Trader Joe's: 2010 Vintage Ale

I really want to review this beer but I cannot seem to get the cork out of the bottle. Come on Unibroue...

I've been a slacker when it comes to winter/holiday/Christmas beers this year. I love Anchor Steam's, Anderson Valley's Winter Solstice, Lost Coast's Winterbraun, etc. I just haven't bought those because I've been sick and not drinking. When I do buy beer, I want new ones. Ninkasi's Sleigh'r was delicious and I still have Full Sail's Wreck the Halls in my refrigerator...

Ok, got it open. I remember last year I really enjoyed the Trader Joe's Vintage Ale. This year, I have high hopes. I've always found it funny that a Canadian brewery brews this for Trader Joe's (a company based in the United States). Either way, as I said I have high hopes. My only qualms with last year's brew was that it gave me a weird indigestion feeling and/or heartburn about fifteen minutes after I finished it...every single time. I hope it doesn't do that this year. Anyways, let's get to the brew. It pours a deep, almost murky-looking, brown with practically no translucence. It possesses a nice dark tan head that remains and laces the glass as well.

It smells absolutely as I expected it would. Lots of spice and sweetness to the aromas. I get orange peel, lots of banana, nutmeg, a dash of cinnamon (only a dash), and sweet malts. It tastes just as it smells actually. Citrus notes, lots of banana, spices, and sweet malts. I understand that this is a rather short review, but I really do not have much more to say about it. Medium-to-slightly-full-bodied ale with a plethora of flavors. Luckily I bought three more of them. Two are aging until next year and I will probably open my last 2009 Vintage Ale and see how that has changed. I remember last year's had a lot of black licorice notes to it which seem to be absent this year. Major plus! Even established companies, such as Unibroue, recognize and make changes to yearly seasonal brews. These changes provide for a new experience every year with a beer you might not expect to change at all. This is also another reason why the world of beer will never cease to interest the beer lovers in us all. Go to Trader Joe's, spend the $4.99 and get yourself one of these boys. Ranking in at 9% ABV, this fella will warm you on that cold winter evening.

*****UPDATE******

Heartburn/Indigestion again in 2010. 

Bootleggers Brewery: Winter Ale (Brewed with Mint)

I am making my triumphant return to beer today after a 7 day detox. I'm sure my tolerance will be quite low and I am actually quite satisfied with that. Anyways, this is what happens when a beer lover goes without beer for a week:

With that being said/shown, I obviously acquired some great brews to bump this tolerance back up to snub. I have been quite excited about the Bootleggers Mint Chocolate Porter since I read about it a couple of weeks ago online. I finally got around to purchasing some and today I'm breaking the beer fast with one.

I have not opened a Bootleggers bottle in quite a while. This is mainly due to the fact that I have been going to the brewery itself to taste the new beers. I think the last bottle I opened of theirs was their Plumb Riot and I now remember why I stopped buying bottles of theirs: carbonation issues. Almost every bottle of Bootleggers beer I've opened has been excessively carbonated and overflows out of the top of the bottle as if I shook up a can of soda. I am always quite careful with my beers and they do not get much excessive movement. After I lost half of the beer to my shirt and jeans, I poured it into a goblet. The carbonation is just absurd so I am letting it rest so some of this CO2 will escape.

The carbonation has subsided and the two inches of dark frothy head have diminished down to about two millimeters above the beer. The brew is pretty dark with no translucence. On the nose I'm getting burnt malts, cocoa, alcohol, and even some black licorice. I get no mint on the nose, and if it is there it is masked by the other strong odors.

I tried to find a Mason Jar to serve the beer in, but I failed so a goblet will have to suffice (if you've been to the brewery you understand this statement). Upon tasting, it starts off tasting like your stereotypical porter. Roasted malt flavors lend to an espresso flavor once it first hits the tongue. As it swirls around in the mouth, I get the chocolate slightly and the black licorice flavors together. This may sound bad, but it is not. It is actually quite a pleasant balance. As it hits the back of the tongue and the sip is finished, the mint comes through but then is quickly taken over by a burnt bitterness. It is not very dry in the finish, but it definitely has a burnt aftertaste. The brew is very light to medium bodied. Is it good? Yeah. Is it what I expected? No. Would I buy more? Meh, probably not with all the other winter ales out right now. I would, however, be interested in trying it on tap at the brewery; I am making that a mission of mine for this coming (or next) weekend.

