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. 

Widmer Brothers Rotator IPA Series, O'Ryely IPA

Widmer Brothers Rotator IPA Series, Profile: "O'Ryely IPA". "A wry take on IPA. Rye spiciness, distinctly hopped." 

Clear, dark amber coloring, off-white cloud of foam. Looks nice. 

Aroma: spicy, bready malt notes, herbal/mineral, tropical fruits. Fruit salad on rye bread, heavy on the rye. Hops are kind of hidden, but they're there.

Taste: Hop bitterness starts it off, warm, even hot, matched well with spicy malt. A friendly tug of war. Here's a little bitter, here's a bit of spicy/ sweet (small on the sweet). Toasty. Certainly unlike anything you'd expect from an IPA. In fact, I wouldn't call this an IPA, if they hadn't already established it as one. I'd be hard pressed to categorize it, and since I don't have to, I won't. But they did. 

However, to really call it an IPA, I've got to be able to feel the hops more than the malt. For an IPA, the hop presence is rather mild. 

Other than that, I like it. Drinks down nice and easy, provides plenty of pleasure. Decent sessioner. Good for that. And that is all. 

Brewery Van Steenberge Cherish Kriek lambic

Cherish. Authentic Belgian Kriek Lambic, Brewed and bottled by Browerij van Steenberge, Ertvelde, Belgium.

Deep ruby coloring, nearly purple, pinkish head settles into a tight ring.

Mix of tart and sweet cherry notes in the nose, leaning on the sweet, heading into CandyLand, like a SweeTart, or, actually cherry kool-aid. Not much beyond that.

Taste: starts with a sour spank on the tongue, quickly matched with a cloying, almost sickening sweetness. Then, it vanishes. Poof! Gone, with only a little bit of lingering. Light bodied, with little character beyond this sweet/sour sensation. 

A passable dessert beer option, especially if you find it at a nice price, but steers clear from being breathtaking. Clearly a syrup is involved here, we're getting little real cherry flavor, and none of the complexity of the great lambics.  I'm being nice. It would be very easy to just say, "it sucks." You won't find that very often here at the bitter nib. 

Just call me disappointed.

Oh, well.

Dave's BrewFarm Lupulo Noir

"Lupulo Noir. 9.1 % Belgian lineage yeast. Pils, Caramel 120, and Chocolate malts, combined with Magnum, Chinook, Northern Brewer, and Amarillo hops."

Off goes the swingtop cap, and out sprays beer into my face! (Good sign or bad omen?)

Dark as night this one, with slightly opaque edges, turning a lighter caramel color, with a lovely cocoa brown head holding down the fort on top. Very inviting.

Aroma: the nose greets us first with a blast of this blend of hops, we're getting the bitterness, the resiny pine, the pithy citrus. It stands for a second, before being engulfed by chocolate. Bitterness is utterly subdued, and grassy hop character remains standing, holding ground with caramel and cocoa.

Taste: All that and more back on the tongue. Hops aren't loud or large, very subtle, but stand their ground with the deep, dark, lush malt. The hop contingency always maintains steadily at the forefront of this ale, and the chocolate part only gets richer and delicious-er. Seriously, delicious-er IS a word, albeit one I only made up now. (Edit: I realize I've said "delicious-er" before, of course, for an earlier BrewFarm beer, no less.)

I've done some grousing about the "black IPA", or "black ale", and I've done some cheering about certain entries in this field. Right now, I feel as if I'd have to put this in there, although the Belgian yeast may help me make a case for herding Lupulo Noir into a different category. 

Dave's BrewFarm AuBeXXX Belgian-style Golden Ale

Dave's BrewFarm, hurrah! Had the whole line-up on Sunday, and went back for seconds on a couple of them, but not on old favorites, or Heavy Hitters, no I re-visited the tastiest and most surprising offerings. Unfortunately, I didn't take notes while there (never do, as I take notes while talking with friends on the rarest of occasions, if ever.), so my impressions on those beers will have to wait until the day Mr. Anderson growlers them, or...bottles...cans?
I did bring home 3 growlers, and the first that I tackled last night is both an old favorite and a Heavy Hitter. Notes from January, 2012, commence!

