Draft Notes

One beer at a time…

08 Nov 2012

Founders Breakfast Stout

I read this morning that today is “International Stout Day”, news to me although I am starting to see a trend after celebrating IPA day a couple of months back. I just happen to have a highly regarded stout in my refrigerator, so I figure I may as well review it to be festive. The Stout, as you can tell by the title of this post, is Founders Breakfast Stout which is a seasonal (Sep-Feb) Imperial Stout out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This beer weighs in with an ABV of 8.3% and 60 IBUs and the bottle lists it as a Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout. Founders’ website lists imported and bitter chocolates along with Kona and Sumatra coffees as key ingredients. Based on the description, naming the beer “Breakfast Stout” makes a lot of sense.  As mentioned, this is a highly regarded stout to include a 99/100 rating by Beer Advocate and 100/100 on RateBeer. Based on the excitement from beer lovers and these ratings I decided I need to see what an almost perfect stout tastes like.

The appearance is a black body with minimal tan head which receded very quickly (I barely had time to take the picture before it was gone). The aromas are what you would expect based on my above description. There is a whole lot of fresh coffee with a dash of chocolate.  Right in line with the description and aromas, the taste is a shot of espresso, chocolate, another shot of espresso, and then a dash more chocolate, There is definitely a bitter finish partly as a result of using bitter chocolates and coffees.  The mouth feel is fairly chewy and I pick up minimal carbonation, but any more would be weird (imagine an ice coffee with carbonation, ick), so it comes together very well.

Overall, this is a beer for coffee lovers and if you also like chocolate you may be in heaven.  At this point of my beer tasting career, I find the excessive coffee taste interesting but I really don’t feel like I am drinking a beer. I would think it would go very well as a post dinner drink with some ice cream or other dessert. Despite my slight issues with coffee in beer, Founders definitely hit the nail on the head with what you would want in a Coffee “Breakfast” Stout. I can’t go perfect, but I would have to give Founders Breakfast Stout 4 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes scale.

You can read more about Founders and their beers at http://foundersbrewing.com. Now I need to work out if caffeine stays in the beer through the brewing process and whether I will be able to get to sleep tonight. Cheers!

Posted in Michigan, Stout | Leave a comment
30 Oct 2012

Terra Incognita – Sierra Nevada and Boulevard Collaboration

As part of the SAVOR beer and food pairing event in Washington DC earlier this year, a bottle of Terra Incognita was the parting gift for each of the events attendees. This beer is a collaboration between Sierra Nevada and Boulevard brewed exclusively for the 2012 SAVOR.  The brewers got pretty deep on this one. First off, Terra Incognita is Latin for Unknown Land and they made the beer as a tribute to the explorers who traveled the California Trail which originated in Kansas City. The beer started the brewing process in Sierra Nevada’s Chico, CA brewery with estate grown malts and wheat. They also added some Styrian Goldings and Bravo hops during the boil and dry hopped with East Kent Goldings. The beer then travelled to Kansas City (reverse California Trail I guess) to the Boulevard brewery to finish up with a treatment of Brettanomyces yeast and finally aged in Missouri oak barrels. Of course the next step was the shipment out to Washington DC which I don’t believe has any symbolism, but it made me happy.

Just as when the wife and I buy/receive a nice bottle of wine, I decided I wanted to keep this Terra Incognita for a “special occasion”. As we all know pretty well, these special occasions actually rarely occur. A couple of weeks back my wife and I invited ourselves to dinner at a good friends place who happen to be smoking ribs. Sounds special to me, plus the chef in question is from Kansas City so it makes sense that this was my bottles time.  We did a bit of a group tasting of this beer and a couple of others, but I specifically wanted to take notes on this one time beer.

The beer style is listed as a Dark Ale in some locations and I see that Beer Advocate classifies it as a Wild Ale due to the use of Brettanomyces which is considered a wild yeast.  Although I would ask which yeast is not wild? This beer pours as a dark brown color with a tan head, there is a heavy lacing as the head slowly recedes.  The aromas are sweet, malty, and floral. I believe the floral is related to the yeast, but with numerous hops used I am sure they are also contributing. Plenty to taste in this one to include chocolate, smoke (maybe the oak barrel), malty, tart, and finally the distinct floral taste of the “Brett” yeast. I would say the finish is somewhat bitter and my notes list it as stinging the tongue (maybe dry). Definitely a complex beer with many layers that I am sure everyone will have their own opinions in what is going on. Mouth feel is chewy with very tiny bubbles of carbonation.  Overall I would not say this was an amazing tasting beer, but it was interesting to taste so many ingredients coming together with great balance. Nothing was overwhelming and I enjoyed every sip. I am going to give this one 3.75 Mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes Scale. Luckily for me my wife also attended SAVOR, so I have another bottle for another “special occasion”.

