Beer Review 34: Russian River Sanctification

I decided to crack this beer open tonight After the Heat beat the Lakers, so in other words a treat for me after having to deal with 5 straight loses from Heatles and crew. Sanctification starts off as a blonde style brew before the fine brewer's at Russian River Brewery introduce this beer to "Brett" or in other words, the wild yeast strain known as Brettanomyces. Moreover, I believe Sanctification is the only sour beer they make that is not barrel aged. This beer is so good though. It delivers plenty of flavor and complexity, combined with all the great sour attributes that come along with being a Russian River beer. Another great thing about this beer is its price, at $8.99 to $9.99, its one of the most affordable sours made by Russian River and also any other brewery. Let me also say that's California prices because I have been told this beer sells for upwards of 12 dollars on the east coast. Bottled at a nice 6.75 % abv and in 375 ml bottles this beer really is a must get. One can easily take a whole bottle down or share it with one other person seeing that the recommended serving size for Sanctification is 6.4 oz. Like always, Sours deserve the proper glassware so they can be enjoyed fully, and this one is no exception, so pour this beer into a tulip like glass or goblet. Lastly, Sanctification is a good year round beer, but it definitely be a great summer month favorite. Find this beer when available, and buy yourself a few because  its only available during the first 6 months of the year. Side not: this beer is also great to age up to 3 years.

Color: A nice Hazy golden color. Reminiscent of hay stacks. Very well carbonated, forms a Nickel size head and leaves behind a nice lacing.

Nose: Light yeast fun from the Brett. Bready scents hit the nose followed by hints of lemon and grassy elements. Hints of light mellow hop appear after a good wiff.

Palate: Semi dry and medium bodied. The gentle sourness coats the tongue and then gives way to sour apples and lemon. 

Finish: Again Semi dry and of medium length.  Sanctification leaves behind traces of fruit, yeast funk and earth tones. Layered with flavor and personality. 

Rating: 94 out of 100

Beer Review 33: Southern Tier Creme Brulee

Ever since I heard of Southern Tier Brewery in New York, I was intrigued by their Black Water Series. This collection of beers are imperial stouts brewed with high quality ingredients and craftsmanship. Creme Brulee is the second of the 5 I have tried, so thanks to Corey Evans for hooking me up with this beer.... Cheers!!! What  love about this beer is its character and layered elements. It drinks so well for a beer with a high abv(10%) and the sweetness of this beer isn't offensive like some other over the top milk/cream stouts.  Furthermore, this beer is priced just perfectly, at $8.99-$9.99 for a 22 oz bottle.  I really recommend drinking this beer out of a snifter, even though a pint glass will do. Creme Brulee is meant to be savored and drank a bit cold, so serving yourself a huge serving may cause this beer to taste nasty toward the end. Moreover, the proper serving size for this beer is 6 oz.  Lastly, this beer is a summer release by Southern Tier, so don't expect to find it on the shelves after October. This beer is a good after dinner beer and with all the nice vanilla and coffee flavors in this beer, it definitely makes it a dessert option.

Color: Dark,dark, dark brown. Light carbonation, hardly any head, leaves behind minimal lacing.

Nose: Big vanilla flavors followed by hints of rich caramel and molasses. Somewhere in the background you get hints of cream/milk and mellow coffee.

Palate: Medium bodied with explosive flavor. Caramel and vanilla hit the mouth first and toward the back of the tongue you get coffee and malty goodness

Finish: Some dryness and loss of complexity. This beer is all A's until you get to this point. The sweetness kinda goes away all the flavor seems to have disappeared. Kinda of a let down, but still better than most stouts on the market.

