Avery and Russian River's Collaboration not Litigation Ale

Alright, I'm hesitant to dive into another Avery. The chance for a miss with their beers has been pretty high, at least by my tastes. However, the opportunity to try something from RR is enticing. We shall see.

The pour is a coppery caramel, with a fluffy off white/tan head. Decent retention, and some moderate lacing. Looks promising.

The nose is enticing. Scents of dark fleshed fruits (figs, etc.), candi sugar, cocoa, caramel, and toffee. There is a bit of yeasty breadiness going on as well, with some minimal hops hanging out in the dark corners of the nose. At the tail end there is a touch of something sour.

Taste follows with fruits, chocolate, caramel. The bready character comes out a bit more. The sourness comes out right before the finish, and adds an interesting balance. The finish is surprisingly bitter. This doesn't give much of a hop bitterness, but more just a straight bitter taste. Odd. What surprises me the most here is that the flavor is not particularly full. The tastes are all apparent, but all are somewhat light. This is not a particularly heavy beer. The alcohol content is completely hidden.

Mouthfeel is slightly sticky, but again, lighter than expected. Decent carbonation keeps the beer lively on the tongue.

Overall, not bad, in fact, and there is nothing negative going on here. However, nothing particularly grabs me. 87/100.

Bell's HopSlam!

Long time, no write. Life has been hectic, but filled with good beer. I wish I had eeked in some other reviews, but why not kick back in with a beer from one of my favorite American breweries. This one came to me by way of on Mr. Jon Whitaker. Thank you!

This pours about as I would expect, a rich caramel orange, with a small, but active white head. The head isn't that big, and fades quickly to a ring around the glass. This, however, remains through the consumption of the beer. There is some lacing that leaves a sticky, but patchy trail. This is a pretty double IPA. Haha, who'd have thought I'd be digging on DIPA's of all things. I feel like I can get into just about any style anymore, as long as it is well done. The world may yet make a hophead out of me.

This smells like someone applying a heat source to a hop field. Perhaps someone baking some hopped sugar cookies. There is plenty of sweetness in the nose, biscuit, if not cookie bring up the backbone of the malt. The hops are succulent, you can almost see the oil dripping off the cones if you close your eyes. Grapefruit, orange, and more citrus than I can succinctly describe.

DELICIOUS!!! I picture this as the juice of some divine citrus fruit. It is neither pure hop, nor citric, nor floral, but a lovely combination of all of these and more. The malt is sufficient to keep pace, but doesn't dominate. There is a savory quality here, despite the sweetness. This is balance. So many hop oriented beers lose track of what it is to be a beer. This does not.

The mouthfeel is soft, but oily. The hop oils here are readily apparent. A bit of effervescense is present, but not too much. This one just works.

Overal: Superb. 95/100. I wouldn't change a thing about this beer.

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