November 27 Tasting Recap

What an EPIC tasting! So many beers, so little time...

Anchor Our Special Ale 2010, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale mini vertical 09/10, Estate Ale, 30th Anniversary Imperial Helles Bock, Real Ale Brewhouse Brown Ale, Rio Blanco Pale Ale, and Full Moon Pale Rye Ale, Deschutes The Abyss 09, Freetail La Muerta 10, Storm King 09 (with Amy's ice cream), Founders Backwoods Bastard and Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, New Holland Dragon's Milk, Dogfish Head Saison Du BUFF, Weyerbacher Riserva, Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale, Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve 10, New Belgium 2 Below and Ranger IPA, Lienenkugel's Honey Weiss, Darkside Fermentation Belgian Pale, Ska Brewing Euphoria Pale Ale, Ten FIDY, Orange Four LOKO, and homebrew- Stu's Blue Moon Clone, Ken's Imperial Stout and Northwestern Pale Ale, Britt's Belgian Blonde ale.



I'll start with the big stouts.

09 Abyss smelled and tasted like black licorice, smoke, and powerfully raw. The beer was slightly sour, but this only added to it, rather than detract from it. Alcohol is painfully present. feels super thick on the tongue. I enjoyed the remaining dregs in my coffee the next day.

La Muerta (bottle 155 of 450)was very good as well, thick and smoky with more chocolate than I expected. The smoothness of it all made it a star. Big, juicy flavors with a creamy feel. A very impressive Imperial Stout, and deserving of it's star status.

The Dragon's Milk was a real treat also- very smooth and subtle tastes of vanilla and oak.

Kentucky Breakfast Stout was kick-ass as usual. Though not altogether a rare beer, it's pretty hard to get here in Texas. We have to trade for the stuff, so when it comes through, it's a real treat. KBS is one of my favorite all-time beers for it's sheer force of flavor. It's got tons of booziness, bourbon, and roastiness.



The Sierra Nevada Celebration mini-vertical affirmed what I thought would be the only probable outcome. The beer did not get any better after a year. 09 felt more like a 'pretty good' malty pale ale than an excellent fresh IPA. Everything that makes this beer good was lost. Hop flavor and bitterness were nearly gone, muted, cardboardy, just...bleh. Everything you would think a year old IPA could be.

Weyerbacher Riserva 10 was almost painfully sour. Tart rasberry and a thick mouthfeel. Sour and sweet to the extreme. This is on the top of my 'to-get' list. There was a sticker on this year's release claiming it to be more tart than ever. I say, bring it on! Nothing hits the spot like a vinnegary, tart, rasberry ale.

Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve 10 is one of those few Texas beers that people go crazy for. Nearly every store had sold out of this stuff on the second day (or before) after the release. Andrew and I were lucky enough to find some at Whip-In, where we were limited to two bottles. Thanks Dipak! I know you catch a lot of flak for having a two bottle limit, but when something like the Divine Reserve comes out, people have been known to buy out a store's entire stock, usually by camping in the parking lot at every store in town and paying customers to buy for them. This type of behavior got really crazy last year when DR9 came out. The beer sold out in a day and its rarity was hyped up and trade value inflated ridiculously. It's really saddening that many Texans and Saint Arnold's fans didn't get to taste DR9 or DR10 because they were greedily snatched up and stuffed into dark corners for out-of-state trades. I could get preachy on the subject, as it's something I feel strongly about- a few jerks making it difficult for everyone else by inflating the value of a Texas local to the point that we have to fight for a sip...but I digress. DR10 is a wonderful beer. Brewer Brock Wagner told customers not to drink this beer for a year, but we just had to. It's a nice english barleywine, with lots of fruity notes, really boozy and not overwhelming with the hops. It's a good example of the style and I'm looking forward to opening our other bottle next year when DR11 comes out.

Year-old Storm King and Storm King Ice Cream made by Amy's in Austin was delicious. Both the beer and the ice cream are great on their own, but together it was a masterpiece. I've experimented with beer floats before, but this tops them all.


A few IPAs made it to the party- namely Brooklyn East India Pale Ale, New Belgium Ranger IPA, and Sierra Nevada Estate Homegrown Wet Hop Ale. Estate, of course, was overflowing with wet hop goodness. Clean, bitter, resinous- just about everything you would expect from the magic that is Sierra Nevada. Ranger and East IPA were great as well. Both are in my top favorite year-round beers. I love Brooklyn's version for it's subtle floral notes. Not agressive with the hops at all- very balanced and easy to drink. Ranger, on the other hand, is brimming with grapefruit and other citrus notes, and slightly more bitter than EIPA. MMMM Hops!

Another very special beer worth mentioning is the Belgian Pale 3 by Darkside Fermentation in San Marcos. I know I've blogged about this before, but I just can't get over how fantastic a small Central Texas brewer is able to capture the Belgian style so perfectly. Really, if you ever find yourself in San Marcos, pick up a bottle or 10- you won't be disappointed.


And finally, a very special beer, and, unfortunately, a retired one. This beer pours a beautiful amber/orange color with a thin head, smells and tastes of orange peels and... ass. What is this beer, you ask? Why it's Four LOKO! in Orange flavor no less. We poured this bad boy into a wine glass in order to preserve it's subtle nuances of flavor and smell. You don't want to overlook the complexities and craftsmanship of this beer. Truly, it's one of a kind. Some others may disagree with my score, but I would give it 4.5 bus stop skanks out of a possible 5 bus stop skanks. And that's saying something! So long, lovely Four LOKO. You will be missed.




There are a few brews I didn't mention specifically in this blog. Partially because there just isn't enough time to go through them one by one. (This tasting exploded with over 30 different beers) Partially because I want to spotlight some beers in future blogs. Soon, I'll be doing a 'Tour of Texas Beer' and giving full reviews on every Tejas beer I can get my hands on, including Real Ale's regular lineup- Brewhouse Brown Ale, Rio Blanco Pale Ale, and Full Moon Pale Rye Ale.

There were a few beers that night that I couldn't commit to memory. Yes, it was my own fault for being too drunk to remember, but hey-what can I say? Wouldn't you have done the same? I have this to say, however- Ska Brewing's Euphoria Pale Ale in the can- though I didn't get a big taste of it really wowed me. I want to get my hands on some more of this, but I've never seen it before. Same is true of the New Belgium 2 Below. ESB (extra special bitter) isn't my favorite style, but there's something bright and warm about the hops in this one.

Before I end this post, however, I want to thank especially the homebrewers that brought their own beers for our enjoyment- Stu, thanks for the Blue Moon clone. Ken, thanks for the growler of Northwestern Pale Ale and the barrel aged Russian Imperial. Britt, thanks for bringing the Belgian Blonde (my girlfriend really liked it). Until next month, friends, when I open a 13 year old Sam Adams Triple Bock and who knows what else- be safe on the road and remember to Drink Beer & Have Fun! See you guys next month!