Rock & Rye

Chicago’s Goose Island, one of the countries premier breweries, is cranking out some fantastic brews, and the other day I picked up a 2011 vintage of their abbey ale, Pere Jacques. Brewed with loads of malt and Belgian yeast, Pere Jacques is an 8%abv, wonderfully fruity, malty ale, with complex flavors standing just a little higher than most.

It pours reddish amber, with a quickly receding head. The aromas are thick with sweet malts, plums, dried figs, and yeasty esters. On the tongue, the taste is dark, sweet and fruity, spice notes pairing nicely with plums, grapes, apple, toffee and honey. Hop bitterness is present to balance out the sweetness, but the aromas are kept muted in the background along with the alcohols. The finish is sweet with a mid level of carbonation for the style. I think this is a fantastic ale that would pair well with rich meats, or stand in for a glass of vintage port, post meal. Cheers!

Rating:

Ellensburg WA, is home to one of the up and coming craft breweries in the state, Iron Horse Brewery. They produce around 10 different brews, the most popular being their Irish Death.

Created by the brewery’s founder, Quilter’s Irish Death is what we call a dark, smooth, ale. Any attempt at classifying it just ends up sending beer geeks into a style guidelines diatribe. So forget style guidelines. Is your pursuit of micro beer about tasting copies of a style that fit guidelines anyways? (Neither is ours) We lovingly refer to it as beer candy. While tempting to session this beer, the name is a necessary reminder that despite the surprising approachability, this beer weighs in at a hefty 7.8% ABV.

Irish Death pours a dark murky brown, with a minimal off-white head. Reminds me a little of a cup of french press. The aromas are sweet, with light cocoa, roasted grain, and a slight herbal quality. The taste of this beer is unique and quite fantastic. Dark biscuit malts and molasses, with a nice roasted chocolate flavor. The hops are herbal and a little grassy, but are subdued and mostly in the background, with the bitterness coming in near the finish. This beer is not highly carbonated, but is just enough so to give it a silky smooth, creamy texture that is almost reminiscent of nitro.

While this is not a beer that really fits into a defined category, it is fantastic none the less, and is worth seeking out at least once. Cheers!

Rating:

Always on the lookout for some new brews to sample, I saw this beer from Lagunitas and had to give it a try. Lagunitas is one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the United States, and while the majority of their beers are strong, hoppy, and in your face, this beer is an tribute to the fine folks in Bavaria who built their most recent brewing system.

A double wheat beer brewed from 55% wheat malt, this beer clocks in at a healthy 9%abv, and 29ibu. It pours a bright, cloudy copper color with a nice creamy white head that dissipates rather quickly leaving some nice lacing. The aromas are fantastic with a rich bready malt nose paired with lots of yeasty banana and spice notes. On the tongue the taste is fantastic, with malty caramel notes, banana bread and cloves all coming through nicely with some slightly bitter earthy hops balancing out the sweetness. The mouthfeel is very full, but the high level of carbonation keeps everything very well balanced. The finish is long and fairly dry with just a hint of bitterness coming through. Even though this is a fairly potent beer, the alcohol is masked very well, making this one of the better wheat beers that I have tried in a while. If you are looking to try something new, and you are a wheat fan, this is one beer that won’t disappoint. Cheers!

Rating:

A Collaboration between New Belgium Brewing and musical giants Clutch, this is a beer that you will want to try. A blend of 80% stout and 20% dark sour wood beer, this is one big malty kick in the teeth.

It pours a dark mahogany with a moderately full, tan, creamy head which fades slowly, leaving a sticky lacing. The aromas are very dark, with some coffee, breadiness and burnt chocolate, rounded out with some faint notes of wood. The flavor is expertly balanced between dark malts, wood, tart cherries chocolate notes, and caramel, with just a hint of sour to round it out. The finish is dry with Belgian chocolate, roasted coffee, and a slight hint of dark cherry. Although this is labeled as a dark sour ale, the sourness is really understated and would not be offputting to those who are not a fan of the sour ales. I highly recommend that you give this beer a try. Cheers!

Rating: