Great Dane Unleashed Double Dubbel Belgian Style Ale

Great Dane Unleashed Double Dubbel Belgian Style Ale. 10.6% ALC/VOL. 22 ounce. My first bottle from Great Dane. I didn't even know they had bottles. And a dubbel, my favorite style. But, how is it?

Appearance: No head on it, to start with….dark reddish brown. S'aright, I guess, but I could use a moment of foam.

Aroma: hot, peppery, fruity, raisins and plums, Belgian-yeast, plenty of malt.

Taste: Boom! More of that found in the aroma, back on the tongue. Although, to pick at nits, it lacks in carbonation (as evidenced by the lack of head), and it lacks depth. It has heat, it has massive malt, it has flavors galore…more of the peppery notes, much more raisins and cherries, a touch of chocolate, mondo heat, mucho richness…but ….maybe I didn't mean depth, I meant…lacks character. There's nothing really …. it's just missing personality. More of a "hot mess" than a bouquet.  Delivers bountiful flavors and alcohol presence, but skimps on the soul. Yeah, needs a bit more soul.

Dave's BrewFarm Smoked Knot Saison

Dave's BrewFarm Smoked Knot. A smoked variation on the Rye Knot saison. 6.1% ABV. Actually, no, I just remembered, it's a mistake, Dave was intending to make Rye Knot and reached for the Smoked malt instead. Oooops. It's an ooops bier.

Appearance: clear, amber to crimson coloring, full, flowering chalk white head, leaving lace.

Aroma: lightly sweet and bready, delicate hop profile, smoked malt presence faintly felt, if at all, but that's BrewFarm balance at work.

Taste: Caramel malt felt first, then a smattering of hops, played low-key, suffused with a subtle sweetness, and an even subtler smoke. Don't let names fool you at the LaBrewatory, ingredients and names aren't high indicators of some bludgeoning your palate will soon endure. This will be here, they say, and so will this, and they will connect and intermingle. Most of the times, it will be harmonious and pleasant, but not overbearing. Sometimes it will still be harmonious, with moments of cacophony, but also measures of pure pleasure and sections of sweet seduction. A bitter, a sweet, sometimes a sour, and once in a while, a hint of a smokey symphony.

Tasty as heck this, and a complicated concoction, but delicious all the way.

The official word from Farmer Dave: "French saison yeast, couple with both pale, German smoked and Cara red malts. Well hopped with Palisade, Aurora, and Vanguard hop varieties."

I'm liking this.

Dave's BrewFarm Topaz Single Hop Saison

Another visit to the BrewFarm, this past Sunday, just Jason and I. Hangin' with the regular bunch at the beer oasis. Received some good news, that I've waited to hear from him for some time: the brewery in the next room has been fired up and LaBrewatory beers are now finding their way into bars and restaurants. But then, there's the bad new: only in Wisconsin. He can't distribute into Minnesota until a lawsuit filed against him by the giant distributor that bought out the little distributor that he used to do business with has been settled. Sucks. Arrrggghh!

So, anyway, I took 2 growlers home, and here's the first, with notes taken last night:


Dave's BrewFarm Topaz Single Hop Saison. 6.4% ABV.

Hazed golden appearance, slim head, starts small but drifts down quickly.

Aroma: funky, fresh, floral, tart, wild, lightly citric, overpowered by yeast. Interesting complexity.

Drink it up:  a mess of yeast. sunny, citrus-y hop character. Light malt. Some banana notes emerge. They mix with some citric notes and a wicked kind of Beligan yeast funk. Ends definitively on the dry side. Grows increasingly tasty. Sweetness matches with some spice, overcome by yeast.

A terrific saison, although I couldn't pinpoint what the characteristics of the Topaz are that might set it apart. I enjoyed the drinking, though.

Harriet Luv Jus Witbier

Harriet Brewing Luv Jus Witbier. Information,  I don't have. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jus is French for "juice". "Luv" is short for "love", and they just like the symmetry of two three-letter words.

It's a witbier.  Hazy golden coloring, large, flush, fresh snowy white head. Looking delightful as can be. Picture perfect.

