Lucid Camo Double Pale Ale

Lucid Camo. Imperial, or, Double Pale Ale, or India Pale Ale. Lucid Brewing, Minnetonka, MN.


Clear and coppery/amber colored, nice head of white, lace-leaving froth. Looks nice.


Aroma: Ah! Soft, floral, hoppy, fruity, citric…just right. Lovely, lovely stuff. Very, very nice. I could just keep drinking this in through the nose.

But enough drinking through the nose, let's try the mouth. 
Mmmm meets yum. Tasty, tasty stuff. Tropical fruit, citrus, some pine, but mostly mango and guava. Pineapple, and apricot. Tasty. Mmmm. I mean it, mmm.

Great mix of hop and malt. Some caramel, some fruit in the malt body, with a bright, beautiful, fierce, and bitter hop profile. This is easily consumed, although t. he alcohol is not that terribly hidden, no, it is there, it is around, and it will not be silenced.



Yum. I'll say it again. This is very nice. And it took me long enough. My first taste was undecided. My second, I was further on the fence, and felt perhaps that it was not as good as I'd liked. That was from a sample bottle. But I took a chance, put it on tap, and now I'm really digging this, and I feel that I will dig it again. 

Minneapolis Town Hall 342 Pale Ale

Minneapolis Town Hall 342. 

Clear, amber-hued, huge, lace-leaving head, creamy-white, beautiful. 

Big, wide-open, floral aromatics. Lightly spicy, softly fruity, purely delightful. 

Let's drink it up: Mmmm. Hey! Hoppy. Lovely bitterness, glides softly over the palate, and gently subsides. Citrus and tropical fruit is at the fore in the flavor. Hoppy bitterness hangs in there, clinging in, never quittin'. I like that.

A little astringency emerges, a slight aspirin harshness, but it remains minor, and doesn't trouble too much. A hop-head like me thrives on the stuff. Hey, there goes the pineapple and here comes the coconut! A little catch-up play from malt, although the bitter edge never goes away. Mmm, toasty, fruity, 

Ah. I lke this one. One of many hits from Town Hall.

Oh, here's what they officially say: "American Strong Pale ale brewed with an experimental hop variety simply known as "HBC 342". You may never see this hop, so we wanted you to try it. Although this beer offers a definite bitterness, the flavor and aroma profile of this hop is that of watermelon."

Watermelon? Watermelon? Really? What is it with everyone tasting watermelon when I can't? Do I lack the watermelon taste receptor? 

Wait, there it is! A little…I guess...

N'Ice Chouffe

Brasserie d'Achouffe's seasonal strong dark ale. I call it a Belgian barleywine. I missed out on getting a keg of this year, but I grabbed a bottle and shared it with a friend last night. Unfortunately, I grabbed glasses so quickly, I forgot that I actually have a N'Ice Chouffe glass proper, and used a Houblon glass instead. I hope you will forgive me.

In any case, here are my original notes from December, 2003:

2003 Edition 
This is my first stab at his brew in quite some time. The last "dead soldier" I have is of the 1999 version, but probably purchased in 2001, and the differences are that that one called itself a barleywine on the label, and this one advertises itself as an "ale brewed with thyme and coriander peel." The descriptions on the back label are slightly different, but this new one calls itself a "winter warmer", not a barleywine. 
Deep, dark reddish brown color, with a prodigious, creamy tan head, fluffy, bilious. overwhelming. 
Aroma: airy, nutty, spicy, but sadly subdued, at least not providing what I was expecting, though I continued to enjoy it before taking a taste. 
Fruity, spicy, a wonderful marriage of flavors, richly malted, brilliantly hopped, full of dark fruit (grapes, cherries, plums), various spices, utterly tasty, happily helped by the orange in the mix. Very sublime, very subtle. Full-bodied, full-flavored, with spice and fruit awarding your good taste at every sip. Nice finish, nice texture...just beautiful... 
Highly recommended.

