Return of the Christmas Beers (Beth)

We finally drank the beers we got each other for Christmas...we actually planned meals around them.

Last night was Kasteel Rouge, paired with bleu-cheese dried-cherry turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad (spring greens, tomatoes, onions, dried cherries, and a white wine vinaigrette).
The first time I tried Kasteel Rouge was at Beer Advocate's Belgian Beer Fest in 2007. I remember how impressed I was to find a dark beer with cherries. Yeah, well, apparently my tastes have matured since then! I've been to Belgium again, another Belgian beer festival, and tried a lot more cherry-based beers...this is not a star, to me, anymore. It tasted...well...like cherry cough syrup. Overly sweet and syrupy in texture. Just not my thing anymore.

The food, actually, wasn't cherry enough to hold up to the hit of cherries. The meatloaf, done in the crockpot, was super dry...my fault as I started it cooking about 12 hours before we ate it. I have a biiiiig crockpot, and apparently there was just not enough food for being in there so long (I usually cook huge beef or pork roasts in my crockpot on days I work, not a pound of ground turkey). Next time I'd do the covered dish within the crockpot trick. Anyway, the meatloaf was dry, and did not have any bleu cheese flavor in it, despite using a particularly pungent one. It was so dry that I had to make emergency gravy. Life is tough.
Kasteel Rouge C+
Meatloaf B-
Overall satisfaction: Eh.


Tonight we drank Mikkeller's Santa's Little Helper (2009). To pair with the Christmas beer we did a holiday meal...roast turkey breast, Ben's famous stuffing, and bacon-onion green beans, and gravy (I couldn't find any frozen cranberries to make sauce!). Oh my. This meal was good. The beer might have been even better. Hints of cola, cocoa, strong hop presence, excellent maltiness. Great beer. Delicate. The Bruery's 2 Turtle Doves, while excellent, is a wee bit...overpowering. It's in-your-face. This is just a much more subtle and nuanced beer. (Full disclosure: since my last post I've had more Two Turtle Doves on New Year's Eve and we bought another bottle as our first cellaring beer...maybe it'll mellow a bit with age).
Dinner was great, I might add. Ben's stuffing never disappoints, and the butter-sage-shallot rub I used gave the meat so much flavor. Can't wait for leftovers!
Santa's Little Helper A-
Turkey A-
Overall satisfaction: nom nom nom with a side of tryptophan

#26, #27, #28 for Ben

Beer: Old Ruffian Barley Wine
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: American Barleywine
Date Drank: 4/10/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: 22oz. Bottle

Great Divide is amazing. They continually have outstanding beer and I have never been disappointed. True, I am glad that I tried the Rice Beer before ever buying a bottle, but other than that oddity, just try anything they make. This drink sets my standard from what I want from barley wines. The only thing that docks it a point is that I was having trouble finishing such a big bottle because of the 10% alcohol content. Which, really, it shouldn't count against it, but if you want a straight A or even A+, you need make me want more of you. I like that barley wines can either be hoppy or malty, and this one is a nice balance between the two. A bite, a smoothness. Just so yummy.


Beer: Founders Porter
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company, Michigan
Category: American Porter
Date Drank: 4/8/09
Grade: B+
Location purchased/drank: Whole Foods
Served from a: bottle

I wish that Founders was more available out here. OUr friend Josh raves about the brewery every time we mention beer, and as well he should. The description on the bottle says "dark, rich, and sexy." And, really, it is. For Beth and I, after we had our first bottle, we realized how rich it was. We were almost afraid to drink it with the wrong type of food. We had it with a more hardy of a meal, ham I believe. It is very much a dessert beer, but not like chocolate dessert, but certainly that can finish up a meal very easily.

Beer: Claymore Scotch Ale
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: Scotch Ale
Date Drank: 4/10/09
Grade: B+
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: tap

My first Scotch Ale. So, they look like porters, but they carmalize the wort and typically have a higher alcohol content. It was a good beer, but really, you could have told me that it was a strong porter and would have been very happy. I don't know much about the category, but certainly would like to learn more and try more of this. Maybe go visit Scotland?

Oh, hai #14-16

#14
Beer: Espresso Oak Ages Yeti Imperial Stout
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: American Double/Imperial Stout
Date Drank: 3/13/09
Grade: A
Location purchased/drank: Common Ground in Allston
Served from a: tap

This beer was really amazing. Took forever to pour (I think I waited about 10 minutes for it). Gorgeously dark. Sweet, coffee-bitter, chocolately. Sensuous body--very smooth. This beer is well...sexy...and highly recommended.

