More Local Beer News! Southern Tier, Saint Arnold, NOLA...

Alright, as if American Craft Beer Week wasn't enough, here is even more local beer news:

Southern Tier officially releases in Louisiana today... just got this picture from Calandro's, looks like they also have some Parish Farmhouse IPA and Endeavour on the shelves, but the main point is all that Southern Tier.  Go get some!  The bar rollouts in Baton Rouge should be tonight at The Bulldog and tomorrow at The Cove. 

Also, today marks the official release of the Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel #3.  Like the Bishop's Barrel #1 this is an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels.  (All the Bishop's Barrel series are barrel aged, duh.)  Bishop's Barrel #1 was one of the best beers I've had from Saint Arnold, so I'm looking forward to this one as well.  It's only in bottles and only available at bars & restaurants, not retailers.  Look for it soon as the local places.  

More good news, NOLA Brewing is canning their Mechahopzilla Double IPA!  We knew this was coming, but it's still exciting to see the actual cans instead of just the artwork.  Look for this soon, don't know an exact release date.

Calandro's is also going to be running daily specials all week to celebrate American Craft Beer Week.  Today is featuring the locals and the neighbors, Saint Arnold, Lazy Magnolia, NOLA, Tin Roof, Abita, and Parish.  Other breweries will be discounting on other days, follow their Facebook page for more. 

That's it for now... I'm sure other things will be popping up soon.  Chance of dieting this week: zero. 

Westveletern XII Is Coming On 12/12/12

It's been a long while in the making, but the much anticipated release of the Westy XII is finally near.  It is slated to hit the shelves on this Wednesday, 12/12/12. I've heard conflicting information about the retail price, with the sets being anywhere from $90 to $125, but I do know that the big places in town like Calandro's and Whole Foods will be carrying it.  I also know that a few bars, including Cove, will be selling the individual bottles for consumption. 

I've had a couple of opportunities to try the Westvleteren XII over the last few years and I must say it does not disappoint.  It has lofty expectations for a beer that is in the debate for the best in the world, but I thought that it really followed through on the expectations.  Of course "best in the world" is subject to debate for eternity, but I think it's safe to say this one is in the discussion.  It's typically only available in Belgium at the monastery, so take advantage of this chance to try some stateside without resorting to the black market! 

Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #12 Release!

Hey everyone!  

Just wanted to drop a quick post about the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #12 release today, July 31st!  Well... today if you're reading this from Houston.  For most of you who are reading from Baton Rouge or nearby it's not out yet, but if last year is any indication it will be within a few weeks.  Divine Reserve #11 made its way to us a few weeks later than the Texas release and after the initial wave they weren't extremely hard to find at some of the usual suspects around town like Calandro's, Matherne's, and Whole Foods.  

Last year's offering was an Imperial IPA that served as the genesis for their Endeavour IPA that can be found around town now.  A previous release of Divine Reserve also evolved into Saint Arnold's (facebook - twitter) outstanding Pumpkinator that debuted last fall and should be out again this year.  

This year's batch of Divine Reserve is going to be an old ale, a high-alcohol (10%) beer that is designed to be aged for up to 5 years while developing sherry-like notes.  Which basically means to me that I need to get at least a 6-pack and enjoy them over the next half decade!

So look for Divine Reserve #12 in stores soon, and don't drink it all right away.

Review: Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

I'm sure many of you have seen the Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA (@sierranevada)
around the stores locally, but it's time for a quick review in case anyone out there is debating buying a 6-pack.  Or just wants to know what I think.

I actually picked these up while at Spec's in Houston but it's all over Baton Rouge as well.  I've seen it recently at Calandro's and Matherne's and I have no doubt that other go-to beer places (or even the bigger grocery stores) will also have some 6-packs on the shelf.  This is one of Sierra Nevada's four seasonal ales to go with the Summerfest, Tumbler, and Celebration Ale.  It's a bit early for a Spring beer, but as they say, it's meant to "create a complex ale for the tumultuous transition to spring."  And so far in 2011-12 we have barely had a winter anyway!