AuBeXX. Au for Gold, Be for Belgium, XXX for strong. AwBex, One of the first beers Farmer Dave brought out to festivals, and one of the mainstays at the LaBrewaTory, but oddly enough, this marks the first time it's been in growlers that I've been there. Or maybe not, it's hard to say, but it's harder still to imagine that I ever passed it up before. 

Enough palaver, let's get into it.

In a Duvel glass, it's golden in name only this time, (was it paler before?), cast a deep amber hue, with a prodigious, staying off-white head. 

Enticing aromatics, a blend of fruit, peppery spice, and distinct Belgian yeast. Complex and arousing. Urges me into the tasting, which we will begin…now.

In the mouth, warm, malty, getting hot, with spice keeping pace with fruit. Clean malty flavor, with sufficient richness. Zesty is an appropriate phrase. Medium-bodied, lean enough, but perfectly balanced, with most of the flavor coming malt, yeast, and the spice additions, not much from hops beyond mild balancing bitterness. 

Ah! Everytime it slips the lips, satisfaction. Mmm! This would be quite a nice packaged product, and would please those intimidated by the curiosity of Matacabras. Not as thick as that one, with more bright fruit, leaner, and yummier. Halfway in, the 9.1 % ABV starts chiming in. 

Here the official description of the LaBrewaTory. "Golden strong ale with spicing. Belgian lineage yeast, Vanguard and Northern Brewer hops. Additions of orange peel, cardamom, and black pepper. "

This malty, spicy, yummy golden ale is one I'll happily finish off tonight, and wish I had more for tomorrow. Alas, and alack. Hint, hint, Mr. Anderson, let's get some more of this going. Stick this lovely blend of spice and malt into a vessel that can reach the masses, and wait for the applause. 

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout

Picked up another Oskar Blues in Wisconsin, possibly, and most probably, the first Russian Imperial Stout ever canned. I had this one for the first time in June, 2008. My notes, it seems, were terse and to-the-point. That is how it should be sometimes. I'll let them stand, without further embellishment. Except this. One the can, only these words for promotional puffery: "Cross-eyed. Cyclopean. Cancupescient." I have no idea what that means. Or maybe I do?
(I still, however, can't tell you
what "Ten Fidy" means.)

Notes, do your stuff:

Ten Fidy, Oskar Blues, can

Black as night, under a thick, luscious brown head, a slice of chocolate frosting.

Sweet cocoa aroma, next to bittersweet notes, roasty malt next to bitter hops, deeper divinations bring out molasses, dark rum, licorice. Beautiful.

Rich and full-bodied, starting sweet and chocolate-y, ending roasty and dry. 
Wonderful stuff.

Oskar Blues GUBNA Imperial IPA

Out of Lyons, Colorado, the Oskar Blues Brewery Company, one of the nation's first to make a name for itself with canned craft beer offerings. They began with Dale's Pale Ale, but this time we're looking at the double IPA, Gubna, which I reviewed for the first time in October, 2010. Here are some notes for you!

Gubna Imperial IPA, Oskar Blues Brewery LLC, Colorado, USA

Hazy, pale peach appearance, slim white head.

Prickly pine aromatics, with a serving of lemon and lime, grapefruit, bright, citrus-y hop madness. Juuust right!

Taste: All that and more. Thinnish body, tons of bitterness on top. Hop attack smears the top of the mouth, slides to the back, trickles down. Fierce hop flavor never fails, not for a minute, just ...narrows a bit, after the initial salvo. 
Lemon rind and grapefruit squirt step on the palate with every sip. Fine finish, medium length, stays juicy and hoppy, and keeps you grabbing for another.

Took me long enough to try out this acclaimed IPA, didn't it, and now I know for a fact that it belongs in the top rank of Imperials. Good on you, Gubna.

