Tag Archives: Lagunitas

Musings On Aging Beers

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I am just going to touch on this subject today but do plan on coming back to it in the future. I have recently started opening up my beer cellar, which consists mostly of barley wines and imperial stouts. So far, in the past year or so, I have tried about 40 vintage beers. The only one I have found a noticeable flaw in was an 09 Stone Old Guardian in February 2012. This was in no way Stone’s fault and likely due to poor storage (which could be a variety of things, the beer may have had a rough trip back from Florida, the closet was certainly not at the ideal temperature and from what I have heard, sometimes this stuff just happens). Either way, the beer tasted a lot like cardboard which would make sense as the beer was fairly light in color and probably developed a significant amount of aldehyde. Fortunately, everything other vintage beer I have tried turned out much as I suspected. I noticed a particularly large difference between years in Lagunitas products such as Old Gnarlywine. These aged barley wines were good but in every case including a side by side of Firestone Walker’s Abacus and Sucaba, I preferred the fresh version. Perhaps, I am just not a huge fan of the sherry like flavors that tend to develop with them. With that said, I have had some phenomenal aged imperial stouts such as Bell’s Expedition Stout that blew me away after sitting a few years. I have also had some extremely pleasant experiences with aged sour browns such a four year old New Belgium La Folie. Ultimately, I am leaning towards drinking beers fresh, but vintage beers can be a nice treat. I have also heard that Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg’s Samichlaus has legendary aging capabilities. Here is a slightly more in depth look at some of the basic chemical processes that tend to go with aging of beer http://www.professorbeer.com/articles/oxidative_staling_beer.html

Now that you know what to expect, experiment and enjoy! Please add any thoughts and I do plan on returning to this subject as I learn more!

News And Links

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Lagunitas has announced plans for a new production brewery in Chicago via Twitter.
http://www.beerpulse.com/2012/04/lagunitas-brewing-to-open-new-brewery-in-chicago/

Mother’s Brewing Company is expanding distribution to Kansas City. I believe this is long overdue!
http://kcbeerblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/mothers-brewing-company-coming-to-kc.html

According to a new historical work “Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance” by Robert Unger, the Dutch funded their war of independence from Spain with taxes on beer.
http://news.yahoo.com/comes-war-beer-beats-silver-gold-180535886.html

I noticed this trend when I saw a Dogfish Head Midas Touch bottle proudly displayed alongside some of Belgium’s finest beers at De Halve Maan Brewery in Brugges. Here are some figures to back that assertion up!
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/10/world-gaining-taste-us-craft-beer/

Beers To Look Forward To This March!

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March 2012 is looking to be an excellent month for beer! Here are a few beers you should consider this month.

1) Sierra Nevada Hoptimum: Hotimum was one of the best Double IPAs I have ever had and this years 100 IBU bomb shell is looking even better. The 2012 Hoptimum will be filled with Citra, Simcoe, Chinook hops as well as a new proprietary hop variety developed by Sierra Nevada. Look for it in the next few weeks if it is not already out in your area.

2) Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout: This famous whiskey barrel aged stout needs no introduction. It is great, if you have not tried it, you need to and if you have tried it, you need more! This should arrive in vary limited quantities in stores by the end of the month.

3) Sierra Nevada Bigfoot: The folks at Sierra Nevada have been working very hard lately as it is also time for the annual release of Bigfoot! This big, hoppy barley wine is delicious now and will improve for several years. Its reasonable price, age-ability and yearly release makes it an excellent choice for vertical tastings.

4) Dogfish Head Urkontinent: This extremely unique Dogfish collaboration with Google (yes, I said Google) is being tentatively bottled right now. I was not able to find concrete release date information and it does not matter if you are in Missouri, because this beer wont be…Still, this beer should be worth hunting town or trading for. Here is a video about its construction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiFewPyLlQA&feature=youtu.be

4) Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot: Their website gives a release date of late February for this beer. I know it has not arrived in Missouri yet. Still, like nearly everything Lagunita’s produces should be deliciously hoppy and big. The Wilco Tango Foxtrot will also have a strong malt component to balance this imperial brown ale.

5) Schlafly Irish Style-Extra Stout: If you are looking for a great domestic beer to drink for St. Patrick’s Day, this is the beer for you. This foreign export stout is well balanced, slightly bitter, dark and tasty.

6) Lagunitas Imperial Red: This red ale is exceptionally complex and contains a lot of green hops balanced by enough malt to keep everything together. If you ignore the fact that Irish beers were traditionally not heavily hopped, it is another good choice for St. Patrick’s Day.

