561. New Glarus Cherry Stout

I will admit it: I miss New Glarus. So I was pleased to find this bottle lurking in the basement—it was a gift from Aaron Spoores a couple of years ago, and I forgot about it until now. A cursory examination of the internet indicates that the second release of Cherry Stout as part of the Unplugged Series was in February 2010, so that would make this beer a little over three years old. May my hoarding instincts never die. We’ll add Cherry Stout to a list that includes Staghorn Octoberfest, Saison, Raspberry Tart, Belgian Red, and Fat Squirrel Brown Ale.

Cherry Stout pours a murky cocoa/milk chocolate brown with a fair amount of red; it has a thin tan head that quickly disappears except for a few lingering skiffs of foam, and the nose is redolent of sour cherries, much like New Glarus’s more famous other cherry beer, Wisconsin Belgian Red. In addition to the cherry, there is a touch of candy sweetness in the nose, but could just be more cherries. Flavors open with sour cherry and a slight citric tartness; there is cherry pie mixed with brown sugar in the middle, and a bright fresh cherry in the finish along with just a hint of sourness that turns to sweetness at the flavors linger on the palate. The body is medium; it is clean and bright on the tongue, helped along by the carbonation. I’m not really sure I’d call this a stout: it is more like Wisconsin Belgian Red with a darker malt bill and a bit more body. It might masquerade as a Belgian Dark Strong—not well, mind you—but even then it would be on the lighter side. While the age could be contributing to the lack of “elegantly smooth chocolate covered cherry” flavor described on the New Glarus website—I get no real chocolate at all—that’s fine with me because this beer is delicious as is. It has that bright, lively tang found in Wisconsin Belgian Red with a greater depth of cherry flavor across the profile. And Elli concurs; she finished hers well before me, and started eyeing my glass soon after. This beer just re-awakens my longing for all things New Glarus.

From the bottle: “Due to popular demand we brought back Dan’s Gold Medal winning ‘Unplugged Cherry Stout.” This ale is aged in Oak barrels to promote spontaneous fermentation. Eight Wisconsin malted barleys combined with Wisconsin Montmorency Cherries make for a complex and sublime taste experience that you may never find again. Discover why Dan is repeatedly recognized as the Best Brewmaster in America.”

ABV: 6.5%

(4/8/2013)

521. Widmer Marionberry Hibiscus Gose

So Widmer is getting in on the sour beer action. Or, as described on their website, they are “perfecting the art of tart.” Good, but you’re not quite there yet. All told, this is our third beer from Widmer, including Nelson Imperial IPA and Drifter Pale Ale.

We had this beer served to us in a tulip glass at South Park Tavern; it is a delicate bordello shade of dusty rose with a thin white head reduced to a ring by the time it appeared at our table. The nose features a gummy wheat aroma mixed with floral esters and a touch of sour that is almost but not quite lactic. It does better approach a lactic tang in the nose as it warms. As well, there is no real salt or salinity detectable in the nose. Flavors start with a malty bread dough and wheat coupled with salt, followed by hibiscus and a slight saline tang before moving into a soft and refrained cleansing lactic bite towards the finish—it does taste more like acidulated malt than lactobacillus—with hibiscus & berry, both of which linger on the tongue. The body is medium and doughy/gummy with a gentle carbonation that enhances the wheat character of the beer. The delicate, soft, and rounded body is offered a touch of brightness via the hibiscus. The berry flavor comes out as it warms; initially, it is only in the finish, and it took over a bit too much in the final quarter of the glass. An interesting beer, but it needs more lactic sourness and more salt—it is more a gose dressed-up for Joe Sixpack, which ultimately means it is more fruit beer than gose. It is certainly lacking the balance seen in Jackie O’s Raspberry Berliner Weisse, which deftly combines fruit and sour without sacrificing either. I am glad that someone is commercially producing a gose, and I understand the need to make it palatable to wider audience, but, well, I am a bit disappointed.

From the Widmer website: “Gose is a traditional cloudy German-style wheat beer that balances tart and slightly salty flavors with a soft malt background. Our unique take uses a healthy dose of Oregon-grown marionberries as well as dried hibiscus flowers for a tart, floral profile with clove & coriander flavors to round it out. Prost! Or Goseanna!”