 

Back to the beer... I poured into a Karbach Brewing pint glass, it's a dark amber color, clear with a white head. Not bad looking, but nothing absolutely amazing.

The aroma is really strong with rye and not surprising from Sierra Nevada a good many hops. There is a faint caramel malt balance underneath as well.  The flavor profile is quite similar to the aroma except the hops are more pronounced while the malts fade. The rye adds a nice spice to the beer similar to a rye whiskey.

The mouthfeel is very medium bodied beer with a strong rye aftertaste.  Another good beer from Sierra Nevada.  Obviously if you aren't a hops fan this is one to avoid, but if you like the hops this one is worth buying a 6-pack or sharing with some friends.

Review: Epic Barrel Aged IPA

First off, thanks to Jay over at BiteAndBooze.com for hooking me up with this one as a Christmas present!  I've seen it at Calandro's lately and also at The Cove so here's a review while it's still on the shelves and available!  Epic is a brewery out of New Zealand that is fairly new to our market, but they have put out some really good beers.  For those that watched Brew Masters, the New Zealand collaboration beer was between Dogfish Head and Epic, so you might remember the brewery from there!

 

Now for this beer... I poured from a .5L bottle into an imperial pint... it's remarkably clear, with a frothy white head that takes up 1/4 or so of the glass on the pour. Really nice retention and some of the best lacing I've seen in a while. Good looking beer.

The aroma is expectedly hoppy with a hint of the barrel aging. The wood flavors come through more each time I stick my nose in but they still are the secondary flavor in this aroma.

The barrel aging comes through a lot stronger on the taste, but I'm not sure it's entirely a good thing. It's not bad but I sense a little confusion and competing rather than augmenting the natural style. It gives the beer too much going on rather than the right amount of flavor complexity in my opinion.

It's got good carbonation with a strong grapefruit hop finish.  I'm enjoying this one for sure but it's not 'world class' just a good beer.  This one, along with Epic's other brews, are definitely worth checking out if you want to try something different.

Reviews: Sierra Nevada 2011 Beer Camp

Okay, time for some beer than you can find in Baton Rouge!  This is the "Beer Camp" series from Sierra Nevada that features the best of the beers created at their Beer Camp.  The Beer Camp is a special treat for contest winners where beer campers get the VIP treatment at Sierra Nevada complete with creating some beers for commercial production.  Sounds pretty awesome if you ask me!  Some of the best ones are bottled and sent out commercially in mixed 12-packs.  I found some at Calandro's and they can probably still be found at a few places around town.  I also some at Spec's in Houston this past weekend, so they are still out there!

Jay actually picked this pack up and shared with me, so I got two beers each from the 4 Beer Camp releases in the pack.  The one I had featured a Weizenbock, California Common, Juniper Black Ale, and Double IPA.  I was probably least excited about California Common and most excited about the Juniper Black Ale going into this... but hey, sometimes things don't turn out the way you think they will!

The first one I tried was the Weizenbock, a beer style that is intended to be an even stronger version of the dunkel weizen with more bold and complex malt flavors and a noticeably stronger alcohol presence. 

 

The first thing I noticed, of course, is that is was one great looking beer! It's an orange cloudy beer with a large white frothy head. Good retention and good lacing and everything you would want from the visual appeal of a beer.

The aroma was bready with a large helping of citrus and banana.  It definitely had a lot of the hefeweizen characters while still being a stronger beer at 6.8% abv.  The taste is a lot of the same flavor, banana is pretty dominant again. I like this one a good bit overall, and it's a pleasant surprise from one of the beer camp beers that I wasn't as enthused about.

An easy drinker, very refreshing and delicious, highly recommended unless you don't like wheat beers!

