#317: Great Divide Brewing Co. » Barrel Aged Hibernation Ale 2014 (Old Ale)

Great Divide Brewing Co. » Barrel Aged Hibernation Ale 2014 (Old Ale) | ABV: 10.5%

This barrel-aged version of Great Divide's Hibernation Old Ale kicks off with a plethora of chocolate and cocoa aromas, backed with a touch of raisin and rye.

It's curiously juicy on the palate. Wet, dark fruit tartness permeate deep flavors of chocolate and raspberries. This barrel-aged brew is far lighter on it's feet than expected for 10.5% and is quite drinkable, even a touch quenching. Not a stupendous beer, but highly enjoyable, especially for the price.

#315: Goose Island » Bourbon County Stout 2014 (Barrel-Aged Stout)

Goose Island » Bourbon County Stout 2014 (Barrel-Aged Stout) | ABV: 14.2%

Truth be told, there are a handful of hype beers that I legitimately get caught up in. To hell with the AB-InBev ownership... this is a damn good beer. In addition to picking up a four-pack that's slowly dwindling, I was also able to procure a snifter on-tap down at Northstar Bar, a growing favorite spot.

Planting my face firmly in my Delirium snifter, a welcoming paradise of huge coconut, chocolate, and bourbon aromas dance with threads of vanilla and mild coffee beans.

This is honestly my happiness in a glass. It's silky, sticky, and hot with strong notes of burnt sugar and toffee, all wrapped up in smooth whiskey and milk chocolate. This 2014 edition interestingly boasts stronger crème brûlée characteristics than years prior, in this humble enthusiast's opinion.

It's winter 2015 and I'm still in love with Bourbon County Stout.

#243: Galaxy Brewing Company visit » Phil's Pils, White Dwarf Wit, Whiskey Saison, Big Bock Theory, Maibock, Sage-i-tarious, Omega Dubble, Silk, Pulsar Porter, Mint Chocolate Stout, Dark Star

My partner and I were introduced to Galaxy Brewing out of Binghamton, NY at The Westy here in Ithaca through their Andromeda IPA - one of the best IPAs I've run across in recent years. It's slammed right in the middle of rich, well-balanced English-style and American, citrus-forward hop power.

Visit #1 didn't go quite as planned, as we headed down to the brewery for my partner's birthday, while I was almost completely layed-out, battling some sort of nasty virus. I slept for 6 hours after we got back mid-afternoon.

I'd been looking for an excuse for visit #2 and when we realized we had less than a week before one of our newest close friends was leaving town, who also was a big fan of Andromeda, a trek down to Bingo was in order. There were three of us, 12 beers on tap, and a flight came with any four beers. So, we just got all of them!

Phil's Pils (Pilsner) ABV: 5% | Rating: 8.8/10
Biting Saaz hops shine through with a slightly dry finish in this bold presentation of the Czech classic. An excellent example of Galaxy's blend of Euro tradition and American bold craft flavor.

White Dwarf Wit (Wheat Ale) ABV: 4.0% | Rating: 8.5/10
Light and understated with pleasant notes of mild banana and coriander backed by prickly carbonation. Refreshing.

Whiskey Saison (Saison aged in Whisky Barrles w Brett.) ABV: 7.6% | Rating: 9.2/10
Now we're talking! Bursting with peach & apricot notes, augmented by a slight funk in the exhale, and sliding in with a big, dry finish, this hazy, amber-hued Saison is fantastic. Excellent blend of Saison fruitiness and wispy thread of whiskey. I ended up ordering a full order of this to cap off the night later on.

Galaxy Maibock (Maibock) ABV: 7.4% | Rating: 9/10
Smooth, malty goodness is the showcase for another classic style with robust American enhancements. A refreshing, drinkable spring lager with pleasant caramel notes, firm hops, and healthy esters and alcohol content.

Big Bock Theory (Dobble Bock) ABV: 7.1% | Rating: 9/10
Beautiful malt flavors dance with apricot, spices, and bright esters with a velvety dry finish.

Sage-i-tarious (Belgian-Style) ABV: 7.8% | Rating: 9.2/10
Savory epicness in this fantastic marriage of Belgian tradition with a twist of experimentation. Perfectly soft carbonation and mouthfeel is followed up by mild notes of orange, all wrapped up in a velvety dry finish.

Omega Dubble (Belgian Dubble) ABV: 8.0% | Rating: 9.4/10
This is an insanely tasty double and a damn tasty beer overall. It's a malt lovers draem, stacked with blooming esters and threaded with mild notes of banana.

Galaxy Silk (Amber Ale on Nitro) ABV: 9.2
Silky smooth and beautiful, this Nitro take on Omega is quite tasty and highly drinkable. The esters are rolled off a touch with a touch of pleasant mineral notes and a dryer finish.. Great complimentary brew to have on the line.

