Best of 2009

Ok, so this is a bit overdue, and I haven't done a review in a while, so it's time to look back at the best beers I had in the last year. I'm going to go ahead and say up front that the beers we've been making have been really awesome in my opinion, and have been among my favorite things to drink, but I'm not going to include them since I'm a little biased. So here they are in roughly no particular order.

10. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout - This beer was basically breakfast in a bottle. It's tasty, easy to drink, has a great roast quality, and makes you feel good about drinking before noon...

9. Clipper City Red Sky at Night - Another saison. While it's not even in the same league as the Avec les bons Voeux, it is MUCH cheaper, tastes great, and definitely worth trying out. It's one of the few beers that I've bought more than once in the last year.

8. Lancaster Milk Stout - I wouldn't want to overlook Lancaster brewing. Even though they might not stand out as much as some of the other beers on this list, the brewery has become one that I trust. I haven't had anything from them that I didn't like. The milk stout is definitely my favorite from them, and my go-to beer when I want something dark, delicious, and easy to drink.

7. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale - I had a hard time choosing between putting this up or the 09.09.09 Vertical Epic. This beer won out simply because I'll never be able to get the 09 again. It's a black IPA, kind of an oxymoron, but so tasty that it makes up for it.

6. Dogfish Head/Sierra Nevada Life & Limb - This was a special collaboration between the 2 breweries that was made in very limited quantities. I was lucky enough to have had it twice once in a bottle that Dan managed to get and the other time on tap at Dogfish's restaurant. It was absolutely worth the trip to have this beer.

5. North Coast Old Rasputin - I really like dark, complex, flavorful beers. Old Rasputin fits that description perfectly. It's a great Russian Imperial Stout, a style characterized by high alcohol content and bold bitter and roasted flavors.

4. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA - Considering that I live in the same state as Dogfish Head, it's not surprising that I've been there a few times. I've become much more of a fan of hops this year, and Dogfish's 120 Minute is one of the best examples of a IIPA.

3. Westvleteren 8 - This beer was amazing. It was complex and delicious. My only complaint about this beer is how hard it is to get.

2. Duvel - It's still my default favorite beer, and I toasted with it at my wedding. I can't imagine ever getting sick of this beer.

1. Avec les bons Veoux - I don't think there's a style that I like more than a saison, and this is the definitive example of the style in my opinion. It's absolutely spectacular. I really can't get enough of this beer.

So after putting this list together I realized I really need to start reviewing beers on here again. I was actually having a hard time remembering everything I've had this year, and I didn't write anything about a good portion of the things I've tried. It's a shame because I'm sure I missed a few beers that really deserved to be on this list.

Revisited: Sierra Nevada 2009 Bigfoot

So what happens when you let a beer sit for 6 months to a year? Well, generally speaking probably some pretty terrible things. Beers with lower alcohol content tend not to hold up well, but given the right beer with a high enough alcohol content (around 8% or more) it becomes possible. The goal is to gain complexity not found in the fresh brew, and a better blending of flavors. Well, I have a bottle of 2009 Bigfoot from back in February that I'm ready to try out and see what has happened.

The first sniff pouring the beer in the glass revealed a strong fruity scent, which dropped off fairly quickly. Underneath is a roasted malty quality similar to caramel. There's a touch of apple cider as well. Mostly it's got the caramel sweetness to it that I didn't feel came out as much originally.

The appearance is identical to the fresh version, so I'll skip over it.

At the first sip I got a fruity sweetness on the tip of my tongue for just a moment, cherry or apples, but it quickly went away. The hop bitterness took over on the back of the tongue, and was followed by a warmth and a somewhat grassy aftertaste. On the second sip I noticed that the bitterness was more mellow and rounded than I previously remember it being, but I found the flavor slightly astringent. There was a dark chocolate flavor just around the bitterness that I didn't think mixed well. I noticed that if I didn't hold the beer in my mouth, the unpleasant flavors subsided. The fruit loop flavor I had noticed in it with the previous bottle was gone.

The feel of the beer was pretty similar, although I felt the warmth came through more than before, and the carbonation was significantly reduced. Instead of the prickling sensation I had previously mentioned in this beer, there was just a mild tingle on the tongue.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. After 8 months or so, I was hoping that it would make the beer much better, but I'm actually not enjoying it as much as I did when it was fresh. Granted I didn't exactly keep it temperature consistent, and the flavors have changed quite a bit. However I guess I'm not appreciating the changes as much. I think Dan has a bottle of the 09/09/09 that he's putting aside for us to try in 2012, so that will be an interesting experiment with a beer that's designed to be aged.

- 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