Dogfish Head: Burton Baton

Everyone has that brewery that never dissappoints, that go to brewery that you always go to when the stacks of beer in the beer section of your local beer purvayor has blurred and you cannot make sense of it all.

For me that brewery is Dogfish Head located in Milton, Delaware. During my spring break I was able to visit their brewery, their brew pub, and the overall area that supports the brewary. Once there I thought I had really tried or seen all that Dogfish Head had to offer, but I had never seen this before: Burton Baton.

Burton Baton is a blended beer brewed and released about three times a year. The beer features two "threads" an English Style Ale and Dogfish Head's famous 90 minute IPA. The two threads are brewed seperately and then combined and aged in the one of the companys three wood barrels (2 Oak and 1 Palo Santo [a Brazialan hardwood]) for about a month.

The mixture of an English Ale and an Imperial IPA makes for a strong beer at 10%abv, however, the beer is not brash or overpowering. It's taste is very hoppy like the 90 minute IPA yet has a smoothness from the English Ale that makes the beer almost delicate.

We have not even talked about the oak. Much like in wine making the folks at Dogfish Head have become experminting with aging beers in wood barrells to gain different flavor notes. In Burton Baton you get a distinct vanilla hint and some citrus notes that add complexity to the hoppy aroma. The beer is in no way heavy which, speaking from experience, can catch up with you quickly.

This beer grades out as one of the better (if not best) beer I have had the pleasure of trying and will be a staple in my beer fridge from now on.

9/10 Sam Calagiones

Alaskan Brewing Company 2008 Smoked Porter

Quick, name the 11th largest craft brewery in the US.

Stumped?

Well, you've probably never heard of it if you live in New York, which all of the 5 people who read this blog do. Alaskan Brewing Company was founded in 1986 in Juneau, Alaska, and makes badass beers that unfortunately only make it to the western United States. A recent last minute business trip put me in Arizona, which is one of the ten states where ABC distributes. My misfortune was quickly turned into fortune when I saw this wonderful beer in a Phoenix health food store.

I first heard of the Alaskan Smoked Porter while reading Sam Caligione's book, Brewing Up A Business. Apparently this small brewery started across the street from a smoked salmon business. Alaskan smoked salmon is one of the most well known culinary exports of the area. The head brewer wandered over to where they do the smoking one day with a bunch of malt and asked to smoke it using the same process they use for salmon. The result was a wonderfully balanced smokey porter.

The aroma of the smoked porter is more complex than most smoke beers I have tried. Sometimes smoke beers are all smoke(gross), and sometimes the smoke is an afterthought. I remember a friend in college getting a smoke beer that literally smelled like burnt bacon. It was disgusting. In this case, the smoke is a strong supporting actor, very forward but not dominating. The malty aroma also comes through quite well, and I even get a hint of hops in the smell.

The smokiness is finely balanced with the sweet coffee like malt flavor. This being a vintage bottle from 2008, the smokiness has melted into the background somewhat compared to a newer edition. The creamy full bodied head that this beer pours with remains throughout, and provides a surprisingly delicate mouthfeel for such a big beer. The aftertaste is mostly sweet but the smoke is still there lingering in the background. Interestingly enough, ABC claims that after 5 years the smoky flavor comes back to the foreground. It would be nice to compare a few different years of this, but I think the likelihood of that happening is rather slim unless you make it to the brewery itself.

This is really a fantastic beer, and is certainly the best smoke beer I have ever tried, even though that list is rather short. I highly recommend trying this if you see it for sale on the west coast. It should also be high on your list of things to do while in Juneau, Alaska, along with going moose watching. I give this beer 9/10 "moose humping a buffalos".

Bell's Brewery's Hopslam

"You know I dreamed about you
For 29 years, before I saw you
You know I dreamed about you
and I missed you, for, 29 years"
-The National

All collectors and hobbyists have a "Grail", an article or item that they seek above all others. They have seen pictures, heard stories, and read articles about it. They dream of the day when they get to see and experience the object of their desires, whether it is a 1953 Corvette, a wedge of Roquefort cheese, or an Inverted Jenny. For the last several years, Bell's Brewery's Hopslam has been the Grail for this enthusiastic beer enthusiast. The first time I heard of it, I asked for it by name at a local bottle shop. Much to my dismay, I was informed that Bell's does not distribute to Upstate New York. My first tasting of Hopslam would have to wait. Thanks to the generosity of a very dear friend, I was recently shipped 3 bottles of this beer that I now have the good fortune to taste.