Petrus Oud Bruin

Petrus Oud Bruin Ale, "The Key to Heaven." Here's what the back of the label tells us: "This style of beer is called the Flanders Red Ale, A sour-sweet balance is the signature of this type of brew. After fermentation the beer is aged in oak vessels between 20-30 months! The finished product (Petrus Aged Pale) is then masterfully blended with fresh sweet brew to produce Petrus Oud Bruin. The result is a complex beer with an oaky nose that hits the pallet with a touch of fruit-like sweetness.  Petrus Oud Bruin is an excellent thirst quencher on a hot summer day thanks to light sourness. It is also a wonderful marinade for fish or beef. The beer also goes well with meat and pasta dishes where the sourness of the beer offsets the sweetness of the sauce."

Interesting. Note how they mention "sweet-sour balance". These days, in the U.S., Flanders Reds are only referred to as "sours" and considered "extreme". Oud Bruins aren't as prized among the common contemporary beer geek because they are not as extreme and sour as Flanders Reds.

Here are notes from my first taste, back in September, 2005:

Darkness in the glass, a deep brown, thoroughly opaque, 1/2" of creamy foam above.

Aroma: Smooth, spicy, yet complex in the fruit, dark, nearly sour, twisted.

Taste: rich and well-rounded, the brown ale mixed with dark fruit, tasty...oaky...big carbonation, big zest, big fruit, very tasty...did I say that already?

Medium bodied, fullness in the mouth, the brown ale and the cherry, playing happily amidst the oak and the crisp, brisk snap.

Very nice. Enjoy, please.

New Glarus Two Women Classic Country Lager

New Glarus Two Women Lager, 12 Fl. Oz. 

Get ready for more pompous, overblown gasbaggery. Here comes the label copy: "Four thousand years before Christ, Sumerian women created the divine drink of beer. Viking women brewed in Norse society. European Ale Wives were so successful as cottage brewers they were taxed. Artisanal women lost their domination of the daily ritual of brewing during the Industrial Revolution. Today's brewing trade is controlled by men. The collaboration of two Craft companies both led by women, New Glarus Brewing and Weyermann Malting is unique. You hold the result "Two Women" a Classic Country Lager brewed with Weyermann's floor malted Bohemian malt and Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. A tempting and graceful classic lager found…Only in Wisconsin!"

This history of the role of women in brewing,leaves out one that still continues, and that is the brewer of sorghum-based homebrew in Africa. Let South African songbird Yvonne Chaka Chaka tell you all about it. (I hear this song about twice a night whenever we host African DJ events at the Blue Nile, which happens at least twice a month.)

Alright, enough, let's open and get to it. 

Clear, amber coloring. Large, lush off-white head. 

Classic Lager nose, cereal grains, low bitterness, small sweetness. All-malty goodness.

Taste: Clean, dry, and lightly malty. A hint of sweetness, gone in a wink, wrapped up with subtle hops. Slightly fruity, again, appearing for a minute, then whisked away. Quaffable, indeed. Simple, straightforward, with just enough flavor, to make it worth drinking.

I won't be returning to it, though. Not for me. I won't turn down a good "Classic Lager", but I won't go looking for any, either. My feelings on lagers have already been made plain.

Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van de Kaiser Rood (Red)

Ladies and gentleman, an apology. I am deeply sorry for the crappiness of this photo. It is a dark bottle, but I can't explain why it's so terrible blurred and undefined. Very sad. Forgive me, please. Oh, well, the bottle is drunk, and I can't re-do or re-stage it. Nonetheless, here come the notes:

Cuvee van de Kaiser Rood (Red). Jaargang 2011. 10% ALC. Vol. "Special Blond of the Emperor."…I will skip the further descriptions on the label, so as not to influence my thoughts. 

30/05/11 reads the bottleneck. 

I've had the Blue (Blau) before, and tapped it at the Nile. Incredible stuff. More coveted than this one, but that's because the beer geek's taste typically run to the darker flavors. 

Let's untwist the cage, pop the cork, and get down to it.

Clouded, opaque orange-ish coloration, no head at all. Starts, tries, and falters. 

Aroma: Slight. Citrus and straw, spice, but quiet, meek, mild. Not showing much of anything. (I've been battling a cold, though, so maybe that interfered with my senses?)

