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 33 & 34 (8/26/2011 - 8/27/2011): Jackie O's Brewpub bottle release

Holy hangover, Batman! Yesterday my wife and I went to Athens, Ohio to visit Jackie O's Brewpub for a special bottle release. I'm not going to get detailed about it, because I'm saving that for an upcoming CincyVoices post, but suffice it to say that it was a blast. Thanks to a lot of generous folks at the release, not only did I get to try some great offerings from Jackie O's, but some of the most rare, amazing beers I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. Some of those included:

Jackie O's Brandy Barrel Superfly: The house amber fortified with extra hops and malts and then aged in brandy barrels. Didn't like this one a ton. The brandy was a bit too dominating and it was a bit sweet. (This was one of the bottles released this morning.)

Jackie O's Oil of Aphrodite: A very delicious imperial stout brewed with black walnuts. Only got a hint of the walnuts, but it was delicious regardless, especially when it warmed up. A little bit thin, supposedly because the old recipe was changed to make it less syrupy.

The Funky Buddha Lounge No Crust: This was easily one of the most amazing smelling beers I've ever experienced. It is a brown ale that is supposed to be like a peanut butter an jelly sandwich. I have no idea how they did it, but they nailed smell and, to a lesser degree, the taste of it. Definitely an experience, for sure.

Stone 2008 Imperial Russian Stout aged in bourbon barrels: This was from a growler since it has never been bottled before. It's on pretty much all top 100 beer lists and definitely deserves to be. Regular Stone IRS is probably one of my favorite beers to begin with and the barrel aging takes it to the next level. A substantial flavor without being overwhelming, the bourbon is integrated perfectly.

Russian River Perdition: A super, duper rare Bière de Garde. I have no idea why people pine for it other than the rarity, though. It's solid, but a little boring. Not close to the same level of some of the stuff I tasted last night.

Great Divide Belgian Style Yeti: Wasn't too memorable, but I had to drink it down quick to try something else that was opened. Would like to revisit.

Kern River Citra DIPA: This was one of the standouts of the night. An awesomely balanced DIPA that is still super hoppy, with a ton of pungency from the citra hops. This one was from a growler.

Half Acre Galactic Double Daisy Cutter: Sampled with the Kern River DIPA mentioned above. Didn't stack up to it in pretty much any way whatsoever, but I have a bottle of it that I would like to revisit. This was from a growler.

Bootlegger's Brewery Kuckle Sandwich DIPA: Not too memorable, but remember that it was better than the Galactic Double Daisy Cutter, but not quite as good as the Kern River.

Sun King Brewery Johan the Barleywine: This was one of my modest contributions to the epic tasting. It was a solid barleywine, but the smell was better than the taste. I could have used a little more of the caramel and breadiness of the smell to be in the flavor.

Sun King Brewery Timmie: Another beer that I brought. This was a pretty darn tasty imperial stout. It was pretty sweet, which is how I like my stouts so it definitely was appreciated. It wasn't at the level of some of these other beers opened, but it was cool to try a delicious brew that was never canned and sold publicly.

Trinity Brewing Company Old Growth: Literally the sourest beer I have ever tasted. It was so sour (not tart, but sour) that I didn't really enjoy it at all. The taster was definitely enough for me. Nothing but funky, overwhelming sour vinegar. Pretty nasty.

After this, it gets a bit hazy. It was late, I was inebriated thoroughly, and my record keeping on Untappd fell apart. I believe what is left was Territorial Reserve Oak Aged Imperial Stout, Westvleteren 12, Westvleteren 8, and Westvleteren Blonde. This morning I tried a couple of sips during the bottle release, but I was not feeling any more beer drinking.

I can not believe the generosity and kindness of everyone there who brought some amazing beers that I never had the chance to try before and probably never will again. The fact that someone sought me out to open Westvleteren 12 & 8 (two of the best beers in the world) just because I had never tried them before and he knew I wanted to is an amazing example of great beer advocacy. I probably overdid it a bit last night, but I wouldn't take it back at all. I can always get more sleep tonight, but I'd never got to have the fun I did if I didn't attend.

Keep an eye out for a more detailed post on the event itself on CincyVoices!

Day 32 (8/25/11): Gueuze Cuvée René by Brouwerij Lindemans

I had this while I was at the inlaws' place last night, so I didn't take notes. This review will be from memory and pictures and therefore will be pretty short.

Cuvée René pours a bright, clear golden color with a very large, bubbly white head that settles into a thin layer atop the surface of the beer. The smell is sharp lemon, with a good deal of funk and a bit of lactic acid. A relatively one dimensional smell compared to the Russian Rivers that I've tried.

It tastes a lot like it smells, sour lemons and a touch of vinegar up front leading to a somewhat lactic finish. It's not the most sour beer in the world, but it is definite quite tart. The carbonation is pretty high and the body thin, which makes this a quite refreshing drink. It has a very, very dry finish. I was hoping it would open up in complexity when it warmed up, but no dice.

Overall, this a solid gueze that is widely available. It's not the most complex or best tasting sour that I have ever had, but it might be an easier way for someone new to the style to try some of it. It certainly is cheaper and easier acquire than some of the heavier hitters like Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen. It's also a way to mix it up from the usual wheat beers and pilsners when you want something refreshing on a hot summer day. I give Gueuze Cuvée René by Brouwerij Lindemans a B+.

Style: Gueze
ABV: 5%
IBU: ?
Beer Advocate: A-/A+
Ratebeer: 98/61

375ml bottle purchased from Cork 'N Bottle (Crescent Springs) for $6.49, I believe. Widely available throughout the region (and the rest of the US).

