Beer Review- Pleasant Surprises

In the past I've stated that I wasn't a fan of the imperial beer craze. These are big (usually 8% alcohol and up) and very hoppy beers. It seemed like this was the trend in American beers,
bigger = better. The few imperials I had were not impressive, and overall, as someone who enjoys hops, but not in excess, I figured this craze was not really something I would appreciate.

However, I'm an open-minded person. So I've set out to try some imperials to find out if I might be wrong. The first occasion, I bought Avery Brewing Company's The Czar, a Russian Imperial Stout, and also Sam Adam's Imperial Pilsner. In January, Jeff, Brian and I split these beers and weren't too impressed. Actually none of us could finish The Czar and we thought the Imperial Pils was interesting, but not something we'd drink often. But, I decided to give a couple more a shot. Here are my thoughts:

Old Rasputin
This winter, I've been drinking more stouts and after reading some positive reviews of a beer I'd always heard alot about, North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin, I thought I should give it a try. I was very impressed. The beer pours a jet black with a thin tan head. Roasty and hoppy aromas hit you first. What follows is a creamy stout filled with peppery spiciness from the hops, and a nice balance of coffee, toffee, and roastiness. It didn't feel as strong as it is, and there was no noticeable alcohol burn one might expect from that strong of a beer. This would be great on a cold night, and seemed to more flavorful as it warmed up. Add to it, a kick ass name, this is one that changes my opinion of Russian Imperial Stouts.

Bell's Hopslam
This is a beer that has gotten a lot of buzz and is from one of my favorite breweries. I was skeptical about this beer, despite some good recommendations. It sounded like a beer I wouldn't enjoy, plus at $14 a six pack, I really didn't want to spend the money and have 6 beers I didn't like. But one day I decided to throw caution to the wind and drop the cash on a sixer.
Wow! What a beer! It took me a couple bottles to really appreciate what I was drinking (not in one sitting, it's 10% abv!) The beer pours a copper-orangish color with a lacy white head. It smells strongly of citrus, especially grapefruit. At first it is fairly bitter, with a chewy body. The hops are everywhere, but after a few drinks, there is a slightly sweet maltiness, and there is a honey sweetness as you finish. Someone told me they thought last year's was better because it had less honey presence, but that was the final sell for me. I thought that the honey added a sweetness that really balanced out the hops. This is a beer that takes a while to drink, because it is chewy and strong. But over the course of a couple weeks, I found myself really looking forward to cracking one open. I should have known that Bell's wouldn't disappoint!

So there you have it. Being open-minded and willing to try new things can lead you to beers you wouldn't have thought you'd like. I wouldn't say I'll make either of these my everyday beer, but there will be occasions that either of these beers would be great.
Salud!
The Bearded Brewer

I'll admit I was wrong

Recently in a post I stated that Imperials and stouts (or the combination) were not my styles of beer. Well, I can scratch stouts off the list. I think for the longest time I associated stouts with the most famous one, Guinness. I was never a fan of Guinness (although maybe I need to re-evaluate) partly because it always felt like a meal for me to drink. Well following my visit to Town Hall Brewery and having their Black H20 Oatmeal Stout, I thought I needed to revisit stouts. I like porters a lot and there isn't a huge difference between the two, plus I never thought I'd like porters.

So on a recent visit to my liquor store, I picked up a bottle of Rogue's Shakespeare Stout. Well... this was a great beer. Roasty and chocolately with a nice smooth finish and a hint of hoppiness. I thought, damn, maybe I should open my mind some more. So, today after buying the ingredients for The Gringo at Northern Brewer, I stopped at a really good liquor store on my way home and picked up a mixed sixer and two bombers. In the "make your own" sixer I put Bell's Java Stout and also bought a bomber of Lion Stout.
Here are my impressions:

Bell's Java Stout pours black with a two finger tan head. It has a great roastiness right off the bat with a dry finish. The body is really creamy and the coffee gives it an interesting aftertaste. I think it makes it a bit bitter, but definitely gives it a unique finish. I thought this was a good beer, and one I'd probably buy again if I found it in another "mix your own sixer" but probably wouldn't go so far as to buy a six pack of just the stout.


Lion Stout- This is a Sri Lankan beer that weighs in at a hefty 8.0% abv. This beer pours jet black with a foamy tan head. Heavy coffee and chocolate aromas. The beer is quite creamy with a nice chocolaty-roasty flavor. There is a slight coffee presence and a some of that alcohol "heat." My first impression was that it was good, but the more I drank it, the more I enjoyed it (that could be the 8% abv!) . It was $2.99 for a 22oz, so at that price, it's a bargain. I would definitely buy this beer again.

So...there you have it. Actually this is one of the best things about beer, finding something (or a style) that you think you wouldn't like, but do. I am going to sample some more stouts, so I'll take suggestions please. I think my spring 3 gallon experimental is going to be an oatmeal stout, but I'm still formulating the recipe.

Salud!
The Bearded Brewer

Random thoughts

I have winter break coming up, which explains why I'm semi checked out and posting more frequently. I'm excited about the time off to brew several beers. I have been waiting to brew a Pittsburgh style beer for my brother-in-law Peter and my wife Kristen. They are from Pittsburgh and both(as am I) big fans of Yuengling. Peter's not an ale drinker and has been asking me for years to try to make a Yuengling clone. Unfortunately, I don't have the capability to lager. So the Yinzer Ale is going to be a 3 gallon batch. I'm hoping for it to be a lager-esque ale that is going to aim at being in the ballpark of Yuengling or Iron City.
Plus. it's very timely since my brother-in-law just got a long-awaited job in the video game industry. There isn't a more deserving person to be working in that world and its a rare opportunity that someone works their whole life to achieve a goal of doing something really cool, and he's well on his way. So congrats bro, and this beer is brewed in honor of you.
I'm going to finally be brewing La Libertad. I had the idea when I was in California in September to brew a "west coast style" Pale Ale. I had the recipe kicking around in my head and then after buying a sixer of Anchor's Liberty Ale after I got back from my trip, I decided I'd aim for something similar. I was lucky enough to get 2oz of Cascade hops right before the hop shortage.
Also I'm planing on brewing the Big Ticket Brown Ale, but I'm still working on the label. It's going to use the Fat Tire yeast, not exactly sure what the beer is going to be yet, but I have an idea.

Some other random beer thoughts: I wasn't aware that Schell's Snowstorm was a rotating recipe. Jeff really liked it and told me about it, I thought I'd had it last year but then I found out it's new every year. This year is a Belgian dubble. It's really good, fruity and has a nice redish brown body.
Also, I've been drinking one of my favorite winter beers- Bell's Winter White. This is Belgian white ale (wit) and is one of the best. It's got a sweet flavor and a presence of coriander at the end. It's a nice change of pace from all the winter ales. I love everything about this beer even down to the label.

-Bearded Brewer