Rogue Imperial IPA

Alright. It took me months to get these, and my ship(ment) finally came in! This is the best packaging I have ever seen. The bottles are ceramic (!) with a bottle cap as well as a swing top latch. Killer Rogue label.

This one pours a slighty hazy straw yellow meets burnt orange. Beautiful fluffy head, creamy white, with a crest of tiny bubbles. It recedes pretty quickly. There is some lacing, though it is quite fine, almost a thin film that coats the entire surface of the glass.

The nose is hoppy, but not as big as I would have expected from an IIPA. Quite a bit of sweetness, with some citric character present. The hops are predominantly floral. The yeast comes through as well, with some biscuit-y bread notes.

Wow. This is not what I expected. The malt set up is stronger and fuller than any other DIPA I have had to date. This one is sweet, but not cloying, as so many others have been. The bread-y yeast from the nose carries well, and provides a full, soft base for the floral Saaz hops. There is some earthiness going on here as well. This is the most flavorful, deep, complex IIPA I have had to date.

The softness of the malt profile is carried over into mouthfeel. This is silky smooth, with more carbonation than the style usually dictates. Sublime.

Overall: 94/100. A stellar double. Love live the Rogue spirit!

Wild Blue Blueberry Lager

Sometimes you get spoiled, and need to bring yourself back down to earth. Today's offering is covertly brewed by a subsidiary of AB. This is not necessarily bad, and I have had products from them that I enjoy. I am hesitant to try this though, as it is advertised as an 8% blueberry lager.

It pours the color of a raspberry lambic, except that it is perfectly clear. Gross, thin, watery pink head. No retention, and no lacing, at all, of any kind. This looks like juice. I am getting a little scared.
Smells like cheap blueberry candy. If there were an off brand of Blueberry Jolly Rancher's, this would be it. Artificial sweeteners abound. Gross.

Taste is nasty. Dimatap meets melted Jolly Rancher, with a dose of Mickey's Malt liquor thrown in. I really can't say much more. This is absolutely terrible, and just keeps getting worse as it warms up. I am unhappy because of this beer.

Mouthfeel is thin, but syrupy. This horrid liquid just stays in the mouth. 30/100

Sinebrychoff Baltic Porter

Alright, time for an old classic. This was one of the first "obscure" (relative term) beers that I ever tried, and it was my gateway into strong porters, stouts, and the imperials of both styles. I believe this a 2004 (?). We will be getting in cases of the '97, '98, and '00 within the next month, and I am excited to do a vertical tasting as soon as the opportunity arises. Expect to see the results here first thing.

This pours a near black, with dark shades of chocolate-y brown peaking out. The head looks like it belongs on a cup of hot chocolate. The general aesthetic is quite enticing. The head retention is impressive considering this beer is several years old, and the retention is nice and sticky, leaving a pleasant cocoa lacing down the glass. I also really dig the bottle design on this, cool shape, with a very imposing looking logo. This beer isn't something to be toyed with.

Alright, on to the nose. There is a bit of sweetness of the bat, molasses, caramel, toffee. A touch of soy sauce comes through as well, but it is not prevalent in the fashion that it is in say, a Sam Adam's Triple Bock. Vanilla tones are present. Just a touch of malt powder and Hershey's syrup finish off the complex nose coming off of this one.

Flavor is bold, and malty. Chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, malted milk balls, mocha, and vanilla are all readily apparent. So many layers to deal with here. The hops are present just enough to keep this from being cloying, though the roasted malt character adds some much needed bitterness as well. Caramel and toffee win out in the end, leaving a bittersweet finish in the mouth that begs for another sip.

This one is surprisingly carbonated for its age. Quite smooth and coating on the palette. For being somewhat of a big beer, this isn't too filling, and definitely not just a night cap beer (though it is currently serving this purpose nicely). Right at the end of the sip, there is a slight, almost chalky cocoa sensation as it leaves the tongue. Superb.

As I said before, this is an all time favorite. Such excellent balance and complexity. 93/100.

Many to Come

I made another Lukas run on Saturday, so expect many, many reviews in the weeks to come. That is all.

Cheers!

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