Rating: 90 out of 100

Beer Review 32: Deschutes The Dissident 2010

I have been dying to try this beer for the longest time; Ever since Deschutes announced it was gonna be released in 2008. However, I couldn't find any back then, so I struck out and had to wait two years for The Dissident to be released again. To my disappointment, again this beer eluded me, but my buddy Bill Rabb in Washington came to my rescue and secured me 4 bottles of this amazing beer. So, cheer's buddy this review is with you in mind. The Dissident is brewed in the Flanders Oud Bruin tradition, meaning new and old brown ales are blended together and aged in oak barrels.  Furthermore, the fine brewer's at Deschutes took this beer a step further by adding sour cherries to the beer and aging it 2 years in oak before bottling it. In brewing this beer, the people over at Deschutes had to isolate The Dissident in order not to infect the other beer's in the brewery. Your asking yourself right now.... beer... infected, well yes. The Dissident is also brewed with wild yeast and bacteria, these elements give this unique beer its sour/tart mouth feel and allow this beer to age for long periods of time. Moreover, here are some facts about this beer: It's bottled at a 10.5 % abv and packaged in 22 oz wax capped bottles, it runs anywhere from $12.99- $15.99 a bottle, and the proper serving size for this beer is 6 oz in a tulip or goblet glass. Lastly, this beer has lots of wine like qualities making cheese an excellent food pairing with this beer. So, go out their grab yourself a few of these bottles and enjoy some now and save some for down the road because the next batch won't be coming out till 2012.

Color: A vibrant copper colored beer with some haziness at the core. Very nicely carbonated, leaves behind minimal lacing, and it form a finger thick withe head that disappears at a steady pace.

Nose: Big sour cherry smell followed by earthy tones and yeast funk. at the core of this beer hints of oak present themselves along with light nutmeg.

Palate:  Mellow sourness immediately makes it self present. The cherries float on the tongue accompanied by what feels like apples and easter like textures.

Finish: Tart and long. Full of an array of flavors and craftmanship. The alcohol is so well masked in this beer that you can barely notice it on the finish. An excellent example of this style of brewing by the folks at Deschutes. Well done!

Rating: 93 out of 100

Beer Review 31: Dogfish Head Namaste

After hearing so many good things about this beer, I was finally was able to track one down in Illinois this past December when I was there. I shipped it back out and finally got around to drinking it last night. Namaste is a Belgian style wit beer, which happens to be my second favorite beer style. Brewed with a nice amount of organic oranges, coriander, and lemon grass this beer really shines. This ale is one of the newer offerings by the creative minds at Dogfish, first released in 2009,this beer was brewed to help out a brewery in Belgium after that brewery lost 1/3 of their production beer due to an incident at the brewery. Furthermore, this beer is amazing! One of the best Belgian style wit I have ever tried. It drinks incredibly smooth, and would make an incredible summer beer. Bottled in 750 ml bottles and at a nice 5 % abv, Namaste makes any wit beer fan happy. This beer is seasonal and not sold everywhere, so if you do see it and you are a fan of this style grab a few; it not that expensive as it sells from anywhere from $8.99 to $10.99 depending on where you find it. In addition, this beer doesn't need  a special beer glass, so feel free to enjoy it out of any glass you feel is appropriate. Lastly, this beer will pair well with any sort of poultry dish or roasted pork.

Color: A hazy golden straw color. Big white head of at least 3 fingers. This beer is well carbonates and leaves behind minimal lacing.

Nose: Big on the orange... sweet juicy oranges. Also evident is lemon grass which is later complimented by the coriander. Traces of wheat as well

Palate: soft and gentle. A light bodied beer with plenty of character and presence. The lemon grass is big on the tongue and the the orange taste floats in the background.

Finish: Crisp and refreshing. Goes down smooth and with a nice body of flavors. Very well done

Rating: 93 out of 100   

Beer Review 30: Founders Kbs

Founder's is one of those breweries which most people don't know about, located in Michigan this midwest brewery makes and produces some of the best beer in the country. Kbs, short for Kentucky Breakfast Stout is an Imperial stout that is aged in bourbon barrels for more than year. Furthermore, this beer is brewed with a nice amount of chocolate and coffee, which are very evident in this beer all the way through. You can't find Founder's KBS or any other of their products west of the Mississippi, but if you have friends who live east of the Mississippi have them ship you out some, you'll love it. Moreover, KBS is packaged in 12 oz four packs which sell for about twenty dollars. In addition, KBS is not a beer for the faint of heart,bottled at 11.2% abv, this beer really packs a punch. This is an amazing stout that should be enjoyed alone, without any food or cigar or anything else you are thinking about. The right glass will also enhance the taste of this beer; a snifter would do this beer justice as would a British style pint glass will work just fine to. Lastly, I want to say that this beer is is the second best stout I have had in my life. The Abyss by Deschutes is still my favorite, but this one really closed the gap.