It is quite strange though, as I sit here and contemplate what else to write about the beer, I have a flavor in my mouth that is very unappetizing. Cigarettes. I taste like I just smoked a cigarette. Yuck.

I now understand why I stopped buying bottles of Bootleggers brews and started going to the brewery on a regular basis. I feel their beers are better on tap and I love the environment provided there. I am interested in asking them if the carbonation problems stem from the fact that they still hand-bottle their beers one by one. I will not stop drinking their beers and exploring their new additions, but since I live so close to them it's worth the trip to the brewery.

Karl Strauss Brewing Co: Parrot in a Palm Tree

Karl Strauss truly amazes me. While they have been around for twenty-some-odd years, they have mostly brewed those "safe" beers that have given them the reputation of somewhat of a sissy brewery. I mean, come on, they sell their beer at Disney's California Adventure. However (this is a huge however), within the past couple of years they have been flexing their muscles when it comes to brewing. Their anniversary beer this year with the zinfandel grape juice was definitely a fun beer; especially when drunk on tap. Their recent double IPA efforts have wound up successful in my opinion, and this leads me to tonight.

After getting a drink with my friends from Chapman, I stopped in at Total Wine to explore their seasonal beer section. I came across this beer from Karl Strauss and thought, "What the hell? Let's do it." It was purchased, refrigerated for a sufficient amount of time, and now it is ready for consumption.

The beer pours rather dark, but has some red translucence when held to light. It seems to be highly carbonated at first and presents a fairly dark khaki head. As the carbonation subsides, so does the head. It leaves almost nothing on top of the beer or on the insides of the glass.

The beer is aged in Port wine barrels, and I expected to get that on the nose. Unfortunately, I do not smell Port but I do get a lot of roastiness and chocolate. Actually, it is more of a cocoa powder smell as opposed to a milk chocolate candy smell. Anyways, it smells like it shall be a delicious porter. Upon tasting, WOW. Immediately I get the Port, and I am extremely pleased with how it balances out. After the Port flavors, I get some sweet woodiness (some caramel and toffee flavors) and then it finishes slightly dry with espresso notes and that dry chocolate I smelled. However, it is not too dry. It is fairly medium-bodied and very smooth. Of course, the 8.5% ABV shows up in the aftertaste, but I do not have any complaints.

This is exactly what I am talking about when I mention Karl Strauss flexing their muscles! I am really enjoying this beer. Since it only cost me $4.99, I will definitely experiment with aging a couple of these guys too. The bottle says it ages well, so I will do it. Karl Strauss, keep making beers like this and I will defend you and your brewers with my life. I guarantee you the people that condescendingly jabber about you have never tasted things like this from you. Let's share and educate on the abilities of Karl Strauss.

Stone Brewing Co: LUKCY 13ASARTD

For the sake of coherency, I will be referring to this brew as Lucky Bastard from now on. The Lucky Bastard Ale is a blend of Stone's Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and Double Bastard. After working all morning to get the place cleaned up, I decided that I would review this new addition to the Stone catalog of beers brewed. I purchased it yesterday and was going to review it then, but decided against it last night. That only leaves today. I just popped the beer open and poured it...

The color is a deep red when held directly in front of light. By just looking at it, it is amber in color with red hints in tone and a nice khaki head. The head diminishes somewhat quickly; as it does so, however, it leaves a nice retention around the glass. It smells so amazingly delicious as well. As is almost expected with Stone, lots of hoppiness on the nose along with some citrus notes. I was also struck by the vanilla that comes off the nose as well, but mostly it smells of Stone's favorite ingredients: hops. Time to taste...