7) New Belgium Dig: A great spring session beer. Dig uses both Sorachi Ace and Nelson Sauvin hops in conjunction with some American varieties such as Cascade to produce a zesty pale ale.

8 ) Odell Red Ale: The Odell Red is another American take on the red ale style. It is piney and citrus-y with a mild, sweet malt to back it up.

9) Firestone Walker Sucaba: Formerly known as Abacus, the Sucaba is a beer beyond description. In fact, the 2011 Abacus is one of my favorite beers of all time. While I have not yet tried the Sucaba, I expect it to hold up to its forebearers. Think toffee, vanilla, caramel and so much more. Extremely complex and delicious.

5 Unique And Awesome Beers To Consider This New Years Eve

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Happy New Years Eve! I am a Champagne or sparkling wine proponent for your NYE toast. With that said, I believe there are a few beers that are not only appropriate as an alternative to sparkling wines but excellent in their own right and should be considered either in stead of, or in conjunction with a sparkling wine.

1) Mikkeller: Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Brut The Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Brut is of My Favorite Beers of 2011. “This is the perfect beer to drink on New Years or anytime for that matter. It is truly fantastic, lots of funk, a little white wine and citrous, just fantastic. It is expensive for a beer, but $20 is still cheap compared to a good champagne.”

2) Weihenstephan & Doemens: 1809 Berliner Style Weisse This authentic interpretation of the Berliner Weisse style is simply delicious. This tart wheat hods a special significance to me, as I recently earned a masters degree in history and predominantly focused on modern Germany. The Berliner Weisse beer was toasted by Napoleon’s Army after their Prussian victory in 1809. The historical significance alone makes this beer an excellent choice for New Years Eve but, as I mentioned earlier, this beer is very tasty in its own right.

3) Samuel Adams: Infinium The inclusion of the Infinium, on this list, should surprise no one. After all, the Infinium was specifically brewed to be a champagne like beer. It is also pretty good. The Infinium is highly carbonated, fairly sweet and yeasty with some fruitiness.

4) Any Gueuze This variation of a lambic is one of my favorite styles for any occasion. It is especially pertinent on New Years Eve. These dry, musty, cidery, complex sours are often considered the beer equivalent to champagne. Some good and readily available gueuzes to try are St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition, Hanssens Oude Gueuze, Oud Beersel Oude Geuze and Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze. If you can find anything from Cantillon, that would also be a stellar choice!

5) Lagunitas: Lagunitas Sucks Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Leftovers This is Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale in a different package. You have probably seen me write a lot about this beer. That is simply because it is good. The Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Leftovers is perfect for anyone’s New Years Eve festivities!

My Favorite Beers of 2011

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I know this list is entirely subjective. Sadly, there were many new beers that deserve to make this list that I was not fortunate enough to try and many that I simply forgot (it has been a very eventful year). Still 2011 was an excellent year for beer in my world and these are some of my favorites. Hopefully, 2012 has some tricks to compete! The list is in no particular order and I am trying to focus on beers that were new to 2011 (or at least new to bottles, if I am mistaken on some, I apologize), so classics such as Bell’s Hopslam and Chimay Grand Reserve are excluded.

1) Anchorage Brewing Company: Bitter Monk with a description like this “Belgian style double IPA with Brettanomyces. this ale is aged in french oak chardonnay barrels. Brewed with Apollo, Citra, and Simcoe hops. Dry hopped in the barrel with Citra hops. Triple fermented- First in the tank with a Belgian yeast, second in french oak chardonnay barrels with brett, and finally in the bottle with a third yeast for natural carbonation.” how can it be bad? The complex, funky taste lived up to the hype.

2) Mikkeller: Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Brut This is the perfect beer to drink on New Years or anytime for that matter. It is truly fantastic, lots of funk, a little white wine and citrous, just fantastic. It is expensive for a beer, but $20 is still cheap compared to a good champagne.

3) Jolly Pumpkin: Lupulo De Hielo This Michael Jackson’s Rare Beer Club exclusive is one of many reason I will continue to utilize that excellent service. This beer is crisp, funky and complex. Like many of Jolly Pumpkin’s offerings, world class all the way.

4) Boulevard: Collaboration No. 2 – White IPA This beer was the result of a collaboration with Deschutes Brewery. This beer retains some of the lightness and spice of a wit yet boasts some strong citrousy hops. In three words, it is beautiful.