My Rating:  A-

BeerAdvocate: A-

Up next... the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp California Common.  This is a traditional Californian style using a lager strain of yeast that ferments at warmer temperatures.

 

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into an imperial pint glass, the beer is a clear deep gold with a couple inches of bubbly white head.  Nothing too special to look at, but appearance isn't everything.

It has a floral and honey aroma, a lot like a Belgian golden ale which is a pleasant surprise. There are also more hops than I was betting on, and an aroma that jumps more than the beer looks like it would.  

The taste is more of the same on this one, very crisp and delicious with an abundance if spicy hop notes.  Well done, these really are the best of the best and it shows.  This California Common was my least anticipated of the bunch but it surprised me.

 

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: B+ (Hey, two in a row right on the popular opinion...)

Beer Camp #3, the one I was looking forward to the most, was the Juniper Black Ale.  I made sure I had things straight this time and this is indeed a Black IPA or Dark IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale or whatever you want to call this relatively new style of roasted but super hoppy IPA.  Recently I tried the New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, but it's actually a Belgian Dark Ale!  This confusion will not stand, man. 

 

Anyway, getting the style right this time, I poured into an appropriate imperial pint glass. The beer is a dark brown color, clear around the edges with an inch-plus of creamy off-white head. Definitely a good looking beer!

The aroma is a lot of roasted chocolate with just a hint of juniper and a slight hop spice. If I didn't know to look for the juniper I'd probably miss it. The flavor is a lot of the same but the juniper is there a little more and the hops are a little less. It's definitely more roasted than expected.

It's a little thin too, the 8% abv is very well hidden but there is an awkward roasted bitter aftertaste.  I was expecting more, and I think this is lower on my list from the Beer Camp series.

 

My Rating: B-

BeerAdvocate: B+

And finally, the Double IPA.  This isn't really a new crazy style, so I wasn't as excited, but I do almost always like double IPAs.  Just like the Juniper Black Ale, I poured from a 12 oz. bottle into an imperial pint glass. It's a deep gold color with a large white bubbly head. decent look to it, great retention and lacing.

The aroma is strong with hops, piney, a little citrus and even a hint of caramel in the malt base. The flavor is fantastic, a little sweet malt at the front them big bold piney hops. It has a great blend and really well done.

It's a little bitter in the aftertaste but a good full body.  This is a really nice DIPA and my favorite among the Beer Camp brews.  Definitely a winner.

My Rating: A

BeerAdvocate: B+

In summary, four good beers, a definite winner of a 12-pack and one I'll be on the lookout in the future for their other Beer Camp brews!  Well done, Sierra Nevada, well done.

Review: Sierra Nevada Ovila Dubbel

Time for another beer review... this time the Sierra Nevada Ovila Dubbel.  I picked up a few of these from Marcello's in BR when it was first released.  It's a bit weird to see a brewery like Sierra Nevada (@sierranevada), known for West Coast hoppy beers, to go after a Belgian style.  I know it's not their first Belgian-style ale, but it's close to it, and it's the first one I've ever tried.  Knowing Sierra Nevada, it's going to be a little more hoppy than a typical dubbel, but there's not necessarily anything wrong with that! 

 

Now... on to the beer!  It has a nice pop to the cork, and it pours a murky deep orange color with a couple fingers of off-white head. It dissipated pretty quick but left some nice creamy pooling.

The smell is a little weird to me. The first thing I noticed is a little malt sweetness then a bit of floral hops. Definitely a little more hoppy than a typical dubbel, as expected. The taste is a lot like the aroma except the malt is more forward than the hops. The alcohol content is noticeable and the floral hops are still there in the background.

I think this one will really age well, so I'll be sure to cellar a bottle and re-visit later.  Overall I'm impressed. This is a pretty fine effort from Sierra Nevada.

 

I know there are still a few cases of this beer at Calandro's... so it's not too late if you want to grab a few.  Try one now, and let the other one sit a few months and see how it ages.

