Day 69 (10/1/2011): Allagash Tripel Reserve

This was a beautiful beer. Sadly, since I was drinking it at a hotel out of a plastic cup, I have no pictures. I just couldn't bear degrading it that way. Take my word, though, it was the brightest golden imaginable with a huge billowing white head.

The smell was classic tripel: spices, banana, apple, bread, and biscuity yeast. The taste is a tad sweeter than I expected from the smell and perhaps a tad sweeter than I would have liked, but it still was great. The spiciness is slightly less than in the smell and the fruit (more tropical than the smell) was a bit more dominating. It is also slightly American-ized with a tad bit of hops on the finish that I haven't really noticed in Belgian versions. What is amazing to me is that, at 9%, how little the alcohol comes through. They did a great job of hiding it. Maybe a slight but of warmth, but that's it.

I wouldn't put this quite at the level of my favorite tripel from Westmalle, but it is darn close. A beautiful, fragrant, tasty take on the Belgian classic from an American brewery that surely knows what it's doing. I have a bottle of Curieux, the bourbon barrel aged version of this tripel, that I really, really can't wait to open. I give Allagash Tripel Reserve an A-. 

Style: Tripel
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 99/100

Day 59 (9/21/2011): Punkin Ale by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

Context: Not a bad day at all. An uneventful day at work, some super big and exciting news, and a trip to Marty's Hops and Vines made for a pretty darn decent day. Not to mention I finally got to use my nifty fall-themed glass I grabbed from Kroger (for a buck! What a deal!)

Beer: Another pumpkin beer. I heard this one had been flying off the shelves, so I scooped up a four-pack when I got the chance. My understanding of Punkin is that is aims for the more balanced side of the pumpkin ale spectrum (much like Smuttynose's version, and unlike Southern Tier's Pumking), with the spices balanced well against the brown ale base.

This ended up being completely true and it translated into a tasty drink that you could drink every day without being overwhelmed by the sweetness or richness of a dessert beer. The smell is pretty much all spices, with cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg being the dominant forces here. There is also a bit of earthiness that I'm guessing it from the pumpkin. As I said in an earlier post, I'm not entirely certain what roasted pumpkin smells/tastes like when it's not in a pie. There is also some yeast breadiness and a slight bit of roast from the brown ale base.

The taste comes at you from a different direction. The spices shine clearly, for sure, but the it is much more balanced than the smell. The earthiness is joined by a slight tartness that must be the pumpkin used. A touch of caramel malt evens things out by adding a touch of sweetness. If hops are there, they aren't noticeable. The spices are still the thing that gets your attention here, but it never seems over the top. Both the body and mouthfeel are roughly medium; nothing out of the ordinary there.

I really liked this beer. It's a little more spice oriented and a little less hoppy than the Smuttynose pumpkin ale, but it never gets out of hand. I would say it pushes right to the threshold of becoming a mess without quite getting there. In fact, you can even sometimes get a good taste of the brown ale underneath all of the other smells and flavors. To many people, this is the epitome of a good pumpkin ale and I don't think they're wrong at all. It's a unique beer without even being too unique or cloying. I'm definitely going to keep trying pumpkin ales, but this one is the measuring stick now. I give Punkin Ale by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery an A-.

Style: Pumpkin Ale 
Beer Advocate: B+/A-
Ratebeer: 90/95

Day 57 (9/19/2011): Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Context: Terrible headache at work only made worse by a day in front of the computer that was interrupted once. That interruption happened to be a fire alarm. This would have been nice if it wasn't raining outside. I then capped it off by stopping at Kroger on the way home, which of course was packed with screaming children, all of whom seemed to be pushing their parents grocery carts. Absolute chaos. So yeah, I was ready for a beer.

Beer: I had been meaning to pick up some of the classic Sierra Nevada brews and finally grabbed a single of their brown ale, porter, and stout. Though they seem to be making money hand over fist, Sierra Nevada only gets credit for breaking craft beer drinkers in via their signature pale ale. They don't get a ton of credit for their other beers, all of which that I have tried have been both delicious and absolutely true to the style. With how crappy the weather was today, I felt an Autumn-centric brown ale was appropriate.

Sierra Nevada nailed this one. I don't particularly care for brown ales, but this is probably the best one I've had. You get a slight breadiness, malt sweetness, and just the smallest amount of roast in the nose. The taste has the same bread like malts, some nuttiness, and the sweetness is countered by some roast and just the tiniest bit of hops. The carbonation is medium low and the body is about medium. This is a fall bonfire beer if I've ever drank one. Outstanding. If I liked brown ales more I'd rate it higher, but even now, I'll give Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. an A-.

Here's to a better, less headachy day tomorrow!

Style: American Brown Ale
Beer Advocate: B+/A-
Ratebeer: 92/96

Day 49 (9/11/2011): Pizzeria Paradiso (Washington, D.C.)

