Semi-half assed review(s): Trappist Rochefort

I've been drinking...

Hey...remember me? Sure it's been a while but it doesn't mean that I haven't been drinking the good stuff and analyzing the crap out of it.

Bored right now, have knocked back a few, and figured I'd write about it. To be fair, I decided to pull out two of the better beers on the planet and talk about them. Maybe this little blip on the radar of the blog world will get you to go out and find these bad boys to enjoy yourself.

Had a few at the bar and thought I'd take a few to go with me. I stuck with the same brewer and decided I'd dissect the Trappist Rochefort 8 and the Trappist Rochefort 10. The "10" is consistently in the top 25 of the beeradvocate.com, and the "8" goes in and out of the top 100. There are a handful of beers I consider "must likes" if you are a fan of good beer. There are certain beers that you simply have to like, regardless of style, if you like good brew. If you can't enjoy anything Rochefort makes....you simply don't like good beer, that's all there is to it. Go find a Blue Moon and screw off....

The beauty of these guys, is that they are (relatively) easy to find in terms of the top top brews on the planet. They aren't all that seasonal, and a good liquor store, or a high end bottle bar generally has them in stock. Now, they are going to cost you....generally retailing as cheap as 5 bucks and also as high as 8 bucks for an 11.2 oz bottle. Absolutely, positively worth every single penny, as these are the epitome of Belgian ales and "beer" in general.

These aren't ones to throw down in a quick "while watching the game" manner,....... these are ones to sip and savor.

TRAPPIST ROCHEFORT 8




9.2% ABV, only available in 11.2 oz. bottles. I guess you can call it a "strong Belgian Dark Ale", but calling it a "Quadruple" is just fine in my book, as you're splitting hairs at this point. Pours a deliciously chocolate brown, with hints of deep violet into your chalice. Decent head gives way, and the little bit of yeast that's sure to sneak out of the heavily conditioned bottle is going to bubble most of the way through the drink.

Smells like chocolate covered dark fruit,...raisins, figs, pretty much everything you see in a text-book description of the style. Big, malty, yeasty, vibrant, full of awesome. Taste matches it. Never thin, never chemical, never metallic. (like the shitty Belgian-style brews) Everything that one might find in a cheaper, dark, Belgian just simply doesn't exist here. The flavor is full with every sip, and the alcohol only comes well after the drink with only the most minimal dryness. Perfectly acceptable booziness for something that's over 9% abv. Stays drinkable, in the sense you can have 2-3, but of course not a whole sixer.

Not as bold or as "wow" as the 10 (we'll talk about that in a bit), but I'm not sure what else you'd want in a big Belgian. People generally skip the 8 to go straight for the 10, but it's certainly worth a go. Not saying the 10 isn't worth it, but the 8 is also. Maybe go for the 8 so you could have 1-2 more seeing as how it's slightly more subdued and a little lower in abv?

Semi-half assed verdict: 9/10

TRAPPIST ROCHEFORT 10



Far drunker now.....

Rochefort 8 and 6's bigger brother....well, to be fair it's MOST beer's bigger brother. One of the more respected beers on the planet and it's not all that hard to find (once again, in comparison to many other top 50 brews). I think many of us forget that this brew is really one of the better made products in the world and pass over it for other stuff that's really priced somewhat similarly.

Pours the same (as the "8") big, chunky brown (with violet hues), and has the same big, tan head that dissipates rather quickly. (this is, in part, due to my most likely dirty chalice). The beer is almost opaque, and appears, visually, as a challenge to my tongue/pallet. Fine by me.

Once again, the nose is big, malty, yeasty, dark fruits, with substantial chocolate. There's nothing "light" about this beer, in the sense that your tongue will be spared with crispness, or lack of aftertaste. The beer will coat your tongue and stay there for some time. The mouthfeel is certainly heavier (11.3% abv, so that's assumed), and definitely creamier. The taste is like I described before with the "8", only a bit heavier in the malt/chocolate department, with equal parts of the dark fruit.