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: B+

 

 Belgian Dubbel

The BR Beer Scene - On The Radio!

Hey everyone!

I encourage you all to tune in to Talk 107.3 from 10-11 tomorrow morning for the Bite And Booze Radio Show.  The show this week will be all about American Craft Beer Week, and will feature Charles Caldwell and William McGehee from Tin Roof Brewing, Andrew Godley from Parish Brewing, Polly Watts from The Avenue Pub in New Orleans, and CJ Webre from Calandro's Supermarket.  Plus, I'll be in studio with Jay for a portion of show asking questions and talking about craft beers!  Thanks to Jay for having me on and I'm looking forward to it.

Drinking At The Hammond Smokin' Blues & BBQ Challenge - Part 2

Alright, after checking out that delicious BBQ, it's time for the beers!  Thanks again to Calandro's for sponsoring our BBQ team, including a handful of beers to drink as we let the meat smoke all night.  (I actually reviewed these properly a few days later... but here are the action pics...)

 

The first beer I tried was the He'Brew Genesis Ale from Schmaltz Brewing, which is originally out of California but also contract brews out of New York.  It was an overly hoppy beer for an Amber Ale, but still not bad.   There is definitely a malt warmth to it but the hops dominate the aroma and the taste.  

After that it was on to the Bald Eagle Brown Ale from RJ Rockers out of South Carolina.  I'd never heard of RJ Rockers before spotting a few of their beers at Calandro's but hey, anything is worth trying once.  (When it comes to beer at least...)  I thought it was a very tasty beer, but a bit of a one-trick pony.  It's all malts, all the time.  The flavor is great but I wanted a little something extra in there to mix things up.  This is definitely one I'd share a pitcher with amongst friends though, and one of the more pleasant surprises of the night.

The next two beers I tried both hailed from the Boulder Beer Company (@boulderbeerco
) out of... you guessed it... Boulder, Colorado.  The first one was the Mojo IPA, a good crisp piney IPA that really worked well.  A great flavor to it but some of the ancillary factors (appearance, aroma) were a little lacking.  The second was the Kinda Blue Blueberry Wheat Beer, which was unfortunately a little disappointing as far as blueberry beers go.  It has a wheat-heavy earthy flavor but not a whole lot of blueberry taste to it.  Oh well... still glad I gave it at try!

Finally I broke out another beer from the Schmaltz Brewing Company... this time the He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's Rye India Pale Ale.  Damn, that's a lot of name, and fortunately this one was a lot of beer.  It was a 10% abv imperial IPA brewed with rye malts.  It had more of a barleywine aroma to it than an IIPA, with a strong balance of malt and hops and a sweet molasses feel.  The taste was more of the same... a fantastic beer and certainly a highlight of the contest as far as the beers went!

 

Thanks again to Sammy at Calandro's for helping us out and providing these taste beers to drink while we cooked!  It was a great time with great people.

Drinking At The Hammond Smokin' Blues & BBQ Challenge - Part 1

A couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to join the Bite And Booze team for the Hammond Smokin' Blues & BBQ Challenge.  We were sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket, with additional help from Kicker's BBQ, Red Stick Spice Company, Jeremy of Faire Les Courses, and Third Row Tailgaters.  We might have been a little disappointed at the results, but the BBQ was still delicious and I had a great time.  And one of the best things about having Calandro's on board, was that we had several new craft beers on hand to try out while we were cooking!  More on that later, but first a few pictures of the BBQ...

Team Bite And Booze's chicken entry.

Spare ribs!

Pulled pork!

Brisket!

BBQ sauce fountain!

Check back soon for some more details about all the beer that was drank during the competition!

Upcoming Beer Events In And Around Baton Rouge!

A few events coming up soon that any beer lover might want to check out:

March 25th (Tonight!): Baton Rouge Pub Crawl - Benefiting the American Red Cross Japan Relief Fund.

