Negro Nitron Beer Review

San Tan Negro Nitron

Cascadian Dark Ale/Black IPA [Type 30] 7.3% ABV

I'm loving the nitro beers. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro is a winner, and so is this. Using Nitrogen as a pressurizer instead of Carbon Dioxide  produces a smoother, less bitter beer. This pairs well with stouts and porters, but I think the Cascadian Dark style is a good choice too. Left Hand has a trade secret on the process used to nitro beer in a bottle without a widget, but you can get a nitro beer anywhere that has the proper equipment for it. I had this one at San Tan's brew pub in Chandler, and it was worth the trip.

Rating

San Tan Negro Nitron Review

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Left Hand Milk Stout and Milk Stout Nitro Head to Head Review

Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro

Milk Stout [Type 35] 6.0% ABV

For the Magistra's birthday, we received both Left Hand Milk Stout, and the new Milk Stout Nitro! This is an exciting opportunity to compare the two beers head to head. I poured them both as recommended by Left Hand for the Nitro, which is probably inappropriate pouring for the regular Milk Stout, but it is just one way to compare.

As you can see, the Nitro on the right poured beautifully. It has a downward falling head, with small bubbles, so thick you could almost stand a fork up in it. The head on the regular Milk Stout is bigger, with big bubbles that pop on your tongue. The Nitro is less sweet, nuttier, and smoother. The regular is more sweet, but also more acidic, probably due to the CO2. The Nitro is amazingly good! Some nice toasted malts, sweetness from the milk sugars, and oh so creamy.

Rating

Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro Review

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New Belgium Lost Abbey Brett Beer Review

New Belgium Lost Abbey Brett BeerAmerican Wild Ale [Type 9] 7.5% ABV

New Belgium's Lips of Faith series is my favorite special line of craft beer. I have more favorites from this line than any other. Clutch. Grand Cru Abbey. Dunkel Weiss. Biere de Mars. You can add Brett Beer to the list. This is a really fun beer, it has a flavor unlike anything else I have ever tried. The wild Brettanomyces yeast in this beer gives it flavors of papaya and pineapple! Such a thing! The beer itself is a hazy orange, pouring with a short fluffy head. The hops are subdued, giving the tropical fruits full play. This gives the beer a sweetness, but not an overpowering sweetness. I bought another one of these for the Magistra shortly afterwards, because this beer was so much fun, I couldn't leave it alone. The flavor profile is distinctive.

Rating

New Belgium Lost Abbey Brett Beer Review

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Samuel Adams Double Bock

Samuel Adams Double Bock

 

Double Bock Lager
ABV 9.5%

Samuel Adams Double Bock is one of their Imperial Series brews. The Imperial Series is intended to brew Big Beers with high quality ingredients, and this beer certainly delivers. The bottle says there is 1/2 lb. of malt in each 12 oz. bottle. This I can well believe, it has a rich, thick taste. This certainly befits a bock beer, which was originally brewed by monks to sustain them during the fasts of Lent. Much like Guinness, I imagine one could get most vitamins and minerals from this beer.

The beer itself has a deep caramel color, without much head. The massive amounts of malt predominate, with a slightly sweet finish. The recommended serving temperature is 50ºF, and unlike many such beers I have tasted, it does not suffer from being a little warm. If anything, the richness improves as it warms, releasing more of the scent.

I do not know that I would enjoy this beer if it were truly hot, and I were tired. It is far too heavy for that. It is slightly cool outside, which suits the beer fine. I drank the beer after dinner, almost like one might retire to the library for cognac and cigars. For that matter, it probably would complement a cigar. Like the cigar, the beer is a commitment, to be savored slowly.

This beer can be aged to develop the flavor further. If I had a beer cellar I would certainly lay a couple down to see what developed.

Rating:

I only wanted one. It was extremely satisfying, but ought to be reserved for special occasions. Far too decadent to be enjoyed daily.