Aroma: wide open, vast, and airy. Light, lovely, and loaded with spice, coriander, orange peel, wheaty-type notes….every inch of a wittier.

Taste: light bodied, yeasty, spiced with coriander and orange peel, full of flavor and easily drinkable. Not a lot more to say, except that it is exactly right, totally on point, perfectly satisfying. Meets every mark of a witbier, and they should be proud of that. I like wits. They're tasty, refreshing, and pretty. The nicest spice, the juiciest fruit, and so likeable all the way down the throat.

Needless to say, I will revisit this throughout the summer.

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

Deschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed IPA India Pale Ale, Deschutes Brewing, Bend, OR. 6% ABV.

Clear, bright coppery, crimson coloring, large, lasting head, looking several kinds of great.

Aroma: every kind of citrus note imaginable, we've got lemon and orange and lime, and grapefruit, and need you name more ? Mango and tangerine, and a slice of pineapple on the side. Ooooh, yeah. Ahhhh….

Taste: just plain ol' yum. The major breweries of America have hit open the sacred secret: just bring us the citrus. That's what we scream for in an IPA, don't you know? That's what we're dying for, silly.
Creamy mouthfeel, low bitterness, high hoppitude, and ever-lasting flavor. Brisk and refreshing. MMM, mmm. Not too high in alcohol, which is just what this needs.

Time to read the label: "This mouthwatering delicious IPA gets it's flavor from a heavy helping of citra and mosaic hops. Don't worry, no fruit was harmed in the making of this beer."

Citra is the hot hop these days. Do a pale ale or IPA with Citra and bing, boom, bang, you've got a hit on your hands. A wonderful blend, this, with a malty blend at the bottom, an amber edge, and the citrus notes doing nothing but shining, bright and summery.

Mmm, hmmm. Man, you drink this and drink it…it might even leave some zombies in it's dust….

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow Double IPA

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow, no ABV given, brewed and bottled by Three Floyds Brewing company, Munster, Indiana.

Hazy golden/amber hue, fresh froth atop, white as whipped cream, and looking's lovely.

Aroma: Invigorating. An blending of citrus and tropical fruit esters, with a side order of pine needles.

Taste: Good dose of bitterness hits us at the start, plenty of hoppy flavors riding the palate. And then I'm picking up the milk. An imperial milk IPA? What the??? It's truly creamy, truly hoppy, and totally tasty! Yum. Never too anything, not feeling too strong, just enough everything, and not too much of nothing. A creamy IPA, if there ever was one, and I'm not sure if there was. We get orange, tangerine, mango maybe, and then this layer of light, sweet, creamy goodness.

I wonder what the label tells us? "This complex double India Pale Ale has an inns citrus and floral hop aroma balanced by a velvety malt body which has been augmented with lactose milk sugar. With this different take on an IPA we have brewed an ale  that is both pleasing to drink and, once again, "not normal." Cheers!

That just about says it. Mmm. Good stuff.

Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale

Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown. Big, Complex and Malty-big, complex, and malty. High malt, low hops, Colorado, 9% ALC/VOL. IBU 57, Ale brewed with pure maple syrup. Colorado Mountain Town Craft Beer.

Too many words, not enough drinking. Let's start.

Dark brown coloring, slim, dotted head.

Aroma: deep, rich and malty. Big caramel, vast maple, brown sugar aplenty. low hops (but not that low, it is 57 IBU…got to be big to keep this malt in check.).

Taste: rich malt, all that vast complexity and sweetness, caramel and toffee, with maple, too, in tow. I get some nuts, too, in this brown. And the hops are just enough to keep the big sweetness from this preponderance of malt in check.

I wonder what else is on the label? The Tommy knocker legend, which I will skip, and these words: "Flavored beer." Imperial nut brown ale, flavored with maple syrup, I suppose.

I bit too big for me, I think. Nut browns shouldn't be imperial, I've always said.

Clown Shoes Galactica IPA

Clown Shoes Galactica India Pale Ale. Alc: 8% by volume, Mercury Brewing Company, Ipswich, MA. Cool label art. Let's see if the beer matches it.

