Taprooms – Toppling Goliath in Decorah, Iowa

The Eastern Iowa Airport is a little bit further away from Decorah that I realized.  When I plugged the route into my GPS it told me that I was 112 miles away from my destination.  112 miles is a pretty good distance, but I figured I could burn through it pretty quick.  No problem… I had an entire afternoon to kill.  But I was thinking like a city boy.  What I didn’t realize is that I would not be travelling on an interstate.  Between me and Toppling Goliath was 112 miles of two lane highways, a half a dozen small towns, residential streets, oversized tractors, and thousands upon thousands of acres of corn.  The posted speed limit constantly changed from 70 miles per hour, to 25, and back.  All in all it took me around two and a half hours to drive each direction.  It’s a good thing I had my evening open as well.

The Toppling Goliath taproom is in what could have been an old Pizza Hut or Chinese food restaurant.   The parking lot appeared to be fairly full, but when I walked inside there was maybe only six to eight patrons.  Half of them were nestled up to the little bar area, and the other half was sitting at a table in the front “solar”.  I settled into a little table between the two.   

I came for the fabled pseudoSue, but I wanted to see what else they had to offer as well.  I ordered a pint of Naughty 90, a heavily oaked English IPA, and began my self-guided tour around the small taproom. The arched ceilings are tiled, and the floor is a nice hardwood.  The first wall you see upon entry features an array of merchandise, an open wood frame that leads into the front area, and a flat screen television.  Over the bar there are pictures of their “Mug Club” participants, and small posters that promote several of their brands.  There are two TVs on this side too.  Of the three televisions in the place, two featured big game hunting (not the same channel).  I got the impression that animals would be dying on the third one too, but it was late in the baseball season and some playoff races were getting down to the wire.

I transitioned into a little people watching as I sipped on my pints of Rover Truck Stout and ZeeLander (the latter is a brilliantly assembled, single hop IPA made with Nelson Sauvin).  Beer drinkers of all ages came and went throughout my stay.  The population of Decorah is only about eight thousand people, so I felt like I was seeing a relatively good sample size of the town.  The dialog at the bar was rich with Midwest-isms, and focused largely on guns and cars.  Beer orders were affirmed with an “okie-dokie!”, and folks left with a hearty “so long!”  I loved it.

Toppling Goliath may be grabbing a lot of attention, but it’s unquestionably in a little town in northern Iowa.  I really appreciated that they weren’t trying to be anything else.  I ended up taking my pseudoSue back to my hotel and drinking it out of small, plastic cups.  This probably wasn’t the best way to enjoy one of the most respected pale ales in America, but it worked out just fine in the end.  Ultimately it was a much longer day of beer hunting than I expected, but fortunately it was worth the effort.

310 College Dr.

Decorah, Iowa 52101

563-387-6700

http://www.tgbrews.com/site/

-Matt

Beer Bars – Old Town Pour House in Chicago, Illinois

I could tell I was not going to like the Old Town Pour House from the second I walked in the building.  I’m not much of a sports bar enthusiast, and as soon as I passed through the revolving door I was immediately presented with no less than twenty flat screen televisions playing every sport that cable television had to offer that evening.  My friends and I showed the bouncer our IDs, and we were quickly seated at one of four long “community” tables that make up the majority of the main floor seating.  This puts us literally elbow-to-elbow with the couple next to us.  I’m really not a big fan of this type of seating arrangement.  I grabbed the menu to search for my first pint, and was pleased to find it fairly well organized with the beers sorted by style.  I settled upon Surly Bender, and then screamed my order to our waitress.  Screaming is apparently the only way to verbally communicate at the Pour House because the music turned up so loud that you can’t hear anything else.  I have literally been to concerts that were quieter than this bar.  I hate that.  After the first was ordered, my buddies and I started to fight against the noise in hopes of assembling a conversation. 

After about a half hour of struggling through a fragmented dialog, 75% of the televisions switch over the Thursday Night Football.  I know that America loves its football, but I found it very odd that the bar decided to demote the Cubs game to two of the twenty or so TVs.  The football game didn’t even feature a team that was based within a thousand miles of Chicago.  I know the Cubbies lost hope of a playoff spot a couple months ago, but are the locals no longer interested supporting their team?  I guess.