New Glarus Hop Hearty IPA

Another trip to Dave's BrewFarm, means another visit to Casanova's in Wisconsin, means more Wisconsin hauls. Which means re-visiting beers I reviewed long ago, but haven't checked into for this particular endeavor. And here he meet Hop Hearty IPA from New Glarus, which I first reviewed on BeerAdvocate, back in April, 2003. I've skimmed away unimportant details, but stuck with the meat of it. Notes, away!

Color is typical clear, reddish hue, with a firm, if smallish, white head. 


Nose is sharp, and hot, pine and spruce associations jumping forward. Some citric tones, too, but however you divvy it, it's all hops, baby!


 Fresh and bold on the palate, though the finish is a bit too brief, but not unmemorable. 

Body's medium, malt back-up is quite good, very substantive. 

Very tasty, and very rewarding! Deee-licious! Quite a treat for this card-carrying hophead. 

Widmer Pitch Black IPA

Widmer Pitch Black IPA. "Always Bet On Black." 6.5% ABV. "Embrace the Dark Side." Smooth, dark, and hoppy. Series 924. And so on, and so forth. Let's crack this open. 

Indeed, it is pitch black in color, roasty tan head, mmm, enticing.

Aroma: there we go, grassy, piney, hovering over black malt, cocoa and coffee. Ah, hoptastic, it is, big time.

Tasting it, …there we go. Black malt, dark and tasty, low roast, minor toast, some chocolate happening. The hoppy buzz keeps on top of the palate. 

After all the black IPAs/black ales I try, I'm still not 100% crazy about them. A big so what, is how I feel. I don't want grassy hops over a dark ale. And if I yearn for something hoppy, I don't want the dark malts. Peanut butter in my chocolate, that sort of thing. 

Earthy, malty, and tasty. But, eh…not the sort of thing I'm going to turn to, again and again. Just doesn't thrill me. I hope this fad dies off soon, actually. 

Harriet East-Side Belgian-style IPA

Harriet East -Side. What the Heck is that? It's this…"East Side honors the hoppy Belgian Goldens that inspired the pseudo-style, Belgian IPA. East Side was brewed with the same quantity and fraction of Pilsner, Munich, and crystal malts as West Side; except we used the lightest crystal available. Thus, the appearance of East Side is pale. Also, we targeted the same IBU's as West Side, but we did so with all European hops. Finally, East Side is fermented by the same yeast as West Side.
We anticipate a very floral, light fruity and earthy character with spicy undertones and a clean yet sturdy malt backbone, but you'll have to come and find out for yourself! Only one batch of this delicate offering was brewed; so, don't miss out!"
I didn't make it to the Groveland Tap for the premiere, and I admit I'm a little jealous that they got it first, but what can you do. On the other hand, Jason stopped by with a growler, and I enjoyed most of that last night. Didn't feel up to writing, so I saved some for now, when I'm going to do it. Starting now…Clear, straw gold color, big, white head, cloudy, lovely.
Unique aromatics, funky, wild, slightly sour, spicy, and somewhat citric. This is exactly like a Czech pilsner nose meshed with Belgian yeast. And it really resembles what the first Belgian IPAs really were, Urthel Hop-It, Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor, and the like. Nothing American here, at all.
…and very little IPA-like, at least in terms of what we think of for American IPAs,…let's drink,now.
On the palate, smooth, easy, clean, very light bodied, with hop bitterness king. Lays long on the palate, never quitting, feeling all the world like a classic IPA, but without the characteristics of the West Coast style that we are accustomed to, the citrus, the pine. Starts turning a little creamy, a little sweet, then pummeled by hops. A burst of bitter orange is in here, too, matched with pepper and some aspirin-like astringent.
I like this.
Medium- bodied, but easy-drinking, consummate consumability.

My notes cut off there, for it was time to hit the mattress, and call it a morning. I just can't drink as much as I used to, when I get home from work around 4 a.m. But it drank down just fine, with many pleasures attending the tasting, while I was able to drink. If I find more to say about this tasty, Belgian-style brew, I'll be sure to check back in.