Bright, beautiful crimson coloring, long-lasting, lace-leaving, creamy white head.

Aroma: big burst of luscious hop aromatics, all the fruity esters, the grapefruit, the lime and mango, plus the pine. Maybe some apple and cherry. Little herbal, some malty aromatics.

Taste: Mmmm, yummy, hoppy, yeah. Herbal, earthy malty bottom, hops on top. Not exactly a West Coast IPA, not nearly an English-style, this is just an all-around great, good-drinking IPA. Little high on alcohol for a session IPA.

More fruity flavors bump up, some melon here, orange, then creamy and just plain ol' utterly delightful.

I feel like reading the label copy: "Galactica, a hop staff wielding heroine, patrols in karate kick mode through the heavens. Her mission: cosmic combat to promote good beer. Dry hopped with Galaxy hops, a clean malt backbone enchences the dank and luscious IPA flavors."

Good one, Clown Shoes. Gets the BitterNib stamp of approval.

Spiteful Brewing Bitter Biker Double IPA

Spiteful Brewing Bitter Biker double IPA. 9.5 % ABV.
I had this for the first time at a bar/restaurant called The Bad Apple in Chicago, IL. I was intrigued by the similarity to something like, say, Surly Brewing Bitter Brewer Ale. Found a bunch of bottles at that Binny's in Schaumburg, IL, and went with this one, among a half dozen choices, despite the horrible illustration. Blech! None of the others I saw were very much better. Nonetheless, I'm going to take down this bomber, starting …now.

Highly hazed…deep amber/nearly orange. Good 1/2 inch head of chalk white foamage. Not bad. Quite nice, actually.

Aroma: ah! There's the pine, there's the citrus, the mango and grapefruit and orange of it all, a bit bitter, and a bit refreshingly lovely. Double nice.

Taste: First the malt comes over, a bit o' sweetness, followed by the hop hit on the palate. Some cocoa and caramel arrives on the palate, bumping up against the citrus and pine contributed by the hops. An interesting mix.

Let's stop and read the label, shall we? ""Don't fight it. Spite it! Cyclists beware! This city is a minefield: potholes, ruthless cabbies, pedestrians texting---and a headwind from hell. (sic) Arm yourself! This double India Pale Ale was brewed for you. Loaded with Zythos, Columbus, and Falconer's Flight 7c's hops. Bitter Biker is our homage to the trials of the year round biker. Ride safe, stay bitter, and watch out for oblivious fools!" Batch #9, it also informs us, in hand-inked numeration.

I'm curious about this. I should ask my friend Adam Shulte, now a Chicagoan, and formerly a year-round-biking Twin Citian who commuted from Mpls to St.P daily. Does that happen as often in Chicago? I didn't see much biking going on in downtown Chicago while I was there. Maybe I just missed it. In Minneapolis, we're thick with them. I mean, us. But, do we have to be bitter about it? Spiteful, even? We do have the lanes, and are blessed with the Greenway, among so many other paths, but not every motorist is on board with our demarcated stripes.

About the beer: This will not challenge any lists of favorite or best double IPAs out there. Simply said, politely put. But it's what these guys are doing. Not everyone can be the best, some just do what they do. And what it is is pretty darned tasty.
I have the feeling that these guys will always be Chicago's scrappy upstarts, and they may not be the next Half Acre or Revolution, certainly not the next Goose Island. They've got a punk rock attitude, and a DIY aesthetic, but the beer comes out well, so they've got that going for them, right?

If I can get back to Chicago, maybe if I trade with a local, I'd like to try more of their wares. I just want to like their stuff.

Why is this not amazing? Probably because those three hops do not make a perfectly mellifluous blend. But high alcohol and high alpha acids do make for an enjoyable experience. I'm not bitter about this bottle.

New Belgium French Aramis IPA

I've been picking and choosing from the current New Belgium releases lately, for various reasons. Like, the fact that I don't know what a Pluot is, or that a "hoppy bock" doesn't sound appealing to me. But, some thing leap out and grab me, even though I've still got plenty of beer waiting for me, especially more and more bottles from that Chicago trip.