Some of you might remember the Abita pub crawl dispute a while back that was quickly dropped... well this time Abita is actually sponsoring the pub crawl to benefit aid to Japan.  It starts at Happy's at 7, check out the website for the details and rules. 

March 26th (Tomorrow!): Zapp's International Beerfest

 

This has been a popular event for years now and tickets are limited to 1,500 only to prevent over-crowding.  So, buy them in advance (like, right now) if you want to attend.  The weather should be perfect, and be sure to check out the homebrewers, they are usually some of the best brews and the first to go.

April 9th: Top Of The Hops in Lafayette

  

This will be the third Top Of The Hops festival so far this spring, and the beer list (if it's close to the North Shore list) looks to be pretty outstanding.  There are a lot of great Belgian ales on tap and plenty of microbrews that we don't normally see around here.  I'll be attending this one, so find me and say hi!

 

 

 

Also... no specific date, but look for the NOLA Irish Channel Stout in bottles!  I saw some at Calandro's yesterday to I know they're around town.

Review: Moylan's Moylander Double IPA

Rewinding a bit for a review of one I tried last week... Moylan's Moylander Double IPA.  I picked this one up at Calandro's on Government St. a while back when I was grabbing some Abita Strawberry and a few other brews, and it was time to give it a try!  Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet... it's a copper color, a little hazy, with a huge creamy white head. There is great retention and lacing. It's a heady beer, that's for sure.

The aroma is sweeter than I expected, a delicious blend of molasses, pine hops, and a little citrus as well. Very well done and an excellently blended hop profile.  The taste hits hoppier than the aroma... whoo this one is a more than a little bitter! The piney and floral flavors come through the strongest, but there's still a little molasses kick on the end and then back to the piney hops on the aftertaste. 

Great mouthfeel, creamy, thick, again a pleasure to drink. This double IPA exceeded my expectations, and I'd absolutely drink it again.  If you're a hop head, check it out for sure... if you don't like the hoppy beers, I'd start out a little slower than this double IPA.  Maybe try the NOLA Hopitoulas IPA, Fort Collins Rocky Mountain IPA, or if you can find it, the Bell's Two-Hearted Ale.  (And if you find some, bring me a few!)

My Rating: A

BeerAdvocate: A-

India Pale Ale (IPA)

Super Bowl Beer #1 - Rogue MoM Hefeweizen

Time to kick off the Super Bowl drinking with a Rogue MoM Hefeweizen that I picked up at Calandro's a little while back.  Unfortunately this was a bit of a disappointment, scoring only a C- to me. Not a good start to the drinking, but at least this leaves room to improve.  


My Rating: C-
BeerAdvocate: B

Cucapá Obscura - Mexican Craft Beer

Ah, Mexico... we all love to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with a margarita or 4, or perhaps a bucket of Corona longnecks complete with lime wedges?  Or sometimes even step it up to a Dos Equis, which as I elaborated on back in the World Cup series, is far better without the lime.  One thing I've never really thought of when I thought Mexican beer though, is craft beer.  I've known that Mexican craft breweries exist, but until very recently I'd never had the pleasure of trying any of them.  That is, until I saw some Cucapá Obscura on the shelves at Calandro's Saturday evening.  It's labeled as an 'American Brown Ale' which is the same style as Abita Turbodog, so let's see how it compares.

The beer is dark... brown like the style suggests with not much head.  It definitely has a similar appearance to Turbodog.  The aroma is malty, hints of chocolate, slightly metallic. The taste is more of the same... a little muted, but there are definitely roasted malt flavors but still a metallic twinge.  Very thin on the mouth, one of the more watery beers I've tried recently, and I can't say I'd pick up any more of these next time.

This isn't a horrible beer, but for $10.99 per 6-pack I'm going to try something new or go back to Turbodog next time if I'm looking for this style.  I'd be willing to try some other beers from Cucapá Brewing Company but probably not this one.  Even still though, it's good to see some craft beer coming from south of the border, maybe the next one will be better and the next even better.  The general consensus from the beer nerds is that this is better than I'm giving it credit for, so maybe it even will earn a second look sometime.