I had been meaning to visit Pizzeria Paradiso since the first time I stayed in Dupont Circle for work last year. Good beer and good pizza? Very little can beat that. They have a great tap and bottle list and have a good happy hour on drafts during the week.

I ordered a 2007 Cantillon Iris, a wonderful unblended lambic that uses only pale malts and utilizes a 50/50 mix of dry and wet hops (More info here). This beer has a bit darker of a body due to the malt bill; almost amber rather than the typical straw color. Iris is definitely sour just like any other unblended lambic, but it has a slight caramel flavor that helps to counter a tiny bit of the tartness. A great beer for sure. Not my favorite sour, but it's definitely up there. I'll give it an A-.

They also had Founders Breakfast Stout on tap, so I got to try my first of these this season. If you like coffee stouts, this is your beer. The coffee flavor was a bit overwhelming for me, but it is what it is. There's definitely a ton of roast in the taste and then the rest is almost like a beer iced coffee. It seemed like the carbonation was high for an imperial stout, as well. I'm going to have to get some bottles of this to re-review, because I remember finding this a lot more outstanding than I did here. B+ for Breakfast Stout.

The meal was absolutely amazing. I started off with a caprese salad, with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and basil, all covered in good, tasty olive oil. I was starving and scarfed it down before taking a picture.

For my pizza, I got an 8" Atomica, which featured salami, black olives, hot pepper flakes, and mozzarella. And not the crappy, shredded stuff that has become standard fare on pizzas today, but creamy, slightly browned real  mozzarella. I also added sausage to it, which ended up being a great choice. The chunks of flavorful, spiced meat added a lot to the pizza. Overall, a great pizza. Probably one of the better ones I've ever eaten before.

I definitely will be back to Pizzeria Paradiso again (most likely the next time I'm in town). Like I said before good beer and good pizza. Can't beat it with a stick!

Founders Breakfast Stout
Style: American double/imperial stout
ABV: 8.3%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A/A+
Ratebeer: 100/98

Cantillon Iris
Style: Unblended lambic
ABV: 5%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 99/96

Day 42 (9/4/2011): Nemesis (2010) by Founders Brewing Company

The 2010 Nemesis is a black barleywine and the looks of it reflected this clearly. It pours a brown about one tint away from black with a creamy, bubbly off-white head. The smell is a complex sweetness coupled with some floral hops, which can be expected from a beer with 100 IBUs. You also get some spiciness from the alcohol, along with vanilla and some dark fruit.

The taste starts roasty which leads into a complex dark fruit taste with molasses, brown sugar, and chocolate. There is a pretty good hop bitterness on the finish. Perhaps a bit much for my tastes in a barleywine. It is definitely a sipper, not necessarily because of the alcohol taste, but because of the complex taste and the slightly syrupy body (Not to mention the 12%).

This is a good barleywine that just happens to be a bit too hoppy for my likings. I would like to sit on some of these bottles for a few years, though, to see if the hops take a back seat a bit. I recommend this to pretty much everyone if you can still find it anywhere. I give Nemesis (2010) by Founders Brewing Company an A-.

Style: American barleywine
ABV: 12%
IBU: 100
Beer Advocate: A-/A-
Ratebeer: 99/96

Day 40 (9/2/2011): Galactic Double Daisy Cutter by Half Acre Beer Company

Galactic Double Daisy Cutter was a special release by the Chicago-based Half Acre Beer Company which spun off their normal Double Daisy Cutter. The difference was that this beer utilizes the Galactic hop variety, a hop grown in Australia which just happens to be the latest craze in IPAs.

It poured a very hazy orange with at most one finger of white head formed of tiny little bubbles. It dissipates onto a thin film on the surface of the beer. This has to be one of, if not the, best smelling IPAs I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. There are very dank, resiny hops, more on the fruity side of the spectrum than floral. You also get a good deal of citrus (orange and grapefruit) with a slight caramel sweetness in the background.

The taste starts with citrus hops, leading into tropical fruit with a touch of honey sweetness. It finishes slightly bitter. The taste is great, but it doesn't quite live up to the smell. The carbonation is creamy and slightly under medium with a medium-heavy body. Somehow despite all of the dank hops, this manages to finish a little dry. Pretty unexpected.

This is a great smelling, great tasting DIPA. It's not the best Ive ever had before, but I am very glad I got the chance to try it. I will most certainly be looking for any other varieties of Double Daisy Cutter that Half Acre decides to put out. I give Galactic Double Daisy Cutter by Half Acre Beer Company an A-.


Style: Double/imperial IPA
ABV: 8%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 97/79

A buddy picked me up a bottle at the brewery release for $11. If you didn't get a bottle then, you're probably not going to be able to get one.