So, let's jump into New Belgium French Aramis India Pale Ale, from something called the Hop Kitchen that I've never heard of. Alc 6.7% by Vol, New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, CO.

Lightly hazed, copper/amber hue, lush lace-leaving head holds tight on top.

Aroma: odd, unique, funky, but particularly pleasing. Straw, hay, barnyard, with a citric twist, a side of pepper. Zesty and floral, at once. Delightful.

Taste: Big hop attack up front, forceful blast of bitterness, coats the palate, traverses the length of the tongue, and to the back. And there's that flavor from the hops. Malt is pale and dry, with a copper-y tinge, lightly bready. This has me thinking a bit of a biere de garde, although it feels like a throughly unique creation.

I'll take a moment to peek at the label copy: "A drier IPA for the summer, brewed with French Aramis hops to create an aroma of fresh cut flowers and garden herbs."

Well, what do you know about that?

It does end rather dryly on the tongue, it's crisp and refreshing and undeniably hoppy, with a distinct hop profile that I find uniquely invigorating.

Revolution Bottom Up Witbier

Revolution Bottom Up Wit, made with organic malt, wheat & hops. Alc. by Vol. 5%. Chicago, IL.

Hazy, golden appearance, full, flush, flowering white head.

Aroma: soft and lovely, pronounced coriander spice, delightful lemon and orange notes. Nice.

Taste: light bodied, fruity, lemon notes getting louder, flavor getting spicier, becoming extremely lively and refreshingly tasty. Not a limp or lethargic wit in the least. Quite downable.

Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, San Francisco, CA. Big Daddy IPA. 6.5% ABV.
I wrote these notes in December of 2004:


Slightly hazy, banana-gold color, slim, diminshing white head above.

Aromasoft, citrus and pine, somewhat soapy, pineapple and peach, rather quiet, but still possesses a certain character.

fruity flavor is tops on the palate, and hop bitterness plays for a bit, but it's a softshoe affair here, very mild, very minor. Body is medium, and the finish is unimpressive, slips away assuredly, leaves nothing memorable behind.

Citric zest continues to briefly bite with every new sip, but it's not enough to make a real impression. Very drinkable, to be sure, but lacking in any extra anything that would make this a stand-out IPA.
Not bad, of course, but nothing much.
------------------------

Again, was I being too hard on this 8 1/2 years ago? Was I expecting too much? The bottle I had the other day was a perfectly serviceable IPA, nothing wrong with it, unless you go in with greater demands.

Though, as I've said before, the graphics have improved from the bottle I had back then, and perhaps the beer has improved, also?

Ska Decadent Imperial IPA

Decadent Imperial IPA, from Ska Brewing, Durango, CO. 10 % ABV. Number eight in the birthday beer series. For this one, I look back on notes from July, 2006:


Hazed orangish hue, slim , soon-gone head.

Aroma of pithy citrus, big time resiny pine, sappy, orange and lemon...sweet and bitter, two step, side step, cha cha cha...

Tastin' it: big, flabby citrus, huge hops, loud flavor, and creeping alcohol. But, lacks a cohesive character, somehow. Just doesn't stand out enough. An outsized IPA, alright, just not imperial enough to merit the name.

Full bodied, fruity, bittersweet finish, but a bit flat in the flavor department, fails to deliver anything big and beefy. Good try, though.
Wish I could get excited about it, but, eh...there we go...

------------------------

And here's where I'm wishing I'd taken notes on it. Not as bad as these notes suggest, but not quite good enough for what I was expecting, perhaps. Maybe I went into with a different criteria, seven years ago? Maybe the beer got better? This bottle I had on my birthday was just fine, though not at all mind-blowing. C'est la vie.

Three Floyds Blackheart English-style IPA

Another birthday beer, another Chicago beer, another first time since the first time, looking at notes from June, 2006. Including a photo of the bottle I drank, and a pic of the label of the one I first had, seven years ago. Notes, do your thing:


Blackheart English IPA

Hazed, bronze/amber hue, nice white foam cap, leaving lace.
Lovely hoppy nose: apples and peach, cherries and herbs, grassy.

