Night Review

I grabbed the last of my Christmas presents, and placed it in the fridge. The Lagunitas Imperial Stout is an Unlimited Release, listed on Beer Advocate as 8.2%, but states on the bottle as 10+%. As the Lagunitas website says:

Having downed his forth Imperial Stout of theay, the wild eyed charlatan from Voldvostogniaky belched and hollered for the Czarina to enter his chamber and bend herself to his will. The economy was a wreck and revolt was just around the corner. Nicky the Czar dude was off playing soldier like any pale nobleman wioth a hemorrphagic skin condition would. Such were the final days of the old empire. Reactionary, decadent, sputnik, stroganoff, wierd, and drunk. But even as the proletariat countryside labored under inhuman conditions and a threat of being sent to futile war in the east, they wisely took the time to slam back an Imperial Stout or two. After all, life can be a real "suka", as they say in the old country. Big, black, bourgeois, bolshoy, belligerent, buxom, and scary - this is our version of the chaotic end of an era in a bottle.

Thanks for your trust, and as always:Think Globally, Drink Locally!!

Now on to the review:

Appearance: Dark dark brown.  Tan head.  Nice looking Imperial Stout.
Aroma: Initially hits the nose with a huge dose of coffee and roasted malts.  Searching can find a bit of vanilla and maybe some "dark fruits"- if you can find it.
Taste: Initial taste follows the nose, with the coffee and roasted malts being extremely prevelant.  The bitterness comes through at the end, to make sure that you don't forget about it.
Mouthfeel: Not too light, not to heavy.  Thought it would be a bit thinker, being a Imperial Stout. An observation, not a complaint.
Overall: This beer is nice and drinkable.  Carbonation is right inline with the malt/hops, and the alcohol (even thought a bit high) does not overshadow the rest of the beer.
 
Second thought (after it warmed): The beer tended to thicken up a bit, the mouthfeel improved, and the roasted malts overcame the coffee tastes to forefront.  After warming, a few esters came thought adding another dimension to the beer.

The Session- REAL Ale

The Session is a monthly event, where one blogger poses a question and is consequently answered by other bloggers. This month's question was asked by Tom Cizauskas an Yours for Good Fermentables. His question is based around Real Ales or Cask-conditioned ales:

Cask-conditioned ale —or "real ale" as it is called, somewhat boastfully, by the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA), a beer consumer advocacy group in the UK— is defined by that organization as

"beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide."

Viewers of this blog have read my opinions on cask-conditioned ale, and probably once too often. So, let's hear yours, and not only yours. Why not invite brewers and drinkers and bemused casked-spectators to contribute essays for the Session?

I have strong feelings toward all beers. Some I love, IPAs and Sours, and others I hate, smokes. One beer that can go either way for me are beers out of the cask.

One of the first things that I look for when I get to my weekly relaxation at Max's is to see what they have on cask. Their list is always amazing, and it is an hours worth of time just looking at the list and trying to figure out what you want today, tomorrow or never.

I am considered one of the knowledgeable beer people in my group of friends. Before moving to Baltimore, I would try to experiment with beers, but there was nothing there. Especially not a cask. My first few trips to the bar, it was unique seeing the hand pump, and thought, why would someone want this warm, uncarbinated beer? Then I tried it. I now know.

The beer on cask that really opened my eyes to what can come was a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. I had never tasted a beer like that tasted. I had had Hop Stoopid before, and it is a great beer. But coming from the cask, it was like an explotion of pine in my mouth. No coolness to hold it back. The bitterness was there, but that was expected. I truly thought that I had a mouthful of pine cones. I couldn't complain.

From now on, I look for that next surprise beer that does something different for me, that can blow me away. I am not saying that all cask beer is good. Some of it was hard to drink, the warmth hurt it instead of opening up the flavors (at least that is how I perceived it). But it was different. If you like it on tap, you won't necessarily like it on cask. But it is a gamble I will take.

