Feature Beer Friday! - Dogfish Head Noble Rot

And it's back!  Along with the general push to get back on the blogging wagon is a renewed round of Feature Beer Friday!  These have been very sporadic since the initial run, but I want to try to make it as close to a weekly occurrence as possible.  I have a small backlog of reviews, then it'll be time for some more drinking with friends and new reviews to post! 

Today's Feature Beer is the Noble Rot, Dogfish Head's "saison-esque science project." The standout feature of the beer is that it's about as close as you can get to beer-wine hybrid.  Two rounds of distinct grape must are added to give the beer more fermentable sugars and complexity.  They use pilsner malt, wheat, minimal hops, and a Belgian yeast strain.  This is sure to be an interesting review...
 
Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jeff Herman (Tiger Deaux-nuts), Dan Fisher, and Mandi Kaelberer.

Serving: 750 ml. bottle.

Appearance: Golden, clear with a white head, sort of like a cider. 

Aroma: The grapes are prevalent.  I remarked that it was crisp, and more like a wine than a beer on the nose.  Dan had an array of notes, grapes, dry, funky, musty, sour apple, pear... there's a lot going on for sure.  

Taste: Fruity, very wine-like, almost like a chardonnay mixed with a riesling? 

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated with a crisp fruity finish.

Overall: Absolutely worth drinking, this is a unique beer that really can change the way you view the brewing process. We all enjoyed it, and it had solid 70ish scores all around the table, which means not one of us was turned off by this science project gone right. 

Overall Rating: 70.25
My Rating:71

Feature Beer Friday! - SweetWater Blue

 Alright, are you ready for some SweetWater?  They will be coming to Louisiana next week, and Brenton over at The Ale Runner had a few bottles sent to him in advance.  Well, that's perfect to include in a Feature Beer Friday!  I try to stay local and available and current, but sometimes it's just too hard to pass up the opportunity to review a Pliny The Elder or Great Divide Yeti, etc.  This time though, it's about as relevant as I can get... a beer that will be in our market within a week! 

SweetWater Blue is one of their 5 flagship year-round brews, and one of the three that should be coming to LA in the initial release.  It's only 4.9%, so this one isn't a big beer, but it's not trying to be.  Here's what they have to say about it: "Always the funky favorite at any outdoor beer festival, SweetWater Blue is a unique light-bodied ale with a hint of fresh blueberries. It begins with an appealing blueberry aroma and finishes as a surprisingly thirst-quenching ale."

Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (Bite And Booze), Brenton Day (The Ale Runner), Chuck Pierce (Me And My Big Mouth), and Kevin Cowan.

Serving: 12 oz. bottle.

Appearance: Golden, with a little haze.

Aroma: A blueberry dominant aroma, Jay likened it to "bubble gum, berries, and blueberry muffin." Brenton just said it was refreshing.   

Taste: Strong blueberry flavor again, and Brenton again wrote "refreshing."   

Mouthfeel: Light and thin... but that's what they were going for, they even say it's light-bodied on their website.

Overall: Nothing special, but that's not what this beer is about.  I think it's excellent for what it tries to be, but it's hard to stack that up against some of the great beers we've reviewed for the segment.  Bottom line, if you want to try a blueberry beer, go get some of this.  If fruit beers aren't your thing, this one isn't going to change your mind.


Overall Rating: 58.4
My Rating: 58

Abita Strawberry 2013 is Coming Soon!

I'm sure most of my readers also are fans of Abita on Facebook or follow them on twitter, but for those who aren't, they announced today that the wait is over for Abita Strawberry.  I didn't see an exact release date for the seasonal brew, but my guess is that it'll be in stores this week.  In 2011 it released in late January, but I think it was closer to March in 2012.   

Previously, the hype for this beer was so overwhelming that it got to be hard to find, but in recent years the supply seems to have caught up to (or exceeded) the demand, so no one should go thirsty for their strawberry fix. I think I saw it in stores for at least 6 months in 2012 and I have no reason to expect different this year. 

You probably know that I'm not the biggest Abita fan in the world, but this is one of their better beers, in my opinion.  It's just a simple strawberry lager, but that's also exactly what you get.   A light-bodied, low alcohol strawberry beer that pairs well with hot weather and spicy crawfish.  Once I get my hands on a 6-pack I'll let everyone know how the 2013 version stacks up, but for now, be on the lookout.  

In related news, The Beer Buddha seems to be on to a rumor that Abita will be replacing their regular wheat beer with a lemon wheat beer... interesting. I also haven't had a chance to try their new Spring IPA, but first reviews from a few friends are underwhelming as expected. 

Review: Tin Roof Watermelon Wheat

Tin Roof (Facebook - Twitter) rolled out their new seasonal brew - the Watermelon Wheat - yesterday evening at the Bulldog, so of course I had to go check it out.  Mandi and I got there around 6 and holy crap, it was tough to even find a place to park.  Apparently we were not the only ones interesting in checking out the new Tin Roof offering, not even close.  After a short wait we had beers in hand (no thanks on the watermelon slices... don't fruit the beer) and it was time to taste.