Taste: Big hops up front, bristling bitterness, then Belgian yeast character, and splashes of citrus and spice. Deep and complex, a rising richness, reminiscent of a good triple, but murkier, messier, much more wild and unrefined. Flavors are all over, and the alcohol rises high. Brisk, effervescent, and turning slightly sour. Interesting, complex flavors. A bit quirky. Not normal. The Emperor has a taste for crazy blondes. A lot of nasty yeast action going on. Buzzing carbonation. Bright lemon-y flavors persist, delicate spice plays on the palate. 

It's taken me many years to get to this one, compared to how long I've loved this brewery. Typically, I'm not nuts about blondes, but I do like and appreciate them. They're damned tasty, easy to pass down the gullet, and utterly enjoyable. Not as complex and rich as darker Belgian brews, but this one takes a twist. It's vast in it's own way, and terribly tasty. It's easy to fall into the trap of the dark ales, and sink into the viscous chocolate malt, the cocoa, the coffee, the dark fruit, etc. Just let that thickness fall all over, and succumb. With a crazy blonde, you don't know what you're in for. You didn't expect this, you just thought it would be light and pretty. you thought it would be a hayride, a romp, a jump in the sack, but, no. It's starting to pound on your brain, and the complex flavors are a little confusing. 

Candied orange, coated with champagne. Coriander and cardamom, still ring true in here, pithy lemon, zesty and delicious. Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.

Let's look at that label copy now: " Cuvee van de Kaiser Rood is brewed once a year on the 24th of February on the birthday of Charles the Fifth. It is brewed in a limited quantity by the Anker Brewery of Mechelen, one of the last remaining classic producers in Belgium. This blonde ale of top fermentation illustrates the subtle balance between the different natural ingredients. Bottle fermented."

New Belgium Lips of Faith Prickly Passion Saison

New Belgium Lips of Faith Prickly Passion Saison. I don't have a bottle, drinking off tap, so I won't be reading the silly label copy for you. Instead, just click the link, and see how awful it is for yourself. (I had a bottle, but shared it with a friend, knowing I had a keg to tap soon.)

(Hold the phone! A little Googling leads me to realize that stuff on the website is not the label copy, which I suddenly remember more clearly now. A found it reprinted on another blog/site/thing, and here it is: Peter [Bouckaert, Brewmaster] picked a prickly pear and paired it with a passion fruit. 'Perfect! Pitch it in!' he proclaimed. Now we have this pleasing prickly passion saison brewed with fruit juices and french saison yeast to our brewmaster's picking.

We've got a saison, flavored with prickly pear juice and passion fruit. It's clear and amber-colored (ostentatious-ly, nonetheless), with creamy off-white foam that starts big and slims down, but sticks around. Tiny dots, with big pools.

Aromatics: Sweetness and spice. Belgian yeast. Very fruity. Peach and apricot, passion fruit, melon, mango, and mellow pear. With funk and spice mingling in.

Taste: Starts with mild bitterness, leads into fruit, gets right into Belgian yeast character, while remaining a smooth ride. Soft, supple, and almost creamy. Very clean, other than the tasty Belgian yeast component. Well-integrated mix of fruit, nothing too "off" in this, quite delicious. Yup. Deee-licious.

Lightish body, long, lean, fruity finish. Lingering bitterness happily matched the malt and yeast character. I haven't called this "yummy" yet, but I'm close to doing so.

I like this one a lot, just enough sweet fruit flavor to match the dry-ness of a classic farmhouse ale. I will miss it when it is gone. The 8.5% ABV is starting to dent my braincase a bit.

Martens Pilsner

Martens Pilsner. Martens Beer Anno 1758, Traditionally brewed Premium Pilsner.

Clear, golden hued, head starts huge, shuffles down, leaves a little lace. 

Aroma: cereal and straw. Highly hopped with traces of corn. Largely inoffensive.

Taste: Tasty hop profile up front, lean bodied, soft and supple. Drinks easy, with an insistent hoppy edge. A little lemon-y now, a touch of fruit. But, overall, dry, with a slight bitterness. 

