Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Adam's Beer #10 - Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti


The old rule is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but as I said it is an OLD rule.

Great Divide Brewing Company first came out with their Yeti Imperial Stout in the early 2000’s to rave reviews only to follow up a couple of years later with the Oak Aged Yeti...which was a nice upgrade, but unfortunately they only used oak chips instead of the barrel which limited the oaky goodness.

Now, in the last couple of years, Great Divide has fixed a big beer that made it even bigger by adding Espresso to the mix. I am not sure what I enjoyed more…the beer or the suggested food pairings on the bottle: Breakfast burrito, eggs Benedict, hash browns, cheesecake, and crème brulee.

The dark malts give this beer a taste of burnt sugar and a smokiness that makes this the perfect after dinner beer. The tastes are so big I can not imagine pairing this with any food – the mouthful would overpower any other flavors that I would be trying to enjoy.

Overall I gave this Imperial Stout 8 out of 10. I think if I had another bottle I would wait to open it until next winter…hoping that this mythological creature would take on a whole other form.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mike’s Beer #8—Dock Street Rye IPA


There are two major benefits to long airport layovers: 1) time to read a good book and 2) a chance to try new beers.

Living in Ithaca, NY, my chances of flying directly to any given destination are pretty low (by the way—how come “slim chance” and “fat chance” mean the same thing?). So when I flew alone to Florida last weekend, I had several decent chances to chill with a book and a brew. It turns out that one big beer was all I needed for a three-hour layover in Philly—Dock Street Rye IPA. I’d rate Dock Street pretty high as far as rye beers go—it had all the qualities I’d look for in this style: it was malty and sweet with a skunky undertone and it packed a serious wallop. I had to slow myself down and order a burger before the words in my book started spinning. The only downside was a slightly sour aftertaste, something that my taste buds seem to be especially sensitive to.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Adam's Beer #9 - Baird Dark Sky Imperial Stout



It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.” - Nigel Tufnel

I love purchasing unknown Stouts….Russian, Coffee, Milk, Oatmeal it does not matter, when you unlock the bottle it is unknown what is going to empty out. Will it be watery? Will it be more of a coffee color than black? Will it have a lot of carbonation? This was the fun I had tipping the bottle of Baird Dark Sky Imperial Stout.

Let me rewind for one second to explain that Baird Brewing is located in Japan. For this reason, and this logic only, the beer was purchased. The only beer I have ever had from Japan was Hitachino Nest White Ale, which I love. The Japanese have perfected the Belgian Ale, but can they compete when it comes to the world of Imperial Stouts?

Back to the Dark Sky – the stout poured a stunning black into my pint glass with a small amount of coffee colored head; the name of the beer fits perfectly. As I take in the nose I wonder if I am dreaming…is that a bouquet of hops? I had to run to my computer to find if it was true, and yes they dry hopped their stout with two different types of hops. A strong taste of tobacco and chocolate dominate the first taste while other wonderful flavors peak their head out to say hello as it works its way around my mouth.

Overall I have to give this beer a 9.5/10 – it is very hard for a stout to stand out among some of the best beers around, but the Japanese have seemed to figure it out.