#204: Vintage » Dogfish Head 120 (2007), Dogfish Head Midas Touch (2007), Stone Old Guardian (2008), Ithaca Beer Old Habit (2013)

This weekend ended up being inadvertently full of delicious, aged beer. From Fingerlakes Beverage Center taping Stone Brewing's 2008 Old Guardian, to two of our close friends sharing two bottles from their 2007 visit to Dogfish Head, and one of two bottles of Ithaca's Old Habit released last May.

Dogfish Head » Midas Touch - 2007 (Hybrid) | ABV: 9.0% | IBU: 12 |
Now a year-round offering, this classic Ancient Series offering is brewed with barley, white Muscat grapes, honey and saffron. After 8 years, it mellowed considerably. A calm, wine-like nose followed by flavors heading into the honey-liquor spectrum. Smooth, distinct honey sweetness coupled with notes of apple juice and fruit cocktail. I'm definitely going to age one of these myself... wonderful for a cold night in.

Dogfish Head » 120 Minute IPA - 2007 (Imperial IPA) | ABV: 15-20% | IBU: 120 |
Next up from the share box is DFH's top tier from their lauded, 'Minute' IPA series (denoting the length of the boil time of the wort in which the hops are continuously added). Normally an IPA is the last thing you're going to cellar, but with a monstrous ABV and IBU ranking, this one needs some time.

This 2007 120 pours up murky, with a huge super-boozed nose. The hops have lost most of their bitterness, but the strong hop heat remains. This is a strong ale in all sense of the word. Beautifully chewy, there's firm notes of raisin, burnt caramel, with a sweet spice to it, in the direction of cinnamon candy. Wow!

Stone Brewing » Old Guardian - 2007 (Barleywine) | ABV:  11.26% |
On Friday, I went in for a session beer and came out with the opposite. Fingerlakes Beverage Center has a handful of Barelywines aging, so I'm always intrigued as to what they'll pull out next.

This '08 is smooth at first. It's still decently carbonated for being 6 years old. The flavors build on eachother wonderfully, with a soft, rising heat without being as boozy as expected. Strong, bright citrus and tropical flavors blending with candi sugars with a big nose full of raisin auromas, which surprisingly don't make their way into the flavor spectrum. I could see this aging even longer.

Ithaca Beer Co. » Old Habit - 2013 (Rye Beer) | ABV: 9.0%
The youngest of the batch, Old Habit is brewed with four different rye malts and fresh centennial and crystal hops, then partly fermented in Rye Whiskey barrels.

It's by far the most pungent of the group, with sharp flavors, mildly reminding me of an Indian spice soda I once procured. Thick, chewy mouthfeel and a dark, ruby brown; this brew is packed with whiskey, oak, vanilla, and acrid fruits and nuts. A solid sipper, I'm looking forward to where the last bottle of this goes in the next few years.

Coming Soon... (Florida Haul)

#147: Shmaltz Brewing Co. » He'Brew - Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. on Rye

8 malts and 7 hops aged on Rye...

The Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (Brooklyn, NY)
The Brew: He'Brew - Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. on Rye
Availability: Bottles
ABV:  10% | IBUs: ?
Rating:  9.2/10
Location: Home
Found: Nathaniel Square Corner Store

The Story? Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. is one of my favorite offerings from Shmaltz, who offer two variations, a Rye barrel-aged variation and St. Lenny's Belgian-style. The origianal is a fantastic palate-blaster, let's see what some time and rye do do this one.

We missed getting this one in Ithaca to the best of my knowledge, so I was stoked to pick this up passing through in Rochester.

The Beer? Huge rye aromas augmented by strong raisin notes plume from the glass even before the pour is completed. This barrel aged RIPA settles still, murky brown with just a touch of lace.

The taste? Delicious. Big malts dominate where the intense hop bitterness has softened from the non-barrel version. Loads of raisin flavors are prominent alongside smooth whiskey, rye toast, caramel, and burnt sugar. A distinctive sweetness builds with firm notes of honey, fruitcake, and fig. The mouthfeel is thick and full-bodied, but never syrupy sweet.

Overall, an excellent variation. While the hoppy, manic bitterness of the original all reserved and rolled off, R.I.P.A. on Rye still packs a hell of a punch with big malts and booziness.