562. Victory Swing

A session saison made for easy, enjoyable drinking? I think I’ve got some of that summer love thing going on for Victory right now. Or, as Art puts it in Justified, I’ve got a little bit of a “marshal stiffy” for Victory Swing. I know, I know. But that was a joke that needed making. Scarred or not, you’ll live. Previously from Victory: Saison du Buff Trifecta, Summer Love, Headwaters Pale Ale, Yakima Twilight (now Yakima Glory), plus Prima Pils, Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil.

Swing pours a faint, slightly hazy straw with a meringue-like white head that carries solid staying power and laces the glass in nice rings. The beer is active in the glass—lots of small tight bubbles streaming up the inside of the glass, making for a pretty visual. Aromas open with cracker mixed with hints of Pilsner malt sweetness; there are floral and citrus fruit yeast esters that smell similar to 3711, although I am not completely convinced that this actually is 3711. As well, I get a touch of lurking hop bitterness accompanied by the light mineral mintiness I find in Styrian Goldings. All in all, a complex, delicate, and entrancing aromatic performance. Flavors follow suit and are equally engaging, starting with cracker malt, floral esters, and a lemon-y mintiness in the front; the clean mineral bitterness comes to the forefront in the middle: light, bright, and clean into the finish. The body is light and dry while the carbonation is bright and lively; it cleans the palate and sets up the gentle mineral bitterness and slight pepper bite of the finish. There is also a slight creaminess in the mouthfeel that suggests oats or another similar adjunct to build some residual body to help compensate for the attenuative yeast; while I do love a dry saison, here the contribution balances the beer on the tongue by helping round and transition between the different elements of the beer: the dry cracker body, the mineral bitterness, and the bright carbonation. And this is a damn fine beer for this kind of attention to detail. While it does lose a bit of its snap as the carbonation bleeds off in the last couple of sips, it is an excellent example of the fluidity and possibility of saison as a style. And as a session beer, this beer rocks as well—it is another example of American craft brewing expanding the palates of craft beer drinkers beyond the “bigger is better” mantra that currently holds sway in several circles. So thank you, Victory, for the beer. And for the hope. Craft brewing needs more beers like this.

From the bottle: “Swing. It’s a lively jazz rhythm, a vigorous
sway, a change of view or even a roll in the proverbial hay. Now, it also means the welcome jolt of joy you’ll experience upon your first sip of this session saison. Bracing but benign, this Belgian-style ale enlivens any experience with a spicy, aromatic start, citrus snap and fresh finish. Swing into spring with taste!”

ABV: 4.5%

(4/23/13)

541. Saison du Buff Trifecta

So I salted away bottle of each of these when they first came out, and then proceeded to forget about them. Well, until now. My initial realization came from the “Enjoy By” date on the Victory bottle: January 16, 2011. Don’t tell me when to open my beer! While we’ve previously sampled the Stone version, we haven't had a chance to sample all three at once in order to compare them. The approximate brew dates were: Stone in April 2010, Victory in July 2010, and Dogfish Head in August 2010. All three breweries put out new version earlier in 2012; I saw the new version from Stone, and I heard that both Dogfish Head and Victory brought one out as well, but these three are from the first go around. Aged, might I add, to perfection. All three pour a soft gold; the white pillow-y head runs from voluminous for the Dogfish Head version to minimal for the Victory version.

Dogfish Head: this version has the best nose and overall delicate aroma—slight mineral and herbal character that dances in harmony with the malt and yeast components. There is a clean citrus character, and a soft honeyed sweetness that plays well with the perfume-y aromatics of the herbs and yeast. The body is fuller than other two versions; the malt is sweet and slightly doughy, and the herbal flavors carry across the profile. The dry, sharp carbonation helps clean the beer, making the body appear drier than it is. However Dogfish Head handled the herbs should be the new model—it has the cleanest and brightest flavors of the three, and is still delicately nuanced after two years in the basement. It is Fortney’s favorite of the three.

Stone: the nose has similar characteristics to the Dogfish Head, but they are more muted and flat, and are accompanied by a musty earthiness. There is also a touch of vegetal, although it dissipates as the beer opens. Fortney calls it a “rancid chamomile,” which sounds harsh, but it is appropriate. Flavor-wise, the only real brightness is a soapy character on the palate mixed with vegetal and herbal flavors. There is a touch of cardboard across the profile, and the finishing bitterness doesn’t quite fit with the beer. It is dry and minerally, drier than the Dogfish Head, but the flavors don’t work as well. This would be a good beer by itself, but in comparison to the two other versions, it is the clear loser on table.