Outside of, maybe the Westvleteren 12, this might be the pre-eminent Belgian Ale. Big, heavy, chewy malt, tons of yummy chocolate and dark fruit, and never really any sort of harshness to it. Most other beers that you take on over 11% abv will let you know early and often of their strength. The alcohol is here, but it never burns, and this is far and away anything from a "hot" beer in the likes of crap made by Avery or other supposedly "high end" stuff with big ABVs.

Once again, if you claim to like "good beer", and don't pop at least a minor boner from this brew, you're lying.

Semi-half assed verdict: 9.99999999/10



Cheers...bitches.

Bell's Hopslam!!

People who know me know I'm not a mega-hop head. I definitely get annoyed by some of the "hops for the sake of hops" beers that are out there, but I can enjoy a good IPA, or even big IPA as much as the next guy. Also, this just got to my local liquor store today, so if you are reading this relatively soon after I made this post....get your ass on the phone and call your local retailer before it's too late as I can't imagine this lasting past the weekend. Also, get to your local (good) beer bar and see if and when they are carrying this on draft as they will only get a keg or two that will probably only last a couple of days.

Hopslam is a bit different for me in that it's one of the few, if not the only mega-hopped beer that I look forward to every year. It only comes out once a year and like most years I bug local liquor stores with phone calls and visits until I can get my hands a few sixers. There's just something different about this big brew that makes it really fun to drink. With a billion IBUs, and at 10% abv, it's never going to be something I want more than one or two of in a night, but it still goes down pretty easy for being the "bomb" that it is. So what's different about it?

Well, first of all, this might be the best smelling beer on the planet. Equal parts citrus, pine, honey, and biscuit. Big big big floral nose. So freaking yummy. Glade should make a potpourri out of this smell......they could make money with putting this in people's bathrooms.

Second, it's a Bell's product and they aren't hellbent on making un-approachable, pallet exploding beers like so many other craft breweries. This thing is still a hop-monster, but you can tell there is an attempt to make it smooth and drinkable. I think that's where the honey comes into play. So many big IPAs are loaded with malt because they need to do something to at least remotely balance out the hops. A lot of times that gives you big IPAs that can get a bit syrupy, , and overly sweet as they warm up. The honey gives this beer the needed balancing sweetness, but it does so without making it an all-too malt heavy brew. It's still not a session-beer, but it's not going to absolutely destroy your night after you have one.

Third and finally....it just tastes better than other big IPAs. All that yummy stuff you get in the nose, you get on the tongue as well. Big, juicy smack of grapefruit, a touch of pine, with some nice citrus-rind in the finish. All that initial kick of hops is mellowed with a touch of biscuity malt, and a nice hit of that honey that partially coats the tongue and makes it all the more smooth. It goes down obscenely easy for a beer that has the amount of ingredients that this one does.

Just a fun fun brew. Really cool beer to drink. Get your hands on one if you get the chance. Hell, I bought two-sixers and might even let you in on one if you have an interesting trade or I like you. Probably not, though.

Verdict: 9/10

Cheers, fools.

Half-Assed beer reviews: 1/1/2011

So unlike most, I'm not nursing too bad of a hangover today as I
worked til pretty late last night. I've decided to pop open some stuff in my cellar and throw out some half-assed reviews of some new(er) stuff I've tried recently, and stuff that I'm beginning to really enjoy and would like to recommend to some of my buddies that tell me they actually read this thing.

Fantome - Saison

I had this beer for the first time about a half year ago, and enjoyed it then. I've tried it a handful more times since and seem to like it more and more as I try it. I think initially you might call it a "sour", but I think it's more tart than sour. It's got a good tart/sweet bite, a little bit of funk, and it's nice and earthy/grassy which is what I really like in a Saison. It finishes very clean and with only minimal hop bitterness. It's refreshing, obscenely easy to drink, no characteristic is overpowering and everything plays nicely with each other. Like many of the brews I consider the "best", it practices the fine art of subtlety. I wouldn't put a new beer nerd on to this right away, but if you can get some good saisons under their belt, like Saison Dupont, or Boulevard's Tank 7, this might be a good next step. It also might be a good way to bridge the gap if you or someone else wants to try some of the more sour brews.

Be forewarned: A 750ml bottle of this usually runs around 14 bucks a pop, retail.