Crisp and spicy on the palate, nice blast of hops up front, fading, but never quitting. Plentiful fruit and spice, zesty, zippy, but never too much so.
Medium bodied. Warm, wet, and tasty as heck.

American IPAs long ago surpassed English IPAs in my list of favorite styles. A beer like Blackheart reminds me of why I liked them in the first place.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

Another birthday beer, another Chicago beer, drinking again for the first time since the first time, the Incredible Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point, of San Diego. 7% ABV.

Notes from February, 2009:


Hazy paleapricot appearance. Slim white head.

Fresh vivacious, citric aroma, plump with tropical fruit as well.Apricot, pineapple, mango, orange, a little lemon and grapefruit as well. Just gorgeous.

Hops jump on the palate, and spank it good. Grapefruit peeland orange pith spitting in your eye and dripping down the tongue. Smooth, yet zesty and delicious, while still blasting the senses.
Just enough tasty malt holding it down,and the hops are a barrage of bitterness, yes, but never too much...to this hophead, anyway.
Light bodied, and terribly drinkable.
I like this, I would drink it all day, every day. Delish-uss.

Cantillon St. Lamnivus lambic

An incredible Belgian lambic consumed on my birthday with 5 friends, including Matthew Janda, who brought it to the party. My notes from March, 2006 commence:

Brasserie Cantillon St. Lamnivus Lambic. 7 % ABV. Brasserie Cantillon, Anderlecht, Belgium.

Rosy top in the look here, deeper burgundy beneath, under absolutely no head...par for style, though...

Aroma: bracing, yet invigorating, a blast of cherries and grape, twisted by sour...musty, rank, and deep...liking it...a deep well, dominated by fruit. Delectable.

Taste it, already! Oooo! Weeee! Owww! Bold, huge, fat puckeration,...ooo, ooo, ooo! Takes hold of the mouth and doesn't let go! A blend of dark fruits, cherries, and berries, and grapes. Luscious. Sour and flavorful. Mellows a touch, gets easy as we go, gets easier to take..

Not for everyone, but a particular treat for demanding palates, constant play on the tongue that is rewarding for some, punishing for others.

Hard to compare this to anything else on earth. Far beyond any other lambic, a definitive sui generis classic.

2004 bottling. too young? who's to say. worth the $33 spent? probably...

Everyone knows some of our best friends are wine growers from the Libourne region in France, more specifically those who make Saint Emillion and Pomerol. They respect the tradition and let their wine ferment in a natural way.

Fermentation, origin and vintage are still kept up.

Our collaboration resulted in a product uniting the best of their wine and of our beer : the Saint-Lamvinus.

The grapes, of the merlot and cabernet-franc varieties, are soaked in Bordeaux barrels containing two to three years old lambic. The beer is not blended before the bottling. The foam is caused by the addition of a liquor which starts the fermentation.

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Imperial Stout

Notes from November, 2007 for this Port bottle that I originally received through a trade. This bottle was purchased on the Chicago trip, and shared on my birthday, with friends. The Imperial Stout from Port Brewing, Old Viscosity.


black as sin, smallish roasted tan head...

gorgeous, deep, dark nose, rich and resplendent, redolent of molasses, anise, whiskey, a twisted stygian blend...classic!

taste: profound impact on the palate, heavy, full, and packed with prodigious flavors. All that in the nose and a little more, hangs long on the tongue. some plum, dark cherries, cocoa,...but well-blended, no particular one flavor rides over any other.

Is this a stout, a porter, an old ale...? The whiskey is king in it, and anything else fades away...very mellow, relaxing, satisfying...

10%? It's there, but it's not intrusive, it's ...mmm, motor oil!
Very solid...so rubust, and so delicate...well put-together...

oh, man!

