#299: Terrapin Beer Co » Wake 'N' Bake (Coffee Oatmeal Stout)

Terrapin Beer Co » Wake 'N' Bake (Coffee Oatmeal Stout) | ABV: 9.4%
This 10th edition of W-n-B pours up a viscous jet black with minimal head, breathing out a firm cold brew coffee nose. This big, bold brew coats the palate with deep roasted coffee flavors with a touch of syrup notes, faint red fruits and smoke. Packed with amazing character that's thick and warming enough it could be medicinal, Wake 'N' Bake is a noteworthy brew and one of the best coffee stouts around.

#276: Crooked Stave » St. Bretta (Winter)

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project » St. Bretta Citrus Wildbeer (Winter)
ABV: 6.8% | Rating: 9.5/10

After a successful week of recording, wrapping up the initial legwork of booking for Big Day In and a four evening fest around the Ithaca International Film Fest, I was in the mood for something special. Shortly after grabbing  and uncapping this winter edition of St. Bretta from the beer fridge, it was immediately apparent I'd made the proper selection.

This 100% Brettanomyces wild bursts out of the gate with a fruity, funky nose. Ripe, fresh berries slam with orange, must, and that unmistakable Brett aroma. There's even a hint of green apple.

After several enticing whiffs, my palate is struck by incredible, piercing flavors of tart grape and kumquat. This winter edition is incredibly sparking and bright for a dark beer.

Robust sour cherry and big green apple notes rise further through along with shy notes of lemom and a lively, dry finish. A hands-down, goddamn great beer and a must find for another round.

#251: Ithaca Beer Co. » Cascazilla (Cask on Cherries & Wood) & New Scout (Barrel-aged Dark Beer)

Our Albany/Schenectady pals Grady Stiles were on their last tour this past week; Ithaca being the final stop. When their Thursday night Rochester gig fell through, we figured we'd make the most of it with gorges & beer.

The tapline was full of seasonals, 5-Barrels, and old favorites were on tap, including White Gold, Old Scout, Intensify Forward Firepower, Country Pumpkin & others above, plus their latest cask offering, their mighty Cascazilla on oak & cherries.

This Cascazilla variation works well on cask - cloud-like soft carbonation floating dark cherry notes which peak through, dry, hoppy goodness. English-style malt/hop balance with a growing dryness and dark fruit wisps of sweet, tart, and earth.

Sipping through samples of their latest 5-Barrel offerings, it was a tough call between their Intensify Forward Firepower (packed with hops, rye, and booze - very tasty) and their barrel-aged New Scout. In the end.. barrels win.

New Scout is fine, dark brew goodness with plenty of deep, roasted malt flavor and distinct oak notes. A drinkable, no-nonsense summer dark beer that's plenty roasted with a touch of smoke.

#221: Brewery Ommegang » Adoration Ale (Belgian Strong Ale)

Winter cherishing...

The Brewery: Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)
The Brew:  Adoration Ale (Belgian Strong Ale)
Availability:  Bottles, draft (Seasonal, Limited)
ABV: 10.0%
Rating: 9.2/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

Looks like this one got a write-up this winter, but never made it to the blog. I was on a single-bottle kick early in the winter, wanting to pack as much various flavors into our limited space as possible (now no longer an issue with the a dedicated beer fridge!).

While Ommegang has become a pinnacle of Upstate New York brewing, I can be a bit hot / cold with their releases. I either love them or am underwhelmed. I recalled enjoying Adoration from a case a group of friends picked up for me a few years back, but hadn't seen the limited ale in a while, so I snagged a bottle to see if my palate still concurred.

Adoration starts off with a malty, spiced nose with hints of juicy orange. A deep amber body topped with fizzy, off-white head adds to the dignified setting.

The taste is beautiful and elegant - not too carbonated, perfectly malty, backed by a wonderful blend of spices. Smooth orange and tangerine flavors are augmented amidst a plethora of spices - mace, coriander, grains of paridice. It's sweet, a little sticky, and fairly wet. I'd love to see how this one ages.

Overall, a fantastic winter alternative to the tired all-spiced ales, that is beautifully boozy and smooth.

#220: Evil Twin Brewing » Imperial Biscotti Break Natale - Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top (Imperial Porter)

The Sweetness...

The Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing (Denmark)
The Brew: Imperial Biscotti Break Natale - Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top (Porter)
Availability: Draft and 22 oz. bottles
ABV: 11.5%
Rating: 9.1/10
Location: Home
Found: (Gift!)

My partner was gifted this sweet beast by her sister and hubby (owners of The Enchanted Badger) back in March. After a somewhat bitter day, we figured this would be some sweet reprieve. While I haven't yet enjoyed the standard Imperial Biscotti Break, we did crack into an Imperial Doughnut Break early this year.