W12 Dark Saison Review

Widmer Brothers W12 Dark Saison

Saison [Type 9] 5.5% ABV

The saison is the original seasonal beer, brewed to refresh thirsty farmworkers in Wallonia. Most modern examples are a bit sour and musty, and this one is those, all in a good way. It has some spice, a bit of bite. I wouldn't drink this just after working in the sun all morning, but it is nice for relaxing in the evening. The beer mellows a bit on the finish. The spice lingers a bit, but a sweet caramel comes through. I really like this one. Good job, Widmer Brothers.

Rating

Widmer Brothers W12 Dark Saison Rating

Newcastle Founder's Ale Review

Newcastle Founder's Ale

Extra Special Bitter [Type 45] 4.8% ABV

First beer review in the new house, and first with the new rating template! Still working on the template, but the beer was excellent. Another of Newcastle's Limited Edition brews, this one commemorates the five founding breweries that became Newcastle. In their honor, a traditional Extra Stout Bitter has been brewed. Called a bitter because it is a pale ale, and extra stout because of the amount of alcohol present (4.8% or greater). Despite being called a bitter, it is actually quite sweet and mild. A pleasant drinking beer. Poured reddish, with a short creamy white head.

The flavor is mild hops and mild malts, sweet but not sickly, and definitely not bitter. I could do with more pale ales like this one.

Rating

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New Belgium Clutch Dark Sour Ale Review

New Belgium Clutch Dark Sour Ale

[Type 42, 48, 49] 9% ABV

New Belgium calls this a dark sour ale, which may bring to mind visions of the other New Belgium Lips of Faith sour beer, La Folie, but they couldn't be more different. La Folie is sour like a SweetTart, but Clutch just has a hint of sour to fight the malts. Clutch tastes like a really rich porter, coffee and chocolate and heavy, but the sour really makes this beer shine. I just couldn't stop drinking it. Which is bad, because it is 9% alcohol.

Rating

One of the best beers I have had all year. You know a beer is good when you have to beat the pregant lady off it.

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New Belgium Grand Gru Abbey Ale Review

New Belgium Grand Cru Abbey Ale

Grand Cru/Abbey Ale [Type 29] 9.5% ABV

Vital stats from New Belgium:

ABV -     9.5%
IBU -     20
Calories -     270
Hops -     Willamette, Target, Liberty
Malts -     Pale, Chocolate, Carapils, C-80, Munich
OG -     16.2
TG -     2.6

Rating

A really good beer that could be cellared and aged. The head needs a little warmth to come out, so when it was poured straight out of the fridge you can see the results in the picture above. The beer is dark and sweet, but I was surprised to find that it was not syrupy. A smooth, creamy, fruity beer with delicious Belgian yeastiness. The alcohol is potent, but pleasantly warming. Just the thing to enjoy after a long day at work.

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Beer Club February 2011

Belgian Ales

Always a favorite of mine, we return again to Belgian Ales. We had a particularly good selection this year, with two kinds of Golden Carolus, a new front runner for my favorite Belgian brand.

Belgian Ales February 2011Cuvee van de Keizer Rood

10% ABV Golden Ale [Type 3]. Tastes like cherry and apple. Dry and crisp. One beer.

Lost Abbey 10 Commandments

A California Beligan Style brewery, Lost Abbey makes strong, often hoppy beers. This one tastes like raisins and honey. A Belgian dark ale [Type 29] 9.0% ABV. Three beers.

Golden Carolus Hopsinjoor

A hoppier version from Golden Carolus. A Belgian Pale [Type 16], perhaps shading towards the IPA. 8.0% ABV. A great pale ale, with fruit, hops, a dry finish, and lots of fizz. One beer.

Belgian homebrew

Sweet smelling with a cherry finish. Mellow overall. Two beers.

Adriaen Brouwer Finest Dark [Type 29] 8.5% ABV. Sweet, with a quick finish. Pretty easy drinker. Two beers.

Delirium Nocturnum

Pink elephants on parade. Belgian dark, 8.5% ABV.

Piraat

Belgian pale [Type 16] 10.5% ABV. Belgian sourness followed by sweet cherry.

