Beer Review: Brett Venture #2 With Lactobacillus

Reviewing Brett Venture #2 With Lactobacillus from Side Project Brewing out of St. Louis, Missouri. This is a bottle-conditioned, wine barrel fermented saison that uses an isolated Brett strain from Drie Fonteinen. What distinguishes this bottle from Brett Venture #2, as you might have guessed, is that Lactobacillus was added to the barrel that this was bottled from.

Score: 93

Front label bottle code is "021013," back label code is "L." This signals that this is Brett Venture #2 (the "02") with Lactobacillus (the "L"), and it was released in October 2013 (the "1013"). Served in a stemmed Crooked Stave Zwanze 2012 glass and enjoyed on 04/06/14.

Appearance: Pours a milky/cloudy yellow-orange cedar color with no head. Swirling the elixir fogs the inside of the glass. This beer looks like the smoothie from hell. Although the appearance does not count for much, this is a damn ugly beer. 1.5/5

Smell: Wine, peach and kiss of orange/citrus. A little bit of apple too. Smells a lot like a mimosa with a kiss of lacto and hay. 4.5/5

Taste: Tastes just like it smells - peach, wine, lacto and a little orange -- but with a lasting Bretty funk. As it warms, that Brett/hay funk flavors come through more and more towards the finish. Brett and wine flavor linger. Really nice. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Feels viscous for the style -- medium/medium-light bodied, low carbonation. Very mild acidity. Light/young, but lingering Bretty funk. Just a touch drying, but not "dry." 4.25/5

Overall: Although no fruit was added to this beer, it tastes like a slightly Bretted mimosa. Cory is doing some real special things with his sours.

Cost: $17 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Kiwi Lambic (2013 Vintage)

Reviewing the Kiwi Lambic from Upland Brewing Company out of Bloomington, Indiana.

Score: 93

Batch "02-09", bottled 06/12/13. Served in a Fantome tulip and enjoyed on 03/25/14.

Appearance: Pours a nice orange color that's relatively clean in appearance until you get to the later bottle pours. Minimal lacing or retention. 4/5

Smell: Huge kiwi, plus lacto and vinegar. The nose radiates sourness and kiwis. 4.25/5

Taste: Hugely tart kiwi flavor, plus lacto and vinegar. Not complex, but tasty in small doses. Big acidity and sourness here. Tasty, but the acidity/tartness layers heavily. The dregs of the bottle just might be the most sour thing I have ever drank. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, nicely carbonation. Very tart, with a little sweetness. Very dry finish. 4.25/5

Overall: This is a really tasty beer, but it is so tart and acidic that it can only be reasonably handled in small doses unless you are inclined to consume an unreasonable amount of Tums with the beer. This is the Chocolate Rain of sours; share it with a group of friends and be forewarned about consuming solo.

Cost: $25 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: California Brandy Barrel Aged Hunahpu's Imperial Stout

Reviewing the California Brandy Barrel Aged Hunahpu's Imperial Stout from Cigar City Brewing out of Tampa, Florida.

Score: 93

2013 vintage bottle served in a Hunahpu's Day 2014 taster glass and enjoyed on 03/25/14.

Appearance: Pours that typical black bodied Hunahpu's color with a thin layer of espresso colored head that settles to a ring around the glass. Okay lacing, average retention -- less so than the Double Barrel Hunahpu's. Solid oily legs. 4/5

Smell: Brandy, chocolate and light peppers. Fresher (six-plus months ago), in some bottles of this beer we sampled, the pepper and spiced characters were more robust on the nose. Alas, at least in this bottle, with just under a year of age on it, the spiciness and spiced qualities are very muted on the nose. A little bit of cinnamon and some tobacco beyond the brandy/chocolate, oak too. 4/5

Taste: The spiciness factor is substantially greater on the palate than it was in the nose -- especially side-by-side with the Double Barrel Hunahpu's. Pepper spiciness, milk chocolate, vanilla and a hint of roast on the palate. A bit of dark fruit character towards the back half too. A kiss of cinnamon, which is not nearly as pronounced as it was in the 2013 vintage Hunahpu's or the Double Barrel Hunahpu's. The spiciness of the brew last throughout the taste and lingers a bit past the swallow (along with the milk chocolate flavor) with a nice tingle sensation from the pepper heat on the front-center of the tongue. There is a very mild underlying sweetness present. The brandy aging is quite muted relative to the nose. Everything here mixes nicely. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, spot on carbonation. Has a good balance with a slight sweetness. Slightly salivating mouthfeel, with a little bit of pepper liveliness. 4.75/5

Overall: A really nice barrel aged treatment of Hunahpu's that is put to shame by Double Barrel Hunahpu's side-by-side, though the comparison is not entirely fair since the California Brandy version is nearly a year aged at this point. I think this beer was better fresher, but it has held up well. There have been numerous reports of bottle variation with this beer, but the last three I have consumed had a nice degree of spiciness -- even with nearly a year of age. Although this brew is less complex and appetizingly flavorful than the Double Barrel Hunahpu's (in fairness, so many beers are), it is nonetheless pretty delicious in its own right. It is just not as tasty as what it takes to land one at this point.

Cost: $25 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Double Barrel Aged Hunahpu's Imperial Stout

Reviewing the Double Barrel Aged Hunahpu's Imperial Stout from Cigar City Brewing out of Tampa, Florida. This beer is a blend of Hunahpu's Imperial Stout aged in rum and apple brandy barrels.

Score: 100

2014 vintage bottle served in a Hunahpu's Day snifter and enjoyed on 03/25/14.

