2nd Annual Year End Awards

Last year I decided to do an End of Year Awards post to take a look back at my year in beer brewing and my favorite beers and brewery of the year. It was fun to do because I got a chance to look back and evaluate how far I've come, think about beers
I've brewed, and set some goals for the coming year. So without further ado, here's the 2009 Bearded Brewing End of Year Awards.

Worst beer/idea: Easily the worst beer/beer idea was my Cranberry Milk Stout. Luckily, El Jefe questioned if putting the entire batch on cranberries was a good idea and so I split the batch into a 2.5 gallon keg of the milk stout, and put the rest on top of cranberries. I think a couple things went wrong, but the end result was not good at all. First off, I think it's a bad combo, the tartness doesn't play well with the stout and I left it in the secondary for too long and it became almost winey. Thankfully El Jefe was right and I was able to salvage a good milk stout out of the batch.

Best recipe to build on: This one goes to the Steelhead Slammer DIPA. While it didn't end up quite as high of ABV or having bitterness I want in a double IPA, it was the hoppiest beer I made. It was well received and it gives me a base to build on, by upping the bittering hops and using a yeast starter, I should be able to get my next big IPA to what I'm wanting. It was a good experience though, and I know I can brew a really hoppy beer successfully.

Successful new style brewed: I was happy with the turnout of both my Vaca Milk Stout and Norseman Oatmeal Stout. I haven't brewed a lot of stouts, and I am excited going forward to brew more. I like how both turned out, and want to continue to play with the amount of chocolate/roasty/coffee flavors I can get by using different quantities of roasted malts.

Brewing Accomplishment: In June my wife had our second child, and the following months have been a feat to juggle a 2 year old and a newborn, as well as my job and sanity. Without becoming a dead beat dad or a divorced dad, I was able to keep my brewing going. How you might ask? Well, I changed my brewing time to 9pm on Friday or Saturday nights, and switched from the partial mashing I had been doing back to extract. The switch saved me some time and allowed me to brew about once a month. I also kegged more, which also saved me a lot of time. The one thing that has been hard is finding time to blog as much as I used to. The first couple years of this blog I was able to write more, and on a variety of topics. I hope to get back to that eventually. Regardless, keeping the brewing going has been more manageable than I thought it was going to be, and that has been a huge accomplishment this year!

Believe the Hype Award: Last spring I got a chance to go to Denver and at the Falling Rock Tap House had my first taste of Russian River. I had the Damnation, Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder. This fall I received a bottle of Blind Pig... all excellent. Every bit as good as advertised and a brewery I wish we had access to in Minnesota.

My Favorite Brewery of the Year: The truth is that New Glarus could get this award every year in my mind. But for the sake of making this interesting and not to sound like too much of fanboy, I chose three finalists....
First off was Lagunitas, which only loses out because I haven't had everything they offer, so I can't fairly judge them. What I have had has been great, and Hop Stoopid is the best bang for your buck DIPA out there. $4.99 a bomber at most stores, and is comparable to most $9.99 bottles from other breweries.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Summit. I love what they did this year. They added 3 new beers. Doesn't sound like much, but I think Summit sometimes is the forgotten old man of the craft brewing world in Minnesota. This year the release of an aggressive hoppy red ale, Horizon Red, plus the new one-off series Unchained, produced a Kolsch and an outstanding Scotish Wee Heavy...these served as a reminder that Summit makes great beer and shouldn't be overlooked. Excited to see what this coming year brings from them.
But Founder's came to Minnesota this year, and damn...I've had their lineup and it's all good. Centennial IPA and Founders Porter both jump into the top 2 of those styles I've ever had, and their Breakfast Stout is the kind of breakfast I could drink every morning (if I wouldn't lose my teaching license.) So brewery of the year for me is Michigan brewery Founder's.

Which leads me to my Top 9 beers of 2009. This category is for beers I've never had before this year, even if they had been out, they were new to me. In no particular order:

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA
Dark Horse Stout Series Tres (Blueberry Stout)
Summit Horizon Red Ale
Founders Centennial IPA
Founders Porter
Town Hall Brewery's Raspberry Milk Stout
Fitger's Starfire Pale Ale
New Glarus Cracked Wheat
New Glarus Coffee Stout

And finally....the Bearded Brewing Beer of the Year: The Gringo Imperilistic Mexican Lager

Last year this was the beer that I was excited to build on, and I was happy with the changes I made. In my mind, I wanted to create a unique beer that captures a lot of what my brewing is about: organic, accessible, but unique and well crafted. What started off as kind of a joke, an imperial Mexican lager, turned into a hoppy, smooth beer that was unique enough to impress some beer geeks, but accessible enough to be enjoyed by most. The key to the Gringo this time around was two things: Patience to let it lager and sit in the bottle long enough, and also the addition of Agave Nectar in the secondary. The agave (a honey-like substance) rounds out the sweet citrusy hops, but adds a nice touch that compliments the beer. I was happy that most people who reviewed it picked up on the maltiness, the beer is slighty grainy and lagerish, but the heavy addition of Centennial hops gives it a great citrusy presence. It was the beer I was most proud of this year...hence the award.

