#267: Allagash Brewing » Victor (Belgian Strong Ale)

Allagash Brewing » Victor (Belgian Strong Ale brewed with Cabernet Franc grapes)
ABV: 9.0% | Rating: 8.9

Allagash was one of those beers that I started getting into when I first was getting into craft beer... but then they dropped out of distributing in Upstate NY. Over the last few years, I've always grabbed a bottle of White or Black when I can find them, even scoring a bottle of 2012 Interlude that I'll be cracking into shortly. Luckily enough, some friends from NYC gifted me this bottle of Victor, for my birthday. Low and behold, two weeks later Allagash is back in Upstate and the fridge is filling up.

Victor, the Cabernet Franc counterpart to their Chardonnay-brewed Victoria, pours up with a copper, bubbly body, crowned with a thick, lacy ivory head. A highly aromatic nose, blooming red grape, pepper, and yeast notes.

On to the palate, this beer is quite elegant. Sweet, soft grape and grape skin flavors are abundant, flirting with notes of caramel and even white pepper. Incredibly easy drinking for a 9% - honestly drinks like a session beer, but with far more complexity of course.

Victor inspires thoughts of a more demure cousin to Dogfish Head's hybrid gallery - mildy yeasty, that's tastefully tart and spicy.

In addition to this being a solid brew, it benefits the St. Lawrence Arts Center, through the not-for-profit group which is renovating the granite and slate church the center calls home.

Good beer with a good cause. What's not to like?

#260: 21st Amendment Brewery » Monk's Blood (Belgian Strong Ale)

21st Amendment Brewery » Monk's Blood (Belgian Strong Ale)
ABV: 8.3% | IBUs: 34 | Rating: 9.2

Time to talk about a couple 21st Amendment seasonals. This brewery consistently issues some of the best artwork in the industry - boxes & cans alike. Monk's Blood is no exception, with a detailed yarn of the founders as rebellious monks. Humorous and worth a read, but the beer itself is no joke (ouch...).

The real story finds Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan traveling to Belgium, inspired by monks hardy, fasting beers, resulting in a stellar brew packed with candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and figs all aged in oak.

This hefty brew rolls out with a big, fruity Belgian noise. Notes of fig are present, but they're not particularly sticky. Earthy aromas sneak in as well beside sweet hay, dried fruit - especially cherries, and a hint of vanilla; all augmenting a lively brown body of beer with fluffy brown head perched on top.

Past the eyes and nose, this one is a real treat for the palate. Lively carbonation and a medium-light body leads this one easy down at first, followed by a wave of spices, oak, and sweet vanilla flavors.

Dynamic, complex, and aromatic in it's flavors, this strong Belgian-style has wispy flips of sweet candied sugar and fig harboring deeper tones of earth, mild booze, and wonderful blooming esters.

Overall, Monk's Blood is a damn good beer and fully recommended.

#236: Bottle Share: Dogfish Aprihop, Freigeist Pimock, Pinkus Münster Alt, Tripel Karmeliet, Valeir Divers

Friends, good beer, and a bit of Adventure Time and a Michael Jackson, wtf $30M music video - wait what? Let's focus on the beer...

Dogfish Head » Aprihop (Fruit Beer) ABV: 7.0% | Rating: 9/10
Great place to start. It's delightfully light, hoppy with a touch of apricots throughout, finished with a pleasant, lingering bitterness. Nice mid-level ABV for a fruit beer too.

Braustelle » Freigeist Pimock (Hefeweizen) ABV: 5.3% | Rating: 8.5/10
This Weizen serves up with a lacy white head over a deep, caramel color body - akin to apple cider. Pimock goes down incredibly smooth with noses of apple, wheat, and yeast with a mild Euro pilsner bitterness and faint lemon notes. Not particularly malty or hoppy, just damn tasty take on an old-school style.

Brauerei Pinkus Mueller » Organic Münster Alt (Altbier) ABV: 5.1 | Rating: 9.1/10
Floral flavors kick this one off, followed by a mineral notes and mild yeast. Tiny, prickly carbonation and transparent body keep this one quite clean tasting along with herbal hoppiness and mild malt sweetness. A solid, classic brew for a hot day that wraps up with a touch of lemon in a mildly dry finish. Recommended for those looking for a break from the bombast of American craft style without sacrificing quality and complexity.

Brouwerij Bosteels » Tripel Karmeliet (Tripel) ABV: 8.4% | Rating: 9.5/10
A wonderfully inviting, peppery-banana nose plumes out into delightfully robust flavors of white pepper, spicy esters, and tasty fruit notes of mango and other tropical varieties. A sturdy, 3-grain body of barley, wheat, oat keeps this one strong the whole way through. Incredibly well-balanced, elegant and generous on the impact.

Brouwerij Contreras » Valeir Divers (Belgian Strong) ABV: 8.5% | Rating: 8.9/10
Introducing itself with a fragrant Belgian notes with hints of pear, Valier bursts onto our palates with lively carbonation. A beautiful bouquet of yeasts and cardamon showcase the first stip, sealed in a wonderfully dry finish. Lasting fruity, spicy notes linger long after the final sip - a great finisher.

