Beer Review 72: Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze 2008

I'm so excited to be reviewing this beer tonight. Aside of  being one of the beer's I have sought after for the longest time, it also comes from on of my favorite breweries in the world, Cantillon, in Belgium. For those of you who don't know, Cantillon is one of the premiere lambic, gueuze, and sour beer makers in the world, and Jean Van Roy the head brewer at Cantillon, is by far one of the best at coming up with these fantastic beers. One of Jean's best creations is the Lou Pepe series of beer's: Gueuze, Framboise, and Kriek. However, these beer's are not easy to find, and if you do spot them at your local bottle shop the price of buying a bottle is steep. The Lou Pepe Gueuze runs anywhere from $25.00- $30.00 a 750 ml bottle. I know what your thinking... Damn! that shit is expensive, is it worth it. My response... Hell! Yes! Then again I'm a beer snob and  I love they style, so if your like me and like the sour and funky beers do yourself a favor and pick up as many as you can get your hands on. Furthermore, like all gueuze's this one also has a low abv. At 5% this beer is an easy drinker, but also provides plenty of complexity and character. I also suggest you enjoy this beer out of a tulip or goblet in reasonable 8 oz pours that way you can see how this beer changes as it warms over time. Finally, what else can be said about Lou Pepe Gueuze that doesn't sound like hyperbole, this beers taste should be enough.  Do remember to share this rare gem if you have one in your possession because like all Cantillon its best enjoyed in good company.

Color: A hazy golden/blonde this beer is. A thin white bubbly head forms that quickly reduces to a cloying white ring at the edges of your glass. Minimal head retention.

Nose: Wow! Like all great Belgian gueuze this one smells of funk, lemon peel, and stinky cheese. hints of oak and barnyard rise from the glass as it warms. A pretty complex aroma.

Palate: Simply perfect. Outstanding drinkability, perfectly carbonated, light and layered on the tongue, and above all delicious. Once this beer enters your mouth your palate is assaulted with sourness, extreme funk and waves of lemon. The oak then comes through to mellow out the sour patch invasion that just happened. Hints of grass and other barnyard textures shine on the back end.

Finish: Dry and easy going. Sour through and through with an incredible complexity that can only come from excellent craftsmanship.

Rating: 96/100

Beer Review 71: Beatification Batch 3

When it comes to making American Wild Ales, Vinnie from Russian River knows best. The whole sour line-up that is produced by Russian River Brewing is fantastic, from the year round productions of Supplication, Temptation, and Consecration, to the limited releases like Sanctification and Compunction and the ever spontaneous appearance of Beatification! This beer might be the best American produced sour beer I have had to date, it is complex, funky, sour, delicious, and way to drinkable. Beatification is a spontaneously fermented beer inspired by the Belgian sour beer making way. No yeast is added to the beer, it is put in a tank over night to collect whatever yeast and bacteria might be floating around and later transferred into a wine oak barrel where it sits and ferments for months. For all us craft beer nuts out there, we aspire to try this beer, we try to convince someone to trade us a bottle,which isn't easy to do, especially for the older vintages(batches ph1-3) or we try to become friends with someone who has one and have them share their bottle with us. Furthermore,  what I'm trying to get to is this: If you have a chance to get a bottle get it. If you have a chance to buy one, especially an older bottling, buy it (short of selling of your first born or home of course). Moreover, I'm one of the lucky few who over time has been able to not only try different vintages of this beer, but also own a few different batches of this beer and I must say that to this date.... batch 3 is still my favorite. What makes this vintage so sought  is that its the one year Russian River bottled Beatification in a 750 ml bottle. I believe when this came out it sold for $20.00 or more depending on where you bought it. As most of you know who read this blog I'm a big stickler for using proper glassware and its no different for this beer. A goblet or or champagne flute will do wonders for this beer, so please pour this beer into its proper glass. As for what to pair this beer with, I say nothing; do not ruin the greatness of this beer by shoving food in your mouth, enjoy the excellent craftsmanship that went into making this beer sublime! Lastly, like all well made sours Beatification can be cellared for a long time, so don't rush and drink it all at once.... save it for the right occasion.

Color: Golden to blonde with a few orange highlights. A thin white bubbly head appears but quickly reduces to a white ring around the glass. Leaves behind some head retention, but no lace.

Nose: Extreme and complex. Sourness, barnyard textures, funk, lemon scent, and mellow grassy notes.

Palate: Like heaven on the tongue. Extremely drinkable for how sour it is. The carbonation is perfect, no trace of alcohol and its tingles your taste buds. As this beer sits in your mouth waves of sour lemon and oak coat the tongue , later the grassy notes appear in soft gentle way. Truly well crafted.