The information regarding the beers brewing process was obtained from the SAVOR website which you can see here: http://www.savorcraftbeer.com/. I am sure you have all heard of both Sierra Nevada and Boulevard, but here are their websites if you Google button doesn’t work: www.sierranevada.com/ and www.boulevard.com/. Cheers!

Posted in California, Dark Ale, Missouri, Wild Ale | Leave a comment
11 Oct 2012
1 Comment

Innis & Gunn Original

A good friend of mine has spent a little time in England and highly recommended a Scottish brewery named Innis & Gunn. I looked into the brand and saw that many people had spoken highly of the “Original” which is their oak aged beer.  The problem was it is not sold in my area, so I took note and figured I may run across it one day. Over this last weekend this particular friend, our wives, and others made the trek from Arlington, VA out to Dayton, Ohio for a wedding.  I hate driving 1 hour, let alone 8.5 hours so there was no way I was coming home empty handed and not flying meant no 3 oz liquid max. I hit the chat boards for advice on what to purchase while in Ohio (locals/regional, etc) and was informed of a quality beer shop (Belmont Party Supply). My expert foreshadowing may have given it away, but we rock up to Belmont and there was Innis & Gunn sitting on the shelf. Now I will admit it was not supposed to be the feature buy, as I had a list of Ohio breweries I wanted to try. Therefore, I grabbed one four pack and a nice haul of other Ohio beers (Hoppin Frog, Riverfront, and Buckeye Brewing). My buddy took two and we left one on the shelf.

Innis & Gunn Original is classed by Beer Advocate as a Scottish Ale and the ABV is 6.6%. I believe I paid about $11 for a 4 pack of 11.2 oz beers. The beer is aged for 77 days in oak barrels and there is actually a great story behind the origination of Innis & Gunn beers. A whisky distiller in Scotland wanted to produce an ale-finished whisky, so he created an ale to fill oak barrels. He would throw the beer away and use the beer soaked barrels to age the whisky which is obviously more important in Scotland.  After throwing thousands of gallons away, some of the workers sampled the beer and said it was “absolutely delicious”. The employees were right, a beer company was formed, and now I sit here in Virginia about to give my opinion of this accidental success story.

The beer is from an 11.2 oz bottle and I have poured it into my tulip glass. This beer is a bronze color (if there was no head, it could pass as bourbon) with a fluffy white head which recedes quickly. The expected oak aroma from the 77 day aging is very nice and I also pick up rum and vanilla. It reminds me of being on a tour of Woodford Reserve Bourbon when they took us through the barrel aging warehouse.  When I taste this beer I am happy to not be overwhelmed by oak. I taste the rum and vanilla I could smell, along with a toffee sweet finish from the malts.  The oak is in play from start to finish, but definitely balanced with all the other flavors. The mouth feel is light to medium and very smooth with minimal carbonation. Overall I am very impressed with this beer and would recommend this for everyone to try. It could even see whisky/bourbon/rum or chardonnay drinkers enjoying this beer as the oak aromas and taste may be appealing. I will give Innis & Gunn Original 4 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes scale. I should not have left that last 4-pack on the shelf back in Ohio.

For the full story on Innis & Gunn’s accidental beer, check out their website: http://www.innisandgunn.com/~/media/InnisGunn/IGstory.ashx

Posted in Europe, Scotland, Scottish Ale
03 Oct 2012
2 Comments

Boatswain Double IPA Twin Screw Steamer

As I was waiting in line to check out at Trader Joes I noticed a couple of 22 ounce beers staring me down amongst the chocolates, granola bars, and other “impulse buy” items surrounding the checkout line. Trader Joes is well-known for their cheap but quality wine – 3 Buck Chuck, so I decide that a Double IPA for $1.99 is worth a try. The beer is brewed for Trader Joes by Rhinelander Brewing Company in Monroe, Wisconsin; however, when you look on their website the Boatswain labels are nowhere to be seen.  I have also read it is by Minhas Brewery which is also in Monroe, so I assume these two are somehow related. It is now fairly common to see these larger chains contracting a brewery or winery to produce their own label of beer or wine (Costco and Whole Foods for example). Trader Joes actually has a few personalized brands/brews like Name Tag Lager and Trader Jose’s all sold at very low prices covering a variety of styles.

Botswain 2IPA Bottle

This particular beer is the Boatswain Double IPA Twin Screw Steamer and it weighs in at 8.4% ABV. As mentioned earlier it is 22 ounce bomber at a cost of $1.99. My last Imperial/Double IPA reviewed a few weeks back, Oskar Blues Deviant Dale, was one of favorites to date so it has quite a bit to measure up to.