My review: C-

BeerAdvocate: B-

Picture from the BetterBeerBlog, as I wasn't able to take a good one myself... thanks!

Brown Ale

Dec. 10th - National Lager Day!

As I'm sure most of you are aware, today is National Lager Day!  It's a momentous holiday almost on par with Christmas, the 4th Of July, and National Macaroni Day.  As most of you probably don't know, a lager is a type of beer fermented at much cooler temperatures and for much longer than the ale counterparts.  Lagers originated in Germany and many of the best German beers are lagers even though they aren't your typical American-style lager.  

Over here, and throughout the world, lagers are the best selling beers.  Typically brews such as Budweiser, Miller, Sam Adams Boston Lager, etc... come to mind but lagers are far more diverse that that.  Great German beers like Ayinger Celebrator or the classic Oktoberfest beers are all different styles of lagers!  A few days ago I broke out a Weihenstephaner Korbinian doppelbock to give it a try, so it'll be my official lager of the 2010 National Lager Day!  (Yeah, it's German... get over it!)

This one was part of my most recent beer run to Calandro's... and only $3.49 for a half-liter bottle, which isn't a bad price at all.  The smell is all malt... hints of roasted caramel and chocolate. Delicious.

The taste is more of the same... the roasted notes come through first and then pop up again on the end of the sip. The caramel notes come through in the middle for a nice sweet balance to the slightly bitter roasted note. A very very easy to drink malt-bomb that I'm going to have to add to the regular rotation at this nice price.

So... go out today and find a lager beer that you really like!  Could be American, could be German... could even be something crazy like South African, but enjoy!

Doppelbock

Three New Reviews!

Some more beer reviews from a recent beer run to Calandro's!  This time I grabbed a few packs of smaller bottles, and a handful of bombers... here's round one, the multiple beer packs!

The first one I tried was a Limited Series from Full Sail Brewing, this is their #3 recipe.  I've had the #1 a few years ago before I started writing the blog, but I totally missed #2.  This current version is a German Pilsner recipe, and is available at Calandro's for only $8.99 per 6-pack.  The aroma on this one is much bolder than the appearance lets on... good hops with a hint of caramel malts.  The taste is more of the same, very well balanced and super easy to drink.  At this price I could go back to this one plenty and enjoy every one.  For another good example of a German Pilsner, check out the Abita S.O.S. if you can still find it anywhere!

I also saw some Fischer Tradition Amber, and had to pick up a 6-pack.  I used to drink this stuff like crazy with my cousin Travis when they had it in the big flip-top bottles at the Chimes.  It disappeared from the local markets for a while, but apparently it's back, although now in smaller bottles in 6-packs.  Officially this one is a Euro Dark Lager, and it's definitely a darker amber color than a traditional lager would be.  Unfortunately on re-visit to this one there's just not much to it.  The smell is faint, and the flavor is undermalted and somewhat boring.  I know I used to really enjoy this stuff, but either the beer has changed or my palate has... probably the latter.  At $12.99 for a 6-pack, I don't think I'll be buying any more of these any time soon.

The last review for this post is the BrewDog Punk IPA.  BrewDog is a Scottish brewery that has a reputation for really extreme beers (like the 32% abv. Tactical Nuclear Penguin) but this is one of their relatively tame standard offerings.  The smell is hoppy with some really nice pine flavors and a subtle hint of malts.  The flavor is hop dominant as an IPA should be.. again a pine flavor to them and a hint of caramel at the back. Good blend for an IPA and I really like the way the malts compliment the hoppy hit. I'm a big fan of this one, really a top notch IPA in my opinion. Easy to drink, well balanced, but not mild at all on the hops.  It's a bit pricey at $12.99 for a 4-pack, but still one I'd consider going back for.  It's also about to be released in cans... interesting and I'll be curious to see how the bottles and cans compare as far as flavors go. 