Saturday, Fun Day

Last Saturday, we had a get together for a couple of friends' birthdays. Everyone brought some beer/food. We had a nice selection. I grabbed a mixed case (because I can and they can't- Pennsylvania sucks). My case consisted of Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale, Dale's Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Summerfest lager and National Bohemian. The Natty Boh didn't belong, but it was supposed to be a hot day (and it was very pleasant).

We were outside playing some horseshoes, redneck golf and frisbee. It made it easier to drink out of the bottle, sorry Brad-Beer in Baltimore.

Anywho, I grabbed the Lagunitas on a whim, the label looked good. I like most Lagunitas brews, so this one couldn't be that bad. I was rewarded for my whim, as the Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale was absolutely delicious. I couldn't have been happier. The "American Wheat Pale Ale" was light and crisp on the hot day. The citris and hops kicked your mouth, but the beer was very very smooth.

Summerfest is one of my favorite summertime beers. It tastes so good on a hot day. I had no problem drinking that. I brought the Dale's along to reduce my carbon footprint. Natty Boh represented Baltimore. That was my case.

What would be in your mixed case for a hot summer party?

Wednesday at Max's

I should have sat outside, but the chair was too comfy inside. They had some great beer on tap (as always), and it took all my strength to not order the Oak Aged UnEarthly, Double Simcoe on cask or the 120 minute. I did "settle" on the Great Divide Belgina. It is their Belgian IPA. Very nice beer. Nothing special, but it was exactly what I thought it was. Sometimes that is nice. I kind of wanted it to surprise me a bit.

My second beer was the Lagunitas Correction Ale 2009 (on cask). Very nice American Ale. I thought it was very simple, not sweet with a good hops/malt balance. I was actually thinking it would be hoppier. Very nice, drinkable beer.

The last beer I tried was the Pint Night beer. Stoudt's Abbey Double. I wasn't quite in the mood for a abbey style, so I left it for last. I thought it was what I wanted. I found out that I was wrong. It just didn't hit the spot for me. Overall, I typically like this brewery's offerings. I think maybe the first two beers threw my tastes off. I will try this in the future to give it a fair chance.

Cheers. Have a good weekend.

Celebration (2007)

Max's Pint Night/American Craft Brewers Week

Pint of the Night- Sierra Nevada

I sat down, and was pleased to see the beer list. Too many that I wanted, what should I go for. I chose to begin with a Troeg's Scratch #18- Rye IPA. I tried to have Eric pick up a case for me a bit back, but they were out. I am glad I was able to try it yesterday. Initially it had that sweet spiced smell that I was kind of expecting. Knowing Troegs, I kind of thought that it would be a bomb, but it wasn't. The ryeness and an earthy sweetness balance everything out. I could have had it a little more bitter, but overall it was a solid beer. Now I am really mad I was unable to get a case.

My second beer came courtesy of the Sierra Nevada rep. (To be fair, I had already ordered it, and would have grabbed it first if it wasn't for the Scratch.) Sierra Nevada Celebration. "In May?" one would ask. Apparently, Casey (the beer genius) kept a couple of kegs around (since 2007!). Pleasant surprise from one of my top beers. The "aged" keg poured a little darker, with less head and less carbonation. Where this beer stood out, was how the hops really blended within the spices. You could still get the spice out of it, and you could get the hops (it is Sierra Nevada), but they meshed together so well. Brilliant idea Casey. I was glad I was there.

I tried two other beer that I cannot exclude. First of which was a Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas. Many people have had and loved this beer. What made this special. Cask. The taste and smell were extremely hoppy. But about a foot from my nose, the pine hit me. The pine was so prevalent I was searching for the hops in it. The pine was still overpowering (for me) in the taste. It took me a sip or two to appreciate this beer. I am glad I took my time. Even though the pine was upfront and foremost, there was a myriad of grapefruit, hops and other citrusy nodes in the beer. Great stuff.

The final beer that I had was from a new brewery named Evolution, out of Delmar, DE. I had their pale ale, and it was just a simple beer. I can't compare it to the others that I had. Hopefully, this brewery catches on and I can try it on a more even ground.

What else is out there?