A taste of… The Abyss

Deschutes Brewery,

Bend, OR

USA

Preface:

This one’s been sitting in the refrigerator for about a month, at least. There are no markings on the bottle or the label that would give me any idea about when it is “good until.” However it does tell me that the brew is aged in oak barrels (33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels), brewed with licorice and molasses, and is 11% alcohol by volume. The promotional material on the bottle reads “It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. This Imperial Stout has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich complex profile. The flavor of this special brew draws you in further and further with each sip. Enjoy the journey.”

It’s 1030 in the morning on a Thursday. I can hardly wait…

Appearance:

I have never ever seen a head on a beer as dark as this. The brew itself is too dark to see through. The head is a combination of medium size in very small bubbles that “lace” beautifully on the glass. If the color of this brew is coffee, the color of the head is hot chocolate.

Aroma:

The first impression of this brew is not overpowering. The second impression brings the aroma of patent malt to the forefront. That patent malt aroma develops to be something quite obvious.

Mouth feel:

It would be an understatement to say this is a full-bodied beer. In fact, the body lasts all the way through the finish. It is not a thick cloying body though. It marches right through and leaves quite a pleasant sensation at the end.

Flavor:

The moment between sip and lip offers just a hint of the patent malt impression in the aroma. There is sour cherry-toffee-singed sugar candy medley of flavors followed by a slight metallic tang and astringency that sweeps the palate clean.

Finish:

The finish leaves more in the aspiration than on the palate. For such a full-bodied beer it is remarkably quick in its departure.

Comments:

Quite honestly, I could not find evidence of oak in either the aroma or the flavor… Nevertheless, this is an impressive Imperial Stout.

I especially appreciated how the flavors are not crushing in their sensational impression. There is a fine balance that could be, perhaps, attributed to the nap this brew takes in the bourbon barrels.

The slight astringent finish was remarkable in its brevity and effectiveness in refreshing the palate. At no time is there is any sharp spike of alcohol to spoil the enjoyment of the flavor.

The brewery Site: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/Brews/Reserve+Series/default.aspx

What others say…

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A taste of… St. Druon French Abbey Ale

Brasserie Duyck,
Jenlain, France

Preface:
Once upon a time not too long ago there was a bar in SoHo ( South of Houston – pronounced How-stun) in Manhattan that had the bad fortune to order for cases of Jenlain ale. Actually, it was my good fortune as they sold the beer as a loss leader for $4.00(US) a bottle. To the best of my knowledge, I drank every one of those bottles of beer. And so, I approached facing this beer with a great deal of anticipation…

According to the brewery website:

“Formerly known as Sebourg beer, this abbey-type beer with 6% alcohol by volume was rebaptized Saint Druon de Sebourg in 2000, as a tribute to Saint Druon and the little church in Sebourg, the next village to Jenlain. Druon, a homeless but pious orphan, wandered the roads until he settled in the village, and is still honoured and revered by pilgrims each year. The brewery is now one of the church benefactors and contributes to the cost of renovating the edifice. “

“Malted barley and 3 varieties of hops grown in Alsace form the basis of this recipe, which, unlike Duyck's other beers, also contains wheat from the Beauce region of France, milled in the traditional way by Sebourg's miller. And to give it an even more distinctive flavour, the Duyck's use a specific strain of yeast exclusive to the beer.”

Appearance:
This is a bright yellow golden beer topped with a glistening fairly rocky head of small bubbles. The Belgian lace is a little disconcerting as it looks more like foam than lace.

Aroma:
The first impression is a generally fruity type aroma. The second impression exposes accents of apple and pear, and finally, the grainy undercurrents of malt. The moments between lip and sip reveals very little.

Mouth feel:
This beer is neither too dense nor too thin.

Flavor:
There is a particular house flavor imparted by the yeast used to ferment this brew. It strides ahead of any influence of either the hops or the malt. Nevertheless, when you try to find the two basic flavors of this brew they are there to be found.

Finish:
The finish to this brew was on the sweet side. However, at the very end there is a bit of honeysuckle flavor left on the palate.

