Day 59: 02.28.10 Terrapin Hopsecutioner

Terrapin Brewing Co.

Athens, Georgia


Hopsecutioner


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 7.2%
IBUs: 78
Malt: 2 Row Pale Malt,Munich, Pale Crystal 24L, Victory
Hops: Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade (dry hop)


Bottle text & Info:
"Here ye, here ye…All hopheads shall herewith rejoice! Terrapin has recruited ye old HOPSECUTIONER to execute the exact hop profile for this killer IPA!"


Tasting Notes: 
Pour clear golden, amber orange with quarter inch white head that quickly recedes and leaves some big sticky rings around the glass. Aroma is slightly muted but still some good citrus in the nose with a heavy backing of caramel notes. Smooth mouthfeel encapsulates a good amount of pine up front followed by some sweet malts and citrus (primarily grapefruit). Give Terrapin some props for resisting the urge to do a training wheels IPA. This isn't anything that blows my skirt up, but it's better than Dogfish 60 minute, and people seem to like that alright. Another welcome addition to some solid East Coast IPA's.

Day 58: 02.27.10 New Glarus Spotted Cow

New Glarus Brewing Co.

New Glarus, Wisconsin


Spotted Cow


Style: Cream Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 4.8%


Bottle text & Info:
Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn. Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise. Expect this ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you're in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow.

Tasting Notes:

Pours a hazy straw color with a quarter inch head that quickly recedes. Tiny rising bubbles with small flecks of yeasts swirling about. Smells unspectacular at best. Some corn and grain, nothing much of note, inoffensive. Slick mouthfeel with some bread, wheat, lemon and sweetness persisting throughout. Just a sort of general sweetness pervades and there's nothing really here that jumps out on the palate. Sort of like talking to someone through a bathroom wall, this one's a bit muted across the board. That being said the importance of this beer can't be underscored. One of the cornerstone beers of one the midwest's most beloved brewery, Spotted Cow is widely available on tap and holds its place as sort of a gateway beer for those looking to get off carousel of usual macro beers available at the neighborhood dive.

Day 57: 02.26.10 Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Dexter, Michigan


Oro de Calabaza


Style: Biere de Garde
Availability: Year Round
Format: 750ml
ABV: 8.0%
Batch: 326


Bottle text & Info:
Aged in large oak casks and refermented in the bottle, Oro de Calabaza is brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of strong golden ales.  Spicy and peppery with a gentle hop bouquet and the beguiling influence of wild yeast.


Tasting Notes:
Not a very common style done here. Here's a quick refresher on the style guidelines: "The Biere de Garde is golden to deep copper or light brown in color. They are moderate to medium in body. This style of beer is characterized by a toasted malt aroma, slight malt sweetness in flavor, and medium hop bitterness. Noble-type hop aromas and flavors should be low to medium. Fruity esters can be light to medium in intensity. Flavor of alcohol is evident. Earthy, cellar-like, musty aromas and flavors are okay. Diacetyl should not be perceived but chill haze is okay. Often bottle conditioned with some yeast character."


Pours a beautiful hazy deep golden color with a huge white top that retains for days. Smells of all the usual belgian yeast/estery notes. Some sugar, pears, lemon sherbet-like sweetness, vinegar and definite oak notes. Velvety smooth, mouthfeel with aggressive phenols and heavy souring. Surprisingly low acidity considering the amount of sour vinegar on the nose. Superb finesse, lots of subtleties layered over an dry oak backbone. A beautifully dangerous 8%. Not an aggressive power-driver of alcohol and yeast like so many strong goldens, but a soft, velvety, spice driven ale. I just found out that Jolly Pumpkin opened a secondary brewery in my hometown (Traverse City). Looks like it's time to take a trip back north...


thanks to xpdtn Grant for this link. And congrats to Jolly Pumpkin on winning the NY Times blind tasting.