Victory: this version is the most classically saison-like of the three. The nose is earthy and dry with softer herbal characteristics, but has more Belgian yeast character in the nose—there are both floral and fruity aromatics with a soft hint of malt sweetness. There is some tannic bite in the body that strikes both of us as mineral and herbal residue, but it works well in the beer. This is also the driest and most attenuated version of the beer, and has both the least herbal presence and the most Belgian yeast character of the three. The carbonation is lighter than other version, but the mineral bitterness serves to clean the palate and close the beer nicely. This version is, not surprisingly, my favorite. It carries the subtle herbal flavors of the Dogfish Head, but is the strongest saison of the three.

A delightful experience in all; too bad there aren’t more bottles to try later. We all thought the aging improved the beers; flavors were married well, allowing subtlety to shine through.

ABV: 6.8%

Herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley

(11/17/2012)

516. Victory Summer Love

Oh, Victory Summer Love, we’ve only just met, but I know we’ve found something special. You, you’re the edgy working class dance instructor at the summer resort my family frequents, and me, I’m the doe-eyed city girl naive to the ways of the world. We can make it work, though, can’t we Summer Love? I don’t care what my family thinks—I’ll give it all up for you and the soft siren call of your gyrating loins. Dance for me, Summer Love, dance the forbidden dance that will make us forget the foolish social norms that keep us apart. But remember, Summer Love, nobody puts Baby in a corner. Previous illicit summer liaisons with Victory include Headwaters Pale Ale, Yakima Twilight (now Yakima Glory), Saison du Buff (the collabo with Stone and Dogfish Head), plus Prima Pils, Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil.

Summer Love bursts from the bottle in rich cascades of loving clear gold that are capped with a lustrous white head; the nose is redolent with crystal and pilsen malt (although that could just be the Saaz telling me what I want to hear) and earthy and spicy hops—it’s got a faux-lager thing going on for the fresh loving rays to rock out on. The front is slightly sweet—more crystal malt than caramel, but not quite candy bright—with earthy and (this is for Fortney) maybe even some loamy hop flavor. The middle is bitterness; light, clean, and even to balance with the sassy light body still carrying a twang of spiciness, while the finish is where the faux-lager smell struts its stuff in flavor form. Touches of both the earthy and spicy hops continue into the final third of the beer, followed by the well-nigh classic lager finish: a clean, bracing bitterness that is crisp, light, and all summer long. The mouthfeel and medium body points to the actual ale pedigree of the beer; while the carbonation, hop profile, and even malt contribute to the faux-lager feel, the body is not as clean and bright on the tongue as it needs to be, although it is still tasty.Plus, it does say “ale” on the label. Let’s just say that Victory’s dyed its roots for the summer having heard somewhere that for summer makeovers, blondes have more fun. I’m pretty certain that the usual minions will be queuing up to call this a gateway beer made for the average drinker, but I’m gonna have to snap back that this is just how Summer Love tastes in the land of Victory. Can I get an amen? Who don’t?

From the bottle: “All this talk about peanuts and crackerjacks can really make you thirsty. Especially in a town like Philadelphia where we flock to the ballpark like birds coming home from winter vacation. There’s no better place to sip a Victory Summer Love, our refreshing ale brewed in Downington, just outside of Philadelphia, than in the warm summer sun, waiting to catch a glimpse of greatness (or a foul ball). Whether you’re reading this label behind home plate or under a shady tree by the river, we hope that these pale malts and German hops help connect you to the magic that is Summer Love.”

From the Victory website: “With the sublime, earthy familiarity of noble, American and German hops backed up by fresh and clean German malts, Summer Love Ale® ends with a surprising burst of lemony refreshment from fistfuls of American whole flower hops. Love Summer, now.”

ABV: 5.2%

Extra credit for the first person to correctly identify the mixed metaphor in the label description. And no, I’m not referring the gender-shifting I do between the first two paragraphs (you can figure that one out on your own). I’d call this a contest, but as no one has ever bothered to respond to any contest I’ve ever done in the past, we’ll kick that kiss of death to the curb.

(6/6/2012)

498. Victory Headwaters Pale Ale

Let’s start with the obvious. Headwaters drops science like Sean Morgan talks game. Or drinks beer. Or flim-flams. You get the picture. That’s right, I’m bagging on ol’ Mercury. Because today, he officially got older. And if you don’t get the reference, you can check with this guy. Anywho, Victory is back. Not like they went anywhere. Our other encounters with Victory include Yakima Twilight (since renamed Yakima Glory), Saison du Buff, the collabo with Stone and Dogfish Head, plus Prima Pils, Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil.