Not bad at all. Even good. I don't often drink lagers and pilsners, but I wouldn't turn one of these down.

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

We have in our lives the hard facts that we know and believe in. What are some of mine? What are some of the things that I know that I love? I'll list three off the top of my head. I love hearing the tenor saxophone sound of Hank Mobley when I least suspect it. I love the brush strokes in a Walt Kelly "Pogo" comic strip. And I love a truly deep and satisfying stout, no matter what make, brand, creed, or category.

Some things I truly know I don't like? A really mushy, icy day like today. (I want spring so badly right now, I honestly don't care how lame our winter was.) Bad art being passed off as good. Half an 'r' and three orange stripes, with newspaper clippings added, that's art, right? It must be, if someone paid for it, and hung it on a wall. And, to complete the rule of listing three things, when a perfectly good, even utterly excellent beer is totally super-ceded by a flashier, hotter hipper one. Such as, "yeah, yeah, Furious is good, I can get that anywhere/drink that any day, but it's not as good as Abrasive." Or, "oh, Breakfast Stout...ho, hum...if only it were KBS. Or, ...CBS?!?!"

It's not enough to have a magnificent coffee chocolate oatmeal stout, but Founders has to come out with these variations that get all the geeks twisted up in their knickers. And they are good. But come on, the other beers are still great. And these other varieties are so difficult to find, so quick to fly off the shelves, that I've never seen a bottle of KBS for sale anywhere, or a precious CBS, naturally. I just don't have time to visit these stores on the day of release. They are so hard to find that I thought that I'd never reviewed a bottle of KBS, but lo, and behold, I got one in a trade five and 1/2  years ago, and wrote a review in July of 2006. I have a bottle today, because Meagan O'Brien is moving to Wisconsin and was kind enough to let me take a bottle off her hands. Much thanks and appreciation to her, and best of luck representing Tallgrass Brewing in her native Wisconsin, as I drink down this delicious Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and share my notes from my first tasting. And they start...now.

Deepest ebon hue, an impentrable blackness, above which nestles a modest ring of earthy brown, espresso tinges. 

Aroma is chocolate first, followed by coffee, then molasses, brown sugar, and licorice. 

Taste: Full and thick as it boards the mouth, slipping rich, deliciousness everywhere...this is stoutness of the highest order. Bourbon flavor is here, but feels less sweet than the same stuff straight from the bottle, an impressive blend of flavors. Further in, I can taste the charcoal, even. 

So huge, and rich, and very rewarding. Each sip has enough flavor to taste a good 20 minutes, if you're not too thirsty...definitely a sippin' stout! If you don't take your time, you're spoiling a wonderful experience. 

I must say, this is a hyperbolic label, but it's all truth in advertising. Gotta wonder how they slip it past the beurocracy, with it's jesting claims of giving relief from all manner of ailments. It is most assuredly "good for everything a stout ought to be good for." 

Very nice bedtime brew. Wish I had a case or three to last me a spell. 
Way to go, Founders, another impressive ale! 

(currently the label states: "DOES NOT GIVE RELIEF FROM: rheumatism, neuralgia, sciatica, lame back, lumbago, contracted muscles, toothache, sprains, swelling, and all manners of distress." Did I read it wrong, or did they change the label?)

Samuel Adams Tasman Red IPA

Samuel Adams' Tasman Red Red IPA. 6.75 % ABV, all Tasmanian Galaxy and Topaz hops. And Gabby Hayes in a derby on the label.

Let's get into it.

Clear, deep burgundy coloring, creamy, tanned head, starts big,lasts long but lays low. 

Tropical fruit aromatics, melon, pineapple, some berry, much malt sweetness. Low bitterness. Nice enough.

Tasting it: Mmm, nice and hoppy. Fruit flavor and malt sweetness return, with a lingering, while low, bitterness. Medium body, mellow mouthfeel. Caramel-y malt flavorful, a little roasty, with a toasted edge. 

An interesting mix of malts in this: 2-row Harrington, Metcalfe and and Copeland Pale malts, Special B, Caramel 60, raised dehusked malt. 