Day 31 (8/24/11) Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind" by Smuttynose Brewing Company

Nothing much to see here today, folks. I had a Smuttynose IPA while I was out for dinner while enjoying a delicious burger from Gordo's up in Fairfied after a quick stop at Jungle Jim's. I definitely wasn't in the position for reviewing, but it was delicious. Based on my initial impression and its stellar rating, I'm going to have to revisit this soon!

A more proper review will be coming tonight for something else!

Day 30 (8/23/2011): CoCoNut Porter by Maui Brewing Co.

Definitely another one that I've been wanting to get my hands on for a while. I've never had a coconut porter (or any coconut beer), so I was intrigued when I first heard of it.

It pours a dark, dark brown with a mocha head. Definitely nice looking. The smell is largely chocolate, with roasted grains and a slight hoppiness also showing up. Sadly, I'm not getting any coconut from it at all.

The taste is a great balance between sweet milk chocolate and a little bitterness from the roast. I get a little hint of coffee and (sadly again) an even slighter hint of coconut. It is probably on the sweeter side on the sweet/roasty scale, which I actually prefer.

The mouthfeel is nothing to go wild about: smooth and creamy carbonation with a medium body. Good, but nothing notable.

This is a good tasting porter, and without the claim of being a coconut porter, I would probably rate it higher. Much like the issues I had with Stone's Japanese Green Tea IPA, if you're going to put an unsual addition in your beer, I want to be able to taste it. Otherwise, why wouldn't I just drink another porter such as Edmund Fitzgerald or Founders Porter? Oh well. I still enjoyed it; I just wanted an experience that was a little more out of the ordinary. I give CoCoNut Porter by Maui Brewing Co. a B+.

Style: American Porter
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 30
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 98/99

Acquired via a generous Beer Advocate in Oregon. Not entirely sure where this is distributed, but I've never seen it around.

Day 29 (8/22/2011) Kingpin Double Red Ale by Bridgeport Brewing Co.

I have to say that I was not particularly looking forward to this one.

For one, I'm not much of a fan of red ales. They always seem malt forward in a way I don't particularly care for: more candy sweetness than the complexity found in other malty styles that I do like. The second is that its reviews on both sites (and particularly on Ratebeer) are frankly just not very good.

The last factor had nothing to do with the beer itself. For the past couple of weeks, our big old home has been experiencing backups of its basement drains. Before this weekend it was just stormwater. To my delight, the backup this weekend was the type that carried toilet paper and other goodies with it. Gross, huh? I thought so. So, after spending some time in the basement with the plumber yesterday evening trying (unsuccessfully, I must add) to clear our drains, the last thing I wanted was a beer. I grabbed the one I wanted to drink the least in my fridge so something I was looking forward to wasn't wasted on my crappy attitude.

Not a good context for this beer to be reviewed, huh? I suppose in a perfect world it would have blown me away; changing my opinion on red ales forever while simultaneously all of my drains magically cleared themselves for free. Unfortunately not.

Kingpin pours a typical color for its style: a dark, almost copper, amber color with about an inch of creamish head. It leaves uneven splotchy lacing as it quickly recedes. The smell is what I expected as malty breadiness and sweet fruit scents meet my nose. It has a lot of the candy sweetness that I was worried about. For a supposedly super duper hopped beer, I'm sadly getting almost no hop notes.

Luckily the taste is a tiny bit more balanced than the smell, with it running from the familiar fruity sweetness to open up, followed by bready malts and finally a slight hop finish. Not bad, not good. Just sort of there. It isn't terribly complex at all.

It has a medium body and medium-low carbonation with no alcohol burn present.

If I had to throw one description of this beer out there, it would probably be 'meh'. It's not bad enough for a drainpour by any means, but it definitely would never inspire me to open another bottle of it. It is a very simple beer, overwhelming any hops that may be present with malty sweetness. The claim of being 'triple hopped' seems ridiculous after drinking this and it makes me think it might be the same marketing gimick used by many macro brewers. I give Kingpin Double Red Ale by Bridgeport Brewing Co. a C+.

Style: American amber/red ale
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 65
Beer Advocate: B-/B-
Ratebeer: 59/13

Acquired via a generous Beer Advocate in Oregon. Not distributed out this way.

Day 28 (8/21/2011): Modus Hoperandi by Ska Brewing Co.

I'm always down for trying new beers in cans. The concept of good beer being packaged in cans is still a novel enough idea to me that it's always exciting to try one that others recommend. Modus Hoperandi has well above-average scores on both Beer Advocate and Ratebeer, so I figured I was in for a treat when this was in a box I received a few weeks back.

It poured a golden orange with a just-barely-offwhite head that just didn't quit. It hung around for quite some time, leaving some nice sticky lacing on the glass as it settled down into a nice bibbly ring on the surface of the beer. The nose is actually quite balanced, with pine and citrus (lemon and grapefruit) hop notes and a slight breadiness and caramel maltiness.

The taste is what can be expected from the smell: a not quite balkanced beer, which is quite alright. I don't think this one is supposed to be balanced. The hops purposefully take the spotlight here, though the malts lead the pack. The slight sweetness is followed by fruity hops, and finishes with a dry pine flavor which is just a tad too bitter and long lasting for my tastes. I would have liked the fruitiness to be in the spotlight more than the pine finish, but I suppose not everyone likes their IPAs the way I do.

The body and carbonation are right about middle of the road. It is somewhat creamy, which is strange with the dry finish.

This is most assuredly a solid IPA, which if available here would be close to tops on the beach rotation. It is nice to see the offerings put forth in cans getting better and better. Let's hope it stays that way. I give Modus Hoperandi by Ska Brewing Co. a B+.

Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.8%
IBU: 65
Beer Advocate: A-
Ratebeer: 97/97

Acquired via a generous Beer Advocate from Oregon. I do not believe it is distributed in Ohio or Kentucky.