A Russian River & Sierra Nevada Collaboration: Brux Domesticated Wild Ale

The Brux is a collaborative brew between the Cilurzo family at Russian River and the Grossman family at Sierra Nevada.  I know the Brux is meant to be aged for years to let it develop, but I couldn't wait.  I do have one in the basement already, so maybe I will review an aged Brux in a few years.  The Brux is refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces bruxellensis.  This belgian style "wild" yeast is what will cause it to evolve and give it different flavors over time.

The color is a very nice light golden shade that is very clean and crisp looking.  It pours with a quickly dissipating fluffy white head.  It doesn't have much smell at all, if you really stick your noise in there you can get a sweet smelling yeast, but there are obviously not any hops in the smell.

The taste is sharp, it is a bit high on the carbonation side, which works nicely with the sharp flavors.  Right now it is most like a classic belgian triple, but not too spicy, just in the mouth feel and the yeast.  There is a little bit of sourness that lingers on the back of the tongue, maybe a promise of what is to come with some aging?  Either way I really am enjoying it and I have had some trouble getting into Belgian style beers lately, so this is exciting.

Before I get to the rating let me pause for a station identification.  This month's post is brought to you by Movember.  For more information and chance to donate to the cause, go here.  As you probably know, Movember more than just a charity, it is a chance to grow a mustache, and the picture below is just a teaser of things to come.

In honor of Movember and my crafty baking skills, I give the Brux 7.5 out of 10 Mustache Cookies.  I really like it, but I have to leave some room for improvement due to aging.

My Kegerator Setup

I updated my kegerator setup today from one to three kegs, so I thought I would post some pictures of my new setup.

First, I put the CO2 tank outside of the fridge in order to make room for three kegs inside. I drilled a hole in the side and luckily didn't hit any cooling coils.

Then, I mounted a splitter inside the fridge, that splits one CO2 line to three.

There are only two kegs inside now, but the third one will fit. I am still re-purposing it so I haven't used it yet. Right now the two kegs hold my Black Eyed Peas A (a Black IPA) and a Chocolate Rye that doesn't have a silly name, yet.

The tap on the front remains unchanged, but now it will be very easy to switch between any of the three kegs in the fridge. Also, I bought a party tap so it will be easy to tap another keg inside that can be accessed by just opening the door and pouring a pint!

IPA BATTLE ROYALE

Welcome to the first ever Beers We Try BATTLE ROYALE. Today we have two of the best in the business: Ithaca's Flower Power IPA vs Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA. The Flower Power is more of a regional favorite here in Central New York, going up against the internationally renowned IPA standard that is the 60 minute IPA.

Flower Power: The Underdog

The Flower Power has really developed a following over the last several years here in Central

New York, and rightly so. It pours with a slightly hazy golden color and only a slight trace of

head. It smells mostly of grapefruit with maybe a hint of pine. The Ithaca website lists Simcoe, Amarillo, and Chinook as the finishing hops, the source of these wonderful aromas. The hops are

really the highlight of this beer. This hop depth and complexity is more comparable to a double IPA than most singles. This IPA is very well balanced, even if the rest of the beer doesn't really add much more to the palate. Ithaca has come out with a really strong showing for a challenger, and has a chance at unseating...

The Champ: 60 Minute IPA

The 60 minute pours a light golden color and very clear. Some breweries use some kind of clarifying agent in their beers to make them clear up during fermentation. It does not effect the taste or consistency of the beer, just makes it a little bit nicer to look at. My guess is Dogfish Head does this, and Ithaca, a smaller brewery, does not. A nice touch by DH. The aroma of the

60 is actually slightly acidic, with a subtle trace of hops. I am taken aback by the lack of aroma compared to the Flower Power, and after a few sips I am even starting to wonder if I have a bad bottle. I have had this beer before and really enjoyed it. Is it possible the hops from the Flower Power are completely overwhelming? Let's let it warm up a bit, have some nice aged Gouda, and then try again......The Sabres are playing right now, it is the third period during a game against the Canadiens in which they are down 3-2. For a team that had so much momentum going into the season, they have been such a huge disappointment. So much so that I am starting to have the same old "Bills problem": Would I rather have a meaningless win or a loss that gets us closer to the #1 pick? Sigh.......Back to drowning my sorrows in drink. After trying again with the 60, nothing has changed. It is really hard to say much about the flavor this beer offers. I suppose it is possible that the Flower Power's powerful hop presence has dwarfed whatever the 60 minute IPA has to offer, and crushed it under its thumb. Is it also possible that Wegmans has sold me an older bottle of beer? I believe the answer to that is a resounding YES. I have not been overwhelmed with the freshness of the beer on the shelves at my local Wegmans. Interestingly enough Dogfish does not offer any sort of Enjoy By date on their bottles, which would help.

