#034: Anchorage Brewing Co. - Galaxy (White IPA with Brett)

One of my favorite Brett beers...

The Brewery: Anchorage Brew Company
The Brew: Galaxy (White IPA bottled with Brett.)
Availability: Bottles
ABV: 7.0% | 50 IBUs
Rating: 9.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? Back in December, I was lucky enough to be invited to an annual beer tasting home party in Philadelphia through a friend. It was the best home tasting I'd been to by far and must have had $5,000+ in bottles, plus sever excellent home brews. Through many, many jovial conversations about and sharing of beers, I was introduced to Anchorage Brewing Co. - an brewery out of Anchorage, AK which bottles all of their beer with Brettanomyces. After their Galaxy White IPA and Lovebuzz Saison, I was hooked.

Only catch is that they don't distribute to NYS. Major bummer. So, several months of online watching and waiting I snagged two bottles the collection, waiting for the right opportunity to pop one open with friends...

But then, tragedy... one of the bottles exploded during the heat wave while I was on the road. Luckily, bottle #2 was well in tack and my partner and I decided better not wait to test the fates.

The Beer? Voluminous, lively white head which hangs around. Wonderful citrus nose with hints of spice. Cloudy, golden appearance.

On first sip, lively carbonation prickles the tongue. Very clean and dry with a nice bitter hop finish. Very elegant mouthfeel - top choice if you have champagne fan friends who are hesitant venturing into beer.

This beautiful White IPA is brewed with kumquat and peppercorns in addition to the Brett fermentation. The kumquat is very apparent in the bitterness. The Brett brings a dry, transparent nature - not so much on the juicy sour or funky or musty spectrum, but a thinned, rindy tartness. Delicate, but stands firm.

A few mouthfuls in, some more of the funky points of the Brett sneak in. The peppercorn is quite subtle and isn't as spicy as you may expect at first... but second glass in, the peppercorn spikes up and the kumquat becomes more present and robust. By dredge, some sweeter notes come into play.

One of my favorite Brett beers, though not quite as mind-blowing the second time around with all that anticipation, but I will buy this one again and again when I can get my hands on it again.

#033: The Owl House (Three Heads, Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck, Southern Tier, Ballast Point, Stone)

First night of tour...

Location: The Owl House (Rochester)

The Story? For the first night on the road with Mouth To Mouth To Mouth (after a tremendous kick-off in Ithaca the night before) I met up with my parents for a pre-show meal at one of my favorite restaurants in Rochester - The Owl House. One of my favorite semi-recent Rochester memories is when a group of friends and I spent about 5 hours in the upstairs, brunch to dinner, just hanging out, running through their entire tapline, and pretty much owning the place.

With a quick scan of their latest draught offerings, I realized I'd only had two of the thirteen brews on the list. Luckily, I found out that you can make a custom flight, though picking five our of 11 was still a tough call, but I was very please with the results...

The Beer?

Three Heads Brewing: Country Shwheat (Imperial Wheat Ale) | 7.6% ABV | 46 IBUs
Pretty sure this is my first Imperial Wheat. Not a many beers in this style on regular rotation. I've always enjoyed 3HB and this was no different.

Refreshingly hoppy. Prickly carbonation with a nice citrus throughout. Great flight starter.

Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.: Bacchus (Flanders Oud Bruin) | 4.5% ABV
Wonderful cherry tartness and very smooth. Beautiful, root beer/mahogany color. Subtle, delectably sweet finish. A quality Flanders.

Ballast Point: Victory At Sea (Imperial Porter) | 10.0% ABV
Wow!! Huge amount chocolate up front with a dry finish. Big, staying head. Tons of vanilla. Roasted coffee notes too. Wet up front with a lingering finish. Sweet and dry at the same time. An excellent, thick mouthfull meal of a beer. Picking this one up in bottles soon. We'll deserving of Beer Advocat Bros 100 rating.

Southern Tier: Inner Loop (Saison) | 5.0% ABV
Mmm... very interesting. Brewed exclusively for Rochester brew week and listed as a "Maple Saison" - this peaked my interest. Wet and a little tart. The maple is very mild. Mellow sweet and mild hop finish. Great session, summer, festival beer aimed at a broad audience. I ended up grabbing one of these at Bug Jar post-performance too.

Stone Brewing Co.: RuinTen (Double IPA) | 10.8% ABV
This one has been on the wishlist for a while...

BIG, balanced hops. Citrus and lemon way up front. Very nice malt too. A bit of floral hints peaking through the piney nature of this brew. Further through it gets boozy and drier.