The beer pours to reveal a brilliant copper color with fairly minimal tan head which recedes almost immediately. The smell is very nice with the obvious hops for an IPA. Grapefruit and pineapple aromas combined with a very present malt give it quite a sweet smell which actually overpowers the hops.  The taste once again starts you off with the obvious IPA hops, citrus, piney tastes. The alcohol taste is present, but not overwhelming due to the malt over powering most of the flavors giving it a sweet finish. The mouth feel is chewy and dense with very small bubbles of carbonation. Overall, this IPA reminds me more of an English style than American as the hops seem to be earthier than the American floral hops; however, it may just be that malt masking the true aromas. Given the price point of $2, I think this is a good buy and well worth a try. Measuring it up against other Double IPAs I will have to give 3 Mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes scale.

Next time you are at Trader Joes, don’t be afraid to try this and their other labels as they have prided themselves on high quality with low prices in all their products. While trying to find some information on Trader Joe’s beers, I ran across a nice and simple beer style guide which I would like to share. Check it out at: http://www.traderjoes.com/guides/beer-styles.asp#1.

Posted in IPA, Wisconsin
27 Sep 2012

Weeping Radish Brewery – Grandy, North Carolina

A couple of weeks ago I went down to the Outer Banks (Hatteras, NC) for a beach get away with my wife and some friends. Of course if I am taking a trip out of town, my first question is: Which breweries are nearby and what beers can I get not available in the VA/DC area? Fortunately the Bavarian themed Weeping Radish Farm Brewery in Grandy, North Carolina was on our way down and was immediately added to the schedule. The bonus that comes with this brewery is “Farm” part of the name as they also have a German style butcher on site selling Brats, Keilbasa, Liverwurst, etc, etc. Now I may be crazy, but I can’t think of a better stop to make on the way to the beach where grilling and beer will be a high priority.

No!

One aspect of life living in the beltway (or most other large cities) is dealing with and planning around traffic. Plan was to leave at 530am from Arlington with hopes for minimal traffic and to reach the Radish for lunch (yes, they have a restaurant too), pick up supplies, and drive the last 2 hours to Hatteras. We get on the road around 6am and it is a smooth ride out of the beltway south through Virginia. Traffic was nowhere to be seen and we are happy as could be until 4 hours pass and we arrive at the Radish at 10am, otherwise known as an hour before opening time. First off, a traffic free drive from DC through Richmond and Norfolk does not happen. The plan was solid; the traffic just did not show up. We pull into the parking lot and ask the goat (told you it was a farm) if we could get in early as no one else was to be seen. Goat says “no”, I shed a tear, and we are back on the road. Don’t worry though, other friends on the beach vacation team would be driving through the following day that would be able to pick up supplies and save the week. I also would be able to stop by on the way home to get a quick look in person.

The Weeping Radish beers we had at the beach were the Corolla Gold, Fest Beer, and the Weizen. Additionally we had Beer Brats, Brats, and Andouille for the grill. My favorite beer of this group was the Corolla Gold which is a Helles Lager and I thought the Fest Beer (Oktoberfest Marzen) was pretty good too. None of us were too impressed with the Weizen (Hefeweizen), but it was eventually finished. They sell all their beers in 22oz and kegs from what I could tell and they actually sell cases of the 22oz bottles online for $39. When we stopped in on our way home, I picked up the two beers we had not tried available in bottles to go: OBX Beer and Black Radish. OBX Beer is a Kolsch and Black Radish is a Schwarzbier/Dark German Lager.  The Black Radish, in my opinion, is clearly the gem of this brewery which you must try if you get a chance. The sausages were outstanding and we picked up some liverwurst which was really good too. All these products are made from local ingredients as part of their Farm to Fork theme.

The brewery has a bar where you can try samples of their beers or just buy a pint. As noted earlier, there is also a seating section for those looking for a meal. There is a cool upstairs look out area which overlooks the brewing area, so you can watch the brewers at work filling bottles, mashing, etc.  Great idea for those who may just want a quick glance, but may not want to walk the entire tour. They do offer tours for $5 with three samples included. The tour includes a look at the meat smoke house and butchery.  Outside they have a few goats wandering around which is fitting as the brewery itself looks like a big barn. Just be careful not to touch the electric fence. I have a feeling this electric fence could be entertaining later in the day/night as people consume a few too many pints and decide to try to play with the goats.

I would definitely recommend you stop by the Weeping Radish to try their Bavarian themed beers (Don’t forget to try the Black Radish) and meats. The 22oz bottles were about $4 a piece and a 4 pack of Brats were around $8-9, so you can definitely pick up a few bottles and some Brats for a reasonable price. They have a laid back environment, obvious tight link to the community, and friendly and helpful staff.  Learn more at http://weepingradish.com/index.php. Cheers!