 

And there you have it... the beer is a slightly hazy deep golden color.  Between the Tin Roof Blonde and their first two beers I think, with a decent bubbly white head.  The aroma and taste both had hints of watermelon but it wasn't an overly sweet version of a fruit beer.  I've always found that one of the biggest problems with fruit beers is they can end up too sweet and syrupy.  No one wants to drink something that tastes like a Jolly Rancher.  Well, let me rephrase that, no one who really appreciates beer wants one that tastes like a Jolly Rancher.  Tin Roof avoided that, and created a very refreshing Summer beer that I'm sure I will enjoy again.  

Hopefully this is just the first of many tasty seasonal brews from Tin Roof, and I'll be looking forward to the next one.

Tin Roof Watermelon Wheat - Baton Rouge Release!

Well folks, the first seasonal from local brewers Tin Roof (facebook - twitter) is almost upon us.  After some hype and anticipation the Baton Rouge release of the beer will be tomorrow (or maybe today by the time you read this?), Wednesday May 30th at The Bulldog.  I've been looking forward to something new from Tin Roof and the early reviews from the Avenue Pub's release have been positive regarding this new seasonal.  So, if you're interested in trying a Watermelon Wheat beer... the Bulldog will be the place to be.

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.

Bell's Brewery - Part 2

Last weekend I posted the first of two posts about a handful of new beers I tried from Bell's Brewery.  That one covered the Winter White Ale, the Porter, and the Pale Ale.  This installment will be all about the stouts.  Four of them, actually, all from Bell's and all beers I picked up in Gainesville a few months ago.

Numero uno... the Bell's Expedition Stout, a 10.5% abv Russian Imperial Stout.

 

Poured into a pint glass, it's dark like motor oil. There's not much head but what little there was retained well.

The aroma is chocolatey and rich. Caramel and toffee notes. Phenomenal. One of the best smelling beers I've put my nose to lately.

The flavor is rich as well and boozy. Caramel again, burnt chocolate notes and a little coffee bean bitterness at the end.  It reminds me a lot of the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout just without the vanilla bourbon notes.

The mouthfeel is thick, creamy, and boozy. Man, I'm still really blown away.  This one is one that found it's way on to my wall of fame as one of my favorite beers, and it might be the best one I've tried on the 365 in 2011 quest.

 

My Rating: A+

BeerAdvocate: A-

Imperial Stout

Second up, the Kalamazoo Stout, a lighter licorice stout coming in at 6% abv. 

 

This one pours dark with a really small head, it's not black but a dark brown.

The aroma is kinda weak really. I'm not picking up much licorice, just a standard stout aroma really. There's a little licorice on the tongue but nothing overwhelming.  Unfortunately just a middle of the road stout.

I've had better stouts. From Bell's. It's just decent to me.  Maybe it was a mistake to pick out the Expedition Stout first, but this one failed to live up to its precursor on this tasting.  (Side note, I did try all four of these stouts in one sitting...)

My Rating: C

BeerAdvocate: A-

Stout

Stout tour #3... Bell's Cherry Stout!  This one clocks in at 7% abv and is considered a fruit beer, although it clearly has a stout base. 

The appearance is dark brown with a pretty decent off-white head. This beer smells just like chocolate covered cherries. Yummy.

The flavor is dominated by stout flavors, again it's like chocolate and cherries. Not very dark or roasted, a little lighter flavor but still clearly based on a stout with the cherry flavors coming through as well.
 

It's a little thin for a stout... it's alright but doesn't impress.  I don't really feel the need for another one, again the Expedition Stout is way in the lead.

My Rating: B-

BeerAdvocate: B

The last beer on the list...Bell's Special Double Cream Stout.  This is one of the flagships of the Bell's brand, and is a 6.1% abv stout using a blend of 10 different malts to give it a unique creamy profile.  The body of the beer is nearly black with a small lingering off-white head.

The aroma is a lot like coffee with creamer.  And I drink coffee almost every morning at work, so this is a good thing to me!

The flavor is a little more bitter than the smell but delicious. Malty and rich with a great flavor profile and dark chocolate bitterness. 

It's definitely a creamy stout... I would swear there is some lactose in there but apparently not. I can feel the creaminess on the tongue, it's very thick and very well done.

I'd definitely have another of these!

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: A-

Alright, that makes 8 different beers from Bell's I've had the pleasure to try, with 7 of them coming as part of this New Year's Resolution.  My conclusion is that I'd definitely look for the Two Hearted Ale, Winter White Ale, Expedition Stout, and Special Double Cream Stout again.  The other four, while all decent, didn't impress me enough to pick them up again. 