I've since had this in bottles since and have to say it is a bit different, so be sure and try both if you get the chance!
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Overall, another wonderful Owl House experience. The Ballast Point Victory at Sea and Stone RuinTen took the best of the batch easily (both are really next-level beers to be honest), but a quality run that I would easily choose again.

#032: Ithaca Beer Co. - Wild Mamba (Belgian Black Ale) & Dark Mild (English Dark Mild)

Quick stop in for a gift turns into a couple quick tastings of draft-only ales...

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Wild Mamba (Belgian Black Ale)
Availability: Draft Only (5-Barrel Series)
ABV: 7.3%
Rating: 9/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Beer? Excellent. Juicy, dark Belgian glory right here. Brewed with honey and dark wheat. Definitely some wild stuff going on in here. Spices dancing with mild, dark sour notes. A dry finish with a bit of lemon - lemon grass, maybe? Subtle, sour dark fruits in the background - cherry for sure - along with nods to black tea and a Chai bitterness.

Very unique and one of the better Ithaca experiments in the new facility. Two thumbs up to put this in rotation!

The Brew: Dark Mild (English Dark Mild)
Availability: Draft Only (Cask Series)
ABV: 3.8%
Rating: 6.5/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Beer? Interesting session cask. As the name depicts, it's quite mild and with only 3.8%, we're really sticking to the English "Real Ale" tradition. Mild roasted flavor, mild hops, mild mouthfeel... hits the nail on the head on par with most of the real ales I put back in the UK last summer, but that's about it. Great after work, pre-dinner beer.

#031b: Canada Tour Brews (L'Alchimiste, Le Cheval, Alexander Keith's)

A few more pictures from time on the road in Canada...

Post show L'Alchimiste Bock De Joliette - a wonderfully malty Bock

Post show L'Alchimiste Blanche - Witbier

Closing out the night at Casa del Popolo with Le Cheval Blanc Blanche. 

A wonderfully refreshing Witbier.

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Picked up these two cans of Alexander Keith's for the show in Toronto. 

Single hop session tall-boys seemed like a good bet for my first Nova Scotian beers.

A bit underwhelming, but solid for a house show.

Found out later they're Anheuser–Busch InBev which explained a bit.

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I missed snapping a pic of St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale and Pale Ale. 

The McAuslan Abricot was quite nice...

#031a: Canada Tour Brews (Unibroue, Silversmith, Sawdust City, Amsterdam, Double Trouble, Cameron's, etc) at The Loose Moose (Toronto, ON)

When on tour, try new beer...

Location: The Loose Moose (Toronto, ON, Canada)

The Story? Anytime I'm visiting another city/state/country, I have to take a dip in the local cuisine and drafts. If I have beer enthusiast with me, the effect is amplified. Our touring guitarist (and co-headliner), Cameron Wisch is very much "into" beer, having brewed his own for some time now, even including them in releases such as Zona Mexican's "Washed Up IPA" and Sirs "IPA For An Answer".

After a bust at The Beer Store on the Dundas St. West and having been duped into visiting Steam Whistle Brewing (I'm sorry... you're an independent brewery and you brew one beer and its a generic pilsner?) on recommendation of a clerk at said Beer Store, we finally ventured around some construction and stumbled upon The Loose Moose.

Cameron, the rest of the band, and I quickly threw down orders off the craft-Canada section of the menu. Thank goodness for 3 oz. samples, otherwise I would have show up at the show in a wheel barrow.

The Beer? 
Round 1:

Silversmith Black Lager | 5% ABV | Niagara-on-the-Lake

Very Smooth and toasty. Light mouthfeel with a pleasantly lingering finish and nice coffee on the nose. A good start. Year-found offering from Silversmith (only one of two beers they brew).

Sawdust City Golden Beach Ale (Belgian Ale) | 4.5% ABV | Gravenhurst, ON

Mmmm! Tons of citrus on the nose. Lemony, low carbonation, light on the tongue and tummy, and lightly hopped. One of the best of the bunch. I would order this any time, especially summer. A uniquely citrus, unspiced, clean take on the Belgian style. 

Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA | 7.1% ABV | Toronto, ON

Different. An English influenced IPA for sure. Almost still and tastes good a bit warmer - but isn't on cask. Medium body. Unfiltered, Amarillo hops and 7 malts. Drinkable, but not in a throw-it-back kind of way. Hops come off a muted and the malts are mild. Very reminiscent of last summer in northern England. 

Double Trouble Hops & Robbers IPA | 5.7% ABV | 50 IBUs | Guelph, ON

Brighter than the Amsterdam, tasting more like a session IPA. Very quenching with hints of lemon. Crisp. 

