See-told you yesterday I'd have some great new content!

The Bruery Bourbon Barrel Aged Sucre. Placentia, CA. Old Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels 16.9% ABV.

Served on tap at Upright Brew House and poured into a wine glass. Pours a reddish amber color with no head. Smell is sweet and sugar, with hints of the bourbon from their aging process. Hints of fruits and spices as well. Carbonation is low with a full body. Taste is very sugary-much more so than the regular Sucre variety. The bourbon is mostly evident in the aftertaste, and for a 16.9% ABV beer, this drinks surprisingly light. Hints of vanilla and oak in the taste as well. 

Overall this was a solid beer by The Bruery, and I like it a lot more than the original Sucre beer. A lot more. This was much more sugary and the Bourbon aging did wonders for the beer. Upright has been holding onto this keg for a long time and I was thrilled to be able to try it when they finally tapped it. As most of my readers know, if I ever see something by The Bruery on tap, I buy it immediately. Such a phenomenal and innovative brewery making nothing but world class beers. Not cheap, but worth it. 

On a side note, our team blogger Kevin Scott delivered me some of his favorite Trillium selections this weekend, so look for a review in the coming weeks from me. Also, he will be reviewing my home-brewed Belgian Tripel soon, and I told him to be as tough as possible!

95/100
$10/6 oz pour at Upright
(Only 1 review on Beer Advocate-that's how rare this is-so no BA score)

Wow been a while since my last post! My apologies. Will have some great content coming out this week.

Other Half Green Diamonds Double IPA. Other Half Brewing Company, Brooklyn, NY. American Double IPA 9.1% ABV.

Served chilled from a can at Upright Brew House and poured into a glass (also had it again last night and drank part from a pint glass and some from the can. This was the best picture though...) Pours a cloudy golden-amber color with a frothy two finger foam head that dissipates quickly. Smells are sweet and citrusy, and the New Zealand hop character really shines through. Carbonation is moderate with a medium body. Taste is incredibly hoppy, and the citrusy hops are the most powerful part of the taste. Hints of grapefruit, mango and the caramel malt. It is a very dank and hoppy beer that I would buy any chance I see it on a menu. 

Other Half's first foray into canning was a massive success. I would put this up there with my favorite DIPAs, and put it pretty darn close to Heady. I actually like this a lot more than the All Green Everything, Other Half's most famous IIPA. Can't wait to have this one again-if you see it, buy out the store. You won't be disappointed.

100/100
96/100 Beer Advocate

Guinness The 1759. Limited Edition Amber Ale (American Strong Ale) Dublin, Ireland 9% ABV. 

To wrap up my St. Paddy's Day 3 part series, I wanted to review the newest release from Guinness: The 1759. This is a monster imperial amber ale at 9% ABV and served in a beautiful opaque black bottle, which also came in a black box. I received this as a gift for Christmas, and could think of no better time to crack it open and write than for today. Thanks again to my parents for the bottle!

Served chilled from a 75cL bomber and poured into an oversized snifter. Pours a dark brown to nearly black with a monster tan frothy head. Smells are of dark fruits, caramel, and medium, but not heavily roasted malts. Carbonation is moderate with a medium body. Actually, it was a much lighter body than I expected, especially given the aging and 9%. Taste was sweet and malty, with hints of raisins, figs and perhaps a bit of peat. There was an earthiness to it, and definitely reflected the character of the Irish countryside while still trying to be an American Strong/Imperial Amber. Aftertaste was somewhat boozy and sweet, with hints of the earthy peat/whiskey.

The reviews on this were overall on the weaker side. Many claimed that for the price, it was not worth buying. If this beer were $10/bottle, I would said it would be a definitely regular purchase. $20 is pushing it. $30-35 is a bit excessive. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and am reviewing solely based on the quality of the beer rather than the price. Personally, I believe the lower BA score is related to the price point, which really is not fair. Given that it was a one time thing, I am thrilled that I had the chance to try it, and hope they consider selling in smaller bottles without the lavish packaging. Should bring down the price significantly and entice more beer drinkers to buy and sample. 

Happy St Paddy's Day all!

Slainte

94/100
81/100 BA

Part 2 of my series in Ireland is naturally about beer. Specifically, I am going to focus on the variants of the Guinness brand. My samplings will include Guinness Draught from a bottle and can, Guinness Extra Stout, Guinness The 1759 Limited Edition Amber Ale, and a refresher on my review of Guinness American Blonde Lager. Would have loved it include Harp, Smithwicks, Beamish, Murphys or more. I did try an O'Hara's beer a few weeks ago but am saving that for a future write-up. 

Guinness has always had a special place in my heart. When I order a shepherd's pie, nothing beats a nice fresh Guinness from the taps. Also, the main ingredient in my beef stew recipe is a bottle of Guinness Draught as the broth. Really good stuff, as many of my readers can attest.

I figured I would write up about a few of the Guinness selections, but will not do official reviews on them. We'll leave it at this-I thoroughly enjoy all of these (and will do an official review of the big guy in the middle-the 1759). 

When pouring a Guinness from a can, there is a little secret to recreate the authentic 119.5 second pour. Note I am not using a correct glass as I accidentally broke my stout glass a few weeks back! What you want to do is take a spoon, turn it upside down and pour the beer directly on top of the spoon. The beer will flow to all sides of the spoon and fall hard to the bottom of the glass. See the before and after  below. 

Same beer just in a bottle. For some reason I pour out the can and drink from the bottle...

Guinness Extra Stout, also called Foreign Stout, is a solid dry ale. 

Before I end, I also want to share the link to my review of Guinness American Blonde, which I review in the late summer (was one of the first 10 on Beer Advocate to submit a review too!)

