Entry 86: Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

Stone Brewing Co.

Escondido, California


Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale


Style: American Strong Ale
Availability: "When [they] can brew it"
Format: 22oz
ABV: 8.7%
IBUs: 90
Hops: (Bittering) Chinook, (Dry Hop) Simcoe & Amarillo


Bottle text & Info:

You can check out all the fine print here.
The long and short of it is. This was originally released in 2007 as the 11th anniversary ale. They liked it so much they released it in 2009 as the newly named "sublimely self-righteous ale." If you didn't read the link to the label. I just saved you an assload of time. you're welcome.


Tasting Notes
Pours a deep brown showing ruby on the edges. Huge, fluffy cumulous head that settles and clings sufficiently to the glass. Whoa, huge wafts of high alpha hops on the nose and not a whole lot else. A medium to heavy body on this with some dark belgian fruits on the front of with some booze and molasses before the hops take over. Citrus all over the back end finishing with some heavy bittering. There's a lot going on here but its easy to see how people will immediately classify this as a black IPA. Hard to argue with this. It got some complexity. Its high ABV. And its got hops galore. Unfortunately, this still suffers from the typical obnoxious marketing that is the head of the monster known as Stone Brewing.

Day 85: 03.26.10 Great Divide Colette

Great Divide Brewing Co.
Denver, Colorado

Colette Farmhouse Ale

Style: Saison/Farmhouse
Availability: Seasonal - April - May
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 7.3%

Bottle text & Info
Colette is our homage to the beers that Belgian farm workers have enjoyed for centuries. Brewed with barley, wheat and rice and fermented at high temperatures with a special blend of four different yeast strains, Colette is fruity and slightly tart, with a dry finish that makes it that rarest of treats - a beer as refreshing as it is complex.

Tasting Notes:
Pours a hazy, golden straw colored yellow with little to no head. Some esters notes on the nose along with grass and a touch of lemon. A sort off setting smell that resembles sulfur dominates - its a bit distracting. A light to medium body holds light touches of wheat, citrus and mild clove. Some slight souring but for the most part this is one if sort of predictable. Not a bad saison, just sort of forgettable. I expect greatness from Great Divide and this is just sort of "meh."

Day 84: 03.25.10 Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken's Ale

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, California


30th Anniversary: Fritz & Ken's Ale


Style: American Double/Imperial Stout
Availability: Limited - Brewed Once
Format: 750ml
ABV: 9.2%


Bottle text & Info:
for full details visit here!                


Tasting Notes:
Pours brown to black as expected with a nice two inch head that recedes slowly. Slight bitter chocolate with cocoa finishing with dry coffee notes. Medium to heavy mouthfeel with some cream, smoke, and lingering burnt coffee notes. Only knock on this is that the flavors occasionally come across muted and the mouthfeel light. I liked the toasty, dry finish however, and at under $10 a bomber. it's well worth grabbing a couple (one for now, one for the cellar.) High fives to Sierra for the top notch packaging. Happy Birthday Sierra!

Day 83: 03.24.10 Avery Collaboration Not Litigation

Avery Brewing Co.

Boulder, Colorado


Collaboration Not Litigation (Batch #4)


Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Availability: Limited
Format: 22oz
ABV: 8.91%
Batch: #4


Bottle text & Info:
"Salvation. The name of two intricate Belgian-style ales, created by us, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. After becoming friends a few years ago, we realized we both had a Salvation in our lineups. Was it going to be a problem? Should one of us relinquish the name rights? “Hell, no!” we said. In fact, it was quickly decided that we should blend the brews to catch the best qualities of each and create an even more complex and rich libation. In April 2004, in a top secret meeting at Russian River Brewing (well, actually it was packed in the pub and many were looking over our shoulders wondering what the hell was going on), we came up with the perfect blend of the two Salvation's. Natalie, Vinnie’s much more significant other, exclaimed, “We should call this Collaboration, not Litigation Ale!” “Perfect,” we shouted! We celebrated deep into the night (or is that morning?). Fast forward to November 14, 2006. After talking about it for over two years, we finally decided to pull the trigger and Vinnie made the journey to Avery Brewing to brew his Salvation exactly as he does in his brewery."


Tasting Notes: 
This is as close to Russian River as we're gonna get here on the east coast so there's plenty to be excited about here. Let's get to it. Pours a rusty, copper color with a two inch off white head that slowly recedes and clings to the sides. Smells lightly of belgian yeast and esters with some familiar dark fruits as well. A smooth, creamy light to medium mouthfeel with spot on medium to low level carbonation. Great velvety mouthfeel encapsulating lots of layers here. This is really well blended. How did they do this? You can actually taste the two ales separately yet blended as well. An existential experience to say the least! Plenty of fruits with some tartness. Think tripel with a touch of the dark fruits you expect in a quad. Some drying tartness on the finish with little to no perceived alcohol. An awesome, awesome brew that should lay nicely if you keen on cellaring. Well done boys. Now if we could just get Russian River to the east coast... i'd die happy.

Day 82: 03.23.10 Mikkeller Centennial Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller


brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium




Centennial Single Hop India Pale Ale




Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
n/a. the latest in the single hop line.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a burnt orange with an inch and a half off white head that show tremendous retention. Rocky, craggy foam on top with massive amounts of clinging. Smells expressly of grapefruit. In no way as sweet as Founder's Centennial, this one is straight up grapefruit on medium body. Some touches of orange citrus here and there but pretty much puckering grapefruit powering through. A bit one dimensional, but excusable being a single hop. Pretty refreshing and a great look at the powerful hop strain deriving from the  Cascade hop.