THE DECISION

Whether the Flower Power overwhelmed the 60 minute IPA or I got a bad bottle, maybe it doesn't matter. I fully expected the 60 minute IPA, the favorite, to crush the Flower Power. In fact the exact opposite was true. In the end the brewery is responsible for the beer in the bottle. In this BATTLE ROYALE, the local hero defeats the global goliath. Flower Power is an excellent IPA I would up against almost any other out there. Until it is challenged, it will reign supreme as the BATTLE ROYALE REIGNING CHAMPION.

Breckenridge Brewery: Lucky U IPA

I grabbed a single of this at Party Source. I like the bottling, the glass even has the brewery's symbol stamped into it. I think marketing/bottle design in the craft beer industry is severely lacking in many places and thriving in some places. There is a wide range of quality in beer labels, but this Lucky U IPA has a very nice appealing label and I appreciate that.

The color is a bit amber, but not far off from a classic IPA color. The taste is a bit sweet, but mostly piney. There are some hints of malt sometimes, but then it is taken over by a refreshing pine needle flavor. There is not much smell, but the little bit there is is all pine as well. The mouthfeel is fantastic, just crisp and refreshing. This is the second IPA in a row I have tried from Party Source though that is a little flat and lacking the aroma. I think they tend to have bottles sit on their shelves for a long time while they sell kegs. Makes me think I should grab the more age-friendly beers next time I am there.

My sister wanted to open some wine right after I poured this, so I spent about 15 minutes searching the house for a corkscrew and then stabbing the cork with a screwdriver before I got to enjoy it, so that might contribute to the lack of carbonation. Anyways, it turns out the corkscrew was in the silverware drawer the whole time. So I give this IPA a refreshing 7/10 well-placed corkscrews.

Lagunitas CENSORED Rich Copper Ale

Lagunitas is a brewery that does not get enough attention on this blog. They sometimes get lost in the list of great left coast breweries. Lagunitas is in the San Francisco Bay area, and is about to become the dominant force on the Bay area craft brewing scene, with a plan to expand by nearly 6x in the next year. I suspect we may be hearing a lot more from them here in the Northeast as well.

Censored is described on the label as a Rich Copper Ale. It pours a rich coppery red (no surprise there). There is almost no head, and only a subtle malty aroma. At this point I am not too excited for this beer, but I will reserve judgement until tasting.

Post taste reaction - I may have spoken too soon. Most good beers I have also smell and look good, but this one saves all of its goodness for the flavor. It has the distinctive malty and sweet backbone of a great red ale, but has a really crisp and sharp finish, perhaps caused by the nice balance of hops. There aren't too many hops here, and you don't need them. The flavor is astounding and supremely balanced. I almost want to call it "dry", even though I don't really know what that means, only that it is usually a good thing in wines.

This beer is very sessionable, but beware: it packs a surprisingly strong 6.75% ABV according to the label. You can certainly start to feel the effects of that about half way through, especially on an empty stomach. I highly recommend this, and you won't be dissapointed if you go for a 6 pack. I found it in the "Craft a Pack" selection at Wegmans, probably one of the better bets there.

I give it a solid if not spectacular 7/10.

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

It was my first trip to the Party Source, one of Syracuse's few dedicated beer stores. I was a little disappointed when walking in because it was pretty much an empty room with a row of shelves along one wall filled with six packs. The selection was not great, mostly American breweries and no Belgian or German section. They have a few things that you can't find at Wegmans, but Weggies definitely has more selection. I won't be making trips to PS very often unless I am buying a keg of PBR (So not very often).

I bought a four pack of Weyerbacher's Simcoe IPA for about 9 bucks. Pretty expensive, but a Simcoe IPA is an exciting thing. I had a single hop Simcoe IPA before by Mikkeller, a Danish brewery. It was fantastic, I didn't review it at the time, so I will try to get it again, but it was at least a 9/10. Seeing another Simcoe IPA was exciting, I've never really liked Weyerbacher, but Simcoe is such a unique hop that I had to try it.