Slainte!
Scott

There once was a blog about beers,
To help the beer buying of peers.
But on this great day,
I'd just like to say,
Happy St Paddys Day everyone, Cheers!

How could I pass up doing a St. Patrick's Day post? Even better, a 3 part post! What better way to honor the snakes being driven out of Ireland than a post on the music, beer and whiskey of the country.  Today's Part 1 is MUSIC.

As my friends know, I am a big fan of Irish folk music, especially pub music. I frequently listen to the music of artists like Bagatelle, The Dubliners, The Pogues, Dublin City Ramblers, Clancy Brothers and Paddy Reilly. As you prepare raise a glass of Guinness, Harp or Smithwicks, consider listening to some of the following tunes. Guarantee they will go over well.

This song, performed many countless artists, was written sometime in the 1800s about a journey from Tuam to Liverpool. It is written in 9/8 time and is extremely fast paced, which makes it difficult to sing due to the long verses. The Dubliners do a great version too but this one is tops in my book. 

Above is The Irish Rover, a collaboration (though not written by) The Pogues and the Dubliners. The song reached #1 on the Irish charts back in 1987. It features Shane MacGowan and the late Ronnie Drew switching off verses before singing the final one together. It tells the tale of a ship captain and their journey (I don't want to spoil the ending!)

I wanted to include this song. It features Jim McCann on lead vocals with The Dubliners singing Lord of the Dance. Jim just passed away on March 5th and really was a tremendous singer. Enjoy this one.

How could any St. Paddy's day list be complete without Finnegan's Wake? This has always been a favorite song of mine, and is recorded by many, many artists. The Dubliners version is tremendous, and even the Dropkick Murphys is good too. Check out The Irish Rovers here!

Had to throw at least one Wolfe Tones song in here!

My favorite version of Whiskey in the Jar (even though the first verse was screwed up!)

No Irish music list would be complete without Fairytale of New York, by The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl. This is one of the highest rated Irish songs of all time.

Tomorrow's post will focus on Beers. Specifically, I will be reviewing several of the Guinness varieties, concluding with one very special review on St. Patrick's Day.

Cheers!
Scott

Dark Island Reserve - The Extraordinary Orcadian Ale aged in Whisky Casks Limited Edition. Orkney Brewery: Quoyloo, Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom. 10% ABV.

Hand bottled on January 15th, 2014. Each bottle contains hand written Gyle Number, two signatures from the Head Brewer and the following description at the top of the bottle:

Dark Island Reserve is a rich, strong ORCADIAN ALE. After a gentle fermentation at our brewery in Quoyloo, the beer is finished in old oak casks formerly used to mature fine scotch malt whisky. This unhurried process creates a timeless classic tasting of fruit, spice, oak & roast malt flavours. An extraordinary ale. 


First off, thank you to John C. for the bottle-I had the pleasure of splitting this with several friends this past week and it was a hit. As my readers know, I love the idea of a bottle share, especially since the best part of sampling beer is to be able to do so with friends. Anyways, on to the review.

Served semi chilled from a 75 cL bottle and poured into a snifter. Pours a deep black color with no head. I poured out several glasses for friends as well and couldn't create a head on any of the pours. Smells were roasty and malty, with hints of dark fruits and whisky. Raisins, figs and plums were there as well as the burnt roasted malt. Carbonation was light with a full body. Taste had a chocolately backbone from the dark malts, with hints of coffee as well. The oak and whisky flavors were definitely there, but not overpowering. The fruits complimented the roasty and oaky flavors, and created an overall balanced taste. Aftertaste was mostly the whisky and oak, which I would expect from a cask aged beer.

Overall this was a treat to be able to try. A very complex beer aged carefully over the past 14 months. I've seen price points online and for the price I would prefer to buy several bottles of world class beers. However, I am thrilled I had the opportunity to try and will try to find another beer from this brewery.

97/100
91/100 Beer Advocate

Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Natale - Pretty Please With a Cherry on Top. Brewed at the Westbrook Brewing Company Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. American Porter, 11.5%.

Served on tap at Upright Brew House and poured into a tulip glass. Pours a dark brown to nearly purplish color with no head. Smells are of coffee, nuts, chocolate and roasted malts. Carbonation is light with a full body. Taste is sweet, like the regular Biscotti Break but not as sugary. The chocolate and coffee are evident, and add to some bitterness in the beer. The sour cherry is very faint, though it is there during the taste. The aftertaste is where it shines through and stays on the tip of your tongue.

Overall a solid beer. I have a bottle that I have been aging for about 9 months and plan on holding onto it for another 6 months or so. Will be curious to see the differences in the aging process (and will certainly document it here!) As a refresher, here is the link to the original Biscotti Break review from last year. I don't rate this one as highly but still quite good.

91/100
92/100 Beer Advocate

Enlightenment Ales Cosmos Batch No. 7. Foreign/Export Stout. Everett, MA 7.5% ABV. 

Served chilled from a 750mL bottle and poured into a snifter. Pours a dark brown to black color with a frothy two finger tan foam head that keeps its shape well. Smells are of chocolate and raisins. Carbonation is moderate with a medium body. Taste is sweet and malty, with chocolate flavoring leading the way. Dark fruits and roasted malt are there too, perhaps raisins and/or figs. Reviews I read afterward cited caramel but I didn't notice this. The finish is very dry, much more so than I would have expected. Overall it is a well balanced stout that I am sure would age quite well. Would definitely buy again!

A thank you to my Uncle Jim for this beer. Been holding onto it for a few months to allow for some of the malt characteristics to come forward and it certainly aged well. I would love to try more from this brewery (and have their Barleywine in the cellar!) This brewery is extremely small (like Kevin Scott's favorite Trillium). Goes to show you that there are a lot of craftsmen out there making great beers.

95/100
88/100 Beer Advocate