Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout

Yes I've been waiting for a bottle of this to blog about for a long time. Most of you probably know Big Sky Brewing for Moose Drool Brown Ale, Scape Goat Pale Ale, IPA, and a wide assortment of other craft brews you can pick up in just about any supermarket in the area. The brewery has in recent years came out with some wonderful specialty bottles of rarer beer. There has been one beer that Big Sky has been brewing for years, but simply just doesn't release it as a normal part of the line up even as a seasonal such as their Powder Hound Winter Ale. In fact in years past you could only get it from the brewery, and in then only in February such a wonderful time to visit Missoula Montana. That beer Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout! Let me take a brief respit to explain the title, and the wonderful picture of a cow with elk antlers tied to it's head. In Montana it's been a patter over the years of out of town hunters coming into the area and accidentally shooting cows not being able to tell the difference between the old moo cow and an elk. All that's interesting enough, but this also my hands down favorite oatmeal stout. For one it has a nice wonderfully bold smell to it, which a lot of oatmeal stouts I've had are sorely lacking. Like just about all oatmeals stouts this one has a awesomely thick body. The density of the beer feels thick, which lends itself well to the rest of this beers make up. What Slow Elk does different than many of those other beers though is also have a rich robust taste to go along with the body. Some oatmeal stouts are simply just thick with almost no taste, and nearly accomplish tasting like distilled oatmeal with little or kick in flavor. Slow Elk has a nice rich taste with a slight bitter similar to coffee or chocolate but not enough to be those flavors. The complexity of the beer is thus kept in tact, and keeps it from wandering into the territory of tasting like some other sort of stout. It's a great rich oatmeal stout that sits on your tongue well, and at only 5.4% it's not super heavy as well. Which makes it an awesome beer to sit and sip if your just relaxing in our colder stoutier weather the northwest will soon be enduring. Availability, well my buddy picked up this for me in Missoula so that's probably off the table for many of you. However I do know 99 Bottles did get some, and I'm sure some of the other beer specialty shops will get some to. I haven't seen it start popping up in any grocery stores yet, but if it does dream come true. Thank you Big Sky for stepping up and bringing this wonderful beer back to the big market again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Pumpkineater: Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Canada land of sparse populations, hockey fans, and a national anthem that gets just a tad to close to the Oh Christmas Tree song. In the past they're common beer used to give American beer a run for it's money. The good old days Kokanee, Labatt, and in my opinion the worse tasting beer ever created Molsen Ice. Like the rest of North America though Canada has had a wonderful explosion on microbreweries across it's vast expanses. With a homebrew, and brewing culture going back hundreds of years its actually kind of suprising that it took them this long to get going, of course they are still working on that independance thing from the UK so I guess it shouldn't be that shocking. If your ever traveling on to Whistler BC you may travel through the town of Squamish and located there is Howe Sound Brewing. I've had a couple of their beers so far, and they've been pretty decent. With it being fall I decided to give a new pumpkin ale a shot, and this has got to be the dandy of them all so far. A couple of other people who tried it also echoed my setiments. This is probably the first pumpkin ale I've ever had where I could actually taste the pumpkin as a fair part of the palate. For once it was just as evenly distributed as the other flavors of the beer namely the spices. All the classic pumpkin pie flavors are in this ale cloves, cinammon, etc., but those flavors are balanced with a strong portion of pumpkin flavoring. The usual though the spices overwhelm your nose, which I actually like as a fan of spiced ales anyway. It's nice to have something different in this area of beers with some good balancing of flavors though, so you actually get something different than the standard array. The beer also rolls in at a nice heft of 8%, but does not seem to have quite the thickness of say a lower barleywine or other strong ale that can feel really full bodied. The nice thing about this strong pumpkin ale is that it is nice and drinkable, kind of like the opposite to Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. About the only downside on this one is the price it's a bigger, nice resealable bottle, and a strong beer so your going to pay a little bit more than your standard beer. But you can space out your drinking experience so your not trying to pass around a good 22oz one like most of our microbrews come on with our inferior non-resealable caps. Where to by 99 bottles, Tacoma Boys, most likely beer junction, and I've seen they're other beers pop up in Fred Meyers around the region, but not sure if this one will make such a wide dispersal. In any event it's nice to see a beer doing the red, white, and maple-leafed proud.