Times Belgian tasting

Day 56: 02.25.10 The Bruery Saison de Lente

The Bruery

Placentia, California


Saison de Lente


Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Availability: Limited - Seasonal - March - May
Format: 750ml
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: 35


Bottle text & Info:
Our Spring Saison is light blonde in color with a fresh hoppiness and a wild and rustic Brettanomyces character. Lighter in color and alcohol than our Saison Rue, yet equally complex in its own way. Perfect for warmer weather and Spring celebrations.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a vivid goldenrod with a huge, creamy, pure white top that settles quickly leaving craggy chunks of lacing behind. Smells expressly of yeast - soap and funky barnyard bretts with some very, very subtle lemon and apple notes. Creamy mouthfeel with balance all over the board here. The esther and phenols are on the forefront with tart pear, green apple, sour lemon intermingling with clove and cardamom notes. Finishes with a lovely, leafy hop grit that brings you back for more. This was not in our ordering system and i got sufficiently crawled for ordering it (wrist slap*). F. it. well worth it. By far the most authentic replication I've had from the Bruery and my favorite so far. 

Day 55: 02.24.10 The Bruery Saison Rue

The Bruery



Placentia, California


Saison Rue


Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 750ml
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 30


Bottle text & Info:
Saison Rue is an unfiltered, bottle conditioned, Belgian/French-style farmhouse ale. This is a beer of subtlety and complexity, with malted rye, spicy, fruity yeast notes, biscuit-like malt backbone, and a slight citrus hop character. With age, this beer will dry out and will become more complex with rustic notes of leather and earth from the contribution of a wild yeast strain. Being a Saison, Saison Rue is ambiguous unto itself as it is a different beer when fresh and when aged. We hope you enjoy it in all of its incarnations.


Tasting Notes:
Poured slightly under room temperature to get the most active flavor profiles of the rye and bretts. Pours a deep apricot color with a quarter inch pure white head that persists, leaving thick white sheets stuck to the glass with each subsequent sip. Very aromatic with a noticeable soap-like nose thanks to the wild yeast. Some pale, bready aromas with notes of white grape, pear and residual earthy, hop spice. A surprising pepper note coupling with pear and apple notes. A swirl two thirds through the bottle unveils a good amount of undisturbed yeast. This guy contains a lot of wine like qualities with enhanced drinkability thanks in large part to the incredibly high, fizzy carbonation. Highly acidic with subdued bitterness, Saison Rue continues to carry the Bruery banner of creating traditional belgian style ales with very unconditional twists. A lot of connoisseurs will find no reason not to grab the ole trusty Saison Dupont. But those who stray off the beaten path will be rewarded.

Day 54: 02.23.10 Bear Republic Racer 5

Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Healdsburg, California


Racer 5 IPA


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 22oz, 12oz -6pk
ABV: 7.0%
IBU's: 75+


Bottle text & Info:
This hoppy American IPA is a full bodied beer brewed American pale and crystalmalts, and heavily hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial.
There's a trophy in every glass.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a bright clear golden with minimal head and "racing" (get it...) ribbons of carbonation. Not an overwhelming nose, sort of a predictably hop driven citrus nose. Body is slippery and light continued by a continual bombing of hops. Some pine but mostly Chinook-like grapefruit, melon and lemon followed by honeydew and some whole comb honey-like sweetness. Thanks to a light body and ample carbonation this is a killer, sessionable IPA at a ridiculously reasonable price ($4.50 a bomber).

Day 53: 02.22.10 Smuttynose Hanami

Smuttynose Brewing Co.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire


Hanami Ale


Style: Fruit/Vegetable
Availability: Seasonal - March - April
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 4.8%
Malts: Pilsner, Carahell, Aromatics & Carafa
Hops: Styrian Golding, Sterling Color/Number: Rosy-hued Amber 


Bottle text & Info:

Smuttynose Hanami Ale, our spring seasonal, is inspired by the ancient Japanese tradition of hanami- cherry blossom viewing - when people throughout Japan gather in parks to contemplate the luminous, ethereal sakura blossoms, while consuming copious amounts of food and beer in a joyous, nationwide picnic.