Again, having had all three "Bastard" ales, this one is similar but not too similar. It tastes amazing. I get the oak almost immediately, which gives way to the citrus notes. It then gets sweet as it hits the back of the tongue with flavors such as toffee, caramel, and vanilla. Then the finish is just what I expect from Stone beers. The finish is a nice, bitter, dry, hoppy finish that leaves you desiring another sip of this brew without much delay. So good. So damn good. I do not think there has been one Stone beer that I have not liked. Some are better than others, obviously in my opinion, but this one is definitely up there. This bad boy ranks in at 8.5% ABV and is definitely a wonderful testament to the "Bastard" series. As it says on the bottle: "A slef trbitue to 13 yaers of arorgnace." I am sure that is easily translatable to all (Stone's gimmick with this beer is that they are going off of that logic that the human brain can interpret and understand what a word is as long as the first and last letter are in the right place, while all the other letters are mixed up).

This is an amazing beer, and definitely worth buying a couple more of to experiment aging with. Will it age? The Double Bastard ages well with the rest of 'em, and Dogfish Head's Burton Baton ages well also! I'm going to experiment and try it out. Let's do this. There is no way of knowing until I pop it open in 2012.

The Lost Abbey: Avant Garde Ale

I recently read an article online about how well this beer would pair with a Thanksgiving dinner. Considering it is about that time of year, I decided to purchase one and keep it until I was ready to effectively analyze and review the ale. Tonight is my night.

I pop open the cork and let the ale breathe for about a minute. I then poor it into my Allagash goblet (I'm currently attempting to acquire the epic Lost Abbey goblet). The beer has a nice off-white head that sits nicely on top of the brew, and on a night like tonight, looks even more appetizing than ever. The color is nice and golden with a slight, and I mean slight, amber glow when held up to light. On the nose, I get lots of citrusy spice, malts, and even a bit of apple. The bottle describes this as a "Farmhouse Style Ale," so I'm actually not expecting anything to pop out and surprise me in terms of scent and flavor...

Farmhouse ales tend to be medium-bodied and meant for consumption during the summer months. Picture yourself on a farm, sitting on your front porch, strumming your guitar/banjo and watching the day go by as you consume numerous farmhouse ales in the process. It should be easy-drinking and something comfortable for the summer months. Granted, they do not need to be consumed in the summer but the image works better that way. Regardless of images, let's move to something more real: the flavor of the beer itself.

In terms of the flavors present within this beer, I was immediately struck by the alcohol when I first started swishing it around my tongue. This quickly decreased and then I found the beer to be rather full of flavors of grain and wheat. Then the citrus notes kicked in and it became somewhat fruity. This quickly subsided to make room for a slightly bitter and hoppy finish. The ale ranks in at 7% ABV and is quite delicious. Is there anything undeniably epic about this beer? Absolutely not. Yet, this is definitely a delicious farmhouse style ale and I would love to buy more next time summer comes around. Two of these mid-afternoon would sit fancy with me.

Now reverting back to the anecdote that began this review, I am posed with the question: "Would this beer pair well with Thanksgiving dinner?" In my opinion, it would. However, I would venture to say that this is more of an Easter beer. I think this would pair better with a ham over turkey, but it really doesn't matter I suppose. This is a great beer and a style that you do not always come across. I will most likely keep it on my radar for a hot day when all I want to do is relax with a brew. Lost Abbey, you have done it again. Patron sinner reporting for duty.

Tripel Karmeliet

Upon exiting work this afternoon, I decided a couple of things. First, I wanted a new goblet for beer consumption and I wanted to review another beer. I decided once I was in my favorite shop that I would purchase a goblet matching the beer I was going to review. All was a success, and have led me to this point in my day.

I've always wanted that glass, and now I have it. Anyways, I popped the cork on this Belgian Tripel and poured. I was nervous about the green bottle, and sadly my fears were true. Skunky smell. Unfortunately, I know a skunky beer when I smell one and it overpowered the fragrance of the ale. As a result of this, I let the bottle and the amount I poured in my glass air out in hopes that some of the skunky smell would go away. Again, sadly, I was disappointed and it remained. Oh well, there are other fragrances on the nose besides the funk. There is still a sweetness on the nose. Extreme fruitiness with some pear, granny-smith apples, and even some banana. Sweet malts mix with the fruit to make a pretty decent smell through the skunk already mentioned. The beer pours a light golden color with a snow-white head that remains on top of the beer for quite some time.