ABV: 5.5%

(7/3/2012)

520. Jackie O’s Raspberry Berliner Weisse

The benefit of being a beer judge and attending beer judging events is the opportunity to sample the local flora and fauna of different regions. Well, that, and the occasional perk like a free hotel room. And let’s be honest: Jackie O’s is reason enough to head to Athens by itself, so if you throw in that free hotel option, the ability to say no becomes exponentially well-nigh impossible. Enter Ohio Brew Week 2012, and, well, the fickle hand of fate is set in motion. Not surprisingly (as you can tell by the picture), I headed to Athens with the normal cast of characters, our phasers set on “chicanery” (or “idiocy,” depending who you were asking). Earlier examples of the craftsmanship of Brad Clark include Bourbon Barrel Smoked & Portered, OPA, and Bourbon Barrel Aged Impy Razz (plus a bonus beer along the way—it’s at the bottom).

Raspberry Berliner Weisse came served in a tulip; it is a cloudy light pink (basically, a pink grapefruit) with only a hint of a quickly dissipating head. And the nose is, well, beguiling: bright lactic aromas mixed with raspberry tartness, and just a slight touch of yeastiness in the background. Flavors were equally intoxicating, opening with a clean, bright combination of malty bread dough mixed with both citric and lactic bite before moving into a sharp, thirst-quenching, and palate-cleansing middle that prefaces the slightly citric and raspberry finish. Besides the raspberry, there are hints of jam and fruit in the finish as well, even with the brisk, clean finish. The body has a touch of wheat gumminess, although still light and gentle, while the carbonation is crisp & bright. Certainly a well-rounded beer—it exudes the best of both fruit and berliner weisse beers—and the two parts are in perfect balance. In fact, the delicate balance is in many ways the best part of the beer, as all the superlatives I want to throw at this beer—refreshing, bright, thirst-quenching, tart, yummy—all stem from the simultaneous interplay between the fruit and the beer. Needless to say, I’ll be hitting up this beer the entire time I’m in Athens.

ABV: 3.5%

(6/22/2012)

429. Founders Newaygo County Cherry

Nothing says holiday cheer like fancy beer. And Founders is just the brewery to make that holiday cheer even more special. We had this beer on tap at South Park Tavern as part of their Barrel Aged Beer Fest. Previously from Founders we’ve tried Devil Dancer, Pale Ale, KBS (as a bonus beer), Centennial IPA, Black Biscuit, Harvest Ale and Breakfast Stout.

Newaygo County Cherry is Cerise that has been aged in a bourbon barrel. And let’s just say that the bourbon and oak comes through on this one. The body is a clear pale reddish tan color, with a slight spritzy head that is creamy (which could also be from the oak). Flavors are equal parts cherry, vanilla oak creaminess (or, in other words, American oak), and bourbon, which also describes the nose (although the body has a much better balance between the three than does the nose). Basically, it tastes pretty much like an alcoholic seltzer, although I do mean that in the best possible way. The strength is the simultaneous subtlety and complexity of the cherry flavor, particularly in relation to the oak and bourbon; I’d like a chance to drink this in conjunction with Cerise to better compare the two, although something tells me that won’t be happening anytime in the near future.

ABV: 7.0%

(11/20/2010)

412. BBC Bourbon Barrel Bière de Mars, BBC Bourbon Barrel Heine Brothers Coffee Stout, and New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

Tonight I headed on over to Jeffrey’s to meet up with him and Jeff for some good ol’ fashioned beer sampling. We had kind of an odd mix for tonight’s drinking smorgasbord, but all three were tasty in their own right. The two beers from BBC paired nicely both because they were from the same Special Reserve Series, but the Bière de Mars and the New Glarus were, while not similar, very complimentary. At least they were once the Bière de Mars warmed up. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Previously, we’ve sampled Heine Brothers Coffee Stout (the unoaked version), Rye IPA 75, Brandy Barrel Aged Queen’s Knickers and American Pale Ale from Bluegrass Brewing Company, and Fat Squirrel Brown Ale from New Glarus.

BBC Bourbon Barrel Bière de Mars
This beer has a super-oaky nose—the creamy vanilla oak sweetness overpowered pretty much everything else here. It starts with a sweet front that dries out quickly (it tastes like via the oak, since it is even creeping in here), opening up the middle to a creamy oaky bomb that continues on into the finish with tannic flavors that linger on the palate. At this point, it was interesting and tasty, and the group consensus was that it needed to be aged a bit to take some of the oakiness out of the body. However, as it warmed, the oakiness faded into the background, allowing some of the Bière de Mars characteristics to emerge. Here, the creamy vanilla hints of the oak merged well with the dry malt sweetness and Belgian yeast character. While I thought it was good before, the nuance that developed was delicious and downright impressive. Kudos, BBC.