Half-assed verdict: 8.5/10

Boulevard - Amber Ale

I think most beer nerds see Amber Ales as kinda lame beers, and stuff that's left for the newbie who thinks they're branching out because "OMG, THIS IS A DARK BEER". I've been on that boat before, and too often roll my eyes when someone asks me for a good "Amber". Regardless, this is actually a really solid session brew. I'd be more than happy if this were the beer of choice for a Super Bowl party, or something similar. It's got a nice full body, a good mingling of sweet and bitter, and enough taste to make you want more, but not overpower you. I'd say the flavor profile is a bit of caramel up front, and just enough hops to give it a clean finish, nothing more. It's not meant to blow up your palate, and it's not meant at any one point to make you go "WOW". But if you click on the link (the session brew), that's the point of a session beer, you can put down a sixer and not be in a vomit-inducing state. Like many other Ambers, this one is still a good introduction to craft beer in that it's not too overpowering, or unapproachable, and the AB/Miller/Coors drinker can still say: "OMG, THIS IS A DARK BEER" which will make them happy.

Also helping the sessionability, this won't go for more than 8-9 bucks a sixer.

Half-assed verdict: 6.9999/10

Abita - Jackamo IPA

Abita is one of those breweries everyone gets excited about because they drank a ton of it while they were having a good time, and associate that with quality. The brewery is out of Louisiana so they most likely had it while getting shit-canned, eating gumbo during a binge drinking weekend in New Orleans. I have no problem with all of those things, I'm just posting this particular beer because it is another example of what is (IMO) an average, at best, brewery. Abita's beer really isn't anything special. You might associate it with good times, but just because an ugly girl is good in the sack, doesn't mean she isn't ugly. You were drunk, and it was fun......just like this beer. Specifically, their IPA is really awful. It's sloppy, overly sharp, the malt is too thin and syrupy sweet, and the hops are far too bitter and out of balance. I'm not sure what hop variety they used but it's "unpleasant" at best. I had this once at a beer festival and had to pour out the other half of my 3 ounce sample. It's going to rank higher than your bud lights, etc...but only because it at least attempts to impart flavor on the drinker, and has a decent ABV so at least you can tie one on more quickly. I'm not a huge IPA-nut, but this isn't an issue of style for me, this is just me having an issue with a poorly made beer.

Half-assed verdict: 3/10



Well, that's all for now.

Cheers, folks.

Aventinus Weizenbock (wheat doppelbock)

Remember when I had a discussion about beers that I'm not sure American brewers could recreate? This may be one of them. A seemingly simple beer with an obscene amount of depth and subtlety. If I had a "ten beers you wanted to bring to a desert island" list,....this one would most likely make that list. As you can tell, I know I'm going to like this one coming in, but I thought I'd give it a full review for all you newbies out there, so maybe you have an idea what to expect.

This beer is a "weizenbock" which is essentially (at least this specific beer) is part hefeweizen, part doppelbock. It has all the yummy esters (crap you taste from the yeast) and pairs it beautifully with a heavier dose of malt. This particular bottle essentially tells you that this is a wheat version of a doppelbock.

This is a 16.9oz/500ml bottle, and you can usually find it for like 4-4.50 a bottle at a good liquor store. As this is double-malted, it clocks in at a stout 8.2% abv. I poured this into a big hefe-glass pretty much similar to the one shown in the pic on the right.

The pour is dark like a big heavy doppelbock, but a little more hazy and with some golden hues. The head is a big, off-white, fluffy,, almost root-beer float like, and stands about 3 fingers. It almost looks like you could take a spoon to it like whipped cream on top of your milk shake. Effing beautiful. After about 5 minutes, a good finger's worth remains.

The first thing you get in the nose is a big sharp clove, big banana, and like any yummy hefeweizen, a fair amount of bubble gum. This smells effing delicious. (that's 2 "effings" if you're counting). After a few more whiffs, there is a definite alcohol presence. Not a huge amount of booze, but more than you'd find in most wheats. Overall, the clove dominates.

