Bayern Dragon's Breath "Dark Heff Ale"

A new brewery to me, Bayern, out of Missoula, Montana, picked up at the Ale Jail. I'll give them another shot, but this one was disappointing. Here are the notes, from a few nights ago.

Bayern Dragon's Breath, Dark Heff Ale, Bayern Brewing, Missoula, Montana

Dark brown color, thin creamy, cocoa-toned head.

Aroma, roughly suggestive of a weizen, there's a whiff of wheat, sure. Caramel, clove, latent banana. Some of that. But what does "heff ale" mean? Have they created their own colloquialism for "hefe" as in in "hefe wizen." Are they sure that the unwashed masses will have no truck with a "Dunkel weizen", and need to coin the ugly phrase, "dark heff ale." I'm a bit turned off by this.
And " Dragon's Breath?" Are they competing with Moose Drool for unappetizing beer name?

Smells okay, actually, but uninspiring.

Taste: dark malt, smooth, refreshing what, but comes across as very pedestrian. Eh, it's beer and you can drink it,..I guess. But doesn't do hardly a thing for me.

I left the notes off there. Frankly, I didn't feel like saying anything else, the brew was so uninspired. I finished it, slowly, and with regret.

Big Sky Olde Bluehair Barleywine

With my faith in Big Sky restored (see Ivan the Terrible), I dropped some coin on this oddly named barley-wine ale. Rather weird verbiage on the label, too. I'm supposed to think of a sexy dance, and then an old lady? Hmmm. But, dammit, if the beer isn't fine enough to obliterate this flaws. Took it down the other night, here are my notes:

Limited Edition Olde Bluehair…Big Sky Brewing, Barrel-aged & Bottle Conditioned. Ale Aged in American Oak Bourbon Barrels. 10.5% above.

Number 1307 of 3000. "Imagine a tango: a man and a woman dancing, their eyes locked upon one another, then take your first bite of Olde Bluehair, Big Sky Brewing Company's Barley Wine. A taste of apricots, honey flavors, a sliver of vanilla, and a hint of caramel round out this barley wine. Like so many things in life, Olde Bluehair just gets better with time."

Thoroughly hazed, magenta hued, thick, wonderful, rocky, lacy, off-white head. Big, lasting, very impressive. So far, so good.

Aroma: whiskey hits first, leather, vanilla, dark fruits, cherries, sweet, bold, rich, huge. I'm getting it, both parts of this beer are working well, in full effect. I'm getting the barleywine, I'm getting the bourbon barrel.

Now, what's it taste like?

Boom, boom, here comes hops, next bourbon, then alcohol. Bam! Immenseness and richosity. A flash of hops, then a blitz of bourbon, then the caramel malt, and, yeah, I can detect apricot, sure….honey, yeah, a little. Getting drier now, not so juicy, well rounded, not too over the top. I'm kind of loving it. Big plum, date, raisin-y, dark fruits aplenty, sweet a bit, then dry, and, yeah, rounded. Good balance, for such a big one.

Hey, now, this is several varieties of yum, yes, it is. Now, it's getting woody oaky, that part is coming into play. The thicker parts of the bourbon character have given way for other pleasures.

This works. This is good. This is Mmm + yum, plus, oh, yeah.

In Darkest Night...

There were a number of releases and events happening yesterday, Tuesday, the 21st. First Day of Winter, Solstice, Darkest Day of the Year, and there were several bars and pubs adding interest in the name of beer. I made it out to two of them on my day off, first of all, Tim Johnson's fine array of stouts and imperial stouts at his fine restaurant, Haute Dish, probably my favorite eatery around. Descutes The Abyss, Great Divide Yeti, Big Sky Ivan the Terrible, Surly Darkness, Bell's Expedition, Avery the Czar, & Odell Bourbon Barrel, all available as flights. I did the first three as a flight, then a Darkness (can't pass up Darkness, ever!) and finally an Ivan, a beer I've rarely had. Why? Twenty dollars a bottle. But, wait, Al, don't you yearly pay $20 per bottle for Surly Darkness? yeah, but that's Surly Darkness. And didn't you just spend $20 on a Duvel Triple Hop bottle? Also, true, but that's Duvel. It's not as if I don't like or trust Big Sky Brewing, it's just that my affection for them doesn't grant them that level of trust that's required in dropping a Jackson for a single bomber.

After soaking up the malty goodness last night, I may reconsider that. I took notes on this one, something I don't often do while sitting at the bar, or restaurant. But considering not only the price tag, but the rarity, I took pen to paper, and snapped a shot.

The details will be shown in the accompanying graphic, so here's my bare bones scribblings....

Appearance: blackest black, 1/2" creamy cocoa/tan head.

Aroma: Grassy/hoppy nose, bourbon & molasses below (hadn't realized it was barrel-aged when I had it), charcoal & chocolate.

Taste: big, fat malt attack, hops riding high above. Nice bitter blast, fading into a deep morass of caramel, char, toast & roast. Great balance in this, an even ride between bitterness & sweet malt (sweetness cut to nil), alcohol strength stays sly, but roars in, eventually. Not terribly full-bodied for an RIS, but over-flowing with flavor. Long, bittersweet finish.

All in all, this one deserves entry into the pantheon. Forgive me for underestimating you, Ivan. I hope to make your acquantaince again