Cameron's RPA (Rye Pale Ale) | 6.6% ABV | Oakville, ON

Now we're talking. This one starts blurring the British/American IPA line, with floral notes on the nose and more pungent American hops. Grapefruit and lingering hops on the tongue, while still smooth - not sharp. Toasty, pepper notes in the finish. One of the best Ontario craft beers I've run across so far. 

Round 2:

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly (Belgium-style Witbier) | 5.0% ABV | Chambly, QC

VERY clean. Hints of coriander peak through along with orange peel, pepper, and yeast. A classic wit. Dry on the finish and not sweet at all. I really need to remember to dig through this brewery further... 

Lake of Bays Spark House (Red Ale) | 5.0% ABV | Baysville, ON

Nice and bitter. Prickly carbonation with plenty of lemon & grapefruit hits through the hops. Solid. 

Junction Craft Brewing ESB | 5.0% ABV | Toronto, ON

Toasty, smooth, and very English. A bit of bitterness, but the finish smooths it all out. 

Highlander Brew Co. (Scotch Ale) - not pictured

Clean and malty. Very wet up front. Given on recommendation from the bartender as an "Uncivilized version of Innis & Gunn" - apt.


Overall, a pretty straight forward variety of independent beers with a couple very nice surprises - Sawdust City Golden Beach Ale & Cameron's RPA were the winners here. The bar itself was wonderful - good spacing and lighting and the 3 bartenders who hosted us were friendly, knowledgeable, and fun. Thumbs up. 

#030: Founders Curmudgeon (Old Ale)

This elusive Old Ale finally finds my pallet...

The Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.(Grand Rapids, MI)
The Brew: Curmudgeon (Old Ale)
Availability: Draft and bottles (Seasonal)
ABV: 9.8% | 50 IBUs
Rating: 9/10
Location: Blue Monk (Buffalo, NY)

The Story? I was on a bit of an old ale kick early in the year, coinciding with the pending seasonal release of Founders Curmudgeon - an old ale brewed with molasses, then oak-aged. As with any Founders seasonal, I waited with ample anticipation, but alas, the Curmudgeon season came and went and I missed out... or so I thought.

On tour, our crew decided to treat ourselves to excellent burgers and top-shelf brews at the lauded Blue Monk. Curmudgeon eased what would have been a tough decision amongst so many stellar ales.

The Beer? Aesthetically, we're met with a creamy head and caramel color, while bitter notes and alcoholic raisin waft through the nose.

Open wide and we have a powerfully smooth blend of strong malts, bitter hops, and boozy oak. The molasses is an excellent addition. Delightfully easy down. Raisin, brown sugar, a hint of earth, toffee, and oak could all appear on your taste-punch card, but all swimming together in harmony.

On paper, this old ale sounds like it would tip the sweet scale with such heavy emphasis on and plethora of malts - plus molasses - but instead, the excellent balance of hops and maturing, smoothing nature of oak-aging (a staple of all my favorite old ales and barelywines) combines to create a deceptively drinkable and deliciously balanced take on a classic style.

#029: Dogfish Head - Festina Pêche (Berliner Weisse)

Dogfish Head continue to innovate with their take on this classic German style...

The Brewery: Dogfish Head (Milton, DE)

The Brew: Festina Pêche (neo-Berliner Weisse)

Availability: 12 oz. bottles (4-Pack) & draft

ABV:  4.52% | IBUs: 08

Rating: 9.5/10

Location: Home

The Story? I've been on a bit of a peach beer kick since that Peach Porch Lounger I grabbed our last night in Baltimore. Sam Adam's Porch Rocker subdued a bit of the cravings, but I've still been hankering for a true peach quencher. With Dogfish Head's Festina Pêche back in season, I have my fix. 

The history of the Berliner Weisse harken back as early as the 16th century and was the most popular drink in Germany by the 1800s. Sadly, only 2 breweries in Berlin still produce its unique, namesake brew. Luckily, a mirade of American breweries have been taking their spin on it. 

The Beer? Very effervescent head that quickly fades. Minerally on the nose, with hints of the peach to come with some clean, tart notes. Pours a beautiful straw color. 

A truly sublime summer beer. Wonderful, refreshing mouthfeel with bubbly carbonation tickling the tongue. A bit of funk and plenty of smooth peaches on the finish of the first gulp.  Exactly what I've been looking for.

The peach is perfectly present and not sugary sweet. Instead, it's expertly blended to the Berliner Weisse's traditional acidic tartness. Delicate hops, quenching wetness, and the smooth pucker of lemon & green apple dance with sweet peach, fully interwoven into all aspects of this beer No need to add syrups to this BW, Dogfish Head flawlessly executed the balance. 

