Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Maillard’s Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale & A Thrift Store Find

I've told you, they're waiting in my fridge. The weather still hasn't changed all that much, it's still pretty cold, it's still kinda rainy, and so I believe it's time to dig into those darker beers. Seeing as I have no way to properly cellar beer (the fridge is too cold, and room temp too fluctuating), I like to drink my beer according to the first in first out rule. The exception is wet hopped beer, or anything that is meant to be had as fresh as possible. I admittedly have a bomber of Epic Big Bad Baptist from last winter, and I have no idea how the aging in my fridge has affected it. That will be a fun adventure for another time!

Before we get into tasting notes, I have to report a great thrift store find. For those of you that don't know, I love going to thrift stores, yard sales, and all things of the sort. My Mom does it, my grandfather did it, and so I carry the familial thrifting torch onward. Before you go thinking I'm the nasty type that dumpster dives after barely expired food for dinner, think again. There's tons of gently used or even brand new stuff out there for the cheap taking. It's also good for the environment by keeping stuff out of landfills yada yada. End sermon. Here's what I found...

A Red Rock Brewing Company growler! I know it's only a few dollars at the brewery, but this one was only $1. I gave it a good clean, and now it's ready for a fill - something I've failed to take advantage of in this city that has multiple breweries within walking distance. It's a strange place for growlers with the statewide 4% ABV draft law. Even with the ABV so low, I still enjoy the freshness that draft beer offers.

Onto the notes!

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Maillard’s Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale - Collaboration with Bell’s Brewery

BG 9/30/14

Poured from a 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottle into a stemmed tulip, 8.5% ABV, Bottled 05/21/14, 40 IBUs

A Black as night in color with a sandy tan head that leaves a mosaic of lacing behind. The head has an island of large bubbles surrounded by much smaller, tighter bubbles. Once settled, a thin layer of crema remains.

A Burnt malt, espresso, pumpernickel, Swiss Miss, life cereal, toffee

T Ruby red raisins, dried plums, dark chocolate, charred vegetables, dry hay, vanilla, burnt coffee

M Very smooth and creamy, mouth coating

A Bitter coffee grounds, Burnt toast

C The color of the beer speaks to just about every flavor it contains. If you can think of something edible and black, you can probably taste it in this beer. It particularly plays to the burnt-to-a-crisp side of things. It has a little bit of sweetness from the malt, but the overwhelming flavor is charred (insert food here). It probably wouldn’t be a hit with non-stout lovers, but it certainly has a place with those who prefer their coffee black and chocolate dark. I find it fairly delicious, but I’m not sure how it would stand up to something like North Coast Old Rasputin or Sierra Nevada Narwhal. I’ve got both either in my fridge, or en route to it, so I’ll be able to tell you my analysis in a week or so. =) 

Also, don't forget to let your stouts and dark ales warm up for a few minutes after taking them out of the fridge! Very cold temperatures inhibit flavor perception (this is why Coors Lite is advertised to be consumed as cold as possible). The rich, dark flavors of stouts and the like shine after they've warmed up a bit. Try tasting it cold from the fridge, and then again 10 minutes later. I think you'll find it much tastier after warming up!

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Tater Ridge Scottish Ale

The past few days in SLC have been a a tug-of-war between the passing and present season. The resulting constant precipitation and 50° nights have made the victor quite evident. I live for the summer, but it's the dragging winter days of February and March that kill me, so for now I rejoice! I am content to break out the warm sweaters, stock my fridge with beer darker than my summer skin, and perhaps make the quarter-block trek to the local tea shop a daily event. Welcome to autumn, ladies and gents.

Thanks to Eric Kammerer, I've got a few different bottles of Beer Camp for my tasting pleasure. Yay!! I can't imagine drinking a sweet potato Scottish ale in the dog days of summer, but I can say for certain that it goes down easy on a soggy night such as this! I was even lucky enough to catch the sun set under the rain clouds this evening, complete with a full rainbow. This is what I live for... sky appreciation and seasonally appropriate beer. ;)

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Tater Ridge Scottish Ale - Collaboration with Asheville Brewers Alliance

BG 9/29/14

Poured from a 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottle into a stemmed tulip, 7% ABV, Bottled 06/04/14

A Blackish/brown in color with copper hues and 2 fingers of tan head that leaves big tufts of lacing behind.

