#151: 21st Amendment Brewery » Fireside Chat (Winter Spiced Ale)

Winter by the Fireside...

The Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco, CA)
The Brew: Fireside Chat (Winter Spiced Ale)
Availability: Cans & draft (seasonal)
ABV: 7.9% | IBUs: 45
Rating: 8/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? Now that it's past Thanksgiving and we've had our first winter storm advisory, I feel I can begin posting about winter seasonals. 21st Amendment's Fireside Chat was one spiced ale that stood out last year for me, but I was only able to grab one can of it, to my dismay.

With sleet, freezing rain, and snow barring down, depending where you were in town, it sounded like a good time for a night in with beers to warm us.

The Beer? Fireside Chat pours out with a deep, dark walnut body and off-white head. A big nose of allspice, clove, and nutmeg follows.

This winter warmer isn't holding back anything. The boldness of the aroma and appearance introduction continues through unabashed velvety mouthfeel and strong flavors of cinnamon and clove, closing with an arid finish. It's a bit sticky as well with subtle notes of molasses, herbs, and faint esters on the elongated finish.

Overall, not as sublime as I remember from last year, but a recommended holiday beer for sure. A great second or third beer in that will still pack a punch.

#131: Public Works Ale » Knuckle-Buster IPA

What once was lost...

The Brewery: Public Works Ale (Baltimore, MD)
The Brew: Knuckle-Buster IPA
Availability: Draft, Bottle (year-round)
ABV: 7.0% | IBUs: 45
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home
Found: The Wine Source (Baltimore, MD) via LVL UP

The Story? Better late than never. Knuckle-Buster was a fantastic, shot-in-the-dark find when I was down in Baltimore back in May when this blog was just starting up and was to be review #016 or something to that effect.

Two bottles of this luscious IPA were tucked far in the back of the fridge the night of  my band's tour kick off show. In the afternoon when I returned from work, I noticed two, empty Public Works bottles on the counter... one of the bands crashing had cracked into them late the night before. Admittedly, I was pretty irate at the time, but in the end, why stress over things you can't do anything about.

I figured I'd be back in Baltimore... next year? @#$&!

Fast forward six months and I'd helped book our friends LVL UP for a show at Cornell University that took place last weekend. They just so happen to be driving up from (you guessed it) Baltimore the night before. I hit them up, asking if they'd be kind enough to pick me up a sixer and they graciously did just that. Cheers to those guys! Hooray beer!

The Beer? Knuckle-Buster pours out amber and ultra-transparent with a finger of white, fizzy head that fades into a slim ring of lace. I deeply inhale and savor the ample, citrus nose. I've been looking forward to this for some time.

My tongue is met by with an incredibly smooth mouthfeel and smooth bitter flavors which sweeten out into hints of coconut and crisp malts. There's a touch of orange back there in the finish as well. Notes of citrus pith and rind find their way into the initial sip between pine and subtle resin just long enough to appreciate, before it concludes sweet and smooth. Further in, a faint hop heat can be found tucked into that sublime finale.

It isn't as orange-citrus dominated in flavor as initially remember, but it's just as good.

This really is one of my favorite IPA finds of the spring. Knuckle-Buster is so crisp, clean, and drinkable, while still providing that American-IPA bitter punch. A well balanced, expertly crafted beer.

#069: New Belgium Brewing » Lips of Faith: La Folie (Flanders Oud Bruin)

A gift of mouth******* tartness...

The Brewery: New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, CO)
The Brew: Lips of Faith: La Folie (Flanders Oud Bruin)
Availability: Draft and bottles
ABV: 6.0%
Rating: 9.7/10
Location: Home

The Story? After a six-year hiatus, one of my favorite bands, Melt Banana put up their latest release for streaming last night. With a night in, I had a rare opportunity to just have a sit and listen to the new album straight through. I needed a brew wild enough to keep up with the sonic chaos and knew just the thing...

I picked this one up in Baltimore, after regretting to do so when I was in Chicago.  La Folie is New Belgium's original wood-conditioned beer, fermented in French Oak barrels between one and three years before being bottled and is the brainchild of Peter Bouckaert - formerly of Rodenbach. With inspiration from their fabled sour red ale, La Folie emulates the spontaneous fermentation beers of Peter's beloved Flanders.

The Beer? La Folie is presents itself in an ominously opaque shade of dark brown with a touch of ruby, topped with a touch of laceless head, and accompanied by a potent nose of big, tart black fruits - cherry, black currant, and grape - and green apple.