Upon tasting the beer, I still get skunky. This is highly disappointing because I really want to like this beer. I know for a fact it also comes in smaller brown bottles, so I will explore those at a different time. However, I also get a really sweet, almost sour (delicious) flavor out of it. It is almost like biting into a sour apple in my opinion. Of course, a sour apple with sweet malts and alcohol. For a beer that ranks in at 8.4% ABV, I am somewhat excited about handling this 750 mL bottle by myself after a long morning at work. The aftertaste is actually quite pleasant, as the only flavor that remains in my mouth are the fruity flavors.

Sadly, I will not buy this in the big green bottle again. I will, however, buy this beer if I find it in a brown bottle. I feel a lot of the awesomeness in this beer has been left behind as skunkiness prevailed. Belgium very, very, rarely lets me down and I do not think this is actual flavor of this ale. I will buy a brown bottle and update this whenever it comes to fruition. Until then, I will try to forget this experience with the green bottle. Tripel Karmeliet, I will give you another shot. I promise.

Kern River Brewing Company: Anniversary Ale

Kern River Brewing Co. is a brewery I have not had anything from. They have an IPA and stout that are widely available in the area, yet I have never purchased them or tried them. Tonight, however, I was in the mood for something unfamiliar as I was browsing the shelves of beer and decided to pick this one up. The label says absolutely nothing about the beer, which makes it somewhat more exciting as I have no idea what I'm actually purchasing. I get home, pop it open, and pour it into one of my favorite tulip glasses...

The beer pours fairly golden in color with about a one inch egg-white head that actually remains on top of the beer for quite some time. On the nose, I get malts immediately. As I swirl, I get some citrus scents too. Perhaps some orange peel or even some grapefruit. There is a tad bit of spiciness to the scent as well, but nothing too overpowering to pick out. This seems crazy, but I can even pick out some honey on the nose as well.

As for the taste, I really do not know what went wrong with the beer; however something obviously has gone wrong. Immediately I am presented with a bite that I did not expect. I figured it was due to the hops, but I also know that a bitter hoppiness is usually the last flavor as you taste a beer. I can, on the other hand, tell what this beer is supposed to taste like. A medium-bodied ale with loads of citrus and spice. To be quite honest, it tastes like a spiced session ale. I am almost positive this is what they are going for and quite possibly what the beer tastes like without the immediate bite. Even though mine has the bite at the beginning, it seems to go away as you continue to drink the beer. Perhaps my taste buds were not ready for the spices in the beer, but there is a huge white pepper kick to it. I have no idea what the ABV is on this because I have not looked it up. I like to review my beers without any "outside interference," if you will, in terms of appearance, aromas, flavors, etc. The aftertaste is only slightly bitter and is actually quite delightful now that I think about it. Slightly bitter (as I enjoy my aftertaste being) but I can really pick out the citrus and spice. The aftertaste makes me want to keep drinking.

Fairly easy drinking beer even with the bite that mine has. Do I think this beer is supposed to have that surprise at the beginning? No. Would I buy it again to try another one? Probably not. Is it worth a shot? Absolutely. This is a great beer to open the flood gates of craft beers to someone. It is inexpensive, medium-bodied, and overall decent. I'd say give it a shot folks. After all, I truly believe something happened to mine.

Inland Empire Brewing Company: Black Dahlia

Oh my, the Black Dahlia! Prior to the story that appears below this post, I had the luxury of tasting the IEBC's new (to me) brew. It is described as a Dark Belgian Strong Ale. I found this to be similar to a Belgian Dubbel. I really like this brewery. They are quite new on the Southern California beer scene, and since I got my Bachelor's Degree from University of California, Riverside, I feel I have a close connection to everything in the IE. That's right, I called it that. Anyways, every-so-often when I stroll into Hollingsheads, they have a beer from these guys on tap. I remember I had a porter (right?), which was delicious. I remember I tried the Vanilla Victoria, which since I only had a taste could not effectively evaluate. However, today I was struck by the Black Dahlia.

Photo courtesy of IEBC's Facebook page

It had a dark amber color to it with a thick, khaki colored head that sat on top of my beer for a minute or two. As it diluted down, it had subtle lacing around the top of the glass. Aromas? Lots of toffee and caramel coming off the nose with some candied notes as well. After swirling it in the glass for a while to let it warm up and get all the aromas out of it, it tasted similar to how it smelled. Caramel, toffee, sweet malts, and some alcohol with a slightly bitter/dry finish. As it was cold, I thought it was good but there was nothing too special about it. On the other hand, I am no fool so I wrapped my hands around the goblet and let this guy warm up.

