Tag Archives: Stone

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!

Springfield, Missouri 2011 State of Beer Review

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2011 has been an excellent year for beer in Springfield. I could make this article very long and still fail to mention many important Ozark beer developments. Do not worry, I have no interest in boring anyone with such things. I am merely gonna mention some of the largest beer related events of 2011 in the region.

By far the largest and most exciting development in the area was the introduction of Mother’s Brewing Company. Mother’s started out last spring and has, so far impressed me tremendously. They have a beautiful facility in downtown Springfield. On top of the aesthetics, they are making some great beer and charging very reasonable prices. I expect a lot of great things from them in 2012. Another brewery that deserves mention is Horseshoe Bend Brewing Company near the Lake of the Ozarks. Horseshoe bend has just completed a “croudsourcing” fundraising campaign in order to facilitate more production. I have not had their beer and do not suspect it will make it to Springfield in the near future, but am very glad to see their enthusiasm and desire to create good beer for the Ozarks. I wish them the best of luck in the future. I can not fail to mention that the Springfield Brewing Company recently changed ownership. Their brew master is now the owner and I see great things coming out of this. I was recently given a bottle of the Full Nelson, which is a Nelson Sauvin wheat wine and I was very impressed.

This year has also been a good year for both on and off premise beer consumption in Springfield. In 2011, Missouri saw the introduction of Green Flash Brewing Company and Stone Brewing Company which are both excellent breweries from San Diego. Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Nectar Ales, (which is one of my favorite breweries) from Paso Robles California, entered the Missouri market last spring as well. Very recently an excellent new brewery out of St. Louis, Perennial Artisan Ales, arrived on Springfield shelves. While those are certainly not all of the beers new to Missouri, in 2011, they some of the most acclaimed. With the introduction of those five breweries, Missouri’s already strong portfolio of available beers improved dramatically. Deschutes Brewery is supposed to come to Missouri early in 2012 and can not wait to see what else!

The selection on store shelves has greatly improved in 2011. I have also noticed a drastically improved tap selection at many bars. The Brown Derby Craft Beer Fest and Oktoberfest both went on and expanded in 2011. The Springfield Food and Wine Celebration added beer in 2011. Beer dinners and sit down tastings have been on the rise. The beer community in general is growing. Overall 2011 has been an excellent year for beer in Springfield and 2012 looks to be even better. Keep up the great work Springfield!

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.

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.

Cantillon Troubles, Westvleteren Coming to the US Legally! and “I am Better Than Your Kids” (Book Review)

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I have some good news and some bad news and yes to some of you it will be old news.

The Bad
http://www.rtl.be/info/belgique/societe/835258/la-meteo-trop-chaude-pour-les-bieres
(you will probably need to use Google to translate the page)
Cantillon, which is already extremely hard to get, is having difficulty brewing their lambics because of the warmer than usual season. Sadly, this situation will likely cause a decline in both production quantity and quality.

The Good
http://www.brewbound.com/news/westvleteren-beer-to-be-distributed-in-u-s
I am torn on this one. Part of me is excited to be able to purchase some Westvleteren in the United States, even if it is a small amount and only for a short time. At the same time, I am also kind of disappointed because I kind of liked the chase and rarity. When I found a few bottles of the 8 for sale (illegally) in a small beer shop in Brussels a few years ago I was stoked! I enjoyed the beer’s exclusivity. I also fear that an increase in availability (yes, I know it can be purchased on Ebay) in the United States will probably hamper the beers ratings on the top 100 list as well, while I am not concerned about that, I do see that as a likely scenario following increased distribution.

Also, the Stone 11.11.11. Vertical Epic should be out now.

And….On a completely unrelated note, “I am Better Than Your Kids” has just came out! There is not a lot I can say about this book other than the fact that it is absolutely hilarious. I have yet to see someone begin reading and not laugh hysterically. Basically, a cynical 32 year old computer programer, took it upon himself to “review” the art work of his colleagues children. Yes, this book is pretty mean, but man it is funny too. Check it out at Barnes and Noble as well as Amazon.com, “I Am Better Than Your Kids“. Maddox also wrote “Alphabet of Manliness“.