ABV: 8.5%

BBC Bourbon Barrel Heine Brothers Coffee Stout
After the gratuitous snickering at the name of the coffee makers, we poured our second beer. The nose was a rich mix of nuttiness, dark chocolate, and coffee. Beginning with sweet chocolate, Heine Brothers Coffee Stout moved into a drier middle that featured a nutty rich coffee flavor before the slight chalkiness and roastiness of the finish. I forgot to take more notes because the Bière de Mars was finally starting to warm up, and was getting a lot tastier. However, this beer also got better with some warmth, although my nod for the best beer of the evening goes to our next beer...

From justdrinkbeer: “An oatmeal stout brewed with English roasted barley and caramunich malts to impart a roasty and slightly sweet malt flavor. The Heine Brothers specially roasted organic Mexican coffee is added in two doses. A ration is stirred into the hot unfermented wort to extract coffee flavor. Then freshly brewed coffee is also added after fermentation is complete to impart a fresh coffee flavor and aroma. An additional conditioning in Woodford Reserve Borubon Barrels for 90 days compliments this already robust beer with notes of bourbon and oak. ”

ABV: 7.5%

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red
Pouring a light bubbly cherry, Wisconsin Belgian Red has a very sweet cherry nose mixed with candy sweetness underneath. The body is light, with spritzy bright candy sweetness and cherry flavors blended beautifully in the body. The finish is dry and fruity while the body light, smooth, and clean—there is an evenness and balance across the profile in both flavor and mouthfeel that was enjoyable. Very light and very drinkable—it tastes like melted cherry Otter Pops, but in a good way. This is one of the more interesting beers I’ve tried in a while—I’m glad Jeffrey decided to bust it out, as I had never tried it before, and it was far, far better than I anticipated. Damn, that was some tasty beer. And already the scheming to score some more begins...

From the New Glarus website: “You hold the marriage of wine and beer. Belgian Red is a tapestry of flavor. This beer is brewed with whole Montmorency Cherries, Wisconsin Farmed Wheat and Belgian Roasted Barleys, lagered in oak tanks and balanced by Hallertau hops we aged in our brewery one full year. Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this beer uniquely ‘Wisconsin.’ So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this beer to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor and bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy snifter or champagne flute and toast life with beer from the land of Wisconsin.”

ABV: 4.0%

Also, the funniest comment about beer I’ve read in a long long time: “Whew. You can’t swing a dead cat in this state without knocking over a firkin of mild.” Dag. Thanks, Jeff. You made me spit out some beer while reading, which is always the sign of good times and clever verbiage.

(9/17/2010)

383. Boulder Kinda Blue

Another big bottle from Boulder Brewing, this one coming in the form of their newest summer beer. Wonder Twin powers, activate! Then again, if I turned myself into a giant glass of beer, could I actually drink myself? That sounds like it has all the makings of some multi-dimensional universe destroying paradox, along the lines of traveling back in time to meet yourself. People would be all like “My God! He’ll destroy the very fabric of the solar system!” And I’d be all like “Nah, I’ll just be chillin’.” But I digress. This makes lucky number 7 from Boulder: we’ve previously had a drink-off between Singletrack Copper Ale and Pass Time Pale Ale, and also tried Mojo IPA, Hazed & Infused, Obovoid and Flashback. Solid.

Described on the bottle as a “blueberry wheat beer,” Kinda Blue pours, well, kinda blue. Actually it is more a lightly clear purple and/or reddish color—kinda the color of a darker ice tea. The head is thin and white and the nose is lightly fruity and lightly musty—almost a bit jammy. There is also some wheat graininess buried underneath the fruit aromas. Flavors start with a light touch of blueberry sweetness in the front before moving into a more general fruit flavor in the middle coupled with some of the classic American wheat sourness and graininess. The finish is mostly clean but it has a bit of lingering fruit sweetness that continues on and is slightly cloying, disrupting the overall effect. The body is medium with a lightly creamy and sticky mouthfeel; the carbonation is medium to low and carries some of the slightly sour tang that is perceived as part of the flavor. The initial touch of blueberry flavor in the front and barely into the middle is nice, but when it turns to a more generic “fruit” flavor, the beer drops off. As well, the American wheat yeast characteristics dampen the overall effect—the slight sourness and graininess makes the body feel heavier than it should without any reciprocal lightening on the palate, ending with a rather dull and listless sensation. We think this would be a much better beer with either a Belgian or German wheat yeast strain—you’d get the nice fruit flavor accompanied by a brighter and more effervescent carbonation and mouthfeel that would make the beer both refreshing and thirst quenching. We love Boulder beer, but this one is kinda weak.

Four finger ring! Pow to M.C. Split-nose!