Dogfish Head Red & White

Belgian wit [Type 4] 10.0% ABV. An usual beer due to the presence of pinot noir juice and aging in oak casks. It combines the qualities of a white beer with a red wine. Very unusual, but very good. One beer.

Lucifer

Belgian pale [Type 16] 8.0% ABV.

Kwak

Belgian pale [Type 16] 8.4% ABV

And three for which I have no notes other than name, for some reason.

Corsendonk Pale Ale

Lost Abbey Lost & Found

Delirium Tremens

Beer Club January 2011

Strong Ales

This month's theme was beers of greater than 10.0% alcohol by volume. This means lots of flavor and thick mouthfeel. There are a number of styles that find their way into this category. There are barleywines, Belgian ales, and imperial styles that have extremely high alcohol contents. Barleywines can be aged, hence the name. Their flavors vary widely, it is an old style of beer, but expect a thick, heavy beer. Dubbels, Trippels, and Golden Ales tend to be strong due to the amount of malt used. Imperial [or double] styles are double doses of whatever goes into them. You can have an imperial anything, but the prototypical example is the imperial stout. We see a few Christmas ales as well.

Strong Ale Lineup 1Strong Ale Lineup 2

Old RuffianOld Ruffian Barleywine [Type 64] was the first tasting of the night. Brewed by the Great Divide Brewing company in Colorado. It is a red beer, very hoppy 90 IBUs. But the hops are sweet instead of bitter, with melon flavors. The hops balance the thickness of the beer well. 1 beer. 10.2% ABV

2010 Reserve Boardhead2010 Reserve Boardhead Barleywine [Type 64]. This is from Full Sail. Much drier than the Old Ruffian. There is a sharpness to the beer you can feel on the sides of your tongue. A very good beer, 1 beer. 9.0% ABV

Imperial Stout Homebrew

We enjoyed an imperial stout brewed by one of the beer club members. It was an excellent example of the style. So dark it is almost black. Tastes of brown sugar, roasted malts, and celery. Brewed using 9# dark malt extract, 1/2# chocolate malt, 1/4# crystal malt, and 2 oz of hops of an indecipherable variety. Thanks for sharing!

Mikkeller BlackMikkeller Black 黒 is an Imperial Stout [Type 36]. Anything with Imperial modifying it is usually hoppier, stronger, or sweeter version of the original. Sometimes this is taken to extremes. This is definitely a case of that. Mikkeller Black is one of the strongest beers I have ever seen in person. It pours like used motor oil, slow, black,and thick. It has a sharp flavor. Coats the tongue. This would be a great topping on vanilla ice cream. It has a roasted-coffee flavor, better than I expected for the alcohol. It is more like a liqueur, something to sip after dinner. 17.5% ABV, 1 beer rating.

Le FreakLe Freak by Green Flash. A western take on the Belgian Golden Ale style. Quite hoppy, lots of grapefruit flavors. But a balanced beer. The malts and hops were balanced. 1 beer. 9.2% ABV

Cuvee van de Keizer Blau

Cuvee van de Keizer Blauw. This is my undisputed favorite of the evening. Oh. My. Goodness. This beer tastes like candied apples. Caramel and green apples. A Belgian Dark Ale [Type 29]. 11.0% ABV. 

This beer is brewed for the birthday of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.  Charles V was Emperor during a crucial time for Europe. The Turks were first defeated at Vienna in 1529, giving Central Europe relief from the unstoppable advance of the Ottoman Empire. This was also the time of the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation. Charles was a contemporary of Henry VIII, and Catherine of Aragon's nephew.  

Three PhilosophersThree Philosophers Quadrupel. 9.8% ABV. Like a Trippel, but more so. A blend of Kriek and Belgian Dark Ale.

Double Bastard Ale. A Stone Brewery Beer. 11.2% ABV. A sweet, hoppy beer.

Delirium Noel Delirium Noel, Belgian Dark Ale [Type 29] 10% ABV. A Christmas version of Delirium Nocturnum. Tastes like sweet cherries.

Hairy Eyeball. From Lagunitas, 9.0% ABV.

Hairy Eyeball Lagunitas 9.0% ABV