Eye of the Hawk!

Through my recent travels of the Northern California area of our beer drinking land. At several different locations I heard about this beer called Eye of the Hawk. I also heard a homebrewer from that area mentioned it to, yet I had never known or ever ventured to try it. It's brewed by Mendocino Brewing in Ukiah CA, for anyone driving the 101 you may want to make a stop. This is sadly one of the few breweries we didn't make it to (and I do mean few). This is one of those deceptive beers, crafted exceptionally well, and I'm guessing these folks have this recipe down pat. It's a light tasting hoppy beer, toward the IPA spectrum if I had to name it. It leaves a nice hoppy aftertaste with a great amount of flavor left on your tongue. The body is incredibly smooth and feels light to the touch. If anything you'd swear you were drinking a very tasty IPA/session beer. Well after doing so let your eye wander down a bit, this seeming super drinkably beer is weighing in at a healthy 8%!! That is indeed a suprise for that level you'd be thinking sweeter taste something like an Imperial IPA, but it's just not there. It is a healthy, hoppy tasting beer that doesn't have the strong sweetness of other IPAs that are in this classification. Like I said well rounded recipe, and a hell of a kick, I see what all those other brewers were talking about when they said this beer will jump up and bite you in the ass if your not careful. That being said it is much easier to find than I thought, I think just about all the specialty brew stores in the area have it, and even some of the more beer savy supermarkets. Yellow label, with a regular drawing of a hawk, I've found it in both 12oz, and 22oz so choose your poison on this one. For anyone whose ever wanted to try a strong IPA, but just doesn't have the palate for the stronger sweetness this is your beer. It's texture, body, the beer itself should be a sculpted piece of art in a museum and I kick myself for never having tried this sooner, and give it my firmest recommendation.

Stone Russian Imperial Stout: Belgo Anise addition

Of course since I haven't belted out one of these in a while I was going to bring an off-kilter heavy beer to the plate. For those who've never sampled Stone Russian Imperial Stout is a strong black stout, full-bodied, with a nicely balanced sweetness. A solid Russian Imperial Stout (PS best of the bunch is still Old Rasputin from North Coast). What do you do with a recipe like this, kick it in the balls and create something totally unique. Reading through my blog entries most of you know I love nothing more than a brewery willing to throw the dice and try something totally different. That said the addition of the anise gives this beer the black taste to match the color. It has a strong fragrant odor, most likely from the belgian yeast having done the fermenting. The beer gives off a piercingly sweet, yet strong, smell that gives your mouth a good heads up before you plunge head first into this baby. The anise lends much to this as well, the scent as well as the taste give the brain a nice road map to match taste with color. Too much and this thing could have tasted like black licorice, but just right like in this ale give a deep bold sweetness to match. The flavor blends excellent with the bold sweetness of a russian imperial stout to give it a new dimension of flavor. To be quite honest though I have no idea why more breweries don't sneak a little more of this herb into beers such as this. Now the point I feel could maybe be changed, the belgian yeast. It gives the beer a nice frangrance true, but the yeast simply leaves an even funkier than normal aftertaste on the tongue. Not terrible (I am a fan of many belgian styles FYI), but gives it just kind of a weird smoothness and aftertaste that just doesn't mesh to make this the perfect beer. Then again that's part of why I love it though, definitely interesting and definitely worth a try, though I would love to see what a UK ale yeast could do with this Anise mixture. I picked mine up from 99 bottles, but believe some ended up at the Beer Junction as well, this is one that may pop up in like a QFC, Top Foods, or Tacoma Boys so keep your eyes open. My opinion though skip the same ol same ol (unless your just a stark traditionalist fan) of the regular russian imperial stout and step up to the un-neutered version for something new and different from Stone.