Headwaters pours a light, clear copper; it has only a slight haze, and a thin but consistent white head with profuse small bubbles rising through the beer—which is just another way of saying that Headwaters is pretty. The hop aroma in the nose is delightful—citrus—including lemon zest, orange and grapefruit—coupled with spicy resin and a dank mustiness. At the same time, however, it is bright and floral, followed by a touch of biscuit malt. Flavors start dry and lightly spicy; the biscuit malt flavor comes out in the middle, along with the resin and a slight hint of evergreen that follows through into the finish. The bright bitterness builds gently across the profile, contributing to the dry, biscuit-like, almost cracker-y finish. Bright, crisp, dry, and bitter, yet carrying plenty of subtlety—this beer is top-notch. I’d drink Headwaters all the time if I could actually find it on a regular basis; my best bet is to follow the example of my current mild experimentation, and get busy crafting myself a light, easy-drinking APA that goes down like this luscious liquid gold. Not that I’ll be topping Headwaters anytime soon. But I can certainly give it the ol’ college try, can’t I?

From the bottle: “Malted barley, hops, and yeast are the building blocks of beer. But none of these elements would exist with water, the essence of life. The waters that feed our brewery begin just over a dozen miles away, making for spectacularly pure and vital water for brewing. Having worked with watershed advocacy groups since our inception, we value our headwaters, our source, in many ways. We think you’ll value them as well when you taste this firmly crisp and aromatically arousing pale ale. Cheers!”

ABV: 5.1%
Malts: imported German 2-row
Hops: “whole flower American”—what the hell does that mean? My call is Citra
First release: Feb. 15, 2011

Happy Birthday, Sean! Get that drink on, my man!

(12/8/2011)

467. Stoudt’s Pilsener

It’s been a while since a Stoudt’s came across our radar—December 2009 was the last new beer from Stoudt’s, although we did try a 2004 Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal this last December. We scored a growler of this from the Trolley Stop because they didn’t have any of the Hazed & Infused that they are supposedly running as a special all month. Big supposedly. Our run down of Stoudt’s includes Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Oktoberfest, American Pale Ale, Scarlet Lady ESB, and Heifer-in-Wheat, making this our sixth Stoudt’s beer. Say that six times fast.

Stoudt’s Pilsner pours a crystal clear light straw with an abundant and long-lasting white head that also decently laces the glass as I worked through the beer. The nose is a mixture of graininess and sweetness, although balanced mostly towards the graininess, along with a light hint of corn. There is no discernable hop aroma or bitterness in the nose, but the finish more than makes up for it. The beer starts out with a soft, fragile sweetness that is coupled with a fair dose of graininess—it is almost husky, but not quite astringent. The graininess carries into the middle before giving way to hop bitterness, which lingers well past the finish. Stoudt’s Pilsner has a bright crispness in the finish, a combination of the lagering and carbonation. There is a bit of a hoppy metallic sharpness left on the palate after the flavors depart, but this strikes me as more from the volume of hops than anything else. The body is medium; the residual dextrins contribute to a pleasant mouthfeel that helps balance the bitterness, although the beer is still shaded towards both bitterness and graininess. A good example of an American pilsner, although the graininess does seem a bit overly pronounced; we do both prefer the Victory Prima Pils, but this one is certainly worth trying.

From the Stoudt’s website: “Reflective of the traditional German style, Stoudt’s Pils is delicately dry with firm bitterness. The crispness of Saaz hops and a dry malt finish make the Pilsner an excellent aperitif.”

ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 40
Malts: 2-row & Wheat
Bittering Hops: Perle & Warrior
Aroma Hops: Saaz

(4/5/2011)

370. Weyerbacher Tiny

We got a big ol’ bottle from Weyerbacher for tonight’s shenanigans. Scrumptious! The last two from Weyerbacher were Double Simcoe IPA and Harvest Ale, so this marks a little something different from those troublemakers in Easton. I guess we’re willing to be their guinea pigs, but only for tonight, here me? Harump!

As the label informs us, “this velvet concoction excites your senses with bottomless roasted, earthy and vinous notes.” Alright then, Tiny, bring it. Tiny, which is a Belgian-Style Imperial Stout, pours a thick inky chocolate with a creamy mocha head that looks like the foam on an espresso drink and that sticks around for the long haul. The nose is creamy with a whole lotta roastiness mixed with smaller amounts Belgian yeast fruitiness; flavors start with dark, roasty, and lightly sweet malt flavors mixed with some creaminess. The middle sees an emergence of dark fruit flavors mixed with more of the roasted flavors and coupled with light chocolate hints, finishing with more chocolate, roastiness, and creaminess, and small amounts of alcohol flavor. Tiny has a medium to heavy body with a creamy, chewy, and slightly slick mouthfeel while the carbonation is medium, although it has a brightness in the front before rounding the final third—it is pretty lively on the palate, especially for an imperial stout, which does help lighten the mouthfeel. The alcohol warmth is minimal but present, with a bit of a tang in the back of the mouth at the end. An interesting beer—we’re not sure what we think of the combination of a Belgian-esque beer, with the bright fresh carbonation, yeast esters, and fruitiness, with an imperial stout, with the roastiness and alcohol strength. This is most certainly not a Belgian strong—the roastiness is too omnipresent. So while good, it still tastes like it needs to sit in the basement for like a spell to marry flavors and calm and connect the parts. For now, we’ll just note that the Belgian IPA seems to be a better combination than the Belgian Imperial Stout. Unless someone else has a new hat to throw in the ring...