Pulsar Porter (Nitro Porter) ABV: 5.5% | 8.8/10
Jet black with a glimmer of ruby, Pulsar offers up creamy, coffee flavors with a extended, dry finish of dark chocolate, more coffee, and a touch of bitterness

Mint Chocolate Stout (Stout) ABV: 6.8% | Rating: 9/10
Wow! This brew packs a punch of bursting fresh mint. An innovative brew, in my opinion and perfect execution of an odd-ball additive. Smooth chocolate nose are slammed with vegital, grassy, herbal mint that cuts right through.

Dark Star (Black Hopped Ale) ABV: 7.2 | Rating: 9.4/10
This is a damn good black IPA - this was the most memorable from Visit #1, having been one of the few things that broke through the wall of my inability to taste anything while I was sick for so long in the spring.

It's stacked with citrusy hops and plenty of grapefruit and rind notes, but cut with the dark side of bitterness and roasted malts. Big, bold, jet-black hop goodness. Recommended and a standout brew for sure.

Overall, a great beer & food visit and a must for anyone in CNY.

#213: Sierra Nevada » Barrel Aged Bigfoot (Barleywine)

Bigfoot from Whiskey barrels...

The Brewery: Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)
The Brew: Barrel Aged Bigfoot 2013 (Barleywine)
Availability: Draft and bottles (Limited)
ABV: 12.2%
Rating: 9.5/10
Location: The Westy

While I've enjoyed Barrel Aged Bigfoot from the bottle, this is the first time I've caught it on draft (rumor has it, Westy has an aged version hanging out as well...)

Bigfoot servies up with a fluffy, off-white head and opaque, cloudy brown body. The nose is full of sweet caramel, sugar, and golden raisin.

The flavor is smooth, but sharp and pure beer bliss. Beautiful oak notes, compliment soft boozy esters with a nice heat in the finish. There's a touch of raisin and plum on the front, drying out to some notes of lemon and grapefruit rind.

Overall, a wonderfully intense, yet highly drinkable, smooth brew that is a prime example of the true art of beer crafting.

Quicky! Thistly Cross Whisky Cask Cider

Thistly Cross Cider Whisky Cask (UK) 6.5%

My partner picked this one up to go with a fantastic meal in. It's aged in ex-Glengassaugh whisky casks and comes off dry and refreshing with plenty of elegant apple, vanilla, oak notes and subtle complexity.

#097: De Struise Brouwers » Black Damnation I: Black Berry Albert (Stout)

Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels with fresh blackberries...

The Brewery: De Struise Brouwers (Belgium)
The Brew:  Black Damnation I: Black Berry Albert (Imperial Stout)
Availability: Bottles, draft (limited - brewed once)
ABV: 13.0%
Rating: 9.9/10
Location: The Avenue Pub (New Orleans, LA)

The Story? From first glans at the beer menu, I knew I would close out my last evening in NOLA with this beer. Noting the 13% and the brief description mentioning "Proof that too much of a good thing is sometimes a very good thing."  Challenge accepted.

The Beer? The draft pour is long and enticing. Thick, jet black gold emerges from the tap with a generous amount of mocha colored head into a 6 oz. serving. For once I'm thankful for the modest size as at 13%, I would like to wake up in my hotel room.

The taste pure bliss. Rich, sweet, and dark with a bitter finish. I can't even think of the popper verbage to put down at first. I'm impressed with the amount of head for a brew this intense and high ABV.

There's a thick, heavy mouthfeel that is rich and complex. Deep chocolate notes, mild dark fruit, coffee bean flavors are quick present with the berry addition indirectly adds very subtle fruitiness and deepens the complexity alongside a growing amount of heat from the whiskey aging.

Black Damnation is remarkably well balanced. Unlike some Whiskey barrel aging, this imperial stout never burns. Only sweet, magnificent, stunningly sweet stout on the start which evolves into dark, beautiful bitterness on the finish.

Highly recommended if you ever find it. I wish there was a tick more berry flavor, but with everything else, I really can't complain.

#074: Rock Art Brewery » Vermont Maple Wheat, Saison, Bohemian Pilsner, barrel-aged Vermonster

On the way back from Hill Farmstead we just happened to pass...

(let's go bottom to top)

The Brewery: Rock Art Brewing (Morrisville, VT)

The Story? After a quick bite to eat on the two-hour drive back to Burlington from Hill Farmstead, I was starting to feel the long drive from the day before. Just then, my partner and I noticed Rock Art Brewing coming up down the road. I'd tried their Ridge Runner mild barleywine the night prior at the burlesque show the day before and was intrigued to learn more. Undeterred by their somewhat lacking artwork and motivated by my desire to stretch my legs anyways, we entered.