Once it was warmer and closer to room temperature, this guy perked up. While I could taste the alcohol a bit more as it warmed, I was quite content with it because something new appeared. Spice. I started to taste some delicious spices that I quite honestly could not put my finger on. The spices really balanced out the flavors and made this beer extremely enjoyable to drink. For 9.5% ABV, this guy is pretty good. A tad bit on the sweet side, but a little sweet never hurt anybody. I am curious as to whether there was some sort of special barrel involved in this beer.

Overall, a great beer but let him warm up before you finish him. I definitely look forward to trying more brews from the Inland Empire Brewing Company. Well done guys.

Don't Be a Beer Douche

After I got off of work this afternoon, I decided while driving home that I was going to hit up Hollingsheads Delicatessen to have a brew and talk some things over with Kenny. I had some delicious brews, but I need to get this out before I talk about the beers. They will be separate posts.

While I am there, it is the lunch downtime so naturally there is a lot of banter echoing through the almost empty deli. Of course, all representatives of the three generations were present so it was quite the experience. However, this experience was somewhat tainted by a certain gentleman. He, my good friends, was a beer douche. I feel as if I should explain. A beer douche is someone who knows quite a bit, possibly more than you may, about beer and everything related to it. On the other hand, they are not welcoming in their knowledge. Instead, they talk down to you when you try to make simple conversation or they feel the need to explain how much better at life/drinking beer than you are. Here are the Ten Commandments of Beer as provided by the Beer and Whiskey Brothers:

Look at number ten. It says: "X. Don't Be a Douche! The biggie--do not lord your knowledge over others--always be positive, welcoming, and friendly when discussing beer."

Needless to say, this guy broke this commandment. I believe he did this because he felt threatened by something I decided to chime in on when he first arrived. He apparently was deciding whether to order Russian River's Pliny the Elder or Ballast Points' Sculpin. He asked what the ABV was on the Sculpin and I chimed in with a simple, "Seven percent." He looked at me kind of strange and then back at Mike (the kind young man tending bar) and said he'd have a Pliny since it was eight percent. That was that and I did not really speak to him for a good 30 minutes or so after this. Then the big one came...

I was talking with another man about beers and mentioned how I was feeling like having a Barley Wine that evening, and the douche guy said I should get a Bigfoot (Sierra Nevada). Of course, I know that Sierra Nevada's XXX Anniversary Black Barley Wine is currently out so I asked him if he had tried it. He said he didn't, so I went and got a bottle off of the shelf and told him to look at it if he wanted. I then proceeded to browse the well-stocked shelves of Hollingsheads and didn't find anything at that point that had caught my eye. As I turned a corner to browse the Belgian section, I passed him and he gave the beer back to me and said, "It doesn't have very impressive numbers. I think 10% for a Barley Wine is a little low." At that point I realized how this conversation was going to go, so I just let it go but simply replied back, "Yeah but you cannot make judgments about beers if you have never tried them." I do not think that sat well with him; honestly what I replied back was said in a kind manner, and quite frankly true.

I went back to browsing beers and picked up an Avery Brewing's Joe's Premium American Pilsner and an Anchor Brewing Humming Ale. Two brews I have never tried and quite low on the ABV scale. I set them on the counter and this is the conversation that took place:

Him: "Wow, you're a light drinker."
Me: "Well, I have to be up at 6 tomorrow so I figure I'll just take it easy."
Him: "Psssh, I get up at 5:30 and I drink the equivalent of (he scrambles to grab beer off of the counter and grabs two six packs of stuff, big bottles by the way) this every night."

At this point, I realize what type of person this is. He's a young guy too, I just don't understand where he got this false sense of empowerment.

Me: "Good for you man."
Him: "Yeah, I drink about this much every night."
Me: "Cool man. Hey Mike, can I get a taste of the Little Sumthin' Wild? I want to see if I want to get a 22 of it or not."