Vern

Okay I'm going to apologize on this blog for two things right off the back, sorry for no May entries, it was a long month of school. And lastly sorry about the pictures, my camera broke so I'm reduced to my lame ass Iphone camera. That being said I'm going to kick off June with an IPA I fell in love with when I discovered it this winter. When most people, or the select few who have seen them, hear the word Vern they immediatley reminisce to the American cinema classic "Earnest" films. I assure you this beer is a much more fulfilling and enjoyable experience than any of those films could ever hope to be. It's pretty recognizable if your in the beer shop to, some nice spray paint decor. For IPA lovers though this is definitely one you should at to your list of trys. It's not an Imperial IPA heavy as far as the alcohol percentage weighing in at 6.33%, but it's incredibly well balanced so that the beer in general has a strong full flavor to it. Up front this has your typical strong IPA taste, with the stinging taste of hops that almost taste like they were plucked from the vine and dropped right into the boil. This beer definitely tastes dry hop and the oils kind of leave that dried out feeling your tongue to go along with it. It has a faint citrus aroma, but mostly the pure hop scent is what you smell. Now this is where most standard IPAs fall short and screw the pooch, the lingering and aftertaste. This beer has a strong malty back flavor that blends well in the aftertaste after the initial hop invasion of your tongue. It's what gives this beer a bold strong flavor throughout the palate. It's not quite malt liquor strong but your definitely getting that strong malted barley flavor on the end of it, completely unmolested. It helps to equalize the strong hop taste you get up front. This beer is also another prime example of how the eastern washington breweries are starting to dominate when it comes to IPAs, and lets face so close to the fresh hop supply they have the advantage. In any event I'm glad they've found an awesome niche to occupy in the NW microbrew arena. Vern is a standard IPA with flavor to be compared to most breweries double and Imperial IPAs and is definitely worth giving it a try if your a hop groupy. I've seen it at a QFC or two, 99 bottles, beer junction, and by the bottle in Vancouver awesome little place for those who live or venture extremely south. So kick back and enjoy another great example of an IPA from our Eastern WA brothers and sisters.

The Ace of Spades!!

Um um um been a while, but for this blog entry I have a good one. Especially for the hoppy heads, this one might send you into an orgasmic frenzy for hoppy goodness. It's a beer thankfully bottled and distributed in Washington, but comes from probably one of the greatest breweries for hoppy beers down from our neighbor down south Portland, Oregon. Also I should say one of the most pleasant breweries in Portland to visit as well, I am of course refering to the wonderful people of the HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery). Now all of their regular beers are pretty damn hoppy, so their Ace of Spades Imperial IPA is just about to stradel over from Defcon 4 to 5! The hop sting hits you right in the nose when your bringing the bottle up to your lips. You could drink it out of a snifter, but just the waft from opening the bottle is going to give you a good idea about what your in for. If you let it sit long enough you can tell there is a sense of sweetness of a heavier beer like Imperial's are meant to be, and the 9.5% alcohol tag proves that. What does that mean? Well judging by how hoppy this is I'm guessing bucket loads of most likely citra hops were added at absolutely any point in the fermenation process possible! There is a deep citrus taste that clings to the beer as well, something beyond just the normal aftertaste created by Citra hops, it has strong hints, and probably has some elements added, of red grapefruit. Which is the perfect ingrediant to engage, and wed this kind of hoppy beverage. Yes super hoppy, but actually with some other flavors that have some of the same acidic properties, and seem to stand up well and accomadate these particular hop oils. It's a wonderful, and well done Imperial IPA, the kind even non-hop-heads could enjoy. And I always expect as much from hopworks. If your looking for it, well this particular bottle has a nice ace of spades display, and motorcycle at the top, I'm also guessing that some of the brewers at hopworks, and I may be going out on a limb on this one, may be motorhead fans, just maybe. Thankfully distribution seems to be pretty wide to I've seen it at the Beer Junction, 99 Bottles, By the Bottle, Top Foods, QFC, etc. So there should be no real excuse not to find any, so enjoy another beautifully crafted hoppy beer from the HUB.