Taste is everything you find in the nose, but with a bit of caramel and almost sugary malts. The alcohol and banana meld together, while the clove and the bubblegum linger on the tongue. It's all very smooth and almost creamy at times. This is just like the name of the beer would suggest, it's 1/2 wheat, and 1/2 doppelbock. Not as crisp as a good hefe, and not as syrupy as a normal doppelbock.....but a mix of the two. There's a hint of dark fruit-like stuff in there that you get with the bigger dark malts, but the caramel and sweetness I described are certainly more prevalent. It never feels overly heavy and is obscenely drinkable for it being 8.2% abv. This is a ton of ingredients and flavors to put into one brew, but at no times does it become overwhelming or too much to handle on the tongue. (that's what she said)

This is simply one of the finest beers on the planet, and maybe one of the top 5 brews (my humble opinion of course) to come out of Germany. It's big, complex, beautiful, but still subtle enough to be extremely accessible, even to the noobiest of the beer noobs. If some d-bag out there refuses to drink "dark beers" but is a lover of all things Blue Moon and Blvd. Wheat, then this is the beer to show them that not all dark beers look and taste like Guinness draft. This gives them all the wheat-y goodness they want and introduces them to some darker malts and the flavors and sweetness that comes with it. This is the definition of a "big beer" but remains a quintessential German brew in that it's really really easy to drink.

If you don't enjoy this beer at least a little, I have a hard time believing you are even a fan of beer in general.

Verdict: 9/10

Cheers, biatches.

Boulevard's Tank 7

Ok, I know this time of year is just right for winter warmers, big stouts, old ales, scotch ales/wee heavys and the like, but I just felt like talking about this yummy beer while it's still reasonable outside. Too many times people new into the beer scene look down on Boulevard as a brewery in that they think that all they have to offer are the oft-seen Unfiltered Wheat and Pale Ale. They want to try something new and fail to realize that (while there's nothing wrong with Bully's everyday offerings) Boulevard has a number of really top notch brews in their "Smokestack" Series. Often times, where I work, the Tank 7 is a nice introduction into the previously unknown world of the high-end Boulevard offerings.

Like I said before, Tank 7 is a "Saison" aka: "Farmhouse Ale", and thus the crispness and dryness of the beer makes people think that it is more appropriate in the spring or summer. Nonsense, this (the Tank 7, that is) is a solid brew and is good any time of year. Furthermore, this beer can pair with a ton of food, as the dry character of it works as a great palate cleanser.


While you usually don't see this beer in bottles, I was fortunate enough to score a 12oz version of it. The Smokestack stuff was generally only available in 750ml bottles, but Boulevard just recently started putting out four packs. We'll see how this goes. Also, I usually post my own photos of the beers I'm drinking, but frankly that is becoming a pain in the ass. That being said, I would not recommend the glassware used in this picture for a Saison. I'm thinking something like a tulip, or at least not something with a wide mouth. I usually like a lot of air to get to my Belgians, and am not worried about head retention or loss of carbonation, but not with this beer. I like my Saisons to be a little more sharp, tart, and crisp. The smaller opening on the glass should help retain some of that character. Of course this is merely a suggestion, and my personal preference.

So....

12oz bottle poured into a Ommegang Hennepin glass. Boulevard is certainly going for the "Belgian" look with these new bottles. The label says this is 8% abv, pretty sturdy for a saison. Normal pour gives me a nice 2 finger head with a really deep, golden, hazy body with orange hues. In giving the beer a minute or two to settle down, the head is retaining pretty well with some lacing....although it's not the distinct rings, but more random little islands.

Smells like a real Belgian. Bready and yeasty. Outside of that is notes of alcohol and some sharp citrus with lemon/lemon-grass dominating the fruitiness. Back to that "smells like a real Belgian" comment: there is that definite hint of farmhouse funk to the beer. It's ok to use that term, because that's what I think it is, it's a funk. Not a bad or a good thing, but a nice quality that doesn't exist in a lot of American made Belgian ales.

