Draft Notes

One beer at a time…

07 Sep 2012
2 Comments

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

Over the last week I was fortunate enough to spend some time with great friends in OBX (Hatteras, NC) and I decided it was finally time to bust out the Rogue Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale. Definitely the perfect time for a morning tasting with no responsibilities for days, so that is what we did once we got the bacon sizzling. Rogue, located in Newport, Oregon, is known for well… their rogue attitude when brewing beer. When I saw the bright pink bottle on the shelf offering a bacon flavored beer, I can’t say I was too surprised. This beer is named after Voodoo Doughnut, a legendary Portland donut shop known for their crazy toppings which I am proud to say I was able to recognize after seeing them on Donut Paradise (Travel Channel) a couple of years back. Don’t judge. With a little encouragement from the store keeper, I decide to make the $12 (22oz bottle) purchase to see if they could pull this off.

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

I poured out three four ounce samples for my first willing tasters and I. The appearance was a deep orange, maybe copper with white head. Nothing too strange there, but then I take a wiff of the aromas detecting a nice maple scent. Mentally it was tough to comprehend a sweet, sweet maple scent coming from my beer despite being fully aware of what I was getting us into. I was actually surprised that the bacon did not really stand out, though there was a smoke aroma which some may say is the bacon. Time to taste; so we clink the glasses to our morning start and dive in. Holy smoke! The 3 smoked malts used, to include house-smoked hickory malt, are quite overwhelming. Maple is definitely there, along with a hint of bacon and grain/wheat. The mouth feel is very smooth and moderately dense. I have only tried a couple, but the smoke taste immediately brought to mind a Rauchbier (specifically Sam Adams Bonfire Rauch). Overall, I was disappointed that the flavors didn’t really balance out well as the smoke flavor was way too harsh. It was definitely worth try, but I would not recommend buying this beer unless you have some friends around to finish the bottle with you. When I return home to write my review based on my notes and conduct additional research I realized this is considered a smoke beer (Beer Advocate) which some may say is the same as a Rauchbier. I did not taste expecting this, so I may not have been so taken by the smoke had I known. Hard to say either way. I give credit to Rogue for keeping it Oregon weird and will continue to try their off the wall ales. However, I have to give a rating of 2 Mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes Scale.

Read more about Rogue at http://rogue.com/index.php and for the curious doughnut fans: http://voodoodoughnut.com/index.php

Posted in Maple, Oregon, Smoke
26 Aug 2012
1 Comment

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s IPA

Oskar Blues started brewing beer in the basement of their restaurant in Lyons, Colorado in 1998 and became the first craft brewery to can their beer (Dales Pale Ale) in 2002. I think it is safe to say that the Dale’s can is one of the iconic cans in American craft beer and should be credited with the craft can craze. Fast forward to 2012 and now we have the Deviant Dale’s in the new 16oz can, not to mention Oskar Blues opening a new brewery in North Carolina. Deviant Dale’s is an India Pale Ale weighing in at 8% ABV and 85 IBUs. Four hops are used during the brewing process and a 5th(Columbus) for dry-hopping. This beer was a silver medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival in 2011. The Oskar Blues website tells a tale of Dale, the flagship, selling his soul to create the beer that sits before me. I have consumed a number of Dale’s Pale Ale and have also been known to throw back a few of Mama’s Lil Pils, both of which I enjoy very much. I am excited to crack this can and see what Oskar Blues has cooked up.

Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale

As I pour the beer from the 16oz tall boy into my chalice, the aromas jump out at me before I even start thinking about the appearance. This beer is a cloudy copper/orange with a cream colored head. Now back to the aromas, it is absolutely breath taking (can’t believe I said that, but true).  I smell citrus, passion fruit, and pine. I don’t even need to stuff my face in the glass, but I do anyway to take it in. Excited to taste, I immediately take in the obvious hoppy taste that comes with an IPA. In addition the pine is still there and it actually is fairly sweet beer. There is a balance of hops and malt that I have not tasted in many beers. Definitely an alcohol taste, but very minor considering it is 8% ABV.  Mouth feel is velvet smooth and I mean real smooth. I would say a medium body.  Draft Notes is a young site, but this is by far the best beer I have reviewed to date. I will have to give 4.5 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes Scale. I gave this high rating due to the amazing aromas and absolute balance of hops, malt and bitterness.  Don’t tell my wife, but I may go to great lengths to name my first born boy Deviant Dale.

This review was done in collaboration with my beer blogging community at Reddit.com.  It is our first community review and we are looking to help promote each-others work, you can read my peers reviews at: http://www.reddit.com/r/beerblogs/comments/yuwbz/rbeerblogs_first_communitywide_review_oskar_blues/

For more information on Oskar Blues Brewery, visit their website at http://www.oskarblues.com/.