It was a great year, brewing and otherwise and I look forward to 2010. The goal for this past year was to return to some basics, try my hand at nailing down subtleties in beers like pale ales and stouts. Also to brew very hoppy beers, something I've never done. I sought out advice from more fellow brewers (three new bloggers reviewed my beers), I connected with some local beer blogger/brewers, and am entering a contest for only the second time this winter. The goal for 2010 is to return back to the creativity that drove my early brewing, building upon the success of the beers I brewed this year, combining what I learned with some more adventurous recipes.
Happy New Year and thanks for reading.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer

Review- New Glarus Coffee Stout

This fall I bought a New Glarus sampler that included this Coffee Stout. It was easily one of the best coffee stouts I've had, but I didn't get a chance to write down my impressions. Back in Wisconsin for Christmas, I was happy to see that the samplers available still included this seasonal. Coffee naturally goes well with stouts, but that doesn't mean they always hit the mark. As with any addition, there are coffee infused beers that I've had that miss the mark on balance, either overdoing it, or understating it to the point that you only know its there because of the label. Of the coffee infused beers I've had, I'd put the top three as: Surly's Coffee Bender, Founders Breakfast Stout, and New Glarus'. This beer is a perfect blend of coffee and roasty stouty goodness. Does it get any better than that combo done right? Anyway, onto the review:
Pours jet black with a lacy finger of khaki head. Gread rich coffee aroma with some faint chocolate. Bitter at first, with the coffee really making itself known, but that soon gives way to some nice chocoalety and even slightly nutty flavors. Some nice caramely notes as well, but the coffee is present throughout the beer. It doesn't dominate, but lingers nicely in the finish along with the chocolately sweetness. Perfectly balanced between the two, it's like taking a drink of your favorite stout, and immediately taking a drink of a well brewed cup of coffee. A perfect 10 in my book!

Stay tune this week for my second annual year end awards. In the spirit of end of the year lists, I'll break down the year that was in my drinking and brewing of beer.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer

Review- Holiday Cranberry Orange Wheat

This year for Christmas, my wife wanted to hand out gift baskets that included some of my beer. I wanted to brew a beer that had some of the holiday feel to it, but also one that was accessible to a variety of beer drinkers. While I enjoy brewing beers for the beer geek side of me, I also really like to make beer that everybody enjoys. I find that wheat ales offer me the ability to add a creative twist, but also are enjoyed by the people who might not be too adventerous of beer drinkers. The Cranberry Orange Wheat Ale was the right choice. I was happy that the cranberry gives it a nice tangy quality that fits well with the holiday vibe, and adds a distinct flavor to the sweet wheat ale. I had 3 lbs of frozen whole cranberries that had been in my freezer for a year. Knowing I had to get rid of them before they lost too much their flavor for cooking, I decided to add all 3 lbs to the secondary. This gave it a nice tangy presence, you definitley know they are there, but it's not overwhelming. The feedback has been really positive from both beer geeks and non, so I feel good that I hit the mark.
Onto my review: It pours cloudy dark gold with some deep orangish red highlights. Foamy white head that laces the glass. Tangy aromas of cranberry and citrus as well some clove. At first it's quite tart that gives away to a nice sweetness. Not overwhelmingly cranberry, but there's a tartness that lets you know the cranberry is present. It's a pretty sweet beer, with some citrusy flavors, lemony and orange. The cranberry flavor isn't dominant in the finish, instead there's a lingering tartness and some citrusy sweentess. The body is light as one would expect with a wheat ale, but there is a nice crisp finish that is aided by the tartness. Overall, a nice Christmas Ale.

The recipe is listed in the previous posting on this beer.

