Beer Review: Veritas 014

Reviewing the Veritas 014, a wild ale with cherries from The Lost Abbey out of San Marcos, California.

Score: 35

Fall 2014 vintage bottle served in a snifter glass panoramically logo branded with all the "best" macro swill and enjoyed on 03/20/15.

Appearance: Reddish-brown/brownish-red in color, much darker than Veritas 013. Pours a half finger of tan head that settles to a thin coating. Good lacing, solid retention. Murky appearance. 3/5

Smell: Acidic, artificial cherry pie cherry aroma and oak. Has a little syrupy sweetness too. Lots of pedio poo-poo too. 2.5/5

Taste: Sharply acidic and sour cherry upfront, with medicinal cherry, young funk, and wood on the finish. Very "sour brown"/flandersy in character, but more acidic. Some lacto too. Some pedio poo-poo too. Lasting, unpleasant finish. 2/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied, higher carbonation than expected. Quite acidic and tart, with a very, very dry finish. 1.5/5

Overall: What an expensive stinker. Cannot believe this won a medal at FOBAB. Red Poppy is a thousand times better than this beer. We drain-poured most of the bottle, it was so unpleasant.

Cost: $45 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Veritas 013

Reviewing the Veritas 013, a wild ale brewed with peaches and nectarines from The Lost Abbey out of San Marcos, California.

Score: 93

April 2014 vintage bottle served in a Surly Darkness snifter/tulip "chalice" and enjoyed on 03/20/15.

Appearance: *GUSHER ALERT* When the cork was 75% pulled out, it forced itself off the bottle and violently gushed a couple of inches into the air. We lost between 10% and 20% of the bottle near instantaneously, with the bottle making a hot mess all over the table. The color of the beer is a reddish-orange color with a dark core and fade to a yellowish hue atop the brew. Very murky/cloudy appearance. Pours a few fingers of head initially, which settles to a thin layer of off-white head. Good lacing and retention. 3/5

Smell: Soft peach aroma, sweet and sticky sugar notes (honey?), and wood. Very subtle, not as strong or complex as expected, but appealing. 4.25/5

Taste: Sweet peach juice flavor with a good, mild sour bite. Has a robust sweet undertone like a resinous, syrupy fruit flavor. Woody finish with notes of brown sugar on the back half. A little citrus fruit-like flavor on the finish too. Very mild acidity. Very subdued sour profile for a Lost Abbey wild ale; this is nice and refreshing. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Medium body, good carbonation (which is shocking given how it gushed). Mildly dry finish. Mild acidity, nice sweet and sour profile. 4.5/5

Overall: What the beer lacks in complexity it greatly supplements in refreshing drinkability and a well-crafted peach flavor. Hella overpriced, though.

Cost: $45 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Wild Wild Brett Batch 60

Reviewing Wild Wild Brett Batch 60, a dry hopped sour ale from the Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project out of Denver, Colorado.

Score: 96

2013 vintage bottle served in a Kate the Great tulip/snifter and enjoyed on 03/01/15.

Appearance: Pours a clean, orange-copper color with nice glow when held up to light. A thin fizzy off-white layer of head from the pour quickly dissipates. 4/5

Smell: A strong, juicy odor of orange and tangerine citrus explodes from the glass. Notes of lemon, pineapple, a kiss of brett and a mild lacto character too. Really lovely, and reminisce of Dry Hopped L'Brett D'or. The nose is absolutely divine. 5/5

Taste: Like the nose, the taste is loaded with sour citrus flavors and a finish that is heavier on the brett/lacto than what was present in the nose. Notes of pineapple, oranges, peach, and apricot upfront. A little lasting funk on the finish. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, nice carbonation. Very dry finish. A bit sour, but mild on the acidity relative to its profile. 4.5/5

Overall: Now over a year old, the citrus/stone fruit aromatics/flavors of this beer really shine and the buttery diacetyl character that was pungently present fresh is totally gone. Drink 'em if you got 'em.

Cost: $10 for a 375 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Framboise Black

Reviewing Framboise Black, a blend of soured Belgian-style witbiers aged in French oak barrels with black cap raspberries from the Block 15 Brewery & Restaurant out of Corvallis, Oregon.

Score: 97

2014 vintage bottle served in a Revolution Brewing tulip/snifter and enjoyed on 03/01/15. Thank you Danny for sending me this brew!

Appearance: Pours a deep purple color, like grape juice, with a finger of pinkish purple head off the pour that totally settles. Swirling the brew tints the glass slightly purple nicely. The color on this brew is quite interesting. 5/5

Smell: Raspberry jelly and cloves, with a hint of black pepper. 4.75/5

Taste: Raspberry and grape jelly with a little coriander/clove on the finish. Surprisingly simplistic, but tasty as hell. Long lasting flavors. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Thin bodied, appropriately carbonated. Mild acidity, a little sweet, not too sour. 4.25/5

Overall: One of my favorite Block 15 brews -- it tastes like fruit jelly! It is a shame that a good portion of this batch was lost to a flood. Great job on this one Nick!