The beer pours kind of chunky, like there is still some yeast in there. Not something I am really looking for in an IPA. The color is nice but a little burnt, pretty dark for an IPA. I was pretty disappointed in the taste immediately. It was not very carbonated and definitely not fresh. There wasn't much smell to it at all. I wonder how long it had been sitting on the shelf at Party Source. I don't really like judging this beer now, cause I think it would be a lot better if it were fresh. The taste grew on me after a while. It has a very full body and not too much bitterness. It was pretty sweet, but a bit too much caramel for me. It was not the uniform taste of an Imperial IPA. Much more sweet and kind of like an Amber IPA. It felt kind of heavy and that just wasn't what I was looking for. The word "Double" is kind of hidden in the label, I thought it was just a straight Simcoe IPA in the store.

If I accept that it is not a typical Imperial IPA and also think about how it is 9%, then it is enjoyable to sip with some cheese and crackers. I would like a little more finishing hops in this. I give it 6/10 spicy Habanero cheese on lightly salted Ritz crackers.

Peak Organic Brewing Company

Usually when you see the word "organic" on any type of food product you think of another term: better. You might even think of another term: expensive. Luckily Peak IPA satisfies the former rather than the latter.

Peak Brewing Company is located in Portland Maine and is all about using great ingredients to make an array of handcrafted beers. Jon Cadoux, an avid home brewer, started the company in an effort to bring sustainability to the brewery world. This IPA features three different types of hops (Simcoe, Amarillo, and Nugget), but does not use traditional bittering hops.

The first thing you get from this beer is the citrus, both in smell and taste. If I had to hazard a guess this is because of the lack of bittering hops, but the effect is a very crisp almost spring/summer seasonal taste. In the back you get the typical IPA aroma and taste. The bitterness is not huge, but it is there and offers a nice contrast to the citrus.

I enjoyed this beer with a rather spicy Fish Burrito at John's Tex Mex in Rochester, NY. It was only $3.25. The IPA paired really well with this meal. The beer cleansed the palette very nicely and worked well the spiciness of the meal.

Overall, this is a solid IPA. Nothing spectacular, but it hits all the right notes. This could be a beer you drink everyday because it is not overpowering, but it is not a special occasion type brew. If you are into beer pairing I would suggest this beer with any spicy dish. Overall, I give 7 out of 10 Kristen Pasquarellas.

Craft Your Pack Challenge

The idea behind Craft Your Packs is not a difficult concept: grab a six pack container, fill it with six of your favorite single brews, and be on your way. When this idea finally came to Wegmans' throughout the Rochester area, I was immediately in love with the simple idea. So there I was at the Penfield Wegmans with a desire for beer, but which ones? Should I get six similar brews? Should my brew journey take me all of the map. I decided to create a challenge. I love IPAs and Pale Ales, so I decided to take six I had never tried before and rank them to find another standard to add to my fridge. So with an open head and a desire for beer, I began this journey.

The Contenders

1) Bear Republic Brewery - Racer 5 IPA

Hailing from California this wild card is shrouded in myth and legend. Mostly because I had not heard of it before seeing it on tap at Dickie's in Rochester. The beer is described as a "hoppy American IPA is a full bodied beer brewed American pale and crystal malts, and heavily hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial." It also says something about having a trophy in every case, I did not get a case so I cannot say if this is true or not.

2) Kona Brewing Company - Fire Rock Pale Ale

All the way from Hawaii I was much more familiar with this company's work coming in having liked some of their other offerings. This is another triple hopped brew (Galena, Cascade, and Mt. Hood), but feature a "Hawaiian Style" which I think means it has a copper color. Company motto: Living Aloha, not sure, what this entails, but I can dig it.

3) Great Divide Brewing Company - Titan IPA

Weighing it at a staggering 65 IBUS (the website says that 65 is a lot), this Denver product claims it is brewed for one type of people: "hop disciples – independent beer drinkers seeking out robust, flavorful beers characterized by their abundance of hops flavor, aroma and bitterness." Sounds like me, many of our contributors, and our readers. I think we may have a favorite.

4) Boston Beer Company -

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA A Sam Adams in this challenge? Isn't this hip disciple blasphemy? Not a chance. Say what you want about this company; but they care about their beer. Sure, they are not your typical micro brew anymore, but they are not one of the big wigs either. This IPA features of blend of hops from the "Hops Belt" in the Northern Hemisphere which, as you may have guessed, runs at 48 degrees latitude.

5) Southern Tier Brewing Company - Pale Ale

The hometown favorite (sort of) comes in featuring a blend of 2 different types of malts and two different types of hops. While at least that's what the sticker says, the website says it is three. This confusion may be just to toy with the other competitors, but this not really an IPA not really a Pale may prove to be feisty in the challenge.