I wasn’t able to find any information on the Weyerbacher website; Beer Advocate did offer this under Beer Releases: “Supplies are limited, we only had 700 cases overall. We expect to make Tiny on an occaisional basis, with the next release possibly this coming Winter.”

ABV: 11.8%

(7/5/2010)

349. Victory Yakima Twilight

This makes lucky number six from Victory, including Saison du Buff, the collabo with Stone and Dogfish Head, plus Prima Pils, Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil. We found this down at Jungle Jim’s—if you haven’t been, well then, my friend, you ain’t livin’.

Yakima Twilight emerges from the bottle a hazy burnt sienna—it is a nice mix of brown, red, and orange, and there are red highlights that end up on the table when the light hits it right. The head is tan and creamy, although after a couple of minutes it is reduced to a ring around the edge of the glass. With a creamy aroma couple with caramel, brown malt, hints of chocolate and lightly roasted tangs, Yakima Twilight utilizes darker malts to build the nose. Flavors begin sweet and fruity before moving into a rich darker biscuit malt flavor mixed with chocolate, malt roastiness, and darker fruits in the middle; the finish is characterized by a combined lingering bitterness and toffee flavor. Yakima Twilight has a medium to heavy body with a chewy, rich mouthfeel; the carbonation is medium and rather creamy, helping to build the chewy mouthfeel. This is an interesting beer, but we’re not quite sure what to make of the relationship between the name and the beer—it is good, but the Yakima hoppiness is lost is the big malt backbone of the beer. We’ve got two bottles of this left, so we’re going to sock them away in the basement and see what a bit of aging will do to them. The label, however, has an excellent design; we’re making Yakima Twilight a Top 10 Best Label contender.

From the bottle: “The Yakima Valley of Washington is the heartland of American hops, having contributed uniquely flavorful varieties that have helped to redefine American brewing. Late summer harvest yields the bounty that builds this exciting ale. Vibrant and aromatic, this is their moment of glory as the vines have withered by the time you sip this. Dark malts warm the hops’ bright edge bringing harmony to the finish. Rest well hop roots! Spring will come and we’ll be thirsty again!”

Check out those red highlights!

From the Victory website: “The tenacious grip of big, juicy hop aroma and character slides smoothly into rich, dark malts. This heavyweight battle between fresh, Yakima Valley hops and dark, roasted malts is resolved harmoniously as the flavors merge to deliver complex satisfaction with a warming edge. Enjoy the twilight­ for the bright and brassy hops!”

ABV: 8.7%

(6/14/10)

338. Dogfish Head/Victory/Stone Saison du Buff

BUFF (’bef) n. Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor. A clandestine organization committed to liberating collective taste buds, citing the dastardly and/or oppressive reign of so-called “fizzy yellow beer.”

“The description on the label combines the obnoxiousness of both Stone and Dogfish Head—how did Victory get involved in this?”

Between these three breweries, we had quite a few beers, so I’ll refrain from listing them all and just note that this beer will be brewed three times, once at each brewery using the same recipe. The expected release dates for each brew are as follows: Stone: April 2010, Victory: July 2010, and Dogfish Head: August 2010. Collect all three and trade them with your friends!

Described as an “ale brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme,” Saison du Buff pours a pale clear straw with a clean light white head that slowly rings the glass. The nose is a combination of spicy herbal aromas and exotic fruits—there are touches of banana, pineapple, and citrus zest–it’s like they stole the pineapple sage plant out of our front yard, and dumped it in their beer. Opening with a dry sweetness, Saison du Buff quickly moves into the herbal flavors of the middle, with pine and evergreen from either the rosemary or the hops, and some general spicy herbal flavors. The end has some lingering bitterness along with lemon zest and a bit of vegetal flavor. With a medium to light body and bright, lively carbonation, Saison du Buff has a very dry and well-attenuated body that allows the herbal and hop spiciness to shine through. A very good beer, one that is better as a slow-sipping beer that gives time to savor the nuance; there is a bit less of the crisp refreshing nature of some of the other saisons that we have tried this year.

From the bottle: “It’s a saison of sorts; hellaciously herbaceous and hopefully contagious. This was not a ready made ale. But it is a ready made collaboration. Meaning Stone & Victory are 2 breweries that are exactly like Dogfish in that they do/brew exactly what they love and do/brew it exactly like no other brewery out there.”

