Beer Tourism - Pennsylvania

I'll start by saying this is going to be the worst "tourism" post yet...

For those who do not know, Pennsylvania has some ass backwards beer laws. Beer can only be purchased from a limited supply of stores (usually restaurants) or beer distributors. If you buy from a distributor, you cannot buy fours, sixes, twelves; rather, you are limited to bulk...cases or kegs. In my case (in King of Prussia for one night), it would have made little sense...so I had to track down a "restaurant" that would sell a smaller quantity over the counter. While this sounds like an easy task, it really isn't. With the aid of Ba and a friendly girl at the front desk, I was able to find a "deli" nearby who claimed to have 500+ bottles - the best selection locally. I never thought a place with 500+ bottles could carry 500+ beers that I had no interest in buying :-\
I was really hoping for something from Troegs or maybe something obscure from upstate NY, but unfortunately, there was nothing out of the ordinary there...pretty much the micro/craft standards: DFH, Victory, Weyerbacher...all things you expect to see in a gas station in Delaware. Bummer. Bigger bummer: prices. 90 Minute IPA was 20-bucks for a four pack..Allagash bombers were also $20...you get the picture. Apparently the beer distributors have everybody's balls in a vice...oh well.

So, I took a chance. $20 for a four pack of River Horse's Hop-A-Lot-Amus. They are based out of Jersey, so this was a big chance in my book. According tot he label, this is an "unfiltered double IPA"...only part of this statement seems true. It is certainly unfiltered. I seriously think that this is grapefruit pulp, not brewer's yeast, floating around in here. Its kind of not good. Don't get me wrong, though, citrus/grapefruit notes in an IPA are my thing...this just doesn't seem like an IPA...especially not a double. Again, note that I may be spoiled. So I guess I'll just see what four at 8.5% does...I'm thinking the ABV is exaggerated...

ohtheguilt Ba score = 3.0* out of 5.0

* for the effort and the cute label. oh, and at least it isn't bud light lime...

Time to catch up...

So it has been almost two months since I have posted fresh reviews...I guess we'll just run through everything new that I have had in that time...briefly...VERY briefly...

These were both awesome...but in different ways. Try the Imperial Biscotti Break for dessert. Buy them both.

Save your money...this was a drain pour.

Another Stone collab...this time with DFH and Victory...I remember this being a pretty decent Saison...only sold in 12oz. singles at 4 bucks a pop, though...not worth the effort...

Ah, beers available in Wichita, KS that aren't available in Georgia...IIRC, both the Tallgrass beers (8-Bit and Velvet Rooster) were good and the Odell Black IPA was okay. Arcadia Loch Down was the highlight. Marshall and Free State were drain pours.

 













BA Boris is a big-boy beer...so good...so boozy...

 Made it to four of the five in the Mikkeller Yeast Series...I don't think it would have mattered, as these were pretty underwhelming. They are certainly finely crafted beers, but there wasn't anything outstanding going on here.

Well, I think that does it for all the important stuff that has happened in my life since the first week in May. I guess it was kind of a slow period for new beers...or maybe its just too easy to pick up some sessionables when the weather is warm...more soon...

-ohtheguilt

Anchorage Brewing - Galaxy

Again, apologies to the three people who read the blog about me being a slacker on getting new beers posted...between work and sessionable beer evenings, I just haven't been drinking much new stuff...

At any rate, I am in Louisiana for a work trip and since it really isn't worth posting an Louisiana Beer Tourism thread (check seekabrew.com), you just get a single review of a beer that isn't distributed in GA.

 Anchorage Brewing Co.'s Galaxy is a "White IPA" which is bottled with Brett (look it up). If you haven't had Brett beers, you are likely going to be in for a shock on your first sip...just keep in mind that the beer is supposed to taste like a musty, funky old basement...

Now, the label on the bottle goes on about all this awesome stuff that is in the brew (Galaxy hops, coriander, kumquats, and peppercorns) and details the fermenting/aging process (both in french oak) which all sounds pretty freakin' cool...when you pop the cork it even smells VERY freakin' cool. Unfortunately though, all the awesome sounding and smelling items are completely missing in the taste. You can certainly taste the brett..it isn't overpowering like Bitter Monk was, but it is there.  Its kind of a let down. I don't dislike Galaxy, by any means, I just feel like it had so much to offer and then just didn't deliver. I am relatively certain that it has nothing to do with the fact that I am drinking it out of a Best Western plastic cup...I'm glad I picked this up, because it is a decent beer, but I doubt I'll buy another. If you don't like brett, save your $12...if you do like brett, split a bottle with a friend and give it a shot.

ohtheguilt Ba score 3.5 out of 5.0

Sunday Stouts

It was unusually cool yesterday, which worked to our advantage considering we had the Whitey's down and Joel and Maggie over for some grilling and Sunday stout drinking. Thanks to both Whitey and Joel for contributing beer and food to the afternoon...

