Friday, January 27, 2012

A two-fer!

Yesterday I decided I wanted fish. Then I decided I wanted fried fish. Then I decided I wanted beer-battered fish, and that I would review two similar styles and use one of those in the beer batter. Lots of big decisions. I managed. I used Avery Jubilation for the batter and had one with dinner. After I got the kiddos to bed, I had a Deschutes Jubelale. Both Winter Warmers, Old Ales, Winter Ales, etc. Call them what you will, they are a wonderful style on cold days. So here are my thoughts.
Review #1 (#3 overall)
Avery Old Jubilation 2010 Vintage (2011 used in batter) 8.3% ABV
A Boulder, CO based brewery. 12 oz brown bottle poured into pint glass

Appearance - To borrow from Procol Harum, it pours a lighter shade of dark brown, with some ruby colored hues dancing at the edges in the light. A finger of tan head with little to no lacing present

Smell - I get dark fruit up front. Some figs and dark cherries. There is a nuttiness that I am thinking is a hazelnut, but can't quite place.Sweet and malty, with some hops, but the malt wins this contest for sure. A lingering spice in the back. Some nutmeg perhaps?

Taste - Very similar to the smell, no real departure that I can discern. A bit more hops than than the smell, but still not a hop wallop, and its mostly on the finish.Caramel and toffee are present now. This doesn't have the alcohol heat of what I would expect from an 8.3%. As it warms, vanilla shows up, and a little more heat now from the alcohol, too...so it IS strong. Huh.

Mouthfeel - Extremely light mouthfeel for this dark of a beer, but medium overall. Much less sweet tasting than the smells would indicate.

Drinkability - Very nice Winter brew from a brewery that I really like. Malty and warming, it lives up to its name. The alcohol hit definitely showed through in the end. Not a GREAT beer, I wouldn't make a trip for it, but since I can get it locally, I will definitely enjoy it again.

Pairing - There are no real rules for beer/food pairing. Its not wine, you can be more inventive. That said the neutral white fish (Alaskan Pollock) mixed with a seasoned batter and combined with this Old Ale actually played well. The only real complaint, was that the oily fish and gave the beer a bit of an oily aftertaste I didn't get on its own. The front end had flavors that played nicely with the pepper bouncing off the sweetness of the ripe fruit and malts.

Review #2 (#4 overall)
Deschutes Jubelale 2011 6.7% ABV
Bend, Oregon brewery. 12 oz brown bottle with a artsy-cool label poured into a snifter

Appearance - Brown. I thought long and hard about a better color, but if I just say brown, it describes it perfectly. There is some reddish-orange tinting at the edges. Creamy head, with 2 fingers of picturesque lacing.

Smell - Too chilled at first--MY BAD!!--but that is because the kids took longer to get to bed than I expected. Plus the Avery alcohol was still working its way out of me. **10 minutes later** Brown sugar and roasted malts. A chocolate malt? Hints of green fruits behind the currants and plum aroma. Pear and green apple maybe. Just barely there, but there.

Taste - Wow. Luscious and full, everything you'd imagine from reading anything about a Winter Warmer. Fig and Plums announce their presence briefly before disappearing with some alcohol heat. Hits a bit stronger than the ABV would indicate, but not unpleasantly so. Hops in the latter third, but gone by the finish, leaving a pleasant memory. Everything is playing so nicely in harmony. Maybe just a smidge too sweet for me, but only maybe.

Mouthfeel - Again, thicker, stronger feel than the ABV. Decent carbonation. Bitterness and dryness remain just a touch longer than i would've expected with no over-present hop.

Drinkability - A gorgeous representative of this style, one I will certainly seek out & buy yearly. A tremendous brewery with no weak spot in their line-up. (at least that I have had) I expected nothing less, and was even surprised on the positive side. Well done.