From the Dogfish Head website: “This beer is collaboration between Dogfish Head, Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA), and Victory Brewing Company (Downington, PA). The idea for this beer germinated way back in 2003 when the three guys (Sam from Dogfish, Greg from Stone and Bill from Victory) formed the BUFF alliance (Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor) - a noble endeavor with the goal to highlight the passion and camaraderie of the American craft brew movement. So, BUFF didnt really do anything (beyond talk a lot of talk) until 2010 when the three brewers finally got together to jointly brew at beer at the Stone Brewery. Saison du BUFF will first be brewed at Stone and then replicated at each of the other two breweries - same recipe, same ingredients, three different breweries throughout 2010. Plans call for Saison du BUFF to be a 6% alc/vol Saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. This beer will be brewed three times, once at each brewery using the same recipe. The expected release dates for each brew are as follows: Stone Brewing Co.- Late April 2010 (release date 5/3/2010, visit Stone Brewery for more information).”

ABV: 6.8%

Bottled: 5/3/2010

I do feel compelled to note that you can’t be a “clandestine organization” when your mantra adorns a beer bottle—not quite so secretive there, tiger.

(6/3/10)

333a. Victory Prima Pils

More from Victory; this is our fourth beer from them, including Baltic Thunder, HopDevil, and WildDevil. Elli calls this beer her happy beer discovery of the summer—while she is not normally a big fan of lagers, this one has sufficient hoppiness to keep her interest. She described Prima Pils as just about perfect after a day of gardening. Prima Pils has a clear yellow appearance with a thick white head and a spicy, skunky (grainy and herbal, not spoiled or skunked) nose with just a touch of malt. An overall clean, soft malt profile that is not really sweet, with the sweetness in the beer most present at the start. The middle is where the aggressive hop profile emerges; there are herbal and spicy flavors in the middle, and a distinct bitterness at the end, finishing very crisp, clean, and dry. Low levels of graininess emerge in the front and middle as the beer warms. Prima Pils has a light and dry body with a slight puckering hop component; the vigorous carbonation compliments the beer and contributes to the crispness. As well, the softness of the body in terms of the malt profile is bolstered by the carbonation and closing bitterness. Very refreshing—Prima Pils has an enjoyable hop presence, and lacks (but is not missing) the grainy breadiness of many lagers. Excellent and thirst quenching after a few hours of yard work. From the Victory website: “Heaps of hops give this pale lager a bracing, herbal bite over layers of soft and smooth malt flavor. This refreshing combination of tastes makes Prima a classy quencher in the tradition of the great pilsners of Europe.” ABV: 5.3%

Malts: 2-row German Pilsner

Hops: German and Czech whole flowers (5/29/2010)

230. Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale

Beer number three from Tröegs Brewing Company; most recently we had JavaHead Stout, and a very long time ago we had Nugget Nectar. We had this on tap at South Park Tavern, which I’m sure will shock no one who is reading this post. The keg this beer came out of was very fresh tasting and super yummy.

HopBack was a crystal clear deep copper color with a minimal white head; the nose had a light hop spiciness and some dry biscuit malt aromas. Starting dry and clean, HopBack quickly moves into some hop spiciness. There are some underlying biscuit and caramel flavors from the malt in the front; the middle has some hop bitterness along with spicy hop flavor and low levels of grassiness. HopBack ends with lingering hop resin and spicy flavors. While there is not a lot of malt presence across the profile, there is easily enough of a malt backbone to carry the hops. Medium to light bodied with a decent carbonation bite, HopBack’s mouthfeel builds and accentuates the flavors found in the body. A good, fresh tasting beer overall—there is a lot of hop flavor without a lot of hop bitterness, and the body to back up the hop profile. A solid and enjoyable beer across the board.

From the Tröegs website: “Tröegs Brewery’s Flagship beer, HopBack Amber Ale derives its name from a vessel in the brewhouse called a hopback. As the ‘wort’ is being transferred from the brewhouse to fermentation it passes through the hopback vessel. Packed full of fresh whole flower hops, the wort slowly circulates through this vessel extracting the essence of the aromatic hops. This vessel adds more time and more hop character that creates a fresh, spicy taste and rich caramel note that defines this signature ale.”

ABV: 6.0%

IBU: 55

Malts: Pilsner & Munich

Hops: Cascade, Williamette, & Nugget

Hop Back Hops: Whole Leaf Nugget & Mt Hood

(2/15/2010)

181. Stoudts Winter Ale

We’re hitting Stoudts up again pretty quick, I know, this being our sixth Stoudts beer and all, although I did miss number five. We’ve tried Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Oktoberfest, American Pale Ale, Scarlet Lady ESB, and Heifer-in-Wheat. And now it’s time for Winter Ale. I was also recovering from some sort of viral infection, most likely an unintentional Christmas gift from my nieces and nephew, who have a history of spreading plagues during the holidays. But anyway, as I tried to contribute some sort of input on this beer, Elli looked at me and said “you’re sick, you don’t know what you’re tasting.” Ah, true love.

