Rochefort 10

Rochefort 10

Serving: 11.2oz Bottle poured into new belgium glass
Style: Quadrupel
ABV: 11.3

Another big brew to try this evening, brimming forth with expectations of flavor and complexity. A gift from my father for my birthday, this brew will likely run you $7.50 for a 11.2oz bottle. I have previously reviewed the Rochefort 8, loved it, and have only heard that the 10 is better. It's safe to say I'm coming into this with high expectations.

Pours a nice dark brown color with an appreciative amount of head. At least two fingers of it. As I got down to the bottom of the bottle some settled yeast came out expectedly. The beer looks great, deep brown color with foamy scrumptious head that is erupting from the brew joyously.

Smells nutty and sweet. first sip is dangerously smooth, and slides down my throat with no complaint. Plenty of delicious darkened fruity flavors that really are the keystone of this kind of ale. Figs, raisins, and others seem to comprise the fruity nature of the brew. The heat of the alcohol is catching up to me in the back of my throat, as I can feel a peasant burn. There is so much clarity in this brew, and tastes very pure in it's focused flavors.

I can almost feel the soul of the monk-brewers pouring out of the glass after each sip. Truly a joy to imbibe.

Final Verdict: A

-Truly a masterpiece of a brew. Just one of these will satisfy you in ways that no amount of any other beer can. Complex yet focused, with flavors that will persist with you long after the brew is gone.

Hair of the Dog, Adam

Hair of the Dog, Adam

Serving: 12oz bottle poured into pint glass
Style: Old Ale
ABV: 10%

Heard a lot of good things about this ale, but never took the plunge at the beer section. It is fairly expensive for a 12oz bottle of beer (I paid about 4.50 for it), but isn't too crazy compared to other beers in the style. North Coast's old ale will run you about 3.50 or so.

Pours smoothly with a nice brownish foamy head on it that lingers in the glass. Bring the glass up to my nose and don't really get a huge aroma from the brew. Some mild malty sweetness comes through though. The beer looks brown, but light will not pass through it...I attest this to the re-fermentation process that creates some yeasty sediment in the ale.

Taste is a blast of almost syrupy brown sugar taste that quickly morphs into a unique bitter resolution. The final burn in the back of my throat reminds me of the high abv of this beer. It's almost belgian in it's sweetness, but quickly gives off some earthy quality that embraces the bitterness. Each sip is quite a mouthful of flavor, and takes time to pick apart the subtle nuances.

Definately a beer you need to sip at and reflect upon, and wouldn't do well at your local friday night frat party. I must say it pairs quite well with lays sharp cheddar potato chips.

As it warms more chocolate flavor and fig/raisin sweetness comes out and joins the flavor party.

Final Verdict: A

-Really world class beer. Plenty of complexity, flavor, and character to make your beer drinking session memorable and delicious.

North Coast Brewing Brother Thelonious

North Coast Brewing Brother Thelonious

Serving: 750ml corked bottle.
Style: Abbey Ale
ABV: 9.4%

So it's been a month since I've updated my blog, but I've been a busy young man. Recently got a job at OHSU doing research in a field that I am very interested in, so I've been busy for the first time in about 8 months. Don't worry! I'm still drinking beer!

Ahhh, another big brew. Lots of flavor and lots of gravity...just the way I like it. Beer pours a nice dark dirty ruby color that catches just enough light to make it shine. Thin lace of carbonation makes it's way up to the top of the brew.

Smells fruity! A hodgepodge of tasty dark fruit wafts up into my nostrils. Some alcohol-ey ester smell in the back as well, just to remind you that at 9.4% this beer isn't messing around.

First sip, and my initial thought is that this beer is a little unbalanced. A bit too sweet and really missing some mellow earthy notes that I get with other abbey ales. Also there is a weird aftertaste that is slightly off putting.

All the other aspects of the beer are intact here, bold dark fruit flavors, deep malty complexity, and pretty decent drinkability for a 9.4% beer.

Final Verdict: C

-Overly sweet and unbalanced. If I wasn't such a fan of the style I probably wouldn't be able to drink this whole bottle. I would recommend many other abbey ales, especially the excellent offering from New Belgium Brewing at a bargain price. You can do a lot better at 7.99$ a bottle. Ommegang and Unibroue make great abbeys at this price point.

