This group was tasted a while back, but lots of fun things in here. I'll keep most of it brief, with larger descriptions for the things that really stood out.
Beer #37: The Bruery Rugbrod
I've had this one sitting in the cellar since January 2011 when my "cousin" Caleb and I went to The Bruery for the first time. A group of guys were getting together for a tasting and this was the "nice" bottle I brought. I figured with a year of Age it would be starting to shine. Well as a matter of fact it was. We all really enjoyed this beer, nice Rye spice and lots of great malts. Some fruit came through at the finish and a nice "sparkling wine" effervescence rounded out the mouth feel.
Shared at the same tasting as the Rugbrod. There was a clever story with this beer, but I don't recall what it was. Overall nice hops on the aroma and flavor with a very stout backbone, no carbonation and alcohol on the aroma as well.
I did't like this beer all that much. Definitely Abita's Weakest offering that I have tasted.
Way to much malt leading to a cloyingly sweet beer. Not enough hops, just over done.
Beer #40: Allagash White
This is how a Belgian Style White should taste. I like this beer a lot. Just well brewed.
Another good Allagash beer, these don't need explanation, just well brewed Belgian Style beers.
Nice sweetness, good aroma, and very delicious.
Really, this brewery is just shocking me. So good. Really nice mouthfeel, good banana and clove flavors but not as effervescent as a hefeweizen. Perfect summer beer, all BBQ's this summer will have this and Allagash White present.
Spicy, smooth mouthfeel from the oats and rye. The goal this year was to try more Belgian styles and this just is another great example of what American's can do when they attempt Belgian styles. These Pretty Things beers are quite expensive; tasty, yes but the price just is a little prohibitive for this to be something I have on a regular basis.
Beer #44: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2011
Still pretty hoppy for my Barleywine preference. The alcohol is softening and the Barley is starting to become more apparent but, I still would prefer less hop to it. We'll see what another year does!
This seemed like a beer that would be up Jame's Alley, so I opened with him. This beer is brewed with Cherrywood, and a variety of other smoked woods. Smoked Bacon and Maple Flavoring. Very odd beer, not disgusting, didn't drain pour it, but very odd. Lots of smoke and bacon on the aroma, maple comes through as additional sweetness on the taste. Bought it because I like what Voodoo Doughnuts is, and the bottle was really cool...
If 2011 is still too hoppy for me. This is out of hand. I love this beer every year, it is always delicious but this year it is a major hop bomb. I've had it now on tap and in bottle and the tap really softens the hops. In the bottle it's pretty intense in the hop department. I love it, but to be all it can be... needs two to three years of age.
This is what Barleywine should taste like when freshly bottled. Lots of alcohol, big roasty malt flavors, light hops and the only expectation with age is mellowing of the heat. I like this beer and can't wait to see what the other two bottles will be like in two and three years.
Mission Street is Brewed by Firestone and they make this imperial brown every year. This year (according to a Firestone employee) the beer is a blend of Walkers Reserve (which makes sense) and Double DBA. A fine blend with nice alcohol levels, some oak and Porter like finish. If Pretty Things is price Prohibitive, this beer is the polar opposite. At $3.99 a bottle it is a remarkable deal.
I've been saving this one for about a year and a half. I wanted something unique, big and out of the Cellar. So I opened this one up. The Alcohol has mellowed quite nicely, and the flavors are just wonderfully blending. Need to replenish the cellar as we have plenty of this at Old Town Market.
