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!