It’s a shame that I was so turned off by the place because it really is a beautiful bar.  The entire interior is covered with deeply stained wood.  The ceiling and walls are covered with this amazing wood paneling, and the hardwood floor is laid out in a lovely fishbone pattern.  There are about twenty five stools at the bar and a handful of small tables here and there.  On the far end of the restaurant is a wooden staircase that leads up to a few more tables (and even more televisions).  I didn’t get a chance to check it out, but I think there may be another small bar up there too.  The downstairs flooring switches to a black and white tile, but retains the stained wooden walls.  The bathrooms are down there, as is another little bar.  All in all it’s a very elegant looking establishment that should be the perfect environment for libations. 

 

The food was fine.  We ordered three appetizers to share and nothing was left in the end.  The tater tots appeared to be made in-house, the fried pickles were nice and thick, and the fried cheese curds were actually pretty spectacular.  Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, I will allow that the Pour House seems to have perfected the art of deep frying things.

In my eyes, the Old Town Pour House is more or less a “classier” (and more expensive) Buffalo Wild Wings.  It’s not a good place to meet up with friends because you can’t hear them, and, if you’re unlucky enough to get stuck at the long tables, you’re forced to make new friends because you’re essentially sitting on your neighbor’s lap.  The food was pretty good, but I can get good food at a thousand different places in Chicago.  They’ve got a lot of draft handles, but honestly only a few of them were interesting.  Most of it was stuff I could get easily back home.  I guess there were a lot of pretty women to look at, but they were outnumbered pretty close to ten-to-one by guys with shirts that are one size too small.  So in the end, I guess I’m happy to have checked the Old Town Pour House off my to-do list, but I don’t expect that I’ll ever return. 

1419 N Wells St.

Chicago, IL 60610

312-477-2800

http://www.oldtownpourhouse.com/

-Matt

Old Ale Project – Lightning Brewery’s Old Tempestuous Ale (#17)

22oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  9% ABV. 

Appearance:  Amber honey with rich, ruby highlights.  Presented a decent beige head upon the pour, but it faded quickly into a thin ring around the edge of the glass.  Thin streams of bubbles rise in sporadic columns to the surface, but can find no purchase upon their arrival. Absolutely brilliant (both in visual perception and clarity).  But watch out on the last pour because there's a ton of sludge on the bottom of the bottle (5/5).

Aroma:  Perhaps one of the most aggressive aromas I’ve experienced with the style.  I’ve set the glass aside to type out the appearance, and from almost two feet away I’m still nearly overwhelmed by the smell.  Grape jam, brown sugar, and molasses.  Figs and dates.  Old, blackened bananas.  Everything you’d expect from an Old Ale, but apparently dialed up to eleven (5/5).

Taste:  A lot of what I got in the nose also shows up in the flavor.  I immediately get figs, dates, and old bananas.  That is followed by a touch of dark bread crust and burnt marshmallows.  There is a faint suggestion hop bitterness and maybe just a hint of wood.  Very easy to drink for such a big, rich beer (5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Full body and low carbonation.  Silky smooth with a hint of alcohol warmth (5/5).

Overall:  I am blown away.  This beer exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable.  If I am looking for the perfectly crafted Old Ale, I honestly don’t know what to change here.  It is rich, smooth, sweet, and warm.  I don’t like to give away perfect ratings for free, but Old Tempestuous has earned it.  I guess the only thing that may improve it would be a few years in a cellar, but right now I'm glad I didn't wait.  Well done, Lightning (5/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – George Gale & Co.’s Prize Old Ale (#16)

9.3oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  9% ABV.  Bottled in 1998. 

Appearance:  Deep mahogany brown.  Lightly hazed with no head and minimal carbonation.  As I neared the end of the glass, I noticed there were some fairly substantial chunks of something that has collected on the bottom (4/5).

Aroma:  Extremely rich port wine aroma.  My head was enveloped in a cloud of amazing smells from the second I took the cork out of the bottle.  I also get some overripe plumbs and brown sugar as I dig deeper into the glass (5/5).

Taste:  Incredible.  Massive wine flavors from extended aging.  There are also some prunes, figs, apples, and raisins in there, as well as some vanilla and tobacco.  On the back end I get a woody note that dries out the finish a little bit (4.75/5).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body and low carbonation.  A touch of heat from the alcohol (4/5).