Mike pours the little taster and as I go to smell it, the guy once again chimes in:

"That doesn't have a very impressive color."
Me: (totally ignoring this guy at this point) Mmmm, smells and tastes green and grassy but still has a Belgian kick to it. Let me go grab a bottle Mike."

I go and grab a bottle, bring it back, pay, and leave. There really is no climax to this tale. It is simply an experience that I hope nobody else ever has to share. If someone decides to be a beer douche to you, you have two options: get mad and verbally battle them (not worth it) or just simply give them the cold shoulder. This guy was not convincing me in any way, shape, or form that he knew more than me or anything of the sort. Instead, he came off as someone I would have no desire to sit next to at a bar, ever. Don't be this guy. Don't be a beer douche.

Guinness: Foreign Extra Stout

Let me start off this review with simply stating that when it comes to Arthur Guinness, I am quite a fan. It seems as though Ireland and England get so many different brews from this company on a regular basis. When my brother was over in Wales doing some Archeological digs, he wrote to me about Guinness Red and how it was different in this way and that way, etc. However, us Yanks over here in the United States have been stuck with the same (delicious) Guinness Draught and Extra Stout for so long. Granted, I am a huge fan of Smithwick's as well and it is single-handedly because of me that a Blacksmith is on the menu at the Brea Yard House. The last thing I want to do is to sound pompous, so that is neither here nor there. Harp is great as well but since I have broken my "creature of habit" form when it comes to beer, I always want to try something new. I was more than excited when the 250 Anniversary Stout was released a couple years ago that I called and drove all around trying to be the first one to have his lips touch such a brew. I wound up finding it in Irvine, and my 250 Anniversary Stout collection of signs, glasses, and labels began and today has become pretty impressive if I may say so myself.

Naturally, you can imagine my excitement this morning when I was scouring BeerAdvocate.com for a beer to get and review tonight. I was having trouble, though, considering when one reads about beers, it does not necessarily mean he/she will be able to find it. My buddy Brandon also mentioned how when you see a beer in person, it speaks to you and it can do no such action online with a .jpg of the brew. I could not agree more so I decided to end the search online. However, then I saw that Guinness was releasing the Foreign Extra Stout in the United States starting on October 1. I made it my mission today to find it. Needless to say, I was successful. Let's review some beer, shall we?

Photo courtesy of BeerAdvocate.com

Before I review this beer, let me just mention that the goblet above leaves me at a loss of words in terms of its awesomeness. I have now made it my mission to acquire that goblet by any means necessary, if it even exists. The beer: It pours black, with almost no translucence. The only light you see through this beer is at the very top, directly underneath the head if you hold it at above your head but under the light source. The head is a dark khaki color, pretty much like a cappuccino, and dissolves down leaving very little lacing on the glass.

The nose has lots of roastiness and smokiness. I was actually surprised by the amount of smokiness on the nose of this beer. You can smell some alcohol on the nose, but that has never scared me away from any beer. Upon sipping, and swirling it around the tongue, I get flavors such as dark chocolate, roasted malts, smoke, and hints of caramel and alcohol. It is medium bodied. Not too heavy, not too light. The finish is my favorite part of the beer. It's a bitter, dark chocoalty finish which is obviously due to the hops. To me, there is nothing like a brew from across the Atlantic with a bitter finish. For a beer that ranks in at 7.5% ABV, this is a relatively smooth brew in my opinion. However, I have come across a number of people who say that they do not like "hoppy beers." I think I would have them try this to see if it is the bitterness they do not like, or if it is the grassy/green/earthy hoppy flavors and aromas that have become ever so popular in Northern America in the past couple of years.

I like this beer a lot. I had some preconceived knowledge in regards to this beer because I always wondered why we never had it here. It was available here in the early twentieth century, but then after Prohibition in the United States, Guinness said, "Screw it," and never sent it back over here. It was available in a number of other places around the world, and finally we can purchase this beer here yet again. Hopefully, it is here to stay. Will I buy this beer again? Yes. On the other hand, a 4-pack runs close to $10.00 and the beers are 11.2 oz. All in all, this was a great experience with a great beer. Good job Guinness on sending it over here to us Yanks again. Now if we could only get some original Guinness Porter brewed like back in the mid-to-late 1700s (and possibly the 250 Anniversary Stout re-released). What do you say?

