New Belgium: Heavenly Feijoa

It has been a while since I opened up this beer, April 7th to be exact, but I wanted to get my notes out there especially since I am about to open up the two new offerings; Pluot and Paardebloem. I drank this one not too long after Cascara Quad and now I see a bunch of people digging in for the first time.

One thing I realized about my New Belgium Love, is the fact that on their website they have a Beer Masher. While it is not a complete list of all of their products, it is quite close. I have had all but 7 of the beers listed on there. If you would like a shot at guessing which 7, go ahead. For now I will continue to track down each and every beer of theirs I can and hopefully make another brewery trip.



This beer I really enjoyed, but it was not like any other that I have had... though, almost every trippel, tripel, triple, however you want to spell it, they were all pretty different. I guess it is the selection of the ones I chose.

Copper beer below a white, fluffy head. Fruity on the nose. Pineapple and a bit sour. Some odd but good, juicy flavors. Mango and pretty full bodied. Not as good as a few others I had, but I still enjoyed this as a Faith beer. Cannot wait to crack the others open and see how this quarters beers are.

Cheers!

Stone, Evil Twin, Stillwater: The Perfect Crime

The Perfect Crime is another collaboration beer that I picked up just because, well it was a new Stone Release and I have tried pretty much all of the collaborations. I have been reading a lot of mixed reviews of this one so I was not sure what to expect. Especially now since the bottle has about 4 or 5 months on it. I was not sure how or if the smoke character would come through.



The interesting thing about this beer is that Stone brought together some of the "Gypsy Brewers". Mitch Steele talks about that a little bit on the back of the bottle.

I first heard the term "gypsy brewer" in reference to Mikkel Borg-Bjergsø, back in 2008, when we brewed our very first collaboration beer with Mikkel and Peter Zien of AleSmith. And now we are thrilled to welcome two more famous gypsy brewers to our brewery: Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin Brewing (Mikkel's brother-hence the name) and Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal Ales.

Jeppe and Brian have brewed together before, and both have excellent pedigrees in brewing unique Belgian-inspired beers. Their shady influence was felt throughout the brewing of this mysterious black beer, and we were excited to be able to brew it.

I know of one other story on the back of the bottle, I am sure there is a third but I have not heard it. Over at Daily Beer Review you can read one take on the back of the bottle.

So, The Perfect Crime poured pitch black and it had a nice creamy tan head. I picked up some plum, spice, a little bit of smoke and pear on the nose. I was expecting more smoke, but like I said this is an "aged" bottle. Only a couple of months... or maybe it was not that smokey to begin with...

Smoke was the first thing to roll across my tongue, for sure though. Toffee and that plum flavor followed. It is very fruity and light bodied. I am not really seeing anything saison about this. It drinks more like a dubbel to me... way lighter in body, but that is what I think of as I take each sip. I actually enjoy this one even though it taste nothing like what I was expecting.

Cheers!

Olde Hickory: The Bean

Bottle Revolution has teamed up with Olde Hickory Brewery and together they created, The Bean. Bottle Revolution has been around for almost a year and a half and do not seem to be losing any steam. I know this isn't exactly an anniversary beer but I wonder if Bottle Revolution will go ahead and create a similar tradition to Bottleworks. I think just about any local brewery would agree to make a second anniversary ale and then see what happens from there. Bottle Revolution is kind of World Renowned.



Bottleworks is the only other bottle shop I know that has had a brewery make a special beer for them. They are located back home in Seattle. I am sure others may have done it, but I cannot think of one other instance. Bottleworks has gotten with some pretty big breweries in the past for their anniversary beers. You may have had or remember quite a few of them. #9 From Russian River, #10 From New Belgium, #11 From Big Sky, #12 From The Bruery, & #13 From Stone. That was as far back as I could confirm, and I wonder who is going to take #14...

Anyway though, I kind of got way off target. Here is the Bottle Revolution Announcement.

