado, U.S.A.)
– crown-capped 375mL bottle –
Hazy light orange color; thin whitish head dissipates quickly. Nose is sour, lightly citric, and medium-light expressiveness. Medium-light bodied. Very fresh tasting, and moderately sour. 5.5% alc. is not noticeable. Gentle citrus wash with typical witbier spices around the edges; this was brewed with Minneola Tangelo and fermented in oak foeders. I’m very impressed with how clean, light, and refreshing this is … good lord, man — Crooked Stave is making a very strong case for placement on my personal list of favorite American breweries. I don’t really know what type of beer I should score this as, so I’ll just score it as “beer”: 9.0 – 9.5/10.
Crooked Stave – “Surette” Provision Saison (Colorado, U.S.A.)
– crown-capped 375mL bottle –
Slightly hazy tan-orange color. Nose is moderately expressive, and is slightly sour. Medium-light bodied. Very interesting Saison: there’s some typical Saison flavor there, but there’s some unusual/good notes of sour and maple; “darker” taste profile than the “St. Bretta”; 6.2% alc. not noticeable. Not a typical Saison b/c it’s sour and lacking the grassy earthiness that one would expect, but very good nonetheless. I suppose this is best compared to Jolly Pumpkin’s Bam Biere Saison, and I’m not sure which one I prefer. As a Saison: 8.0 – 8.5; as a sour Saison: 9.0/10.
Joe,
I had to look this up because I was pretty sure they mentioned something about barrel on the bottle. Looks like from their website Port Brewing Company | Old Viscosity Ale that the OV is 20% Old Viscosity aged in bourbon barrels. So I guess the final beer has not been aged but they mixed some in. I could certainly think I was tasting it! I also agree that it’s a wonderful whatever it is … they dont seem to want to tell you that either!
Those TN’s summed them up well. They are absolutely killing it right now.
I tried a taste of this at a bar in St. Louis over the holidays, and no. Just…no.
Speaking of bad beer, I opened a Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager that was thrown in as part of a trade. It was like drinking a strawberry Starburst.
A few beers from the past week…
Smuttynose “Findestkind” IPA: This just started getting distribution in Indiana, so I picked up a sixer. Daddy like! Nice floral and citrusy nose. Well done East Coast IPA.
Founders Double Trouble DIPA (on tap): This is one of my favorite expressions of the DIPA. Maybe not a home run beer, but a solid stand-up double every time. It drinks so easy, that it can easily live up to it’s name if you’re not careful.
Class of '88 Barley Wine (on tap): This is a collaboration between Rogue, Deschutes, and North Coast, and this was the NC version. Not incredibly complex, but a nice young barley wine. Pretty hoppy, and doesn’t show it’s ABV.
Great Divide Old Ruffian 2011 (on tap): Starts off a little sweet, and then gets hoppy and piney. They had the 2012 on tap as well, but I didn’t get a chance to compare the two.
Just learned a fun fact about the Grapefruit Radler I posted about above: “radler” means “cyclist” and this is considered a SPORTS DRINK in Austria!
Hmm…just 2.5% ABV and with natural nutrition from the grapefruit…why not?
Radlers and Shandies both are in that low alcohol with fruit (usually citrus) category. And radlers were to quench thirsts without getting one drunk. It’s the sort of libation you could drink all day.
Baxter Brewing Company Summer Swelter can. Fitting as it’s been in the mid-90s.
Clocks in at 4.7% and is brewed with lemon and lime peels, Kaffir lime and lemongrass.
This is crisp and refreshing, with the lime really coming to the forefront on the finish. Ever so slightly bitter and sour, literally a hint.
Really fun beer and perfect for the heat.
Finally scored a bottle of this. Not meant for sale outside of Canada. Unibroue’s Blonde de Chambly. A it is a Saison. Very nice. Just what I would expect from them. Balanced and tasty.
What’s the other Chambly I always see around?
Never mind, it’s the Blanche De Chambly. A Wit.
Yeah. The Blanche is not their best work IMO.
I love the Blanche de Chambly myself. It has a nice bit of complexity in the aftertaste.
Lot of people talking about RuinTen so thought I would post this.
Was walking around a local place minding my own business and turned a corner to this:
Yes that is 20 CASES of RuinTen. After recoiling in terror I couldn’t help but think of the anguish those poor 240 souls will face.
One of the legends, fresh, with great tangerine citrus fruits and a malt backbone so common with midwest and east coast styled IPA, but with Bells Two Hearted, the balance is impeccable, a great summertime beer.
Cheers,
Bud
Nice, very ripe citrus driven DIPA.For a midwestern DIPA it is more west coast in style,less malt, more hops. A nice hop bill rounds out a pretty well made Imperial that hides it 8.4 % very well behind the red grapefruit tastiness.
Cheers,
Bud
Some recent gems on a trip down to Portland:
Laurelwood Megafuna Double IPA- This won a competition which included a bunch of heavy hitters ( Pliny, Double Jack), and has been quite a buzz around the PNW. I was lucky enough to be in Portland when the bottles were in shelves. Very hop forward, but also tons of backbone. Lovers of Maharaja & Hoptimum will love this, but certainly enough green hop up front that any WC fan will enjoy. No idea what they have in mind for future production, but if I were them, I’d recognize that they have a Pliny/Enjoy By situation on their hands if they want one. Absolutely delicious, not for newbs or those who don’t love the hop.
Laurelwood Portlandia Pils- My wife ordered this & hated it. She hates big hoppy beers, this doesn’t drink like anything resembling a golden Pilsner, but rather a hoppy pale. If they would get this in 12 oz bottles in 4 or 6 packs, I’d be drinking it all the time. A pleasant surprise for IPA lovers, probably a big turn off for someone seeking a light, golden Pilsner. Need to drink side by side w/Fremont Summer Ale. Highly recommended for IPA/Pale fans.
Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) Evelyn’s Imperial Sunshine- A real gem of a DIPA and one that I’m kicking myself for not grabbing a growler of when we were there. If you like citrus-laden IPA, this is for you. Bright, fresh, clean & bitter. Perfect on a warm day, but dangerous at 8% as it is painfully easy to guzzle. HUB is probably the most kid-friendly place for adults to drink good beer and actually eat good food that I’ve ever visited. I wish they would bottle this & distribute, but that magical freshness almost has to be on tap.
Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood & Bourbon Fred from the Wood- The Bourbon version was flat an being sold half price, so there’s that. The regular was drinking beautifully adding lots of cedar & tobacco to the usually wild Fred. A sipper for sure, but as complex as they come. I was craving a cigar with this one.
A couple of weird IPA’s- Breakside/Gigantic’s collab for Portland Beer Week which is actually a hopped up amber with Brett. It tasted like honey lemon tea carbonated with hops. Not bad, but very weird. I would not take the bottle’s advice about cellaring it.
Crux The Insider- IPA straddling the line between citrus & earthy, but with loads of Belgian yeast. That, plus the dry hopping leads to lots of funk. Actually refreshing, but not one I’d continually seek out.