What better way to spend a Friday night than with a good ol' fashioned beer party!? I've got a fellow beer lover and from time to time we bring a bottle or two of a cool beer over each other's place and just talk beer all night. Jealous, aren't ya?!
I really started the night with a sample of a barleywine from RedHook that she had.. but it was a small taste, and a really bad taste at that. Basically tasted like Juicy Juice.. no malt backbone, no alcohol bite at all. So I showed her a real barleywine! Stone - Old Guardian Belgo (odd year release Barleywine). They spiked some Old Guardian barrels with a Belgian yeast and loved it so much, they decided to do an odd year release to go along with the normal Old Guardian, but only every other year to keep the novelty. Listed at 12.0% ABV and 85 IBUs this is a BEAST. And its all so well hidden! Super sweet nose with hints of the Belgian yeast, some lighter, hidden floral hops, with some citrus and sweet spice notes. Fairly full-bodied, but almost no sign of the crazy high ABV.. this is scary! Sweetness hits you first, ranging from sticky malts by the way of toffee and caramel to lighter sweet apples, pears, orange peel and some grapefruit that also lends itself to the hops. Beyond that, not much by the way of hops save for the finish. Definite Belgian yeast influence on the finish as well. Mixed dark fruits, mild spice, some candied brown sugar and rich brown bread all swirl about in the middle. Slight departure from the usual Stone brew, but a welcomed departure at that! Find this puppy and try, or age and let me know in a few years how it is!
Now one of my friend's contributions! I've had the Green Flash West Coast IPA, I've had some of their other brews out in San Diego.. but never this.. Green Flash - Imperial IPA. with 9.4% ABV and 101 IBUs we've got back-to-back beasts here kiddos! What a gorgeous golden pour, not something you see too often in an IIPA. Milder malty sweetness than usual as well, toasty bread malts and a ton of hops (duh) Sticky, piney.. with some great citrus and grapefruit notes, fairly complex nose, sorta dank like an Incubus concert. Sweet tropical citrus fruits come first, grapefruit, pineapple, banana.. that heads into citrusy, piney resin hops, the trademark Green Flash taste. Sticky sweet malts, caramel, some light pepper spice in the middle.. but the surprising bulk of the body just comes from crazy heavy hops. A dry, bittering finish that has a hidden sweetness. If ya dig hop bombs that aren't crazy bitter, hunt this down!
Right around here we sampled my friend's roommate's homebrew.. a really nice Russian Imperial Stout. Didn't take a picture as we were sampling a 12oz out of shot glasses haha, but damn! This didn't have the stereotypical homebrew underlying tastes.. this could have easily come from a top microbrewer. Full-bodied, rich dark chocolate, black coffee..everything you'd want in a great imperial.. kudos, Jason!
Last one we shared is the original brewing of the Sam Adams - Barrel Room Collection American Kriek. Picked this up along with the Stony Brook Red and New World Tripel back in the summer of 2010.. hoping this aged well! 7.0% ABV and a lowly 8 IBUs.. if ya don't know Krieks.. well, get to know 'em. Bitter, sour, tart, fruity.. and yep, it's still a beer! And go screw.. it ain't girly! A really nice coppery red pour, frothy head.. and the nose! These happen to be OK in my book, so I love the fruity, tart cherry nose.. pungent from the second you pop the cork.. hints of oak, sweet vanilla. For a Kriek, this is a pretty decent example.. tartness is dominant, but not overpowering. A bit of sweetness come from the cherries as well.. sort of a cherry pie-type taste.. graham malts with some vanilla and oak. A quick, super-tart finish that you feel deep in your jaw.. Not quite as sour or tart as the traditional Kriek Lambic.. but a nice interpretation!
Anyone else wanna do a beer party?!
No comments:
Post a Comment