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February 4, 2013

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Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Chico, Ca

Ruthless Rye Rye Beer

6.6% ABV

One of the most hyped and well-regarded new beers of 2012 was Ruthless Rye, the 6.6% rye beer Sierra Nevada introduced as its new spring seasonal. The Internets were wowed by its solid blend of rye spiciness and solid hop and malt profiles. As with the vast majority of beers produced by Sierra Nevada, it was regarded as a winner.

I was one of the few who didn’t jump to such a conclusion, which was strange for a lot of reasons. I love rye beers, I’m an unabashed hophead and I generally love whatever comes out of the Chico, CA, brewery. But for some reason, Ruthless Rye left me shrugging my shoulders and wondering what everyone was so excited about.

The year passed and a few weeks ago, Ruthless Rye returned to store shelves just as the warmer weather was beginning to roll in. No sooner had it arrived than the hype machine took over once again, with plenty of people proclaiming it to be better than last year’s batch.

With my palate having developed plenty since then, I gave it another shot. I was …

The nose is a juicy blend of wet pine, melon, sweet malts and a slight spiciness from the rye. Compared with other rye beers – i.e. Bell’s Smitten – there’s definitely more of a juicy hop presence on the nose than a rye bite. The hops give off rich orange, melon and honeydew notes with a light lemony citrus as well. It’s sweeter and fuller than I remember.

The bite on the front of the tongue is strong and spicy, a good mesh of the citrus notes from the hopes and the spice from the rye. There’s just a slight carbonation and a medium body. In the middle of the mouth was where the rye took over. It scorches the middle of your tongue with spiciness, which is accentuated by the bite of the hops. The finish is just slightly dry, with those citrusy notes popping up again and giving it a crisp lemony finish.

All that being said, Ruthless Rye – once again – left me unimpressed. Again, it’s a good, solid, flavorful rye beer, but I honestly don’t see what the fuss is about. For the second year in a row, it left me underwhelmed, and that’s not because I overhyped it in my mind. It just didn’t deliver what I expected it to. To be fair, it’s much better on draft, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t try it. But for the second year in a row, this beer did not deliver.

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February 1, 2013

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Bell’s Smitten

Bell's Smitten Golden Rye Ale

Bell’s Brewery, Inc.

Galesburg, MI

Smitten Golden Rye Ale

6% ABV

As winter begins to loosen its grip and spring … uh … springs again, hopheads everywhere rejoice, for it heralds the return of one of Bell’s most desired beers: Hopslam.

But seemingly lost in the mix is Smitten, one of the newest Bell’s beers which also just recently hit shelves. What started out as part of a smaller series of rye beers, Smitten is an American pale ale with a heaping helping of rye malts to help spice things up a bit. But with the hops used, you’d think you were drinking … well, you know.

For a brief second after first checking the nose, I thought I had poured myself a bottle of Hopslam. Those rich, juicy flavors of mango, papaya, pineapple and more are all there in spades, and there’s a dank hoppiness coating everything coming out of the glass. But those dreams were quickly dashed when the spicy rye took over. It’s masked just slightly by the hops, but there’s certainly a bite in there. There’s just a touch of wheat and a yeasty sweetness present as well.

The taste is pretty unique compared with other rye beers I’ve had. To start, it’s got a really dry and bitter beginning. There’s a slight pinch on the front of the tongue and just some mild carbonation on the mouth. In the middle of the mouth, you get those really dank wet pine notes from the hops, which is cut immediately by the spice of the rye. The finish is dry and piney again with a lingering wheat and yeast sweetness. The rye lingers quite nicely throughout the mouth, but it settles and lets up a bit the more you drink. The mouthfeel is full and flavorful, and overall it’s a great new brew.

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January 29, 2013

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Twisted Pine Ghost Face Killah

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Twisted Pine Brewing Co.

Boulder, CO

Ghost Face Killah Chili Beer

5% ABV

WHY?? OH, GOD, WHY?!? WHY DID I DRINK THIS?? WHAT THE HELL IS TWISTED PINE THINKING?!? WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU THINK IT’S EVEN REMOTELY A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE A BEER WITH GHOST, SERRANO, JALAPEÑO, HABANERO AND FRESNO PEPPERS AND ANAHEIM CHILIS?? WHY DON’T YOU JUST POUR PEPPER JUICE STRAIGHT DOWN MY THROAT AND THEN PUNCH ME IN THE FACE??

OK, I had a glass of milk. I’m better now. Seriously though, this beer is insane. I love spicy foods, but there’s that point when it goes from being really hot yet tolerable to sweet-Jesus-why-would-you-put-this-in-your-mouth hot. Whatever base flavors there are to this beer completely disappear underneath the sickeningly hot pepper burn. There’s really no way to properly review it as there’s nothing to it except pure, unadulterated hell in your mouth. If, like me, you want to drink it just to say you did, go for it. Otherwise, stay far away.