While we waited for Joel's arrival, Whitey and I sampled one of the most heinous beers we have each ever had:  La Migra Imperial Stout... from "Mexico's best craft brewery," Cucapa. Seriously, the beer smelled like piss...we each had a sip and dumped it. Oh well...

When Joel and Maggie showed up, we decided to get a real start to the afternoon...Goose Island Big John. Unfortunately, this brew is now discontinued...but wow...very impressive. Big John was bottled just over a year ago, and held up very well. Very rich chocolate and coffee flavors, but with an incredible smoothness. This is certainly not a sessionable beer, but a bomber split three ways was perfect. Big John was very deserving of my Ba 4.5...

Next up was Cigar City's Humidor Series Imperial Stout. This is their basic impy stout, but aged on cedar...the cedar was extremely obvious. Too obvious. The pour was viscous with barely a hint of carbonation, but a full nose of cedar. The cedar completely dominated the flavor as well...pushing all other flavors to the back of the line. It was unfortunate, considering the level that Hunapuh attains...a 3.5 from me on Ba, as it was just too much.

The afternoon lead us to a mini vertical of Stone's Imperial Russian Stout...Joel brought over a 2011 and we cracked open one of my 2012s. Obviously we started with the 2011 IRS, which (at just shy of a year old) had aged nicely. It is much smoother than I remember from last year and was damn near to perfection. Despite the flavors mellowing a bit, it is still a rich beer and still one of my favorite stouts. The 2012 was also delicious, but in a different way...I don't want to say that it is too young...it is just slightly young. There is a distinct hop characteristic based on the freshness of the beer, but it is still just as rich and complex as the 2011. I would still be happy to open a 2012, but it will certainly get better with age. Overall Stone kills it again, and IRS (no matter the vintage) is still high on my list.

After the mini vertical, we had a nice palate cleanse in the form of burgers and dogs (thanks Whiteys!) and crisp, refreshing Dale's.

To close out the evening, we decided to bring out the big guns...one of my favorites: Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel...no need to re-hash this one...just go read about it here.

Overall a great afternoon with great people and delicious beer...we really should do this every weekend.

Goose Island King Henry

Finally...the true king of beers...I guess that really is true now considering that AB owns Goose Island.

Anyway, last week the girls each had dinner plans, so Joel dropped in for some take out sushi and a few big beers. Even though it could have aged longer, we pulled the trigger on my King Henry. The story behind this bottle is great...think back a few months about my brief note about Louisville Beer Store. When I was up there over X-mas, I spent a bunch of coin and was hooked up with a free bottle of King Henry (IIRC, you can't even sell this stuff in KY because the ABV is too high). Either way, huge props to LBS...they are awesome.

Back to the beer: King Henry is a barleywine that is aged in Pappy Van Winkle 23 barrels (the same ones that Rare Bourbon County Stout is aged in, I believe). My sample was bottled on 10/8/11...i think the bottle number was in the mid-800s. As stated above it could have aged, but damn...we had to open it. I'm glad we did because it blew my mind. This is seriously a top-5 all-time beer for me, and easily the best barleywine I have ever had. This brew lives up to the hype. It pours with minimal carbonation...caramel color and has a huge bourbon nose. The flavors meld, but vanilla, toffee, dark fruit, and booze are very obvious. King Henry is a 13.4% beer, and it drinks as such. That said, the booze is not overpowering...its perfect. I really wish I had a stock pile of this to see how it would develop over several years, especially considering how awesome it is so young. There isn't much more I can tell you...King Henry really is a must-have...

ohtheguilt Ba score = 5.0 out of 5.0

Oh-The-Liver Part 2

It has taken me a little while to get this post up...actually, I forgot that I never wrote it...whatever.
Day two of the incredible bender started off light an easy with a Saison Dupont, fresh from Joel's new keg. the Saison, was extremely crisp and refreshing...I can't wait to hit this keg again, especially as the weather warms up...very nice beer.

Next up was DHF 120 Minute IPA. Okay, the day started off like a jackhammer...I think 120 is somewhere in the range of 16%-18%...IIRC, we split this one two ways. Its not for the faint of heart. Strong, almost syrupy when poured, the beer was hot, but drinkable. I think I am going to keep my bottle in the cellar for another year or so, but this is definitely worth a try. That is assuming you aren't trying to buy it in GA...

