Fort Collins Brewery's Double Chocolate Stout

Fort Collins, a brewery known predominantly for their lagers, has a good track record with their ales, but thus far hasn't put out one that has truly impressed me. That, however, has changed. This imperial take on their Chocolate Stout is delectable.

It pours a dark, almost opaque black/brown, giving rise to a sizable cocoa head. This head recedes quickly, leaving only some patchy coverage, and a thin ring around the glass. Moderate lacing is left behind as the glass is drained.

Incredibly enticing smell. Lots of darker milk chocolate, espresso, roasted malt, and just a touch of earthiness from the hops. There is some vanilla coming through here as well. I've got this one at just under 55 degrees, so I feel that the nose is at just the right spot. This beer puts off a lot of aroma, and it is all positive.

Taste is dominated by rich roasted malts and coffee notes. The chocolate comes through in the finish, providing pleasant balance. Not as bitter/roasted as it might have come across. It blessedly avoids the acrid flavors of something like Avery's Out of Bounds. The hops dry the finish just enough to keep you coming back for sip after sip. The tail on this is quite long, with the flavor staying on the palette for almost 60 seconds. Well done.

Mouthfeel is velvety, with a slightly oily finish. The chocolate puts a smooth note on the tail, and it is quite welcome.

Overall, my favorite beer from Fort Collins thus far. Final Score: 90/100

If you can't tell, I'm a little excited about this one. I've wanted to try New Belgium's La Folie for over year now. It has never before been available in the state of Kansas, and its availability in general is quite low. However, 15 cases of this beautiful beer made their way into Kansas this year. My store was allocated 6 bottles, and who knows if any of them will ever see the light of retail. This evenings hand numbered bottle is 12,922, bottles 11/07.

This one pours are murky brown/red, with a slightly pink caste to the foamy head. The head soon dissipates, leaving a thin ring around the glass, with some floating islands of tiny bubbles. Considering how long this beer has been aged, the initial carbonation is impressive, though it settles out after the initial head fades. The surface becomes quite still, and only a light crackling can be heard emanating from the glass. There is something quite becoming about the color of this beer. With the glass tilted and held up to the light it takes on hue that almost resembles a rosy cheek.

The nose is sour, funky, fruity, yeasty, acidic, vinegary, and absolutely amazing. First the funk hits, with sour notes of barnyard, horse blanket, and musty attics. This is quickly followed up by fresh bread and sour cherry/berry notes. My mouth has started watering at this point, so I'm just going to dive on in and leave the aroma at that.

Incredible. I honestly am considering leaving the rest of my review at that, as I feel I am not a strong enough writer to do justice to such a work of art. I'll do my best, but please understand that this is simply a beer to be tried, not read about.

Sour acidity rushes across the entire palate, followed by a wash of yeasty flavors. The fruit comes in quickly there after and provides a counter balancing sweetness that brings the taste to full fruition. Hops play little to no role here, but they are not missed in this instance. As the beer warms, more fruit comes out, and the depth of flavors in this beer increase dramatically. The finish is dry and again yeasty, almost with a hint of champagne. Every sip leaves me wanting not only another, if not another glass or bottle. This is art created in the medium of beer.

I really just want to focus on what is left in my glass, and not on typing this, so I shall leave my final rating. Overall: 98/100. This is thus far my favorite beer.

Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye

Alright, upped the resolution on my phone's camera, so these pictures should be a little bit clearer. Had a great beer outing this evening at Joe Schmo's in downtown Lawrence. Sipped on Avery's Ellie's Brown (on tap) and a 750 of Boulevard's Long Strange Tripel. Very cool. Good burgers and fries. I am sad there is only one bocce court, but I've been invited down to play a game with just myself and the owner, so I think I'll be able to enjoy it...

Tonights selection comes to me from California via John Monaghan. I'm interested in this one, as I've had many homebrewed rye beers, but only one or two commercial interpretations.

This one pours a crystal clear burnt amber, with a foamy off white cappuccino head. The head drops quickly, but leaves impressive lacing all the way down the glass. I am left with a surprising amount of head clinging to the glass in thick sheets. I will mention the clarity again, as this one is truly impressive. It is like looking through deep red stained glass.

Smell is lots of hops with a good helping of rye. I'm guessing some West Coast varieties are involved here, nice and spicy with a good citrus rind backbone. The rye adds further depth to the spicy character. There some sweet malt coming through here, and I suspect that the malts here are a touch darker than one would associate with an IPA.

Taste is rich, deep, and spicy. The hops and rye come through in equal parts on the tongue. There is a deep bitter quality that is less acidic than it is cocoa powder oriented. The citrus still comes through, but the depth of the malt brings all the flavors forward as a unified front. Superbly balanced. I would be willing to bet this pushes 85+ IBU's, but it really doesn't seem that way. The malt sweetness has a depth you don't see in a lot of IPAs. There is real flavor here, as opposed to just sweetness to counteract the bitter hops. Sublime.

The mouthfeel on this is a bit thicker than your average IPA. I want to do a RyIPA now, just to see if I can match the full body on this one. Quite drinkable for 8% abv. This bomber was too tasty to put down and it made a hasty exit. I look forward to my next opportunity to sample a Bear Republic beer. Overall: 90/100

Boulder's Mojo Risin' DIPA or A Beer for a Stolen Amp

So I just got back from the Jazzhaus with the news that my bass amp wandered off the premise sometime about two weeks ago. In any case, I'm sure Ric will help me figure something out, but it is incredibly frustrating.

In any case, I'm going to have a beer. Something strongish sounds good, and Boulder's Mojo Risin' IPA fits the bill.

This one pours a fitting bright orange, with a great degree of clarity. The head is quite fine and pours about two fingers worth to begin. This calms quickly to a thin fine white cap. Patchy lacing coats the glass to the end, leaving a nice, sticky mess.

Smell is all Amarillo hops. Grapefruit prevails, with something a little harsher, more along the lines of raw, sticky fresh hops. The double dry hopping probably has something to do this. There is a touch of malt sweetness in the nose, but really this is a hop bomb through and through.

Taste is Amarillo. This pushes not even being grapefruit or citrus-y, just damn hoppy. There is an attempt at balance, but not a particularly good one. Still, the hop flavor is sound. This is by no means the hoppiest beer I've had, there just isn't much else to the taste. Good, but one dimensional.

This is an easy drinker, as it doesn't really challenge the palette. The alcohol content, at 10% is well hidden. All in all, not bad, but I'd like to see more depth from a DIPA. Overall: 85/100

Sick Again...

I have what I believe to be the influenza going around the KU campus. Suck. In any case, I'm refraining from all alcoholic intake at the moment, so as not to waste it on a dead palate. I shall return when I feel better.
Cheers-
AA