Posted in Colorado, IPA
20 Aug 2012

Port City Derecho Common

On June 29th, 2012, a ferocious storm hit the DC metro area with such might that over a million residents in the area were without power for up to a week. Most of the damage was done within 10 minutes due to extremely high winds associated with the type of storm known as a Derecho. One of those residents impacted was Port City Brewing Company located in Alexandria, Va. Adding to Port City’s dilemma was a record breaking heat wave and all in all it was a bad situation for the young brewery. Thankfully they were able to procure a generator and save the beer. Yah! However, one batch (I assume the pilsner) fermented at a higher temperature than usual and the brewery was able to make some slight adjustments resulting in a California Common.  Dubbed the Derecho Common, Port City recently released this unexpected and potential one time brew to the public.

A California Common (aka steam beer), is a lager which uses a special strain of yeast allowing it to ferment at a higher temperature than the average lager.  Beer Advocate states that this style of beer was born and raised during the California gold rush of the 1800’s due to the lack of refrigeration.  Anchor Brewing Company is credited with reviving/modernizing the beer style with their Anchor Steam Beer first bottled in 1971. Port City’s version, Derecho Common, uses Saaz hops and pilsner malts (like the Downright Pilsner previously reviewed) and then is dry hopped with Amarillo hops to add a little extra spice character to the beer.

In order to taste this beer, I had to visit the brewery or find it at a limited selection of local restaurants. I decided to go straight to the source in Alexandria.  I paid $4/pint and it was well worth the trip. The beer pours a brilliant gold color with a thin white head. There is a moderate amount of carbonation. I smell the combination of citrus and the spicy hops. If it tastes as refreshing as it smells, we will have a winner. Taste immediately reminds me of the Downright Pilsner with a little extra spice and even more bitter finish. Citrus is definitely present in this beer. The mouth feel is light to medium and is very drinkable. Overall it is a very refreshing beer that at 4.8% ABV could find itself in my regular summer drinking rotation. Too bad it may only be a onetime deal!  My wife joined me at the brewery and she was drinking the Pilsner, so I had to do a quick comparison and I could really detect a difference in the finish with more bitterness and spice. Derecho Common is every bit as good as the pilsner and has a little extra on the finish, so I am going to rate this 4 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes scale.

Port City Derecho Common

As a side note: During the power outage/heat wave I found it really awesome to see the way our DC area breweries supported Port City Brewing Company by promoting a few events on their behalf to Twitter, Facebook, etc. followers. DC Brau in particular was encouraging their fans to attend a pint party delayed by the storm to help Port City through a tough week. With non-stop collaborations in the VA/DC/MD area, the craft beer scene is exploding and I think the breweries willingness to work together should be credited.

To read more about Port City you can see their website here: http://portcitybrewing.com. I did not see the Derecho on the website, but there is a great write-up available at the brewery. Also DC Brau here: http://www.dcbrau.com. Last, to learn a little more about Steam Beer you can visit Anchor Brewing’s website which has a short video on the subject – http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/anchor_steam.

Posted in California Common, Virginia | Leave a comment
14 Aug 2012
1 Comment

Devil’s Backbone Azrael

Devil’s Backbone Brewery is nestled up against the mountains just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. It is not well known outside of Virginia except for the hardcore beers enthusiasts who know this small countryside breweries award winning ways on the world stage. The 2012 World Beer Cup gold for Vienna style lagers was given to DB’s appropriately named “Vienna Lager”. This award was preceded by the 2009 Great American Beer Festival gold at the prominent Denver contest. Additionally DB has received awards for their pilsner and hefeweizen.  It would be too easy for me to review and brag about the Vienna Lager, so I have selected their Belgian inspired strong golden ale, Azrael. A quick googling of Azrael informs me that this beer is named after the Angel of Death (At least in the eye of Sikhs and Muslims). If this were a hot wing challenge I may back away, but I think I will take a chance as the rendering of Azrael on the label is an alluring blonde. Famous last words in many stories; however, I press on.

A Strong Belgian Ale is generally spicy, hoppy, and fruity with a high alcohol volume. This particular beer is 7.8% ABV and the brewer promises a dry spice and the usual hints of fruit. Popular Belgian Strong Ales you may be familiar with include Duvel (translates to “devil” – I see a theme), Delirium Tremens, and Brooklyn Breweries Local 1. None of which are known to go easy on the drinker, so moderation with this style is important.