Made with a generous amount of natural cherry juice, Hanami Ale is crisp and refreshing, a well-balanced, medium-bodied ale offering subtle, tart cherry flavors - the perfect way to bid farewell to winter’s icy grip and toast the arrival of spring with your own hanami celebration.

Tasting Notes: 

Pours a light foggy copper with a creamy looking off white head (tinges of pink here?) hmm. Smells of grains and cherry concentrate. This is my worried face. Ok. Light yet creamy mouthfeel with building cherry tartness. Subtle on the front then building for ages 'til your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. This is an interesting decision from the folks over at Smuttynose. I think this ale is an idea that could be more successful if executed differently. To succeed as a lower ABV ale, the cherries need to be severely scaled back. Slight tartness with subtle cherry could turn this into a nice little ale with fruit additions and succeed similar to Magic Hat #9. The second modification would be doing something similar to a flemish sour/lambic where you use big alcohol to cut the tartness and some bretts to hold the thing together with complexity. Love the Smuttynose releases, just a bit of a head scratcher, this one.

Day 52: 02.21.10 Aventinus Weizen Eisbock

Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH

Kelheim, Germany

Weizen Eisbock

Style: Eisbock

Availability: Limited - Year Round

Format: 330ml

ABV: 12.0%

Batch: 2009/12446

Bottle text & Info:

Stronger than strong. Powerful aromas and an intense flavor.

The ideal digestive after a great dish.

Up until the 1940's, Aventinus was shipped all over Bavaria in containers lacking temperature control. Consequently, the precious drink partially froze during transportation. Unaware that theb rew was concentrated by the separation of water from the liquid, people were baffled by this stronger version of Aventinus. By chance, the first Aventinus Eisbock was created. 
Well aware of this story, Hans Peter Drexler, brewmaster at the Schneider Brewery, decided to recreate this classic "mistake" in a modern controlled facility. Thus, the Aventinus Eisbock is reborn sixty years later. Now it's brewed in limited qualities throughout the year.

Tasting Notes: 

So here goes, my first Eisbock, ever. Pours burgundy with a half inch tan head that quickly recedes to a thin line around the glass. Banana, clove, plum and solvent like alcohol on the nose. Thick and sweet mouthfeel- damn near chewy. I recommend you swirl this ale vigorously. Tons of yeast along the bottom of the bottle, so much that it even clumps at the bottom of the pint glass after the pour. Swirl it! Don't forget your Vitamin B. I digress, clove and spice up front with medium to high carbonation increasing drinkability. Estery notes intermingling through the finish. A straight forward malt dominated ale that is pretty smooth for such incredibly elevated ABV. A pretty cool piece of German brewing history and a staple of beer geeks who cellar. An excellent sipper that  improves with age up to ten or so years.

Day 51. 02.20.10 Van Twee (De Proef/Bell's Collaboration)

De Proef Brouwerij (bvba Andelot)
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish


De Proef Brewmasters Collaboration Series.
Van Twee: A collaboration featuring John Mallet of Bell's Brewing Inc. (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and Dirk Naudts of De Proef Brouwerij


Style: Dark Belgian Ale
Availability: Limited - One Time Brew
Format: 750ml
ABV: 7.5%


Bottle text & Info

Tasting Notes: 
"Van Twee" is Flemish for "from two." just puttin' it out there. Pretty awesome collaboration here. Let's have a taste. Pours incredibly dark, nearly black with a billowing tan head. Shows good retention with big sticky lacing. Big earthy nose, with some oak and vinegar making way for dominant dark cherry. Growing up in the frozen tundra of Michigan and the cherry capital of the world - the smell is sweet sweet nostalgia. Mouthfeel is medium to full body with some interesting porter and flemish notes. Pretty accurate when the press-release described this as a mash up of porter and dubbel styles. Starts out with some tart cherry juice coupling with subtle bretts and vinegar followed by more cherry interlaced with some roasted barley/chocolate notes - finishing dry. An incredible pulling together of styles that is masterfully done. Key trademarks of Flemish sours, Belgian Dubbels and American Porters are all pulled together by tart dark cherry. A really awesome sipper and a true one-of-a-kind experience.