This is a full-force Flanders, packing an astringently sour punch to the face. Incredibly tart, but with a quenching mouthfeel and finish. Big, juicy sour with no funk, earth, or barnyard involved. There's a distinct red wine and acetic nature to it as well. Perfectly complimenting, mid-level carbonation.

The whole way through, it's huge green apple sour flavors, in the direction of sour candies and soda, with elements of cherry and raspberry and subtle oak in the background. One of those flavors that I want to keep tasting and tasting.

Overall, a must-have for any sour fan. I'd put this up there with Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L'Ancienne as one of my favorites and a perfect dark, sour brown counterpart to that master brew.

#068: Stillwater Artisanal Ales » Classique (Saison)

Baltimore's gypsy brewer's first can...

The Brewery: Stillwater Artisanal Ales (Baltimore, MD)
The Brew: Classique (Saison)
Availability: Cans
ABV: 4.5%
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? After visiting Of Love and Regret back in May, I'll try pretty much anything from Stillwater. This particular Saturday night, my partner and I just finished up seeing Laurie Anderson live for the second time (wow, just wow). With the event finished before 10PM, we basically had the whole night ahead of us. When we got to the car, it dawned on me our favorite candy store was still open for another five minutes. Beer time.

In a more session mood, we grabbed a 12-pack of Founders All Day IPA cans and a six-pack of Stillwater's first can offering, Classique, brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company.

The Beer? Lively head fills the glass and blooms a light, fruity nose. The head itself has a sweetness to it atop the hazy pale yellow brew.

My palate picks out a dry, bitterness to Classique, seemingly due to the rice, hinting and reminiscing to some dry sake I've partaken in. Ultra clean mouthfeel and minimal finish. Crisp malts, mild hops, along with hushed yeast and subtle kumquat backed by a prickly carbonation.

This one seemed a bit straight forward for Stillwater after two rounds poured into a glass. I came back around to this one a few nights later and decided to keep it in the can - and glad I did.

Out of the can there's a much more profound tartness, hint of funk, and zetsty green apple notes all which weren't there the first time around. Very interesting.

If you're looking for a creative, quenching, mildly tart session ale, drink this one out of the can!

#021: Maui Brewing Co. - CoCoNut Porter

In Ithaca, from Hawaii, via Baltimore... 

The Brewery: Maui Brewing Co. (Lahaina, HI)
The Brew: CoCoNut Porter (American Porter)
Availability: Cans
ABV: 6.0% | IBUs: 30
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home (purchased in Baltimore)

The Story? As you may have read in earlier posts, a troup of us trekked down to Baltimore for Maryland Deathfest, which was fantastic as expected. On the way out of town, I still felt like I hadn't fully taken advantage of all the beer available in Maryland which is not distributed to upstate NY. I'd heard good things about The Wine Source. We entered and soon after, a four pack of cans with the phrase "CoCoNut Porter" caught my eye...

The Beer? Wow, everything! Milky, sweet, bitter, dark, chocolate, and smooth all at once. Topped with a touch of head and roasted coffee on the nose. This one really catches its stride just a few tastes in. Toasty and silky.

An excellent warm weather dark beer. Not too heavy, with lots to ponder up front and settling in through the can. The coconut sweetness is very well balanced - not as sweet as a milk stout, but more than your average bear. I mean beer.

#015: New Belgium Lips of Faith Series: Peach Porch Lounger

The final Baltimore Beer stop...

The Brewery: New Belgium
The Brew: Lips of Faith: Peach Porch Lounger
Availability: Draft and bottles (limited)
ABV: 9.4%
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Leinenkugel's Beer Garden (Baltimore)

The Story? New Belgium is another brewery that unfortunately does not grace us here in NYS. Their ever-growing "Lips of Faith" series of sours taunts me with every news post. Well, that's why we travel, right? To get beer we can get here. This being our final night in Baltimore, I was very pleased to stumble upon this as an option for my pallet.

My first foray into the series is on of their latest - the Peach Porch Lounger. A result of a musical collaboration with G-Love of G-Love and the Special Sauce.

The Beer? This brew is brewed with peach juice, molasses, hominy grits, lemon peel, pale and biscuit malts, and some Brettanomyces and I cannot wait to put it in my mouth.