Taste is interesting. I've only had this on tap (a bunch of times) and it may be because this is a touch colder than usual......but I'm getting quite a bit more hop bitterness than I'm used to. This isn't bad, it's just different. So I let it warm up a bit and the bitterness gets taken down *just* a touch. The first thing you notice when you drink it is the carbonation in it, which is followed by a punch of tart and citrus. It's not a HUGE kick of either, it's there....but it's clean and crisp. That is followed by the hops and alcohol which is certainly present. There is a hint of sweetness that's present in the background during most of the drinking, but it's not tongue-coating, or very "big" in that respect. Every aspect of the beer is clean and crisp, the only thing that lingers is a touch of hops and a touch of alcohol. I would say from my experience, that all these sharp flavors are lost (just a touch) when you get it on tap, and you get a slightly sweeter product. Now, don't get me wrong, it's phenomenal on tap, it's just a bit different as I find it sweeter.

(Note: this beer by all means gets sweeter as it warms up. If it's too tart or bitter at first, just give it 10-15 minutes).

All in all, this is just a top-notch saison. I talk a lot of shit on American brewer's ability to make Belgian beers, but this is definitely done right. It has that nice funky-yeasty character that most U.S. brews are missing, and keeps the flavor profile consistent with the traditional saisons. It's balanced, tart, clean, and refreshing and drinkable. The only thing that makes this clearly American is the noticeable hope profile. It adds a bit of "green-ness" that you probably won't see from ones from across the pond.

Once again, to all you beer newbies out there, Boulevard is more than a wheat beer with a lemon in it, they make some really top notch, high-end brews in their Smokestack Series. The tank 7 is one of them.

Verdict: 8/10

Cheers.

American Craft brews: Innovation vs. Execution of classic styles.

So, working at a beer bar and mingling with a considerable amount of fellow beer lovers has given me ample opportunities to engage in a debate discussing who we think, country-wise, offers the best beer. While the argument always is between Belgium, Germany, and the good ol' US of A, I think the discussion offers a more interesting debate that I believe to be of a different character than merely your favorite beer producing location. The subject I love discussing with beer experts (those who know a considerable larger amount than I) and brewers is what they genuinely think of the quality of American beers. I come at this from an execution standpoint.

When I say "execution" I think of it in a couple of ways: 1. The execution of a classic style of beer that's been brewed for hundreds of years in places like Germany/Czech Republic and Belgium. I combined ze Germans and the Czechs because when you talk about Czech beer you really are focusing on their pilsners, which are certainly different from the German pilsners, but debating the differences doesn't help this discussion. I also left out the English/Scottish/Irish because there is very little to no attempt these days to make beers that are reminiscent to those traditional styles any longer. All of our Pale Ales, Porters, Stouts etc.....are very American and have a characteristic of their own. Beer Advocate are even giving most styles brewed here the "American" prefix. 2. The second "execution" I speak of is in regards to the absolute explosion of the last 5+ years of all sorts of crazy beer styles and flavor profiles. These things include ultra-hopping, barrel aging, crazy yeast strains, collaboration brews, mixing of styles, adding ingredients like chocolate/coffee/vanilla.........well, the list goes on and you get my point. Fellow beer lovers put America at #1 because we have, as a country, taken beer to another level. I agree with that in theory, but I think the thing that keeps me pensive about throwing the US into the top spot is that we have seemed to bypass some of the all time classics in favor of our own fusion-style cuisine, so to speak. In mind it's execution per se, but the innovation and new flavor profiles that get us excited.

EXECUTION OF TRADITIONAL STYLES

This is what I discuss most with beer experts, and remains my biggest issue with American breweries. With all the innovation that takes place on a seemingly less than yearly basis with American brewery, it is my opinion that while the quality of American beer has reached very high levels, there still seems to be a lack of brewers and breweries that can sit down, take a style that has been made in the aforementioned countries for hundreds of years, and nail it. To hell with the rye malts, the crazy yeast strains, the crazy hopping, etc.......take a Belgian abbey ale, a hefeweizen, a doppelbock and kick its ass. Do it without adding any of that extra bullshit and just knock it out of the park. Time and time again (with a few exceptions, of course) American brewers miss the mark. I absolutely LOVE the complexity that some of the newer American brews offer that challenge the pallet....they have become fun to drink. What bothers me though, for some reason, is that in brews that have been made for a really long time, you can find a big ol pile of complexity that is as interesting to the pallet as something that American brewers are inspired to make because they found something they thought looked cool at a yard sale.