Overall:  Brilliant!  I absolutely love this beer.  It seems like it’s lost a little body over the years, but the flavor is unbelievable.  It is rich, mature, and beautiful.  I am very fortunate to have stumbled across a bottle (4.5/5).

-Matt

From the Cellar – 2011 Bell’s Expedition Stout

12oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  10.5% ABV.  Packaged on “9/19/2011”.

Appearance:  Super black.  There was a thick, beautiful tan head when I poured it, but it quickly faded into a light ring around the edge of my glass and a small island of bubbles floating in the middle (4.5/5).

Aroma:  The predominant smell here is soy sauce.  I have had this beer in its younger days, and I don’t remember an aroma like this.  There is a little bit of roasted malt in the background, along with some burnt molasses, charcoal, and overripe stone fruit, but it’s nowhere near as pleasant as I remember it being (2.25/5).

Taste:  The taste follows the aroma.  Burnt soy sauce with charcoal in the aftertaste.  There are some stout qualities in the background, but they are so far removed that there is little reason to comment on them.  Ultimately, it has been overtaken by this weird soy sauce flavor that hits you up front and lingers well beyond the sip (2.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Full body and light carbonation (4.75/5).

Overall:  I understand that both beer and wine cycle as they age and I’m wondering if I caught the 2011 Expedition Stout on a low point.  I can’t remember having a stout that tasted like it ran through a Chinese kitchen before reached me before.  I would highly recommend that if you have a 2011 bottle of this beer, you give it another year or two before opening it.  I’m sad to report that this beer has gone from an exceptional stout to a sub-average one over the past three years (2.75/5).

-Matt

Beer Bars – Mr. Beery’s in Sarasota, Florida

Mr. Beery’s is in a quiet little strip mall off an abused road in Sarasota, Florida.  I almost broke my rental agreement driving through the dilapidated parking lot, but there were plenty of spaces for me to nestle into at 8pm on a Wednesday night.  A backlit sign, a few neon beer logos, and a series of stickers mark the entrance. 

At the entrance I was greeted by a twenty-stool bar and a couple of old pool tables.  The overhead is softly playing various popular rock songs from the 90’s to current.  There is a small stage and a screen, but neither was in use during my visit.  Every wall is fairly dark and decorated with a collection of various types of brewery paraphernalia.  There are a handful of table-and-chair sets sporadically scattered throughout the establishment, with an elevated “lounge” (couches and coffee tables) in the back.  There are four flat screen televisions broadcasting various sporting events.  A couple of video games, a dart board, a skee-ball machine, and a modern jukebox complete the ambiance (definitely bonus points for having skee-ball). 

Behind the bar is a chalkboard announcing the current draft selections, which appears to be hosted on about twenty four handles.  There are a few locals, a few Belgians, some German beers, and a random collection from around the US.  They’ve got some bottles, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a cellar.  I didn’t have to struggle to make a decision, but I don’t feel like I was missing out on much after I left either. 

The staff seems pretty nice.  When I asked for a local recommendation, the bartender suggested a can from Cigar City.  I don’t know why this surprised me, but it kind of did.  I almost always ask for a local recommendation, and it’s never been presented to me in a can.  I’m not opposed to cans as a beer storage vessel, but I kind of assumed my next beer was going to be on the draft list.  Isn’t that where all the exciting beers are supposed to be?

When I travel I tend to reference DRAFT Magazine’s “Top 100 Beer Bars in America” list, which is how I found this bar.  I have been to many locations on their lists, but I’m not sure I agree with this one.  It would probably be a great find if you were thirsty and randomly stumbled into it, but I wouldn’t consider it among the upper echelon in the country.  It certainly wasn’t worth driving an hour in the wrong direction to visit.

In summary, Mr. Beery’s is a decent craft beer bar with an unfortunate name.  They don’t do any food, so eat before you arrive (or order a sandwich next door).  Their draft selection is pretty good, and their bottle list is meager.   But if you love to drink and play skee-ball, I guess you’re in luck.

2545 Mall Dr.

Sarasota, Florida 34231

941-343-2854

http://www.mrbeeryssrq.com/

-Matt

Old Ale Project – Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale (#15)

18.7oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  6% ABV.  Served a little cold, but allowed to warm.  Vintage listed as “2012/2013”.