The beer comes in an appropriately colored light green labeled bottle, with a hop-man character as its logo(or a man with a big hop on top of him, I can't tell). This is considered a Double, or Imperial IPA, which means that it is aggressively hopped and has a higher alcohol content than typical beers. Coming in at 10%, this beer weighs in at over 100 IBUs(International Bittering Units). As a point of reference, Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale is measured at 37.

Hopslam pours innocently enough, with a translucent golden hue and an understated lacy head. I choose a tulip glass in order to concentrate the aroma of the beer that I expected would be quite impressive. The first thing I did was smell the cap, and right away I knew I was in for a hop explosion. The aroma of this beer is unlike any I have had before. As a novice homebrewer, I can accurately describe the smell of this IPA as similar to the smell of a handful of hop pellets before being thrown into a boiling brew. I wish they made incense that smelled like this. Flowery, fruity, woodsy, fresh, delightful.

The first sip of this beer is like a firm handshake from an old friend. I feel as though I have had this beer in a previous life. It is as though I have had this experience every night of my life, and it is my favorite and most treasured memory......and yet we have never met.

Of course there is a large blast of hoppy bitterness as Hopslam first meets your tongue. This impressive feature alone would be enough to make this beer a favorite of hop heads everywhere. Where many DIPAs fail to follow through on this up-front "bitter awakening", however, Hopslam succeeds in providing an effective 1-2 punch of hop and malt. The sweet, syrupy, multidimensional malt backbone is a meal. It is here that the Hopslam lives up to its hype. You can put as much hops as you want in beer. Many breweries have gone down this road, not recognizing that the massive hop additions of this modern hop-crazy beer world must be balanced by an equally massive malt bomb, in order to leave the drinker with that warm, rounded, satisfied finish. Hopslam has the goods(malt) to back up the hype(hops). It is as though the hops throw up an innocent arching toss, and the malt comes in and SLAMS THAT S THROUGH THE RIM. Thus the name, Hopslam. The finish has a delightfully sweet and tangy lingering effect, which lets you know that this is indeed a higher than average alcoholic beer.

I have built up this brew in my mind, and I was unsure if it would live up to my expectations. I tried not to let my prior thoughts impact my opinion of this beer. As soon as I tasted it, I forgot what I even expected out of this drink. I was immediately reminded of all the great beers I have had in the past, and tried to place it among them. I am not one for ranking beers, but if I were, this would be near the top. It is on the same plateau in my memory reserved for such legends as the Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, the Rochefort Trappistes 10, and the Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine. In a tribute to collectors and enthusiasts everywhere seeking after their Grail, I give this beer 10/10 Inverted Jennys. If you love hops, you must try this beer. Find it at any cost, and bring home a case if you are ever in Michigan and it is available. I also have two more, and am willing to entertain interesting offers....


















Thank you Jenny.

Thank you Brian W.

Thank you Bells.

Avery Brewing Company: Maharaja Imperial IPA

First Impressions: The Maharaja Imperial IPA from Avery Brewing Company struck my eye in the store. Avery is in Boulder Colorado and the front of the label said something to the effect of "Bottled from 11th barrel of 2009." I had never heard of Avery and it looked good, and I'll never turn down an Imperial IPA, so I had to try it.
The Maharaja is the second from the left.

Smell: The Maharaja has an overwhelming hoppy smell. Imagine adding an ounce of cascade hops to the wort during the boil and then sticking your face over that for the smell. Thats exactly what the Maharaja smells like. Very strong aroma.

Taste: Once you get past the extra hoppy smell, get ready for more hops! This is like licking hops. This beer made me believe that there is such a thing as too many hops. I enjoyed sipping it, but it was just peeling away at my teeth. The hops did well to hide the high alcohol content of this. The bottle said 10.69%.