5) New Belgium: Le Terroir Released for the first time in bottles this spring. This beer is astonishingly refreshing, tart and fruity.

6) Firestone Walker: Firestone 15-Aniversary Ale I am not sure where to begin on this one, this is an extremely complex blend of amazing beers. There are layers upon layers of delicious flavors, including toffee, bourbon, coffee, dark fruits and the list goes on.

7) Lagunitas: Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Do not let the clever, self depreciating name fool you. This American double IPA is astounding. It contains about everything I could ever hope for from an IPA and I have all but forgotten about Brown Shugga. I can not wait for “Leftovers”.

8 ) Founders: Canadian Breakfast Stout Bottled for the first time in 2011. This maple barrel aged version of the already stellar Kentucky Breakfast Stout is a real treat, if you can find it.

9) Avery: Rumpkin This beer is huge clocking in at 15.9%. It is also very sweet and boozy, but unique, complex and delicious.

10) Firestone Walker: 2011 Abacus I have not had previous incarnations of the Abacus, but this English Style barley wine is one of my favorite beers of all time. The 2011 Abacus is decadent, smooth and so complex it is perfect for long contemplation.

A few very unique honorable mentions include, Rogue Bacon Maple Ale, Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life and Limb, Odell Friek and New Belgium Kick.

Ten Beers You Should Drink This December!

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Whether enjoying time with family or relaxing after a stressful day of shopping here are ten beers that will enhance the experience. Not all of these beers are new or seasonals, some of them (such as Chimay Grand Reserve) are great anytime!

1) Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad: This quadruple, was aged in bourbon barrels and cherries were added to account for the “angel’s share” of evaporated beer during aging. It is only around for a limited time and a cant miss!

2) Anchor Christmas Ale: The recipe changes every year, but this spiced ale is always excellent. Perfect for the holiday celebrations.

3) Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale: I can not say enough good things about this amazing beer. It is everything one wants in an American DIPA and more, if you can still find it, get it and enjoy!

4) Gouden Carolus Noel: One of the best, of the many, spiced Belgian Christmas ales available. This beer is boozy, complex and will certainly warm everyone up.

5) Bell’s Winter White Ale: For the less intense beer drinkers or those just looking for a change. Light, fruity and like everything Bell’s makes, excellent quality.

6) Monchshof Schwarzbier: The closest thing the Germans make to a stout. Roasty and light, one of the best examples of the style available in America.

7) Stone Double Bastard: This beer is strong, complex and delicious, simply a beer that has to be experienced for one’s self.

8 ) Chimay Grand Reserve: Available year round, but this is one of the best beers in the world according to Rate Beer (which is a totally deserved ranking). It is even better around Christmas!

9) Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale: This classic British winter warmer is smooth, malty and a little stronger than your average British pale ale.

10) Liefmans Fruitesse: This beer holds lots of great fruit and is considerably sweeter than the style should be. However, that is precisely what makes it a great “family” beer, Aunt “whomever, who hates beer” may change her mind on this one.

Boulevard Hoppy Wheat and Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale (Review)

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Last night I went to an excellent a Boulevard beer and food pairing at Farmers Gastropub in Springfield, Missouri. The food was excellent and the best pairing, by a wide margin, was Boulevard Sixth Glass with a mince meat pie. In fact, that was one of the best food and beer combinations I have ever had! The tasting ended with a pint of the Boulevard Hoppy Wheat which should hit store shelves sometime in the spring. The Hoppy Wheat was good and about what I expected, it was essentially Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat with some citrous-y hops added in. All in all a nice beer that will be provide a great deal of refreshment next summer. Farmers and Boulevard combined to create an excellent tasting and I highly recommend attending any such events hosted by Farmers or Boulevard.

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale arrived yesterday! I always enjoyed Brown Shugga and was disappointed when I found out they were not going to brew it this year. After trying Lagunitas Sucks I do not miss it nearly as much. Lagunitas Sucks is a home run. It follows the traditional Lagunitas formula, high alcohol plus high hops. But, this beer is so much more too. It is very complex for an American IPA. I have even heard comparisons to Hop Slam (it was not nearly as extreme, but I can see where a Hop Slam deprived individual may draw that conclusion). It was more of a take on A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale without the wheat. As previously mentioned, Sucks is extremely hoppy, with a lot of pine, grapefruit and other citrous flavors. It is simply an all around fantastic beer, one of many great offerings from Lagunitas. Try out it, this beer is definitely worth your time and easily a solid 94 or better rating.