Visually, it's pretty standard imperial porter affair, but get within inches of the glass and your nose is met with amazing aromas - it's sweet and tart, with a definitive zing of cherry and soft roasted coffee. There's something else in there as well that I can't quite put my finger on.

My palate is quickly met with a creamy, sultry mouthfeel and mellow chocolate notes. Mild, juicy, and somewhat tart cherry flavors provide a bold taste experience. A tasty, desert inspired brew that's slightly silky, supported by lively, but not prickly, carbonation, and pleasant growing esters further through.

Overall, a wonderful beer from wonderful people - sweet sugars fall into smooth dark bitterness. Yum.

#206: Jack's Abby Brewing » Smoke & Dagger (Nitro)

Jack rides the line between a schwarzbier and smoked porter...

The Brewery: Jack's Abby (Farmington, MA)
The Brew: Mass Rising (Double IPL)
Availability: Bottles/Draft (Year-Round)
ABV: 5.8%| IBUs: 24
Rating: 8.7/10
Found: Ithaca Coffee Company (Gateway Commons)

After a solid, eventful, and productive week, I figured I'd treat myself to a pint on the way home from the day job. I had my eye on Sierra Nevada's Ovila on draft, but alas, it kicked literally the glass before mine.

Jack's has never done me wrong, I'd I've heard great things about Smoke & Dagger and it was on Nitro, so figured like a good runner up.

Smoke & Dagger pours up almost jet black, just slightly more on the deep brown spectrum, topped with ivory head. Down the hatch, it's really wonderful. Silky smooth with a smoke and faintly spiced finish. It's toasty with a touch of what I want to say is cinnamon.

Bold notes of malt, chocolate, coffee and undeniable smoke continue to build on this meal of a beer. The flavors have some serious staying power but still remain refreshing and well balanced.

The Nitro is a nice touch for such a dark, silky lager. Jack's continues to innovate and revitalize lagers at the same time.

#192: Evil Twin Brewing » Imperial Doughnut Break (Porter)

"...we topped it off with insane amounts of doughnuts."

The Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing (Denmark)
The Brew: Imperial Doughnut Break (Imperial Porter)
Availability: Draft and 22 oz. bottles
ABV: 11.5%
Rating: 8.8/10
Location: Home
Found: Fingerlakes Beverage Center

The Story? As soon as I heard about Imperial Doughnut Break, I knew I had to find it. While doughnut beers haven't always been homeruns (Rogue... I'm looking at you), I trust putting just about anything Evil Twin in my mouth. So, it's been on my mind, but slipped for just a second...

Last week I was into Fingerlakes Beverage, looking for some light, Belgian brews to compliment some insanely delicious mead from Texas that a friend was bringing over for movie night. I was about to cash out when I hear "Have you tried this one?".  Just in, not even a sticker price on it.  "Imperial Doughnut Break, you're coming home with me", I thought to myself.

The Beer? IDB starts off with fading, dark milk-chocolate head over a deep, dark, silky brown body. There's strong, roasted coffee notes on the nose with that distinct, earthy-wet porter aroma. Notes of milk, chocolate, vanilla extract, and just a hint of spice are tucked into the corners as well.

The first sip is a sharply bitter, with a coffee finish and a touch of heat. Quickly, the flavors sweeten, building to what you could compare to coffee-flavored cannoli cream. Not quite as sweet and sticky as I was expecting, but still quite good. The mouthfeel is silky and oily, full-bodied, but much more drinkable that most Imperials. Further through, it continues to sweeten, giving off warming, ice cream notes.

Overall, a strong, bitter & sweet cold weather beer. Recommended for Porter and dark beer lovers, but the less adventurous may want to go in halvsies considering the sticker price.

#134: Brewery Ommegang » Art Of Darkness (Belgian Strong Ale)

10 months later...

The Brewery: Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)
The Brew:  Art Of Darkness
Availability:  Bottles, draft (limited)
ABV: 8.9%
Rating: 9/10
Location: Home

The Story? It was around this time last year that I started actively aging beers. Thus, it seemed an appropriate time to start breaking into some that have been maturing since early this year and late last.

Art Of Darkness is a limited edition Belgian Strong Ale that gains all of it's flavor from barley, wheat malts, flaked oats, hops, and Ommegang's proprietary house yeast. No spices, fruit, nor secret ingredients here. Just pure beer experience.

Brewed in 2012 and released in January of 2013, this one has been hanging out for a good 10 months since release.

The Beer? Darkness kicks off with a lacy finger of mocha head and opaque, black body. The nose is alluring with inviting hops, green apple and lime aromas, and a thread of Muscat grape.