Day 35 (8/28/2011): Wild Undressed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne (at Brasserie Beck)

So, I'll be in DC for work until Tuesday and decided to head to Brasserie Beck for dinner and a beer or two. Brasserie Beck, as the name implies, focuses on Belgian food and beers. They had a great tap list and an even better bottle menu. I was going to get the Stillwater/Mikkeler collaboration, but that had apparently recently kicked, so I grabbed a glass of what took its place, Wild Undressed, a dark sour ale from a Belgian brewery that I had never heard of before. While I was at it, I ordered the Colorado Lamb Sandwich, which is lamb, goat cheese, and roasted red peppers.

The beer was great. I was a little concerned when it came out with no head whatsoever (see above), but on closer inspection small bubbles could be seem rising from the bottom of the glass to the surface of the dark brown beer. The nose was very funky, with a strong hint of the sour to come, with a strong earthiness and a slight vinous fruit/barrel smell.

The taste is sour, but there is a balancing malt backbone which tempers it a bit. Despite that, it does have a puckering funky tart flavor which puckers your mouth a bit and makes you salivate. The malts at the back end are of the caramel/toffee type, which makes sense considering the darkness of the beer. It's not terribly complex, but it is tasty.

The mouthfeel is about medium, though the tartness of it makes it seem far thinner. The carbonation is low-moderate, again unsurprising considering the lack of head.  This is a very refreshing beer, despite what you might think when it's set down on the table in front of you. Overall, quite tasty and a great choice. I'm glad I went with this instead of something else on the menu. Lord knows there was enough to choose from. I give Wild Undressed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne an A-.

The food, while decent enough, wasn't as large a hit as the beer. The frites were superb; hot and crispy, they came with a few different mayos. The curry was probably my favorite of the bunch. The sandwich was where things went wrong, though. I know lamb is a fatty meat, but I'm not sure how much more meat than fat was on the sandwich. The bread was great, as was the chewy, crusty bread, but having to pick out half of the meat in the sandwich was irritating. It certainly made the sandwich a sloppy mess.

I think the moral of the story is that next time I definitely will be getting mussels with my beer(s) when I head to Brasserie Beck. I almost did and I'm kicking myself for not doing so. Maybe I just got the bad end of a piece of meat, but I wouldn't order that sandwich again. I would, however, have no problem going back and trying something else.

Style: Sour/wild ale
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 71/19

Bought on draft at Brasserie Beck (Washington, DC) for $14. I've never seen this before and have no idea as to its distribution.

Day 15 (8/8/2011): Supplication by Russian River Brewing

Supplication is the third of four Russian River sours I received in a trade. This ale is fermented with wild yeast and aged with cherries in pinot noir barrels. It is them refermented in the bottle. Definitely sounds interesting, huh?

The body of this beer is a rusty-brown mahogany color with a fizzy off white head that settles to the surface of the beer, where it stays for most of the time I'm drinking it. Like the other RR offerings, the funkiness of the yeast is right up front, here combined with tart cherries and a slight whiff of oak. This beer smells very fruity.

There is a ton going on in the flavor. Very tart cherries are the most obvious player, with the affect of the barrel being the next most present flavor. The oak/wine flavor isn't as obvious to me as with Temptation, possibly because of the strong flavors of the cherries. This is probably the sourest of the Russian Rivers I've tried so far, but it is still pretty balanced due to the slight sweetness and the other big flavors involved. In my opinion, there is almost a little too much going on.

The carbonation is medium-high, with a somewhat thin body. The alcohol doesn't show up at all, which seems to be a theme with these beers.

Surprisingly, I actually like Sanctification and Temptation better than this beer. Perhaps my palette isn't established enough to get everything that is going on in this beer, but it just seems overwhelming. Despite the high carbonation and thin body, it also doesn't seem as refreshing as the prior two. Considering that I despise white wine and really enjoy reds, I am pretty surprised by my preference. Anyways, it's still a great beer; just not my favorite. I give Supplication by Russian River Brewing an A-.

Style: American wild/sour ale
ABV: 7%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A/A+
Ratebeer: 100/99

Acquired via trade from Beer Advocate in California. Available where Russian River is distributed.

Day 14 (8/7/2011): Indian Brown Ale by Dogfish Head

(Sorry folks; no pictures today. Got too preoccupied and drank the bottle without snapping a shot!)

When you get a Dogfish Head beer, you can pretty much guarantee you're not going to get a traditional, beer following typical style qualities. Though sometimes this is a disaster, often it leads to a great beer that you never would have thought was possible. If nothing else, you certainly can't say they lack innovation or ingenuity. Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale shows this innovative approach, but does it lead to a good beer?

This brown ale pours very, very dark; almost black. You get a couple fingers of sand-colored head, which dissipates quickly. The smell is of espresso, a nice roastiness, caramel sweetness, and a slight hint of hops. It should be noted that this bottle was three months old, so the hops may have faded some during that time. The smell isn't much different than most other brown ales I've tried before, other than the bit of hops.