Even before our first taste, we were met with our first Ithaca encounter of the trip - the couple to the left was also from Ithaca, recognizing my partner's sticker from Felicia's Atomic Lounge and the group to our right included an Ithaca College grad. We all compared notes of where we'd been and where we were headed for all things beer in Vermont. Moments later, another couple joined us who, just a few months prior, attended Ommegang's "Belgium Comes to Cooperstown" event. We also discussed Farmhouse Tap & Grill, which would later fill our Sunday night with beer bliss.

Vermont Maple Wheat  | 5.40% ABV | 6.5/10
Nice maple nose. Amber color with touch of head. Clean mouthfeel and very bright flavors. Mild sweet and earthy notes with a firm wheat beer backbone. Good starter. Nothing that's going to revolutionize maple or wheat though.

(Saison at home)

Saison | 5.0% ABV (?) | 9.3/10
Whoa! Now we're talking. Bready nose with a hint of must. Tangy, bright taste with a touch of tartness delivered with prickly carbonation. Notable yeast and mild funk flavors as well. Further through the tasting, a notable sourness rises with notes of lemon and lime. Great use of Dupont yeast, which had some people asking if it was brewed with Brett. Hazy, golden color with plentiful head. A solid, impressive, complex Saison. Just how I like it.

This one was draft only, so we picked up a growler of it. Five days later we cracked into the jug and it was beer heaven all over again. Damn near perfect to be honest. Even though it was filled almost a week prior, a gentle pour was needed to keep the wonderfully lively carbonation and head in check.

The flavor still yields a big mouthfull of sour notes, including peach flavors I missed the first time around. There's a very old-world feel to this beer with a bit of barnyard and must on the nose, just enough funk, earth, and tartness for great complexity but still existing as a highly drinkable, every day beer - which is how often I would drink this. To my knowledge, this is a new brew, so here's fingers crossed this makes their bottled line.

Bohemian Pilsner (Czech style Pilsner) | 7/10
Mild hop and nutty flavors with a fairly transparent nose. Classic clean pilsner flavor with a hint of hop bitterness. Solid craft take on a classic.

Vermonster (Barrel-aged Barleywine) 10.0% AVB | 50 IBU | 8.9/10
Rock Art offers three Barleywine variations, this being the heftiest. Uncompromising and astringently boozy out of the gate, as expected, having aged in Makers Mark barrels with deep rich body color and as smidgen of head. Easily definitely notes of plum skin and raisin in the nose and mouth. Surprisingly, Vermonster mellows nicely further through. Solid take on one of my favorite styles.

Overall, the visit definitely put Rock Art higher on my radar. We picked up a bottle of their Pumpkin Stout with Spruce, will prove interesting I'm sure. Their Saison really surprised me. Glad we stopped.

#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.

New Release: Ithaca Beer Co. - Excelsior! Anniversary Fifteen and Old Habit (Dark Rye Ale and Strong Rye Ale)

Ithaca Beer Co. is excited to announce the release of highly anticipated Excelsior! Anniversary Fifteen & the long-awaited return of Excelsior! Old Habit on Thursday, May 16, 2013 (starting at noon).

Official Press Release:
Excelsior! Anniversary Fifteen- Dark Rye Ale | ABV 8.4% | Bottle / Draft
Inspired by the rye beers of southern Germany, we created this mischievously potent brew using an intriguing combination of pale and rye malts, a traditional German ale yeast, and New Zealand hops.

The result is an assertive dark copper-brown ale with a full-bodied malt backbone and elegant notes of clove and spice. The finish is bracing with a sharp spiciness that parallels a gentle hint of tropical fruit.


Excelsior! Old Habit – Strong Rye Ale | ABV 9.0% | Bottles only
A robust American ale brewed with four different rye malts and fresh centennial and crystal hops. It is partly fermented in Kentucky Rye Whiskey barrels then carefully blended. Enjoy the gorgeous ruby color, strong aromas of vanilla and black cherry, earthy flavors of nuts, oak and the warm, spicy finish.

Click for more information...

Wishlist!: Sierra Nevada & Boulevard Brewing - Terra Incognito (Sour/Wild Ale)

Heavily hopped brown ale with 45% aged in old wine foudres and 30% in whiskey barrels. If that weren't enough, the real kicker is after blending, it's bottled with Brettanomyces. YUM.

The 2013 batch (coming soon) will be distributed by Boulevard Brewing, so unfortunately, I may have to wait until 2014 when that version goes out through Sierra Nevada's distro. If any one within Boulevard's distro region wants to trade... let's chat.

Thanks to the wonderful Beer Street Journal for putting this beauty on my radar.