Specific Examples you ask? here goes:

The German Doppelbock: There is one American doppelbock I've had that is even in the same stratosphere as the best traditional German doppelbock (the best being Ayinger's Celebrator) and that is made by Bell's brewery out of Michigan (their Consecrator) that hangs with Ayinger's.....kind of. Outside of that one, it's a really really poor go around. America features brews that are heavy-handed with the malt, and become a big, syrupy mess. Celebrator gets all the yummy sweetness, and brown sugar-caramel character that you would want, and doesn't even hit the 7% abv mark. The American ones that I try are all 8% plus and just blow the pallet out with this maple-y nonsense. They look the part, smell the part.....and you get a feeling that they know what they're doing....yet once it hits your tongue you realize the execution is really piss poor. None of them are even CLOSE to what you'd find from a number of German brewers.

German Hefeweizen: A proper German hefeweizen is a relatively low-alcohol brew, yet can still give you a really entertaining level of complexity with competing notes of clove, bubble gum, banana, and maybe a few others every once in a while. It is a highly-drinkable, easily accessible style of beer, yet seems to be forgotten when "great brews" are discussed.....I believe because of its ease to drink. Unlike the last example with doppelbocks, I'm not sure I've tasted any American version of this style that's even worthy to call a a "hefeweizen", much less compare it to the likes of one of the world's finest beers, in Weihenstephaner's Hefe weissbeer. Hell, many American breweries seem to shy away from the name "Hefeweizen" and try to limit themselves to a mere use of the term "unfiltered" when describing their wheats. And while breweries like Boulevard out of Kansas City, Missouri have certainly made a name for themselves with a very drinkable, easy to find brew in their wheat beer, it doesn't have 1/100th the sophistication or flavor profile of any number of German wheats. The American brews that I have tried that have the balls to put "Hefe" in their name make a more valiant effort, but still come off as nothing more than full-bodied, easy to drink brews. A good German Hefe accomplishes that, but also shows a beautiful delicate nature to the style that gives it an interesting array of flavors on even the most inexperienced pallet.

Any Belgian Abbey-Ale: The list of the beautiful abbey-style ales that come from Belgium is seemingly too long to even worry about. I think if you are reading this blog than you have more than likely come across any number of dubbels, tripels, quads that are wonderful pieces of brewing art and absolute treasures to drink. This is a similar discussion as the one above with Doppelbocks, but it is my opinion that a great Belgian abbey-ale offers a fairly larger array of flavors and subtleties than even your high-end doppelbock. That's not a knock on ze Germans, just a general observation of German beers which tend to focus on drinkability, versus some big Belgian ales which more often lend themselves to be "sippers". Crap, I'm getting off-track. The point is, is that this is yet another style where Americans seem to fall short. I'm not saying that you have to love abbey-ales, but like the doppelbocks, many of the American attempts at making these big beers really miss the mark. These are all heavily-malted beers, but for some reason or another, the amount of malt in the brew is often-times the only thing executed correctly. There are extremely easily noticeable levels of complexity to the traditional Belgian ales that aren't found in the American attempts. Now, not being a brewing expert I'm not 10000% sure why this is the case, but I would assume (and some brewers have hinted at this with me) that it's the yeast used and the quality of the malt used in the product. There are a lot of wonderful, spice-characteristics that come in the traditional ales from Belgium that, often times, pull together, and help clean up a beer that is otherwise "heavy" in every sense of the word. The American versions are certainly "heavy", but the fun notes of fruit, pepper, and funk that are found in the traditional takes on the styles often just aren't there. Of all the North American breweries that throw their hat into the abbey-ale ring, I'd say the most consistent product, in my opinion, comes from Unibroue out of Canada. They have all the wonderful notes coming from their yeast that the American versions seems to be missing.

