Beer Review: Prairie Bomb! (Batch 1)

Reviewing the Prairie Bomb! from Prairie Artisan Ales out of Krebs, Oklahoma. This beer is an imperial stout with coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and chili peppers added.

Score: 96

Spring 2013 vintage bottle (gold wax, batch 1) served in an Upland snifter glass and enjoyed on 08/24/13 to celebrate the end of this year's wedding season.

Appearance: Ink black in color. No light penetrates through when held up to light. Pours just under a finger of brownish tan head that settles to a thin coating layer. Excellent lacing and retention. 4.75/5

Smell: Tons of roast and coffee. Then chocolate and doughy vanilla cake batter. Subtle notes of peppers, but the pepper character is not very prominent at all. Really lovely integration of the coffee/chocolate/vanilla characters here. Smells like an awesome cake batter mixed with roasted coffee. 4.75/5

Taste: Bitter, roasty coffee hit the tongue first, then cacao, tongue-pricking peppers and a hint of vanilla, followed by residual chocolate bitterness, a little roast and residual peppery liveliness. The flavor is not cake-like at all, and the degrees of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and pepper are in different proportion than in the nose. The peppers are substantially more prominent, and the vanilla is really dialed down. There is also less roasty coffee on the palate than I expected given how forward this character was in the nose. There is a little vegetal pepper flavor in the finish at first, but this disappears as the beer warms up and breathes. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation. Has a nice pepper spiciness without being a mouth/throat burner; even Scott Nicholas could handle this one (hi Scott). Well balanced between the bitter/sweet/spicy, lending itself to a high degree of drinkability here. 4.5/5

Overall: An excellent brew from an up-and-coming craft brewery located in a state you would not a expect a beer of this quality to originate from. I love how the nose and taste feature the same qualities, but each is different and enticing in their own way. Highly recommend this one.

Cost: $7.99 for a 12 oz bottle.

Beer Review: Barrel-Aged Rise

Reviewing the Barrel-Aged Rise from Revolution Brewing Company out of Chicago, Illinois.

Score: 87

Tap pour served in a 5 oz taster glass. Enjoyed on 08/21/13.

Appearance: Slick black color, shiny. Served with virtually no head save for a mechanical pencil thin, tan colored ring around the glass. Poor lacing and retention. My friend's full pour in 10 oz snifter did not feature better lacing. 3.5/5

Smell: Heavy on the sweet barrel and caramel-bourbon character. Faint notes of piney hops, cocoa and vanilla. Residual mintiness and oak too. Mostly just bourbon barrel on the nose. 3.75/5

Taste: Sweet, but not cloying, barrel flavors take the center stage on the palate. Smooth bourbon, caramel, vanilla and some roast/oak too. The barrel flavors dominate the finish and linger. Complementary, but not prominent or dominant, mint flavor without the menthol coldness on the midpalate. Virtually no hops here, which probably is for the better. As the beer warms up, the finish gets much more complex. I get added notes of chocolate, cherry and a little tobacco flavor in the finish. The long-lasting, lingering flavors here mingle and integrate pleasantly on the tongue. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Thin bodied, minimal carbonation. Has a watery-slickness to it. Sweet, but not cloying. 3/5

Overall: Although this is an above average beer with good flavor, it is very nondescript for a Rev Brew's barrel aged project. I enjoyed this brew more as it warmed up and had a chance to breath. Barrel-Aged Rise shares many of the bourbon-forward flavor qualities that most of Rev Brew's Woodford Reserve-aged dark beers have, and I doubt that I would be able to pick this out blind from say Mean Gene. Rev Brew has pretty much mastered getting bourbon-forward flavors into their beers through barrel aging without picking up any harsh booziness in the process; I just wish they would start using better quality barrels and experimenting a bit more.

Cost: $5 for a 5 oz taster, $8 for a 10 oz snifter.

Beer Review: Leopold Bros Peach Whiskey Barrel-Aged Surette Reserva

Reviewing the Leopold Bros Peach Whiskey Barrel-Aged Surette Reserva from the Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project out of Denver, Colorado.