6) Smuttynose Brewing Company - Smuttynose FinestKind IPA

This IPA from New Hampshire is bare bones. It is unfiltered and dry hopped. So what if there is some stuff at the bottom, Smuttynose cares about it as much as the two old dudes on the bottle do. This former Gold Medal winner also has the wins to back up its attitude, but will it prevail, only time will tell.

The Seedings

Before tasting I gave each a ranking based on how I think I would like them. I based my decision purely on my own beer tastes, what I have heard about the beer and/company, and the bottle's look.

1) Smuttynose Finestkind IPA - The two dudes on the battle talk me into this one.

2)Titan IPA - Heard great things about this beers and I liked the simple design approach.

3) Racer 5 IPA - Do not know much about it, but the bartender at Dickie's liked it enough to have it on tap.

4) Southern Tier Pale Ale - Nice look from a quality brewery

5) Latitude 48 IPA - I do like their seasonal brews, so this has upset potential

6) Fire Rock Pale Ale - While I like this company's fruit beers, I am unsure about this one.

Round 1

Match 1: 1) Smuttynose Finestkind IPA vs #6) Fire Rock Pale Ale

Smuttynose has it all: its hoppy, its bitter, its smooth, and has a great aroma. It comes out of the gates strong. Fire Rock has a nice color and a solid bitter taste. Fire Rock is solid, but not in Smuttynose's league. Winner: Smutty Nose.

Match 2: 2) Titan IPA vs 5) Latitude 48 IPA

The Titan IPA comes on strong. It has a nice hoppy smell and fits very well into the IPA motif. There is nothing overly special about it, but it works well. Latitude 48 is surprisingly smooth yet still have the strong bitter overtones of a quality IPA. Both of these are IPAs, but one is just much more drinkable. Winner: Latitude 48.

Match 3: 3) Racer 5 vs 4) Southern Tier Pale Ale

Racer 5 starts out big. It has a fruity aroma and seems more like an "imperial" IPA. Its big taste earns it huge points. STPA comes in a great package. Not a big beer, but very crisp and light. While STPA's bottle looks great its contents just do not stack up to Racer 5. Winner: Racer 5.

Round 2

3) Racer 5 vs 5) Latitude 48

Can L48's Cinderella run continue? Racer 5 gets better with every taste and I am really noticing its great color and a very nice lacing. L48 is still going strong, but is a bit weak on the bitterness scale compared to Racer. L48 belongs here, but it is just a bit overwhelmed. Winner: Racer 5

Final Round

1) Smuttynose Finestkind IPA vs 3) Racer 5

Smuttynose got the bye into the finals because of its pre-challenge ranking. However, Smuttynose show no sign of letting up and Racer 5 is up for the challenge. This beers are very good in all the major categories of taste, look, smell, and feel. Racer 5 holds nothing back, but Smuttynose is more refined. Both are quality beers, but only one can be victorious....

Winner: Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA

Smuttynose won out because I feel it is a more quality beer. It has the total package: strong bitterness against grapefruit undertones, it is very crisp, smells great, and has great lacing. While Racer 5 I felt was about one thing: Hops. Still a great beer, but it is lacking the power packing wow factor Smuttynose has.

While there you have it. My first installment of my (annual, weekly, bi-monthly?) Craft Your Pack Challenge. All of these beers are worth a try, but I think Smuttynose is a keep and Racer 5 is a valued addition to any "hop disciple's" fridge.

A Dogfish Head Spring Seasonal: ApriHop

A few years ago I tried Dogfish Head's ApriHop, and was less than impressed. It seemed to me like just another fruit beer. Apparently DH rebuilt the recipe in 2010, to make the beer more hoppy and not as sweet. They claim it is the fruit beer for people who hate fruit beers. After watching Brewmasters this past winter, in which DH praised ApriHop like it was one of their best beers, I decided to give it another try. That show really worked on me huh?

At ~$12 per four pack, it is a pricey brew. The label says, "An India Pale Ale brewed with real apricots." It pours with a small head, and has a very strong hoppy aroma, must be pretty strongly dry-hopped.