HEAVY-HANDED INNOVATION

It would take quite a while to list all the new styles and flavor profiles that American brewing has given us over the last few decades. As a dedicated beer drinker I love this and it can be really exciting when a brewer gets it "right". The wide spread use of barrel aging, adjunct malts like rye, different yeast strains, and of course massive use of hops - in any and all amounts and varieties has allowed American brewers to do more than stake their claim in the world of high end brews. Hell, the American IPA has almost single-handedly taken American brewing to another level. Most reasonable beer snobs realize this and enjoy going out and tackling the ever growing collection of mad scientist brews that we now have.

Ok, I've kissed enough ass to show that the point of this post isn't a wholesale indictment of American brewing. The problem I have (at times) with this innovation is the fact that such a prevalence does not cover up the first point that I made. Many American brewers still fail to execute the classical styles have been perfected by man in Europe. I understand that America hasn't been doing it as long as the folks across the pond, but that's also the reason why I think our ability as a country, to brew beer, still isn't on the level of those who have perfected their craft. A great hefeweizen, belgian tripel, saison, and doppelbock can entertain your taste buds with a very high level of complexity.....all without bringing in all sorts of adjuncts, barrel aging, and a mouth puckering barrel of hops. In the aforementioned styles, you still have an exquisite layering of flavors, a beautiful balance of bitter and sweet, and at times a level of drinkability that does can be hard to find, even among the high end American brews.

A discussion on drinkability brings us back to the title of this section in reference to the "heavy-handedness" of many high-end American creations. Too many times the drinker is beaten over the head with dominant note of the beer. The seemingly endless supply of double and imperial IPAs often times showcase nothing more than a brewers ability to get their hands on an obscene amount of hops. It's to the point where it often seems like the brewer was mistakenly delivered too many hops and had to figure out a way to use them before they went bad. What the fuck...let's throw some more into the boil!! Certain beers here and there give us a decent malt backbone and help tone down the mouth-puckering bitter a bit, but that often isn't the case. The same heavy handed behavior is showcased in our weak attempts at anything that is made with significant amount of mat....be it a doppelbock, or a high-gravity belgian style abbey ale. Certainly the German and Belgian versions of those styles feature a big, malt profile, but there are subtle hints of bitter, and more importantly beautiful esters that offer notes of fruit and spice that help complete the beer and keep it from becoming a syrupy mess. American attempts at high malted styles like those just mentioned are just that.....big syrupy messes. The malt is way too heavy handed, and the subtleties that keep the beer from becoming a malt bomb and nothing else are non-existent.

Another issue I have is with the innovation itself. While sometimes the final product is nothing short of a really cool brew, it seems as if American brewers are hiding the fact that they can't make any of the traditional styles mentioned, (at least not at a high level) and throw in all these new ingredients and techniques to develop a more complex profile. I don't know if there is this idea that these old styles are tired and boring, but it's hard to believe that any good beer drinker would find something like St. Bernardus Abt 12, Ayinger Celebrator, or Weihenstephan Hefeweizen boring. To me it seems like some American brews are like the people that use A-1 steak sauce on their steak because they can't cook the beef the way it's supposed to be cooked. Either that or the ingredient(s) they started with are simply inferior. The same goes for a top notch piece of seafood. A good seafood joint won't ruin a fresh, perfectly cooked product with a plateful of heavy sauces because simple ingredients done properly should offer a great product, with depth of flavor.

I'm not saying that American brewers owe John Q. Beerdrinker a larger portfolio of traditional brews, my ultimate argument is that I simply don't think that, in terms of skill, American brewers have been able to perfect traditional brews. That doesn't mean our beer is craft, it just means I don't get on board with the idea that we have surpassed the veterans of the beer making profession. The proof is in the product, and the American versions of any number of traditional styles fall EXTREMELY short of their predecessors. An ability to make those styles at a high level will not only offer more depth to a brewer's portfolios, but more importantly, allow them to use that skill and their innovation to start absolutely dominating the euros in high-end brewing.

Sorry folks, we aren't there yet.


Fellow beer nerds, let me know what you think. I have some people that think I'm bat shit crazy, and some people that agree with me to a certain extent.

Cheers.

Boddington's Pub Ale

Yeah......it's been a long g.d. time since I've written on here. I'd like to attribute it to a growing number of hours at work, but I'm not sure that would really work. I've just been a bit lazy. I've been drinking a ton of beer, as per usual.....but I just have been too lazy to write about it. Oh well. I'm sure your hearts were unmercifully broken for the last few months.