When I pour the 12 ounce bottle into my chalice, I am surprised by how light a golden color this beer is. When I think of strong beers, a light straw color is not what I am expecting. This must be part of the trap by the prior mentioned blonde angel of death. I proceed cautiously and try to detect the scents of Azrael. It is very sweet and pear comes through along with a little citrus. Seems safe to drink, so I continue. The Belgian yeast strain is unmistakable, very slight spice, what I thought was a pear scent tastes more like a green apples, and I taste heavy cloves in the after taste.  As for mouth feel, once again I would point out how light this beer is and it has minimal but persistent carbonation. After a few more sips, Azrael is proving to be easy drinking and I could see how this could get you in trouble fairly quickly. Overall, I would rate this beer 3.25 mugs out of 5 on the Draft Notes scale.

Devil’s Backbone Azrael Belgian Strong Ale

For more information on Devil’s Backbone Brewery, visit their website here: http://www.dbbrewingcompany.com. I am scheduled to visit the brewery in November, so look out for my brewery write-up later this year. Cheers!

Posted in Belgian Strong Ale, Virginia
07 Aug 2012

Brewdog Old World India Pale Ale

BrewDog is a post Punk apocalyptic mother fu*ker of a craft brewery. Well, at least that is how this Scottish brewery describes themselves. I have seen their beers here and there, but to this point have not tried one. Based on their self-praise, I am excited to taste the limited release Old World India Pale Ale and it better be good. This IPA is categorized as an English IPA which generally doesn’t pack as much punch, errr… hops, as the American IPA. This style of beer was developed, as I believe is fairly common knowledge, using a higher amount of hops than the traditional ales of the time in order to ship to British troops stationed in India. The hops are a natural preservative and therefore created a beer that did not spoil on the long boat ride half way across the world. English IPAs of today tend to have lower alcohol content and less hop character than those of the past. I have read it is related to avoiding higher taxes on the higher alcohol content, but I think it is because boat rides to India are faster these days. This particular beer is a throwback to the “Old World” version with 7.5% ABV. Brewdog made this to be sold exclusively in the United States, so maybe the higher ABV (and hopefully hoppiness) is an attempt to compete with their American counterparts. What ever the goals, I am excited to try my first Brewdog.

Brewdog Old World IPA

Beer me! I pour from the 22 ounce bottle into my glass to reveal a cloudy copper beer. The head is a caramel color and minimal. The smell is nowhere close to the hoppy American version where you can pick up the fragrance without sticking your face in the glass. I detect slight hops, bread, and citrus; however, none seem to jump out at me as a dominant scent. My first taste reveals so much more than I expected based on the smell. Hops are much more present in the taste along with toffee/candy, a nice amount of malt, and bitter finish. I actually expected it to be overly malty for my taste, but it really is quite balanced though slightly sweet. The mouth feel jumps out at me as silky smooth and very light with little carbonation. Overall I like this beer and would buy again, especially at a reasonable $5.99 (Total, Wine & Beverage) per 22 ounce bottle. Unfortunately this is a limited release, so you will have to snatch it up fairly quickly. Final grade on the Old World IPA is a 3.75 out of 5 mugs on the Draft Notes scale. I definitely look forward to trying a few more of the Brewdog offerings as this “Punk apocalyptic mother fu*ker of a craft brewery” are on to something.

For more information on Brewdog, you can visit their website: http://www.brewdog.com/. One last note, as you can see on the picture I have included the art work on the bottle is pretty cool. A little back ground and other work by the artist can be found here: http://www.johannabasford.com/blog-article/239

Posted in Europe, IPA, Scotland | Leave a comment
31 Jul 2012

Port City Downright Pilsner

Port City Brewing Company is located a few miles from me in the neighboring city Alexandria, Virginia. They are one a handful of fairly new breweries in the Washington, DC area along side of DC Brau, Lost Rhino, and Chocolate City (3 Stars coming soon!). Port City has established themselves as a solid brewery with a tasty lineup of core beers and so far some impressive seasonal releases. So when I stumbled upon their seasonal pilsner release while browsing my local beer store, there was no way I was leaving without a six-pack. Apparently Downright Pilsner is so highly classified, they brewery doesn’t even list it on their website. However, I have been able to dig up a little information on this beer to give you a quick description. Pilsner Malts (surprise) and Saaz Hops were used to brew this German style pilsner which weighs in at 4.8% ABV. Saaz hops are one of the five Noble hops which are traditionally used in pilsners and you may be familiar with the phase “noble hops” from the Sam Adams Noble Pils commercials. One of the more common pilsners you may know using this hop is Pilsner Urquell.

Port City Downright Pilsner

Alright, let’s pour the bottle and see what this beer is all about. I pour the 12 ounce bottle into a pilsner glass and it flows into the glass settling with a nice brushed gold color and thick frothy head. The head begins to recede slowly as the carbonation races to meet it at the top of the slender pilsner glass. I do not get much in terms of smell, primarily grainy and a slight spice from the Saaz hops.  As I take my first taste I am immediately greeted with a well-balanced taste of malt and hops. The grains I could smell come through in the taste along with a very slight bite of citrus. The mouth feel is medium weight with heavy carbonation while the finish is quite hoppy and bitter.  I am a fan of bitter (and not to mention hoppy) beers, so this is really up my alley.  I would stack the Downright Pilsner up next to the best of them.  This beer reminds me of Victory’s Prima Pils which is definitely a compliment. I am going to have to rate this 4 out 5 on the Draft Note Mug scale due to the well-balanced, yet bold taste in a low ABV beer. My only issue with this beer, and Port City, is the fact that this is only a seasonal release!