Comments:

There must be a public-relations reason to call this a French abbey ale. It is quite similar to the Jenlain that I have had before. . This particular product is a good representation of a commercial abbey ale. It’s a good place to start, but I wouldn’t want to stay here.

The flavors of this particular brew would go well with a dish of mussels or clams, steamed in the same beer.

The brewery Site: http://www.duyck.com/indexuk.php

What others say…

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A taste of… Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

Leinenkugel Brewery C
Chippewa Falls, WI

Preface:
This is one of the summer beers put out by Leinenkugel this year. Why save this one for last, I have no idea. All I know is that today, I really wish it was summertime and so I’ve decided to taste this one. The label tells me that it is 4.2% alcohol by volume.

Appearance:
Open this beer and it smelt like a lemon meringue pie. This is a cloudy, lemon colored yellow brew that is very effervescent and topped with a frothy, almost meringue like head of close-knit medium to small bubbles.

Aroma:
Oh me oh my! That’s lemon meringue pie!

Mouth feel:
The mouth feel is surprisingly full.

Flavor:
The moment between lip and sip contains more than a hint of lemon. This is a pleasantly tart, remarkably dry, lemon zest flavored beverage. I emphasize the “zest”. There is little of the “lemon drop” type aroma or flavor that is associated with many of the citric flavored beers.

Finish:
The lemon zest flavor, and a hidden citric influenced hops flavor spike duel it out with the lemon winning of the hops leaving a most pleasant impression.

Comments:
There are traditional summer drinks: gin and tonic, lemonade, most of the cola drinks as you can name, and the contribution from the United Kingdom called a "Shandy."

This summer treat is usually an ale and carbonated citric beverage combination. In some places a lager is used. (The French call it a panache.) The Germans call of the waste of beer.

That said; I found this to be a refreshing example of the product. This beverage would be ideal between surf and shower on a late summer afternoon spent at the shore. An excellent summer refresher!

The brewery Site: http://www.leinie.com/av.html

What others say…

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A taste of… Reunion '08

Bison Brewery,
Berkeley, CA

Preface:

This is the second year that these folks have sent me a version of REUNION. As a lymphoma survivor I am an easy touch for anti-cancer efforts. Nevertheless, after checking out this brewery/organization, it’s the beer that you are interested in. This year’s version of REUNION (’08) offers the following…

Appearance:

This is a brilliant red copper colored beer. It is topped with a very fragile foamy head of small bubbles that fall and lace the glass very quickly.

Aroma:

The first impression is a grainy, slightly sweet aroma. There is some, but not much, hop in the aroma. And finally, hidden away in the back, there is a touch of chocolate.

Mouth feel:

The first impression is that this is a relatively light bodied beer. This impression changes after the first swallow. A second sip reveals that although not a heavy body beer, it does however have a good heft.

Flavor:

The moment between sip and let promises a hefty malty beer. This promise is justified, by sweet malt flavor that comes very close to the same flavor profile as a light sherry.

Finish:

There is a multi-finish to this beer. First of all it lingers on the palate as a very refreshing palate cleanser. Then it spends some time resonating in the nasal passages. This is where the heat from the relatively high alcohol content of this beer is felt.

Comments:

The Bavarians can be rightly proud of their wheat beers. Often imitated, I find these beers almost impossible to duplicate outside of Bavaria. Rye beer and ale are brews that American Brewers seemed to do quite well. The label tells me that this ale was brewed with caraway seeds. If they’re in there I can’t find them.

Since the flavor profile of this beer is that is similar to Sherry, I would suggest serving us with the traditional French plate of cheeses. Although not acidic, there is enough alcohol here to handle the lactic property of the cheeses and the stealth-hops are a palette cleanser that welcomes the flavors of the next cheese.