Winter Ale is a clear dark amber with a thin ivory head. The nose is a combination of malt and slightly musty dark fruits, and the front starts rich and sweet with dry chocolate in the middle, finishing chalky and dry with hop bitterness. There is also some slight lager-esque graininess at the end, and some bready flavors to accompany the dry chocolate in the middle. Winter Ale has a creamy mouthfeel with a medium body and medium carbonation; the dryness and bitterness at the end are nice, although the dryness is a bit too alkaline. A good beer, especially as it doesn’t go on the usual spice tear that many winter beers do, but nothing particularly stands out—some of the darker fruits in the nose could have helped flesh out the body.

From the Stoudts website: “Although we change recipes every year, this winter warmer will always be a full bodied ale. ” [I saw this described elsewhere as a hoppy red ale, hence my label choice below.]

(12/28/2009)

179b. Victory Baltic Thunder

Our third beer from Victory, and our first non-HopDevil varietal—besides HopDevil we’ve had WildDevil. You’re also probably wondering why I came to the West Coast to drink an East Coast beer (yes, I’m still in Seattle). Easy—because I’ve never seen this beer before, and I’m one not to pass up an opportunity. Plus Victory is the bomb. And yes, I know I’m marking myself as ten years behind by using that phrase. Wack as hell, too. I’ll live. I’ve got the beer.

Baltic Thunder is a Baltic Porter; the nose is caramel, roasted malt with a touch of burnt, and a generous helping of dark fruits to round things out. In the glass, it is is deep brown with rich red highlights. With warmth, the caramel, toffee, and fruitiness of the nose increases, and a secondary toasty warm aroma also emerges. Baltic Thunder starts sweet and bready with rich dark fruit flavors—primarily cherry, plum, and raisin—before moving into a roasted rich malt flavor in the middle. The finish brings with it a return of the dark fruits, ending clean & crisp. With a medium to light body, Baltic Thunder also has a medium to low level of carbonation; while rich, there is also some light creaminess to the mouthfeel. A delicious, well-balanced, and smooth drinking beer. The complexity of flavor for a lighter bodied beer is a big plus—it compares very nicely with Alaskan Baltic Porter, for example, although a bit brighter on the palate. Definitely a delicious beer, making me correct in my assumptions that I should grab a bottle now so I didn’t regret it later.

From the Victory website: “Truly a world beer, Baltic Thunder represents the Baltic Porter style admirably. Exhibiting the enticing, toffee roast of the British porters that originated the style in the 18th century, and the soothing, subtle fruit nuance of contemporary brews that flourish from Helsinki to Vilnius today, this dark lager honors the Baltic god of thunder. Created by an inspired collaboration of brewers and tempered with a touch of turmoil, Baltic Thunder rolls on to bring you enchanting light as the darkness fades.”

ABV: 8.5%
Malt: imported German 2-row and roasted malts

Hops: European whole flower

(12/26/2009)

172a. Stoudts Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout

So since the holiday season is upon us, I’ve bolted for the relative warmth of the Pacific Northwest, abandoning Elli to the cold of Dayton. This also means that we’re gonna have a little over a week of separate beer drinking. Elli’s choice to celebrate our separation was to pull out the Stoudts. This is our fifth Stoudts beer (well, not for me)—previously we’ve had Oktoberfest, American Pale Ale, Scarlet Lady ESB, and Heifer-in-Wheat.

Fat Dog is, according to the bottle, a bottle conditioned Imperial Oatmeal Stout. The nose is a combination of dark roasted and caramel aromas with toffee and vanilla rounding it out. Pouring a deep, dark brown, Fat Dog is clear despite the bottle conditioning with a creamy tan head. The beer starts creamy and sweet, then moves into roasted and chocolate flavors; there are no coffee or burnt malt flavors apparent, leaving the beer very smooth. Fat Dog is fairly dry overall; while there is some sweetness in the front, it finishes dry and bitter with a touch of hoppiness and spiciness at the end. Silky smooth, rich mouthfeel with a medium to heavy body and good carbonation that lingers and laces the glass heavily. As the beer warms, more alcohol is evident is the flavor and mouthfeel, as well as some nuttiness. Elli is not certain about this being bottle-conditioned (although the website says so as well)—besides being very clear, there was no yeast at the bottom of the bottle. Overall, Fat Dog is a smooth, rounded,and delicious beer—with the nutty and roasted flavors, it’s a very well-balanced and drinkable big beer.

From the Stoudts website: “This unique ale merges the smooth and complex richness of an Oatmeal Stout with the assertive hoppiness of Imperial Stout. Fat Dog has an inviting silky-black color, a prominent roasted malt character, and a chocolatey, coffee-like finish. For a special treat we aged a small batch of this beer in bourbon barrels and corked finished in our old style 750ml. bottle and kegged a small quantity as well. It was pretty sweet while it lasted, we just might have to do it again.”