This beer taste mostly like a very well balanced IPA, I wonder if it is derived from the 60 minute IPA? I don't get too much apricot, the bitterness of the hops mostly drowns it out. There is something subtle and fresh about it though, I could convince myself it is the apricot if I try hard enough. Overall this tastes very fresh and refreshing. It hits the mark for a late winter / early spring seasonal. As you get a little further into the beer the fruitiness of the apricot works its way into your palate quite nicely. This blows away the only other apricot-flavored beer I have tried, Magic Hat's #9. If you are looking for a nice treat to enjoy on the first day it gets nice out, I highly recommend this beer. I give it 7/10 mostly due to the price, it is a great beer but about as expensive as it gets.

Tour de IPA: Victory Hop Devil

6.7%

Pours a medium amber with an understated head. Has a sweeter, maltier body compared to most West Coast IPAs. Ryan thinks it has a nice balance of malt and hops, with a nice sweet lingering aftertaste. Kyle didn't really like the aftertaste.

Ryan: 8

Kyle: 6

Tour de IPA: Ithaca Flower Power

Nice citrusy aroma, with a noticeable fruity sweetness/bitterness smell. Ginger detected hints of mango and pineapple. Yellow color with a nice lacing. Body has a really nice fruity complexity. Kyle thinks the bottle we opened was a bit older and he claims this beer is a lot better fresh and on tap. Ryan felt a little bit of a malt backbone, which felt just a tad out of place but was not overpowering.

Kyle: 8 (claims that it is a 9 on tap)

Ryan: 7

Dad: 6

Tour de IPA: Southern Tier IPA

Very little aroma, very weak. The finished kind of drags off into a syrupy mess. It leaves a bit of a bitter aftertaste though. Kyle says body is not very full and the middle lacks a bit of flavor. Ryan says it has a bit of fruitiness possibly from the yeast. Maybe even a bit of honey.

Ryan: 6

Kyle: 5

Dad: 8

Tour de IPA: Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Almost no aroma compared to the Stone IPA, especially considering that this has been "torpedo hopped". Amber color pours with a nice head. We noticed a little bit of acidity, especially in the aftertaste. Kyle thought it had perfect mouthfeel, and nice long bitterness throughout. Ryan was a bit disappointed in the hop profile. We completely disagreed on where this stands compared to the Stone IPA.

Kyle: 8

Ryan: 6

Dad: 7

Tour de IPA: Stone IPA

Stone IPA 6.9%

Citrus grapefruit, pine aroma. Delicate fruity finish. Tart aftertaste at the back of the tongue. Kyle wanted a little more fullness in the malt character, Ryan thought it was a nice balance and is a great hoppy west coast IPA.

Kyle: 7

Ryan: 9

Dad: 8

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Oregon's Rogue Ales has never been one of my go-to breweries. When trying to figure out why, I thought of this: except for Dead Guy, I can't think of another beer they make that is available in a 6 pack. Since this is what I usually buy, I haven't had too many Rogue brews. That is a real shame, because they consistently put out outstanding ales at a reasonable cost compared to some of the more chic east coast breweries.

When I was searching for a commercial yeast to harvest for an upcoming homebrew, Rogue kept coming up. They use the same yeast in all their beers, a proprietary blend that supposedly is very hearty and produces great beer. I went to Wegmans to see what they had from Rogue, and held some bottles up against the light to see if I could identify some yeast residue at the bottom. I can't imagine what people thought I was doing. ("Mommy what is that man doing?" "Don't look hunny lets go down this aisle with the napkins!")

I ended up picking up the Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout. Rogue is unique in that it lists all of the ingredients in its beer right on the side of the bottle. As a homebrewer I appreciate this gesture, and in a way I feel like it should be required. When you buy wine you know what grapes were used in it, why shouldn't I know what kind of hops are in my favorite beer? I think it might make people more interested in what goes into the beer they drink and they might actually start exploring different kinds of microbrews.

Anyways, onto the beer. I poured out all but the last 2 inches of the 22oz bottle very slowly, so that the yeast sediment remained on the bottom. the beer pours with a giant head, the picture was taken after it fell about half way. Eventually it settles to a nice lacing that remains all the way through.

The smell is very roasty, with a noticeable alcohol aroma. I don't smell oatmeal(not sure what it even smells like), but maybe some milk chocolate and subtle cherry notes. It sits quite heavily on the tongue and has an earthy, almost oakey characteristic. It definitely has some chocolate flavor to it, but it is fairly subtle. It is very light on the smokiness, which I appreciate since I am not a huge fan. This has just the right amount of roastiness and actually has a great hoppy bitter profile as well.