The brewery Site: http://www.reunionbeer.com/ http://www.bisonbrew.com/

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A taste of… Cinder Cone Red

Deschutes Brewery,
Bend, OR

Preface:

This sample has been sitting in the back of a refrigerator for some time. The press release I found with it had a date line of February 18, 2008. It tells me that they are using something called Amarillo hops. I’m interested to taste the Amarillo hops. Also noted is that this beer is 5.4% alcohol by volume and 55 international bitterness units.
And now for the tasting notes…

Appearance:

Yes, I would say that this is a red colored beer. It is not quite a garnet red but it is deeper than copper. It has a quickly lacing, rocky head of rather large bubbles that doesn’t hang around for a long time.

Aroma:

The initial aromas sensation is of roasted malt. The second olfactory exploratory event reveals the malt is joined but just slightly by a very grassy green sensation of hop.

Mouth feel:

The mouth feel here is not quite as important as the impression that hops make on the palate.

Flavor:

That moment between sip and lip telegraphed ahead that there was an unusual hop flavor on its way. The senses do not lie. Unlike the typical citrus impression of “grapefruit”” the citrus impression in this particular beer is much more along the line of a Clementine. This almost-orange fruit impression remains for quite a while.

Finish:

The finish begins early with this beer because it doesn’t have a great deal of body to it. The particular sensation of the Amarillo hops remains and reminds for quite a while.

Comments:

I will admit that the name had me a little biased at first I have a little problem dealing with the name “red”” on an ale. Also, I can only assume that the name “Cinder Cone” is something meaningful for the people at the brewery, or is meaningful to the people of Bend, Oregon. II can’t figure it out and there was nothing in the promotional material that told me about it.

That said I find the beer to be intellectually challenging with the flavor profile that emphasizes the unique Amarillo hop flavor. This is something I find interesting considering that there is such a shortage of the flower.

After making my way halfway through this bottle of beer I suddenly had a craving for cedar plank salmon, open hearth roasted potatoes and a large bowl of field greens salad. I can only assume that it’s a side effect of the Amarillo hops.

The brewery Site: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/BrewPub/OnTap/5822.aspx

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A taste of… Odd Notion (Spring 08)

Magic Hat Brewing (and Theatrical) Company
South Burlington, VT

Preface:

This time I’m working without notes (and have no idea that this was supposed to be an Irish Red Ale). I do know that this brewery puts out a series of brews called “odd notion.” This one is labeled spring ’08. The label also tells me that this is three quarters of a pint of beer 5% alcohol by volume and that I can find their website at http://www.magichat.net/ . If I am to believe the coded notches on the label affixed to the back of this bottle, it should have been drunk in January of 08. For that oversight, I beg pardon of the brewery and the indulgence of those reading these tasting notes. As I taste this beer I will keep in mind that it is supposedly at least two months past its prime.

Appearance:



This brew is a dark red garnet colored beverage of medium carbonation topped by a glistening; very light sandy tan rocky head.

Aroma:



The first impression is of a very pleasant roasted grain aroma. The second impression includes hints of caramel and brown sugar, and finally, there is a very fresh ground grain aroma that finishes off.

Mouth feel:



There is a pleasant non-assertive mouth feel to this beer, neither heavy nor light.

Flavor:



The moment between sip and let promises neither hop, nor malt ascendance. Hops permeate most of the flavor of this beer. The undertones of soft, sweet malt are there only to support a rather aggressive hop profile. It takes at least two or three sips to be able to start to separate the sweetness and the hop flavor. In the beginning, the two flavors are rather seamlessly blended together. Only after a sip or two, as noted before, can you begin to be able to detect distinct flavors.

Finish:



The finish of this beer also takes time to develop. It starts out with a rather grassy green that relaxes so that a more sweet, slightly tongue-coating malt flavor can develop. This slides away and leaves the final sensation of a very light and unfamiliar hop.

Comments:



This is a beer that I would very much like to try on draft. However, I feel that on draft it might take on a few more characteristics. For example, the carbonation in a bottle is very much different than the carbonation of a draft beer. This makes bottled beers, slightly fizzier and slightly more “acidic.” However, on draft I might not ever be able to separate the flavors in this beer.