Score: 96

April 30, 2013 vintage bottle served in a Only Void snifter and enjoyed on 08/22/13.

Appearance: Pours a lovely orange color honey color with less than a finger of white head that settles to a nice layer atop the glass. Spectacular lacing and retention. A wall of froth sticks to the side of the glass like a suction cup. 4.75/5

Smell: Juicy peaches, vanilla-y oak and hay/straw, rounded out by a dash of lacto and young, musty funk. The funk is very very subtle, and acts as a nice, soft accent to the aroma. The citrus juiciness is quite enticing, and practically triggers a salivating response. Notes of lemon zest too. 4.75/5

Taste: Really lovely and flavorful tart and juicy citrus upfront rounded out by barrel character and subtle funk. The lemon zest is more pronounced on the palate than it was in the nose. The peach/lemon combo hits you nice on the front of the tongue with a tartness that is lively, but not pucker-inducing. Then hay/straw on the midpalate, followed by oak and earthy lacto/brett in the finish. Has a nice lemony-peach brett flavored linger that is not intense, but sticks around nicely. The lingering flavor reminds me of a much more subtle and less tart, peach-infused L'Brett D'or. I really like how flavorful and juicy this brew is without being overly "intense" or wrecking the palate with harsh or extreme flavors. The complexities here are masterfully integrated, and the light funky character works well. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, low carbonation. Has a little zesty kick for being a saison, but it is not remotely pucker-inducingly tart. Juicy mouthfeel. This drinks like a delicious, fermented lemonade. 4/5

Overall: Another knock out sour from Crooked Stave, who is absolutely on fire right now. I enjoyed the base beer thoroughly, but this barrel treatment is a truly remarkable improvement. Seek this one out while you still can.

Cost: $10 for a 375 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Closer Encounter

Reviewing the Closer Encounter from Pipeworks Brewing Company out of Chicago, Illinois. The bottle bills itself as a "hopped up imperial stout."

Score: 94

Batch "190-1." I have no clue how a beer can be batch 190-1. Either you are batch 190, or you are batch 191. Served in a Perennial snifter and enjoyed on 08/20/13.

Appearance: Dark chocolate color in appearance. Pours less than half a finger of khaki head that settles to a ring around the glass. Poor lacing, average retention. 3.75/5

Smell: The aromatics are of a black ale done extremely well. Milk chocolate covered pineapples, piney hops, a little muddles citrus and pretzel-like doughiness. Notes of cake batter too. The hops come through very clean on the nose, and are not dirty/earthy/spicy/floral/oniony at all. This a really lovely smelling beer. 4.5/5

Taste: Bitter bakers chocolate and cocoa followed by bitter piney hops. Juicy pineapple and nondescript and muted tropical citrus backbone with a little maltiness too. Unsalted pretzel flavor in the finish too. Really unique tasting, and I love the bready flavors here. No booziness. This brew hides the double digit ABV very well, though a little palate warmth occurs around room temperature. Really nice mix of stout and clean IPA flavors here. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, low carbonation. Very creamy. Bitter on the palate with a little backbone sweetness for counterbalance and added drinkability. 4.25/5

Overall: Shockingly excellent. Not because of who makes it (Pipeworks makes some great beers), but because of the style. Few black IPA/hoppy stouts are this good. Cheers to another excellent brew in Pipeworks' portfolio!

Cost: $11.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Beer Review: Aww Jeah

Reviewing the Aww Jeah from Short's Brewing Company out of Bellaire, Michigan.

Score: 90

Bottle code "1193C21658." Served in a generic snifter glass and enjoyed on 08/19/13.

Appearance: Pours an orange copper with a half finger of off-white head that settles to a thin ring around the glass. Good lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Caramel malt, honey and fruity/grassy hops. A little spiciness too. As it warms, some tropical citrus comes through, but it is not juicy-fresh. 4/5

Taste: Bready malt, caramel malt, grapefruit, and floral hop flavor. Bitter grassiness towards the finish with a residual bitterness that lingers nicely. The hoppiness has a little dirty spiciness to it too, but this character is not very prominent. As this beer warms and layers, it becomes palate wreckingly bitter/hoppy. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Very light in body for an imperial IPA, low carbonation. The bitterness really sits and layers on the tongue, slightly singeing while the brew sits on the palate. 4/5

Overall: A total hop bomb palate killer. Nothing special, but well done. Cheers.