Ska Brewing Nefarious Ten Pin Porter

Notes from May, 2004 for this birthday beer, an Imperial Porter from Ska Brewing of Durango, CO, brought back from the Chicago Trip:


Appearance: an impressive bottle, waxed-dipped as only one other beer that I know of is, and that one I consumed shortly after this,( although this has a blue wax). The fearsome figure on the label is no less scary a mascot than that for the Dark Lord, a skeleton, wrapped in regal red robes, gritting his ghastly teeth, clutching a bowling-pin sceptre..wait, that's more comical than frightening...Still, gotta love it, and also, gotta love this slogan: "We use the finest malt, hops, yeast, water and love." They use the finest love, really? I hope it's better than all that other crappy love I've seen and done already!

AH! But the beer...dark brown, with reddish highlights, with a fizzy, tan head.

Aroma, deep espresso tones, rich, resplendent, full as any great porter should be.

Taste: neat little bitter hops bite on board the palate, jump back, then fade, till the malt falls forward, lush, rich, chocolatey...and, wait! do I detect a note of banana? Oddly, I do...a bit of citrus, orange, even, definite fruit, some dark ones, cherries, figs, grapes, ....all put together, it's a magnificent thing, smooth& flavorful, creamy & satisfying, with a lush, full finish, this is a serious porter that seriously rewards the drinker.

Very nice, and I only wish I could try it again, and again...

Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper Imperial Stout

I had to search through this blog to see I've done this beer before. It's tricky, because BeerAdvocate says I posted a review on 12/13/10, which is the same date as the first beer review on this blog. Well, I can't find it anywhere, so I must have posted the BA review the day before I got the notion to do things this way.

Well, here we have it, 2 1/2 year old notes on another beer I enjoyed on my birthday, but this one by myself, after the guest had left.
------------------------

Port Brewin/Pizza Port Santa's Little Helper, Russian Imperial Stout, 10% ABV.

Every year Santa works up that famous list, He takes notes of who's been naughty...

ah, F* it, I', m not gonna quote the whole label....surely someone else will, and I'm off the hook ....
Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper...
Dark as heck, slimmish head, tannish color.bubbles round the rim.

Aroma: big time whiskey, out loud and proud bourbon, sweetness, and molasses, and some charcoal, some chocolate. Sweet succor, and depth, undeniable deep and far-fetching flavors.

Taste: all of those and more. Mucho chocolate, Mucho mucho. Big, sweet, rich and unrelenting. Full, rich, rewarding, big and chocolatey, huge and bourbony...

It's so delicious. Mmm, mmm-tddyy, -mmm, mmm, mmm.

Wait, what was that...it was ...oooh, ooom-idditty, oom, oom , ooh!!!!

In other words, I guess I liked it!

The Lost Abbey 10 Commandments Belgian-style Ale

I had a birthday 2-days recently. Sunday, my actual b-day, and yesterday, Monday, July 1. You know how kids these days say it's their "birthday week", or, more nauseatingly, "birthday month"? Well, I had two days to celebrate turning 45, of all numbers in the world. Sunday was a gathering of 5 friends at my apartment, yesterday I invited many more to the Harriet Taproom for a private party on a day they are normally closed. Each day I opened bottles that I'd had before, and shared with friends. These were beers I'd reviewed already, and was most likely trying anew for the first time since the first time.

Let's start with my first ever Lost Abbey ale, 10 Commandments, a 10% ABV Belgian-style strong ale brewed with raisins and other things. Got my first in a trade six years ago, July of 2007, haven't had one since. Records show that I've only had eight other LA beers, and I'd certainly like to move that number up. Here are those original notes:


Dark mahogany hue, lighter ruby round the edges, under a lovely cap of cocoa foam.

Sweet, spicy aroma, a a curious complexity. Raisins are there, carob and caramel, too. Yummy.

so, let's drink 'er!
A snap on the tongue starts it, sharp, deep and spicy.Raisins kind of dominate the flavor here, with malt hot behind. Feels like port wine mixed with good scotch. Rich and delicious. Damnably delectable. Lays on the tongue and lasts a long, long time. Yum. More I'm drinking it, more I'm liking it...the raisiny flavor isn't too sweet, and the character becomes stronger, the body fuller, the experience more memorable. Even while the strength creeps in.

Halfway through the bottle, I'm wishing I had more. Very good.
Maybe even great>