2011 Surly Brewing 'DARKNESS' Label

DARKNESS APPROACHES!

This might be the best label yet for the Surly Russian Imperial Stout series aptly named, 'Darkness'. Who needs brains when you have this? Looks like the 'zombie apocalypse' will be happening earlier than we thought on October 22nd, 2011. The walking dead....THEY THIRST. 

"Oct 22, 2011 1127 Hours
Journal of Omar Ansari... Day 1460

I can hear them outside again, pounding at the gate. This marauding army of undead can't be held at back much longer. Their thirst for Darkness is unrelenting, and my fuel and rations will be gone by nightfall. Only the robust flavors of this massive Russian Imperial Stout will appease them. I must give them what they want. I just hope we have enough. No! The gate has been breached. I hope that help s o o n......."

 

A Trappist Throwdown

 So what does this Beer Dad do on a random Thursday evening after the kids go to bed? Have a Belgian Quad throwdown! Why not? It seemed like the appropriate time to finally open up one of my 2008 vintage Trappist Westvletern 12 bottles that I've been longingly admiring in my beer cellar for over a year now. It's the only one of the three seen above that I have yet to try. Just like how the band Phish can break out a cover of the entire Pink Floyd "Dark Side of The Moon" album on a random Monday night in Utah, you never know when I might open something special. 

Okay, so I seem to do this on a daily basis but that is beside the point and you know what I mean. Lets move on...

       The aforementioned Belgian Quads brought together for this throwdown are what the majority of beer geeks would perceive as the trinity of the Trappist Ale. Two of the beers, which are readily available in most beer shops across the country, are the Rochefort 10 and St. Bernardus Abt 12. The Westvleteren 12, or also known as Westy 12, is only available in Belgium at the monastery where it is brewed and also at the cafe/visitor's center across the way from the abbey. These days, with the ever-growing beer trading community, auction sites, or with networking, this once elusive brew can be found with a bit of work.

It's a very unique and fascinating story about Westvleteren and one I highly recommend reading about if you so choose. Either Google it or you can just click here. You're welcome....

     Now, lets move on to the beers at hand and get this throwdown under way! Shall we?

The Rochefort and Westy both opened nicely with a slight hiss, but I immediately ran into problems with the St. Bernardus as this one began to gush on me. It would prove rather unfortunate.

In my previous experiences with this beer, I've never had one gush on me before so this was a surprise. Go figure.

I just had to pour some of the beer into a glass and wait for the carbonation to die down. Nothing to see here....move along.


So after a vigorous pour into each glass, here are the three beers poured and ready for consumption. Oooohhhhh aaaahhhhh.....

While the appearance and color of the three were fairly similar, the head on each were quite different. The Rochefort had a fluffy and airy quality to it. The Westy was slightly minimal compared to the Rochefort with smaller bubbles, and the St. Bernardus was still active and bubbling, but not as pleasant to the eye as the other two. Why any of this matters I haven't a clue, but the visual truly adds to the overall visceral experience of drinking a beer. At least for me it does....



TASTING NOTES:

St. Bernardus Abt 12 - 10% abv

Appearance is a rich, dark caramel color. 

Nose is almost an off-flavor and a liquid soap odor or detergent like smell is detected. 

Taste is a sweet and malty caramel richness with hints of figs, some dark fruitiness, spices, and a tinge of baked bread. Not much alcohol noticed and a good clean finish. 

Mouthfeel is tingly from the carbonation and a bit thin but seemed to have more body to it as the beer warmed. 

Overall a smooth drinker and one I need to revisit soon to see if perhaps it was just me or possibly a bad bottle. It didn't seem to be as good as I remember.

Trappist Westvleteren 12 - 10.2% abv

Appearance is a cloudy and murky light caramel color. 

Nose really didn't give off too much, surprisingly, and had a hint of a medicinal quality to it.

Taste was of bread, touch of caramel, some figs, and most noticeably a gingerbread spiced finish. The alcohol  heat is also prominent. 

Mouthfeel is syrupy and smooth and has a heft to it probably from the booziness I was picking up. A very good body to it and leaves a nice rich coating inside my mouth. 

