Harriet Anniversary Day at the Blue Nile

Man, oh, man, I'm still recoiling from this one. Haven't even gotten home, still relaxing at work (so much work!), before heading off to the lightrail train, and sweet slumber, after working for 15 hours straight, or more.
A Total Tap Takeover, with many rarities and one-offs, a line-up you will likely never see again. And I had to wait until 3:20 (we open at 4, and the event was scheduled for then) for the brewery to deliver them. Actually, 2 of the most hotly coveted items, the barrel-aged beers, would only come later.
And with 500 tickets sold the day before, exceeding our capacity, well, this guy was strung out. There was nothing we could do to make it better. We did our best for so very long, with the help we had, and at 7:30 I called a stop to all "flights"...the glassware was out there, and it's too time-consuming. Time to start having full glasses, people!
There were special beers that ran out quick, of course, like the barrel-aged brews, which I was lucky enough to taste several weeks ago. The tea-infused beers, Lapsong Souchong Dark abbey, and Jasmine Tea Divine Oculust, they were gone before I got a taste. Also, two dry-hopped  versions of Divine Oculust, one with Sorachi Ace, and one with Saaz, went quickly. Some large kegs took longer, like Divine Resolution, the orange peel infusion of Divine Oculust, as well as the first variation on the coffee-infused Doppelbock.
Damn, I forgot, we did the release party for the Doppelbock, Elevator! So, I didn't get much Ethiopian Tchembe, but am enjoying the Espresso currently. Ahhh, so nice. A review will come later.
But not, alas, of Sorachi Ace or Saaz Dry-hopped DO, or Cascade or Citra dry-hopped West-Side, or the 2 Tea infusions, or the barrel-aged versions. Oh, well, such is life. Many late-comers were hard to come to grips with what was gone, but, seriously, it's been 5 hours people, you snooze, you lose!
And also bewildering, is the people who come up and ask for a Grain Belt, or a Surly. It's Harriet Day, you moth@rF*ckers! Roll with it!
I illustrate this adventure, with a photo taken last night of the Harriet neon now proudly hung on our wall, as well a shot I snapped of the barrel-aged brews when I first had them at the brewery, several weeks ago.
The main thing I want to leave with is that I really truly appreciate when others appreciate our efforts. So often people can fire off an online review and vilify an establishment because they had to wait for their beers, or they got the wrong glassware, despite the fact that there are 500 other people in the place, and there's no way to make everyone perfectly happy all the time. Being told that we rocked, we were awesome, we worked our asses off, yeah, that means something, when they recognize the effort.

One thing that came up, from some beer geek friends, and always does, was "what's your favorite of the day?" And I have to laugh, and say, "I'm too busy working to drink!" And, it's true. Sad, and true.
Also, I discovered that while sweet jazz music does soothe my soul when I need it most (very impressed that this Super Combo knew Lee Morgan's "Yes, I Can, No, You Can't"), I still get annoyed by a mandolin, especially in conjuction with cutesy-pie, heart-on-a-sleeve lyrics delivered by a tatooed girl-woman. Add a violin, and I want to reach for a revolver.)

Alaskan Perseverance Russian Imperial Stout

Perseverance Ale, Alaskan Brewery, Russian Imperial Stout, Stout Brewed with Birch Syrup and Fireweed Honey, 9 % ABV, 1 pint, 6 luid ounces. Alaskan Brewing Company, Brewed and Bottled in Juneau, Alaska. 

Solid black, slim head, soon gone. 

Aromatics, dark malt, rich, bittersweet, cocoa, blackstrap molasses, some minor charcoal and smoke. Overall, very subtle.

Taste: more darkness, more sweetness, but lacks depth. 

That was too quick. I need to give it some tick, let the brew breath.

So, again…sweet, slick, …roasty. Toasty. Charred, but …not really. Starts…but doesn't get there. Tasty, …boozy…but, lacking extra oomph. Sometimes called "character." Also, "zazz." At other times, "zork." 

This could be a lot better. It should be a lot better. Thicker, maybe? More intense, perhaps? 

But, nice. If you want nice, go for this.

Smuttynose Gravitation Quadrupel Ale

The Smuttynose BIG BEER Series, Gravitation, a Belgian-style quadruple ale. Odd that they chose an illustration for the label that appears to depict the opposite of gravity. Is it Icarus falling to Earth, or some freshly plucked angel?

Dark, rich, burgundy hue. Slim, dark dotted head.

