Day 51 (9/13/2011): La Roja by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

A very tasty, if entirely different sour ale. It pours much darker than I'm used to for a sour, with an off white head. You can see how lively this is from the bubbles streaming from bottom to top like sparkling wine.

It actually smells more funk than sour, with notes of cherry, oak, wild yeast, with the malt present in a bread scent. The taste is pretty darn sour up front, but transitions into a slightly sweeter cherry/malt middle and end. As it warms, the carbonation fades a little bit and fruit and oak emerges. My bottle was very, very highly carbonated. When I opened it I lost a bit to gushing. The body is maybe a tad lighter than medium and you can't taste the booze in this at all.

This is a very, very good beer. It is widely available in Cincinnati and is relatively affordable (at least for a sour ale) at $12-13 a 750ml bottle. I can not wait to try some other Jolly Pumpkin beers. I give La Roja by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales an A-.

Style: Sour/wild ale
Beer Advocate: B+
Ratebeer: 98/87

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 19 (8/12/11): Consecration by Russian River Brewing

 

 

Sadly, this is the last Russian River sour I have left from a box I received a while back. I really wanted to try the whole line up as an introduction to sours and I have to say: I really enjoyed them.

Consecration is another Ratebeer top 100 selection. It is brewed with Brett and other wild yeasts, so it has the sour funk that is shares with the rest of the line up. It is also aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels with currants, so that is a change of pace from the rest. Barrel aged, yes, but in a different kind of barrel.

Consecration pours a relatively clear red-brown with a thin bubbly head. It leaves good lacing on the glass while dying down and being drank. The nose, like the rest of the Russian River sours, it a funky sour smell first, followed by a red vinegar, some red wine, and a bit of alcohol. This is the first time I could smell the booze on one of the sours, but at 10% it's no surprise.

The taste is first tart, funky, Brett-y vinegar. It has a sourness up front which is pretty balanced with a slight bit of sweetness. You do get some cherries, cranberries (I'm guessing this is the currants) and a tiny bit of oakiness. Not much of the wine flavors from the barrels shine through, though. There is a lot of flavor here, but not so much that it is over the top (aka: Supplication).

The mouthfeel is much like the others in the lineup: high, tingly carbonation, a medium (but bordering on light) body, and no burn from the booze. At 10%, the fact that you can't feel any of the alcohol is quite amazing.

I give Consecration by Russian River Brewing an A.

I have to say that I have been very impressed with every one of the sours from Russian River. All of them were outstanding, but if I had to rank them it would probably be (in ascending order of preference) Sanctification, Supplication, Consecration, and Temptation. I would drink any of them any day of the week, but boy would I love a few cases of Temptation. Definitely one of the best beers I have ever has the pleasure of trying.

Not only that, but they have really turned me on to sours. I thought the concept of them was weird at first, but I am slowly starting to understand the appeal. I even crave the sourness of them sometimes, which is strange considering what I usually crave is a nice, big alcohol stout on the sweet side. In fact, I just just picked up a sour ale the other day. Not that I'm giving up my old ways or anything; I picked up a bottle of Southern Tier Creme Brulee at the same time.

Style: American wild/sour ale
ABV: 10%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A
Ratebeer: 100/99 

Acquired via a trade through a Beer Advocate in California. Sorry Cincinnati, none to be found here.

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 12 (8/5/2011): Temptation by Russian River Brewing Company

After my previous two Russian River reviews, I was really, really looking forward to the next one. Like Sanctification, Temptation is a sour blonde ale brewed with wild yeast. Unlike Sanctification, however, Temptation is barrel aged. Specifically, they are aged in chardonnay barrels. I have never had a wine aged beer, so this one will be a new experience to me.

Temptation pours a beautiful almost-transparent golden color, with a fluffy white head that leaves a pretty much good lacing as it slowly dissipates. The smell the funky citrus smell that is shared with Sanctification, but that's where the similarities end. The effects of the barrel aging is obvious here, with heavy scents of white grapes and oak. A wonderful combination overall.

The taste. Oh, the taste. I could drink this all day if I had the availability and the money. The refreshing tartness brought on by the Brett is paired with the slight fruitiness and oakiness of the barrels, creating an almost perfect taste.  Russian River has pretty much mastered the balance of being tart without having to take an antacid right after having a bottle.

The carbonation is medium; seems a little higher than Sanctification. It is pretty dry throughout, but does have a touch of sweetness. The alcohol is pretty much nonexistent here. There is a lot going on, but none of it is booziness.

Another hit by Russian River. I complained about the lack of complexity of Sanctification and then Temptation hits it out of the park by upping up the game with the chardonnay barrel aging. I wasn't sure what to expect with this beer, particularly because I don't care for chardonnay (or white wine in general), but Temptation got it right. I give Temptation by Russian River Brewing Company an A.

In other awesome news, I got a bunch of new beer to review today! Coming soon...

Style: American wild/sour ale
ABV: 7.25%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A/A
Ratebeer: 100/99 

Acquired in a trade from a Beer Advocate from California. Sorry Cincinnati folks, not distributed here!

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!

Day 7 (7/31/2011): Hyde Park Craft Beer Symposia

Yesterday my wife and I headed over to Teller's in Hyde Park to attend the 2011 Hyde Park Craft Beer Symposia (ignore the fact the the graphic above says 2010). This will be a small teaser of a larger review that will be featured over at CincyVoices with Chris Nascimento, a fellow Cincinnati-area craft beer lover (who happens to know infinitely more about beer than myself). Hopefully this will tide you over for the time being.

I'm going to focus on my two favorite beers I was able to try there. I was impressed with many, but none like these two.

The first of these, from Goose Island, is Madame Rose, a sour/wild ale. From the source:

"Madame Rose is a crimson colored Belgian style brown ale fermented with wild yeast and aged on cherries in wine barrels. Layers of malty complexity, sour cherry, spice and wood notes make Madame Rose an ideal beer to suggest to Bordeaux enthusiasts and beer drinkers fond of Belgian Kriek and Flanders Brown Ales."

This was a wonderful beer. The tartness from the wild yeast fermentation and the cherries was substantial, but not over the top. It's a refreshing beer for the current hot, hot heat. It has a funky, tart smell, with a little bit of the cherries shining through. They are a lot more evident in the taste, luckily.

The other beer that really impressed me was Kaiser Curmudgeon from Founders Brewing Company. This special release is their regular Curmudgeon old ale, aged in bourbon barrels that were used to age maple syrup in.

There is a ton of sweetness and bourbon-y notes in the nose, with vanilla and butterscotch. At just over 10% ABV, the booze isn't particularly hidden well, but it's not overly harsh. I actually didn't care for this a ton at first but it improves markedly as it warms up. It is certainly a sipping beer, though. Between the high ABV, the moderate booziness, and complex flavor, you won't (or shouldn't) be chugging this.

These were definitely my favorite of the night, but with 32 offerings from 16 breweries, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Keep your eyes peeled for a more comprehensive review of the beers and the event itself hopefully later this week!

Madame Rose:
Beer Advocate
Ratebeer

Kaiser Curmudgeon:
Beer Advocate
Ratebeer

(Note: I had a tough times matching the pictures I took with my tasting notes this morning. I believe I have the two correct above, though. Also, they were taken with my cell phone camera, so excuse the crappy quality.)