Much maltier than most IPAs. And less hoppy than most, too. I'd say this doesn't really belong to any style, properly, but it's not as if I care about that. However, it doesn't really deliver what I'm looking for, either.

Nothing too wrong with it, just nothing too right, either. 

But, keep at it, Boston Beer Company, don't let me deter you.

Steel Toe Size 11 Double India Pale Ale

I no longer wear size 11 shoes, or even size 11 1/2. I moved up to size 12. Age 43, I am, and I'm still worried about shoe comfort. My life is a mess.
But you know what's not bad? When friends bring me beer. Steel Toe released this beer at the brewery on Friday, and I send word on facebook that I would like some. One friend responded, but another didn't even wait for my reply and showed up at the Nile with 2 bottles for me. I'll get those others later, and share with friends at some other occasion. The first bottle I consumed this afternoon, and here are the notes:

Steel Toe Brewing  Size 11 Double India Pale Ale, St. Louis Park, MN.

ABV 11 %, IBU 111, SRM 11, OG 1.094, F.G. 1.011…and a lot of other numbers, including several more 1's. Let's drink it.

Clear, crimson-coloring, small head, settles into a tight foam ring.

Nice hoppy buzz hits the nose first, accompanied by fruity esters, beautiful balance of bitter and sweet. Big time hoppitude. 

Let's drink it up, already. Mmmm. Massive bitter hop attack. Juicy malt backdrop. Bitter blast continues with each sip and swallow. Pricks the palate, prances, and plays upon the tastebuds. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Oh, yeah.


Pine meets citrus plus darker fruits, become deeper and more complex as the bottle drains. I'm thinking more of a barley-wine. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot dances in the forefront of my mind. All the biggest and best are queuing up, tl measure this one. Texture is getting richer, thicker, fuzzier, and everything is getting boozier. Hop flavor and character is all over the place. Unrelenting. Unabashed. Altogether excellent.

I'm getting that wonderful feeling, and I blame the 11%, as well as the fantastic flavor, and the unrepentant delivery of hops into this grateful realm of the senses. Love it, love it, love it. Magnificently put-together. And just down-right delightfully delicious. 

God damn, this is good. God damn, this is excellent.


This is only the second Steel Toe beer I've had in a full serving. First, a growler of Size 7. Now, a 750 ml bottle of Size 11. There are other Steel Toe beers out there I've got to go toe to toe with, and I'll just have to visit the brewery on my own at last, to get them. Stay tuned, kids. 

Gouden Carolus Tripel

Something about me. I don't have a cellar, and I don't have a collection. Sometimes I find that I don't have on hand what I'd like to drink.  Usually, I only have on hand what I can afford, and don't go out, and spend too much money, generating a back log of beers I'll get to later. Nope, I drink what I have. My cellar, as it, or my collection,  is very, very small. Often, the missing slots in my drinkable selection is even an IPA, or a stout. Just a porter, or something. What, all I have to drink is Forgotten Flem, Brooklyn Monster, and several beers I need to write about? I  can't just drink 'em, I have to write about 'em.
So, this afternoon, I stopped at Harriet for some growlers of "drinkin' beers" (that would be West Side, not necessarily Divine Oculust, althought I'll be "drinkin'" that.), and then on my break, went up to the wonderland of Zipp's for the first time in more than a month, specifically for some Belgian ales, some for writin' about and some for drinkin'. I grabbed a Gouden Carolus Cuvee' van de Kaiser Rood, which I've never had, and that would qualify it as a writin' about beer. I also snagged a GC Tripel, from that excellent Het Anker Brewery, which I first wrote about in April of 2004. Want to know what I thought of it? Well, here it comes...

Holy Guacamole! This corked little devil came out with NO effort--BOOM! 

And now my trousers are wet... 

Muddy golden hue...vast mass of fluffy foam, white as snow sits on top and elegantly collapses, leaving gentle lace...Aroma: yeast, citric, but light, airy, a little honeyish...Taste: mmm, just right! 

Elaborate? I shall. A garden of fruit is here, apricots, peaches, oranges, banana, mix it with cream, soften it with sugar, throw some honey in it, whipped cream on top now, gently sprinkle with spices...tastiness abounds! Lightly, judiciously hopped, ample malt, incessant flavor. 