Aroma: Alcohol and ripe fruit. Banana and cherry. Pomegranate. Leather and cognac. Oh, and alcohol. 

Taste: More of the same, on board the palate. Burnished malt, hot and fiery. Gigantic and enormous. Starts fierce and floods the mouth, lightens a bit in body as it slides down the throat, ends with a long, balanced finish.

Rich, fat, and boozy. What's the ABV? I can't see it anywhere on the label. Has to be 10% or higher. the label does tell us "Gravitation is a huge, deep-red ale brewed with a traditional Belgian yeast to achieve flavor, complexity & character of audacious proportions." Sounds good, but I feel some complexity is hidden under all the heat. Sweetness is large in this, and only somewhat held in check by bitterness. All in all, it's the alcohol that rules.

I'm having this as a nightcap, getting ready to turn in for the evening. It's tasty, to an extent, but I feel, for me, that it trades too heavily in alcoholic heat and malty sweet at the expense of subtlety and sophistication.

Smuttynose Robust Porter

Smuttynose Robust Porter, second of the two singles brought back from Casanova's in hudson, WI. Not the last Smuttynose I have to drink, there's still one sitting in the fridge left over from November's visit to Dairyland. Just not always in the mood for a Quadrupel. A robust porter, on the other hand...

Like the brown ale, I first tried this one almost nine years ago, during the early days of trading, courtesy of an East Coast trading partner. These are the notes:

Fully black color, below a rich, tan, though woefully brief, head. 


Aroma is strong and powerful, rich with notes of cocoa, coffee, and butternut. 
Slightly oily texture, but with plenty of grit. Full body, sweet, strong, substantial, with a tasty acidity and tang. 
Small bitterness, and solid malt.
 Sweet and bitter at once. Roasty, toasty, and above all, tasty.

 A little syrupy toward the end, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this fine porter.

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale, New Hampshire, brought back from Wisconsin, 6.5% ABV. I first had one in October, 2003, and here's what I said then.

Lovely brown color, with a slight, tannish head. 

Aroma; mild, with some nuttiness, though it develops as we go on, becomes more chocolately and sweet. 

Taste: rich, delicious, malty. Medium body, but large maltiness, minimum hops.
 Nicely balanced, easy-drinking, aflush with flavor, this is another in the Elite Corps of Brown Ales, Done Right!

 Yum, yum, I keep saying, and may I repeat....mmmm... 

I like it more now. Wish I brought a 6-pack home instead of one bottle.

Bell's Hell Hath No Fury... Ale

Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale. 7.7% ABV.
Currently on tap, but I'm looking back on notes from November, 2006. I recall this being released the same time as HopSlam, and I made a fatal error, ordering more of this than the other. HopSlam was instantly popular, and sold out quick. That first version of Hell...emptied out dreadfully slow. These days it's not strictly known as a dubbel, as it was originally conceived, and streams closer to a Belgian-ish stout. Whatever, it's damned tasty, and I'll let the 5 year old notes stand.

Solid brown body, opaque, thin, but lasting layer of cocoa-tan foam above. Solid look for a dubbel. 

Nose is all cocoa powder, with suggestions of maple, nuts, & other sweet, dark and tasty things. 

Taste is more of the same, with an appreciated heft to the feel. Comes on and grows spicy on the tongue, coats the palate with a slick, chocolately, syrupy sweetness. Cloys a tad, but still delights. 
Thins out a touch and dries nicely in the finish.

What I would change here is that in this current iteration, there's very little sweetness, it's more of a dry chocolate, with hints of smoke. 

Dave's BrewFarm Kotura

Dave's BrewFarm Kotura. No word on the name, most probably a Japanese wind. 8.5% ABV. What else? "Five different malts come together with classic Weizen yeast--chocolate, caramel, and toffee flavors with a healthy ABV makes for a nice dessert beer."

Utter blackness, under a slim, tanned head.

Sweet aromatics, with caramel, toffee, the like..

.creamy, sweet luscious, lovely. AH…

Taste…rich malt, full of chocolate and toffee, caramel, all that. Hops are minimal, sweetness is high, but not overpowering. Unless you need to steer clear of that sort of thing. This is strictly labeled as a dessert beer, so don't ask for a refund if you yearn for something drier. 

Very rich malty flavor, like a liquid candy bar, and ever-so tasty. There are some hops adding buttering balance, nicely dancing on the tongue at the start of the taste, with the tasty malt mix rising up and fandango-ing into the flavor of it all.

In the end it's a dry sweetness, and an excellent balance. Beautiful beer. So very nice.