Day 50: 02.19.10 Founder's Nemesis

Founder's Brewing Co.

Grand Rapids, Michigan


Nemesis: (2009) - Maple bourbon barrel aged wheat wine.




Style: Wheatwine
Availability: Limited - One Time Brew
Format: 12oz - 4pk
ABV: 12.0%
Batch: bottled Feb. 03, 2010


Bottle text & Info:
What you have here is a rarity. A special, one-of-a-kind ale that is only made once a year. Sometimes that’s all. Forever. No more. Nada. Limited-time only. You never know what you’re gonna get. But you can be sure that it’ll be damn tasty.


Tasting Notes: 
Pretty cool concept here. Mystery ale, varies every year in alcohol and style. this year is a maple bourbon aged wheat wine. I f'n love founders. I'm pretty excited about this. Pours dark orange to light red with little to no head. only lace around the side. Rising carbonation - bubbles racing to the top at various speeds throughout the ale. Amazingly aromatic. I could wear this beer. I really just wanna pour this all over my shirt and sleep with my clothes on. Expressly bourbon on the front followed by some sweet candied pear ending with whole stick cinnamon. Sweet American bourbon on the front of this guy. So amazingly drinkable! 12%!?!?!?! really!? Medium to light body with some carmel and fig like notes. I absolutely heart this. It's not too figgy, it's not too sweet, it's got some spice, prickly carbonation and is so incredibly smooth. What's frightening is that this is gonna improve with age. Looks like I know where my birthday cash is going. This is the best beer i've had this year. Another incredible, incredible release from Founders. At 20$ a four pack, this is worth every penny. and i'm a cheap ass.


I would like to take a minute and say happy 50 days to the beer blog!


On a sadder note, i'd like to have a moment of silence and request you give a toast of your favorite beer for backstock Matt's and fam's beloved dog Harley, who's left us. Rest in peace 'ole girl. You are loved and will be forever missed! This one's for you...

Day 49: 02.18.10 Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock

Bell's Brewery Inc.

Kalamazoo, Michigan


Consecrator Doppelbock


Style: Doppelbock
Availability: Seasonal -Fat tuesday release - Feb 24th to Nov.
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 8.0%
Batch: #9433 - Packaged on Feb. 2, 2010


Bottle text & Info:
A traditional dopplebock fermented with a Bohemian lager yeast. Reddish brown in color, with a mild hop profile, Consecrator is a well balanced, full bodied beer with hints of caramel and molasses in its smooth, malty finish.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a vivid dark red with minimal off white lacing.  Some grains and bready malts in the nose and a hint of something sweet. Drinks silky with a medium body and tart finish. The knock on this beer is that it lacks complexity. I'll have to politely disagree. Perhaps a touch too sweet for the style, this one has a lot going on. Sure, Munich malts dominate but there are also some nice notes protruding, most noticeably a dark tart cherry note coupled with peppery alcohol and some lavender and anise-like flavors. Overall, far from extraordinary but also far from ordinary. We do set the bar awfully high for Bell's, don't we?

Day 48: 02.17.10 Left Hand Fade to Black

Left Hand Brewing Co.

Longmont, Colorado


Fade to Black: Volume 1 - Foreign Export Stout


Style: Foreign/Export Stout
Availability: Limited - Brewed Once
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 30
Malt: Pale 2-row, Roasted Barley, Black Malt, Chocolate Malt, Cara-Aroma, Wheat Malt 
Hops: Magnum, U.S. Goldings


Bottle text & Info:
"Pours black with espresso beans, licorice, molasses, and black cardamom notes that give way to a feeling of self loathing, burnt opportunities and self-loathing." 


