Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Firestone - Double DBA (2012)

DDBA is our flagship beer brewed at double strength.  It is amazingly similar in many respects to our barrel fermented DBA and possesses everything we love about that beer times two.  English caramel malts lend rich toffee character that pairs well with assertive medium toast American oak barrels.

Specs:
  • Reserve Series no. 001
  • Production
    3500 Cases
  • Bottled date
    6/15/12
  • Fermentation
    Selectively fermented in the Firestone Union.
  • Malts
    Premium Two-Row, Maris Otter Pale, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate
  • Hops
    Bittering—Magnum; Late Kettle—Styrian Golding, East Kent Golding; Dry Hops—East Kent Golding
The ABV is 12.0 and the IBU rating is 29
Style - Barrel-Aged Barleywine
Glass to use- Snifter, Pint, Mug, Stein, Tulip, Oversized Wine Glass
Delivery 22oz Bottle

Can be cellared for long periods, under the proper conditions.

The Pour - Pours cloudy dark amber with a tan head.  Good lacing.
Aroma - Malty, sweet, vanilla from the barrel aging. 
Taste - Bourbon, sweet, caramel, toffee, vanilla bean, hints of oak tannins and malty.
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation, full body. Smooth finish.
Drinkable - This is a must find brew.  One of my favorite barrel-aged brews.  Very well balanced. Nice warm felling from the alcohol.  It gets better as it warms up to room temperature.  Okay a little confusion of the style of beer, it's called a Double DBA - Barrel-Aged Imperial Special Bitter, but on their website they call the style a barleywine.  Surprising since they have a Barleywine, Sucaba (Abacus).  Heck it taste like a barrel-aged barleywine so that's what I put in the description above. 

This beer pairs very with nutty cheeses such as; Asiago, Colby and Parmesan.

This beer gets a Duper rating of A-
BeerAdvocate Rating =91
Ratebeer Rating =99

Friday, September 21, 2012

The Bruery - 3 French Hens

Three French Hens is the third in the 12 Days/Years of Christmas Series. The Bruery again drew some inspiration from the name and decided that at least a portion of this beer had to be aged in French oak barrels. What they came out with is a bold and spicy Belgian Dark Strong Ale. This beer is designed to take the journey through time until 12 Drummers Drumming, but is a delightful holiday treat right off the shelf.

Release: Winter 2010/2011 (This beer has been retired)

75% Belgian-Style Dark Ale,25% Ale Aged in French Oak Barrels

The ABV is 10.0 and the IBU rating is 22.5
Style -Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Glass to use- Snifter, Tulip, Goblet, Oversized Wine Glass
Delivery 750ml Bottle

Can be cellared for long periods, under the proper conditions.

The Pour - Pours a dark brown color, and a tan head. Good lacing.
Aroma - Sweet and spicy, strong hint of apples. 
Taste -  Malty, sweet and malty. Some molasses, spices like clove maybe some nutmeg.
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation and body.
Drinkable - Very unusually, I like the blend of Belgian and oak aging.  Very well balanced.  Just a bit too sweet for me. 

This beer pair well with strong cheese and beef. Try it with BBQ.

This beer gets a Duper rating of B+
BeerAdvocate Rating =86
Ratebeer Rating =96

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Dogfish Head - Miles Davis, Bitches Brew (2012)

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis' 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough, we've created our own Bitches Brew -- a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads of imperial stout and one thread of honey beer with gesho root. It's a gustatory analog to Miles' masterpiece.

Featuring the album's iconic artwork, created by the late Mati Klarwein, on its label, Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew was unveiled at SAVOR, An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, on June 5, 2010, at the National Building Museum, Washington DC.
Haven't experienced the Bitches Brew album? Two 40th anniversary editions of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew -- a Legacy Edition and a deluxe Collector's Edition -- are available.
According to Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione, the ale is "the ultimate partner for chili or spicy curry chicken" and best enjoyed "sipped cool, not cold, from a snifter or red wine glass while listening to the Bitches Brew album."

Sam was drawn to the alchemical spirits in Bitches Brew right out of college, acquiring a copy of the album "within months of the first time I brewed a batch of homebrew in my apartment in New York City. I listened to it when I was writing my Dogfish business plan. I wanted Dogfish Head to be a maniacally inventive and creative brewery, analog beer for the digital age. You could say that my dream was to have Dogfish Head, in some small way, stand for the same thing in the beer world that Bitches Brew stands for in the jazz world. You can imagine how excited we are to be doing this project 17 years after I wrote that business plan."

"There's a spirit of innovation, of creativity and individuality, that's at the core of Miles' music," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "Sam and Dogfish Head approach their art from the same place and consequently the marriage is an easy and cool one."

Original Release Date: 06/2010
This release: 09/2012


The ABV is 9.0 and the IBU rating is 38
Style - Imperial Stout
Glass to use- Snifter, Tulip, Oversized Wine Glass
Delivery 750ml Bottle

Can be cellared for long periods, under the proper conditions.

The Pour - Pours black in color and a dark brown head.  Great lacing.
Aroma - Strong roasted malts, some cocoa. 
Taste - Roasted dark coffee, bitter dark chocolate are up front with spices hidden in the back.
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation, full body. Smooth finish.
Drinkable - Finally I found a bottle!  Actually DFH just released a new batch in September 2012. I was a bit disappointed because of the hype.  To me it taste like a normal stout, nothing special.  That being said, I enjoyed the brew and will have it again.

This beer pairs very with cheese, try it with a bowl of chili or curry chicken.

This beer gets a Duper rating of A-
BeerAdvocate Rating =92
Ratebeer Rating =99

Saturday, September 1, 2012

River Horse - Hipp-O-Lantern Imperial Pumpkin

A festive Ale brewed with pumpkin and molasses.  A variety of hand-crushed, whole spices set up an impressive aroma and well balanced taste.  8.5 abv, Available August - October

The ABV is 8.5 and the IBU rating is ??
Style - Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Glass to use- Pint Glass
Delivery 12oz Bottle

Not recommended for extended cellaring.

The Pour - Pours an amber color with a big tan head.  Some lacing.
Aroma - Spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. Also a bit of pumpkin.
Taste - Malty, sweet, pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon some grains almost bready.
Mouth Feel - Medium carbonation and body.
Drinkable - Nice brew, it compares well with the other imperial pumpkins on the market.  Not quite as good as Weyerbacher or DFH but well worth a try.  I will purchase this again.  I did not notice the molasses that the brewer used.  Did not notice the alcohol though it's at 8%. 

This beer pair well with chicken or turkey and sharp cheese.  Try it with pumpkin pie.

This beer gets a Duper rating of A-
BeerAdvocate Rating =90
Ratebeer Rating =85