Tag Archives: Odell

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.

Black IPA’s, Fad or Future Staple?

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I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Black IPA is the fad beer style of the year. I am also going to predict that Black IPAs are here to stay. This year they seem to be coming out of every direction as some kind of special release or anniversary ale. Just the other day, I tried a Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet, which was a pretty bold beer for the time of night that I drank it, but still very good. Odell has recently re-released their Mountain Standard Double Black IPA in four pack bottles. Stone’s Anniversary Ale was an imperial black IPA. Grand Teton made a black IPA this year. Firestone Walker is soon to release the Wookey Jack Black Rye IPA. That is just a few of the more prominent ones to reach the great state of Missouri (sadly, Clown Shoes does not distribute in Missouri, I was fortunate enough to enjoy that with help from a friend). This is certainly not a bad thing, I just find it interesting how quickly the style is gaining popularity. I think the fad will turn into a long standing and legitimate style, there are simply too many highly respected breweries making them to discount as a mere fad. While more seem to come up everyday, the style is not particularly new either, Stone has been crafting the Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale for some time and Southern Tier has also produced Iniquity for several years. Regardless of their “vogue status”, they are tasty beers. So, if you like hops with a distinct toast character added on, check out a Black IPA, a decent one should not be difficult to find. My two favorites so far are still the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale and the Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA. Feel free to comment on whether or not you agree as well as favorite Black IPAs.

*** corrected on 11/22/11*** I have edited this post as I originally mentioned a black IPA that apparently does not exist. I did have a black IPA on tap at a local bar in Springfield, Missouri. Unfortunately, whatever I had was not produced by Left Hand as I originally thought, they do not make a black IPA. I am terribly sorry for my mistake and hope that anyone who read this will forgive me. I have no idea what beer I was thinking of, I distinctly remember it having the word toasted in the name, but can find absolutely nothing to prove this. So, for now, I will just sit here in shame and scratch my head. Have a good night.

Ten (fairly common) Beers You Should be Drinking This November!

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The marzens and pumpkin beers have for the most part departed, leaving us with an even more eclectic bunch of seasonal offerings. Traditionally, this time of year is dominated by malt heavy offerings, coffee stouts and spiced beers. While it is still early in the month, I thought I would highlight a few good beers that should not be extremely rare and may (or may not) be overlooked. Not all of the beers I have included are seasonals, some are just plain good.

1) Bell’s Cherry Stout
Thick, warm, chocolaty stout balanced by tart Montmorency cherries. What more do I need to say?

2) Founder’s Breakfast Stout
An oatmeal stout brewed with coffee and chocolate. Perfectly balanced and absolutely amazing.

3) Odell’s Mountain Standard Double Black IPA
An amazing blend of toasty malts and citrusy hops.

4) St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
Dark fruits and spices, if that isn’t Christmas, I don’t know what is!

5) Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
A rich, refreshing, dry hopped IPA, perfect for those holiday parties!

6) New Belgium Frambozen
It is not out yet, but should arrive anytime. This brown ale is brewed with fresh raspberries and very tough to beat on thanksgiving.

7) Baltika No. 6 Porter
While this Baltic Porter is not a seasonal, its soft roast-y flavors and slight sweetness are perfect for this season.

8 ) Avery Old Jubilation
This malty strong ale pairs well with cold nights and many of the traditional seasonal fare.

9) Schneider-Weisse Adventinus
This wheat doppelbock is available year round and considered by many to be one of the best beers in the world. The complex malt profile highlighted by the wheat and yeast make this an excellent sipper on cold nights.

10) Bell’s Java Stout
I hate to include the same brewery twice on the same list, but man, this is a nice beer to wake up or warm up to.