Adam's Beer #4 - Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer

I have a few regulations when it comes to drinking a beer that has seemed to be broken recently; for example:

1. Never Drink From the Bottle. This rule was kaput when Captain Lawrence Brewing Company began bottling Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA.
2. Never Drink a Macrobrewery. I cannot stay away from a Miller High Life which I recently ordered at a restaurant because instead of the proper name was listed as The Champagne of Beers.
3. Never Buy a Beer in a Clear or Green Bottle. I newly broke this rule while drinking my beer of the week – Innis and Gunn Oak Aged Beer.

The myth that a clear bottle ruins the beer is exactly that, a myth. Yes, it makes the beer more susceptible to UV rays, but the color of the bottle can not be blamed for the skunked flavor.

Another rule I have is when I see a beer that is Aged in Oak (or any other type of barrel) I must have it. While perusing the Great Britain section of my local brew-market I was torn, Innis and Gunn…Clear Bottle…Oak Aged…would it cancel my two laws out? The answer, yes.

The oak gave this English Pale Ale toffee like characteristics that came over way too sweet due to the lack of hops to balance the flavor. For a Pale Ale, this brew had a huge malt backbone which I may have enjoyed had there been more of a medium body instead of the thin mouthful that I enjoy for an IPA. I guess the best way to describe the overall reaction would be to state that it tasted like a scotch after the ice has watered it down.

Overall I give this beer a 7/10. It was a worthy effort from Innis and Gunn. It wasn’t a bad beer, nor was it great, but I would definitely give it another go around some other time.

Mike’s Beer #3—EKU 28

I had one of these bad boys last weekend at the Flying Saucer in Raleigh, NC. The bottle was portrayed on a beer poster I had in college, but I hadn’t encountered one until that fateful night at Scott’s 40th birthday shin-dig. The EKU 28 was a great way to kick start the evening. At 11% ABV, the alcohol did not take over the flavor. Instead there was a deep, funky maltiness that didn’t give up. It occurred to me (about ¼ way through the bottle, while I was still capable of intelligent thought) that I hadn’t had a bock in a long, long time. I suppose it’s because they take so much time to ferment (and brewers don’t want to tie up their tanks for one batch when they could make many ales over the same amount of time). A quick scan of the Net shows a great many celebrated bock beers that I haven’t ever tried. It looks like I have several new topics for upcoming columns.