Bud Light Chelada

Bud Light Chelada

Serving: 24oz demonseed.
Style: Regurgitated Stomach Acid
ABV: 4.2%

So this is self inflicted torture. Poured it and some head formed...somehow.

Why did I even try to smell this...like fish gone bad and tomato soup. Egad. I cant believe my mom picked up the glass and took a drink of the stuff and didn't bat an eye...what a trooper. Smells so wrong.

Had to get myself pumped up to take a drink of this. Here we go...Not as bad initially as I'd thought. Eventually turns into a horrible salty weird aftertaste that is an affront to taste buds everywhere. Not sure if I can take another drink. Second sip is worse than the first. Very salty...cant really get any taste of beer in this drink.

After three drinks there is an unnatural burn in the back of my throat...almost spicy. I kind of feel like throwing up. Whatever you do...avoid this at all costs if you enjoy beer.

Final Verdict: F+

-First drink was interesting, second was not something we looked forward to. Third drink was to be avoided like the plague. If we were stranded on an island, we could possibly survive on it if there was no water...but it would be something gross that Bear Grylls would drink to shock the audience. First beer I've ever poured out.

Ninkasi Tricerahops DIPA

Ninkasi Tricerahops Double India Pale Ale

Serving: 22oz Bomber
Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.8%

Like I said, I'm giving ninkasi a second chance with their DIPA. Pop the top and aromatic floral hoppy zest flows out. Smells just like the fresh hops we used in the homebrewing last week. Very inviting.

First sip is grand. Nice complex sweet citrusy flavor initially that blends into a very mild pleasant hoppy flavor. Lots of orangeness at the start, which blossoms into floral complexity.

Brad chimes in with the assertation that the citrus flavor is almost grapefruit. I concur with this. I should mention that Brad will accompany me on this reviewing adventure. He is drinking a triple.

Drinkability is pretty good for a strong IPA, though Brad and my Dad were slightly overwhelmed by the hop flavor.

Brad's quick review of Pater Lieven Trippel, the beer he has chosen for the evening:

s'good, Grade: B (He says it needs to do extra credit to bring up the grade).

My final grade for the Tricerahops: B+

-Great strong IPA. Not overwhelming like I thought it would be. Nice blend of sweet citrus and bitter hop at the end of the tasting. Would consider buying again if I was looking for a strong hoppy refreshing beer.

Ninkasi Spring Reign Ale

Ninkasi Spring Reign Ale

Serving: 22oz Bomber
Style: American Blond Ale
ABV: 6.0%

This is my first beer from Ninkasi, and I've heard good things about their double IPA (Tricerahops) and other hoppy brews. Pours a nice yellow golden color with a hint of orange and bubbles triumphantly upon pouring. Kind of smells like an average IPA would, so I am expecting some hoppy character.

As the beer first hits my tongue there is a blast of malty sweetness, which surprisingly switches over to mellow bitterness very quickly. The first thing that jumps into my head is that this reminds me of a much more mellowed out Barleywine. It has a similar progression of flavor, yet in more modest amounts. As I sip, a burnt caramel aroma wafts into my nostrils, along with some faint citrus notes.

There is perhaps a bit too much bitterness at the end, and detracts from the overall balance of the brew. It lingers and is rather unwelcome to my pallet. After sipping on this for awhile the bitterness starts to become less intense, but is still out of balance with the rest of the brew.

Overall, a pretty average Ale from Ninkasi. It certainly doesn't inspire me to run out and purchase the rest of their offerings. I should still give some of their other brews a chance...and I plan to review another from them.

Final Grade: C

-Has some nice malty character going for it in the beginning, but is unbalanced by bitterness at the end. Evens out to an average beer for me, might be slightly more appetizing for hopheads out there. The hop character isn't very good though. I think I'd rather be drinking a PBR.

SIDE NOTE:
Helped Mike Adams start his homebrew earlier this week! It was super fun and was a lot easier than I thought. Cant really afford homebrew supplies right now...but hopefully when I get a job I can invest in a decent setup. I had an interview at OHSU yesterday so hopefully I made a good impression so I can start brewing some beer!

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Serving Type: 22oz Bomber
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%

The standard stone gargoyle on the front of the bottle is adorned with a Russian style fuzzy hat. The label says that this gargoyle fends off any bad juju that could invade the sanctity of the beer. Cheers to you, Stone Brewing gargoyle, I hope you did your job.

