Saturday, January 29, 2011

Hopsickle

Hopsickle
Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant
Double IPA
9.2% ABV
On tap at The Muddy Pig during the IIIrd annual Festival of Hops. The serving glass and size might have affected the Appearance negatively.

Appearance 3/5
Deep amber, slightly hazy, with a moderate off white head, poor head retention and some lacing.

Aroma 4/5
Strong notes of lemon rind, herbs, and pine with little sweetness, if at all. Very dank!

Taste 5/5
Hopsickle delivers the assault I had been craving for a while now: strong flavorful bitterness with notes of citrus peel - fresh, herbal, and unadulterated. While the malt "backbone" is fine, there was no perceptible maltiness in the taste. A long and bitter finish that is not really dry, but the sweetness is completely obliterated by the bitter aftertaste. Hopsickle remains among the most bitter beers I have ever had.

Mouthfeel 5/5
Medium bodied, appropriately crisp, and clean finishing, the mouthfeel of this beer is spot on.

Drinkability 4.5/5
I would want to drink more of it but the ABV is on the higher side, so it can't be perfect. Regardless, it's a must have for hop lovers! It's a shame that the bottles are not dated otherwise I would be buying a whole lot of it.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Batch 9,000 Ale

Batch 9,000 Ale
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
12.5% ABV (Beeradvocate)
OG?
IBUs?
12 oz bottle, bottled almost exactly an year ago on 01/27/2010, poured into a snifter on 01/28/2011. This beer has been aging in my fridge at cold temperature the entire time so it'd be different from an year cellared.

Appearance 4.5/5
Poured clear and very dark brown with a medium sized muddy brown head that fell into a smaller bubbly film that stuck around. Very few beers lace this glass and Batch 9,000 was no exception. Still a good looking beer.

Aroma 4/5
An exceptional smelling beer, there's a lot of dark candy, anise, caramel and toffee, and dark fruit in this ale. The earthy spices go very well with the sweetness. Alcohol, as expected, gets really strong as the temperatures rise, and the balance shifts towards sharp and perfumy notes. And I am not sure if I am right, but I really thought for a second that I got some citrus.

Taste 4.5/5
Deliciously sweet, with layer after layer of harmonious notes: chocolate, silk, spice, hop bitterness, caramelized sugar, and then towards the end there's a strong presence of roast that should put many stouts to shame. There are some bright and seemingly tart notes too, that seem to be derived from the hops. The reasonable bitterness and the roast help keep things in check, or the finish might have gotten excruciatingly sweet. Borrowing from Founders, I would describe this one as Dark, Rich, and Sexy ;)

Mouthfeel 4.5/5
Very thick and coating with a little higher carbonation that what I would have preferred. The finish is sweet but it's still very dry in comparison to the sweetness in taste.

Drinkability 4.5/5
Way better than when it was released, this truly needs time. I am glad I have more to see how it develops. Highly recommended! This is one of a kind and I would love to get more of this treat!

Goose Island's "extreme" ales

Left to right: Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout 2010, Bourbon County Brand Stout 2009, Nightstalker from early 2010, and Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout 2010.

    Goose Island of Chicago have been making a lot of beer news with their extreme beers, most recent being Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout and Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout. Goose Island is one of the pioneers of barrel aged beers, if not the pioneer and they have seen a steady growth in demand and reputation since 2006 2005, when they first bottled their classic Bourbon County Brand Stout that was brewed in the honor of their 1000th batch back in 1992. Here's a fun chart on the history of this beer.

    2010 saw the bottling of Nightstalker, the base beer for Bourbon County Brand Stout the dry-hopped version of the base beer for Bourbon County Brand Stout, the release of Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso infused Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout, the release of Vanilla infused Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout, and the release of Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout that was aged for 2 years in Pappy Van Winkle 23 years barrels. It is expected that we will be seeing some other versions as well including an Orange version, a Brett version, a Dry hopped version and a Rye barrel version.