I can suggest this brew to accompany sliced raw onions and a slab of cheddar cheese, along with a half a tube of saltine crackers. In short, the famous gastronomic presentation to be found at the venerable old ale house in New York City called”McSorley’s.” A pint of Odd Notion Spring ’08 would be quite the complement to a “McSorley’s Cheese Plate.”


The brewery Site: http://www.magichat.net/


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A taste of… Hop Henge Imperial IPA

Deschutes Brewery,
Bend, OR

Preface:

According to the promotional material that came with this brew, it is “the ultimate in hop innovation.”

What is even more interesting… “Head Brewer Brett Porter says “This is a truly exciting and groundbreaking beer. We reformulated everything about the hop recipe to give Hop Henge an extraordinary aroma and flavor similar to a fresh hop beer (editor’s note).” In addition to the cascade in Centennial hops, Deschutes Brewery is experimenting with a hot variety so new that it has yet to be named.” (Necessity is the mother of invention?) N.B.- 8.75% alcohol by volume (ABV) and 95 international bitterness units (IBU).

This little fellow arrived yesterday. And so, this morning, after reviewing the material that was sent with it, I can issue the following tasting notes are as fresh as they can be.

Appearance:
As soon as you open the bottle and poured a full pint, the aroma of yeast/fresh bread dough is obvious. The burnished bronze brew is topes with a dense but rocky topped light sandy tan head.

Aroma:
Once the pint is made ready for a sip, the aromas of the hops is an experience as close to sticking your head in a hops sack as one can possibly get outside of the fields. That moment between sip and let confirms that this is going to be a very hoppy beverage.

Mouth feel:
The mouth feel seems to end and flow. I’m not too sure whether this has anything to do with a carbonation spike, or the intense hop flavors.

Flavor:
There is one moment, during the flavor experience when the malt flavor piques its head out from where ever it has been hiding. The rest of the time the aria, and chorus, is left to the hops.

Finish:
There is a not-uncomfortable trace of hop flavor that lingers long past the rest of the flavors and aromas. It is unfamiliar to me but very pleasant.

Comments:

The promotional material that came with this brew suggests that “Hop Henge is the perfect accompaniment for a variety of spicy foods, so be sure to have a bottle handy next time you make a batch of hot wings and go for the five alarm award. The high octane happiness is a wildly refreshing antidote to a wide variety of hot foods.”

I can find no reason to argue with that.

The brewery Site: http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/Brews/Bond+Street+Series/default.aspx

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A taste of… Tailgate Amber Wave

Tailgate Beer
Irvine, CA USA

Preface: This is the fourth sample bottle sent to me by the folks at Tailgate Beer. I cannot tell you why I saved this one for last. As you can see it has a distinctive Tailgate label, and on the label it says little about the brew other than it is 6.2% alcohol by volume.

Appearance: This is a very deep dark red garnet colored beer, almost opaque, topped with a frothy rocky sand tan head. I notice it does not lace appreciably on the glass.

Aroma: At first there is a noticeable prune aroma to this beer, although, you have to go looking for it. The second sensation is a hint of chocolate aroma, that by the third aromatic experience (sniff) was very, very obvious. Between sip and lip the chocolate aroma persisted.

Mouth feel: The mouth feel to this beer is unremarkable, neither too heavy, nor to light; it is sufficient.

Flavor: I experienced neither an obvious malt flavor nor hop flavor. If developing a seamless combination of the two flavors was the point of this beer, it was achieved. It is one of the few beers that I can say, starts out neither hoppy, nor malty and finishes neither hoppy or malty.

Finish: There is very little finish to this beer. It just sort of steps off and isn’t there anymore. However, it does have a mysteriously palate cleansing effect.

Comments: I’m not quite sure what to make of this beer. It is not a traditional amber lager or amber ale, and it doesn’t have the flavors that one associates with either Porter or stout. Its body does not live up to the intensity of its color.

After reviewing the above notes it occurs to me that this would be an ideal session beer. It is not too filling or too flat, its flavor profiles do not demand attention, it’s not a highly alcoholic beer, and it looks damn manly and a glass!