Olde Hickory Brewery has brewed a beer for us!!! Behold: 'The Bean' is a stout with vanilla beans & coffee. The quick story on the lovely pooch in the picture: Bean is my dog, an SPCA adoptee ... and one of the most fabulous dogs you'll ever meet.

With that said, The Bean.



This beer came as an instant shock to me when I popped it open and poured it. Nothing unusual. It had a deep, dark brown appearance and a small tan head that dissipated rather quickly. Probably as a result of the coffee bean oils. But when I took my first whiff of this one... SPICY SPICE SPICE in my nose. It was not overly spicy or even hot for that matter. Just the coffee came off a lot stronger there than I was expecting. Though, don't get me wrong it is not that strong on the nose at all either. Confusing, huh? Go get one.

The Bean had a fairly light body and a rush of coffee initially. You get a little bit of chocolate and vanilla that help to smooth things out and the carbonation just bubbles around your mouth in a fairly nice manner. This stout is pretty sweet but very easy drinking. I poured it at 52f, but it gets better as you drink it. Each sip is better than the previous.

If you are expecting a radical, out of control beer, this is not it. The Bean is well crafted and I feel it goes back to the basics of what a beer should be. More brewers should do this. Take a step back and brew a good beer instead of trying to push the envelope. Personally, I would have expected this beer to have a bit more roast character to it but that may have been cut back due to the coffee and vanilla flavors in it. I am not sure what BJCP styles this one was brewed to specifically, but I feel it is a great example of 13B, Sweet Stout. 4/5

Cheers!

Mo Betta Bretta vs Brett Beer

I don't think I have had the opportunity to drink two beers side by side that were the same beer but by different brewers. This one was going to be a real treat. Especially since I have never had Mo Betta Bretta before but I did get to experience Brett Beer at the New Belgium Brewery. Also, being I cannot get beers from The Lost Abbey here, @LouieM23 sent me a bottle.

From The Lost Abbeys blog.

A long time ago (well, 2004) in a Pizza Port not so far away (Solana Beach, CA), Tomme Arthur and New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert brewed an all Brettanomyces beer they called Mo’ Betta Bretta.

In April of this year Peter flew from Colorado and the two joined forces once again — this time at The Lost Abbey — to do a refresh of that beer. Below is a video of what happened that day. The beer was released at the brewery on June 9th and should be hitting shelves near you the week of the June 18th.

Here are the facts from the New Belgium page on the beer.

The best part of collaboration is discovering mutual passions. With Lost Abbey, it is the wild, Belgian yeast Brettanomyces. The Lost Abbey Collaboration is brewed simply with pale malts, accompanied by Target, Centennial and Sorachi Ace hops for a hint of citrus. But the brettanomyces is in the spotlight; a full brett fermentation offers bold pineapple overtones and a funky, sour edge. The shining, golden shade is specked with haze, and the beer is warming and dry. The Lost Abbey Collaboration is full of wild wonder and will leave you wanting more.

Going through all that, I was wondering how I would like it. I decided to start with The Lost Abbey version of the beer, Mo Betta Bretta.



The Mo Betta Bretta was pretty nice. Dry and grainy but there was enough citrus on the back end to make it pleasing. The beer had a great body and a nice bubbling sensation in the mouth. Not too floral or spicy but a great herbal character. I expected it to be more sour than it was but I guess that was not the approach of this beer. Something I would drink day in and day out. An excellent beer.



Now it was time to move onto the New Belgium Beer. I thought the Brett Beer was very bready and the Belgian tones were more in your face than that of the Mo Betta. The graininess of this beer was fairly light by comparison though it did still have that poppy bubbly feeling. The spiciness of the beer was at a minimum. I heard that this version was accidentally pasteurized. I don't know if that has anything to do with it but you know.

Maybe it was not a good idea to do these two side by side because I feel they are both excellent beers but when looking at them like this, the Mo Betta Bretta is clearly the better beer. I could only look back on my notes for it while I was drinking the Brett Beer. I guess that goes to show you though.