I'm in Wisconsin for Christmas, and just picked up my bounty of New Glarus. Excited to try Snowshoe Winter Ale, one I haven't had. Was also happy to see that the samplers including the outstanding Coffee Stout still was around. I will review both in the coming weeks. Thanks to all of you readers for your comments, interest, and overall curisosity in my small corner of the brewing world. A Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you and yours.
Salud!
Bearded Brewing

Irie Stout- 9 months later

I'm never that good at saving beers. I tend to drink my beers too early, and rarely let beers sit for a long period of time. Before I got more into kegging, there was always the issue of bottle availability as well. The bottom line, the fact that a bottle of Irie Stout managed to last 9 months is a first for me. Seeing the last bottle amongst my bottles, I was curious about when I brewed this one, so I checked the date in my brewing notebook and found out that it was brewed on March 13, exactly 9 months to the day, so on December 13th, I cracked open the Irie.
This beer wasn't one I was too happy about this year. While some people liked, I felt that I had tweaked it beyond what I had wanted. In an effort to get the ABV high, I added some Black Treacle, an English Molasses, and I felt that it was too present. The beer ended up about 10.5 % abv, and for the first couple months, there was too much heat.
The original Irie had been a nice balance of fruity flavors and chocolate, it was drinkable and captured the Caribbean feel of what I wanted. But over time I tried to make it more "Imperial" and each time felt like I had gone too far away from the orginial plan. This latest version was probably the closest to an "Imperial" beer as the Irie was going to get. It was complex and over time the alcohol definitely mellowed out. While the Irie at 9 months was much better than it was earlier, I learned my lesson that I shouldn't always mess with a good thing. Nevertheless, it was fun to age a beer this long, and I can see how, particularly with a high ABV stout, it really changes the beer in a positive way.

The Irie pours black with a three finger light khaki head that lingers some on the glass. Aromas of tropical fruits (mango, passion fruit) as well as molasses and slight alcohol are present in the nose. There's a fizzy carbonation, which adds some refershing qualities, but takes away from the "stoutiness." Some chocolate and more complex fruitiness at first, with some molasses as well. There's no roastiness, but some citrusy/orangey flavors. The mango-tropical dominates the fruitiness more than the citrus (both Mango and Orange preserve were used in the brew). There's some lingering chocolatey sweetness in the finish, as well as some alcohol. As it warms, the chocolate definitely becomes more apparent.

Overall, I'm glad I saved a bottle. It taught me a lesson on Imperials, that I knew was the case, but it was nice to taste the difference. I felt that the treacle was still too present and the flavors were more complex along the lines of an Impy stout than I wanted for my personal preference. Still a good lesson learned.
I plan on getting in a review of my Holiday Cranberry Orange Wheat in before Christmas arrives.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer

Beer Review- Bell's Double Cream Stout

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a commercial beer, mainly because I've been so damned busy that blogging has taken a bit of backseat to life. But with holiday break coming up, I should be able to get in some good posts in the coming weeks. I intend on reviewing a couple of my own homebrews soon, my Holiday Cranberry Orange Wheat, and the Norseman Oatmeal Stout, but wanted to give them both a week or two more before the "official" review. Both are tasting nice though.
I wanted to get to this review before I finished off the sixer. I've always been a big fan of anything Bell's, I think beer after beer they are one of the most consistent breweries. Easily one of my top five breweries. You know when you buy a six pack of Bell's that you are getting something really well crafted and exceptionally solid through and through. I recently picked up Bell's Special Double Cream Stout expecting amazing things and wasn't dissapointed in the least. A++ across the board. Onto my review:
This pours thick and creamy, motor oil black with a two finger khaki head that dissipates into a thin layer. Wonderful aromas of coffee, roasted malt, dark chocolate and caramel. The first mouthfeel is perfect, milkshake creamy with a great sweetness at first, but some nice roastiness comes through as well. It's quite chocolatey, but a lot of dark, almost bitter chocolate notes. There's a silkiness to it that makes it very easy to drink, and the roastiness gives it a nice backbone, but a wonderful lingering chocolatey sweetness makes you want to drink more. The perfect amount of roastiness in a cream stout, with a lot of chocolate and sweetness going on. The bitterness of the dark chocolate and coffee notes balance nicely to hold it from being to sweet. A perfect nightcap stout, and one I will most definitley be buying again and again.

I plan on getting to some reviews of my own beers soon, as well as some commerical offerings as well. Winter has definitley arrived here in Minnesota, which means a lot of negative things, but for me it means I'm drinking a lot of great winter warmers and dark beers. Both of which are in an abundance in the stores, so it's good beer drinking season (not that there isn't always one.)
More to come.
Salud!
Bearded Brewer