Color: Solid black. Thin dime head the shade of tan. Minimal lacing with light carbonation.

Nose: Waves of coffee and chocolate hit the nose and you just want to keep smelling. Traces of vanilla and mellow molasses float in the background. Also present are light woody texture that add character to the nose.

Palate: Full bodied,thick and rich.... just like a yummy stout should be. Coffee and chocolate swirl on the tongue and the sweetness of the vanilla tingle your taste buds.

Finish: Long and thick... quite complex and beautifully layered with flavor. The bourbon influence is really present here.

Rating: 97 out of 100

Beer Review 29: Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra

Yet another beer review, and it's another Dogfish Head beer. This time its Raison D'Extra. This beer has been retired by the folks over at Dogfish,so good luck finding it. I want to Thank Michael Nielson from Massachusetts for hooking me up with this beer, so good looking out man. I want to start off by saying that the Raison I had was from 2007 which I believe was the last year it was brewed, but something tells me there may be a 2008 version too. Either way, this beer is the super charged version of the Raison D'Etre that I reviewed earlier. D'Extra is a Belgian style brown ale brewed with a ridiculous amount of green raisins and Belgian sugars. Furthermore, unlike its little brother, D'Extra is bottled at a robust 18% abv and packaged in a 12 oz bottle. The price tag varies on this beer, when it first came out it was priced at $10.99 a bottle now I've seen it go anywhere from $12.99 to $15.99 a bottle. In addition to all the info I have given you so far, its also important to drink this beer from the proper glassware. A snifter and only a snifter this beer. Raison's complexity and high abv require such a glass so you can enjoy it in its entirety. Moreover, this beer does require aging, even the 2007 that I drank was still drinking hot, so at least 3 to 6 years of cellar time for this beer to reach its full potential. Lastly, I recommend drinking this beer on its own, don't bother pairing it up with a meal or snacks.... D'Extra is not like D'Etre which you can pair with a nice steak.

Color: Hazy brown, Definitely no lacing and hardly any head. Some carbonation.

Nose: Plenty of sugar and heavy raisin. Some light malty scents in the background with some light yeast as well.

Palate: Drinks hot! the alcohol is well masked, you get hints of it, but not in a bad way. Definitely a full bodied beer that packs a punch. You get some sweetness from the sugar on your entire tounge.

Finish: Long and warm. not to complex or layered. malty and fruity.

Rating: 90 out of 100. would have given it more, but lacks complexity.

Beer Review 28: Dogfish Head Red and White

 Last night I decided to drink the second of my three red and whites by Dogfish Head, and I must say after a little bit of aging this beer got better from the first time I tried it back in the spring of 2010. The beer has amazing taste and a great mouth feel, especially for a beer that is bottled at 10% abv. In addition, this beer is a seasonal release by dogfish and can only be found packaged in 750 ml bottles, so load up when it hits shelves early in 2011. Furthermore, this beer requires the proper glassware so it can be enjoyed to its fullest. A snifter or if you have a dogfish signature glass will do the trick for this beer so enjoy and sip. Moreover, Red and White is a Belgian wit beer brewed with pinot noir concentrate and aged in two kinds of barrels: pint noir barrels and oak barrels. Finally, this beer makes a great dinner beer when paired with fish or shelled fish, but I really enjoy this beer on it own or paired with some orange dark chocolate. Also this beer isn't cheap.... Red and White run's anywhere from $11.99 to $13.99 a bottle.

Color: Orange with some Autum red. Very Hazy and well carbonated. Form a nice white foamy head the leaves behind some nice lacing.

Nose: Explodes on the senses! Hints of coriander and citrus.... mostly orange peel and tangerine. soft raspberry and cranberry. Some trace of the oak aging in the background.

Palate: Full bodied and complex. Its like drinking a a Belgian Wit beer only on steroids and with added layers of flavor. For a beer with a high abv it really has a soft smooth mouth feel.

Finish: Long and textured. Some mellow sweetness and wheat textures at the back end. very drinkable and refreshing.

Rating: 92 out of 100