Okay, that's four in the books. (blog) My goal is to review 150 unique beers this year. Hold me to it guys!
Cheers,
Chris

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Ding, Ding. Round 2

Back to back days to kick things off. Mental juices are flowing. Beer is flowing. Good combo for a beer review blog. I think.
I chose the next beer to review carefully. Not because I'd heard great things or for its reputation, but for symbolic purposes. For 1, its an Arkansas brewed beer. So I went from England to Arkansas; English beer to Arkansas beer. Still with me? If so, congrats, have another drink. And 2, I sat down with this pint+ on the evening of the State of the Union address by President Obama. Obviously, I needed a beer to get through it.
So here it is, review #2:

Diamond Bear Two Term Double IPA (See, I'm trying to jinx the current POTUS from gaining 2 terms)
Brewed in Little Rock, AR, 8.5% ABV. 2 12oz brown bottles poured into a Thatcher's Arms Beer Festival Imperial Pint glass

Appearance - A golden sunset of a pour, with pumpkin hues. Absolutely gorgeous. About 1/2 inch of off white head with some very nice lacing possibilities. This has potential
Smell - Hmm. Kind of weak aroma for a double IPA. There are scents here, but none strong, none forthcoming. Some citrus, pine, orange, with some good malt tones and a hint of alcohol. I'm now a little less enthused, but I'm a trooper, so I soldier on.
Taste - OK, nice balance. Not too much alcohol heat for an 8.5% beer. That could be good, but more than likely bad. Its very smooth and far too easy a swallow for a double IPA. Much more IPA than its stronger brother.Definite pine flavors now, some yeasty breadiness. Citrus plays a small part in the background; more orange peel potpourri than the punch of a full fruit, however. Finishes dry, slightly bitter. Its good, but carries little complexity
Mouthfeel - Medium to full, decent carbonation. A low-level stickiness on the lips.
Drinkability - I like it. Don't love it. There isn't enough character or depth for me to call this an Imperial IPA. The alcohol bump seems to be the only separation from one to the other. Almost too balanced, with a drinkability of a 5-6% beer. Could be for a younger, "let's get ripped!" crowd, but I'm looking for something more. But no, I won't pour the other four of my sixer down the drain either.
Cheers,
Chris

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

New thoughts, thinking back

Well, just to get things started again, to share my new blog, and new direction, I figured a look back was in order.
We've been home for just over a year now, and we are well settled. Kids are doing well in school, Lace is busy with work, and I am, well,...bored enough to write again. This will be a hobby blog. So, for me, that means, family. Okay, so that's not the new part. No big surprises there. It also means beer & the Cubs. Maybe some golf, music, movies, poker, etc.but those'll be the main three.
For beer, that means reviews, thoughts on tastings, trips, and purchases. For the Cubs, especially this season, it'll mean venting. Maybe some feel-good thoughts, but mostly frustration. Ah, the life of a Cubs fan.
I decided that since I was going to do this today, I should have more than just a new mission statement. I should have a review. So, last night, I had a beer. On a Monday. Crazy. And for this first of reviews, I chose to have an English beer. See what I did there? Bringing it all together. Because that, friends, is how I roll. (Also, according to Rian, "We listen to loud music in the car...cuz that's also how we roll." Well said.)

So here she is, review #1:

J.W. Lees Moonraker
Brewery in Manchester, brewers since 1828 according to the label.
Bottled 8/13/09 in 500 ml brown bottle, poured into a large tulip glass
ABV 7.5%
Appearance - A deep amber, with edges of mahogany, near brown. Little light passes through. Some sediment in bottom, so, pour carefully. A thin, white head.
Smell - I got a definite caramel/toffee flavor, but the back end had almost a farm fresh grass smell, akin to hay
Taste - Bitter and malty up front with a hop presence, but not strong. Notes of honey, vanilla, and a woody whisper in there too. Maybe some over-ripe, borderline sour cherries near the back. It finishes with some alcohol breathiness, but isn't unpleasant. Think it would pair well with a bold, but not pungent cheese. Block of sharp farmhouse cheddar maybe. Not much stronger.
Mouthfeel - Very full, for an ale, it almost has a chewiness to it.
Drinkability - Very drinkable. I enjoyed this quite a lot. Would be interested in tasting the cask conditioned version, for comparison sake.
Overall thoughts - Flavors took me back to England instantly. Wish I'd had a pint at The Thatcher's Arms after a Golf Society day, clouds & dampness rolling in. It feels English, and I felt closer to my friends across the Atlantic drinking. A beer that brought memories, and a good choice for this blog transition. If you like a darker ale, and can find any of this around, try some, if you don't like it, give me a ring
Chris