Fruity, sour nose. Minimal head. Pleasant, juicy peach flavor, but not sweet. Subtle funk and sour notes throughout. I noticed late in that it's listed at 9.4%, which is absurd. Tasted like a 4% or so. Great job hiding that. This is a very unique and accessible beer. Deep and complex, but goes down without thinking. A must try for any sour fan or those curious to enter. The brett effect is quite mild, so calling it a "sour" might be extensive, but the notes are there. The peach balances it all out wonderfully.

High-gravity summer sour saison? Better believe it and better give it a try.

#014: Stillwater Artisanal Ales - Debauched, Debutante, Jaded, & Hardly Barreto

Baltimore Beer stop #2...

Sunday we stopped in for brunch before preparing our bodies for Sleep, Converge, Margrudergrind, and more at Maryland Deathfest. With another long day ahead, good food and good beer were again in order.

The Story? Gypsy brewer Brian Strumke has been traveling the globe for the last 3 years, brewing conceptual beers at various breweries, similar to how Mikkeller and Evil Twin operate  Most of their ales fall somewhere on the saison/farmhouse/Belgian spectrum, but with innovative and creative experiments with herbs, wild yeasts, and a variety of aging techniques and barrels. The result is an ever-growing resume of complex, world-class creations with an expert hand for balance and nuance.

Since Brian doesn't have a physical brewery and Maryland laws restrict many aspects of being able to sell beer at breweries, the beautifully named Of Love & Regret is the home of many draught and rare bottles from Stillwater to be consumed on premise (some for take-away as well). A wonderful interior and fabulous staff with gourmet selections for foodies and beer lovers alike.

Debauched (Brunello): Scandinavian Farmhouse Ale | 6.7% ABV
I jumped right in while waiting for my Roast Ribeye French Dip (which was as amazing as it sounds), with a 375 mL bottle of Stillwater's Debauched - a Scandinavian Farmhouse ale brewed with whole Juniper bushes, aged for months in Spanish Brunello barrels, then re-fermented with multiple strains of Brettanomyces. I couldn't pass this one up and glad I didn't...

Huge sour nose of funk and tart right off the bat. Nice fluffy head. Low carbonation. Cool and smooth. Not over powering and a great, high-quality sour to start with.

Wet up front with a sneaky dry finish. Several sips in, the tart blurs into funk. Incredibly complex without being overwhelming, like a low-carbonation Champagne. Hints of lemon throughout with a big wet mouthfeel that is easy down.

Towards the end of the bottle we're met with a string of earthy funk flavors and a long musty finish. Beautiful.

Débutante: Farmhouse Ale | 6.4% ABV
My first draught of brunch. I ordered this in part as my partner's twin sisters were having a débutante-themed 16th birthday party the following day, which we'd be missing because of the trip. The other reason is it sounded wonderful and I am going to make my way through everything this man brews at some point.

To start, there's a light air of honey on the nose. Dry, prickly carbonation on the tongue. Very delicately spiced and incredibly well-balanced taste. Subtle is the name of the game with this one.  Almost bitter. Mild funk and fruit rind with honey comb - not honey sweet. Tart wheat finish.

Jaded: Wheat Saison | 9% ABV
Brewed in collaboration with Urbain Coutteau of De Struise Brouwers, this chestnut colored wheat saison is finished with rose hips, violets and jasmine.

An herbal wake-up beer! Much more in-your-face than my previous two glasses. Bright for a second, then it darkens up with some big malts. The jasmine, violet, and rose hips are superbly blended and balanced. Floral coating of the tongue with a dry finish. Complex pepper and nutty elements throughout. For an experienced pallet.

Hardly Barreto: Farmhouse Ale with Brett. | (unknown ABV)
This one was a special surprise. Brewed for Max's Taphouse owner Casey Hart's wedding, this brew is the aforementioned Débutante plus Brettanomyces. Twist my arm.

Immediate tangy brett on the nose. Bright taste and lively carbonation. Light mouthfeel with a mild funk. A pleasantly light sour for a special occasion. Not released to the public.


Overall a top-notch experience. Knowledgeable, approachable staff. Quick service. Robust tap selection of Stillwater and other local brews and similarly minded imports. One of the best gastropubs I've been to and will undoubtedly be visiting again.

Wishlist: Heavy Seas - Holy Sheet

Heavy Seas third installment of their Uncharted Waters Series is Holy Sheet - a 9.0% ABV Belgian style abbey ale spent time in a brandy barrel. Their Siren Noire is hanging out at the house now. Looking forward to giving it a friend later this month (May 2013).