New Belgium Lips of Faith Fresh Hop IPA

New Belgium Lips of Faith Fresh Hop IPA. Freshly tapped, and doing very well, terribly popular. I was slightly late on this one, and when I finally got a hold of good ol' Joe about the final LoF brews of the year, and their availability, he admitted that it was a bit late for a fresh hop ale, and they'd be happy to see them out the door. Yes, it's not October anymore, but it's tasting great, and has held up well over the months, since it was "fresh". This won't last long, so I'm getting right to the notes, here we go...

Clear, bright red coloring, huge head, a snow drift of foam....looks fantastic.

Aromatics, full of lemon and orange zest, prickly pine, and all things hoppy. Floral, bitter, beautiful.

Taste: Hits the palate with bitter hops, glides all over the tongue, but never too harsh, never too hard. Fades a bit, but clings lightly along. Roars back with each new sip and swallow, never-ending bitter blast that hangs long on the palate. Yum.

Light to medium body. Tasty as heck, damned good stuff. This is a definite hit for the hop-heads in the house. I'm hoping they continue with this one. Clearly, they know how to do it, let's keep it up, NB!

New Belgium Snow Day Winter Ale

New Belgium Snow Day Winter Ale. 6.2% ABV. Pleasantly hoppy, Snow Day carries the subtle chocolate and caramel flavors of a new brewing malt known as Midnight Wheat. The Styrian Golding, Centennial and Cascade hops bring the backbone of hoppy bitterness to complement the roasty undertones. This beer is the deep garnet of a roasted walnut and presents a creamy tan head, floating artfully atop. Snow Day is bold and hoppy, drinkable and strong. 

Snow Day, huh? this is not the year for that. Our snowfall has been small and short-lived. Mildest winter on record, I believe. Or, I'm assuming. At least the winter beers are still strong. 

Deeply dark, nearly black, tall tanned head, long lasting…looks great. 

Fruit forward aromatics, bitter citrus, grapefruit and pine. Plenty of hops in here, with caramel malt tones below. 

Hoppy snap hits the palate first, spanks the tongue just a bit, then fades back, leaving lush malt. Bitter hops and toasty malt mix it up. Medium bodied. Nicely toasty, loads of caramel and toffee to keep up with the hops. 

This one's being called an American Black Ale, or Black IPA, because a winter ale shouldn't be so hoppy, apparently. 

Me, I just like it. This 6-pack went down with no problem. I'll probably do some more before it's gone. But, it won't make me miss the snow.

RedHook Pilsner

RedHook Pilsner. "May Not Look It, but Has A Dark Side." (What the hell does that mean?) 5.3% Alc./Vol. 

I haven't had any RedHook in ages. They stopped meaning anything to me a long, long time ago. Now, apparently, they have 3 breweries. Did not know that. 

Glad I got some samples from the sample man, this time one with RedHook and Widmer samples. Good thing, I don't think I would have purchased a 6'er of this on my own. 

So let's look at it. Clear and golden, effervescent, snow-white head.

Clean, malty aromatics, some hops, cereal notes. Note perfect pilsner nose.

Taste: crystal clear and clean. Light body. Small hop blitz, gone in no time, revealing a sweet malt profile, ending dry. Dry and ever-s0-slightly bitter. 

They pitched it perfectly. Not so bad.

But, where was that "dark side", again?

Vichtenaar Flemish Red Ale

Vichtenaar Flemish Ale, bottled and brewed by Brouwerij Verhaege-Vichte, Belgium. Vichtenaar is a West-Flemish red-brown ale matured in oak casks, has a fruity palate, pleasant sour flavor and refreshing finish. 5.1 % ABV, 11.2 oz. bottle.

Clear, reddish-brown color, off-white head, slim, but lasting.

Aroma: sour fruit, vinegar, cherries, oak. All well-integrated, nothing too forward. 

Drink it, now. Mild approach on the palate. The mild fruity flavor is there, the mild oak notes, the mild, light, lean body. 

(Read between the lines.)