Appearance:  Amber honey body with fat bubbles on top.  The eggshell white crown fades very quickly into a nothing.  Brilliantly clear (4.25/5).

Aroma:  Earthy and musty.  Smells like an old, wet cellar.  I can almost see the water dripping down the walls and the fungus and moss growing between the cracks in the bricks.  In the background is ancient, dried up molasses and damp wood.  This beer has taken the “old” in Old Ale very seriously (4.5/5).

Taste:  The immediate impression is surprisingly dry with a bread crust finish.  Very English tasting.  It continues by following suit with the aroma; damp and musty.  There is also an underlying sweetness that tastes like peaches, which is followed by a faint oak bite (4.5/5).

 

Mouthfeel:  Medium body and light carbonation (4.25/5).

Overall:  I’ve been trying to avoid Winter Warmers throughout this project, and I was a little concerned when I stumbled across a beer named Winter Welcome.  But the BJCP lists this beer as one of the commercial examples of the Old Ale style, so I went ahead and picked it up.  I’m glad that I did.  This is an incredible beer.  It’s full of flavor and personality.  Perfect representation of the style.  I’d like to buy a case of it and sit on it for the next decade (4.5/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – The Wild Beer Co.’s M.O. (Modus Operandi) (#14)

11.2oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  7% ABV.  Served a little cold, but allowed to warm. 

Appearance:  Deeply stained brown body with no foam cap and few bubbles.  Slightly murky when held up to the light (3/5).

Aroma:  Boozy alcohol, freshly cut wood, marshmallows, and grape Kool-Aid.  No smell trumps the others.  Everything is fairly balanced and restrained (3.5/5).

Taste:  Sweet and sour, but nothing lingers.  Artificial grape flavoring, and maybe some prunes and raisins.  Every component is very dialed back.  The wild yeast has added an interesting character to the beer, but has it also chewed up all the other flavors?  There really isn’t anything else to talk about (2.75/5).

Mouthfeel:  Thin body and low carbonation (2/5).

Overall:  I understand that Wild Beer is not trying to make a traditional Old Ale with this, so I will not judge it as such.  But there’s not really much in here.  It’s a decent flavor… but that’s pretty much all it is.  A single flavor.  It tastes like lightly carbonated grape Kool-Aid.  There isn’t anything for malt or hops.  So where’s the beer flavor in this beer?  I certainly appreciate unconventional techniques and ingredients, but I think the wild yeast has ripped this beer apart.  What might make it a little more interesting, if I may make a suggestion, would be to pay a little homage to Greene King’s Olde Suffolk English Ale and blend back some of this beer in its fresh form into the final product.  That should give it a little more depth, and could potentially build back up the thin body.  As it is, I am uninspired (2.5/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – A Concurrent Analysis

I’ve just crossed the midway mark of this project, so it’s time to take a look at what I’ve experienced over the past couple months.  This analysis includes…

North Coast Brewing – Old Stock Ale Otsuchi 2012 (#1)

Alaskan Brewing – Winter Ale (#2)

Widmer Brothers & Cigar City – Gentlemen’sClub (New Oak Spirals) (#3)

Eel River – Triple Exultation (#4)

The Bruery – Coton (#5)

Greene King – Olde Suffolk English Ale (#6)

Harviestoun Brewery – Ola Dubh 30 (#7)

Prairie Artisan Ales – The Beer That SavedChristmas (#8)

AleSmith – Old Ale (#9)

Ballast Point – 8.9 on the Richter Ale (#10)

O’Hanlon’s Brewing Co. – Thomas Hardy’s Ale (#11)

Hangar 24 – Vinaceous (#12)

San Diego Brewing Co. – Saxon Old Ale (#13)

I feel like these thirteen beers have already given me a pretty good idea of what to expect with this style.  The nose generally presents aromas that resemble brown sugar, molasses, dark pitted fruit, dried fruit, and dark breads.  You can often get a whiff of alcohol and the barrel it was aged in (if applicable for the latter).  I have actually come to appreciate the smell of this complex style of beer perhaps even more than the taste. 

Flavors tend to follow the bouquet with brown sugar, molasses, dates, figs, cherries, and deeply toasted malts.  The mouthfeel is consistently full with light carbonation.  As for appearance, I generally expect a deep chestnut body, with a few streams of rising bubbles, and a thin, beige head.  I believe that brilliance is preferred, but not always achieved. 