ABV: 9.0%
IBU: 55

(12/19/2009)

169. Tröegs JavaHead Stout

This is our second beer from Tröegs Brewing Company; our last one was their Nugget Nectar (number 22, which was forever ago), which has pretty much already come and gone for this year already. One tap or in the bottle—good drinking. But let’s focus on the here and now, because it is pretty damn good, too.

Described as a stout with coffee beans on the label, JavaHead pours a deep rich brown with some red highlights and a robust brown head that does leave some lacing behind. The nose runs the gamut from floral hops to roasty coffee to dry biscuit malt, with a dash of sugar sweetness and creamy cocoa aromas thrown in for good measure. Javahead begins with dry malt sweetness as well as creamy cocoa and light burnt malt flavors in the front; it then shifts to roasted malt flavors mixed with bitterness and light spicy and fruity hop flavor, before moving into chocolate and coffee flavors and ending dry with lingering bitterness, although some of the burnt notes and cocoa comes back as well. Medium to heavy bodied with a creamy, thick mouthfeel; there is also a decent carbonation bite to balance out a well rounded profile. JavaHead is complex and pleasant, and pretty smooth for the wide range of flavors it has; there is minimla harshness, and a nuanced and interesting set of flavors that took us a whole to pull apart & sort out the flavors across the palate. Definitely worth buying a couple extra bottles of this one—it will be interesting to see if it ages well. It will lose some of the hoppiness, but not much else, and the other flavors might marry together better. Well built and designed; for a 7.5% ABV beer, pretty light and dry, and definitely good drinking.

From the bottle: “JavaHead Stout passes through a blend of coffee beans and whole flower hops—akin to a French press—releasing cocoa, citrus, and java flavors.”

From the Tröegs website: “JavaHead Stout contains a blend of locally roasted espresso and Kenyan coffee beans by St. Thomas Roasters in Linglestown, PA. JavaHead’s recipe is based off of our original oatmeal stout. After the boil, the hot wort passes through our hopback vessel on it's way to fermentation. Packed full of whole leaf hops and a bed of ground coffee beans, the hopback vessel is similar to using a huge French press, intensifying the coffee nose and releasing subtle hints of coffee flavor. The result is a lush oatmeal mouthfeel balanced with cocoa, roast and subtle coffee flavors.”

ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 60
Malts: Pilsner, Crystal, Chocolate, & Roast
JuJu: Oats & Blend of Coffee Beans
Hops: Cluster, Chinook, & Cascade

(12/16/2009)

137. Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Our second beer from Weyerbacher; our last one was their Harvest Ale. We had this on tap @ South Park Tavern.

Starting with a rich pine and resin hop nose, Double Simcoe IPA pours a deep copper orange with a light white head. The dry malt front moves almost immediately into the bitterness of the middle, with floral, citrus, pine, and resin flavors and some caramel malt sweetness drawing things together, and ending dry with a pleasant lingering bitterness. Double Simcoe has a soft creamy medium bodied mouthfeel; the carbonation is light, but sparkly in the middle, and helps set up the big bitter finish. There is some slight puckering and dryness on the palate from the large hop load, especially at the end. Overall, a very enjoyable beer, although not for everyday drinkin’—this beer showcases Simcoe’s strengths and complexities quite effectively. And also very American.

From the Weyerbacher website: “Double Simcoe IPA, 9.0% abv, is our incredible reward for Hopheads seeking the intense hop flavor in a Double IPA, without the harshness. It is brewed untilizing only the Simcoe hop variety. This hybrid hop, developed and trademarked by Select Botanicals Group, LLC in the year 2000, was created for its high alpha acid content, maximum aromatic oils, and low cohumulone (harshness) levels so that brewers can really put a lot of ’em in a beer and not create an overly harsh taste.

Double Simcoe IPA is a full-flavored ale with hints of pineapple and citrus upfront, a good malt backbone in the middle, and a clean finish that doesn’t linger too long. Check it out, and you’ll soon see why everyone’s talking about it. Double Simcoe is available year-round.”

ABV: 9.0%

Today’s BJCP class focused on the brewing process. Having discussed the ingredients (I missed yeast last week) and some of the component parts of brewing, we looked at how to put all of it together. Adding to our examination of mashing, we discused lautering, specifically recirculation (vorlauf) and sparging, and further discussed the multiple functions of boiling, including isomerizing alpha acids from the hops, coagulating and precipitating wort proteins and tannins, and evaporating undesirable aromatics. We rounded this out be examining the different ways of chilling hot wort quickly and efficiently, and finished by talking about packaging, maturing, and carbonating beer. Our sampling was also a bit more eclectic; because some of our classes got condensed, we mixed and matched with the tasting:

10B. American Amber: North Coast Red Seal Ale
10C. American Brown: Bell’s Best Brown
11C. Northern English Brown: Hobgoblin
16C. Saison: Dupont Saison
16D. Biere de Garde: At. Amands French Country Ale
19A. Ole Ale: Fuller’s 1845
19B. English Barleywine: Thomas Hardy’s Ale
19C. American Barleywine: Bigfoot Sierra Nevada

(11/14/2009)

125. Sly Fox Saison Vos

Our second Sly Fox beer; our last one was the one time shot of the Hop Project Whitbread Golding.