From the bottle: “So what did the brewers at Boulder Beer Company compose for the 10th release in our Looking Glass series? An American wheat, placed in perfect measure with muted tones of blueberry. Kinda Blue—a tasty and tasteful summer brew that you can’t turn your back on. It’s as cool as the day is long. In every great collection there are standards. Make this one of yours.”

ABV: 5.5%

Maybe I just wouldn’t turn myself into this beer...

(7/18/2010)

374. Marietta Paw Paw Wheat

This beer is brewed by Marietta Brewing Company in Marietta, OH, which is east of Athen (I didn’t know either). I had it on tap at Casa Nueva in Athens, OH as a part of Ohio Beer Week. ¡Viva la Revolución!

Paw Paw Wheat opens with a slightly fruity nose, something soft and fleshy, like banana or peach; there is also a delicate perfuminess to it via either the paw paws or the yeast esters, and also some wheat malt aroma mixed in along the way. The beer is a hazy gold color with not much head. Flavors at the front of the beer are a gentle mix of wheat and sweetness, moving into a clean fruit flavor in the middle that is not quite banana or peach, but something in that area. The finish has rise in sweetness—it is sweeter than the front—as well as a rise in the fruit flavor that has a citrus component to it now, and a lightly lingering fruit ester finish. Probably the best way to describe the fruit flavor of Paw Paw Wheat would be peach-like, but not quite—I think this flavor is more subtle and enjoyable than that of peaches, particularly in beer. The body is medium to light, with a soft clean mouthfeel and no real stickiness. There is a bit of drying in the final third on the palate that accompanies the rise in sweetness, and the carbonation is light, with a soft tingling in the final third that gives the finish a light brightness. Paw Paw Wheat is a good beer overall; the fruit flavors are a bit muted, which may be a product of the paw paw itself, but as a whole a clean, well-made, and enjoyable beer. I do wish I had something to compare it to, but I am happy that there is at least one paw paw beer out there.

Paw Paws!

From the Marietta website: “A local favorite, this smooth wheat beer uses a full pound of locally harvested Pawpaw per gallon of beer. Semi-dry and full of tropical fruit flavor.”

ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 12
OG: 1.056

(7/9/2010)

288. Silly Pink Killer

From Brasserie de Silly in Silly, Belgium. Pink Killer has a zesty, citrus nose; the yeast esters work well with the grapefruit to give the beer a tart and spritzy aroma. The beer pours a pinkish yellow (hence the name) with a light white head. Starting dry with candy and citrus, Pink Killer moves into a sweet middle with light grapefruit flavors before ending dry and tart (almost a bitter, drying tartness) with more of the grapefruit as a lingering aftertaste. Light bodied with lively, effervescent carbonation; there is also a good amount of pucker via the grapefruit and citrus flavors. For Elli, the sugary sweetness is the dominant flavor, while I get more of a balance between the sweet and tartness. Pink Killer is very soda-like; it could easily pass for a Jarritos flavor via the sweetness and bright carbonation. Nonetheless, Pink Killer is an interesting take on the Belgian Wit, one that is perfect for hot afternoons on the porch.

From the Silly website: “Fruity and thirst-quenching, sweet yet not sickly, Pink Killer is a beer based on malt, wheat and pink grapefruit, which explains its very unique colour and the hint of bitterness typical of this fruit, in turn quenching the biggest of thirsts with a flavoursome taste.”

ABV: 5.0%

(4/14/2010)

135. Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale

Our 9th beer from Great Divide: the list includes Hibernation, Samurai Rice, Hoss, Oak Aged Yeti, Fresh Hop, Double Wit, 15th Anniversary DIPA, and Denver Pale Ale. They’re still in Denver, CO. And we’re still not...

Wild Raspberry opens with a fruity, berry, musty, and biscuity nose—the raspberry aroma does increase with warmth. Color-wise, Wild Raspberry is a purple-ish brown with an ivory head that laces the glass well. The front of the beer features light malt and biscuit sweetness with some initial raspberry fruit flavor; the sweetness and fruit drop in the middle, which is otherwise rather neutral, but do reassert themselves at the end—especially the fruit sweetness—accompanied by a dry malt finish. Wild Raspberry has a medium body that is a bit sticky, and the ending fruit flavor is a bit cloying, although the clean and sharp carbonation helps reduce the effect. Overall, a well crafted beer, but not really to our interests (and I say this as a man who loves a well done fruity wheat beer); it is good for what it is, but a bit too sticky with the fruit flavors.

From the bottle: “Wild Raspberry is a unique, thirst-quenching ale fermented with real red and black raspberries. Its balance of malt and fruit flavors make it a beer lover’s fruit beer.”

ABV: 5.6%

(11/12/2009)