Okay, I'll come right out and say it: if you're a big, "sour" fan, this will not be for you. If you are looking for a stepping stone, step right on this one. It's a gateway Flemish red/brown, but if you've already got the bug, you can skip this one.

Lagunitas Bavarian-style Doppel Weizen

Limited Release Lagunitas Our Own Bavarian-style Doppel Weizen. This special brew was designed by our Freistadt Bayern Brothers Who Also Built the Brewhouse Upon Which We Brewed It. .  Alc. 9% by Vol. 

Utterly clouded, deep orange coloring, big white head, slips down quickly. 

Aroma, banana cream pie & orange rind. Light spice. Creamy, fruity, perfectly pleasing.

Taste: Minor hop attack at the front, starts bitter, subsides in time. Then that banana cream pie factor floods in, and also fades. Orange, pepper and clove come in, surrounded by the texture of wheat malt. Full-bodied, with a rising sweetness, only slightly tempered by the mild hop content. Alcoholic content on the other hand shows it's stripes soon, and roars in the membrane. 9% is typical for this brewery, but not for this style. Wait, what style? Is this meant to be a wheat doppelbock, a weizenbock, albeit a blond one? It doesn't really act like one. An Imperial blond hefe weizen? 

This is tasty, but it's also clumsy and indelicate. I can't figure it out, and worse, the alcoholic sting is just a bit too awkward and out-of-place. I may be destined to never like "imperial weizen" beers, no matter how many I try, or who makes them. The mouthfeel is soft and lovely, I want to drink it like a regular weizen, and then the booze stands out, screaming for attention. Boom, boom, boom, bopping on the brain. Those aren't the right flavors for a 9% beer. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

Olvalde Farm Ode to a Russian Shipwright

The second release ever from this very modest one-man operation out of Rollingstone, MN, a town I'd honestly never heard of, until they rolled out The Aurauch's Horn. That beer was universally praised, as it should have been. The second bottle they put out is being called an Imperial Stout Porter. Stouts began as "stout" versions of Porter. I like how they (he?) is playing freely with names and definitions. Comes in a swingtop bottle, ideal for those nights when you can't drink the whole thing. Here are my notes, from a week or two ago. (don't ask why I didn't post them right away. I don't remember.)

Ode to a Russian Shipwright, Imperial Stout Porter, Ale brewed with Spruce tips, (lightly hopped, unfiltered, refermented in the bottle). Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company, Rollingstone, MN.

Pitch black body, with an oddly-colored head, a little pink, a little brown. Bubbling, rocky, lasting. Active carbonation, rising up from the bottom into the foam.

Aroma: most oddness. Floral, vegetal, leafy (?)…there's something unusual here…is it the spruce tips? Or the yeast. A touch of sour here, and not displaying much of what we think of when we think of "imperial stout porter." Earthy, creamy…odd.

Drink it, now. Mmmm. Yeah. Fruit. Minor hops. And, yeah, I can get the spruce thing. Reminds me, predictably, of Anchor Our Special Ale. All the character of the porter and the stout, and while it ison the strong side, it doesn't have exactly the flavors of an "imperial stout" or an "imperial porter." There's some roast, some cocoa and coffee, but well-rounded and blended with the spruce. Tasty stuff, and very well done. 

This could benefit from aging, but doesn't necessarily need it. Drink now, drink later, either way, another excellent ale out of Rollingstone. Can't wait for what's next!

Rush River Batch 1000

Some breweries celebrate big milestones, like every 20 years, 25, 30 and so on. Others do a special beer every single year on their birthday. And then there's Rush River, who quietly kept putting out their beers, never marking their 5th when it came around, celebrating only now that they've hit the major mark of a thousandth batch. This one is yet another forward step for these guys, an unfiltered rye "red ale" that reminded me of Surly Furious at first taste. I'm going to take some notes right about now. Get ready, here they come...

Lightly hazed, deep amber appearance, nearly red, but not quite.