    While Nightstalker was incredibly good and a successful release too, the Coffee version was a real killer and it in fact climbed to the number 3 spot on Beeradvocate top-100 within weeks of it release. Consequently the Vanilla and Rare versions were very hyped and highly sought after, and were obviously tougher to get!

    Anyway, the Rare was too rich for my blood at ~$45/22 oz., and because I loved the regular BCS and Coffee versions, and because I was lucky enough to acquire the Vanilla, I decided to hold a tasting of Nightstalker, regular BCS, Coffee BCS and Vanilla BCS. My trading buddy deserves to be thanked here too since it was because of him that I had more than a bottle of each, Vanilla and Coffee, and some awesome extras!

Spoils of the trade

    I had already tried multiple times, and reviewed, the regular BCS (review here), that (in my opinion) has a lot of coffee, chocolate and bourbon character. Compared to Nightstalker, it's obviously sweeter and richer with more silky and thicker feel and amplified chocolate-vanilla notes while Nightstalker really stands out in terms of hops and roast. BCS is great example of barrel aging done right, that propels a very good stout to a phenomenal level!

    The Vanilla version seemed more acidic and thinner than the regular BCS with obviously more pronounced sweeter Vanilla notes, but with chocolate pushed to background. Still it's very good, but the Coffee version seems to have gone way downhill! When it was fresh, it was one of the best beers I had had and I couldn't decide whether I liked it over KBS! However, it seemed way thinner and acidic to the point of being irritating at this tasting. In fact, Goose Island seemed to acknowledge this when they brewed a different batch for the festival of barrel aged beers. Detailed reviews follow:

Nightstalker
Imperial Stout
11.7% ABV
60 IBUs
22 oz, bottled 02.19.2010, sampled in December 2010.
    Looks pitch black with a medium dark brown head that settled into a thin, but persistent, collar and left some lacing. Some legs are visible upon swirling the beer. The aroma is dominated by dark malts, roast, and hops! Nightstalker is known to be incredibly hoppy and it lives to to its reputation!
    The taste is not shy on bitterness either, coming from hops and roast, both. Feels silky and chocolaty, and a little boozy, with a big, bitter, roasty finish. The mouthfeel is thick, but thicker would have been even better. Overall, a strong, robust, but still smooth beer. Loved it.

Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout
Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Vanilla Stout
13.0% ABV
60 IBUs
22 oz, bottled on 11.05.2010, sampled in December 2010.
    Noticeably low on head, head retention, and lacing than Nightstalker, it looks pitch black and oily. The usual suspects are present but the coffee-chocolate notes are clearly shadowed by sweet alcohol and warm Vanilla.
    The chocolate doesn't shine at all in the taste; the taste according to me was very acidic and astringent, even unlike the regular BCS. Odd. I expected Vanilla to add to the complexity of BCS but this seemed like a very different beer, considering that we had BCS next to us for comparison. The roast is stronger too, that I don't mind, but the overwhelming acidity is a minus. On top of that, the mouthfeel seemed thinner too.
    Overall a good beer but nothing worth going crazy over.

Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Coffee Stout
13% ABV
60 IBUs
22 oz, bottled in Spring 2010, sampled in December 2010.
    Looks the same as its counterparts: pitch black, thick, and oily with little head. Smells of alcohol, chocolate, coffee. A good aroma but not as delicious as I remembered it to be!
    First sip was very underwhelming considering that the expectations from this beer were high since I have had it fresh. Tastes thin and acidic, and one dimensional. There really is not much to write but for the sake of review, it should be mentioned that this beer is still quite complex with notes of coffee and chocolate being the most prominent ones.
    The body is thinner than what one would expect in a beer of this kind, but drinkability is still very good, and superior to BCS in my opinion, that gets too "hot" once it's warm.
    Still, between Nightstalker, BCS, BCBVS and itself, it was the least favorite at the tasting.