Overall, a dangerously drinkable, refreshing take on a classic, but at just 4.5% you'll probably be OK putting back a few. A new summer favorite hands down.

#028: Green Flash - Saison Diego (Saison / Farmhouse Ale)

One for the subtle ones...

The Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
The Brew: Saison Diego (Saison / Farmhouse Ale)
Availability: 12 oz. & 650 mL Bottles
ABV:  4.2% | IBUs: 20
Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? Green Flash's offering have peaked my interest for a while and Saison Diego was next up, in my attempt to make my way through their entire bottled line. After Le Freak, Pallet Wrecker, and Friendship Brew; this had high expectations.

Green Flash lists the beer as "Unfiltered golden farmhouse ale, brewed with Seville orange peels, Chinese ginger and grains of paradise. Light, bright, spicy aromas, lively carbonation and earthy flavors co-mingle with musty notes that add funky complexity" - a great number of those words, especially in the combination sound like tasty to me.

The Beer? Mmm... a nice Belgian noise with some mild funky/sour hints - sour dough bread, maybe?  Hazy yellow coloring with a medium head after the pour.

First sip - the ginger is very mellow and not spicy at all. More of the earthiness of the ginger is present than the usual spice. A mild, bright taste with perky carbonation. The orange peel is in there somewhere along with the grains of paradise. Hints of pepper, white bread, and yeast all dialed back with some funk in the back of the room.

Finishes with a bit more earthy, funk imprint at the end of the bottle, but never aggressive.

Overall, a very delicate beer. Not as attention grabbing as I had hoped, but good for those looking for subtle, mellow, and light.  Reminds me of the Game Of Thrones Blonde from Ommegang (another brew featuring grains of paradise) - neither is a disappointing beer by any stretch, but in they're both a bit mellow for their own good. Saison Diego has a lot of potential for wowing beauty with the citrus, ginger, funk, grains of paradise, and yeasts present, but none are present enough to lead the pack.

I'd be very interested in comments from anyone who seeks out more delicate beers such as this and their thoughts on the matter.

#027: He'Brew Funky Jewbelation #8 2013 (American Strong Ale)

One of the most complex aged blends I've ever encountered...

The Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (Brooklyn, NY)
The Brew: He'Brew Funky Jewbelation #8 2013 (American Strong Ale)
Availability: Bottles
ABV:  9.4% | IBUs: ?
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home

The Story? BeerStreetJournal put this one on my radar and it immediate went to the top 5 on my "Must Have" list for 2013. Why you ask? This beer is a blend of...

Jewbelation 15 (aged 7 and 10 months)
Origin Pomegranate Strong Ale (aged 11 months)
Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. (aged 12 months)
Messiah Nut Brown Ale (aged 6 months)
Coney Island Lager (aged 12 months)
Albino Python (aged 3 months)

After blending, 55% of the batch is aged in Bourbon Barrels and the remaining 45% is aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels. Obviously, this beer will be intense... but will it work?

The Beer? Wow, I can smell this beer from the table! Booze and huge malts on the nose. Fruity too - bright with a hint of citrus.

This one is a sipper. Earthy, delicious sourness with raisin and sour apple notes. Very sweet. The Origin Pomegranate is very present, giving the beer a juicy mouthfeel. The Albino Python heaves the finish with a touch of dry spice.

Halfway through it starts to pick up strong notes akin to a winter/holiday warmer. Carrying on, bold tartness of cherry, molassas and bourbon continue to swell - even going so far as to pick up nose characteristics of Bourbon County. The final dredge brings peaks of the Rye Whiskey with sweet Bourbon finish.

Overall, a strikingly bold, adventurous beer. A rewarding experience for the price. Recommended.

#026: Ass Kisser - Porter Pounder (Smoked Porter)

Nothing but mature, distinguished brews on this blog...

The Brewery: Ass Kisser (San Jose, CA)
The Brew: Porter Pounder (Smoked Porter)
Availability: 22 oz. Bottles
ABV:  8% | IBUs: 36
Rating: 7.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? A close friend of mine brought this one back from Florida for movie night with Final Flesh (recommended if you're into amateur, semi-surreal, post/pre-apocalyptic, digital film WTF).

The Beer? Wet & smokey with zero head. Coffee and mocha flavors sneak in after a few sips. Relatively complex, but not over powering. Easy, smooth mouthfeel with a dry, lingering finish in the end.

One of the less intense smoked porters I've encountered and far more drinkable than most, but leaves it a little thin in places.

#025: Avery - duganA (Double IPA)

Avery's once a year Double IPA...