Spicy malt rises in the aroma, met with bitter hop nots, melding into bittersweet and bready. A mix of hop notes, with no one characteristic standing out. Some citrus, some tropical tones, but they're all well blended.

Taste: Bitter hops spank the tongue at first gulp, then they slide all over the palate. Lays long and lasts. Great texture, and beautiful balance. Heavy malt feel, full body, and excellent consumability. Very appealing flavor, a constant stream of happy hoppiness hits the lips and traverses the tongue. Crawls the roof of the mouth, spreads up, down, over and out. Rewarding mouthfeel.

With this one-shot offering, RR has created an ale for the hop-heads, as well as those who yearn for plenty of malt to keep up with the hops. Rye character is strong and spicy, bordering on intense. Comparable to Cane and Ebel from Two Brothers, and a bit better than Summit India Rye from the Unchained Series.

One thing I know for sure, that this is delicious. I've got two kegs of this, and I'll enjoy them for as long as it lasts. Yum.

North Coast Brother Thelonious Abbey Dubbel Ale

A word, for a moment, about Thelonious Monk, the musician.

 In short, I dig him.

 In long, well,  I could write a book.

I've been digging him since I first got into jazz in my early twenties, borrowing albums from the library, then checking out cassettes, then CDs.

Now, I'm buying it all back in vinyl, just for kicks.

What is it about his music? What isn't it. There's a rhythmic drive, an intensity of emotion, an unparelelled uniqueness of vision, a singular style of composition that defied convention. And melodies that go beyond beauty, at times, and into poetry.

I honestly feel that Monk is one of those musicians whose absence in the flow of history would have disastrous repurcussions. (much like Louis Armstrong.)

Without the influence he had on Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, and so many others, there wouldn't have been the influence those artists had had on those who came after. If Trane hadn't broken the ground he did, after Monk set him free, would we have had Jimi? Or Carlos? Or Led Zep? I'm serious.

So, I was very excited back in 2006 to learn that one of my favorite breweries, North Coast, was dedicating a beer to him. Makes perfect sense. American version of Belgian styles often have joking references to monks. Why not a reference to OUR Monk, who is revered the world over? And, it's my favorite style, which they'd yet to attempt. Bottles originally came only in 750s, and the distributor did a pre-sell, I ordered 2 cases, and only 10 showed up for the whole state of Minnesota.  My first taste of it, when it arrived, was not exemplary. But, the rest of the bottles lasted a long time, due to the facts that 1. my beer people at the Nile really don't go over the bottle list much, preferring the tap list, and 2., no one really knew what it was, if they did see it on the list. As time went on, I would revisit a bottle now and then, and, with age, it got better. 

Kegs came much later, and I got some on tap as soon as I could. Two years ago, I did 11 kegs of Brother Thelonious in a row, until the distributors supply ran dry. Around that same time, they provided me with a neon sign, rejected by the Dakota jazz club. Some pf it's luminary parts died off, and I returned it, but a new one just arrived, and I celebrated it with the return of Brother Thelonious on tap (although I always kept it in bottles, now the 12 ounce size, as per my agreement with Brad the Beerguy after he got me the neon originally.)

For the purpose of this entry, I'm looking back on my original BeerAdvocate review, which was done with a 750 ml bottle back in November, 2006, at home. I played some Monk music, and referred to both the music (as well as lyrics, when applicable) and the beer, while I wrote. It was one of the more fun reviews I ever wrote, and I'm surprised the Bros. (of BA) let me get away with such indulgence.

Let the notes go forth:

For this evenings liturgy, the sacred text we turn to is from Brother Ellington: It Don't Mean A Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing. Brother Monk swings it in his angular, avuncular way on the 88's, getting us in the groove in his inimitable fashion, we're deep in the pocket, the rhythm's rockin', we're reeling with the feeling... 

A clear, dusky crimson shade, this, with a slim, cola-toned head...not as impressive as I like a dubbel, but fair, s'okay, s'alright... 
("Sophisticated Lady" is next, and I'm set in a proper frame...) 