PS: I will try and spit these out when I can as I love writing about beer, but my schedule is nice and full nowadays so the blog may not be updated as often as it used to be, be assured I will write when I can. And thank you to the people who still read and ask about it the blog will march on!

Samurai Barley Ale

Well been a little while, but I'm back in action and ready to type. For March's only blog entry thus far I am submitting an entry in dedication to nation of Japan which has recently been hit with a double dose of disaster. As a sidebar to this, I bought this Japanese Ale at 99 bottles when they were donating all proceeds of Japanese bought ales to earthquake relief which is a sweet deal considering how good this one was, and doubling as a small donation to the hard hit country. It's not just charity though this beer stands up on it's own. In fact Japan has recently started to burst out into it's own foray of microbrewery style beer. This entry from Swan Lake Brewery out of Niigata Japan is one of the best examples I've seen yet of a blend and molding of a trational style ale with a slight Japanese twist. First and foremost this is a barley wine style ale, so it's a bit of hefty bugger weighing in at a healthy 10% alc. Aroma wise this has a very soft, yet sweet smell. That is to say pleasant, it has a very sweet smell, but knock you over like you just had your face stuffed into a barrel of honey or a wad of cotton candy. The aroma turns out to be a great primary indicator of the taste of this puppy as well. Soft, and sweet is the perfect way to describe this whole drink. The carbonation is light, which is my preference on a heavier beer like a barley wine. It has that strong sweetness of a barley wine, but not overly intense. The sweetness is similar to that of rice candy, and remember this is just a description of the type of sweetness, it doesn't taste like some nasty melted down blended version of rice candy. Now it does not say, but I'm fairly sure it has some rice added during the brew process, and I would say definitely has utilized sake yeast. And guess what, it works beautifully! For a first time barley wine drinker I would have this be your first, because the sweet flavor is not overpowering, not overly carbonated. This drink is smooth, soft, and sweet which isn't always the tag line people want in a beer, but it's done beautifully. I can't wait to sample some more from this brewery as well, plus the bottle has a wonderful copy of a tradtional painting of a samurai. This ale like the disciplined warrior is strong and precise, and very well done. Japan I hope everything goes better because I definitely want to have some more of this beer, and see what you guys can bring to the table next. Also check around I believe some other beer stores and breweries are offering similar specials for charity to Japan. This beer definitely stands on it's own two feet, so just try it anyway.