Review: 2011 Abita Strawberry

It's that time of year in South Louisiana... okay, it's actually a good bit early this year... but still, the Abita Strawberry is out, and flying off the shelves.  Needless to say, the majority of people down here love this stuff.  The release each Spring Winter is definitely the most anticipated and heralded launch of any of the local seasonal brews.  When it was first released several years ago it was off the shelves before everyone could get some to enjoy... since then Abita has stepped up their production, even going national this year.  

Fortunately, the quality is still there.  Some years have been too sweet for my tastes, but Abita really seems to have the recipe down now.  For those that haven't had the pleasure, it's a gold colored lager, with a large white head.  You can see that to the right, I don't really need to describe the look for it when a picture can do the job!

I checked out my old review on this... and I remarked about it being overly sweet, and tough to drink more than one.  Well, that's definitely changed.  I can down a 6-pack of these guys in 8.7 minutes these days.  The wheat base is much more a part of the beer, making more of a strawberry beer and less of a strawberry malt liquor.  This turns the Abita Strawberry into a tasty, sessionable lager with enough sweet kick to let you know it's a fruit beer, but also enough malt base to retain it's beer characteristics.

What the result is, in my opinion, is the perfect beer compliment to a batch of spicy crawfish.  So, give one a try, the new batch is great, and enjoy!

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: B

Fruit Beer

Beers 1 and 2 in 2011.

Okay, time to start making good on one of my New Year's resolutions... try 365 new beers in 2011.  I still plan on accomplishing every one of those goals, but this one will definitely be the most fun along the way.  Upon declaring this resolution a few days ago I had one beer in my fridge that qualified as a new beer for me... so I saved that one today, and also picked up a few other new ones from Bet-R around the corner.  I think they only have one more beer in stock that I haven't tried... seriously.

Beer #1 was a... drumroll please!... O'Fallon Wheach.  This is the fourth beer from that early Christmas present sampler pack.  The "Wheach" is just another way of saying that it's a peach wheat beer.  Clever huh?  So basically we're looking at a peach version of an Abita Strawberry?  I dunno... let's find out. 

It's a boring looking beer to be honest... golden color with a small white head.  Very little retention or lacing to it.  The smell is overwhelmingly peach.  There's not really anything else to it, but fortunately the peach is delicious.  The taste of the beer is where it sees some more complexity.  The wheat base is much more apparent, and there is a hint of hops towards the end.  It's still a dominantly peach flavor, but really, shouldn't it be?  It's a very drinkable, refreshing fruit beer.  Not overwhelmingly awesome, but not bad by any means.

My Rating: B-

BeerAdvocate: B

Beer #2 is another offering from Fort Collins Brewery.  I've been seeing them a good bit around town lately, so I picked up a 6-pack of their Retro Red Ale yesterday and waiting until today to break a few out.  6-packs of various Ford Collins brews are all $9.99 at Bet-R if anyone is looking to try them!

This one pours an amber color, small head just like the O'Fallon Wheach above.  The smell is mostly malty... amber malts and a hint of caramel.  Makes sense since this is an American amber / red ale. The taste is more hoppy, with still a decent malt presence.  It's easy to drink, but overall this is a rather forgetable beer for me.  Up until now Fort Collins hadn't let me down, but this one is nothing special.  It's not bad, just... not really great either.

My rating: C+

BeerAdvocate: B

And that's the start to my 365 in 2011 goal... with many more to come.

Fruit Beer
Amber Ale

 

St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale

Alright, I'm starting to catch up on all these reviews from pre-Christmas... and once I catch up completely I'll have to break my diet every now and then to try some new beers!  I found a 6-pack of these (or maybe it was a 4-pack?) at the Bet-R store by the Perkins overpass.  There's a surprising beer selection there for such a small local store.

Next up is the St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale.  This one comes from McAuslan Brewing up in Quebec, Canada.  While a lot of Canadian beer is categorized as 'moose piss' I've found several really good beers from the French Canadian side of the country.  Unibroue is certainly the most popular, but they're not alone when it comes to great beer from north of the border.

Now on to the beer... you can see the pour, from an 11.2 oz. bottle in to an imperial pint glass.  The beer is a clear golden-orange color with a thin white head. Quick to dissipate, lots of bubbles, looks like a lot of carbonation.  Almost has more of a cider look to it than a beer, but I'm not all that prejudiced against ciders, so I'll reserve judgment for now.

The aroma is strong on the apricot, dominant even.  It's not bad, just nothing else there.  The taste is a little better balanced, but still dominated by the apricot flavors. There is a little malt up front, but it's quick to be overpowered by the fruit flavors.  Light body, lots of carbonation... it's not a bad fruit beer but it's nothing TOO special.  Solid and drinkable.  I'll definitely give McAuslan another try if I see their beers around town, but I don't think I'll go out of my way for more of this one.

Taste: B-

Value: C+

Fruit Beer