Nose starts with sweet things, dark fruits, mingling with spices, plums and cinnamon, apples and pepper, the dark keys get hit, while the sweet notes linger... 
my poor heart is sentimental, not made of wood, ...I got it bad and that ain't good...a sombre timbre is struck, then a thrilling trill is played, a chord set deep in the heart, let loose by a freewheeling arc of high-flung notes... 
cola meets coffee, ...Monday, Monday rolls around... 
and I end up where I start out, just crying my heart out...Oscar strums, and Kenny kicks it... 

We lift glass to lip, ale meets tongue, tastes thrills the buds, it's a sweet, spicy thing. A cola-tinged pepper is the first thought to mind, cocoa and coffee, black and tan finds a fantasy in the senses...deep and dark, pretty and twisted, fine and fancy, sweet and lovely...very evenly played, but you never know what's next...a cadence keeps up, a groove maintains, richness reigns, swing is always king,...big fat chocolate keeps time... 
...you ain't been blue, ...no...no...no...no... 
rolls and rolls around the mouth, a sweet thing, and full of character, plenty of hops to tingle the buds...finish on a beautiful run on the keys, and then start the next one swinging...I let a song go out of my heart, it was the sweetest melody... 

another touch of the ale on the lips and the coffee/cola thrill continues... 

...it's not too late, to make amends/ we were meant to be, more than just friends/just friends... 

sweet, but expertly balanced by the darker tones, and the hops, well played on all parts of the keyboard, darkness and light get a little shine... 

is it Fats Waller, Art Tatum, or Albert Ammons at work here? Or Willie the Lion Smith?...naw, it's another cat purring the keys...and now, Kenny's hitting the trap hard, syncopating like a clockwork kitten... 

another drink and I'm liking more, as the spice and the rich, dark fruit rides over the cola-ish feel. 
We're on a caravan, searching and wandering, looking for further flavors than the norm, stretching out against the desert of what we're used to...prunes bump against cinnamon, nicely rounded off, an equally met challenge of malt and hop. 

Night, night, night, and the stars are shining bright...while the darkness drums away... 

Kenny switches kits with Art who swings like a pendulum, and rocks like Gibraltar...got to be, bringing me, memories of you, as all the clouds roll away... 

I like the quote from Monks' son, who goes by T.S., "finally, after all the years of getting a cut from the door, musicians will get a cut of the bar!" A refererence to the the proceeds that will swing their way to the Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz, which will receive the profits from this particular ale...I wish it were more than $2 a case, though, but as long as folks keep hearing about the man and the music, I'm cool on it. 

It's a full-bodied, thing, with a long cola-tinged finish, plenty of sweetness, tempered with spice, rich and chocolate-y. But I forgive some technical flaws by how it swings on the palate and pleases the senses...and it don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing... 


This review was done to the tune of the classic recording, "Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington", recorded in July, 1955, with Thelonious Monk, piano, Oscar Pettiford, bass, Kenny Clark, drums. Some parts to the almost equally brilliant recording "The Unique Thelonious Monk" which features those same players in March/ April of 1956, but with Art Blakey on drums. To your own peril you go, without hearing these classic recordings. (I even reviewed it on iTunes, check that out!)(Plays Ellington, not The Unique) 
and do I need to comment on that label;? Too cool! Brother Monk holding court!

Staple Mills Stout of Morning Destruction Coffee Bourbon Stout

Stout of Morning Destruction. (What the Hell does that mean?) Staple Mills Brewing Company, (formerly Stillwater Brewing Company). this is in the Destruction Series, apparently, with Holiday above it, Limited Release. Coffee Bourbon Stout. bottle 303 of 1000. Or is it 809, I can't tell, it's smudged. ABV 7%, brewed in Stillwater, MN. 

Let's look at the copy: "Craft Beer from the birthplace of Minnesota. We are a small-batch, craft  brewing company in Stillwater, Minnesota, brewing 10 barrels at a time. We strive to create Old World  beers using New World techniques, utilizing waste minimizing brewing equipment and state of the art, one-way kegs which are made of 100% recyclable material. Our brewery is in Historic Downtown Stillwater in one of the oldest billings in the area, the Isaac Staples Sawmill. We have worked to preserve the aesthetic of the Sawmill building within our brewery and proudly display the Sawmill in our logo."