Saison Vos has an estery sweet nose with banana, yeasty, and some metallic aromas. It is a clear straw color with a rocky head, and was a bit overcarbonated. The bottle said “Best by 4/13/09,” which might help explain the overcarbonation—extra time for the saison yeast to eat down any lingering available sugars. Saison Vos starts tart with a citrusy sweetness and some grainy flavors, and moves into a maltier sweetness in the middle with ester notes and banana, spicy, and fruit flavors. The finish is lightly sour with some metallic tints on the tongue, and there is no discernable hop presence across the spectrum of the beer. The carbonation is effervescent, lively and bright on the mouth, and the body is light, and made to feel even lighter with the carbonation. Interesting beer, but the malt complexity could be better; there was not enough body to carry the beer or to allow it to develop across the palate. The ester notes and flavors are nice but the body doesn’t stand up to them. While by no means a bad beer, this is not one of the better saisons we’ve had.

From the Sly Fox website: “A Belgian style Saison (or Farmhouse Ale) brewed with German Pils malt and hopped with East Kent Goldings. Fermented with a special proprietary yeast which imparts its dry, spicy character. Golden orange in color.”

ABV: 6.9%

IBU: 32

OG: 14.5° P

(11/2/2009)

113. Stegmaier Oktoberfest

“It has all the downsides of an Oktoberfest, with none of the upsides.”

Stegmaier Oktoberfest is brewed by Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Stegmaier was “aquired” by Lion Brewing in 1974. I put the scare quotes around aquire.

Stegmaier Oktoberfest has a bready malty sweet nose with some faint lager aromas; the dark amber color is covered by a light ivory head that partially laces the glass. Opening rather sweet with some off tastes in the middle (mostly DMS) that muddle the malt flavor, Stegmaier Oktoberfest ends a bit cloying with the sweetness. While there is also some crispness, it is not enough to balance out the thick sweetness or to give it the crisp ending required in a good Oktoberfest. Also, there is no hop bitterness discernable in the end; the closure is more sweet than dry. The mouthfeel is soft with a medium body and mild carbonation, although a bit sticky across the board. Overall, this would be a nice beer at a baseball game when I didn’t expect any better, but not so much as an Oktoberfest. While the balance of an Oktoberfest tends toward sweet, the balance on this beer doesn’t work—the sweetness carries across the palate without enough complexity or malt interest, leaving it a bit too syrupy. This one is a Top 10 Worst candidate.

From the Lion website: “Stegmaier Oktoberfest, a classic Oktoberfest/ Marzen beer, has an initial malty sweetness with a dry finish. It is a smooth clean malty beer with a complex, distinctive malt character. We use the finest two-row, Munich and Vienna malts and a touch of Noble hops to balance the sweetness.”

ABV: 5.7%

(10/21/2009)

98. Victory HopDevil

Our second beer from Victory; our last one was WildDevil, the Brettanomyces version of HopDevil. We had this in the bottle at Thai 9, one of our favorite local restaurants. HopDevil is a beer we’ve both enjoyed for a while; Elli first had this in Carlisle, PA, while I first had this in Buffalo, NY. See, graduate school did some good things for me.

HopDevil has a bready, toasty, and caramel malt nose with a light hop spiciness in the aroma. It is a hazy copper with a decent orange sheen, and has an off-white head that rings and lightly laces the glass. HopDevil begins with a dry biscuit and caramel malt and then moves into a bitter middle with low levels of earthy and piney hop flavor, closing out with a combination of malt breadiness and hop bitterness, the malt finishing clean and the hops lingering. The medium body and the medium carbonation bite help round the beer on the palate well; there is a good amount of dryness across the profile, particularly at the end. A very drinkable IPA, even at 6.7% ABV; it goes down easy and clean. We don’t drink this too often, but that might have to change. As well, the hop flower demon on the label is a nice touch—we’re making this a Top 10 Best Label contender.

From the bottle: “The mythical HopDevil resides in the lore of farmers. Our HopDevil is the real deal. Bold, spicy and menacingly delicious. He’s the product of distinctive American hops and meticulous craftmanship. Arising from the heady wilds of our Hopback and gently tamed with time, this Devil makes a great companion.”

From the Victory website: “Menacingly delicious, with the powerful, aromatic punch of whole flower American hops backed up by rich, German malts. HopDevil Ale offers a roller coaster ride of flavor, coasting to a smooth finish that satisfies fully.”

a beer drinking biker’s wet dream...

ABV: 6.7%

(10/6/2009)