Buccaneer Bacon Beer

Well I've been doing a hefty amount of typing lately so it's been a tad difficult to motivate myself to write for fun, but I have had an awesomely different beer I've been wanting to pump for quite a while. In the modern male venacular two of the most exciting words outside of the realm of sex are bacon and beer. Two of my favorite B words definitely. Now I've heard of a couple intrepid brewers/breweries joining these two wonderful things, but never really found any bottled till now. Three Skulls brewing (offshoot of Baron Brewing), has mass produced a bottled version of this lovely union. Now some of you may be hesitant or grossed out by this notion, especially those familiar with nasty taste of bacon vodka. Let me assure you that this beer is of perfect taste and proportion. Actually the bacon taste is not terribly strong at all. What is great is that the CO2 of the brew actually carries that wonderful aroma right to your nose. The lovely faint smell never dissapoints. The rest of the ale does not have a very strong odor, but a lager was used as a base, so unless there are some leftover lager yeast then it doesn't really have much more of a smell than that anyway. Honestly most of the time I hate straight lagers, some have even had the nasty taste of malt balls to them, ugh nasty! There are some like black lagers, or ones done with enough care and skill that have a taste, and one that isn't straight up terrible. This one is like that, and being as light a beer as it is lends itself well to just a hint of one of America's favorite pork products. In a nutshell though, this is the beer salters holy grail. Bacon usually has a salty taste to it, and more than lent a helping hand to this ale. Yes for those awkward few who dare tarnish they're beer with salt, search no more for the Buccaneer Bacon Lager comes tasting practically pre-salted. Normally I would also hate this, as salt is an overpowering flavor that can kill alot of the great taste found naturally in an ale. Tasting this ale, I think the saltiness of the bacon helped quash some of that nasty aftertaste that can happen drinking some lagers (see malt balls). All in all this is a nice light beer, and highly drinkable. If your a fan of bacon, you'll love it, and if your a beer salter, well this is your viagra in a bottle. I bought mine from 99 bottles, but I've heard and seen it available in a couple Fred Meyers or QFC if your in the right area (Seattle), I'm sure The Beer Junction probably has it, or there is always hitting up the Pillager's Pub off Greenwood where Three Skulls is located. In any event it's worth a try for just about any taste I'd say, so enjoy this liquidy interpretation of Bacon, Uummmm Bacon (drool)!

Vrienden

Okay, so I decided to give New Belgium's Lips of Faith series another shot to redeem itself after that bland Sahti I had (I've actually had a sour brown from them before to, and while delicious tasted like just about every other standard sour). This one is a collaboration though between the brewers at New Belgium, and the brewers from Allagash. Those who are not familiar with Allagash they make some extreme beers up in Maine. Those of you who are not familiar with Maine, it is what Conan O'Brian has stated as being, "The Deep South, of the Far North." Enough picking on Maine cause Allagash is actually an awesome brewery, and really I have nothing against Maine, I just thought that was an awesome quote. Even though I know some German I have no idea what the hell the word Vrienden means, sorry about that. What I can tell you is this ale was probably intended to be a sour based off of a belgian golden ale, or at least that is the flavor impression I am getting from this beer. For those who hate sours though don't fret, because it pretty much failed in that regard. However, it did make a wonderful ale all it's own. It is super tangy, and very light and drinkable. It has an herby sweetness to it that's really awesome, and not to be cliche but really uplifting in an ale. I've never had Hibiscus, or Endive in a beer for that matter, but the two seem to go well with this kind of ale. Even though the beer is a rather hefty 8.5% alcohol, it is still extremely drinkable. The light smooth beer, with a lot of herby tanginess is the best way to describe the taste and smell. If you get a good sniff of it though it is also rather yeasty, so I'm guessing if left be this one would bottle age for quite some time. Some people hate the taste/smell, but in this drink I think the yeastiness of the ale actually helps compliment that tangy sensation, while also letting the herbal flavors have their own distinct qualities in the ale. In any event I ended up really enjoying this ale. I'm not sure if those were the intended flavors, but even if it was a mistake, it was a wonderful one. I believe if this one had been really sour like alot of sour ales, it would have killed alot of the other great flavors to be had from the herbs, and the yeast intermingling. Although it took a collaboration with Allagash, I think New Belgium Lips of Faith finally inadvertantly stumbled upon a winner. They may want to keep that extreme brewery in Maine on speed dial for their next stab at a beer, because I think whatever it was done, a collaboration of minds most certainly helped with this entry.

