After thinking about it very briefly I realize that I have already forgotten the beer related goals that I set for myself this year.  That did not take very long.

The last bit of beer news for January . . .

• We are far enough into the year that it is time to stop looking back at what happened in the world of beer during 2011 and start seriously looking ahead to what will be another awesome year of beer.  I enjoyed reading 8 opinions from the Mid-Atlantic area even though I do not live in the area.
• A good article, but it mostly just makes me miss the beers from them that I cannot get down here.  Not that I don’t want an excuse to get to the Pac NW again.
• I have been hearing that this was where the brewery was going to land for weeks and weeks, but they have finally made it official.  After checking that out take a look at how some of it was conveyed on Twitter.
• One of the cool things in the craft beer world is the camaraderie among many of the brewers and breweries.  I am just glad that in this case means my supply of hoppy awesomeness will continue mostly uninterrupted.
• Just the other day I said that I thought their new seasonal would be great for summer instead of spring, but I am glad that they do not stand still and continue to tweak the family of beers they release.
• Not knowing the guy I only have what others are saying to give me an impression of the man he was.  That impression is very good.
• I am interested in trying this one more so because of the strawberries rather than the gluten-free aspect.  Also the sooner the rerelease of “Sucks” the better!
• Always hearing how great the water is there should mean that the beer from there has a really good base to start from.
• Crowd-sourcing a beer should bring some fairly interesting results.
• The concept seem to have worked enough to continue to expand upon it, but my biggest surprise is how cheap the beer is considering the prices of the coffee there.
• “Brewing beer is becoming an extremely popular endeavor.”  Shocking statement.
• Just trying to keep you aware of your beer options if traveling to the Czech Republic is something that you are considering in the future.
• Ambitious goals for 2012?  I would say planning for 20 new releases would qualify.

via http://flyingdogales.com

After pulling a bottle from the pile a few days ago, it seems that the week will be a Stone beer week and that is the way I will close the year of beer reviews.  Still today writing this I think that I had this beer on draft at some point, but I cannot find any notes on it to prove that I did.  Also I have never noticed the other version of this bottle that has the beer named “Cali-België IPA” as my bottle said it was a 50/50 split of the two types of bottle hitting the market.  I am sure that the product in the two different bottles tastes the same though.

Closing out the year . . .

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)

Name: Cali-Belgique IPA

Style: Specialty Beer (as a Belgian-style IPA)

ABV: 6.90% (on bottle)

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

Aroma: An even balance of fruity and floral in the hop profile with an underlying sweetness that is a bit honey-like.  Soft overall in that there are no hard/harsh edges to the aroma.  – 8.5/12

Appearance: Brilliant golden orange in color.  One finger off-white head that is frothy and holds for just a bit before leaving nice lacing on the glass.  Quite bright and clear with lots of tiny rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: A light sweetness at first with a hint of floral character that is quickly followed by a pretty sharp bitterness.  Maybe a bit of spiciness in there as well.  Finishes a bit dry with the bitterness lingering for a little while. – 11/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a moderate to high level of carbonation.  Somewhat smooth but finishing with some astringency and also the carbonation adding some bite. – 3.5/5

Overall Impressions: The aroma is more pleasant that the flavor (almost as if aroma belongs to another beer).  The bitterness dominates though it does balance out some and become more smooth as it warms.  I tried to get more out of the flavor for a description, but after two sips the bitterness overwhelmed my palate.  Not as good as I was hoping it would be and I don’t feel a great need to have it again. – 6.5/10

Overall: B- (32.5/50)

Stone Brewing Co. - Cali-Belgique IPA

As I made mention of yesterday I really don’t know why I have held onto some of the beer that has accumulated in my office.  It is not as if I had a plan going in or that I have been looking for rare beers to keep and age for a while.  So over the weekend I grabbed a few from that collection to throw in the fridge and I hope to keep doing the same to make some room other things.  Maybe even some new beers.

This was one from that pile . . .

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)

Name: Vertical Epic 10-10-10

Style: Specialty Beer (via a Belgian Tripel)

ABV: 9.50% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge (after hanging out on the floor of my office for many, many months) before being served in a stemmed goblet.

Aroma: A bold floral sweetness that has a wine-like quality to it as well as a bit of an herbal note and a slight sharpness.  Not very strong, but quite enjoyable.  – 10/12

Appearance: Honey-like golden orange color.  Very slight off-white head that dissipates very quickly without leaving a trail on the glass.  Clear with a few rising bubbles visible. – 2/3

Flavor: A good sweetness up front with a floral/herbal character then a very enjoyable bitterness from middle to finish.  Nicely balanced with a smooth grapey fruit profile throughout.  The finish has some dryness with a nicely lingering fruity sweetness. – 16.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a fairly high level of carbonation.  Very smooth on the palate with a lot of sugary sweetness. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Offhand I cannot compare it to a specific variety of white wine, but it certainly has a white wine-like character.  A nicely complex beer and perhaps now even more so than when it was fresh.  Maybe I could have held onto it for longer, but I didn’t see any need without having the others along with it.  A very nice and enjoyable beer (even if it does not taste very beer like in many ways). – 8/10

Overall: A- (40.5/50)

Stone Brewing Co. - Vertical Epic 10-10-10

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)

Stone Brewing Co. - Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout

Not until I sat down to write this post did I realize how many of these stories involved places I have interest in traveling to or, in one case, a place that I will be in the near future.  As often happens, I must thank The Wife and The Mother-in-law for passing along some interesting items this week.

A fair amount from overseas . . . .

• The news continues to be the same in regard to beer consumption in the United States.  Over the last year beer sales overall are down while craft sales continued to improve and import sales turned in a positive direction.
• After reading the first story and knowing the sectors that have declined the most over the last year it should be no surprise what beers Americans are no longer drinking in the same volume that they once were.
• Maybe if we started taking beer baths here we could boost beers sales a bit.
• Being mostly unplugged as far as watching live television goes I missed all of the commercials that are referenced in this article, but it was interesting to read about how the public reacted to them all.
• Since I will  be visiting this bar in a few weeks initially I was glad not to be there during the Stone event since I don’t want to travel that far just to drink beer that I can already get here, but after reading a little more about it I think it would be a really cool event to be at.
• In my mind I have thought from the beginning that they would end up in Virginia instead of Tennessee, but either way they decide to go it will be quite some time before we are seeing fresh beer from them on the east coast.
• In strange news of the week I find out that I better be careful of how I display my home brewing equipment to my neighbors.
• If you are wondering what you have to do to have a beer with President Obama, I will just say that most people don’t have it in them to do what this guy did to get there.
• I had no plans to travel to Russia anytime soon, but maybe I should try to get a trip in before 2013 so I can still enjoy the beer free-for-all before the new laws take over.
• When the oldest brewery in the world decides to release a new beer, I decide to pay attention and look to get a taste of it as soon as I can.
• Germany and more specifically Bavaria is on the (incredibly long) list of places I would like to travel to, but I am not sure that I have an Oktoberfest visit in me.  If I do I will need all of the pointers I can get to ensure survival.

via http://www.oktoberfest.de