Cost: $15 for a six pack.

Beer Review: Unplugged Bourbon Barrel Bock

Reviewing the Unplugged Bourbon Barrel Bock from New Glarus Brewing out of New Glarus, Wisconsin. I was lucky enough to win this 2007 release, a New Glarus tick I long ago gave up on, in a raffle recently.

Score: 88

June 2007 vintage bottle served in a Perennial snifter/tulip hybrid glass and enjoyed on 08/15/13.

Appearance: Pours a clean, but translucent copper color that is free of floaties or haze. Has a wisp of head off the pour that totally settles, resulting in a liquor-like appearance. Minimal head or retention. 3.25/5

Smell: Primarily vanilla and caramel in the nose. There's a little bit of oak and even less dark fruit too, but it is really just malty/sweet vanilla and caramel interacting pleasantly here. Unknown ABV, but not a whiff of booze. 4/5

Taste: Taste follows the nose, but with a little fizziness in the finish. Caramel upfront, followed by vanilla. Mild cherry and tobacco flavors in the finish. Dark fruit undertones. The flavor components here meld almost seamlessly. Some sherry-like fruitiness comes through towards the finish as this beer warms up. No negative oxidization character is present, which is surprisingly given the age of this brew. This bottle was clearly stored well. 4/5

Mouthfeel: On the lighter side of medium bodied with very very low carbonation. This beer is not flat, though it is closer to undercarbonated than appropriately carbonated. That said, there is a little fizzy life in the finish that I did not expected given its headless, non-effervescent appearance. Malty sweet, but not cloying. 3.75/5

Overall: Acquiring older bottles often scares me due to the unknown factor and exponential importance of proper storage over time. I was surprised how well this beer was holding up given how over-the-hill the Unplugged Iced Barleywine was. While this beer is nothing overly complex, unique or epic in flavor, it is easy drinking and quite smooth. The sweetness here does not layer on the palate in a way that inhibits drinkability, and there is no booziness to speak of whatsoever. I am certainly glad to have finally ticked this one, but it is a not a must-try brew.

Cost: $5 for a 12 oz bottle. If you manage to find one these days, I doubt it will be that cheap.

Beer Review: Flying Jenny Extra Pale Ale

Reviewing the Flying Jenny Extra Pale Ale from Grey Sail Brewing Of Rhode Island out of Westerly, Rhode Island. Major thanks to Michael Y. for the hookup!

Score: 89

Unknown vintage can served in a Goose Island Chicago flag snifter and enjoyed on 08/01/13.

Appearance: Body is a nice dull orange color with a golden tint. Quite murky. Pours two fingers of frothy off-white head that settles to a thin layer with a nice lacing on the side of the glass. Excellent lacing, very good retention. 4.25/5

Smell: Cereal grain, dull orange citrus, grapefruit and mild piney hops. The grain aroma is more forward than I would like in a pale ale, but it is not offensive in the least -- just unexpected and not traditional for the style. A little floral-ness too. Very light on the nose. 3.5/5

Taste: The grain character here is substantially more mellow on the palate than the nose led on, and it is mostly contained towards the finish. Starts off with a nice bitter hop bite that is a little piney, a little grassy, but more “non-descriptly hoppy” bitter than either. Then orange rind and grapefruit. A light amount of grainy malt in the finish for balance, with a lingering bitterness. Quite refreshing, yet surprisingly bitter for a pale ale -- I guess that is why this one is an "extra" pale ale... 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, maybe a little lighter than that. Feels a little spritzier on the palate than most pale ales, but in a good way here as this helps the bitter hoppiness pop on the palate. Dry finish. 4/5

Overall: Had low expectations for this given the grain-forward nose, but the flavor is where it counts most and this one delivers. Appetizingly bitter and flavorful for the style, even though it is not complex. Give this "something different" brew a whirl if you get the chance.

Cost: $9.49 for a six pack of 12 oz cans.