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January 23, 2013

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Boulevard The Sixth Glass

Boulevard Sixth Glass

Boulevard Brewing Co.

Kansas City, MO

The Sixth Glass Belgian-style Quadrupel

10.5% ABV

I’ve made it clear that Boulevard  is one of the breweries I want to see distributed in South Carolina the most. Every one of their beers I’ve had has been consistently solid, from their year-round products to their rarer offerings. (And, after trying Rye-on-Rye at a recent tasting, my opinion has been solidified ever further.)

But it’s their Smokestack Series that really gets me. Until recently, I’d tried every one in the series – Long Strange Tripel, Tank 7, Dark Truth and Double-Wide – but the most highly touted was The Sixth Glass, Boulveard’s Belgian-style quad. Clocking in at 10.5%, dextrose, brown sugar, dark brown sugar and dark candi syrup are added to a somewhat simplistic malt and hop profile to create “a deep and mysterious libation,” as the website’s description says.

First, I really have to compliment how gorgeous of a beer Sixth Glass is. It’s topped with a massive, foamy head made up of tight bubbles that subside quickly, but never really settle. It’s like there’s a constant half a finger worth of bubbles continuously on top of it. The color is a translucent amber and ruby red with hints of rust and plum in it. Just enough light gets through for you to see how beautiful the colors are.

The nose was surprisingly flat. As with any good quad, there are notes of figs, plums, raisins, toffee, caramel and candied sugar. There’s that thick sweet blend of Belgian yeast, malts and sugar, but nothing really popped on the nose for me.

But the taste? As Magnitude says best, pop pop! That bite of carbonation on the front is a nice bit of foreplay. It continues throughout the mouth as any good Belgian-style beer is wont to do. In the middle of the mouth are big flavors of grape, candied sugar, caramel, bananas and plums. All of those flavors mingle together and linger on the finish, but what’s surprising about the end result is that it’s not overly syrupy or heavy. It’s light, and if anything a bit dry. That sort of zaps the punch of the flavors out a bit, but in a good way. It’s a very sweet quad but in the end manages to keep itself from being too overpowering. It’s a nice break from a lot of quads, which have that syrup flavor linger on the end.

Any quad worth drinking manages to still be big and flavorful but keep everything balanced and in check. Westy 12 does it, as does Straffe Hendrik and Rochefort, and of course the Belgians know how to do it. But for an American quad, The Sixth Glass is one of the best I’ve had. It’s big on flavors, but that dry finish adds a unique touch and one that certainly makes it worth the hype.

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January 21, 2013

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Sixpoint Diesel

Sixpoint Diesel

Sixpoint Brewery

Brooklyn, NY

Diesel Black IPA/Stout

6.3% ABV

According to my Untappd, the first Sixpoint beer I had was Diesel, the Brooklyn brewery’s hybrid black IPA and stout. I remember getting my hands on that first can of Sixpoint and being really excited to finally try something from one of the most-hyped breweries I’d seen in a long time.

I’ve regularly gotten my hands on Sixpoint beers since then – take a look at my archives and see – and have been continually impressed with the new stuff they’ve been putting out. But with Diesel being their winter seasonal, I’ve had to wait until now to really get into it.

Diesel is blend of a black IPA and an American stout, with the end result leaning more toward the former. As with most Sixpoint beers, it’s hoppy as all get-out, but not in an overly abrasive way.

For a “stout,” this beer is monstrously hoppy. There’s a lot of pine and citrus on the nose that is halted just slightly by this nutty, biscuity malt note. The slight sweetness mellows out what I think would otherwise be a hop bomb of a “stout.” There’s a light roasted coffee note in there as well. Also, there’s a bit of a fruity sweetness there, too, sort of like a light banana ester note or some cherry juice. It’s faint, but it’s there.

The taste begins with a strong pinch of citrus bitterness right on the front of the tongue. The body is lighter and just slightly thin, and the carbonation is mild throughout. In the middle of the mouth, these big bitter roasted notes arise. It’s just slightly more mellow than black coffee, but it leaves the same lingering bitterness on your tongue. There’s a good bit of bittersweet chocolate in there as well. On the end is where the malts really become prominent. There’s this chewy bread characteristic and a really strong roasted grain quality. The hops finish it all out, leaving that lingering citrus and pine bitterness on the back of your tongue.

While Diesel is a great beer, it’s probably the least favorite of Sixpoint’s selection I’ve had so far. Don’t get me wrong: It’s good and I certainly enjoy it, but it just seems like a strange, if unique, blend. If it was marketed as just a straight black IPA, I wouldn’t even be able to look for or pick up on any of the stout qualities. Still, I’m a hophead and Diesel certainly hits the spot for me.

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January 18, 2013

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New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon

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New Holland Brewing Co.

