Archive for the tag “3.5-4 Toasts”

30 May 2013

Prairie Noir – Prairie Artisan Ales

prairie-noir-bttl9% ABV
Purchased through The Rare Beer Club ($66.95/four 25.4 oz. bottles) and poured into pint glasses.

Oklahoma-based Prairie Artisan Ales only produced 100 cases of this “imperial oatmeal stout aged in oak whiskey barrels”, which pours a deep onyx with a scarce brown sugar head.  Prairie Noir offers a distinct nose of sawdust, bitter chocolate, coffee grounds, and fire-hot whiskey, but has a little more moderation and complexity on the tongue.  Freshly sawed lumber is the main flavor up front, followed by the expected coffee and chocolate notes, and some scorched sugar and burnt cereal on the retreat.  There is almost as much barrel as beer here, with that sawdust-y wood flavor coming to dominate the profile, along with hard alcohol and vanilla bean.  Allowing the beer some time to warm brings out more of the rich stout flavors.

toasts-3.5   3.5 Toasts

PraireNoir

toasts-4   4 Toasts

Posted in Barrel-Aged, Beer Review, Imperial Oatmeal Stout and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
14 Nov 2012
1 Comment

Rugbrød – The Bruery

8% ABV
Purchased at Pangaea Bottle Shoppe and poured into tulip glasses.

A “Julebryg-style Dark Rye Ale” from The Bruery, Rugbrod pours a pumpernickel-brown with a vaporous, sand-colored head.  The savory and intriguing nose contains sharp rye and bread-like malts, while peppery rye also plays off of bread notes on the tongue.  Rugbrod offers much of the same flavor and texture as dark rye bread, while remaining a rich and drinkable cold-weather brew.  Even more complex flavors – molasses, nuts, and subtle spice-rack herbs among them – begin to come through as the pour warms.  This year’s vintage has more palette-splitting rye and less molasses than previous versions, but a year or two of cellaring should tame the beer.

    4 Toasts

   3.5 Toasts

Posted in Beer Review, Rye and tagged , , , ,
30 Oct 2012

Otto Ale – Victory Brewing Company

8.1% ABV
Purchased at Pangaea Bottle Shoppe ($10.49/25.4 oz. bottle) and poured into mason jar glasses.

This abbey dubbel/rauchbier hybrid from Pennsylvania-based Victory Brewing Company pours a date-like ruby brown with a tight, off-white head.  The strong and distinctive nose offers plenty of wood smoke and cured and dried meats, along with some coy touches of dried fruit and airy grass.  Smoke and cured meats also dominate the palette, mostly in the vein of pepperoni and salami, and the first swallow offers a nice bite if you like smoky beers.  Its abbey influences are revealed with a healthy dose of dates and juicy raisins on the aftertaste, preventing the smokiness from overwhelming the tongue.  Otto has a nice mix of sweet, smoky, and savory flavors and an unimposing mouthfeel, but adjust your ratings accordingly depending on your preference for smoked brown beers.

    4 Toasts

   3.5 Toasts

Posted in Beer Review, Dubbel, Smoked Beer and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
11 May 2012

Wookey Jack (Firestone Walker)

8.3% ABV
Purchased at Taylor’s Market and poured into pint glasses.

His Notes:

This black rye IPA from Firestone Walker (the Champion Brewery winner at the 2012 World Beer Cup), pours a murky black with a slowly retreating, cola-colored head, and smells of pungent hops, pine bark, and roasted coffee beans.  Its’ initial mouthfeel is somewhat dry and watery for a dark IPA, but there is a pleasant pepper bite from the rye. The second wave of flavor is by far the best, with notes of chewy grass, cracked pepper, dank weed, coffee, and even a little milk chocolate.  Wookey Jack’s finish is long but measured, a real accomplishment considering the assemblage of strong flavors.

  4 Toasts

Her Notes:

   3.5 Toasts


Posted in Beer Review, Black Rye IPA and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
27 Feb 2012

Sanctuary (Full Sail Brewing)

7% ABV
Purchased at Total Wine and More ($3.99/22 oz. bottle) and poured into goblet glasses.

His Notes:

Full Sail’s version of the Belgian dubbel pours a cloudy orange with a very slight off-white head and a nose of apples, candied yeast, caramel, and spices.  It presents a warm mix of toffee and dark fruits on the palette, with a surprisingly tart and smoky character to the aftertaste.  Sanctuary is less rich and bitterer than you would expect from a beer advertising itself as a dubbel, without much of the anticipated taste of candied yeast. However, the hickory-smoked malt flavor makes this beer uniquely pleasing on its own terms.

  3.5 Toasts

Her Notes:

  4 Toasts


Posted in Beer Review, Belgian, Dubbel and tagged , , | Leave a comment
25 Jan 2012

Bombardier (Wells and Young’s)

5.2% ABV
Purchased at Corti Bros. ($4.19/16.9 oz. bottle) and poured into pint glasses.

His Notes:

Bombardier pours rusty brown with a desert sand-colored head, and features a strong nose of dark fruits (especially cooking apples), some toffee, and syrupy British malt.  There are more dark fruits on the tongue, but it’s less imposing than in the nose, with the sugars expertly balanced by the tart hoppiness.  This is a pristine example of the classic English Bitter – sweet but not saccharine dark fruits on the palette, and a surprisingly crisp finish with just enough lasting bitterness to hold your attention between sips.  I wouldn’t call it a bargain at that price, but the clean water and restrained flavors put Wells Bombardier a cut above the beers of its ilk.

  4 Toasts

Her Notes:

  3.5 Toasts


Posted in Beer Review, ESB and tagged , | Leave a comment

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