Tasting Notes:
Pours dark, dark brown to black with a milk chocolate colored head, two fingers deep. Smells of significant roasted barley and chocolate malt. Starts with some roasted coffee tones followed by milk chocolate that gives way to bitter dark chocolate notes that wrap up nice and spicy dry. A solid medium bodied stout that has some really nice malt notes. What really makes this stout worth seeking out its excellent finish, thanks to left hand's generous hop additions. this reads: "volume 1." So i'm assuming this may be an annual release. Volume 2. Russian Imperial perhaps? please? yeah?....

Day 47: 02.16.10 Stone Cali-Belgie

Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, California


Cali-Belgie


Style: Belgian India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - Year Round
Format: 22oz
ABV: 6.9%
IBU's: 77
Hops: Columbus, Centennial, Dry hopped with Chinook.


Bottle text & Info:

Tasting Notes:

Alright so half of these have the French speaking "Belgique" label and the other half has the Dutch "Belgie." Looks like we've got the Dutch which I've never actually seen. Only seen the French the last couple years. O.K., so this is supposed to be the exact same recipe as the Stone IPA, just with a belgian yeast strand. Let's check it out.

Pours a brightly clear glowing golden orange with a slow rising legion of extremely large bubbles leading into a quarter inch white head. This actually appears slightly darker than their original IPA. There is some faint citrus on the nose but it is mostly dominated by that of the yeast which is somewhat saison-like. Not gonna lie. I'm pretty excited about this. Anddddd....Yup. Delicious. I'm so glad they didn't pull back too much on the hops. An exotic and thrilling collision of flavors - high alphas v. belgian yeast. This is such a well put together beer. Sophisticated and restrained, this ale is delicate and complex. Some excellent orange citrus cut by candy-like sweetness, held together by some nice pale malts. I love that Stone kept the body on this light and crisp. A deftly handled special release. I hope that some of the great brewers in Belgian get to try this! It's a prime example of heights American brewers are now achieving and a fitting tribute to Belgian yeast.

Day 46: 02.15.10 Bell's Special Double Cream

Bell's Brewing Inc.
Kalamazoo, Michigan


Bell's Special Double Cream


Style: Milk Stout
Availability: Limited - Seasonal - November - March
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 6.1%
Batch: #9513 (packaged on Dec. 18th 2009)


Bottle text & Info:
Brewed with a blend of 10 different malts, Double Cream is an incredibly rich stout composed of dark, sweet and smooth tones intermingled with a soft, roasty finish.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a deep brown with a dark tan head that quickly settles to a quarter inch. Smells faintly of sweet malts. with a touch of lactose. Sorta like sweet cream. Mouthfeel is silky smooth but a bit thin. Sweet malt notes coupled with vanilla open and transition into a subtle roasted coffee note. Always good to see a solid entry into the Milk Stout category for those looking for something besides the run of the mill Guinness. I'd like to see just a little more body on this. Solid, but not the exceptional experience you expect from Bell's.

Day 45: 02.14.10 Bison Organic Imperial Brown

Bison Brewing Co.

Berkeley, California


Organic Imperial Brown Ale


Style: American Brown Ale
Availability: Seasonal - January - April
Format: 12oz - 4pk
ABV: 7.0%


Bottle text & Info:
Back by popular demand, we first brewed this luscious brown ale in 2007 as a collaborative "Reunion" brew. Enjoy the malt complexity and soft palate!


Tasting Notes: 
Pours a dense brown that shows the dark ruby red when backlit. A half inch antique white head that bubbles and shows awesome retention showcases some crazy looking crater and wave-like patterns on top. A+ for head retention, this one sticks around with plenty of sticky lacing. Smells faintly of coffee, milk chocolate and hazelnuts. Pretty light mouthfeel for this style and - WHOA - a lot of hops here. There are definitely some nutty flavors that remind you that this is a Brown ale; however there's just hops everywhere on this thing. That coupled with the light body and more moderate than high alcohol really make this more of an India Brown than anything else. I don't really see the need for Organics in beer. Unless your adjunct brewing there should be no issue, that being said Bison make some of the better organics out there. Not a bad beer, I just disagree with categorizing this as an Imperial Brown. I would want more malt notes, bigger mouthfeel and higher alcohol.