The beer pours out like thick dark molasses, and a dark tan head erupts from the tumulus pour. Just looking at the beer lets me know that I have my work cut out for me, especially since I'll be downing 22oz of the brew. Aroma is strong with espresso and molasses. Also getting some nice vanilla-ey smells.

Pow! Explosive flavor from even the tiniest of sips. I think I need to let this warm up a bit more before I partake completely. Initial impressions are a very smooth mouthfeel that just coats your mouth. Almost sweet flavor transitions into a bitter flavor reminiscent of baker's chocolate. Also some espresso flavor finds it's way in towards the end of the tasting. The sweet flavors as the beer first hits your tongue are like molasses and malty deliciousness. Each sip is a swirling symphony of dark sweet and bitter flavors that opens up even further with each drink. This is definately a brew that will benefit by warming up a bit. There is also some spiciness going on, maybe cinnamon or some other zestyness.

Drinkability is pretty damn good for the style. It masks it's alcoholic content pretty well, as there is minimal burn in the back of the mouth after a generous quaff. I would again recommend sharing a bomber of this stuff with a friend, as most would have trouble finishing 22oz of such a powerfully strong beer. This is about as zesty as beer can get.

So I have to compare this to The Abyss, which many people believe is the gold standard for russian imperial stouts. This beer is very similar and isn't aged in whiskey barrels like the abyss is, at least I dont think so. This beer would age wonderfully as well, I'm tempted to pick up another bottle and just leave it in the fridge for 6 months or so. After trying the aged stone barleywine I've been exposed to the power of aging a powerful high gravity beer. It's amazing what time can do to these beers.

This beer reminds me of the different character that a beer can become. From the lightest wit to the darkest stout, beer is a blank canvas to impose upon.

Final Grade: A-

-Probably one of the better Stouts I've had, and the complexity of flavor is balanced and well composed. I think that with six months to a year of aging and this beer would be world class. I'm likely going to pick up another bottle to try out this theory, but not right now, becuase this beer has got me a tad saucy.

Rochefort 8

Trappistes Rochefort 8

Serving Type: 11.2oz Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9.2%

Nothing like a trappist brew, where you know a bunch of monks put their love into making this spectacular style. This stuff was brewed traditionally as a cheap nutritional drink for the monks to survive on. I cant imagine these monks controlled their sobriety very well with such a strong and flavorful drink available to them at all times. Anyway, on to the beer.

Pours a dark brown color, and is pretty cloudy due to residual yeast that is left in the bottle (this is a good sign that your beer is going to be good). The head is a nice light brown and hangs around after pouring the brew. The bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass pick up little bits and yeast and causes them to dance around a bit, kinda nifty.

Nose isn't overwhelming and smells like most tasty belgian beers I've had. Some dark fruity notes and a grainy smell that translates into similar tastes. Definitely getting some dark fruity flavors mixed in with the nice mild malty-ness. Really complex flavors in this one, that mix in really well with the mild heat of the alcohol. It all blends together into a nice little dance in your mouth, catalyzed by the peppy carbonation in the drink.

This kind of tastes like how I imagined beer would taste when I was a child. Thick and hearty with complex flavors bursting all over the place. It has a slight sweetness to it, and blends into a mild bitter flavor and heat at the end, really great sensation. This beer is really agreeing with me. I wish that there was more than 11.2oz in the bottle, because I'm nearing the bottom of my glass.

Final Grade: A

-This is beer. Plain and simple. Accessible to any beer drinker, and will be enjoyed. I can recommend this to anyone who likes beer, and to many who don't. Complex and delicious, mixing and marrying flavors perfectly. Only downfall is the stuff is not cheap at $5.50 a 11.2oz bottle. Oh well, it's worth it.

Stone Old Guardian Barleywine

Stone Old Guardian Barleywine 2008

Serving Type: 22oz Bomber
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11.26%

Pop the top and a plethora of amazing smells comes out. All sorts of spices and dark fruity notes jump out of the glass. I can definitely pick out some coriander or dried orange citrus deliciousness. I'm really loving the smells that this beer is giving me.

The color is quite nice, a little cloudy and a deep orange. Head is a one finger or so and light and hangs around, kind of like espresso foam.

On recommendation from many reviewers on beeradvocate I'm letting this beer sit for awhile and warm up. On second thought I'm thirsty and this beer just smells great.

Wow, what a first sip. Has a spectacular mouthfeel that just goes down so smooth. Reminds me of how the Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale felt in my mouth. Definately a strong hoppy finish that is really refreshing and appreciated.