The taste is delicious. Definitely more of a fall/winter beer than a 90+ degree day beer, but delicious nonetheless. The roasted malts is the first thing you taste, followed by a bit of coffee and chocolate. There is a malty sweetness that is perfectly balanced by an undertone of floral hops. The fact that this beer manages to stay balanced despite the plethora of flavors is astounding. There is a lot going on here, but it never seems unmanaged or overwhelming.

The mouthfeel is pretty full and robust with carbonation a bit higher than usual for a brown ale, but it is a Dogfish Head beer, after all. The body never seems thick or syrupy, but 'thin' would never enter your mind when you're drinking it.

This is a great beer. I have no idea how I haven't tried this before, especially considering how widely available it is. It's tasty, pretty affordable, and at 7%, both sessionable or a night-ender, depending on your motives and pace. I can't wait to drink this guy more once the weather cools down. I give Indian Brown Ale by Dogfish Head an A-.

Style: American Brown Ale
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: 50
Beer Advocate: A-/A
Ratebeer: 98/99

Purchased from Party Source for $2.05 a single. Six packs are also available for just over $10. This is a pretty commonly year-round brew, so you should have no problem buying it if you can get any other Dogfish Head beers.

Day 9 (8/2/2011): Sanctification by Russian River Brewing Company

In the world of craft beer, there are always fads. Craft beer enthusiast love their beers bigger, stronger, rarer (especially rarer), and now, more sour. Breweries like Jolly Pumpkin, Russian River, Lost Abbey, Cantillon, and Drie Fonteinen have all cashed in on the popularity of the popularity our sour and funk.

For the longest time, I have been afraid to jump into this style of beer. As I've noted before, some of my favorite beers are sweet stouts. There's very little that could be as completely difference to that as a mouth puckering drink that has been aged with wild yeast. Luckily I am curious enough to not be able to resist anything that I haven't tried before. In a recent trade I acquired four wild/sour ales from Russian River Brewing Company, the same brewery which makes the previously reviewed, delicious Blind Pig IPA.

After soliciting a little advice as to in what order I should try them, I was told that Sanctification is the least complex, and therefore should be my first stop. Sanctification is a blonde ale that uses only Brettanomyces during fermentation. What exactly is Brettanomyces?

From Russian River:

"Brettanomyces (also known as Brett) is feared by most brewers and winemakers alike. In fact, there are some local winemakers who will not set foot in our brewpub in Downtown Santa Rosa due to our use of Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces is actually yeast, it ferments and acts the same as every other "conventional" yeast, it just has the propensity to continue fermenting through almost any type of sugar, including those natural sugars found in the wood in an oak barrel. Brett is very invasive and if not handled properly can become out of control in a winery or brewery, but, if used properly with care, it can add rich aromas and flavors of earthiness, leather, smoke, barnyard, & our favorite descriptor-wet dog in a phone booth." 

Sounds strange, huh? Now you know part of the reason I was hesitant to dive into this style. Regardless, I have the bottles and now it's time to see what I got myself into.

Sanctification is definitely a beautiful beer. It pours a pale, translucent yellow with an inch high head that is so bright white that if I were prone to painful comparisons based on beer names, I would evoke angelic descriptions. The smell is when I know that I'm getting into foreign territory. It has a yeasty funk, like the funk found in many saisons, but much stronger. It actually smells sour, kind of like a Lemon Head; definitely a very citrusy sour.

The taste, to my surprised is not quite as shockingly sour as I expected. Sure, it is definitely sour. There is, however, a slight sweetness that starts off the progression to the tart finish of the beer. Perhaps the hesitation was for nothing? I get the citrus from the nose in the taste, along with a little grassy notes. Maybe I haven't been exposed to the style enough, but while this beer is tasty, I don't get much complexity from it.

The carbonation is relatively low, which I didn't expect, but doesn't detract at all. The creaminess and medium body works perfectly with the tartness to create a crisp, very refreshing beer. It's not your typical summer beer for hot days, but I'd put it up there with any good pilsners or IPAs.

I think it's obvious from my review so far that my hesitation was in no way warranted. This is a great beer and one which others who are interested in getting into sours should definitely give a try. My only knock on it would be its relative lack of complexity. While it was delicious, I could have gone for more nuance and variety in the flavor department. I give Sanctification by Russian River Brewing Company a good, solid A-.

I have three more different bottles of Russian River sours in the fridge, so more of these will definitely be reviewed in the near future. Stayed tuned!

Style: American sour/wild ale
ABV: 6.75%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A
Ratebeer: 100/96

Acquired in a trade from a generous Beer Advocate from California. Russian River products are not distributed in Ohio, so if you want some, you're going to have to work hard to get it!