Day 81: 03.22.10 Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Cascade Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
"The third in the series of single hop IPA's from Mikkeller. Brewed with Cascade, a true american classic hop type. This hop is less powerfull than the ones used in the previous two single hop IPA's - creating a great balance with the beers other aspects."


Tasting Notes:
Pours burnt orange with a half inch head that rapidly recedes. Smells of sweet malts and subtle wildflowers, slight pine in the end. Medium bodied creamy mouthfeel that boast slight toffee finishing with some restrained pine and grapefruit. Some interesting wood and vanilla notes here in the mix although this has never touched a barrel/cask. A pretty good amount of depth here although this is much more restrained then any of the other single hop offerings from Mikkeller. A fitting tribute and nice look at the hop that is so closely linked the monster that is Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Day 80: 03.21.10 Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef BrouwerijMunicipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Nelson Sauvin Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & info:
Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA is made with the New Zealand hops, Nelson Sauvin. This single hop IPA has a refreshing wine-like flavour.


Tasting Notes:
Here we go with the second in the series of single hop tastings. This one is a little known New Zealand hop sometimes blended in some west coast IPA's but rarely tasted in singularity. In the glass we go. Pours a deep orange with a huge two inch head that slowly recedes creating cavernous lacing with heavy clinging. Looks fantastic, smells even better. Huge wafts of tropical citrus blowing out the top. Honeydew, Cantelope, and some passionfruit with just a scraping of sweet malts lingering on the back. Medium to light mouthfeel with hugh tropical melon and grapefruit smack up front mellowed by some minerality encasing chalk and granite notes. Some floral and pepper notes in the mix here as well. A beautifully complex brew for a single hop. This is an incredibly intriguing hop experience considering Nelson Sauvin is relatively unfamiliar to the american market outside of Alpine Brewing's Nelson IPA. A strong showing here from the kiwi hops. Pair with anything that calls for Sauvignon Blanc, this is a quintessential white wine replacement pairing.

Day 79: 03.20.10 Mikkeller Chinook Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Chinook Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
The newest in a line of sporadically released single hop IPA's from the most famous homebrewers in Europe.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a hazy burnt apricot color with a two finger off white head that retains quite well. Smells of tart citrus and earth. Medium mouthfeel explodes forward with some toasty malt, some orange notes, pine and a good dose of white pepper prickling on the finish. I heard someone mention that this reminded them of an old school west coast IPA. I think that description is pretty appropriate and about sums this one up. A pretty clear look at one of the US's most prominent high alpha acid hops.

Day 78: 03.19.10 Dogfish Head Aprihop

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Inc.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware


Aprihop


Style: Fruit
Availability: Seasonal
Format: 12oz - 4pk
ABV: 7%
IBUs: 30


Bottle text & Info:

Aprihop is our fruit beer for hopheads! It is an American IPA brewed with Pilsner and Cystal malts massively hopped in in the continuous fashion. The flavor is complimented by the addition of Apricots. After fermentation the beer is dry hopped with irresponsible amounts of Amarillo hops. The beer is hoppy in the aroma with the apricots playing a supporting complimentary role. The flavor is rich with late hop flavors and it's bitterness is tempered by just the right amount of malt sweetness and fruity undertones from the apricots. This is one of our most popular seasonal beers and we've been brewing it each spring for quite a while now. We release the beer each March and you should find it on the shelves through May. For a video clip on everything you need to know for this year's edition. go .... here!

Tasting notes:

Pours sort of a tawny, light amber color with a half inch cream colored head that quickly recedes. A slight whiff of high alpha hops with dominant fresh apricot on the nose. Quite amazing how this smells, like someone is standing next you halving apricots. Light, but creamy mouthfeel with apricot/mango on the front held together by some light, sweet caramel malt, finishing with some nice spruce/pine notes. Thank god, they've returned this beer to its former glory. Dogfish made a concerted effort to bring the hops back this year after last years last then stellar version. Gone is the spritzy, apricot syrup that was last year - and in with a superb ale with great hop additions and masterfully balanced. Over the years, this one's a bit inconsistent. This year is a good year to pick it up. Smuttynose should pay close attention, maybe rethink that Hanami mess they have going on.

Day 77: 03.18.10 Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Inc.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware


Burton Baton


Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited
Format: 12oz - 4pk
ABV: 10.0%
IBUs: 70


Bottle text & Info:

This is a blended beer that we've been brewing for the past several years and it's recently been gaining in popularity. For Burton Baton we first brew two 'threads' or batches of beer: an English-style Old Ale and an Imperial IPA. After fementating the separate beers in our stainless tanks, the two are transferred and blended together in one of our large oak tanks. Burton Baton sits on the wood for about a month. When enjoying the Burton Baton, you'll find an awesome blend of the citrus notes from Northwestern hops melding with woody, vanilla notes from the oak. The wood also tends to mellow the 10% of the beer - so tread cautiously! Burton Baton is brewed and released three times per year. For all the info you could want on this guy, plus a video click....here!

Tasting Notes:
Pour a bright, clear ruby with a quarter inch, pure white showing some soft bubbles within some silky suds. Barleywine-like prunes on the nose with some booze, pine and the softest touch of oak.  Nice, medium body, a bit sticky but that's 90 minute for you. In fact the flavor profile is primarily 90 minute: pink grapefruit, a touch of pine, bready malt showing through and then some oak showing through on the finish. Not a whole lot of vanilla-like notes that you'd expect from something oaked, but more of a dry, woody note. The oaks greatest asset to this ale is that it totally mellows the ABV. This is one sneaky 10%. This is one of my favorite Dogfish releases and I always feel fortunate when I can get my hands on some. I've had better batches (hops seemed a bit mellow in this one), but still a top notch ale.