I'm a big fan of hops, but even I thought they went a bit overboard with this one. Since it peels away your enamel so much, you need about 6/10 golden grills to drink it.





That looks weird.

Great Lakes BC: Christmas Ale

Last Friday, Peter, Anne and myself bought six varieties of beer to each try at the same time and discuss. The six beers are all pictured next to the Christmas tree and they will all be blogged. The first beer of the night was the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Christmas Ale. The beer has a spicy smell with a lot of cinnamon. There is also honey and ginger which you can smell after reading the bottle. Anne enjoyed the O! Christmas Ale song on the bottle as well as the environmental tips about what to do with your Christmas tree that were built in to the song. The beer was tasty and went well with the season, the spices weren't too much. I like this a bit more than winter lagers, but I don't really know what to compare it to since I don't usually drink spicy Christmas ales. Anne noted that it had a bittersweet ending at the back of the tongue.

Overall, I would give this beer 5/10 Recycling Signs.

Stone India Pale Ale

I had heard many good things about the Stone Brewing Company's IPA but had never taken the opportunity to try one until this past weekend. I'm a sucker for a great IPA and this one does not disappoint, in fact it's quite amazing. Incredibly flavorful with the prefect amount of bitterness. Smooth going down but still very rich. Each gulp was better than the last, and i was quite disappointed when the final sip had come and gone. Probably not recommended for your average beer drinker, but if you enjoy IPAs this one should not be overlooked next time you're at the package store.

This really should get a 10 but because its my first review i'll give it a...............


9/10 Doug Fluties

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

The Harpoon Leviathan Series was first produced at the company's two breweries (Boston, MA and Windsor, VT) in the summer of 2008. The series is available in draft and 4 packs and was an attempt by the brewery to take an "exploration in brewing big beers for adventurous palates." This series is a definite step up for the brewery which has focused mostly on its award winning IPA and UFO brand.

The series takes its name from the "leviathan" a mythical sea beast that has been alluded to in everything from literature (Paradise Lost, Moby Dick), philosophy (Thomas Hobbes 1651 work the Leviathan discussed the need for a social contract to create the ideal state), and religion (both in Judaism and Christianity). What this has to do with brewing beer we could only venture to guess, however, the series's Imperial IPA comes in living up to the stature of the Leviathan in terms of big taste and alcohol per volume (10%).

What's the scenario? Trip to East Ave Wegman's always begins and ends in its above average beer section. I was looking for something I had never had before, my interest were peaked when I found an Imperial IPA with an unusual name I had heard somewhere before. The name Leviathan sparked an aisle discussion of Thomas Hobbes early work on government formation (which I knew a lot about) and its religious connotations (which my girlfriend knew a lot about). After examining the blurbs about the beer on its packaging I knew this four pack was coming home with me.

Appearance: A really smooth finish, with a really solid head that pours nicely into any pint glass. A bit lighter than I had expected for an Imperial IPA.

Smell: As with IPA's of any variety, you get a huge smell of hops right away. However, there also something a bit fruity, even tropical at the back end. The hoppy smell is due to the fact the beer is made using 4 different types of hops. I am no beer making expert, but the website informs that the beer is also dry hopped at a rate of over 1 lb a barrel. All of which accounts for the brews smell.

Alright, alright how did it taste? First I have to admit I have a bit of a bias here. I would put IPA, and particularly Imperial IPAs, at the top of my beer list. With that being said, the Leviathan Imperial IPA deliver. The brew has a larger amount of bitterness which is expected, but is still extremely smooth and easy to drink. It is a big beer, but I would not call it overpowering at all. You get the bitterness upfront, but the hop flavor continues throughout with a nice bit of citrus at the end. All and all this is very well rounded beer and the drinker can tell everything about this beer was feel thought out and produced at an even higher standard.

Rating: With "1" being never ever ever go for this beer and "10" seek this beer out no matter the costs, I would have to give this beer 8.5 Thomas Hobbeses. This is definitely up there on my list of best beers, but I do not think it is an everyday beer given its apv.