A Roasted malt, wet dirt, touch of alcohol, floral hops, molasses

T Chocolaty malt, coffee, roasted nuts, wet dirt, burnt brown sugar, sweet potatoes!, a bit of alcohol, vanilla wafers, hint of smoke

M Med-light in body, creamy

A Dark chocolate, coffee grounds

C Some of my favorite beers are the result of collaborations between two or more breweries. This is my first taste of anything from Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp, a group of collaborative brews from a few of America’s best breweries. I particularly love brewers that aren’t afraid to experiment with unusual flavors like sweet potato and come out on the other side with a gem like this. I can just see myself sitting around a fire with a bunch of friends, using a few of these to chase the autumn chill out of my jacket. It has all the right flavors for the season, and enough ABV to keep you warm as summer nights.

FP BBQ pulled pork sandwich, potato latkes, sweet potato pie, salty french fries

Uinta Crooked Line Series Cahoots Saison & Exciting Brews to Come!

Basic white girls are excited about pumpkin spice lattes, I'm excited about Dogfish Head Punkin. Erik is at wine camp in Napa Valley right now, and he's bringing back the spoils of being in a fantastic beer state. Don't get me wrong, Utah has some sweet breweries (Uinta, Squatters/Wasatch, Epic, etc.) but, with a few exceptions, the Mormon death grip on this state prevents many tasty brews from squeezing past UT borders. That means whenever someone you know goes out of state, you had them a Benjamin, cross your fingers, and wait for their glorious return.

Ok, so Dogfish Head is actually on the other side of the country, but it's still something California has that Utah doesn't. What I'm truly excited about so far is Pliny The Elder. Erik just visited the Russian River Brewery (so jealous), and scored a growler full of Pliny the Elder, a six pack of the same, along with some Dogfish Head, North Coast, and a few others. E X C I T E!

For the next few days, however, I am held to Utah's offerings. Many are delicious, but limited in variety. Today, I try something new and delicious! Read on...

Uinta - Crooked Line Series - Cahoots Saison

BG 9/28/14

Poured from a 750ml cork & cage bottle into a stemmed tulip, 6% ABV, Bottled On 07/08/14, Bottle Conditioned, noted as Cahoots “II” (2)

A Gold in color, slightly hazy, with tons of new bubbles constantly replenishing the eggshell white, massive 3 finger head. The lacing left behind is ornate, plentiful, and even blankets one side of the glass like snow. The head looks creamy like that of a guinness. This is a very visually attractive beer!

A Lots of brett, sweet citrus, hint of banana, crisp apple, peach rings, acidity

T Tang, floral hop bitterness, smarties without most of the sugar, unripe peaches, yeast, green grass, slightest touch of barnyard funk, cherries, grapefruit

M High carbonation, tingly on the tongue, slightly mouth-drying finish, light bodied

A Acid, bitter hops on the backsides of the tongue

C This beer is incredibly light and refreshing! It has just enough sweetness to catch your attention before the long, bitter finish takes over. There’s an interesting amount of complexity here as well. Sometimes a bomber is a bit much to finish by myself if the beer is particularly rich or aggressively flavored. But I just got to the bottom of my first glass, and I’m super happy there’s more where that came from!

FP Cherry pie, chicken caesar salad, spinach tomato panini on sourdough

Bayern Dump Truck Summer Bock Lager

I know summer is officially over, but I still have a few summer brews in my fridge that need to be laid to rest. First on the list to go are a few bottles from a recent Montana trip, and none of them screamed summer more than Dump Truck Summer Bock. For those of you curious about the name, "dump truck" is a reference to a white water raft that tips over, dumping all of its contents into the river. Not so desirable as the rafting term, but very desirable as the beer.

The beer content in my fridge is already leaning toward cooler weather, with brews like Sierra Nevada's Narwhal Imperial Stout and Epic's Big Bad Baptist Espresso Stout. It's sad to see the summer suds subside, but better beer awaits me!

