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.