This Ommegang is quite wet up front, interesting for a Strong Ale, with a gradual mouth coat, and medium carbonation - just lively enough to allow all sorts of interesting flavors and aromas to breath.

Flavors of cola, sarsaparilla, and cherry weave through a firm body of yeast, oats, and dark, roasted malts. There's a touch of juicy, sourness to it. Just a bit, enough to provide an on-going wetness. The finish is quite boozy (and delicious), sufficient enough to add some faint vodka qualities to the flavor further through.

Overall, a great ride and worth the wait. I'm looking forward to more of Ommegang's limited line. Pick this early 2013 up if you still find it hanging around.

#077: Allagash Black (Belgian Style Stout)

Allagash Brewing Company: Allagash Black (Belgian Style Stout) | 7.5% | 9.2/10

The Story? After finishing up in Waterbury at Prohibition Pig and The Reservoir we headed back to our friend Lidia's, but first a stop at the beverage center in Winooski where I just about lost my mind on their beer selection. My partner, Mel grabbed a four-pack of Allagash Black to share.

The Beer? A wonderfully dark, dry brew. Perfect for a relaxing evening, sipping with friends. Well carbonated and jet black. Brewed with barley, wheat, oats, both roasted and chocolate malt, and dark caramelized candi sugar, this is one heck of a beer. A plethora of flavors all across the roasted and chocolate spectrum with a mild sweetness and dry finish. Excellent.

#062: 21st Amendment Brewery » Marooned on Hog Island (English Stout brewed w/ oyster shells)

...

The Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco, CA)
The Brew: Marooned on Hog Island (English Stout brewed w/ oyster shells)
Availability: Cans & draft (limited)
ABV: 7.9%
Rating: 8/10
Location: Home

The Story? I'm not going to lie. I've been emphatically terrified of oyster stouts. The opportunity to sample Porterhouse Brewing's rendition and Flying Dog's Pearl Necklace (lol) on several occasions, but I just haven't been able to take that plunge.

Origins of the oyster stout stem back to the 1800s where patrons enjoyed toasty, roasted, dark stouts and slippery shelled flesh as a meal - and enjoyed how they curiously complimented each other. The details are hazy, but somewhere between those initial days and early 1900s, the line of progression from food pairing, oyster shells in the boil, to that final experimental step of adding the meat itself.

This artisan can from 21st Amendment is a collaboration with Hog Island Oyster Company and homage to that transitional step of adding shells to the barley and hop boil. Bottoms up!

The Beer? The nose has that nice, dark English aroma with a pinch of chocolate. Cola colored body topped with an off-white head. The beer hits my tongue with a familiar, medium-bodied stout feel that is mildly wet up front and slips into a drier finish. The immediate flavor is everything you'd expect from a quality stout - roasted malts, hints of chocolate, and relatively quenching, but bulky enough to keep the lager-boys at bay.

However, a few sips in and delicate flavors dance in the background. There's a chalkiness that emerges on the finish apace with an understated saltiness. Essence of soy sauce comes to mind while additional mineral and mocha characteristics gently glide past.

These nuances are firmly kept behind an opaque veil of the stout itself. When it comes to experimental beers, Marooned on Hog Island is on the far subtle end of that spectrum. Sophisticated, implied flavors poised for the fastidious imbiber.

#051: Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale)

The anti-hero of IPAs...

The Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Co. (Lakewood, NY)
The Brew: Iniquity (Imperial Black Ale)
Availability: 22 oz., 12 oz (Superpack only) & draft (year-round)
ABV: 9.0% // IBUs: 50
Rating: 10/10
Location: Home

The Story?  If memory serves, Iniquity was my gateway to dark beers. Southern Tier's Unearthly and Gemini (RIP) were heavy favorites of mine at the time and the promise of another girthy brew from STB, this one touted as the "antithesis of Unearthly", was too much to keep my curiosity at bay.

Launched not too far back in 2009, Southern Tier describes Iniquity as "contrary to what one would expect from an IPA. A dark, malty ale with a huge hop profile seeping forward" and an "unapologetic black ale". Indeed.

The Beer? Big, dark nose with nods to the booze to come. Dark, dark brown color, but not quite black, topped with a small amount of off-white head.

The taste? There's nothing quite like this one. It's like some dark, dank IPA / Barleywine hybrid with scorched, earthy coffee on the finish. It's quite wet and boozy up font, but changes character nicely through to a dry finish. Medium-heavy body with balanced contribution of piney, sticky hops.

Steadied by a sweet, malty backbone and threaded with thick, herbal characteristics and hop spice, while hints of citrus, coffee, and burnt toast sneak in the back door; Iniquity is a dark-beer-lover's IPA - the anti-IPA if you will - and highly recommended for any adventurous beer enthusiast.

#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.