Posted in Brewery Reviews, North Carolina | Leave a comment
23 Sep 2012
2 Comments

Unita Brewing Company Wyld Extra Pale Ale

After being sidelined for about a week with a cold, I am excited to be reviewing Unita Brewing Company’s Wyld Extra Pale Ale. Unita is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and is named after the Unita mountain range which is the highest range in the contiguous United States running east to west (Thanks Wikipedia!).  I will be the first to admit I have a soft spot for environmental issues, so I was excited to read about Unita’s commitment to sustainability and their green business practices. The Unita brewery became 100% wind powered in 2001 and recently installed solar panels making them 15% solar and 85% wind.  Additionally they have created their own brown glass recycling center and donate grain to local farmers to feed their livestock. All these efforts in line with other great breweries such as Sierra Nevada and Maui Brewing who get the job done with  great beers while respecting old mother earth. Now, I dismount that high horse and explain the beer to be consumed. Wyld Extra Pale Ale is part of the Organic Series available year round. An Extra Pale Ale is generally a light bodied pale ale which still contains a decent amount of hops as seen in a regular Pale Ale. This particular beer is dry hopped to get the hop taste and aromas of pale ale; however, weighing in at only 4% ABV.

Unita Wyld Extra Pale Ale

I purchased this beer for about $2 for a 12 ounce bottle, so it should run around $8 for a six pack.  I pour the beer into my favorite tasting glass (tulip) to see a cloudy orange beer with an inch of white fluffy head. The head slowly recedes leaving a moderate amount of lacing on the glass.  The aromas are very nice. I smell the floral hops, citrus, pine and something very earthy; all of which come together quite well. My first taste presents me with a glimpse of those floral hops, but the flavors are far from what I expected based on the aromas. It has a sweet taste with a bitter finish, though not a whole lot of anything which makes it slightly boring. The mouth feel is light and quite crisp with a little carbonation.  Giving a minor bump for the appearance and aromas which had me intrigued my overall rating for this will be 2.75 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes Scale. So much potential up front, but an unimpressive beer from the most important stand point, taste. I look forward to trying other Unita beers, this one is just not for me.

Learn more about Unita Brewing Company here:  http://www.uintabrewing.com/ and more information on their green business practices here: http://www.uintabrewing.com/business_practices.php.

Posted in Extra Pale Ale, Utah
11 Sep 2012
2 Comments

Shipyard Brewing Company Smashed Pumpkin Ale

As much I as I hate to believe it, summer is done and cold weather is ahead. The two benefits of this are fall seasonals and football. Eventually we will also have winter seasonals and football too. Trying to stay positive here! The first fall seasonal beer  I have decided to review is Shipyard Brewing Company’s Smashed Pumpkin Ale. This beer is part of Shipyard’s Pugsley’s Signature Series and any time you have a special series it often means high ABV of imperial stature. This pumpkin ale fits the bill weighing in at 9 % ABV. It took me a while to warm up to the concept of pumpkin beers and I am happy to say I am fully onboard after about 3 or 4 seasons of practice. Brewed in Portland, Maine, this beer contains Light Wheat and Munich malts paired with the spicy/earthy Willamette and Hallertau hops. You may be wondering why wheat malts are used in ale such as this, well according Beer Advocate they are often used in small quantities to help head retention. Moving on, time to try this Imperial Pumpkin.

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale

I purchased this beer in a 22oz bottle, retailing at $13 in North Carolina. My tasting was done in a Belgian beer glass to ensure I could take in all the aromas this beer has to offer. The color is a cloudy copper with a white head (which actually had little retention after all my educating above). The aromas of this beer are the obvious pumpkin and nutmeg as you will find in most pumpkin ales, but really not as overwhelming as other I have consumed. Taste once again incorporates the expected pumpkin and nutmeg, but the added bonus is actually being able to taste the spicy hops which tend to be buried in most pumpkin ales.  A little too much of the alcohol taste is coming through for my liking. Mouth feel is smooth, light to medium with minimal carbonation. Unfortunately the alcohol in beating out those hops in the lingering after taste. Overall, I like that this ale does not smell or taste overwhelmingly like a pumpkin pie with a pound of nutmeg. However, I was a little disappointed in the balance and inability to tame the alcohol taste at the end. I tend lower my rating based on the after taste because when I sit around drinking a beer, I can’t be swishing it around in my mouth the whole time. Therefore, I will give the Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Ale 3.5 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes scale.

This was my first Shipyard beer and I look forward to trying more of their offerings. To read more about the brewery, check out their website here: http://www.shipyard.com/. I plan on reviewing another pumpkin ale in the “Imperial” category as I would like to compare the finish on others to see if my expectations are too high. Look out for the Southern Tier Pumking review in the next couple of weeks.

Posted in Maine, Pumpkin Ale

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