Edit: Bourbon County was first bottled in 2005 and Nightstalker is not its base beer, but the dry-hopped version of the base beer. Thanks familynight for pointing it out and providing the link to the BCBS history chart.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Perfect Storm (Mother of All Storms)

The Perfect Storm (Mother of All Storms)
Pelican Pub & Brewery
English Barleywine
13.5% ABV
OG 13.7 degrees Plato
40 IBUs
22 oz bomber of 2010 vintage, received as a generous surprise from lurchingbeast, poured into a big snifter. Thanks Frank! This beer was one of my top wants since it tops Beeradvocate's list of English Barleywines, and I love me some J.W.Lees - super excited to try this one!

Appearance 4/5
Deep garnet and clear with a big brown head that gave away rather soon and settled into a thin collar, without any lacing. However it should be noted that this beer has spent time in barrels and is quite high in alcohol, so poor retention is not a problem.

Aroma 4/5
The usual suspects are present: Toast, caramel/toffee, figs, sweet alcohol and bourbon, and then there are some off putting notes of green potatoes. Alcohol gets a little too strong at warmer temperature.

Taste 4/5
Sweet, but flavorfuly so, with a sharpness of character. Despite the dominantly sweeter notes, this beer is quite bitter and astringent and would complement fatty food very well. A long and vinous sweet finish with a slightly bitter and alcoholic aftertaste.

Mouthfeel 3/5
Disappointingly thin!

Drinkability 4/5
Good, but this beer didn't wow me in any respect. I will definitely revisit it if I get a chance to!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

HopSlam Ale


Hopslam Ale
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Double IPA
10% ABV
IBUs?
OG 1.087
12 oz bottle from batch 10100, packaged 01/05/2011, poured aggressively into a 25 oz snifter on 01/23/2011.

Appearance 4.5/5
Deep tangerine-gold colored, Hopslam poured with a moderately sized off white creamy head that eventually receded into a smaller but persistent bubbly one, and left little lacing. The beer was a little hazy but got clearer as it warmed up. A good looking beer that would look even better in a narrower glass, but nothing lets you enjoy the aroma like a big snifter!

Aroma 4/5
Hopslam smells of balance and complexity: The elder brother of Two Hearted, it is strikingly similar in its mango notes, but is clearly sweeter and deeper, and different. To me, this ale is very good, but nothing as spectacular in its hop aroma as it is generally regarded. However, considered independent of style, this ale can compete with any other when it comes to aroma. The strong tropical fruit and tangerine notes combined with the strong and rich sweet notes lend the impression of fruit itself! It is readily seen that even though Hopslam is a Double IPA, it is cellar worthy. A wee bit of alcohol is noted when the beer gets warm. Soft, fruity, sweet and complex, Hopslam is an excellent smelling ale.

Taste 4/5
Very very fruity with the tangy sweetness of tangerines and the bitterness of citrus. A mouth coating, viscous, overwhelming taste experience that engulfs you and leaves with a sweet bitterness; however, a little too sweet. Yes, Hopslam tastes a lot like honey but that is not the most desirable quality in a DIPA, in my very humble opinion. Hopslam is hoppy and bitter but with a deep malt character. It seems stuck between being a DIPA and barleywine. That said, it's very good!

Mouthfeel 4/5
Silky and decent bodied, and well carbonated, Hopslam feels like THE DIPA except for the overly sweet finish.

Drinkability 4.5/5
All things considered, it is damn smooth for a 10% ABV beer! I only wish it were more aggressive and ass kicking!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Kingfisher Draught

On tap at New Delhi airport, served in the brand's mug.

Appearance 2/5
Light golden and brilliantly clear with a tiny head that left soon and left no lacing.

Aroma 2/5
Light, sweet aroma. Typical adjunct lager smell, just stronger.

Taste 2/5
Slightly sweet, mostly bland, with some hop bite at the end.

Mouthfeel 2/5
A wee bit thicker feel than most of its kind with decent carbonation. Dry & clean finish. Not bad on mouthfeel but it just doesn't seem like beer-- just bad smelling soda.

Drinkability 2/5
It's a shame that this swill passes for beer. You can slam it but slamming malt liquor would get you drunk cheaper if that's the intention. Otherwise don't bother drinking it.