#15
Beer: Left Hand Milk Stout
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: Milk/Sweet Stout
Date Drank: 3/15/09
Grade: B
Location purchased/drank: The Miracle of Science in Cambridge
Served from a: tap

I loved this beer a few years ago, when I was really getting into craft. I remember that it won a gold medal at the GABF, which I thought was cool (but probably not the hardest thing in the world, either depending on category). It's got a great, creamy body/mouthfeel. The flavor, however, I find lacking, especially drinking this the day after the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti (damn, there are too many Yetis...but they're all so good!). This beer seems to me to be all about the mouth feel and not enough about the aroma, the flavor, the roastiness of a stout.

#16
Beer: Coffeehouse Porter
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company, Massachusetts
Category: American Porter
Date Drank: 3/16/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

This is one of my favorite beers. I get this quite often at the Indo, actually. Great heavy body, robust flavor, drinkable and just plain tasty. "Roasty" is a word used on beeradvocate and I have to agree. Yum! Not as refined in flavor as the Espresso Yeti, but still a great great beer.

Redbones celebrates Boulder Beer, #22 & #23

I Hope that Beth catches up soon in posting. I like seeing her thoughts on what she drinks.

Beer: Mojo Risin' Double IPA
Brewery: Boulder Beer, Colorado
Category: American Double IPA
Date Drank: 3/30/09
Grade: B
Location purchased/drank: Redbones
Served from a: Tap

I love the DIPAs, but I, for some reason, never really got around to drinking this. I liked it. A little cloudy in color and the hops will bite you right away. The malt was more of an after taste than a taste. As it is, Boulder has a good track record, and are a solid brewing company. If you like your DIPA to bite then sooth, it's a good choice.

Beer: Planet Porter - Cask Conditioned
Brewery: Boulder Beer, Colorado
Category: American Porter
Date Drank: 3/30/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: Redbones
Served from a: Cask

This is an excellent beer with a cask condition. It was really velvety smooth, with a subtle hint of cocoa. It had a nice medium body that made it drinkable. And, without the additional nitrogen it felt settled. Like, not coffee grounds settled, but after stirring something settled. It was highly enjoyable and I wonder what it is like when it is not cask-condition. Hell, if you are reading this right now, get down to Redbones.

Ben's #16 & #17

My list of beers to review was getting as long as those that I those that I had already reviewed.


Beer: Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company, California
Category: Oatmeal Stout
Date Drank: 3/18/09
Grade: B
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

THough Beth loved this beer, I wasn't overly impressed. Sure, it was a good beer, but I wasn't won over with body or taste, the two things that I expect from a stout. I guess that I really want my stouts to be like drinking milk (body wise). But, hey, it was enjoyable to the last drop. It went well with the ice-cream layered cake that we chose to eat.

Beer: Hercules Double IPA
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company, Colorado
Category: American Double/Imperial IPA
Date Drank: 3/16/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

My first experience with this was way back in Colorado, I believe at the Great American Beer Fest, and I have loved it ever since first sip. It falls into the grapefruit-like beer that I love, but it also has body, too. Great Divide is a leader among great beers, and certainly try anything you find... except the rice-beer. Funny, though, after tasting a lot of those and mentally comparing to other DIPAs, this is not all that an uncommon a taste. Either I have good picking skills or I just love the whole group. But, this one will always hold a special place for me.

#14, Ben

Beer: Racer 5 IPA
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewery, California
Category: American IPA
Date Drank: 3/6/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: Whole Foods
Served from a: Bottle

This is a fine example of a normal IPA. Compare this to the Harpoon version, and you'll see what can be done so simply, yet so strong in flavor. It is an easy drinking experience, too. Sure, it is bitter, but it goes down with now aftertaste/afterburps. Decently high, too, in the alcohol. I first had this, knowingly, at a bar in Northampton. I loved it there, but was weary of California beers. I still think that the majority of California beers suck. But this one is a keeper. I drank three (over a week) expecting something to be bad about it, but really, this might be the finest single IPA I have had.

10 & 11, Beth

#10
Beer: Newcastle Brown Ale
Brewery: Scottish & Newcastle UK, Ltd; United Kingdom (Scotland)
Category: English Brown Ale
Date Drank: 3/5/09
Grade: B
Location purchased/drank: Punch's Alley (the bar at Wellesley College)
Served from a: bottle (no glass)

My beer was probably served too cold as it didn't have much flavor. Newcastle's one of those standby beers, at least for me. In the Sam Adams category...good, more likely to be available than other beers, not usually my first choice. Malty, hint of hops in background. Really, it was served too cold. But it's a college bar and what do I expect. Medium bodied.