This is a fantastic beer, and is perfect for the start of winter. I think if I let this sit in the basement for a few months the alcohol would probably fade into the background and the malt would come up, but with the hoppiness that is there I wouldn't want to let it sit too long. I highly recommend trying this beer if you are a fan of stouts. I haven't had enough oatmeal stouts to say how it compares to that genre, but as a stout it is one of the better ones I have tried. I will definitely be searching out Rogue bombers next time I look for something new. I give this 8/10 animated yeast cells.

Kyle's Belgian Warriors, Steeplechase Brewery

So I decided that a mere week and 3 days after bottling the Belgian Warriors, I was going to pop one open. I didn't expect any carbonation, but I heard a nice "chhhahh" sound when I opened the bottle and immediately got excited. The beer poured beautifully with a thick head that held for a while. I took about 20 pictures until I got one that I was happy with and the head didn't change throughout. Usually with my homebrews, I have to be a bit more efficient with the camera phone. By the way, it did not mesh well a shrimp cocktail, but I never claimed to be good at food and beer pairing.

The color you can't really see is a nice brown. It matches a lot of Belgian Dubbels well, but shows some red when held up to the light.

The smell is very complex. There is some maltiness, there is a toastiness, and then there are the hops. The hops are the main character here, but due to the other notes, the cascades and saaz mix doesn't come off as very familiar. There is a cleanness to the hop smell that I dare say might come from the bittering hop: the Warriors. The liquor smell that was there before bottling has faded into the background.

The taste greets with a good balance of bitterness and malt. It stings just a little, and I am surprised at how well it carbonated already. I wasn't patient enough after putting it in the fridge and it's kind of lukewarm. I think it should definitely be served a bit colder. But I am not disappointed. The middle is full and satisfying. This is a pretty big beer after all. The end is bitter, a bit too bitter. A tart Warrior hop finish is not what I was going for, but that only makes me look forward to the next s

ip. Overall I am very happy with the result and would definitely brew something similar again. I think it would be cool if it ended with more of a roasty note instead of the bitterness.

I drank it fast and I only had those 7 shrimp in my belly, but at 9%, I can really feel it.

I am aware that as a brewer, I tend to appreciate my own brews more than other people. Because of that, I will limit myself to a max rating of 8 out of 10. That being said, I give this a 7 out of 8 out of 10 SHRIMP CONFUSIONS!

Kasteel: Belgian Tripel

Monday night. Stopped at the local homebrew store on the way home to get some supplies and even though I was not going out to experience any of the inaugural Syracuse Beer Week events, I thought I should experience a good beer tonight anyway.

So I broke into my "beer cellar" that I only started about a month ago. There are a couple beers in the cellar that are not meant to be aged so I don't mind breaking them out before the cellar is more than a couple months old. One of the styles that can be enjoyed fresh is a Belgian Tripel, so I went with the Kasteel Tripel. Of course it wasn't cold so I brought it up to to the fridge upstairs and let it cool while I proceeded to boil up some DME for a yeast starter for the someday legendary Old Ale that I am going to brew on Thursday. My Thursday brewing is not a sanctioned Syracuse Beer Week event, but it probably should be.

Anyways, while the malt was boiling (about 1.33 pounds and 4 cups of water), I started sterilizing the growler and other equipment. I wasn't paying adequate attention to my antique stove and a boil over ensued. Bran flakes? No thanks. You can imagine the anger this awakened in me as I moved the pot off of the heat. However, instead of letting the rage engulf me, I decided to pop open a giant bottle of Belgium Tripel. Feeling the pressure of the cork pushing up as I eased it out of the bottle and seeing the icy steam pour out of the bottle was more calming than a back massage after a long flight. I knew this couldn't go wrong.

The beer poured beautifully, Golden yellow and clear with a thin and quickly dissipating head. The shiny clearness of the beer is a surprise in a yeasty beer (believe me, the angelic reflections on the bottle and glass in the picture were not wasted on me). And yeasty it is. I am still sipping some as I type. The nose is all yeast with slight hints of malt. I opened it about 5 minutes after pouring a Wyeast smack pack into a starter. So the smell was either a 5 minute time machine, or it was very yeasty. The smell scared me off at first, since I wanted something more comforting and familiar. I am now realizing that Belgian Tripels are comforting and familiar to me. Who needs hops? Ok, I do, but not tonight. This beer was a bit much at first, a very full body and heavy yeasty taste and smell. It's not super refined, somewhat bready yeast character, but there are still some spicy, not fruity, yeasties. I was a bit overwhelmed by it at first, but it soon became enjoyable. Its a little different, a beer that is very focused on yeast, but not focused on the kind of yeast character that is usually spotlighted. I thought it was too heavy at first and it stood spectator as I engulfed a Korean barbecued pork chop with white rice, but I discovered a different beer after my meal. A very enjoyable mild tripel with a focus on yeast, but a mild yeast. A beautiful color and a perfect amount of carbonation. A nose that complemented the smell and didn't hide any surprises. Overall an extremely enjoyable beer that I could enjoy very often, but for the price, it's not something that makes me say "wow." It's a good time, but not a band that makes me go "how does he do that?"