Holland, MI

Beer Barrel Bourbon – Bourbon whiskey finished in oak beer barrels

40% ABV (80 proof)

We’ve had some strange weather in South Carolina this week. Starting late last weekend, we apparently switched climates with California as the Left Coast was hit with a citrus-crippling cold snap and the Southeast was given late spring temperature hovering about the 80s for much of the week. Then, yesterday, Iago pushed through and shat a cold front over the entire region, plunging the Palmetto State more than 30 degrees in a day.

So, upon arriving home from work Thursday evening, I decided to tuck into a treat I recently picked up in Atlanta and have been meaning to review: New Holland Beer Barrel Bourbon.

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I’m surprised I haven’t gotten around to reviewing it yet, but New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk is far and away my favorite year-round stout. It’s thick, rich, oaky, bourbony and all sorts of delicious. Sure, I’ve had better stouts, but when it comes to the one I could walk into the store and pick up whenever I want, Dragon’s Milk is the one for me.

That’s where Beer Barrel Bourbon gets its start. Part of the New Holland Artisan Spirit family, BBB is bourbon that ages in Kentucky bourbon barrels that had previously housed Dragon’s Milk. (So, New Holland buys Kentucky bourbon barrels, puts Dragon’s Milk in, takes Dragon’s Milk out and then puts bourbon back in those same barrels for three months. Follow me?)

I love a good BBL stout, but what would using those barrels do to bourbon on its own? Well …

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BBB is a practice in contrasts, and it starts with the nose, which is incredibly boozy and biting. As Ron Burgundy says, it stings the nostrils. But after you get adjusted to it, you really begin to pick up the nuances. There’s a lot of caramel and toffee notes lending a really rich sweetness that cuts the alcohol nicely. It also gets smoother as you adjust to it, and in the background you can definitely get that Dragon’s Milk smell. It’s that sweet, almost syrupy bourbon note, but clearly much stronger in the spirit version.

With a nose like that, it’s be safe to expect an equally biting and abrasive taste. But you’d be wrong. There’s barely a bite on the front of the tongue. Instead, it starts with this almost melted caramel quality that glides across your tongue. The oak, caramel and toffee notes all blend well in the middle of the mouth. There’s a biscuity note to it as well, slightly chewy but not as much as you’d get in a beer. At 80 proof, you’d expect a much harsher experience, but it’s impossibley smooth for a bourbon and has clearly been mellowed and tamed a bit by the beer having been in the barrels first. But that snap of alcohol rises again on the finish, ending with a pinch on the back of the throat and a nicely balanced end. There’s a mild warming in the chest to round it all out.

Going in, I wasn’t sure if BBB would be gimmicky or bland or whatever. What it is is one of the best bourbons I’ve had given what I paid for it. For about $20-$25, which is what I shelled out, you’d expect some cheap-tasting swill. Not this. BBB is flavorful and just perfectly sweet, with a good balance of bite and smoothness. For Dragon’s Milk fans, you’ll definitely pick up the flavors you’d get in the standalone beer. It’s a bourbon that’s impressed my beer and spirit friends alike, and one I couldn’t recommend more.

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January 16, 2013

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Westbrook/Evil Twin Mini Growler Imperial Stout

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Westbrook Brewing Co. – Mt. Pleasant, SC

Evil Twin Brewing – Valby, Denmark/Brooklyn, NY

Mini Growler Imperial Stout

12% ABV

I’ve been pretty impressed with the beers Evil Twin has been brewing lately down at Westbrook. The gypsy brewer’s has used Westbrook’s impressive equipment to brew bigger beers such as The Cowboy and Lil’ B and a canned version of their Hipster Ale. But with all the work Evil Twin’s done at Westbook, the two have never slapped both their names on the front of a beer.

That finally changed with Mini Growler Imperial Stout, named for the immense flavors packed into a 22 oz. bomber of a 12% beer and also for the label, which resembles those slapped on growlers sold at the Charleston Beer Exchange. As with most brews from Westbrook and Evil Twin, there’s nothing small or simple about this one.

A strong, rich dark roasted coffee is what greets you first on the nose coupled with a sweeter but heavy dark chocolate smell as well. It’s a mix of fudge brownie and espresso. There’s a little bit of licorice, some leather, tobacco and cherry and a sort of almost burnt wood character as well. A really massive and biting but inviting imperial stout.

On the front of the tongue is a definite bitterness of strong black coffee. That continues across the palate and straight on to the finish, never letting up once. Bitter dark chocolate is very prevalent on the middle of the tongue. As far as flavors, it’s a big swirl of currant, fudge, espresso, cream, dark chocolate and blackberry. It’s got a full, creamy body and a slightly dry finish from all the coffee. The bitterness turns into an almost cloying sweetness after a while. The booze is hidden well.

This one definitely packs the punch of a full growler. I feel as if it’s hard to really do justice to it with so much going on in the flavor department. It’s incredibly complex and certainly a sipper, but there’s nothing overly abrasive about it. After a while it does all get a bit muddled but still remains an enjoyable drinking experience.