Cheers!

Vrienden

This is one of the beers that I loved and I was happy when I was able to find it again after having to get rid of my whole bottle collection :'(. I guess at the time I never had a use for the bottles. Kind of keeping them for nostalgia purposes. I am sure the men and women of New Belgium would be proud but many others just see it as clutter. I hate those people. HAHA! JK! I still wish I had my bottles though.

To this day, I have still never had the Allagash Version of it, but now that I live considerably closer to their brewery... though, I am not counting on finding this "Colabeeration".

Get a Belgian Brewmaster and a Master of Belgian Brewing together and there's sure to be spontaneous imagination that leads to micro-organisms mingling in fermentation bliss! Bliss! BLISS! Allagash and New Belgium are pleased to offer you our CollaBeerAtion Vrienden.

This beer is an ale brewed with Hibiscus and Endive. Very amazing on my first go around so I am hoping it is just as great this time. Though, I know nothing about how it was stored before it came into my hands or how long this beer was even built to last. I guess we will see... right?

Brewed with the slightly fruity hibiscus flower, the aromatic Brettanomyces, and the flavor-boosting Lactobacillus. We recommend pairing it with creamy, soft cheeses and charming Vrienden-That's "Friends" in Flemish. Enjoy.

I did not pair this beer, and I was fairly selfish :p I guess maybe that is a bad thing but only few I know could appreciate something this amazing.

Though, I guess I got to it too late :'(. It still had that sour nose with hints of fruity, lemony, orange peel? Somebody tell me what hibiscus is supposed to be like. Lame, I know. I am missing one of the major aspects of this beer due to inexperience. The sourness is now very mellow. It was never too big before but it kind of dampened off. Not like I remember it. A bit of kick in the back, but nothing overwhelming. It doesn't even really have that funkiness I loved before. It is more dry and spicy now. I guess it is not a full loss, but still. A beer I loved lost to the hands of time. Maybe a rerelease? That would be awesome. Or am I just living unreal New Belgium Fan Boy Dreams?

Cheers!

La Citrueille Celeste De Citracado

La Citrueille Celeste De Citracado




An interesting beer for sure, and a very interesting collaboration. I always wondered how Stone decided which breweries they were going to work with, especially since they always work with two others. All the other breweries I can think of, when they do a collaboration, only work with one brewery. So it got me to thinking. It turns out this one makes complete sense! Stone decided to brew with Patrick Rue and Tyler King of The Bruery and Dick Cantwell of Elysian Brewing.

So besides The Bruery being a kick ass company I haven't really made the connection with them but the beer has more meaning toward them. The name of this beer breaks down to, "The Heavenly Pumpkin of Citracado", ... whatever that really means but they seemed to have spelled "Citrueille" wrong. "Citrouille" is French for pumpkin and I guess that has a link to The Bruery because this was done purposely in honor of Patrick Rue. They also suggested the link of using yams in this beer, along with other ingredients. I have the Stone label, but apparently there are two others. One to represent each brewery. Elysian and my favorite, The Bruery. This one is just funny.

Now, I don't know many other brewers that know a ton about brewing with pumpkins than The Elysian Brewing Company. I guess Mitch Steele at Stone doesn't either. Every year they host The Great Pumpkin Beer Festival and I think that is exactly what they were going for. A great background in brewing and the brewers to match. The pumpkins were grown over at the Stone Farms, which apparently just got an upgrade.

Well, I guess I already broke the first rule of this beer. The whole "Drink Fresh" thing, I just threw out of the window. But I had this beer once it was first released. This is my second bottle. It just happens to be about 9 months later... I notice the differences but I wish I took better tasting notes the first time around. I thought it was more enjoyable aged. I really liked it fresh, if that helps to put it into perspective.

It was almost pitch black on first look but when you put it up into the light, a deep ruby color graced the glass. It poured a tan head and smelled a little bit of lemon and, can you smell pumpkin in a beer? The sweetness is this beer leaves in your mouth is magnificent. The yams and pumpkin do this beer good. It drinks really light but it sits at 5%. Maybe that has something to do with it. A nice low carb, Damn Good... even though it is not fresh.

