Dominion Oak Barrel Stout

I picked up this beer for a superbowl party I was going to. I was actually looking for Brooklyn Brown, or something along those lines, but they were all out at State Line. I thought this 6 pack looked interesting, and since the price was right I went for it. Located in Ashburn, VA, beers from the Old Dominion Brewery are available only on the east coast. The brewery will be celebrating their 20th anniversary this year as well. One thing I found interesting was that on their website they claim to follow the German Purity Law, which specifies that the beer can only be brewed with barley, malt, yeast, water, and hops. However their stout is brewed with wheat as well, and their Millennium beer has honey added. I'm not sure how this follows those guidelines.

All that aside, the Oak Barrel Stout is brewed with 7 different kinds of malt, and 2 kinds of hops. The beer is then dry hopped with toasted oak chips and vanilla beans. Going into it, I was looking forward to a beer that had a complex flavor profile, and possibly a few unusual characteristics.

The beer poured a very dark brown color, almost black in appearance. It wasn't cloudy, but it was just so dark that you can't see light through it. Think murky. It had a foamy one finger light tan head that dissipated relatively quickly to a quarter finger thick. The head that did remain left a decent lacing on the glass.

The aroma had a toasted malty sweetness to it, but there was an oily quality to it as well. Kind of like how you'd expect a fast food restaurant to smell if they have a deep fryer. It wasn't strong at all, but it's presence threw me a bit. All in all though, the aroma wasn't all that strong, especially considering the way the beer was brewed. The sweetness was expected, but I was also anticipating vanilla, wood, anything to indicate the unusual ingredients in the beer.

The taste is where this beer really started to stand out. A sweet toasted/roast flavor is dominant, reminding me of tasted marshmallows. On the back of the tongue, a smooth coffee-like bitterness sits lightly in the mouth. The balance is just great. On the side of the tongue there's a hint of salt, but it's not at all strong. The vanilla comes through just a touch in the aftertaste in a very pleasant way. Even though the beer isn't all that strong, there's a warmth present, possibly from one of the ingredients rather than the alcohol. Some smokey flavors exist in there as well. There's the slightest bit of a metallic taste in the back of the mouth as well, but it's not too distracting.

The beer is very carbonated, and that's probably the biggest strike against it. It's the sharp kind of carbonation that feels like needles in the mouth. Other than that, the beer has a medium body, just a little lighter than I would have anticipated. There's barely any coating on the mouth as it goes down.

All in all it's very smooth, and a nice mixture of sweetness and bitterness. The balance is just great. The smokey flavors remind me just a bit of the Aecht Marzen. It's not quite as good as Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter, or as drinkable as Guinness, but it's a nice change and has it's place among the stouts. The first was extremely easy to get down, but after that the sweetness can start to overwhelm the palate. The carbonation was a little over the top, but the robust flavor more than made up for it. I'd absolutely get this one again in the future.

- Adam

Westvleteren 8

I didn't want to put off this post any more for fear of letting the memory of this beer go to long to do it justice. Westvleteren is the final trappist brewery that I had yet to try. Due to it's lack of distribution in the US, or anywhere in the world for that matter, the only way to get it is to go to the abbey in Belgium, or find someone to ship it to you. For Christmas, my girlfriend Julia did just that, and had someone from Belgium ship bottles of both the 8 and the 12 to her. Not much is know about the abbey other than the huge reputation of their brews, both the 8 and 12 are the top rated for their styles on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer (the 8 is a dubble and the 12 is a tripel). Because of their reputation and the difficulty in getting them, they're considered the "holy grail" of beerdom. I was worried that the beer wouldn't live up to the hype, or I wouldn't like it, or I'd get a bad bottle. Fortunately this did not seem to be the case. I'm not sure how old the bottle even is, all I was told was that one of the bottles was at least a year old as the abbey only brews one style of beer at a time.

The beer poured a deep murky brown, like dark chocolate. It was strongly hazy, as can be expected with a bottle fermented beer. The head was airy and a light tan color, about a finger thick, and dissipated to 1/4 finger. After that the head stuck around for a while and left moderate lacing on the glass.