Appearance: Pours an inky black color with a half finger of espresso colored head that settles to a thick ring around the glass and island of head floating in the center. Okay head, but unreal retention. Nice oily legs, and serious browning of the glass from the swirl. 5/5

Smell: Big cinnamon and burnt sugar/molasses on the nose. Apple brandy, chocolate, mild licorice, dark fruit and vanilla too -- everything in a perfectly, syrupy balance. A kiss of leather too as it warms. 5/5

Taste: A little touch of spiciness upfront, followed by a huge cinnamon kick, chocolate, burnt sugar/molasses, dark fruit and vanilla. Such a great balance of flavor. Minimal licorice on the palate, if any. As it warms, the rum character comes through more. The apple brandy, which was somewhat prominent on the nose, is overshadowed and without much trace in the taste -- not that it matters much since this beer is delicious regardless. A kiss of tobacco comes through as it warms. Lingering milk chocolate with cinnamon. Damn delicious. The pepper liveliness picks up a touch as it warms up, but it never arises to the level of the California Brandy Aged Hunahpu's. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, good carbonation. Just a touch pepper liveliness. Good bittersweet balance, creamy mouthfeel. 5/5

Overall: Pretty much a perfect stout. Better than Apple Brandy Aged Hunahpu's -- and that's a bold statement. So much complexity going on here, all near-perfect alignment. This bottle was much better than the first one that I consumed about a month ago.

Cost: $25 for a 750 ml bottle

Beer Review: Sump Coffee Stout

Reviewing Sump Coffee Stout from Perennial Artisan Ales out of St. Louis, Missouri. Sump takes the base beer for Abraxas, and enhances it with local coffee from Sump Coffee.

Score: 68

2014 vintage bottle served in a Fantome tulip and enjoyed on 03/25/14. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Black bodied with a finger and a half of dark khaki head that settles to a splotchy coating. Solid lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Reeks of "green", unroasted coffee and peanut butter. A bit vegetal, like a chili pepper without the heat. A little bit of chocolate too, but most of what I smell is just peanut butter and peppers. 2.5/5

Taste: None of the vegetal character is present in the taste. Nice roast and chocolate, a hint of peanut butter. Touch of metallic flavor as it warms too. On the colder side, it drinks fine. 3/5

Mouthfeel: Good viscosity, low carbonation. Light, roasty bitterness. Dry finish. 4/5

Overall: Barrel Aged Sump was light years better than this, as was Vanilla Sump. This leads me to believe that there was either something "off" about this bottle or the specific batch it came from.

Cost: $16.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

Beer Review: Churchill's Finest Hour (2014 Vintage)

Reviewing the 2014 vintage of Churchill's Finest Hour from from Port Brewing Company (Lost Abbey's alter ego). Each vintage of this beer is a unique blend of barrel aged stouts. The 2014 vintage is signaled by the blue wax and blue foil colored cigar smoke on the label.

Score: 95

2014 vintage bottle served in a Goose Island Black Friday 2013 Bourbon County Brand Stout snifter and enjoyed on 03/25/14. Thank you Ryan for sharing this treat!

Appearance: Deep brown color, with a half finger of dark khaki head that quickly settles to a ring around the glass. Poor lacing lacing and retention, but nice oily legs and solid browning. 4.5/5

Smell: Oak, bourbon, alcohol and fudge. Hard to balance the unpleasantness of the sharp boozy alcohol aroma with the big fudginess, but this strikes a nice balance. Reminisce of the 2012 vintage (albeit hotter), rather than the 2013. With some time, and with the alcohol mellowing out, this aroma should develop nicely. 4.25/5

Taste: Vanilla/oak upfront and then a little bitterness and char, followed by boozy bourbon and an insanely fudegy finish. So much chocolate and fudge in the finish, which lasts forever and ever and is nicely bittersweet. Really excellent balance. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation but apt for the profile. Bittersweet overall. Creamy mouthfeel. Mild stinging booziness, which is more akin to drinking a spirit neat rather than a beer. 4.25/5

Overall: Give this beer a little more viscocity or age, and it could be something special. Even by my standards, I found this beer to be a bit boozy. Enjoyed thoroughly nonetheless. Cannot wait to revisit this in a year.

Cost: $50 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Beer Review: Double Citra

Reviewing Double Citra from the Hill Farmstead Brewery out of Greensboro Bend, Vermont.

Score: 98

One week old keg pour served in a clear plastic tasting cup at The Beer Temple's second anniversary celebration and enjoyed on 03/23/14. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Pours translucent, dull golden color with a half finger layer bubbly head. Good lacing and retention, even in a plastic cup. 4.5/5

Smell: A dank fresh assault of tropical fruit, with a little pine-like character. Apricot, mango, nectarines, grapefruit and pineapple. Everything in wonderful, fresh harmony. Wow. 5/5

Taste: Tastes just like it smells -- like a hoppy, tropical fruit syrup that you would find inside a can of pineapple or pears (but in a delectably fresh way). The mango/nectarine flavor is so bold, so delicious. Has a little bitter bite upfront, which quickly mellows out amidst the juicy, lightly sweet fruit flavors that linger nicely. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Quite viscous and syrupy mouthfeel for an IPA, good carbonation. Very juicy, with a little dryness to the finish. Has a nice light bitter bite, but no big bitterness here. 5/5

Overall: Simply one of Shaun's best hoppy beers, along with Society & Solitude #4 and Ephraim. Unlike many other pure citra hopped beers, this one has a little bite to it. Seeks this one out, and drink it fresh. Cheers!

Cost: $10 for a 750 ml growler.