Allagash: Fluxus

Sometimes you are just given a beer and you have no idea when to drink it. Not because you don't want to, just because you hold that beer in high regards and don't want to waste it in the wrong setting, during the wrong event. I got this beer for Beermas, of course, and I decided now was a time better than any for the reason that Allagash Brewing was hosting this weeks edition of #BeerChat!



This is a beer that I did not know much about. Just that it was brewed by one of my favorite breweries. That list is pretty short (4), so it goes to show you I actually care. I did a quick Google search and found out that this is actually an anniversary ale that gets rebooted every July. They state they do this to give their brewers a chance to push the limits of beer. I also learned that Fluxus is Latin for "Continuous Change". This year Fluxus is a Strong Golden Ale brewed with a mixture of stuff.

Allagash Fluxus is a beer of continuous change. Brewed differently every year to commemorate our anniversary, this year's Fluxus is a strong golden ale brewed with a mix of barley and spelt, and spiced with both green and pink peppercorns. It was lightly hopped using Northern Brewer, Cascade and Saaz varieties. It was then fermented with with a yeast indigenous to the northern region of Belgium.

The resulting beer is a hazy, golden colored ale with herbal and spice notes throughout. The aroma is both fruity, with hints of mango, and spicy, with notes of clove and pepper. The medium body gives way to a subtle malt presence and dry finish, with a surprising residual sweetness and a mild peppery heat.

7.7% ABV. Released July 2012.

I have only had one beer that used Pink Peppercorns before. It was a collaboration beer between New Belgium and Elysian. Maybe I will be able to draw some differences off from that beer... probably not though. I really did not know what I was looking for then, and not sure now. That beer was an IPA, this is a Stong Golden Ale, Belgian Inspired.



The first thing I noticed when opening Fluxus is how funky the air around me got. That good ole, Belgian yeast stink I think I would call it. Into the glass it is very golden and poured a big fluffy white head that has some great staying power. I wonder where they got hazy from in their description because mine is as clear as the glass I poured it into. The nose is spicy and sweet. Maybe a little bit of bubble gum. That funk comes into play, too... in case you were wondering.

Spice attacks as soon as you take the first sips of this beer. It tingles and kind of gives your tongue that numb feeling from when you visit the dentist. It just doesn't taste like whatever they do to you there. Very grainy and highly fruity & sweet. I wish I could describe the underlying flavor in this one but it has a lot to do with the Belgian yeast used to ferment it I would say. Just the character is very distinct. Maybe pears & apples kind of describe what I am trying to get at. Medium to full bodied, quite a bit of carbonation.

Overall, I think Allagash knew exactly what they were doing when they put this together... 7.7% does not feel like 7.7%. I cannot taste it but for sure feeling it. The 2012 version is damn good and you can't stop drinking it. I like spice, so for me, this was great. If you don't, maybe not so much but I definitely recommend it. I am very interested to see how the recipes change over the years.

Here is another really cool reason you should get this beer. I just had to share.

Allagash Fluxus is brewed to help fund a scholarship set up for pediatric nurses at The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center. For details on the great work that they do there, go to mmc.org.

Cheers!

Brewery Weekend Part Duex!

To think that was not enough...

We went out to The Bruery the next day. I drank all but two beers they had on their menu. Met up with a few Friends while we were there so that made everything that much better... did not limit the amount I drank though.



The Bruery is pretty much a top notch place. There was not a single beer they served me that I did not like. Well, there was one, but it was just not my style. Salt of The Earth. The first Gose style brew I had and it was far too Salty for my taste.

Don't let that keep you from trying it though. I plan to taste everything else in that style I can find until I decide that it is, or is not right for me. Just think if I kept trying to drink BMC. I would not be the Beer Snob I am today.



I ended up taking home a growler of Iniquitous, a "10% ABV Belgian Golden Strong Ale" that is really only 8.1%. As long as they are consistent, right?

Damn good brew though. I will not take that away from them. I honestly did not want to share, and if you knew me, you would know this is weird as hell. I am known as the guy who bring WAY too much beer to everything. I just think it is a wonderous thing and is meant to be shared with everyone. So, if I am in your neck of the woods expect to have too much beer to drink!

This place seems to know exactly what they are doing. I will miss the LA CraftBeer scene once I am gone. Though, I am sure I will find out that the beer where ever I am is just as amazing.