 

 Third beer of the morning...err, day...was The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse. The Hottenroth was a bit different than anything I've had...it was almost like a champagne, but with a more sour flavor. I enjoyed it, but I don't think it is a brew I would pick up frequently...assuming I was able to pick it up frequently. Not sure the background on it, but NC Ryan brought it down, so it is likely pretty rare.

 So we finally cranked it up a notch on our fourth beer...Kuhnhenn Barrel Aged Fourth Demenia (4D). 4D was HUGE...big bourbon flavor, coffee, vanilla, molasses...tons of stuff going on here. This was definitely a sipper, but was certainly in my top 5 of the weekend. Easily one of the smoothest drinking high ABV (4D is 13.5%) beers I have had. I could write a ton about this one, but for the sake of brevity, just understand that I scored it very high on Ba.

The 4D carried us to my (pretty sure everybody else kept going, but I had to bail) final big beer of the weekend...Cigar City Hunahpu's Imperial Stout - Rum Barrel Aged (pretty sure this was from last year's batch - bottled in mid-2011 and came from my father-in-law as an X-mas gift). When we opened this, the aroma was really strong and very boozy. I thought this was going to be way too hot to drink, but we poured it and were pleasantly surprised to find that the flavor didn't match the aroma at all. Again, another super smooth drinker for the ABV and considering it was barrel aged. Given the chance, I would certainly pick this up again, and not even worry about cellaring it.

Overall, we had an awesome two days drinking some of the finest beers in the world...thanks again to Tim and Ryan for bringing some killer shit and also to Joel for hosting and allowing us to raid his cellar for some outstanding beers. We will do this again.

Beer Tourism Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina

As usual, I am traveling for work. Also, as usual, project budgets don't allow for an easy flight...so, a trip to Wilmington, NC netted a flight to RDU and a two-hour drive to Wilmington. I can't complain much, as the flight allowed me to hit the triangle's best beer store - Sam's Quik Shop. Thanks to NC Ryan I didn't drive right past this place. The exterior screams 70s backwoods gas station; however, when you walk into this place, it immediately hits that you are in a world class beer store. Sam's has everything I could imagine that was available in NC. There was an incredible selection of Euros, locals (Olde Hickory, Foothills, etc), and various US crafts (Ballast Point, New Holland, Great Lakes, etc) that aren't available in GA. So, I decided to go with NC Ryan's recommendations (2012 Olde Hickory Imperial Stout and 2011 Olde Hickory Irish Walker), and finishing off my purchase with a Ballast Point Sculpin (see Beer Tourism - Orange County, CA) for hotel consumption. I probably spent 45 minutes in the store between talking to staff and browsing the selection of beers and glassware. The prices are decent and the selection is incredible...I would highly recommend stopping by here if you are in the Durham, NC area.

After a painstaking NCDENR file review in Raleigh, I rolled down to Wilmington, NC. I think this is a college town, but I'm not positive...there are a ton of fixies and just about everybody has a soul patch, or lip piercing, or sleeve tattoo...either way, not a terrible little place. Some library research on my rural property capped off the day's work...on to the bar...

I started my evening with a draught Duck Rabbit Rabid Duck at Cape Fear Wine and Beer. This was a pretty cool place...lots of crazy beers on draught and in bottles. The staff was pretty cool and the Rabid Duck was delicious (I gave this a 4.0 on Ba). I chose the Rabid Duck (despite the fact that it is distributed in GA) because there wasn't much on tap that we don't have in GA...either way, I feel justified...it was a better choice than the other options. If you are in Wilmington, go here...you aren't going to find much better (there were several 4-packs of DFH Immort Ale available). I would have stuck around for another, but I was getting hungry...

After my quick stop at Cape Fear, I walked just another block over and stopped at Front Street Brewery for dinner and a beer. While I am always open to recommendations, this one wasn't so great...maybe it was because I was coming off of a delicious beer, or maybe it is because I am a jerk, but Front Street was weak. The Port City IPA was a let down, and the food was fair at best...bummer. The thing that sucks the most about these kind of really local places is that, more often than not, the bartender doesn't know a thing about the beers that are served...huge let down, based on the simple fact that the bartender was more interested in pouring Yeager shots than understanding the beer...AT A BREWERY. Oh well, I don't want to come off as too much of a tool, as the bartender was just a kid.

...at least I have the Sculpin chilling...damn, the Sculpin is so good when it is fresh...