7 Steve Martins playing bluegrass on Austin City Limits out of 10.

Homebrew Journal: Kyle's Belgian Warriors

After homebrewing from kits for a while, Mark and I both decided to design our own recipes and try them out. I was going to write my notes about the recipe and the brewing in my brewing notebook, but since this is a new beer that has never been made before, I thought I would share. I'll write a little bit about mine here and I'll let Mark write his own entry about his if he wants. I have not tasted the beer yet so this isn't a review, but I will write a review in a few months when it is done.

I will go the whole thing here, but you can find more details about my recipe here. That is a great website and I highly reccomend it for designing your own recipes. This is an extract recipe.

Malts (all liquid):

6 lbs of Northern Brewer Light Pilsen Extract (75)

6 lbs of Northern Brewer Golden Extract (75)

1 lb. 3 oz. of Munton's Light Extract (60)

If you are a homebrewer you can probably tell that I decided to really go for it with my first recipe. I put in more than 12 pounds of malt, which ended up giving me an OG of 1.085. That is huge. If it drops nicely I should end up with about 9% ABV. Also you might notice that I decided to boil for 75 minutes. This is the first time I have done that and I will explain why in the Hops section. The malts I chose are common in Belgian style dubbels and tripels (even the Muntons which I just threw in cause Mark had it left over) and I wanted to stick to a Belgian style with malts and yeast, but really add a lot of kick with the hops.

Hops:

1 oz. Warrior Hops, 17.2% Alpha (75)

1 oz. Warrior Hops, 17.2% Alpha (60)

1 oz. Cascade Hops, 5% Alpha (15)

1 oz. Czech Saaz Hops, 4% Alpha (15)

1 oz. Cascade Hops, 5% Alpha (5)

1 oz. Czech Saaz Hops, 4% Alpha (5)

WARRIORS COME OUT TO PLAYAYYY!

The Warriors have a very high Alpha percentage which is basically a measure of how bitter they are. However, the amount of bitterness that actually comes out of the Lupulin is a factor of how long you boil it. I want the Warriors to really be the center point so I started an ounce of them at 75 to maximize their bitterness and also added an ounce at 60 where they should be very bitter as well. The massive amounts of maltose in this beer will downplay the bitterness and hopefully strike a nice balance. I don't expect the Terminal Gravity to be much lower than 1.025 so there will still be a good amount of sugar in the final product. It is a lot of both sugars and bittering hops so I don't know if one will dominate, but I hope the warriors only slightly win out over the sweetness. The Cascade-Czech Saaz 15-5 finishing combo is lifted straight from the Northern Brewer Houblonmonstre (Gewurztramonstre) kit that I loved so much. I thought for a long time that I was going to save an ounce of Warriors for either dry hopping or hop bursting (adding to boil at 0 minutes), but Mark and I decided that they might get lost among the Cascades and Saaz so it would be better to just use them for bittering.

Yeast:

Wyeast Belgian Ardennes 3522

I decided on the yeast because it works well against high gravities and it is described as having a complex spicy character and mild fruitiness. I hope that some of that comes through and it is not overpowered to much by the other flavors. Otherwise it won't be very much like a Belgian anything. A yeast starter was made from the smack pack 3 days prior to brewing.

I had originally called this a Belgian Tripel, but according to hopville, it has way too much of everything to be considered for that label. I think Imperial IPA might be a better label, but for now let's just stick with "Kyle's Belgian Warriors!"

The brew is taking off nicely, it is bubbling over like crazy after 24 hours and is making a mess for Mark in his closet.

Questions and comments welcome...

2007 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine; Eulogy

Oak barrel tables. An authentic, working, bright red English telephone booth. A worn out "no tipping" sign. $2.00 pints of Genessee Cream Ale. The faint aroma of freshly sliced roast beef. These are some of the familiar characteristics of Clark's Ale House, an English style pub seemingly frozen in time in an area of downtown Syracuse that features businesses, expensive condos, and weekend dance clubs.