The aroma was strong, I noticed it even while pouring. There was a predominant fruit quality to it as well, some cherry and some apple in the scent. Underneath were smells of chocolate, roast, a hint of coffee, and other dark fruits. It's very similar to the smell I remember Westmalle having, but much stronger, and very sweet. There's also a harder to describe earthen quality to the smell, of old wood or clay pots.

The taste was not nearly as sweet as I expected from the smell. Chocolate is present along with cherry notes, underneath is apple cider and a touch of nutmeg. There's earthy flavors as well, with a hint of smokiness and a bit of wood. I was getting a slightly bready quality to it as well, like a rye or whole wheat bread. A nicely rounded bitterness lingers on the sides of the tongue. I detected a bit of dark fruit, possible plum as well. Despite it's relatively high strength (somewhere in the 8% range or higher), I didn't notice any alcohol in the flavor. The aftertaste is equally pleasant, with smoked wood and grain dominant in the mouth. The overall balance and complexity of this beer is amazing.

In the mouth, the first thing that jumps out about this beer is the strong, sharp carbonation. Perhaps overly so. It has a good medium body, giving it just the right amount of substance. There's a nice smooth coating on the mouth as well. Going down it has just a bit of warmth, both from the spice and the alcohol. It's not wet enough to be considered refreshing, but it's not really dry either.

The drinkability of this beer is just incredible. It's strength is not apparent in the taste, just in the after-effects. I have no desire at all to drink this one quickly, but I feel like it's a flavor I'd never get sick of. Absolutely a drink to savor and enjoy.

- Adam

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2009

It's barleywine season apparently. The last trip over to State Line with Dan showed a slew of barleywine style beers and other various craft brews. There were too many to pick up all of them, and they had run out of a few I wanted, but I did manage to pick up a few interesting selections. One of these was the 2009 Bigfoot, Sierra Nevada's barleywine. I had tried the 2008 25th anniversary Bigfoot last year, but apparently never got to the review. Looking at my notes though, there's a lot of similarities with this year's version, to the point where a seperate review would be redundant.

For those that don't know, a barleywine is a strong beer, often 8-12% alcohol. It's generally brewed during the colder months of the year, and can often be aged due to the high alcohol content and high level of hops. The style originated in England, and was known for it's fruity characteristics. For more information on the style, there's a good article by Michael Jackson (not the singer) here. Sierra Nevada puts their version out annually, and each year has a different label to mark it.

The beer poured a clear, deep reddish-brown. It supported a frothy 2-finger creamy caramel color head that had moderate retention, and left a decent bit of lacing on the glass.

The aroma was grassy but sweet, and a hop scent lurking underneath. There were fruity notes as well, reminding myself and Dan of apple skins, and I thought I detected some cherry at first. I also had a sensation of caramel with the aroma. The smell, however, was not all that strong, and I had to stick my nose nearly in the glass to really get a feel for what was going on.

The taste is of caramel on the front of the tongue at first, followed by a strong hop bitterness on the back half of the tongue as it's swallowed. As the bitterness of the aftertaste kicked in, Dan and I both briefly noticed the taste of fruit loops of all things. With additional sips, I began to notice the fruityness (possibly prune) that existed on the tip of the tongue, and just a bit of spice around the mouth. The aftertaste that developed was similar to the aftertaste of a cup of coffee. The one thing that I didn't notice much in the taste was the high level of alcohol, although as the glass progressed I certainly could feel it.

The beer had a moderate body, with a moderately strong level of prickly carbonation. It left a thin coating on the teeth, but wasn't long lasting. At first the beer had a creaminess to it from the head, which was actually quite pleasant and helped offset the bitterness, but as the beer progressed the head dissipated, leaving a much sharper sensation in the mouth. There was very little warmth to it given it's strength, just a little bit around the mouth after swallowing. It was also nicely balanced between wet and dry, not too far to one side or the other.

All in all, the drinkability of this beer is too high for it's strength. The bitterness is a little much for my tastes, although not overwhelming. It is however a beer that's meant to be sipped, not chugged. It's incredibly flavorful, and although it's a bit harsh, it has the potential to be aged, which should alter the character nicely. I'm planning on saving a bottle or two for a while, and seeing how it is in another year. It's absolutely an enjoyable drink, and one that I hope to be able to pick up every year.

