Stone – Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout *

 Beer Reviews  1 Response »
Nov 182011
 

Though the weather has not cooled enough to have me wanting stouts on a regular basis I simply could not pass this one up when seeing it a little while back.  I am not one to keep black licorice around the house, but I really was interested to see (or rather taste) how that flavor worked with a big, bold stout.  The answer is that I think it works well and certainly much more so than I thought roasted buckwheat did.

Easing into the weekend . . .

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)

Name: Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (or maybe Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer)

ABV: 10.50% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled a little early to warm a bit before being served in a snifter.

Aroma: A full, smooth, chocolately roasted malt character with a more subtle licorice aroma underneath. Well balanced and quite pleasant overall with maybe a bit of alcohol there.  – 9/12

Appearance: Dark, dark, dark brown (black) in color.  One finger light brown head that is pretty thick, holds fairly well, and leaves some legs on the glass.  Opaque and even so at the edges when held to light. – 3/3

Flavor: A deep roasted malt flavor with notes of bittersweet chocolate and a light molasses-like sweetness.  The licorice flavor comes through middle to finish with some bitterness and a bit of astringency (from roasted malt profile) coming out near the finish.  Otherwise finishes fairly smooth with some lingering chocolate and anise. – 15/20

Mouthfeel: Full body with a moderate to low level of carbonation.  Smooth and pretty creamy on the palate with a bit of warmth noticeable. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: First significantly sized glass of stout in a long time.  I actually prefer this one not as warm as I usually do a big stout as the licorice gets to be a little too prominent and out of balance.  The aftertaste and astringency are like that after eating some very dark chocolate with a high cocoa percentage.  I could see this one pairing really well with the appropriate desserts. – 8/10

Overall: B+ (39/50)

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Stone Brewing Co. - Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 am  Tagged with: , , ,

Weyerbacher Brewing Co. – Verboten *

 Beer Reviews  No Responses »
Nov 042011
 

Forbidden you say?  Well I had to see what this beer was all about with a name like that on the label.  Of course being a Belgian Pale Ale that I had yet to try also did not hurt when deciding whether or not to throw this one in the cart.  That is about it as far as my decision making process goes for picking out new beers for me to try.

A different style of Pale Ale to end the week . . .

Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (Easton, PA)

Name: Verboten

Style: Belgian Pale Ale

ABV: 5.90% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge before being served in an oversized wine glass.

Aroma: Light toasty malt character with a bit of (apple-like?) fruity aroma and some underlying spiciness.  Maybe a hint of floral in there as well.  Pretty mild overall, but pretty nice. – 8/12

Appearance: Medium coppery orange color.  One finger cream color head that is quite frothy and holds fairly well before leaving some lacing on the glass.  Very clear with a good amount of rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A toasty almost nutty malt flavor up front with a moderate hop bitterness from middle to finish that has a bit of a spicy/peppery quality to it.  Some subtle fruity/floral notes more so toward the finish.  A nice dryness on the finish with just a hit of sweetness then some lingering hop bitterness after. – 14.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate (maybe to low) level of carbonation.  Smooth despite the bitterness and just a bit of creaminess on the palate. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Found myself wanting a little more carbonation.  A fruity/floral character comes out much more as it warms some and provides better balance to the bitterness.  Maybe a bit of warmth in the nose as it warms a bit.  Not great to me at first but it grew on me as I approached the end of the glass.  Fairly well balanced overall, but the bitterness does take the lead. – 7.5/10

Overall: B+ (37/50)

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Weyerbacher Brewing Co. - Verboten

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 am  Tagged with: , ,

Looking Back – Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre

 Looking Back  No Responses »
Oct 102011
 

After getting the more negative reminiscing out of the way last week (starting last Monday), this week I will take a look back at a handful (or more) of beers that I have fond memories of or that I would really like to revisit.  It really didn’t take much time to pick out the ones for this week either.  I am sure that there are a few that I missed and that probably belong in one of these posts, but they will just be for another look back some other time.

I am going to kick of the week with a beer that I often think of as one of the beers that opened my eyes a bit wider to the world of craft beer.  It wasn’t the only one and not necessarily my favorite of the beers I tried early on, but for some reason I remember it and where I bought it after first moving to Florida.

I am pretty certain that I have not had this beer since doing this review quite a long time ago.  Maybe it is time to pick up a six-pack just because.  Click on the photo below to see what I thought of it on that day . . .

4069345762 b50ce42377 Looking Back Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre

 Posted by Lucas at 10:00 am  Tagged with: , ,
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