St Bernardus Christmas Ale

I've been waiting to write about this one for a while, sorry school has been squelching my desire to write for fun lately. This is hand's down one of the best belgian ales I've had in some time. I loved spiced brews, I love belgian brews, and I love dark brews, so simply put this is my jizzed in my pants moment of the beer world. This beer combines all those elements that I so love about so many different ales. St Bernardus makes a wide range of ales, but this one is by far may favorite. All of their other belgian ales are pretty good as well, so please don't let this dissuade any of you from going out and trying any of those ales either. The second you pop the cork on this puppy, the CO2 releases the smell of a darker molasses type sugar balanced out by hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. I'm sure it's probably some proportion of All Spice mixed in, but to the amount of which I'm not sure. Smell, and even flavor though, you'll notice it in a heartbeat. The aroma is just so enticing and festive, I would even go so far to say this is the ale that epitomizes the holidays with it's scents and flavors. The sweetness is noticable, but the heavy carbonation actually helps balance it out quite nicely. It doesn't have the knockout sweetness present in say a barleywine, nor does it have a super belgian yeasty flavor that comes with many of the countries Tripel style ales, but for obvious reasons. The typical belgian flavor is there no doubt, but something closer to a cross between a grand cru, and a barleywine style ale. There is also a slight fruitiness in the aftertaste, shooting from the hip I'd say it's most likely a orange peel, or something to that effect as it does not have the sharpness associated with lemon or a slightly more acidic fruit. In any event this thing is both a cornucopia, and a roller coaster, delivering a heavy volume of scents and flavors, but what else would you want from a dark belgian holiday ale. Now all the American breweries always have their wonderful selection of darker, maltier ales, which are all good, but I would definitely add this belgian to the list of any holiday celebration. And I've seen it at Tacoma Boys, QFC, and 99 bottles all recently as well, so even with Christmas over I'm sure it can still be had. Oh and it was also at the Beer Junction in West Seattle as well. I don't know if it will still be in the shops as we drive closer to spring, but while available I say definitely pick one up, and if not for now, let it age a year hell actually it'll taste a little better as you let the ale bottle condition a little more. Just another reason to pick up this St Bernardus Christmas Ale.

Lucky Bastard

Most of us who drink beer by now have either seen Stone Brewings flagship beer Arrogant Bastard Ale in just about any grocery store, or in just about every bar and pub to be had. Stone loves this beer because they make about a million variations on it. For their thirteenth anniversary they have produced yet another incarnation of this classic western microbrew, the so-called Lucky Bastard. As per usual there is the usual ugly mug of some stereotypical gargoyle on the front of the label with the title of the beer. It weighs in at a healthy 8.5% alc as well, so like most of their beers this one has a nice little kick to it. The most awesome part about this beer though is the fact that stone made a huge description on the back of the beer, with all the letters in every word rearranged. It's intense, but for dyslexics like myself it is a wonderfully easy read. Actually for those not aware of this little psychological experiment, almost anyone will be able to read it based off of the functions of the human nervous system, and eyesite. Apparently Stone wants to show the public at large just how awesome the human brain is. The description on the back says that this thing is a mix of the Bastard line, that is to say Oak aged Bastard, Double Bastard, and regular Arrogant Bastard. I used a nice rastal glass so if you get a good wiff, it's the usualy citrusy smell typical of many uber-hoppy beers. Arrogant Bastard on it's own is listed as an American Strong Ale, but I'd label it more an Imperial Pale Ale. This one steps it up a notch with some wonderfully hoppy taste to it, you get the kick but it does not have the sweetness that you may get when drinking a heavy duty Imperial India Pale Ale. Alot of the hoppy-bitterness really comes through nice on this one. It also has a nicer tangy citrus aftertaste that I love much more than any of the regular Arrogant Bastard line. In a way it almost tastes like the correct proportion of tang was thrown in with this beer, but that's definitely not a bad thing. It's probably one of the best balanced heavier pale ales I've ever had. Hop heads rejoice cause this is definitely one you need to add to your list. It's fairly prevalant as well, I've seen it at many grocery stores, all specialty beer stores, and even the Mint Alehouse in Enumclaw (those who have not been, or only know Enumclaw for the horsy thing, I fully encourage you to discover this awesome pub!) I'm not usually a big Arrogant Bastard fan but this version where the company kind of dabled the proportions of several of the beers was pretty good, so for once I'll give the thumbs up to a wonderfully done Lucky Bastard.