That's it for now... I have four more bombers from this trip to review, but I've only drank one of them so far, so it's going to have to wait a few days at least!

Hitachino Nest White Ale Spotting!

After work Friday I realized my beer supply was dangerously low, and LSU had an away game on Saturday leaving me a chance to try some new brews.  So... I was on my way to Calandro's on Government (I know Seigen has the better selection, but Government is so much closer!) to check out the brews.  

There were a few new ones that I picked up, but what I was most excited about were bombers of the Hitachino Nest White Ale!  This beer has been a fixture in my Top 10 beers list, and I featured it from Japan in the World Cup Of Beer.  The problem is, it can be hard to find, as it tends to not stay on the shelves too long.  A few local sushi joints carry the beer, but it's usually rather absurdly marked up.  I believe it's $8 at Rock N Sake for a 12 oz. bottle, but the bomber (usually either 750 ml or 25 ounces) was only $9.69 at Calandro's.  A good deal for this world class beer.

 

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

A few things to note about this beer... 1) it's from Bear Republic Brewery out of California.  These guys do the hoppy beers really well and it shows, as of the 73 beers they have listed 12 are IPAs and 7 are imperial IPAs plus some hoppy APAs and other styles mixed in!  2) It's called Hop Rod Rye for a reason, so if you're not a fan of the hops, might be time to click over on right side of this blog and find a different beer as you probably won't want to look for this one!  If you're a fan of the hops though, check out Calandro's for this one and others from Bear Republic and you probably won't be disappointed.

 

Now, on to the beer... it had a very creamy head that lingered forever it seemed, it took several pours to top off the pint glass and a couple of pint glasses to wipe out the 22 oz. bottle. 

A definite aroma of hops, wow, STRONG with some hints of pine and citrus.  The 80 IBUs this beer boasts come through right away, really inviting a sip.

The taste is overwhelming on this one... overbearing hops and bitterness, but the other flavors shine through. The more I drank, the better it got and the more I could taste the caramel malt and rye flavors present.   Definitely not a beer to start out the night with, but after I got the taste buds warmed up I really enjoyed it.  I know a few friends of mine like the hoppier beers even more than I do (Andrew, Dustin, talking to you two!) and I'm sure this would be right up their alley.

Check it out if you want to test the limits of how hoppy you like your beers!  For a slightly less bitter IPA from these guys, a few places in town feature the Racer 5 IPA on tap, including the Chimes.  It's one of my favorites to fall back on when the rotating taps don't spark my interest.

My rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: A

India Pale Ale

North Coast Old Rasputin

North Coast Brewing has been in Louisiana for a little while now and I couldn't be happier!  Their beers can be found at Calandro's among other local stores with a good beer selection.  I've previously featured their Brother Thelonious and Cru D'Or and this one is one of their more popular beers, the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.  The style is characterized by high alcohol contents, and a heavy malt presence.  Much more rich and thick than something like a Guinness but typically more bitter and chocolaty than high-alcohol malty beers like doppelbocks.  It's definitely not a style for someone getting into craft beer for the first time, but it has slowly become one of my favorites.

This one was poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my trusty Samuel Smith imperial pint glass.  It featured a dark chocolaty brown color with a tan head that lingered throughout the drinking. Very nice appearance to this one and a great start.

The aroma is a dominant malty chocolate. Delicious. The taste follows through on the aroma. A little bit muted though... I wish more malty chocolate flavors came through.  A little thinner than I was hoping for with the style. This is a strong one too... at 9% I wouldn't WANT to drink a lot of these in one sitting, but it's certainly good enough to think about it.

This is one of the better Russian Imperial Stouts we can get locally, so if you want to check out the style, pick up a 4-pack and share some with your friends!

My rating: A-

Beeradvocate: A

Imperial Stout