Black Tuesday

So, today is a big day for The Bruery in Placentia. Today is an event they have been looking forward to all year long. Today, my friends, marks the release of their Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. It ranks in at 19.5% ABV, and it is called Black Tuesday.

Now, while this is a big day for the brewery itself, it is also big for beer fans. They get a chance to grab one of these epic beers...or do they? Actually, most of us will never get our hands on such a beer. While I have one from last year, I was lucky enough to have Kenny at Hollingsheads hook me up with one. I did not get it from The Bruery themselves, mainly because they create their own demand by making this one of the toughest beers to get your hands on.

Here's the deal: tickets went on sale for the Black Tuesday Release Party a while back. Naturally, the tickets sold out in a very short time. However, while I think it was smart on The Bruery to make two separate celebrations to fit more people, there were other things that I felt could have been handled better. Naturally, they do not care what I have to say and I am OK with that. I just feel I need to vent my frustrations here.

First, there were three separate tiers in ticket purchases. The first one was the cheapest at something like $75.00, and you got one bottle of Black Tuesday to take home with you. The second, which I do not remember the price, got two bottles. The third, again I'm blanking but I know was over $100.00, got three bottles to take home. Keep that in mind: three bottles to take home. Let's say that a group of four friends were able to get tickets and bought the most expensive ones. This would mean that between the four of them, they are taking home an entire case of this epic beer to keep for themselves. Does this seem right? Absolutely not. 

Next, some members of the Reserve Society did not even get tickets to the release party. The Bruery Reserve Society is its own exclusionary creation that can only be joined once a year. For a number of hundreds of dollars, you get a free sweatshirt and the opportunity to get epic beers from The Bruery that they do not bottle for the public. Nothing like excluding a number of your fellow beer lovers by making these beers only available to those who can shell out $200.00 around Christmas time. With that being said, some of these people didn't even get tickets to the Black Tuesday release party and are quite lucky that they are guaranteed a bottle with the purchase of their membership.

So what do I personally think they should have done differently? I don't think they should have given the option to get 3 bottles of this epic beer per person. The bottles should have been sold at the counter with a one bottle limit per person. That way, more people get to experience your beer and it doesn't wind up on eBay for $200.00 a bottle. Is that really what you want your brewery to become? If so, then you are doing your job and quickly making your beer and brewery more exclusionary than welcoming.

I love The Bruery's beer. I always will. I think they know what they are doing there and I will never stop drinking it. However, there are a number of beers of theirs that I haven't had because they have created their own demand by making certain things only available to certain people. These certain people, by the way, are more often than not the same people since they have the money to shell out every year to be a part of the Reserve Society. Am I at The Bruery almost every week? Yes. Do I support them in any way I can? Yes. Will I get my hands on a bottle of Black Tuesday? Nope. Are a number of people going to have up to 3 bottles a piece? Yes. Someone should really take a step back and analyze that. Beer is to be shared, not hoarded and selfishly held onto or sold for profit.

Today is a big day for The Bruery. Today is Black Tuesday! Sadly, for beer lovers, it is more like the Black Tuesday experienced in 1929; only a handful of people will end the day prosperous. 

Moonshot: Kallman's Brew

I am a huge, and I mean huge, fan of the documentary Beer Wars.

Beer Wars Trailer

Through that film, I was introduced for the first time to Rhonda Kallman. She helped Samuel Adams and their Boston Lager take off. Eventually, there was nowhere else for her to go with the Boston Beer Company so she left to start her own brew (why she did this, no one will ever know). I watched her struggle to sell her beer to every single person she could. From local bars to private investors, she struggles to get her beer off the ground. I see her kids crying that she is going out every night with her big fake breasts practically begging to burst out of her thin Old Navy orange-red hoodie. I see her attempt to get support from Jim Koch (Mr. Samuel Adams), and eventually trying to sell out to the big three. I watch her terrible day-by-day existence and, quite honestly, feel terrible for her. Then I transport myself to tonight...when I strolled across her beer, Moonshot: Premium Beer with Caffeine, at the local Total Wine. I cannot help but purchase a six-pack to support this woman I feel so close to...