The Brewery: Avery Brewing (Boulder, CO)
The Brew: duganA (Double IPA)
Availability: Bottles (Ltd. release in Sept.)
ABV:  8.5% | IBUs: 93
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home

The Story? Avery (similar to the Left Hand story) is another Colorado brewery that, for whatever reason, isn't readily available in Upstate NY, despite having distribution to Downstate. For months, I eyed such gems as Samael's, The Beast, Hog Heaven, and Maharaja... only to find my gun-shy had cost me my shot at these wonderful brews. Fast forward and our favorite local beverage center pulled a haul up from the City - glory be! Six packs of White Rascal, IPA, Ellies Brown, and Joe's Pils make it into my basket along with Hog Heaven. On the return home, I couldn't help thinking about the beautiful looking IPA I'd passed up - it wasn't the Maharaja I'd been looking for, but why did I pass?

A bit of reading later, finding the duganA I'd passed by is in fact their September-only release with Chinook, Centennial and Columbus hops and Two-row barley, dark aromatic and caramel malt... next trip I was quite thankful to find a bottle sitting in wait.

I passed on my good fortune to my partner Mel and the one and only Cameron Wisch (drummer extraordinaire and soon-to-be guitarist tourmate).

The Beer? Smooth, sticky, and hoppy right off the bat. A beautiful hop experience of pine and resin. The brew beings relatively smooth, but the IBUs really start to creep up on this one, gradually building to a tongue drying finish while brightening a bit as well. 8.5% feels perfect as it never gets too boozy, but instead gives this IPA some serious heft behind it and a nice sweetness.

Overall an excellent big IPA with a high-medium hop bitterness. Recommended.

#024: He'Brew - Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. (Rye/Double IPA)

Blast from my past blasts my pallet once more...

The Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (Brooklyn, NY)
The Brew: He'Brew - Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. (Double IPA)
Availability: Bottles / Draft
ABV:  10% | IBUs: ?
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home

The Story? I first encountered this one as a birthday present a few years back and was totally blown away.  Would it hold up to this glorious memory? Re-reading its bombastic malt list (2-row, Rye Ale Malt, Torrified Rye, Crystal Rye 75, Crystal Malt 80, Wheat, Kiln Amber, CaraMunich 60) and equally preposterous amount and variety of hops (Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial. Dry Hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Crystal) I knew I was in for an adventure if nothing else.

Technically listed as a Double IPA... but that's not going to cover what is about to go into / happen to your mouth.

The Beer? BIG BEER ALERT. Thick, piney, and full of resin. Almost no head (pic taken seconds after full pour). Cloudy, almost opaque appearance. Very wet with a roasted finish and tons of hops.

OK, big is an understatement, this beer is huge and boozy. A malt and hop orgy swirling with flavors of rye, scotch, potent tea, caramel - maybe honey event? Akin to a massively hopped barley wine - but still smooth, especially for the ABV on this beast.

Another amazing beer in the He'Brew series - bold, boozy and worth the moderate 4-pack price. Fully fragrant and a wonderful experience for malt and hop lovers alike.

#023: Brouwerij Boon - Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait

Geuze... Gueuze... Geysa...?

The Brewery: Brouwerij Boon (Belgium)
The Brew: Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait (Gueuze)
Availability: Bottles
ABV:  8.0%
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? When I dove head first into sours, the Gueuze style immediately peaked my interest. I'd been familiar and loving lambics even before considering myself a beer drinker and a multi-year aged lambic with intense sour and funk notes sounded right up my alley. Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L'Ancienne from Gueuzerie Tilquin immediately made it to the top of my favorite beers list and I've been aiming to work my way through whatever quality Gueuze's I can get my hands on... and still wrap my wallet around. This one from Brouwerij Boon caught my eye while at Nathaniel Square Corner Store in Rochester.

The Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parf consists of 95% mild lambic, aged at least three years and specially reserved for this purpose, and 5% young lambic.

The Beer? Wow! Tart and musty. Earthy and a little metallic. Medium body and nice head to show off. Grass, a bit on the lemon side of things, but not as puckery as the aforementioned Gueuzerie Tilquin - which is a 1, 2, and 3 year lambic blended and aged by comparison.

Second glass is hits it's stride, heading in the direction of smooth orange juice... funked of course. With such a high percentage of this Gueuze being the 3 year aged, the funk is the focus on this one. I'm very interested to see how this would age for another year.

A wonderful beer, but but if you're looking for puckered, lemony fruit, you'll want to look elsewhere. This one is for the funky, earthy, yeasty fans out there.

Compared to your general craft beer and Belgian lot, this gets a 9+, but compared with other Gueuze, it didn't quite cross into the "mind blowing" rank, hence the 8.5. High expectations and solid return.