Finish: Long and dry with plenty of layers. Tart and funky, sour and lightly fruity, and yea very drinkable till the last drop. A masterful sour!

Rating: 97/100

Beer Review 70: Surly Darkness 2011

When it come to Russian Imperial Stouts there are few that stand up to the behemoth that is Surly Darkness. This big, flavorful, and rich stout out of the the Minnesota is an amazing beer. Since 2007 when Surly when first decided to bottle Darkness has become one of the cornerstones of the imperial stout market. Once a year during "Darkness Day " at the brewery people gather from all around the country to share bottles from their cellar and have a good time as they wait to buy their allotment of bottles. I've been blessed to have had Darkness 09-2011 and I must say that I enjoy this beer fresh. I'm not saying Darkness gets worse with age, I just prefer the nice hop profile it has when you consume it fresh. At $20.00 dollars a bottle I find that this beer is worth every single dime, especially because it's bottled in a really cool 750 ml bottle that is waxed and has great art work every year. Darkness clocks in at a very drinkable 10.30 % abv, but its still best enjoyed out of a snifter in 6 oz pours. What I also like about this beer is that as it opens up you get more and more flavors and textures. I love to pair this beer with any form of red meat especially with my bone in cajun rubbed rib-eye, but it also goes well with a big juicy bacon burger with blue cheese.... yea yum, and now in hungry! I do recommend to go out and find this beer, buy 2 or more bottles and drink a few fresh and age a few so you can also see the changes this beer goes through over the years.

Color: Deep, dark, and black. a beautiful tan head of 1 1/2 finger head forms at the end of your pour. Light lacing and some good head retention are left behind in the glass.

Nose: Big time roasted malts... like so big in your face roasted malts. A delightful hop aroma arises from this beer along with hints of espresso and mild chocolate.

Palate: Boom! Out of the gate you get bitter coffee along with the perfect compliment to it sweet mild chocolate. As the beer makes it down your tongue you get many different aspects of this beer: roasted malts, hops and a tad of warmth from the abv. The drinkablity of this beer is just sublime, the carbonation is just right and this full bodied beer just goes down easy.

Finish: Near perfect Russian Imperial Stout. Quite layered with a long finish. you can taste this beer well after you have taken down your sip. A nice bitterness come through here along with a gentle sweetness to chase it away. Just good.

Rating: 96/100

Beer Review 69: Allagash Ghoulschip

From one of the furthest northeast breweries in the country comes this wonderful pumpkin sour. Ghoulschip, is made by the fine brewers at Allagash located in Portland, Maine. Yes, the state known for Stephen King and clam chowder does provide us with of the most delicious beer made in the U.S. Ghoulschip, is an American wild ale in line with the coolship series beer's released by Allagash every now and then, and with this beer they tried to capture the essence of a seasonal pumpkin beer and make it a high quality wild ale. They succeeded  in their attempt, Ghoulschip is an extraordinary beer with good complexity and taste. I will be the first to say I was a bit skeptical at first about this beer seeing that there have been many attempts by other breweries to make this such style and failed. With Ghoulschip though, it was a massive achievement! Furthermore, Ghoulschip had a minimal release as it was only sold at the brewery last year and only 1,200 bottles were sold to the public making this beer quite unique and rare. Moreover, this wild pumpkin ale was sold at $10.00 dollars a bottle and packaged in a cork and caged 375 ml bottle. Ghoulschip clocks in at a very drinkable 6.9% abv and should be enjoyed from the proper glassware as to allow the multi-layered aromas of this beer come to life. I would recommend enjoying this beer out of a tulip or wine glass in 8 oz servings to allow for the beer to open up and develop over time.  No lie, this beer will pair wonderfully with braised pork ribs or lamb or if you just want snack on something any form of aged stinky cheese will do fine.

Color: Copper,orange, auburn hues glow from this beer. A dime sized white ring forms around the top of the glass.

Nose: Pumpkin, light molasses. toasted oak(which I love) slight sour funk and other seasonal spices: allspice, nutmeg(faint) and clove.

Palate: This is where Ghoulschip shines! The drinkability of this beer is insane good. The carbonation is just right and the abv is well masked all through this beer. This brew has a medium bodied feel on the tongue and it provides plenty of sour funk and oakiness. I love the feel of molasses at the back end and the spice profile on the finish. The pumpkin comes in waves to add some pleasant sweetness.

Finish: a nice sourness with good sweetness and subtle dry finish. Def a good American sour

Rating: 94/100