I hate to say it, but this beer is absolutely terrible. I don't like to riddle my beer analyses with personal opinions, but with this brew, and all I've emotionally put into it, I cannot help it. It pours a despicable light straw color with a very Styrofoam-white minimal head to it that leaves the glass within the matter of less than 20 seconds. What does this mean? This means you are looking at a light lager with a shit ton of carbonation. Straight up. A light lager, that apparently, is now riddled with caffeine. Upon tasting the beer, it did not impress at all. In fact, it did quite the opposite. My buddy Travis, my brother Andrew, and myself were all disappointed in the all-around quality of this beer. It had a slight fruitiness to it that left the mouth rather quickly and left a watery flavor to it that was anything but delicious. My friend Travis described this as a "filler," meaning a beer that you'd drink in between your delicious, epic beers to keep you awake.

What does this really mean? I know you are wondering the same thing we all were. Here's what I think...why in the world would any of the big three, or even Jim Koch, sign on to promote a beer such as this? The answer is pretty simple. None of them would, mainly because there is nothing original in this guy. It is 4.8% ABV, a light lager, and quite honestly not very good in flavor. See, Guinness is rather similar in ABV but it is not only delicious, but it is the best beer for you if you are trying to lose weight (if you don't believe me, look it up). This is low, shitty in flavor (it really just tastes like an MGD 64 with the flavor of an artificial, highly caffeinated sweetener), and quite honestly just dissatisfying. Why would Jim Koch support Rhonda and contribute to a beer that is so similar to the shit that is produced by the big three when he is producing things like Utopias and the ever-so-delicious Double Bock. He's creating and finding new brews every year through a home-brew competition...the last thing he would possibly want is something lacking in originality in terms of flavor and complexity. Going along with that, the big three don't need to throw money away into something they can create themselves (which Anheuser-Busch did with B to the E and eventually failed). So they will focus on their main brands and continue to spend their money where it is needed most; money spent on advertising their top sellers during a continuous string of sporting event commercial breaks. Why pick up a brand that's not even off of the ground yet? It just goes to show you how through one viewpoint, you can feel sympathetic, and even empathetic, for Rhonda. However, after knowing what this brew tastes like and what she's asking from these people, there are other sides to the brewing industry.

Quite honestly, the brewing industry is a tough world. Beer Wars really made me feel bad for this woman and her struggle to pick herself up off of the ground after leaving Samuel Adams. Yes, she took Boston Lager from the east coast of the United States to the west. However, that was a different style of beer that no one had ever seen, nor tasted, before. This Moonshot shit is no different than any of the other, excuse my language, crap out there. You look at something like Sam Adams Light and compare it with any other light beer on the market, and it has such a strong flavorful profile for a "light beer." Then you compare it with Moonshot, and Moonshot doesn't even get off the ground through juxtaposition.

I'm sorry Rhonda, I really am. I really wanted to like your "brain child," but it fell way short of the moon.

Official Post: Great Divide Brewing Company

I have had the blessing of discovering the Great Divide Brewing Co. from Denver, CO. I've only had this one delicious brew from them so far, yet it is a good one. The beer I am speaking of is their Hibernation Ale - English-Style Old Ale. For those less-informed, old ales tend to be very malty, not too bitter, but usually rank high on the ABV (Alcohol by Volume) scale. This one is 8.7%.

This brewery's beer has only recently been distributed in Southern California. By recently, I mean within this past month. Since old ales are very similar to barley wines, I somewhat knew what to expect with this beer. However, as with any beer I've never tried, I tend to keep an open mind. This was absolutely delicious. Roasted malts, molasses, and toffee on the nose. Thin, off-white head with a deep mahogany color to the brew. On the tongue, there is some sudden alcohol with some roasted malts, toffee, and a sweet finish. After taste is somewhat like dark chocolate, and while being a bit bitter, not too much. I would definitely buy this again. The bottle says, in terms of pairings:

"Roomano, an aged hard Dutch cow's milk cheese, grilled beef tenderloin, apple crisp with ginger ice cream."

Take that for what it's worth. Actually, this is my first typed out review of a beer. Congrats folks. You just experienced history. More are obviously to follow. That's all I suppose. I might post another one tomorrow after I head to the Bruery and get a bottle of 3 French Hens...