The most important aspect of this style that I have picked up thus far is the genuine need for aging.  I have had both old and young, and decidedly prefer the former.  Age and proper cellaring completely round out any harsh edges on this beer.  Ballast Point’s 8.9 on the Richter Ale and San Diego Brewing’s Saxon Old Ale were nice pints, but both were a little too sharp for me (please note that these both came from draft handles that weren’t marked with a vintage, so I am assuming that they came from this year).  Conversely, The Bruery’s Coton and O’Hanlon’s Thomas Hardy’s Ale were both carefully aged, and the result was incredible.  Rounded sweetness, sherry-like flavors, and a velvety mouthfeel appear to be the reward for patience.  Greene King’s Old Suffolk English Ale is a blend of both old and new, and this seems to be the ideal technique for perfecting this style.

Also, I like to perceive the alcohol in an Old Ale, but not be beaten over the head with it.  This beer should be warming… not hot.  Hangar 24’s Vinaceous and AleSmith’s Old Ale were both a little on the hot side, although I much preferred AleSmith’s effort. 

In addition, I have found that hops are better here when they are restrained.  Eel River’s Triple Exultation was a nice beer, but the amplified hop character made it feel like the odd man out.  Light bitterness and minimal hop aroma seem to be the way to go.

Finally, oak flavors and barrel aging are a good fit for the style, but, as with my other observations, they need to be handled with grace.  Widmer and Cigar City’s Gentlemen’s Club was so oaky that I could barely even finish it.  Conversely, thought and planning was clearly put into the barrel aging of Prairie Artisan Ales’ The Beer That Saved Christmas, which definitely enhanced the overall experience.  I would like to continue to find wood in my Old Ales, but not enough that I could pick my teeth with.

Well, I’ve got another twelve to go.  The herd is quickly thinning, so I’m hoping I can come up with a complete flight of twenty five.  Wish me luck.

-Matt

Old Ale Project – San Diego Brewing Co.’s Saxon Old Ale (#13)

11oz draft pour in a goblet.  8.5% ABV.  Served a little cold, but allowed to warm. 

Appearance:  Tinted chestnut with a beautiful, velvety crown of foam.  Brilliantly clear.  It’s a beautiful beer and well presented (5/5).

Aroma:  Very restrained aroma.  I get a little noble hops and a bit of fresh brown sugar.  Maybe some water treatment too.  I’m really looking for more, but there just isn’t anything coming out (2/5).

Taste:  Some moist raisins and a bit of hop bitterness.  There’s a bit of brandy- and sherry-like character.  I also get the impression of whole cherries (pits and all).  It tastes, very fresh, which is often and advantage in beer, but doesn’t necessarily help this one (3/5).

Mouthfeel:  I get a hint of an astringent bite, almost like I would with an oak barrel.  There is definite warmth from the alcohol.  Full body and low carbonation (3.25/5).

Overall:  I can only guess, but I’d be willing to bet that this beer was brewed within the past couple months.  All of the edges are still a little sharp and bordering on unpleasant.  It’s a decently made Old Ale, but still too young.  I’d love to meet this same keg next year when freshness turned into maturity (3/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – Hangar 24’s Vinaceous (#12)

22oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  8.7% ABV.  Served cold and allowed to slowly elevate to room temperature. 

Appearance:  Deep coffee color, a little murky, with multiple columns of rising bubbles and a thick, billowy head (3.5/5).

Aroma:  The dominate aroma here is booze.  It doesn’t sound like this was aged in a spirit barrel, but I would have guessed that it was.  I suppose that it’s a combination of the grapes and the oak that are fooling me.  I also pick up a little bit of molasses, brown sugar, dates, raisins, and bready malt.  It has a fairly appealing smell, but the alcohol is a little over the top (3.75/5).

Taste:  Still boozy.  It’s hard to pick up many other flavors because the alcohol is so intense.  It’s also very sugary.  And I guess there’s also a bit of overripe dark pitted fruit.  As it warms up the grapes may be coming out some, but I may just be talking myself into finding them.  If “grapes” weren’t written on the bottle, I’m not sure I would have (3/5).

Mouthfeel:  Beyond warm… hot.  I’ve got heat all through my chest.  Full body and medium carbonation.  There’s also a bit of astringency, maybe from the oak or maybe the grape skins (3/5).