#11
Beer: Grimbergen Dubbel
Brewery: Brouwerj Alken-Maes, Belgium
Category: Dubbel
Date Drank: 3/5/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: Wine and Cheese Cask, home
Served from a: Bottle, poured into a tulip-shaped glass

Drank this with pork chops tonight--good pairing. Brownish-reddish hue, low carbonation. Raisen-like flavor (but not cloying like Raison D'Etre). Sweet aroma--fruity, alcohol, yeast smells all present. Flavor is sweet, but not too sweet--making it great with the pork. Sour ending--almost like an Oude Kriek, but more mellow. Loved this beer since we had it in Brussels. Definitely don't serve too cold--my glass, that I'm still drinking, has been warming up for about an hour and tastes better and better as it does so. We keep our fridge a little too cold, but the flavor just pours out of it at a slightly warmer temperature.

#11, 12, 13, Ben

Beer Advocate has taken away their state listings on beer reviews? Makes things a little more annoying, but oh well. Things will work out.

#11
Beer: Harpoon IPA
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery, Massachusetts
Category: American IPA
Date Drank: 3/1/09
Grade: B-
Location purchased/drank: The Cheesecake Factory
Served from a: Tap

This was one my beer. This is my gateway beer to beer snobbery. And it is still a delicious and refreshing beer. But, since I have matured in my tastes, there is nothing special or defining about this beer anymore. for me. Certainly, if you haven't had it, try it, but there are better examples and variations. This is a starter beer, I suppose. It is what an IPA is supposed be, hoppy and with citrus flavor. This is the first beer that Beth called a Ben-beer.

#12
Beer: Unearthly IPA
Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company, New York
Category: Double IPA
Date Drank: 3/2/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

Solid, solid beer. Funny to review this after the Harpoon. I love Imperials/Double IPAs. They have the flavor profile on an IPA (well, doubled), but they beef it up with body, like malt. On top of that, it is high in alcohol. So, it is quite the drinking experience. I love that the Independent always has one of this style on top. Looking at the picture from BA, I have seen the bottle for sale before at Whole Foods. Maybe I will put two and two together and try to buy this at some time, for person use at home.

#13
Beer: Double Simcoe IPA
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Pennsylvania
Category: Double IPA
Date Drank: 3/2/09
Grade: B
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

I had had this before, and enjoyed it, but drinking it right after the Unearthly, you realize how much more this beer could be. It certainly had less body to it, and it had a piney taste. Which is fine, but it certainly distracted from the bigger drinking picture. As the Unearthly went down so smooth, every time you took a sip of this one, you said to yourself, "Oh yeah, this is what I am drinking." I like beers that want to be your friend and not be the center of attention.

8, 9: Beth Snow Beers

#8
Beer: Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company, California
Category: Oatmeal Stout
Date Drank: 3/2/09
Grade: B+/A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

Dark brown, lacing on glass. Very smooth and creamy (mouth-feel). Nice flavor: sweet with a hoppy balance. Caramel/chocolate/coffee/oatmeal flavors. Toasty. Very drinkable...5.7 ABV; sessionable. I really enjoyed the balance of this beer...stout flavor, but not overwhelming. Really enjoyable beer.

#9
Beer: Old Brown Dog
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company, New Hampshire
Category: English Brown Ale
Date Drank: 3/2/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: The Independent
Served from a: Tap

This is one of my favorite session beers; I will gladly drink this (and most Smuttynose beers) anywhere, anytime. Great balance...malt flavor comes first, with a hoppy aftertaste (sort of the opposite of good, balanced IPA). Flavor is, as one BA drinker noted "charred oak, reminds me of a cold autumn day in New England"...and that's exactly when and why I want to drink it. It's a great New England beer. Simple, but good beer.