Having never had a barleywine before, I can definitely see the appeal. It is malty like a strong stout, yet finishes hoppy like a good IPA. The hoppy finish could be a bit much for some not acquainted with the power of the hop.

This is a 2008 release, and as of writing this, there is also a 2009 that is available. So this beer has had a year to mellow out and grow more complex. Makes me curious to see how the new beer compares to this one. As I drink I can see lacing on the glass after each sip, pretty cool.

Delicious!

Final Grade: A-

-I'm a big fan of this beer but I can understand if the hoppyness turns off some people. If you like hoppy beers you will get aroused while drinking this. Dont say I didn't warn you.

Guinness Draught

Guinness Draught

Serving Type: 14.9oz (WTF Guinness...)
Style: Dry Irish Stout
ABV: 4.2%

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day I thought I'd go ahead and review the most recognizable beer from Ireland. Plus I had a few left from my festivities.

Cracked the can open and almost blasted cold stout all over my hands but some quick thinking with some tissues saved a mess. This brew is really cool to pour, the tan head mixes uninhibitedly with the dark stout color of the liquid to make a very nice khaki color that swirls and dances like a lava lamp. Really cool looking brew.

This stuff smells like a bread factory. Maybe some biscuity notes but this stuff smells like pure nourishing baked grain. Like I could drink nothing but Guinness for a week and be completely nourished and satisfied. The head is about one finger and just stays around forever, a constant reminder of the turmoil caused when the beer was first poured.

Now taste is where I start to lose interest. It just does not taste like I want it to. The flavor seems flat and simple. It almost is like drinking water with some mild sweetness from the malt and maybe the slightest bit of bitter hop flavor. It's like the bubbly violence at the start sapped all the flavor out of this brew. I'm also noticing a slight burnt flavor at the end that doesn't really stay in my mouth too long, and isn't unpleasant.

However, as bland as this brew is, I can see the appeal of drinking this with some mates at the local pub for a long evening, since the ABV isn't too high and it's so bready and nourishing. I've also had some amazing chili that used all guinness as a substitute to water that was the best I've ever had.

Final Grade: B-
-Pretty bland stout that makes up for it's shortcomings somewhat by it's drinkability and interesting bubbly nature. I feel that this recipe with some injected flavor could be really good, maybe some chocolate or stronger malt flavor. I kind of enjoyed drinking it.

Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Serving Type: 22oz Bomber
Style: Stout
ABV: 9.2%

Pours Black, like motor oil. I poured it pretty vigorously and there is little to no foamy head to speak of. The aroma of this brew strikes me as more vanilla-ey than chocolate inspired. Smells almost faintly sweet.

First sip is a blast of creamy smoothness that coats my mouth in the flavors of this beer. Creamy malty delicousness. The chocolate flavor mixes in well with the main malty flavors, and leaves a nice mellow bitter flavor at the end. Just like any good semi-sweet chocolate. There is also an almost bourbon heat that lingers along with the bitterness, which reminds you of the potent ABV of this beast.

As strong as all the flavors are in this brew, they all balance each other very well. The sweet maltiness and chocolate flavor contrasts well with the bitterness and heat at the end. I wish I had a better grasp of all the complex flavors that I'm tasting here, because I know there is something I'm missing in there. Maybe some subtle coffee notes. Mmmm, this beer is so good...

There is still a nice heat in the back of my throat even a few minutes after taking a sip. As I look down my glass while sipping, I can see that the brew has a hard time letting go from the side of the glass. I think wine afficianatos would say that this means it's got a high alcohol content, which it does. After drinking most of the bomber I would reccomend that you split this with a friend, as I'm having a bit of trouble finishing this one on my own.

Final Grade: A-
-Really complex and delicious strong stout. The more you sip at this beer the more flavors you discover. May be a bit too much to those who aren't used to high gravity dark beer, but it's right up my alley. High marks for flavor.

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

Beer Post 2:

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

Serving Type: 550ml Bottle
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.00%

Beer comes out a nice deep brown color, really pleasing to look at. This beer is already making my mouth water in anticipation. Poured into my trusty New Belgium snifter to get a good whiff of the aroma. Definite nutty character to the nose mixed with some rich roasty maltiness, mmmm...