All that crap aside, I've decided to write a post or two tonight and am starting with a beer I have never really liked. Well, when I initially drank it 6-7 years ago, I though I was cool and hip because people would see the Guinness-like consistency of it (it's generally served with Nitrogen as opposed to CO2) and be all "WTF?!?!"...and I guess the taste wasn't too much one way or another. Soon thereafter I began drinking bigger beers and found this to be a very bland brew. Now, I'm trying to reconsider the place that some of the more old-fashioned session brews have in my life and have decided to give this another go. A few sips recently from the tap at work have made me think maybe Boddington's isn't THAT bad. So let's see.

Now, as this is being enjoyed in my living room, I'm serving this out of a can poured into a glass. The can has one of those nitrogen plastic balls in it to help mimic what you get out of the draught, although it never does justice to the real thing. So take this with a grain of salt.

Poured the beer from a cold (not super-cold, though....the can recommends 41 degrees F) can into a simple pint. Opened the can.....and the sumbitch done exploded all over the place. I was able to salvage it with some quick thinking and got to pouring. Super tan, with tiny bubbles all over the place. There is a bit of cascading action, but it clears up much quicker than a nitro stout like Beamish/Murphy's/Guinness. Color settles to a really deep golden/yellow/brown. Very white head remains, although only about half a finger. Usually if it's a fresh pour off a good keg you'll get at least twice as much. Carbonation is non-existent as there is no added carbonation to this beer (only nitrogen), and no bubbles messing around outside of the remaining head. Not much to say about the look, but the average beer drinker might think it's flat. And that person would be an idiot.

Smell actually resembles that of a low hopped, mild, English ale with a touch of sweetness, and a grainy smell you get from when you're brewing or visiting a brewery and you smell real, un-milled barely. A bit of a metallic note is there as well. Not sure if that is from the beer or the can. I think I usually get that same smell when I have this on tap, so I'm going to assume it's probably the beer. Either way, it's negligible. Not gonna lie though, this smells like a cheap beer.

Taste is....ehh. There is a little hop bitterness on the tongue, but not much. It's not floral, piney, fruity, resinous, or any other way you want to describe hops, it's just flat out bitter. Not saying that's a bad thing, but just that it is there. Definitely more bitter than what you smell. It's almost as if there is bitterness coming from somewhere else, as the sweetness doesn't play any more role than that of a balance from the malt. As it warms, that metallic note becomes a bit more present, and unfortunately lingers a bit with the bitter. I'm not sure what one taste people are seeking out when they order/buy one of these. Nothing about it is overly pleasant. It's palatable and not "horrible", at best.

Mouthfeel is what people probably dig about this beer, and I'm ok with that. The fact that it's a nitro-brew and that it's a bit flattened out makes this fairly creamy on the tongue. No harsh carbonation at ALL to speak of makes it really easy to put down, and sometimes not even notice the flavor of the beer. (this may be a good thing)

Drinkability, as alluded to in the mouthfeel comment is very high. It's really creamy/smooth and easy to put down. Most traditional brews from the British isles are meant for sessioning (aka: drinking for a long period of time with ease) and this one certainly meets that criteria. I imagine after a couple of these that beers # 4,5,6 would be unnoticeable. (once again, maybe a good thing)

So like I said before, I can dig the drinkability aspect and the mouthfeel to this beer. Only problem is that there are other beers that meet this criteria and taste light years better. This simply is not a very good tasting beer no matter how you put it. I don't need to be drop-kicked with flavor, but what flavor this does have isn't great. I'm putting it into the Budweiser heavy category where I most likely won't order one unless it is the only non-light beer available, but I won't be all that perturbed if someone buys a round and that's what I get stuck with. It's extremely easy to put down, smooth from the first sip all the way down to where it reaches your belly. For that I give it props, but I'm pretty sure that drinkability has more to do with the fact that the beer is served with nitro, and has not much to do with the actual flavor of the product.....which is ultimately sub-par.

Oh well, cheers.

Verdict: 4/10