Body is about medium, finish is nigh-unto-eternal, light, sugary, and just about damned delicious, balance is near perfect too, nothing is overly forward, everything meets just-so, and it's drinkability gets a boost from that. 

My first try with this one, and now it's a new favorite, that I'll return to again and again...deeelicious!

Minneapolis Town Hall Dubbel

Town Hall Dubbel. No further appellation, no fancy name, not for this one. I've had other dubbers from TH in the past, and they all had names. This is just "Town Hall Dubbel." And I had it earlier, just didn't think to write about it. Now, I will, and away we go..

Not too great in the looks department. Dark red, clear, no head at all. 

Sweet malty aromatics, with a hit of spice. There's Special B malt in here, but richer and sweeter, with no temperance, keeping it cool and dry. Despite that, I rather like it. 

Taste: big rich malty sweetness, with touches of molasses, dark rum, earth and spice. Dark fruit, figs, raisin, …getting slightly drier, even-tempered. Despite my wishy-washy captiluations, this is a classic dubbel, but not too rich, not too strong, not too anything. Not too sweet, not too dry. Plenty of flavor, lots of satisfaction, without going overboard in any direction. A Session dubbel, if we can make such a claim. 

Plenty of carbonation, just a touch of bitterness, and much even-tempered sweetness. got to love that. Mmm. Nice, and …mmmm. Ah. Fit for a monk.

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Motoeka Double Lager

Town Hall … M.D.L. M-something …Double Lager, they call it. And that other thing, why do they call it that? It's certainly a word I've never heard, and can't for the life of me remember. Slight pause, while I search the intrawebs for some info. What's the story, morning glory? Got to be a meaning somewhere.  (Motoeka. All I know. And it's 8.5% ABV.)

I got this one to have something new to sip on during a day off, knowing full well that lagers aren't my thing, and doubling them doesn't help matters. In any case, we're drinking it. 

Clear, clean and golden, frothy white head starts out big, slips down assuredly, leaves a little lacing.

Aromatics: wide open and empty. Not much beyond a faint cereal sweetness. Malty, and…eh. Not much else. Little hops. 

Drinking it: A little heat up front, from the high alcohol, a bit of a burn, then it's all malt. Clean, and…not smooth, not with this much booze, but it is downable, consumable, for sure, if not for the premonition of a headache. I feel this is not too far away from a malt liquor. Very little actual flavor, beyond the small malt character, and the alcohol, which is becoming more and more prominent. 

Boom, boom, it's getting bigger, it's rounding out the brain cavity, searching for swinging room, and getting impatient. Boom, boom. Thud, thud. Pow. 

And while this banging happens around the brain cave, there's little extra pleasure to be had, unlike in a double pils, where you get some richer hop presence, no, this is strictly a lean, light lager, but high on the alcohol. (And I still don't know how high as I type this. Forgot to check. Or ask. They were busy, and I chose on a whim.)

It's getting a little sweeter in the malt flavor, and I'm trying to get down with that, use that as my pathway to pleasure. And ignore the pounding presence of the booze. 

New Belgium Lips of Faith Biere De Mars

New Belgium Biere de Mar Ale Brewed with Spices, Lips of Faith series, …pretty sure I've had something of this name before, many years ago, in a bumpy 12 ounce bottle, without Lips of Faith anywhere on it. I am not looking at that old one, instead going for a fresh taste.

Hazy and orange, slim, lace-leaving head. Purty.

Aroma: spice aplenty. coriander, pepper, perhaps, …other than that, I'm not sure. Plus a side of citrus-y hops.

Taste: Smooth stuff, full of fruity/bready malt, spritzes of spice. Bright flashes of orange and lemon round the edges, with incessant barrages of spice and Belgian yeast. Yum. Ends easy, yet flavorful.

Lovely biere de mars, this. Did I need to wait a few weeks until it's really "mars" to truly appreciate it? It's tasty enough right now.