First sip translates some of the rich aroma to the palate. Real nice earthy flavor that dissipates into a very mild bitterness at the end. This bitterness serves as a nice accent to the main flavors of the brew and doesn't hang around in the back of my throat too long. As the beer warms more of the the rich malty sweetness comes out and further works with the rich walnut flavor that I'm getting. Damn, why have I been drinking beer ice cold for so long? Most beer is just so more much complex and tasty once it's had some time to sit for awhile. Of course I wouldn't do this to a nice hoppy IPA, or others similar to that style.

This beer is just so comfortable and agreeable, makes me want to cozy up next to a big fireplace in a pub somewhere in Britain with some close friends. Drinking this brew also makes me want to try some of Samuel Smith's other offerings, as my local Haggen has an impressive selection from this brewer. The label says this brewery was established in 1758, sweet!

This is probably one of my favorite low gravity beers (gravity usually means alcohol content), as I tend to prefer darker and stronger ales to the lighter lagers and pilsners. This is pretty much exactly what I wanted after a hard day of ripping fresh powder lines at Mt. Hood Meadows.

Final Grade: A-
-Really tasty brown ale that scores high marks in taste, aroma, and drinkability. Would be a great introduction beer to someone who has been drinking Budweiser for too long.

Full Sail Imperial Porter

First Beer Post:

Full Sail Imperial Porter

Serving Type: 22oz Bomber
Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 7.5%

Looked at beer advocate's way of organizing a review and it made sense. Progression of Look->Smell->Taste->Drinkability makes sense to me so I'll use that to start things out.

Beer comes out looking very creamy and thick...almost like I'm pouring a darker version of half and half into my glass. Very dark, cant even see through the stuff though I'm not surprised because this is pretty common for the style. Not much head even though I poured the stuff pretty vigorously.

Smells of burnt grain almost, and as I press the drink against my lips this translates into a similar taste. Also getting some hints of smokey flavor and scent. This is kind of hard, since I've never really considered analyzing a beer so throughly...haha. Hopefully I'll get better as I keep writing.

Ahh, this beer is really opening up now that it's warmed for a second. More of the sweet malty flavors come out and balance out the brew very nicely. Thick mouthfeel, the flavors linger in the mouth for a bit after sipping gently.

There is the burnt flavor that lingers in the mouth a bit too long for my taste. Not sure if I enjoy this, but it might contribute to the flavor of the beer for some.

Halfway through the brew and I'm certainly feeling the high ABV. Only a slight alcoholic burn in the back of my throat after a robust quaff, so it's quite drinkable. After conferring with my better half (Lilli) she agrees on the burnt flavor I mentioned earlier.

I can't help but wish this was black butte. Especially the more potent Black Butte XX I embibed in limited edition one cold early fall night with my roomate Jesse. That stuff was amazing, easily the top five beers I've enjoyed. This beer is not that beer.

So, to sum up: Pretty decent beer, but feels like it's only meeting me halfway. The beer is sylvester stallone, reaching out to me (that random chick) at the start of cliffhanger.

FINAL GRADE: C+
-Give it a try if you're a fan of the style, but five bucks for a bomber is better spent elsewhere.

w00t

Alrighty,

I've wanted to catalog all of the different kinds of beer that I have had, and figured that this would probably be the most interesting way to do it. I considered starting to write reviews on beeradvocate.com but I felt that was slightly impersonal and much too numerical in it's categorization.

I've decided to rate beers on a F- to A+ scale, which is something I'm intimately familiar with due to my 16 years of schooling (holy crap has it really been 16?). This will likely evolve as I find better and more interesting ways to express my emotions over a single brew.

Why beer? I went to college in Fort Collins at CSU. New Belgium, Odells, Boulder Brewing, Laughing Dog, to name a few local(ish) favorites. It's amazing how quickly my beer palate matured in that area.
Freshman Year: McCormicks Vodka->Keystone Light->Budweiser
Sophmore Year: Fat Tire and other New Belgium Brews. The year I discovered the microbrew. Mmmmm...
Junior Year: Started branching out and trying porters, stouts, brown ales, all sorts of fun tasty stuff.
Senior Year: Being able to buy my own beer helped me browse and choose with leisure. I tried the Abyss for the first time this year and was completely blown away with what beer could be.

Now I believe I have a completely open mind about beer, ready to try the hoppiest of IPA's to the Maltiest of Stouts. So let's pop a top together and down something delicious.

Warning: Some blog posts might contain nothing about beer at all, and will simply be insights into my own life. You have been warned.

CHEERS!