The brewery Site: http://www.tailgatebeer.com/tailgatebeer.php

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A taste of… Left Hand Chainsaw Ale

Left Hand Brewing Co.
Longmont, CO USA

Preface:

The promotion material that came with this product was a little bit obscure. Therefore I know little about the lineage behind this brew. As you can see from the picture, the label and information is painted on. It tells me that this is 1 pint 9.36 fluid ounces, or 750 ml. It was bottle conditioned in 2008 and was brewed and bottled by the Left-Hand Brewing Co. Ltd. Longmont, CA. On the back of the bottle the brewers claim “Chainsaw is a connoisseur version of our award-winning Sawtooth Ale, designed to befuddle silly generalizations about life. We hope you enjoy!” There is no information about alcohol by volume on the bottle.

Appearance:

This is a deep red copper colored brew. It is quite effervescent and topped by a thick, rich creamy glistening small to medium bubbles that form a mocha brown head that falls slowly and laces well.

Aroma:

As soon as you open a bottle of this beer you get a malty aroma. Once poured into the glass the hop aromas become much more evident. That moment between sip and lip underlines the promise of a well hopped beer.

Mouth feel:

By the mouth feel alone I’m going to guess that this is probably a 7 to 8% alcohol by volume beer. It is, without a doubt, full-bodied.

Flavor:

The first and most emphatic impression is one of malt, Caramel and Rock-Candy, which are chased and satisfactorily overcome by a bitter hop flavor that marries so well with the sugar that it is hard to tell the two apart at the very end.

Finish:

As noted above, the combination of hop bitterness and malt sweetness comes together so well at the end that they are almost indistinguishable. It would’ve been interesting to have had a second bottle of this that could have been put down for a year to see if the two flavors fell apart over time.

Comments:

This is a well constructed beer that is both highly alcoholic, highly hopped and has massive amounts of malt. All of these flavors and ingredients are blended a very well. There are two places where I would suggest this beer could find itself comfortable at table. The first would be to accompany a huge chunk of black and blue beef steak. The char and sweetness of the steak would match very well with the sweetness and the hop flavors of this beer. On the other hand, this brew would also get along famously with a good slice of British Stilton cheese. The unique tang of that cheese would go particularly well with the hop flavors in this beer.

The brewery Site: http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/

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A Taste of… Orlio Organic Spring/Summer Seasonal IPA

ORLIO/Magic Hat Brewing Company
South-Burlington, VT (USA)

Preface:
Yesterday a box arrived from the ORLIO organic beer company. It looked innocuous enough. When I opened it up, right on top, there was a rather large mysterious black envelope. As you can see the presentation of the beer bottles are rather severe as well. Such intimidating packaging forced me to open and read word for word all the printed material I found in the
“Black envelope.” (Cue threatening organ music…)

The cover letter from a Susan Evans (Communications and Events Manager), was rather friendly and included the following interesting and informative information; they used pale, Munich Caramel and Carapils malts, and Centenial hops for both flavoring and aroma. It contains 5.4% alcohol by volume and has an Original Gravity of 1.056. This product is available in six packs and selected draft locations throughout the Northeast.

Now you know everything I know, tasting notes follow…


Appearance:

The beer itself is a burnished copper colored that is fairly effervescent. It is topped with a glistening small lacy bubbles that develop a light sun tan brown and the Belgian lace begins almost immediately.

Aroma:

Almost as soon as you open the bottled you can smell the aroma of the hops. As you bring the beer towards your nose, the space between sip and let offers a very refreshing sensation.


Mouth feel:

This is not a heavy beer by any means.


Flavor:

The first sensation is of sweetness with very light touches of burned sugar candy. This is soon joined by a bitter sensation, both in the flavor and in the aroma, that resonates in the nasal passages. Quickly inhaling, in sort of a reverse whistle, shows off surprising levels of different flavors.

Finish:
The finish of this brew recalls salad of wild greens. It is refreshing and cleanses the palate admirably.