Sadly, Clark's is being forced to close its doors today, due to the expansion of the nearby Landmark Theatre. There are no plans to reopen elsewhere, and apparently not enough funds. I understand the city's need to host productions of Cats, Annie, and other big Broadway shows, but this just seems wrong. The little old man slicing roast beef behind the bar was one of the most reliable and comforting scenes I can think of, and it will now dissapear, possibly forever, to be replaced by glamour and showtunes.

If there is anything positive that can be taken from this, it is that a place like this can survive in Syracuse, a city along with all the others in upstate New York that have struggled for the last 100 years or so to establish any sort of economic identity and stability. Clark's made it work by serving only roast beef sandwiches, along with a rotating selection of about 15 craft beers. You wouldn't find a Bud light behind the bar, or a martini, or even a shot of whiskey. It is a testament to what they stood for. They knew how to do one or two things, and they did them right, for 18 years without bowing to trends or shifts in the marketplace. It goes to show that if you provide a consistent quality service and do it with character, people will come. Maybe they will open elsewhere, maybe not. Maybe someone will take their place and fulfill Syracuse's need for a tasty pint and a hot beef sandwich. Either way, it will never be quite the same, and I am glad that I got to experience this truly authentic beer lover's paradise.

As Clark's gets ready to shut its doors for the final time, they are bringing out out all of the kegs they have been saving for a rainy day. Among them, a 2007 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine. I have had this beer several times, and have even tried aging it myself, but usually ran out of patience after a few months. It is one of my favorite beers, so I was excited to review a 3 year old version on my final trip to Clark's.

The aroma was surprisingly hoppy for a barleywine, especially considering it had been aged. There was also some caramel in the smell, with an obvious deep malty backbone.

Taking the first sip, I was taken aback by the complexity of flavors. Vanilla, caramel, malt, nutiness, with some subtle hops. It all ended with a warm, comforting finish. If you were to go to the store and try a current version of this beer, you will find that the finish is a bit harsher, due to the approximately 10% alcohol content. After aging, that bite mellows out, leaving behind a pronounced sweetness.

This was a fantastic beer, and a fantastic, if bittersweet, environment to drink it in. In a nod to Clark's and all of the enjoyment it has given me over the last several years, I give this beer 10 guys slicing roast beef. Clark's, you will be missed. Thank you.

Dogfish Head - Red & White

welp, i figured id do a quick friday night post. tonight i cracked a large bottle of Dogfish head's Red & White. let me write what the description on the side of the bottle says..."Malt beverage brewed with coriander and orange peel with pinot noir juice concentrate added with 11% aged in Pinot noir barrels and 89% aged on oak barrel staves."....PHEW! Sounds half interesting and half disgusting if you ask me.....but i bought one a couple weeks ago without really looking at what it was. i just wanted to grab something that i havent tried yet. recently ive been picking up beer that ive never had. broadening my beer horizons, so to speak. instead of buying a 6 pack of sierra nevada pale ale every week, why not grab a random whatever and give it a shot.

this isnt exactly a 'random whatever.' i usually like most of the stuff from dogfish that i try. although much like my last post, i havent had a whole lot of their stuff. the IPAs, brown ales, raison d'etra and a couple others. let get to the review!

pours beautifully, a darker brown ale with a a hefty amount of head. looks great

when taking a good wiff, you really get the 'pinot noir' aroma. i didnt smell much of the orange peels, and couldnt tell you want corander smells like but there was almost a rubbing alcohol type smell if you really got close.

the taste reminded me of some of the beers ive had from unibroue brewery out of chambly montreal. a very malty, Belgium style ale with a crisp finish. the only difference.....the pinot. it really comes through in this beer. a few sec after it goes down your throat, you get that stinging alcohol taste in the back of your throat. not something im a huge fan of, but to be honest this isnt my style of beer. one thing i will mention is that, after one glass of this, i was feeling it. it was a large bottle and i filled up a few times. might be an expensive bottle, but id rather drink one of these than 8 bud lights, if thats what your going for.

i got to give it to dogfish for being so experimental with their ales, there really isnt another well know brewery in this country quite as ballsy as them. this one might work really well for somebody else, but probably wont be shelling out the big bucks for the red and white again. if someone were to give me a bottle, id drink and enjoy.

im going to give this beer a "paris france" rating. its a place everyone should probably go to before you die, but your average baseball loving, cheeseburger eating american joe isnt going to go back. (i was going back an forth between Paris France and Fenway Park for this rating)