Although I have tasted the majority of Port City’s beers, I plan to head down to the brewery in the next month to complete Draft Notes first brewery tour and tasting review. You just can’t beat beer straight from the brewery. Please look out for this upcoming post.

For more information on Port City Brewing Company, visit http://portcitybrewing.com/.  Also, look out for a very limited release of Derecho Common in bars this weekend (or so says their Facebook page). This beer is the result of the brewery losing power a month or so ago for about a week. The brewers saved a batch of beer by converting it to a California Common or Steam beer. Basically it is a beer which ferments at a higher temperature (think back to the California gold rush and the lack of refrigeration – you couldn’t go without beer, so of course you adapt) which is what occurred during the multi day power outage at the brewery. If I can get ahold of some I will give a more in depth review and description.

PS.  Support your local breweries.

Posted in Pilsner, Virginia | Leave a comment
24 Jul 2012

Maui Brewing Company Bikini Blonde Lager

Last month I was fortunate enough to attend Savor, a craft beer and food pairing event at the Building Museum in Washington, DC. This is a first class, annual event, featuring about 75 breweries paired with dishes by Adam Dulye from The Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco. While working through my “Must Try” list it was time to stop by Maui Brewing Company (MBC) to see what they had to offer. As my wife and I were about to get to the table we were selected by a Savor Representative to receive free tickets to the MBC Educational Salon hosted by founder Garrett Marrero. The event allowed us the opportunity to try a few extra beers while Garrett discussed the MBC history, the beers, and had a Q&A session. Besides tasting the fantastic beers (and accompanying food), I enjoyed hearing of their commitment to investing in Hawaii and sustainability efforts. They are doing some great stuff for the people of Hawaii and are determined to brew 100% of their beer in Hawaii.

Maui Brewing Company Bikini Blonde Lager

One of their core beers not poured at Savor was the Bikini Blonde Lager, so after thoroughly enjoying both the Coconut Porter and the Mana Wheat (Pineapple in this wheat was amazing!) it was necessary for me to give this one a try. As I mentioned last week I love my summer beers, and what is more summer than a Bikini Blonde from Maui? At $12.99 a six-pack it is natural to have high expectations, but let me quickly explain the price – Hawaii is 5000 miles from Washington DC. Alright, there is more to it than that. MBC purchases core ingredients like malt, barley and hops from Europe and the mainland, so now you have to double the traveled distance of the beer (or at least the ingredients). Furthermore, MBC’s hard stance on brewing only in Maui (unlike Kona who brews on the mainland cutting a lot of expense) and shipping in cooled containers means we will just have to deal with the price or miss out. Ok, so I guess I should get to the reason we are here and see what Bikini Blonde has to offer.

Bikini Blonde has won multiple awards in the Munich Helles Lager style to include a silver medal in World Beer Cup (as noted on the can). Traditionally this style is characterized as slightly malty and containing spicy hop characters. This particular beer contains Munich Malts paired with Liberty, Sterling and Hersbrucker hops which are known for their spicy flavors. Pouring this beer I see a cloudy gold color with plenty of white colored head which quickly retreats. The smell of this beer is very interesting and not what I expect when I think of a lager. I would describe it as a mix of spiced rum and pineapple, which I find to combine for a pleasant aroma.  Unfortunately upon taking my first sip I quickly realize I do not taste what I smell. I would describe this beer as overly malty and spicy with hints of nutty and vanilla tastes. It definitely has a lot of taste, but unfortunately I just do not feel that the flavors mesh very well and do not see this one matching up to the other beers brewed by MBC. I would suggest other beers in the Munich Helles Lager style such as Schlafly Summer Ale, Victory Lager, or Hof Brau Original over Bikini Blonde. Keep in mind if you enjoy malty beers with intense spice character this may be a great beer for you.

Overall, I really had really high hopes based on past MBC beers and definitely by the smell of this beer; however, all the flavors did not come together to my liking. Too much malt, too much spice. This beer has won several awards for a reason, but it will not fare too well on the almighty Draftnotes.com. I am sad to say I must rate Bikini Blonde Lager 2.5 mugs out of 5.

For more information on Maui Brewing Company please visit: http://www.mauibrewingco.com and Savor DC: http://www.savorcraftbeer.com/

Posted in Hawaii, Helles Lager | Leave a comment

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