Bayern Dump Truck Summer Bock Lager

BG 9/26/14

Poured from a 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottle into a stemmed tulip, 6% ABV, Best Before 10/14

A Gold in color with plenty of haze, the thin white head clears up immediately after pouring, little to no lacing

A Orange, lemon, lime, pineapple, sour, tangy yeast, uncooked bread dough, floral hops

T Honey, skittles, bready malt, lemon, floral hops, tangerines, yeasty

M Light bodied, a little creamy, medium carbonation

A light bitterness from the floral hops, tang

C It’s hard to believe this is a bock lager and not an ale! The fruity esters and unfiltered beer suggest ale, but the lager crispness speaks to its true identity. It packs more flavor and mouthfeel than the average lager, and boasts a higher than average alcohol percentage as well. It’s perfect if you want something a bit heavier than a hefeweizen, but don’t want an IPA or pilsner. You can also session it all summer long if you like. Sad to be drinking the last one from my fridge, but with a new season comes many new beers.

FP Hot dogs or hamburgers off the grill, bacon wrapped asparagus, baked parmesan zucchini sticks, angel food cake

Sierra Nevada Ovila Abbey Tripel

Today I'm tasting Sierra Nevada's Ovila Abbey Tripel, which is a collaboration with the Abbey of Clairvaux. I'm not sure if it was just released, or if it's hard to find, but I've only seen it in local SLC liquor stores once, so get it if you see it!

Sierra Nevada Ovila Belgian Style Abbey Tripel - Collaboration with Monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux

BG Poured from a 12.7 fl oz cork & cage bottle into a stemmed tulip, 8.8% ABV, Packaged 08/06/14

A Light gold in color with a snow white head that consists of tight little bubbles. The lacing left behind is like tiny, close knit islands of white on a sea of glass. The beer is clear and free of any sediment.

A Tart apples, Belgian yeast, sweet and lightly roasted malt, a touch of spicy hops, lemons

T Perfect balance of tart yeast and bitter hops, and they play together quite harmoniously. Sour apple, fresh baked white bread, a little bit of barnyard funk

M Highly carbonated, creamy, light body, I can practically feel gritty yeast on my tongue - it has a tingling sensation almost like pop rocks - but I chew around and there’s nothing at all gritty about it. Very interesting!

A This is where the hop bitterness shines, with little lingering notes of tart apple, dry finish

C The bottle states this brew is born from “Monastic Inspiration” and “American Innovation”. This is my second go at an Americanized version of a Belgian style (I’ve also tried Deschutes Foray Belgian IPA), and I am quite a fan of the hybrid. In both examples that I’ve tried, the Belgian style sings beautifully with an overdose of hops that Americans have become so lovingly fond of. The 8.8% ABV is well hidden, and the bottle design is gorgeous. It’s balanced, it’s different, and it’s simply a really tasty beer. What more can you ask for?

FP Freshly baked Italian or sourdough bread with butter and perhaps some salty charcuterie, apple pie, pork tenderloin with bacon garlic mashed potatoes, tripels are widely renowned for pairing with almost any food, so get creative!

I also wanted to note that there's a Utah Brewers Guild Harvest Festival celebrating wet hop beers (beer brewed with fresh hops off the bine) on Sat 10/11 at Avenues Proper in SLC. $5 entry, $5 pints, and $2 4oz samples. Yum!

Black O'Lantern

Here we are, a few days into fall, and it's time to start drinking pumpkin beer again. I've already tried Wasatch's Seasonal Pumpkin Ale, and Uinta's PUNK'N. For my taste, PUNK'N wins by a long shot. Nice notes of pumpkin and light on the spice, all while tasting like beer more than a piece of pie.

Right now, I'm tasting Wasatch's Black O' Lantern Pumpkin Stout. Here's my tasting notes:

Wasatch Brewery Black O'Lantern Pumpkin Stout

BG     9/25/14

Poured from a 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottle into a stemmed tulip, 6.5% ABV, Enjoy By 12/28/14

A      Black as a beer can get, with a frothy chocolate milk-like head that leaves big puffs of lacing

A     Pumpkin puree, burnt toffee, cinnamon, allspice, even some flaky pie crust, sweet and deeply roasted malt, a touch of alcohol

T Taste follows the nose to a T, lots of roasty toasty malt, it's kind of sweet like a milk stout with the bitterness of a dry stout, the pumpkin and accompanied spices are well noted without being overpowering - something many pumpkin ales fail to achieve, also some coffee and dark chocolate notes