(Guess what? I did have it before, almost 9 years ago, and here are those notes from May 2003: Hazy, bright orange color, as in a ripe apricot. Head is initially thick, fluffy, pure white. Aroma is fresh and fruity, citrus large and in charge. Soon, a supreme hoppiness sets in and makes itself quite welcome in the nose and on the palate. 
Thrilling and tasty bitterness on the mouth, with a deliciously citric (orange, mostly) finish. Very yeasty, and quite well-balanced. Body is medium, hops are out front, but the brew is altoghether a rounded one. This is a very special ale, and when all the parts come together, I'm left wondering...am I drinking some kind of liquefied orange bread? 
Quite a nice accomplishment from a brewery of well-deserved fame. Both jeffboo and marc77 provided me with samples, and I thank them in stereo!)

Brau Brothers Cherry Bean Coffee Stout

Brau Brothers Cherry Bean Coffee Stout, ale brewed with cherry bean coffee. Brau Brothers Brewing Company, Lucan, Minnesota, Population 220.

No gobbledygook, only logos, government warnings, one of those obliquitous whatchamajiggers, and the phrase, "Keep this Beer Cold!" 

Solid black, fizzy tan head, trims down to a tight ring.

Aroma: rich, expressive, bitter and sweet. First comes the coffee, with cherry showing up second. Very vibrant coffee nose, in this.

Taste: fruit comes first, matched perfectly with the coffee buzz. Stout lurks below. Medium bodied, long fruity finish. Cherry stands on top throughout, coffee sits second. Bittersweet remains the foremost characteristic. 

Only flaw for me is, it could be fuller bodied. A bit more thickness would go a long way. Ain't nothing wrong with it, it just has a little bit to go. 

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Here's one I've had the chance to drink since it arrived for the first time in our market, late last year, but chose not to use that occasion to post about it. After all, I had a keg in the cooler at work, and today was the day it finally went on tap, the celebrated Smoked Porter of Alaskan Brewing. When they first made this, it was one of a kind, and rare. I had my first bottle in November, 2003, bought through a mail-order service, which I only used once (shipping is prohibitive, I learned), and took these notes, though tonight, I'm drinking it on tap:


I can smell the smoke before popping the cap, somehow...and it pours black as the wintry night sky, with a thick, toasted tan head atop. 

Aroma hits it's mark immediately: SMOKE! Surprise, huh? With underlying...nah, I can't pick it up...I arch the old olfactory glands wider to perceive greater and clean the usual porteristic characterics and they're very well hidden underneath that smokeyness. Some of them are down there, somewhere, but they're totally dominated. 

Taste: ...yup, it's all in the flavor, too! Very smooth and mellow, malt is full and damnit, wouldn't you know, that smoke effect is actually pretty tasty! And, mmmm, I'm tasting the cocoa and the coffee, too, just underneath. 


Quite an interesting and enoyable beer, one that I'll make an effort to return to again and again, to see if I can pull out more from it. As for this big, beautiful bottling, I had quite a time.

Brau Brothers Forgotten Flem Farmhouse Ale

Brau Brothers Forgotten Flem. Such an odd name. Despite the spelling, it makes you think of bodily fluids. Once you taste it, though, you know what they mean. It's also called a Farmhouse Ale on the label, and no farmhouse ale that I know of tastes like this. 

Other than restating the population of Lucan, MN, there is no other information on this label, it is 100% gobbledygook-free. I can always search online, or even call up the Brau Bros myself, but until that happens, these notes, will, as always, take shape as I sip and slurp.

Before I do that, though, I will return my Brau Brothers pint glass to the cabinet, and pull out an appropriate Belgian-style glass, the least I can do. And does it ever look nice, now that I have!

Clear, and apricot toned, until prodigious head, leaving delicate lace, lasting long.

Aroma: sour, funky, fruity and weird, right from the get-go. Definitely some wild Belgian yeast strains at work. Particularly pickled and pungent. Sour cherries plus vinegar meets Jolly Ranchers candy. And then jumps in a box of old unwashed gym socks. (I only half mean that. Casting a wide net in order to nail down this peculiar permutation.)