I hope I can make it to the Pumpkin Fest this year... even though I am all the way on the other side of the country. Though, it is home. Maybe a visit to the family is in order... and to see what Elysian brews this year.

Cheers!

Ovila Tasting

Back home, for just a little bit anyway, about to move onto my next Duty Station but got to take a little bit of time to live carefree. I went over to a buddies house and brought over a few delights that I had been holding onto for a while. I really had no idea when I was going to drink these bottles and I thought I would have done so already, but yup, no better time than now.




It only made sense that we started at the first released and worked our way to the last released. I hear that they created a new version of the Dubbel and I am wondering if I got that one or if this is a bottle of the original. I think I picked this bottle up in Julyish...

Either way, I think this one is a lot better than the original I had. I do not know if the beer, in March 2011, was too young or if that version just had more of a bite than this one. It was great, if the old version, it mellowed out amazingly, if the new, they knew exactly what to fix. Dark fruits, raisins, a bit of a sweetness made this beer great.




Next came the Saison, originally released in June of 2011, I believe. It was spicy up front, the yeast bite for sure must have played a role. There was a weird flavor over top but I have no idea what it was. Great flavor though. It was tingly and fruity. Not my favorite saison but pretty solid.


Oh, the Quad. I have never had this beer before today. I bought a bottle of it, once released in November 2011, and it has been waiting for me ever since. I love everything that this beer stands for. It is a great example of the style. I am hoping I can get my hands on barrel aged version once it comes out but I would love to just have this one over and over again. Very malty and the dark fruits were just miraculous. It had a major boozy nose but it did not burn like other beers. When drinking it the warming sensation you feel is to die for. Fig. Yeah, Fig.

This is such a great series and I plan to pick up the 4 packs of Dubbel once they are released. The Saison is supposedly being replaced by a Golden Ale I believe, and the Quad is just being revamped all the way around apparently. I want to locate the few bottles left while I still can.

Cheers!

Conflux No 1: Collage

So one thing I find hilarious about this collaboration, which no one else in the world will find funny, is that the first time I have been to both of these breweries was on the same day. Check it out.

But Anyway, Here we Go...

Collage is actually the first beer in the Conflux series, but it was the second to be released. Back when Number 2 came out I thought I had missed the first one and I was bummed as all hell, but figured oh well. When I heard about the beer dinners for the release I tried to figure out everything so bad in order to make it but my flights would not make it in time. I have 3 of the 4 beers used and I am hoping that the 4th is released anywhere I can get it.





I love how this is one of the first times I was able to appropriately use my glass with a beer. It was oh, so refreshing. Collage DEFINITELY smelled like a Hair of the Dog Beer. This kind of surprised me being I thought it would be more of a Deschutes ale. The two companies came together and, if I understand this right, blended their Dissident, The Stoic (which I have a bottle of in the cellar), Fred, and Adam in several casks. I do not know how they did it but wow... I cannot believe this beer exist.

In the nose I cannot describe what I am smelling, exactly. If you have ever been to Hair Of The Dog, you know the scent I am talking about and I also get a tingly sweetness of a barrel. The mouthfeel was incredibly thick and in the taste, dark fruits are predominately what I experienced. Maybe like a black raspberry. Boozy and warming but it is not overpowering. Very well done... Bravely Done. Overall I found this to be a pretty good beer... but I messed it up, big time.





I failed to realize that they put a BEST AFTER date on the bottle... 4/30/13. Wow, I had to run up to 99 Bottles to grab another. I am glad that it just came out and is kind of easy to get a hold of. I would have hated myself for a while about this one haha! I have no idea when I am going to open this beer again, but I am for sure looking forward to it. Great once, even greater then. If I can find The Dissident... even if I can't, I have plans for the day I open this one up. Wait and see...

Cheers!