Overall:  Hangar 24's first "Local Fields" beer is an Old Ale brewed with freshly crushed Mourvedre Grapes from Temecula, California and aged on French Oak.  8.7 ABV should definitely be a level where I perceive an alcohol strength, but this beer is way out of balance.  It’s so boozy that I have a hard time identifying any other flavors.  It’s just too hot.  I like the concept of mixing an Old Ale and grapes, but I would like to see a little more grape and a little less booze (3.25/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – O’Hanlon’s Brewing Co.’s Thomas Hardy’s Ale (#11)

8.5oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  11.7% ABV.  2008 vintage.  Bottle No. T 27791.  Served at cellar temperature. 

Appearance:  Deep crimson red with a thin ring of beige foam.  Brilliantly clear, but sporting a few floaters here and there.  They must have come with the aggressive pour (4/5).

Aroma:  Figs and dates.  Brown sugar and molasses.  A little earthiness and wood, that is followed by a hint of soy sauce.  Very interesting and inviting (4.5/5).

Taste:  Sweet brown sugar, molasses, raisins, figs, and dates up front.  There is an aged mango flavor in the background.  Maybe some vanilla as well.  It also has some port or sherry-like characters.  I suppose the latter is from age (six years at time of consumption).  Overall it is an incredible beer.  I am very lucky to have found a bottle (5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Thick and chewy.  Full body and light carbonation (5/5).

Overall:  There appears to be some debate on whether this beer should be considered an English Barleywine or an Old Ale.  The alcohol is a bit high for an Old Ale, but the flavor profile matches up perfectly to the style guidelines.  Michael Jackson called it an Old Ale, so I guess I’ll go with the expert.  This beer was brewed once a year by Eldridge Pope Co. from 1968 to 1999 to commemorate the death of writer Thomas Hardy.  O’Hanlon’s picked up the brand in 2003 and brewed it through 2008.  The bottle I had was from the last year of O’Hanlon’s ownership.  I absolutely loved it, and want to thank the Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Atlanta for building such an incredible cellar.  It sounds like the brand is trying to be revived again, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for new vintages (4.75/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – Ballast Point’s 8.9 on the Richter Ale (#10)

12 ounce draft pour into a snifter.  8.9% ABV.  Served a little too cold, but allowed to warm up some. 

Appearance:  Deep, stained, cherry wood body with ruby highlights.  A few scant bubbles grace the surface.  Brilliantly clear with low carbonation.  Very pretty beer (5/5).

Aroma:  My nose is immediately struck with a coordinated attack of booze and cherries.  Forcefully rich.  My blood sugar is starting to go up and I haven’t even consumed any of it yet.  The cherry is so intense that it almost smells artificial.  I may even let someone talk me into thinking that this was spiked with cherry cough syrup (4/5).

Taste:  Tastes like cherries soaked in bourbon for several months with a rich, bready malt to provide a foundation.  There is an astringent bitterness and a touch of wood, which combines with the cherry flavor create the perception of chewing on cherry pits.  And the nose did not oversell the sweetness.  It’s all in there (3.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Warm and astringent.  Medium body and light carbonation.  The astringency is a bit off-putting (3/5).

Overall:  This isn’t a bad “Ale”, but I think it’s missing its “Old”.  I don’t know when this beer was brewed, but I’m guessing it’s young.  If my theory is correct, and this beer was given some time, I think that the astringency would mellow out some and it would become far more drinkable.  Maybe that intense cherry sweetness would round out a little bit on the edges as well.  As it is, it’s good but not great.  I finished my pint, but I definitely would not order another (3.5/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – AleSmith’s Old Ale (#9)

25.4oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  11% ABV.  “Bottled On” date 07/02/13.  Served at 55F and allowed to elevate to room temperature. 

Appearance:  Dark mahogany with thin streams of fine bubbles rising to the surface to create a faint, beige cap (4.5/5).

Aroma:  I can smell this damn thing from two feet away.  It’s a mixture of incredibly rich, dried, dark fruits, molasses, and toasted bread.  It also smells very boozy.  I’m surprised that the bottle doesn’t say anything about bourbon barrel aging, because it smells like it’s seen a barrel.  All-in-all it is an incredibly inviting aroma (4.75/5).

