Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Sixpoint Mad Scientist Series #1 Spelt Wine



Labeled a “spelt wine”, this is the first in an upcoming series of unique, limited-release beers brewed by Sixpoint (the “Mad Scientist Series”).

One-finger head, very white and somewhat restless like a champagne/bubbly, or the spray of the waves on the beach at Assateague Island. Color is a very hazy pale orange, like the golden fields of wheat that Vincent painted near St Remy.

Yeast, cooked juices. Lemony citrus. Herbal candles, shampoo. Lemongrass and a tad of booze.

Grassy bitterness upfront. A bit like a Belgian IPA. Hoppy-yeasty-champagne-y. Dry all around. It’s got a cider feel to it, like a carbonated light wine.

Intense carbonation, but not too high or overwhelming- just right. Dry and bitter finish. Medium body.

A little filling. Definitely a sipper for that reason more than the alcohol, which at 9.4% is well played and not too evident.

They claim this beer is unique. Sure enough, I have never heard of a “smelt wine”, but this tastes like a regular wheatwine.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project St. Botolph’s Town Rustic Dark Ale




Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a Blanche de Chambly Flut glass(only clean beer glass :-\). Labeled as bottled on /may 2010 Batch Six.
A heads up, Pretty Things has to be one of my top 5 favorite breweries in the United States, if not the world.
Dark ruby brown, nearly opaque, with an impressive 1 1/2” light brown, thick, foamy head. Leaves thick lacing. Settles down to 1/2” with awesome head retention.
Smells are a little subdued, but I smell some maple/brown sugar, caramel, some kind of nuttiness, a little spice- anise or nutmeg maybe.
Rich tastes of brown sugar, roasted malt, some breadiness, light smoke, a hint of caramel and cocoa, some oak, and an interesting earthy and nutty finish with a nice bitterness. Malt forward but nicely balanced with some slightly spicy hops. A little sweetness comes out as it warms up.
Nice texture, medium bodied, ends light and clean.
For its complexity, its still smooth and engaging, easy to drink the bottle by myself.
This is a pretty awesome beer. Has some stout-like qualities mixed in with the great brown ale qualities (the bottle calls it a “rustic dark ale”, which seems fitting). Complex and unique. I look forward to having it again.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Unibroue Éphémère (Apple)


Pours a hazy golden yellow with a very fizzy head that dissipates to nothing. There is a ton of carbonation to be noted streaming up the sides of the glass. Lots of little colonies of bubbles around the rim of the glass.

As soon as I uncapped the bottle, green apples were very strong and sweet smelling. after smelling it more, the yeast comes through, too.

Tastes very fruity, the sour apple is definitely there, and the coriander catches up in the back end. very dry, a bit tangy.
The burps certainly taste of apple.

The feel of this beer in the mouth is extremely dry and crisp, almost so much so that it almost feels like there is nothing in the mouth until my tongue is bitten by the high carbonation.

Highly drinkable due to the nice taste, and the light bodied crispness, not to mention the modest abv of 5.5%

Monday, January 17, 2011

Tea Beer???


We have coffee stouts so why not tea Weizen Doppelbock? Left Hand Brewing Company is going to be releasing TNT a Weizen Dopplebock this Febuary as part of a bi-annual seasonal. Left Hand will be using Lapsang Souchong tea, which is known for its smoky character.
I’m really interested to see how this beer comes out. I really loved Dogfish Head’s Sha-Tea which is brewed with chai tea. 

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Fall Summit By Peaks Organic


This clear deep copper brew gives an inch of frothy light tan head that gradually settles from 1/2” to a thin layer. A fair amount of carbonation clings to the sides of the glass. Smell is very faint, just a hint of toasted malt, caramel, maybe earthy citrus hop. The taste leads with a sharp bitter grass hop that’s soon attenuated by a moderately thick caramel malt body. Finishes dry and crisp with lingering lemongrass hop and faint brown sugar.

Not as impressive as nearly every other brew I’ve had from Peak Organic.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Blithering Idiot by Weyerbacher


As for the taste well, there is definitely a lot of sweet, thick and syrupy caramel malts with a bit of a wheaty and wet graininess that adds a touch of earthiness to it; the onslaught of the overripe and dark fruits in the nose are actually fairly subdued and play more of a supporting role, but also manage to come out a bit in the aftertaste along with a firm presence of alcohol; a slight tinge of astringent and woody bitterness — I would almost think that this beer spent some time in an oak barrel (is this the case?); an acidic and apple-like presence starts to come out as it continues to warm. Gave me the chills.

Body is heavy, thick, syrupy and the carbonation is really a non-factor (I wish it had a bit more to it to liven up this thick and slick body); a thick and sticky coating is left all over the mouth; gums and belly are left warm and tingly from the 11% ABV.

It’s not bad, and I certainly wouldn’t turn one down, but it’s not likely something I’ll seek out again in the near future. And I’m not sure if I can finish the entire bottle. The smell and flavors are solid enough, but the body hurts it, and the high ABV prevents more than one being put down in a night. Worth trying, not sure if I would actually pick this up to age as the body isn’t likely to improve.
Sadly this ended up a drain pour, just to thick and syrupy