Overall an excellent sipper that is very warming and well balanced. Smooth and rich with a nice spiced sweet finish.

Trappistes Rochefort 10 - 11.3% abv

Appearance is a dark, rich caramel color with an extra depth to its look.

Nose is a sweet boozy gingerbread with a hint of medicinal burn. 

Taste is a smooth, rich, and malty caramel quality. Nicely well balanced with a hint of sweet booziness to it. The finish is bold and far from lacking. The flavors just seem to get more complex as this beer warms up. Every sip just wants me want more.

Mouthfeel is superb. Full of rich maltiness and a tinge of alcohol heat really gives this one a very inviting feel and full of flavor. Luxurious comes to mind.

Overall the depth and integration of flavors in this one is divine. Extremely well done and the balance of everything stand out to me. Not too much of any one thing and goes down way too easy. 

The Verdict:

The similarities between these three are there, but each one is indeed distinct in its own right when you get down to it. Nothing bad can really be said about any of the above. They are all extremely quality brews and worthy of any so-called beer geek, but this is a throwdown so there has to be a winner. For me, the Rochefort 10 stood out and hands down is my favorite. This beer just had a depth and quality to it that really seemed to agree with me and put more of a smile on my face than the other two. 

Now, of course this tasting is all subjective and not everyone will agree with me so no reason to throw a tantrum just because the coveted Westy 12 didn't win out. Truth me told, I was expecting more and really didn't feel like it matched up to the hype. Maybe having one fresh would do it some justice. Either way it is still quite an experience to finally have the pleasure of drinking a Westy 12. This is what makes craft beer exciting to me. I love discussing why someone liked something in a particular brew that someone else might find not as enjoyable. I had a great time with this little experiment and hope you all feel the same reading this and enjoyed sharing in my experience. Have you done this before? Do you plan on doing this now? Beer Dad wants to know! 

Cheers! 

I like my sugar with coffee and cream!

On the rare occasion when I do drink coffee, it's always with extra sugar and a bit of cream. Otherwise, the coffee is too bitter for my taste. Its caffeinated properties have no effect on me. I'm not a big fan of coffee unless it's in my candy, ice cream, or beer. Go figure. And I like my coffee best at night. There is not much that is better to me than a nice stout brewed with coffee. They compliment each other like peanut butter and jelly. You almost can't have one without the other.

In a world of big stouts, the Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout is the gourmet choice. It's the epitome of perfect to my taste buds.

Combining an excellent imperial stout base beer, Night Stalker, it is then aged in bourbon barrels and to top it off, Intelligentsia Coffee Black Cat Espresso is added for further enrichment. It is truly magnificent.

Bottled and released for the first time in March of 2010, this beer matched the hype that surrounded it. Almost a year later and this beer is still highly sought after and buzzed about in the beer community. Even with the subsequent release of the Bourbon County Vanilla and then the Rare later in the year, the Coffee still stands second to none and continues to enjoy a loyal following.

At 13% abv, this beer is not for the faint of heart. Complex and robust from the aroma to the taste, the coffee just adds to the depth of flavors. There is nothing understated about this brew. Granted this beverage won't jack you up or help get your morning started, this beer will satisfy any late-night coffee craving while you imbibe without keeping you up all night. 

For those of you who initially missed out and looking to get your hands on this, I have great news. Originally thought to be a one-time bottling, the popularity of this variation from the regular BCS has prompted the fine folks to brew it again and add this release to the 2011 line-up. The difference from this year's release to the previous will be the use of Intelligentsia's Los Inmortales coffee bean. Sounds like a side by side comparison will be in order. Glad I love my coffee with bourbon and stouts!

Other recommended notable coffee beers:

• Southern Tier Jahva
• Alesmith Speedway Stout
• Cigar City Cubano-style Espresso
• Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel
• Terrapin Depth Charge
• Surly Coffee Bender
• Central Waters Brewhouse Coffee Stout
• Ballast Point Victory At Sea
• Pisgah Valdez
• Troegs Java Head Stout

I like my beer limited and rare!

Although there are even more limited and rare beer releases out there, I decided to focus on one particular favorite release of mine. In the midst of what is known as 'Hopslam-mania', I remember how this release used to be 3 years ago. Since that time it has only grown in stature and the hunt to be slammed by this hop nectar has reached a frenetic peak in 2011.