M Heavy body, creamy, med carbonation

A      Burnt malt, touch of bitterness

C      Pumpkin beers are widely debated on as to what makes a good one. Some like them sweet as pie, and others prefer the lightest hints of spice or even just pumpkin. I like my pumpkin beer the same way I like my fruit beer - tasting like BEER! I detest the overly sugary, spiced to the high heavens types. I feel that's a complete lack of balance. I give the makers of Black O'Lantern props for not only making a great pumpkin beer, but for doing so as a stout instead of an amber or lighter beer. It makes the sweetness and spices more appropriate for the style. I look forward to other breweries catching onto the pumpkin stout style. In comparison, I'm not a big fan of Wasatch's Pumpkin Seasonal Ale. But they nailed it with the pumpkin stout! I haven't seen it offered in many stores, so grab it if you see it!

FP      You guessed it: pumpkin anything. I'd love to have this along with some sort of fruit pie. And I'm sure a scoop of icecream - better yet, PUMPKIN icecream - would be super delicious. In fact, I'll try that last one now... Oh yeah... Yup. Do that. 

New Beginnings

Welcome to my blog that will tell you the story of everything I do beer-y. It will include my tasting notes, recently discovered facts, links to beer related articles/videos, and anything else I find pertinent.

My love for beer is not new-found, and it's not the first time I've blogged about it. I did a series of brewery tour reviews back in 2012. At the bottom of the page of that link, click on "newer post" and you'll eventually get around to viewing the 6 breweries I reviewed. They're a bit outdated, and my tastes have certainly changed since then (I now love IPAs and I'm actually drinking one right now), but it's still good stuff.

I'm currently looking for a job in beer that I might make into a career. My current job has helped me tremendously in my knowledge of all things alcohol, including beer. And I plan to stick with them, but also want another job to feed my quest for beer knowledge. In the meantime, I've been studying for the Certified Cicerone Exam. It's a widely recognized certification program for proof of beer expertise. I passed the first level about a month ago, and have started studying for the second level. My current focus is on the Brewers Association Draught Beer Quality Manual. Before this manual, I knew next to nothing about draught beer systems. I'd rate it pretty highly on the list of literature to own if you want to know about beer. Additionally, the #1 book I and the Cicerone website recommend is Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer.

Enough about me. Let's talk about beer!

I am right this very now drinking 3-WAY IPA. It's a collaboration between Fort George, Block 15, and Boneyard Brewing Companies. I have to thank Eric for the gift of this beer and a few other bottles from out of state. For those of you that don't know, Utah doesn't have the best distribution network (and by that I mean the worst), and a West Coast treat like this is to be cherished!

Ah -- and so you're not confused by my abbreviated notation, here's a key in respective order:

BG - Background
A - Appearance
A - Aroma
T - Taste
M - Mouthfeel
A - Aftertaste
C - Conclusion
FP - Food Pairing


Tasting Notes:

Fort George 3-Way IPA - Collaboration between Fort George, Boneyard, and Block 15 Brewing Companies

BG      9/19/14
Poured from a 16 fl oz. can into a stemmed tulip, 7.2% ABV, canned on 7/15/14, unfiltered

A Gold in color with fairly large chunks of maybe (hopefully) yeast floating around. It's pretty hazy in there. The head is white-ish like the teeth of a habitual coffee drinker, and it leaves big fluffs of lacing behind as it recedes.

A Grassy hops, grapefruit, spice, touch of doughy malt, sour patch kids without the sugar

T      Tons of grapefruit and equal parts doughy malt for balance, follows the nose to a T!, sourdough, pine, resinous, metallic, alcohol is well hidden

M Med body, low carbonation, slightly tannic

A All grapefruit - and almost the pucker that goes with it.

C I wish I was more familiar with the 3 breweries that put their heads together to create this beer so that I might better understand where it's coming from. It's definitely an IPA, but the hop bitterness strikes a little later after each sip than most. I feel a typical American IPA punches the pallet immediately with heavy hops. With this one it's like, "I thought this was an-OHH! There it is!". It makes this beer a bit unique for me. It's downright delicious, and the world agrees.

FP Meatlovers Pizza, Chicken Caesar Salad, Lemon Cookies



That's all I've got for now. I'll do my best to keep things up to date.
Grab a beer and enjoy!