Cost: $15 for a 375 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Malevolence Chocolate Caliente

Reviewing the Malevolence Chocolate Caliente, a Russian imperial stout brewed with vanilla beans, cacao nibs, cinnamon, Urfa biber chili flakes, and dried Aleppo pepper from Spiteful Brewing out of Chicago, Illinois.

Score: 94

January 2015 bottling. Served in a Hunahpu's snifter and enjoyed on 02/22/15 during the Oscars telecast.

Appearance: First things first: open this beer over the sink. We cracked the cap on a side-stored (but otherwise still) bottle, and this beer began gushing instantaneously. Within 15 seconds, 50% of the bottle was all over the table. Once some of the beer made its way into the glass, it poured a dark chocolate color with nice outer-edge fade and ample foamy khaki head that settles to a thin bubbly ring around the glass. Minimal lacing or retention, but nice browning effect/residuals from swirling. 3.5/5

Smell: The aroma on this beer was quite potent and pleasant (possibly because the kitchen was covered in it). Heavy-handed cinnamon, shortbread cookies, chocolate, and hints of mint and vanilla. Some chili pepper too. Reminds me a lot of Abraxas. 4.5/5

Taste: Lovely mix of cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, sugar cookies with a hint of chocolate too. Nice light but present pepper kick and flavor on the back half. Tastes a lot like the love child of Abraxas and the 2011 vintage of Hunahpu's. Lingering spice and spiciness. Cocoa-mole on the finish too. Quite excellent! Was expecting this to be sour, infected, or off in some way given that it gushed upon opening, so the quality of the flavor was a welcome relief. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and slightly under-carbonated -- which is shocking, given how forcefully this beer gushed upon opening. Nice pepper heat that is present, but not too prominent or overpowering -- kind of like how Space Ghost is but with a little less heat. Lovely spice mix that is balanced despite brown sugar/cinnamon sweetness. 3.5/5

Overall: An excellent beer and real winner from Spiteful, who is making some interesting stuff as a newer Chicago brewery. I've been told this is already being barrel aged, and am interested to see the outcome of that project. I am not sure why this beer explosively gushed upon opening, but friends have since informed me that they have had similar experiences. Open this one over the sink with glasses on the ready, and enjoy. Prost!

Cost: $12.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Beer Review: Yellow Rose

Reviewing the Yellow Rose, a single hop (Mosaic) IPA from The Lone Pint Brewery, out of Magnolia, Texas.

Score: 85

Unconfirmed bottling date, but presumed fresh (less than a month old) based on the representations of the trader. Served in a Hopslam snifter and enjoyed on 02/11/15.

Appearance: Pours a translucent, murky orange color with two fingers of seafoam head that settle to clusters of clumps atop the glass. Very good lacing and retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Grapefruit, melon, and berry. A touch of grassy/earthy tones too. Lovely, fruity mix without a bitter-apparent nose. 4.25/5

Taste: Grapefruit flavor, bready malt and a little fruitiness upfront with spicy, earthy tones on the finish and a hint of onion that lingers long past the finish on the very back of the palate. Very mild bitterness. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, appropriately carbonated (on the higher end for an IPA, though). Has a mild bitter bite upfront palliated by a maltiness that quickly counterbalances. Has a foamy mouthfeel as it sits on the tongue. 4/5

Overall: A solid, but unspectacular IPA offering (though Mosaic is admittedly not my hop of choice). Definitely worth a pint, but not a must-seek brew for my preferences.

Cost: $10 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Beer Geek Dessert

Reviewing the Beer Geek Dessert from Mikkeller out of Copenhagen, Denmark. This beer is their oatmeal stout base brewed with cocoa and vanilla.

Score: 94

Fall 2014 vintage bottle served in a Mikkeller & Friend stemmed glass and enjoyed on 01/30/15.

Appearance: Pours an inky black color with a ring around the glass of frothy khaki head. Amazing  lacing and retention. Nice oily legs, but no browning from the swirl a la Barrel Aged Beer Geek Vanilla Shake. Picture perfect stout. 5/5

Smell: Rich vanilla frosting, marshmallow, chocolate cake, and oatmeal cookies. Syrup too. Absolutely heavenly, decadent nose that is bold in aroma. 5/5

Taste: Nice medley of sweet vanilla upfront followed by lasting bitter chocolate with a hint of coffee on the finish. Opens up to a little burnt flavor on the finish too, which is slightly ashy. This is pretty tasty and quite quaffable given its bitterness, but the flavor not as epic as the nose led on. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, low carbonation. Bitter, slightly ashy finish. 4/5

Overall: Another delicious variation of Mikkeller's Beer Geek oatmeal stout. Mikkeller's been knocking it out of the park with their chocolate/vanilla variations of Beer Geek the last year-plus. This one is also very reasonably priced relative to most of their portfolio. Do not pass a chance at this one up if you see it on the shelf.

Cost: $7.99 for a 12 oz bottle.