-Adam

Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08

The vertical epic series is a very cool idea the guys over at Stone Brewery had. The concept is that a new beer comes out every year, the first one was released on 1/1/01, and each subsequent beer was released exactly one day, one month, and one year later. Each beer is designed to be aged until some time after 12/12/12, when they can then be consumed in sequence. Each beer is supposed to be a different part of the epic story, with it's own twists and turns. Unfortunately since I haven't been drinking beer nearly that long (I was graduating high school in 2001), the chances of me getting a complete set of the beers are effectively zero. I also made the mistake of not waiting to open it, as I figured I could pick up another bottle to age, but State Line sold out before I could grab it. If I ever see it at another store I'll be sure to pick it up.

The 08.08.08 is in the Belgian Strong Pale Ale style, one of my favorites. This is the same style as Duvel, and the Brooklyn Local 1 (which we tried in the same night).

The beer poured a slightly hazy golden yellow. There was only a minimal off-white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing at all.

The aroma was similar to Duvel, with a somewhat spicy smell laced with banana. I also noticed a bit of a hay smell, or horse blanket, that I first encountered with Ommegang's Ommegeddon. There was a sweet, malty quality to the smell as well, and a trace of alcohol was present underneath.

The taste was overal sweet, especially at first, but there was a mild hop bitterness as well. It wasn't an in-your-face kind of bitterness, but stood out in a negative way. In addition there was a medicinal quality to the taste. The bulk of the flavor though consisted of grass and barley, giving the beer a strong bready feel. Overall, it just seemed like the flavors were harsh. Of course, this is expected with a beer designed to be aged. I had a feeling that it would be a lot better after a few years.

In the mouth, the beer was very highly carbonated, almost overwhelmingly so. It felt light in body, and thin overall. It also was dry, the kind of beer that makes you thirsty after finishing it. I think the mouthfeel was the weakest area for this beer, and I wonder if that's something that's likely to change over time.

Well, I felt as it was, that the beer was ok but not great. Especially when compared directly to the Brooklyn Local 1, this beer was a little hard to get through. The flavors in the Brooklyn were just much smoother and balanced nicely. This is hardly surprising as the beer was designed to be aged, not consumed immediately. I think this beer was an important step for me though, knowing that a little patience sometimes makes all the difference, and the fact that I may not be able to get another bottle to try it when it was meant to be tried adds a little extra to the lesson.

-Adam

Maredsous 8 Dubbel

Right now I'm working on my 3rd post today. The first 2 have been deleted as it's been so long since I had these beers, looking at my notes just isn't bringing back the experience for me, and I don't think I could do justice to the beers. Maredsous 8 stood out to me though, and my notes were quite ample. This beer was possibly the most complex I've ever tasted, each sip yielded a new flavor.

The beer is brewed by Duvel Moortgat, brewers of my all-time favorite, Duvel. Upon learning that they had additional lines of beer besides Duvel, I made a point of picking it out the next time I went over to State-Line. As a Dubbel, this beer is the same style as Westmalle Dubble, Achel Brune, Chimay Red, and Westvleteren 8... meaning it has some fierce competition to live up to.

The beer poured a dark brown color, and had a moderately sized off-white head. When held up to the light, I noticed a slight reddish tinge around the edges. Throughout the glass it had good retention and decent lacing as well.

The aroma contained a number of scents, starting with a nice combination of roast malt, coffee, cherries, and chocolate. Underneath there's hints of caramel, alcohol, biscuit, and apple. Needless to say, it's a complex aroma that just hints at the flavors that the beer contains.

At first the beer tasted strongly of coffee and dark chocolate. It had a sweetness to it, as well as a round bitterness at the back of the mouth. However, I also detected a fruity flavor underneath that I thought was cherry. There was a strong hop flavor on the sides of the tongue. I didn't notice much alcohol in it, but it did have a warming quality. The beer developed even more as I continued drinking, yielding flavors of roast, dark breads like pumpernickel, cider, and a wooden/earthy flavor that I quite enjoyed. It's hard to even describe how these flavors worked together to form this incredible beer.