5, 6, 7: Beth

This is where it gets hard for me...writing about beer after going somewhere socially/where I'm not necessarily there for the beer. But I'm just gonna do it and let it be fun! This is not about being right, it's about learning. With that, here are 5/6/7

#5
Beer: Raison D'Etre
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Delaware
Category: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Date Drank: 2/26/09
Grade: B-
Location purchased/drank: Silvertone
Served from a: Tap

I loved this beer a year ago. I don't know if my tastes have evolved or if the year was better then (I think I was drinking the 2003) or if it's aged or what, but now I find it a little too...chewy and pruney. A little unpleasantness in the back of my mind as I drink this. It's even a little too sweet and I love a sweet, malty beer...I guess this is a sweet, fruity beer. I prefer sour fruity beers. I'm weird. Someone on beeradvocate mentioned it would be great for braising...and I think, in our hey-day with this beer we did make Flemish stew with it and it was great...I always think it would be great with pork or duck when I drink it. That raisiny, fruity sweetness would work well with those.

#6
Beer: Anchor Steam Beer
Brewery: Anchor Beer Company, California
Category: Steam Beer
Date Drank: 2/26/09
Grade: B-
Location purchased/drank: Silvertone
Served from a: Bottle

Another beer I've had before and didn't like as much this time. The restaurant served us just the bottle, we both took one swig and poured the rest into our glasses from the Raison D'Etre. I liked this on tap at the Burren, but now in a bottle it tasted stale (might be the restaurant's doing, though). Ben and I discussed its "honey and rye" flavors...not in a good way. Don't know a lot about the style, though. Just not my thing that night, but the more I think about how I liked it at the Burren, the more I think Silvertone skunked it. I added a link to Beer Advocate's style information.

#7
Beer: CaCow! Chocolate Milk Stout
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company, MA
Category: Milk/Sweet Stout
Date Drank: 2/28/09
Grade: A-
Location purchased/drank: Redbones
Served from a: tap

I really enjoy the creaminess of milk stouts. It's a pleasant chewiness. It's sweet and dry, too. Lots going on. It had a really intense flavor that reminded me of CBC's You Enjoy My Stout, but not as over-powering as that (I don't know how to describe it, but it was too much in YEMS, but a nice contrast in CaCow!). Rich and chocolately, dark and malty. Very nice beer.

100 different beers

#4

Beer: Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
Brewery: Stone Brewing Company, California
Category: American Strong Ale

Date Drank: 2/21/09

Grade: B+

Location purchased/drank: The Independent

Served from a : Tap

I have had the original version of this beer and loved it, so I thought that I would give it a try oaked. Who knew that oak flavored beer would be good. At least it was done through a brewery I trust. Nice mix of body and aroma. Hoppy, but mellowed out by sweetness. It didn't necessary taste like oak, but like you were drinking from inside a wardrobe. The atmosphere, not the flavor.

#5

Beer: Delirium Tremens
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe, Belgium
Category: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Date Drank: 2/21/09

Grade: A-

Location purchased/drank: The Independent

Served from a : Tap

Almost impossible to pass when you see this beauty on tap. It was my gateway Belgian beer. It has the right mix of flavor, refreshing ability, plus that certain bitter kick that you should expect from a great Belgian beer. On BA, they describe it as "hazy golden", which I think is perfect.

Last night Beth and I went out with a couple of people from her Starbucks for a few drinks. I love the staff at the bar over there. I need people who want to go play scrabble and drink beer. You know, like 5 p.m., before the dinner rush. It's my third place!

Founder's Brewing Company: Centenial India Pale Ale

Beer: Centenial India Pale Ale
Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company, Michigan
Category: India Pale Ale

The Drinker: Ben

Grade: A-

Location purchased/drank: Whole Foods/Home

Served from a : Bottle

The Drink: So hoppy. IT was tart and floral to the smell and definitely tart in taste. The color was the beautiful amber color that IPAs should have. For me it started off with a medium body, just because of the flavor, but tappered off into a light body. The aftertaste was a delightfu lspice that wasn't noticeable at first.


Notes: When I opened the first bottle, the air rushed out so fast that I thought I had cut myself. But, no, it was just a rush of cold air. First time that has ever happend to me. We ate this with a Mexican style dinner, and it paired great. I have had Founder's before at Sunset Grill, and loved that beer, too. Good stuff.

Brouwerij Huyghe: Delirium Nocturnum

Beer: Delirium Nocturnum
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe, Belgium
Category: Strong Dark

The Drinker: Ben

Grade: A-

Location purchased/drank: Wine and Cheese Cask/Home

Served from a : Bottle

The Drink: Poured into the proper glass. Stiff, tasty foam. This bites you at first with that signature Belgium taste, but it softens as you drink. Caramel sweetness is the finish, with a subtle spice tucked away.

Notes: I always will have a soft spot for any thing Delirium. I ate this at home with sausage and peppers and couldn't be happier. $4.50 for one bottle.