Comments: I believe it was back in August of last year that these folks sent me their introduction beers. I remember at that time, wondering what it was that people would want to produce an organic beer of the grain and the hops. There is little to me to suggest that once the brewing process is complete that it is appreciably different from what would be considered inorganic, or mass-produced. The presence of minute trace elements is something that I will not argue. I have been told that there are trace elements of anti-histamines in the New York City water supply. I did not, will not and shall not stock up on bottled water simply for that reason.

Stepping off my soap box, or better yet – beer keg, let’s talk about food. I have a strange suspicion that this brew might go very well with very spicy foods from the far and middle east. I now have something to do over the weekend…


Magic Hat Brewing Company: http://www.orlio.net/

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A Taste of… Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat

Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
Chippewa Falls, WI (USA)

Preface:
This is the last of the Leninkugel summer beers online for tasting. It’s called Sunset wheat, and they say that it is “beer with natural flavors.” A note on the label informs me that it is 4.9% alcohol by volume.

I’ve noted before that I’m not a particular fan of American wheat beers. However, I’m willing to give this one benefit of the doubt.


Appearance:

The beer is straw colored, hazy and opaque is topped by a very rocky, but very light sandy colored head.

Aroma:

The first aromas are almost absolutely traditional in the style of Bavarian wheat beers.


Mouth feel:

Not too heavy and, neither surprising or confusing.


Flavor:

This is where I get confused. There is some bubblegum flavor here, but it is not offset by either the banana esters or the clove esters that are traditional to Bavarians style wheat beers. It does not fit the pattern for an American-style wheat beer either. After the second sip the odd flavors seem to balance out. I feel that there is a disconnect between the promise between lip and step in the final finish of this beer

Finish:

This beer has very little finish to it with vague echoes of the early aromas of bubblegum, an unidentified perfume and a bit of tutti-frutti. Then it disappears quite quickly quite completely


Comments: I’m not too sure what to make of this beer. It has some of the attributes of the Bavarian wheat beer but almost none of the attributes of an American wheat beer. As noted above, there is an odd perfume note in both the flavor and the finish. A drop or two of fruit spirits might turn this ugly duckling into a swan… it is possible.


Brewery site: http://www.leinie.com/sunset_wheat.html

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A taste of... Tailgate Hefeweizen

Tailgate Beer Company (contract), Irvine, CA

Preface: I promised the owner of tailgate beer, Wesley Keegan, I would try all four of his beers. This is the third in the series. It is called a wheat ale and the label says it contains 5% alcohol by volume.

Appearance:
There brew has the traditional creamy cloudy straw color topped with an enthusiastic, and rather rocky, head.

Aroma:
There is almost a traditional Bavarian aroma about this beer. The moment between sip and lip also echoes the Bavarian theme.

Mouth feel:
There is a strong citric spike that gives this more of a mouth feel than you would normally know. There is also a great deal of effervescence that adds to the mouth feel. All said and done, this is a medium bodied beer.

Flavor:
I will admit this is where I have a problem with wheat beers produced in North America. The first wheat beers I ever experienced were those based on the Bavarian formula. In fact they were imported from Bavaria. In 1988 I had a chance to visit Munich during Oktoberfest and taste all six wheat beers produced and consumed right there in Bavaria. As you can understand, this has flavored my perception towards these beers that claim the qualifications of the style.

Nevertheless, there is an indentified style called American Wheat… and this is one of them.
The aroma and mouth feel are typical of Bavarian wheat beers, however, the flavor is most typical of what is called the American wheat beer. That is, there is no clove aroma or banana flavors traditionally associated to Bavarian wheat beers, to be found anywhere near this beer. It does have a citric tang to it which adds to the flavors like of the very effervescent beer that it is.

Finish:
It’s an American finish… that is to say it finish is nothing like the Bavarian wheat beers. Once again, this is typical to wheat beers brewed on the North American continent with the exception of those brewed in Québec.

Comments:
My natural prejudice aside, I can see this being a very popular beer this summer. Ice cold, it would be quite refreshing. Is also the beer I would choose to mix with sweet fruit syrups and serve on ice.

Brewery website: http://www.tailgatebeer.com/indexmain.php

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