I tried this beer in two different glasses, first was my Duvel glass, which I felt would be appropriate. However, after reading an article on glassware, I disagreed with Beer Advocate on their recommendation for drinking it out of a goblet style glass, so I tried it with my Pauwel Kwak stirrup. In the Duvel glass the beer felt very highly carbonated, and was light (almost airy) in the mouth. It was thinner in feel than I expected. I also noted that it was a little dry. I had read (can't remember where) that for beers with higher carbonation, a narrower glass is more appropriate. After trying it in the Kwak glass, I have to agree that this beer was better with a narrower glass. The main difference I noticed was that the beer didn't feel quite as light in the mouth. It was still light, but it had a more tangible quality to it that helped me appreciate the flavors more. I also noticed that the roast flavor came out more (roast what I'm not sure, but it was definitely roasted), and the chocolate flavor got stronger towards the end. Visually, it also left incredible lacing on the narrower glass.

All in all, the beer was highly enjoyable. However, I didn't feel like it would be a good beer to pound back. For one thing, it's 8% ABV, so it's too strong to drink end to end. More importantly though, the flavors are so complex and interesting that I felt it was really designed to sit down and enjoy sip by sip. Savor this one, take it slow, and it will be a wonderful experience.

- Adam

Grolsch Premium Lager

Located in Holland, the Grolsch brewery has been around since 1615. As of 2008 however, the brewery is owned by SABMiller, the same company that owns Miller, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, and others. The beer is labeled broadly as a lager, which simply means it's bottom-fermented, and usually at colder temperatures. More specifically it's been called a Pilsener, and beer advocate lists it as a Euro Pale Lager, lumping it together with beers like Heineken, Harp, and Peroni. Traditionally lagers have mild flavors, lighter colors, and are suggested to be served between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grolsch was one of my first ventures into the world of better beer. It was one of the first beers I shared with both Dan and Solomon as well. I originally picked it up because it was imported, not too expensive, and easily available most anywhere I went. One warning about it though - I've heard from many people that because of the green bottles, the beer can easily become light struck and skunk. I've yet to have a bad one, but I always buy it from good stores and store it properly. Don't leave it sitting out in sunlight and you should be fine.

I poured into my Pauwel Kwak glass as the recommended glass is a pilsener glass, but I don't have one (a sheer oversight on my part that I hope to remedy soon - I have pretty much no narrow mouth glasses). The Kwak glass is tall and mostly thin, so it's the closest thing I have, and the best substitute I could think of. The beer pours a crystal clear light golden amber color that's a bit yellowish. The head is frothy and nearly white, and is about 2 fingers thick when first poured. It has pretty good retention, and leaves a nice bit of lacing on the glass as the drink progresses.

The aroma is initially flowery and has overtones of banana. However, as this dissipates, the predominant scent is yeast and bread. The graininess of the malt comes through as well, it's fairly reminiscent of sticking your nose in a loaf of fresh-baked bread. Underneath I detected just a hint of alcohol at times, but it really depends on the glass. I smelled more of the alcohol in a pint glass than the Pauwel Kwak stirrup. This really goes to show the importance of a proper glass, especially since smell is the strongest sense tied to taste.

The beer is a bit bready in the mouth as well. There's mostly grain flavors, but with a little bit of round, yeasty bitterness on the back of the tongue. It's really neither sweet or bitter, and although it may not be nearly as nutritional as a dopple-bock, it's definitely got the flavor of a "liquid bread". As expected though, the flavors are mild and subdued, and can be a bit watery. The flavors aren't too refined, and in fact can be a bit on the harsh side, but for the price it's tough to beat.

The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium-light. I wouldn't go so far as to say airy though, it does have some substance in the mouth. It's fairly comparable to taking a mouthful of water. The carbonation is moderate, providing just enough bite for it to be crisp, but leaves the beer wet enough to still be refreshing. The coating on the mouth is a bit thin at first but as the beer progresses it leaves a nice film on the teeth and tongue.

The drinkability is one of the main reasons this beer has become a standby for me. It's incredibly easy to drink, but is still flavorful enough to be worth drinking. It's not a beer that overwhelms in any way - good or bad, but because of this, I feel like I could easily drink these all night if I wanted. Between that and the price, it's a great beer to have around to go with meals, to share with friends, and for whenever you're in the mood for something a little lighter. It also comes in a cool swing-top bottle, which it is somewhat famous for, and makes it a favorite of home brewers for re-bottling their own brews. Some people claim it tastes better out of these bottles, but I've never sat down for a comparison.

- Adam