#227: Hopshire Farm & Brewery » Sympathy (Belgian Strong), Hamlet of Varna (Session IPA), Zingabeer (Belgian Pale w/ Ginger)

This past Saturday afternoon was particularly perfect weather-wise. A great day for a mid-paced flyer postering stroll around The Commons downtown, then palling up to Hopshire Farm & Brewery, having heard about their new Belgian Strong Golden Ale.

As usual, the place was hopping. We ran into several friends at the brewery, one of which had just finished up a run. His routines is a run to Hopshire to meet up with his sister for a glass. I have to say, if beer was at the finish line, I might run more.

Sympathy (Belgian Strong Golden Ale) ABV: 7.9% | IBUs: 25 | Rating: 9/10
This Belgian-style Golden kicks off with a fantastic aroma of banana, mild golden raisin, and smooth yeasts emitting from a hazy, golden body.

Down the hatch, intriguing flavors burst across the palate. An excellent use of Saaz hops for striking subtleties of herbal and spice notes, expertly balanced against always stunning Trappist yeasts.

Firm, pleasant booze notes and heat and strong esters charge out of the gate, followed by soft malt sweetness, mild mineralness, and event faint notes of pineapple; all wrapped up with a mild dry finish and plentiful Belgian spice.

Overall, a wonderful showcase of fruit flavor, Belgian yeast, and bold flavor.

Hamlet of Varna (Session IPA) ABV: 5.0% | IBUs: 45 | Rating: 8.7/10
In the surge of session IPAs over the last year, many have fallen short in the flavor spectrum, appearing as a merely mild, afterthought of a Pale Ale and a dull shadow of a true IPA.

But not here. Hopshire's Hamlet of Varna (a play on their Near Varna IPA) packs in west-coast Mosaic and Cascade hops and only light grains, Vienna & Pilsner malts for a burst of grassy hop and smooth grapefruit aromas, followed up by lively carbonation; deep, bitter hop flavors including dry pith, sharp grass and grapefruit notes, with a touch of minerals in the finish.

Overall a standout session IPA, which doesn't hold back on hop strength, instead holding the malt, and therefore gravity, in check, resulting in a drinkable, full-flavored brew.

Zingabeer (Belgian Pale Ale w/ Ginger) ABV: 8.0% | IBUs: 18 | Rating: 9.1/10
Again we're met with Vienna and Pilsner malts, but this time around it's a healthy dose of Belgian malts and Abbey yeast, alongside freshly grated local ginger from Good Life Farm which take center stage. Sign me up.

Mild, spicey aromas with wisps of malt introduce Hopshire's Zingabeer which breathe up from it's transparent, deep amber body.

This brew is particularly tasty, to put it simply. A perfect balance of the aforementioned showcased ingredients along with a touch of coriander.

Expertly balanced spicy ginger, smooth caramel, and crisp malts grace the palate. The 8% ABV is completely hidden behind beautiful Abbey yeast notes, and there's even a sweet, savory notes of cashew in there. All of that wrapped up with a dry finish and mouthfeel, that also presents a mild creaminess halfway through.

A dangerously drinkable, highly enjoyable, upper ABV summer brew.

#174: Ithaca Beer Co. » Excelsior! Anniversary Sixteen (Belgian Dark Ale)

Dark and mysterious for #16...

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew:  Excelsior! Anniversary Sixteen (Belgian Dark Ale)
Availability: Bottles, Draft (Limited)
ABV: 8.7%
Rating: 8.9/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? Ithaca Beer's Excelsior! series has really stuck a chord with me over the years. Their White Gold continues to be one of my favorite local releases and the Anniversary offerings have been deliciously consistent and drinkably unique.

Anniversary Sixteen hit shelves in early December (with a much-improved, more eye-catching label over previous Excelsior! releases) and I was quick to snatch up a bottle. The brew is a dark, Belgian inspired farmhouse ale brewed with local wildflower honey and a slew of quality malts and hops, including one of my '13 obsessions, Galaxy. Let's jump in.

The Beer? Sixteen pours out a deep, hazy cola color crowned with a fluffy, ivory head. A lightly roasted nose follows - dark, wet, and damp with slight sweet and fruit notes.

On first sip, I'm immediately aware of what IBC meant by "mysterious and complex". The flavor is captivating and a touch peculiar, starting off creamy, but finishing quite bright with a full, sticky mouthfeel and long mouth coat.

I initially pull vegetal flavors with tight, herbal notes and feel. There's a slight astringency, though not like a wild or sour ale. Additionally, there's a dark bitterness, that is more akin to high-end black tea or coffee.

Sixteen opens up further through, letting hints of citrus and dark fruit shine through along with honeycomb notes and a breath of sweet honey itself.

Overall Ithaca Beer delivers again with an adventurous and unique beer. A must-try for anyone seeking a complex brew that isn't easy to pin down to a specific style or flavor category. Again, kudos to the branding team for the new look.