All right, I'm in it, I'm drinking it, here we go, off with the cage and cork!

damn, this is one of the toughies, one of those tight ones! not much longer…here we go…

Dark appearance, no head…starts out, but it's gone in a sec. Eh, not too pretty.

Let's sniff 'er. Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. Maybe something else, not so sure, let's go in again…well. There may be other darker delights lurking below, but it's all smothered by the coffee.

Drinking it: Some whiskey notes, a bit of vanilla, some roast and char. Bourbon? Swallowed up by the coffee, which reigns supreme over everything here. Very little joy, and hardly any dimension on this one. 

Who are these people? What are they doing? I know they have a brewpub out there, and this may or may not be their first bottled offering, but…what are they thinking? It seems a matter of, "shove enough over it, and no one can tell if it stinks."

I am trying to be polite, but …it's a mess. It a caffeine bomb over an unremarkable stout. Well, maybe it might be remarkable, but I can't tell on it's lonesome, when it's surrounded by all this nonsense. I can't even detect any bourbon. Eh. That's all I can say. Eh……….

Every time I pour, I hope the head is better, but, n'ah...

I regret dropping the $12 on this, but I also wish them the best on selling the rest of these. And more luck on doing better next time.

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Brown Shugga Replacement (double IPA)

Lagunitas Sucks. I was behind the radar on this one. I had first heard of it as a question in a local BeerAdvocate forum thread. It was called "Lagunitas Sucks in MN". Was someone maligning the quality of the beer that arrives here from Petaluma? No, no, it's a beer called Lagunitas Sucks, ironically, because their increased popularity has made the brewing of the winter seasonal Brown Shugga a hindrance to the continual flow of IPA and Pils. As an apology for such sucking, they offered this double IPA, which is faster to brew than a rich, malty ale like brown shugga.

Damn, I haven't had that in a while. I could go for one about now. Too bad Lagunitas Sucks. 

Har, har, let's drink some beer. 7.85% ABV, IBU 63. I'm skipping the ritualistic copying of the garbledy-garble, which Lagunitas is legendary for, …let's just skip to, "We freaking munch moldy donkey butt…" It goes on like that. Also, once again, "beer speaks, people mumble", as well as my least favorite of all the Lagunitas slogans, "Life is Uncertain. Don't Sip." I won't go too far into a challenge about this idiotic opprobrium, just …why? Does sipping slow us down, and keep us from downing more of the daily beers they're chugging away to produce. I'm not encouraging to slowly savor and appreciate the delicate nuances that may be found? Maybe I'll sip, just a little, if they let me, then I'll chug-a-lug till my liver bursts! Or was I mumbling?

Clear, pale and peachy appearance, large, lacy white head.

 Vibrant, fresh, hoppy aromatics, …orange, grapefruit, a little bit of lime, Some resiny pine, too. Overall, an abundance of hoppitude in all the right places, but not overpowering in any direction.

Drinking, a happy, hoppy dance on the palate. Non-stop delivery of bitterness. Sticks around a bit, lingers long, but softly diminishes. Lift the glass to the lip, boppity bip, there it goes again. A drinkable, sinkable, hop-delivery system that can be tossed back without immediate destruction of sobriety. Might take a sixer or so. 

A likable, well-constructed IPA, from folks who know how to do it. Already. beer

 fans  who've gotten over the absence of Brown Shugga are calling for this to made regularly, or at least, again, and if I remember what I've glanced at, they're doing it. And so, perhaps there's need for a new designation, the 1 1/2 IPA, the ducal IPA, the 8% versus the 10%, for peeps for whom 6% and hoppy is not enough. I've met them. I can't say I respect them. Those who disdain anything sessionable, but don't want to get drunk after two.

 I'm not sure what they want. They certainly don't.