After leaving The Bruery, we went out to 38 Degree's Alehouse and I had a flight of brews there. They have great food, a great atmosphere, and while all of their servers do not know everything about beer, they are honestly trying.



Alex, our server for the night, admitted he did not know everything about the beer there (but to be fair, they have like 40 rotating taps or something and a huge bottle list, I am surprised he knew as much as he did) but he was always tasting new things and learning everything he could. He was very knowledgeable for how little he said he knew. He was also talking to us about the owner and how he was pretty good with beer and picked some of the best ones available for his restaurant.

If you are ever in the area, I would definetly go out there. It will be well worth your time.

Brewery Weekend

This weekend was a crazy one. I went to Stone, The Lost Abbey/Port, Bootlegger, The Bruery, and 38 Degrees Ale House (ok, so I know this one is not a brewery, but they have a damn good selection of beer and know what they are doing).

First off, I would like to say that Stone is an AMAZING brewery. They are kind of what I imagined every brewery would be like but... as I found out... I was wrong.



Their tour guides are amazing. Jessica Wilson, did a great job with literally everything. Nikkee thought she may have been pregnant with the way she was "nursing" her beer and stuff but what do I know. I was more excited to be inside the actual brewery. I was literally having "beergasms" apparently... but what do I care? I saw pallets upon pallets of beer, grain, a whole closet full of hops, a test batch of 11-11-11 (I was spying), and the bottling line in motion. I was in heaven.



The best part of the tour, was the tasting at the end. The free beer was totally amazing. I have never tasted an Arrogant Bastard that was that damn good. I wish I would have gotten a growler of that, but I guess that is why they are refillable :D



Note: Do not order the Spud Buds. We did not like them at all, the waitress said no body liked them at all, and she did not like them at all. I guess some people must like them but you have been warned...


(sign meant for my mouth)

Here is a video of the bottling line. The first part is cool, but we were rushed at the end.



After leaving Stone, we went to The Lost Abbey/Port Brewing.


Apparently I was talking to The Owner of the Brewery... I wish I would have known that while I was there. I loved talking to him but I just thought he was a bartender (at this point I was NOT drunk, but we had just left Stone literally 5 minutes prior and I began drinking immediately). He was a really cool guy and had great beer suggestions. I did not like his female replacements that came just about as we were leaving... though, one was totally in fish nets... I love fish nets...

I wish I would have picked up on his clues that he ran the place. There were some good little conversations, but I would have went further if I knew who the hell I was talking to.

This place had a really nice environment. Not really a family place, like I thought Stone was, but a really cool place nonetheless. We were sitting on sand bags. Someone told me that this was the old location of Stone's brewery. I honestly cannot imagine that but I guess everyone has to get started somewhere.

This was the first location that I realized that a brewery did not have to be a fancy, "corporation" type of location in order to make a great product. It really opened my eyes to the world of brewers and the making of craft beer.

I left here with a Growler of 2009 Santa's Little Helper.


It was at this point that Nikkee wanted to go to Bootleggers... I did not want to go.. I know my limits and I know I would have passed them... Let me just say I did...

So I don't really want to talk bad about a place but there was only one brew here I liked... and that was Black Phoenix. I knew I liked that one before going, and that is the only one I liked after going...

This night did not end well. I will just leave you with that for now...

A Growler Hunting I Will Go...

I just want to start off by saying, "Happy Anniversary To Me!!!!!!!!!!!"


Anyway, Now that that is over with, Since I guess this anniversay is about me. I want to go get a few Growlers. One from Stone, The Lost Abbey, Bootleggers, and The Bruery. There are others I want but I guess that will have to come another day. Actually thinking about it, trying to get to all of those locations in one day is pretty ambitious... So, why not turn this weekend into a BEER WEEKEND!

I kind of have this Bucket list of things I want to do/places I want to go before I ship off to BCT and since I got all dorky into beer this past year they all pretty much revolve around that.

1. Go To Eagle Rock Brewing Co.
2. Go To LadyFace Ale & Brassier
3. Go To Stone Brewing Co.
4. Watch Ghost Busters.
5. Eat A 12 Egg Omlette
6. Go to Sierra Nevada (hopefully for beer camp)
7. Go to Deschutes... etc, etc.

There are several other breweries and events on there that I want to go to but that list can go on forever. I only have a couple of months left so I have to pick and choose... though, I am doing some that didn't even make the original cut.

Details later.