I may have forgotten to mention that I like it, and that it does, eventually, veer closer to a true Flemish Red aroma.

Taste: Oooo! Ow! Yeow! Huh! Jump back! Make it funky now! Popcorn! Hah! The big pay-back! Maceo! Maceoooo!

(Sorry, sometimes my guttural exhortations transform me briefly into the ghost of James Brown.)

Where was I? Oh, man, this is sour stuff to start off with! What did they do, what yeast, what barrels, how aged, etcetera? All will be know eventually, I can only speculate and sip. So, again…odd, funky, wild, then sweet, then sour again. Definitely Belgian yeast action. Then malt and fruit shine brightest. (There is no expression of hops felt here.) Body gets lean and mellow, starts feeling smooth and lovely, and acts utterly consumable. Let's try it again, shall we?

Fresh and zesty, despite it's age. (This is not a new product, and I feel fortunate to still find it at Chicago Lake liquors, not a store known as a secret haven for the connoisseur.) The spark and the spank on the palate continues, although it definitely cools from the initial slap. Lays rather light, inevitably, on the palate, though all the flavors remain in place.

What we have, it seems, is a south western Minnesota version of a saison, hit with funky Belgian yeast. Tasty, refreshing stuff. Slight bitterness emerges, unfelt earlier. I'm liking this more and more, and feel like I'll end up liberating the remaining 6-ers from that shop. 

I keep finding new ways to like Brau Brothers. Whatever bumps they've had in the past may just be that, the past. Onward and upward, boys!

Brooklyn Monster Ale

Yesterday, I did my first local purchase of this beer, and sat down to glass of it. Today, I look back on my first taste of it, from eight years ago, October, 2003, where I blathered on and on. Observe:

I loves me a nice barleywine, and Brooklyn calls theirs a "monster", do they? Well, let's have at it, already! 

Appearance: coppery color, with a short-lived head...so far, "eh"... 

Aroma: now, we're cookin'! Sweetness incarnate, redolent of a full orchard of fruits, burnished and converted to a proper cognac-y character. Alcohol is huge here, with cherries, brandy, leather, fire, tobacco, smoke, all pitching suggestions into this bonfire...this is the type of beer that makes me pity wine drinkers...is there an aroma as rich and full and fine as this to be found in a bottle of vino? A very bewitching aroma! 

Thick texture, syrupy mouthfeel, lip-smackin', delicious, and packin' heat! Lush, full malt, low hops, but thoroughly intoxicating...screw your Manhattans, your Hennessys, your Flavor-of-the-Month-Martinis, put your lips to a barleywine such as this for a full, boozy sensation! 

A benign Monster, this, powerful, but not vicious, stinging, but without malice, prodigious, but never punishing, with a long, near-lethal finsh.... 
A damned fine barleywine. 

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA

Ruthless Rye, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. 2012. Not sure why they are dating it by year. Perhaps they expect us to cellar it? Just a habit they've gotten into?

A cloaked, hooded woman holds a scythe in the middle of some farm land. Seems like odd garb for threshing. Or, are they just establishing a new, hotter version of Death. Newer and hotter than Neil Gaiman's, of course.

Anyway, on to the beer: Clear, dark crimson coloring, off-white foam above.

Aroma is soft, sweetish, and brimming with rye malt character. Pass the pumpernickel!

Taste: Hops hit first, bitter, yet sweet, then the spicy rye malt character floods the mouth. Starts mellow, gets intense. Rises and rises and overtakes the senses. Without going too far, of course. These guys are all about balance. You don't become this popular and this big without making palatable brews. 

Let's look at the label crap: Ruthless Rye IPA is brewed with this rustic grain for refined flavors--combining the peppery spice of rye and the bright citrusy flavors of whole cone hops to create a complex ale for the tumultuous transition to spring."

It hasn't been exactly a tumult this year. We've had several early starts to spring, in the dead of winter. But this is nice and well appreciated. I was almost ready to say that the rye malt overtakes the citrusy hop presence, but they re-emerged before I could type a word. It's a tasty, tidy tango, here's some peppery bready malt, here's your hops, cha, cha, cha…