Moby Dick at Year's End

Well, Happy New Year's Eve all. Tomorrow starts a new year, and all that that entails. It has been a good year from a beer perspective with the craft beer industry gobbling up more and more market share. It still seems like a drop in the bucket, but I bet the big boys hear that thumping.
I want to thank you all for reading this, it has been a good thing for me to write again, and to see a hobby blossom into something just a little bit bigger. What that is yet, I am not sure, but time will tell. Until then, micro reviews of craft brews.

Review #50

Narwhal Imperial Stout  ABV: 10.2%
Sierra Nevada  Chico, CA  12 oz bottle poured into short snifter

A - Pours a deep ruby black with some gorgeous light transmission when held up. The small, tan head is full of spotty bubbles, large and small. It dies quickly, but the lacing is very strong.

N - A hard licorice, currant undertone beneath the familiar coffee and roast malt notes. A touch of smokiness, and a hint of vanilla round out this pleasant aroma

T - A very mild taste with similar flavors to the nose. There is a raisin flavor that wasn't here before, and some chocolate with a bit of old leather. Not a huge fan of raisins (I don't like them at all) but it works here. It coats the palate and lingers, the woody notes of the dark malts coming forward from roasting. Wisps of hops dance at the edges, but never fully emerge as a player. Some alcohol heat; the slight burn, but not bad, more in the nose as you drink it. Very mild, and easy drinking for a big stout.

M - Very rich in flavor, but medium bodied overall, considering the style as a whole.

Special treat - The last couple of ounces, warmed from the hour in the snifter, got split evenly over a scoop of peppermint ice cream. The minty candy pieces danced like lighting bugs in the dark brew and the cream blended well with the vanilla notes from the oak, bringing them forward. A real treat, if you're into trying beer floats.

O - As mentioned, a very easy, mild stout, especially when the 10.2% ABV is there. This isn't a big, presentation 22 ounce stout, but it is one you could buy a couple 4 packs of and enjoy all winter long. Its like that favorite blanket, or often worn sweatshirt that you just know you 'll come back to again and again. And that is probably one of the best things I can say for this, from one of my favorite breweries. Sierra Nevada constantly produces beers--whether year round, or special releases--that you know you can return to again and again and constantly be welcomed; and that, my friends, is a special thing.

Happy New Year

Chris

Mind. Blown.

Well, it is only fitting that I would have a beer like this at the end of the year. Sort of like Oscar season when the big guns pull out all stops. Or the finale of a fireworks show. Though, I could have had this January 1st, my summation would still be the same...

Review #49

Funk Metal Barrel Aged Sour  ABV: 8.2%
Jester King Brewery  Austin, TX  22 oz btl with rad label poured into snifter at World of Beer - Stone Oak

**NOTE - Instructions on bottle say to refrigerate for 24 hours before serving! This is to prevent bottle eruption, so beware!**

A - This pours an un-highlighted black with a quickly rising mocha head full of tiny, dancing bubbles. The head retreats quickly, like most sours, leaving just a faint trace of lacing. This is nearly opaque, even when held to the light, and the little light that is transmitted is just a touch off black.

N - Wafts and wafts hit right away. Seated in my stool as this is poured for me on the bar, I am still struck with that often under appreciated acidity of a Brettanomyoces batch. There are sour cherries, a sharp, dry wine, and a hint of raspberry all mingling at the start, bringing forth sour notes in abundance. An acrid, burnt note of end-of-the-day coffee pot follows not too long after, bring with it the rich, roasted malts of a true stout. The tulip is filtering all these potent aromas right up to my nose in a stream, and I can't wait to tuck into this one.

T - I need to make up words for this. There is no doubt this is the most interesting beer I've ever had. 'The Most Interesting Man in the World' should endorse this if he ever wants to drink a real beer. Salivary glands open wide the second this hits my tongue, with sharp vinegar and not-quite-ripe Granny Smith apple tartness. It is immediately followed by the earthy, oaked noted from the barrel aging, and bolstered by bold coffee and dark malts. They are so well intertwined, I feel like I'm drinking some beer cocktail. These things don't go together, do they? They can't...but they are. The sourness fades a bit, as it warms, and the sweeter highlights come forward, finishing dry, with another last parting shot of sour. This is remarkable. So pungent, so acidic, so rich and bold, and yet, so in harmony.

M - Even the mouthfeel is different. With all the flavors, its certainly full bodied, but the carbonation keeps it drinkable. Dry, yet sparkling. Such a contrast.

Location - This was my first time at World of Beer, and I am already sad that a week has only seven days. The 550+ bottle selection and 50 tap selection is mouth watering. The menu is a little confusing, broken down by style, whereas I prefer a 'by Country' separation, but that is just nit picking. It is informative, giving a blurb about different styles, you know, for those who walk in a novice and leave a budding professional. The staff was the definite highlight. Service was friendly and prompt, knowledgeable and engaging. Megan Stein, the product manager spent a fair amount of time talking beer with me and has now been proclaimed my "Beer Girlfriend." She was nice enough to give me a tour of the cooler, and we have exchanged social media contact info for future brain picking/bragging/sharing discussions. Beer lovers in San Antonio or visiting here need to get here. You won't be disappointed.

O - Well, to finish my allusion earlier in regards to summation, this is the most memorable beer of the year. Regardless of when I would've had it, there is no doubt of this. This is NOT a beginner's beer. Yet, for those of us who enjoy sours, this is actually quite approachable. The flavor profiles are like a firework show for my neural synapses, there is so much at work here, but there is such a balance.
There will be those who will hate it and there are those who love it, but you certainly won't forget it. Its raw; and unabashed, but still refined to a degree that is unlike any I've seen. To bring all this together in one batch, in one barrel, in one bottle? I tip my hat to Jeff and the guys at Jester King. This is certainly not a beer you follow though, it is a session ender. Unless, as i said to my dad you happened to have a good palate cleanser before making the transition. Hey, think I found a use for Bud Light! Or maybe that's what the Dos Equis guy is doing; hes already had the most interesting beer, just endorse water with a slight ABV. Never mind, finish with this, finish on a high note.

Cheers,

Chris