Call around and just mention the word 'Hop' and the person on the other end will finish the sentence for you. Yes, they are that bombarded with phone calls for it. For the most part, unless you are on a list or happen to wait around on delivery day, you're best chance to try this hoppy delight would be those lucky food and bar establishments to receive a Hopslam keg.

If you are asking yourself if this beer is worth the chase, my response would be a resounding, YES! Straight outta Kalamazoo, Bell's Brewery Hopslam Ale is their quintessential annual release. This instant classic of an American Imperial IPA  is brewed with honey along with six different hops and on top of that dry-hopped with Simcoe hops. These hop varietals, along with the honey to balance out the bitterness, give this beer that smooth citrus aroma and a taste that even bests the aroma. They all make for a divine combination that will have you craving for more and at 10% abv this beer will catch up with you in a hurry considering how easy it goes down! A perfect beer to pair with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Seriously. Highly drinkable and a fine replacement for banned substance addictions too.

 A new addition to this year's Hopslam release is the appearance of the 5 liter mini-keg. It is a more than welcomed addition to the mini-keg family as only their Two Hearted Ale, Best Brown Ale, and Oberon Ale have seen the inside of these prized vessels. An extremely limited amount of the Hopslam mini-kegs were produced and with a rumored run of approximately 7,600 available across the states that sell Bell's beers consider yourself lucky to possess one. Freshness is the key with any IPA and it doesn't get any better or fresh than a mini-keg! Now, who is ready to get Hopslammed?!!

To Infinium and Beyond!

Well another year has passed and what a year it was! I celebrated the birth of my son in March, the start of preschool for my daughter in the summer, the first significant white Christmas in North Carolina in over 40 years, and the exponential growth of my love of craft beer. While nothing can top the sweet rewards of my wonderful kiddos, Twenty-Ten brought my enthusiasm of beer to a whole new level and appreciation than ever before. I finally took the plunge into the world of "beer trading" and with friends bringing back beers from other regions, this hobby of mine has turned into a true passion. 

My love affair with craft brew really began even before the "Pop The Cap" movement here in NC, but since then has expanded every year in ways I could have never imagined. A flood of new beers emerged that normally would not have been available and what I knew as beer took on a whole new definition with the introduction of high-gravity brews. Beer wasn't beer anymore and slowly it became a craft brew to enjoy sip by sip, to pair with food dishes, and brought the start of a new revolution to change the status quo that beer can only be a cheap, fizzy yellow lager. I am proud to say, "I love craft beer AND I am a craft beer drinker"! Cheers to a new year and even more greatness in beer!

SAM ADAMS INFINIUM ALE

This new beer came from a collaboration effort between Sam Adams and Weihenstephan claiming "1,000 years of brewing expertise" to bring to life this much ballyhooed beverage. In the works for two years, this special brew was to be considered a ground-breaking new style all the while maintain the Reinheitsgebot, which is a German purity law that pertains to what can be called a beer. 

A beautifully designed corked and caged bottle provides the vessel for this avant-garde brew. The removal of the cork gives way to a champagne-like pop with a little fizz of chilled smoke. Champagne flutes are the appropriate choice of glassware here. The pour is vibrant and well-carbonated dissipating to a light and buttery appearance with an effervescent head. This bubbly brew gives off aromas of sweet bread and fruity yeast notes. Ahhh, smells like a new year indeed! The taste is light and crisp and definitely bubbly here. My notions of this being a biere de champagne style in the likes of DeuS and Malheur are confirmed. As I continue, the sweetness of the drink, reminiscent of a moscato, really surprises me and makes it over-powering at times and the booze factor starts to become noticeable, but at 10.3% abv this is no real surprise there. I sense undertones of some maltiness and a citrusy hop profile. The finish is definitely a sweet boozy concoction without much dryness. Overall, I applaud both breweries for their efforts, but feel it falls short of anything revolutionary. It is a beer I did enjoy, but not one that I would revisit any time soon. I would say this beer is worthy of sharing with a few people and to celebrate a special occasion, but that is all I can recommend on this one. Gun Bae!