Last night I got the invite from the Backlash crew to help pour and schmooze with the crowds at the Beer Summit Harvest Fest @ the Park Plaza Castle! Fuck yeah! Crazy crowds, sloppy people and tons of free beer...great Saturday night. If you don't already know about them, check out Backlash Beer Co. Well-crafted, small batch brews with a shit ton of flavor.. sick bottles too!
As with any good beer fest, there were more beers afterwards as well! On to the after party with a couple friends I ran into at the fest...
They happened to have a bottle of the Uinta Crooked Line - Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin ale that I have laying around as well.. so why not crack into it!! 10.31% ABV and 39 IBUs.. this looked like the best pumpkin beer in my stock, so I was stoked to give it a shot. For the strength, it was a little mellow in the aroma department, but with nice pumpkin smells, typical spices and some nice molasses/gingerbread-ish malts. A super smooth, but hugely flavorful brew... kinda thick, but in a good way with a vanilla and molasses creaminess. Great fresh pumpkin tastes with clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and a nice graham cracker crust malt thats followed by a slight hop presence and subtle, almost hidden earthy oak notes... all of this hides the 10+ ABV. Can't wait to get into mine.. this was killer!
I brought along one of my newly acquired beers from my recent trip to California... Rogue - Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout at 6.0% ABV and 69 IBUs. Sadly, Rogue isn't found too commonly out these parts, places that have it only have Dead Guy and maybe 1 or 2 more. If you know of a good spot for Rogue..please hook a brother up!! A typical oatmeal stout pour...almost motor oil black with a nice tan head. The usual espresso/coffee nose with some bitter chocolate, creamy vanilla-ish malts and hints of black cherries and orange peel if ya can believe. A hugely full-bodied pour that borders on dry sometimes..like any good oatmeal should. Roasted malts, coffee, brown sugar and creamy oats are prominent with background bitter and milk chocolates. Vaguely present are the orange peel notes and slight earthy hoppinessfollowing through from the nose which gives this a standout presence. A terrific example of what an oatmeal stout should be..not overly sweet either, but with enough to make it unique.
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