 

Taste:  Malt.  Super-malt.  Malt all over the place.  Bready and intense.  I also get roasted marshmallows, fresh tobacco, figs, dates, and raisins, pumpernickel, brown sugar, and that tobacco flavor that comes with many beers in this style (4.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Beautiful warmth from my tongue all the way down to my belly.  Full body and light carbonation.  I love it (5/5).

Overall:  I think this may be my best Old Ale yet.  The only thing it’s missing is that interesting brett character that comes with either wood aging or inoculation.  Otherwise it is nearly perfect.  It’s roasty, malty, sweet, and warm.  Well done, AleSmith (4.75/5).

-Matt

Old Ale Project – Prairie Artisan Ales’ The Beer That Saved Christmas (#8)

16.9oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  10% ABV.  Served at 55F and allowed to elevate to room temperature. 

Appearance:  Deep chestnut, pours brilliantly clear until you get into the dregs, relatively fat bubbles make up a pretty firm head (3.5/5).

Aroma:  Wood, leather, molasses, bourbon, Cherry Coke, and a touch of sweet vinegar (4.5/5).

Taste:  I’m initially struck by an interesting sour note that I did not expect.  That flavor crescendos pretty quickly, and then it thins out and clears with only a soft touch of oak left behind.  A little research has informed me that Prairie spikes the beer with a “mixture of wild bacteria”, so I’m glad to see the infection is intentional. I also get some tobacco, cherry, vanilla, and chocolate.  As it warms, the cherry flavor comes marching into the forefront.  God… what an interesting beer (4.75/5).

Mouthfeel:  Rather thin with a touch of astringency from the oak (3.25/5).

Overall:  Man, this is great.  It’s an old ale, aged in bourbon barrels, and inoculated with wild bacteria.  I’m (nearly) speechless.  It certainly isn’t traditional by any stretch of the imagination, but I love what they have done with it (4.25/5).

-Matt

Beer Projects – Homemade Dave

In case you hadn’t already heard about this, twelve bottles of Hair of the Dog’s Dave sold for $2000 a piece a few months ago.  Dave is a 29% ABV monster that took the gold medal at the 1998 Toronado Barleywine Festival, and has been the “Great White Whale” for many hardcore beer collectors ever since (more information about this event can be found here). 

Hair of the Dog made Dave by taking 300 gallons of Adam, their flagship beer, and freeze distilling it down to a third of its original quantity.  This process removes water, and leaves the alcohol behind.  What remains is a spirit-like solution that is rich with intense flavors and concentrated alcohol.

While all of this business was going on, I stumbled across a link where a homebrewer described the process he used to make a Dave homebrew recipe.  This got me to thinking… maybe I should make some Dave too.  I have some experience making Applejack, so I’m already familiar with the freeze distillation.  I don’t have the time right now to brew a full clone batch of Adam, but I could definitely pick up three twelve ounce bottles and try to turn them into one.  And this is how beer projects begin.

I started off by purchasing three bottles of Adam from my local bottle shop.  They cost me a total of $17.98, so I figure I’m already ahead by $1982.02.  A few days later I got up early and sanitized a 9” by 7” by 2.5” Pyrex baking dish and an oversized, stainless, slotted spoon with Star San.  The Pyrex dish worked great because it easily accommodated all of the liquid, it spread everything out over a large area which facilitated ice crystal formation on the surface, it could withstand freezing temperatures, and it had a matching lid that I could use to keep any critters out that may be floating around (not that anything could survive in 30% alcohol and freezing conditions, but I’m paranoid). 

After a couple of hours in the freezer the first suggestion of ice was forming around the edges of the dish, and an hour after that there was enough to harvest.  I took my sanitized spoon, skimmed off the ice, and dumped it in a bowl.  I quickly realized, however, that the slots in my spoon were not adequately effective as drains, so I sanitized a fine mesh strainer and added it as a step between the dish and the bowl.  This addition improved my process and helped me optimize my ice-to-beer ratio. 

As a side note, I’d like to suggest that you keep the ice in a bowl, let it thaw out, and throw it in a pint glass for later that evening.  It may not have quite the punch that Adam does, but it’s too good to just toss out.  Smoke and pipe tobacco dominate the aroma.  There is heavy smoke in the flavor, along with some roasted malt and leather.   Think of it as a flat, super-sessionable Adam.  Adam Lite.  All the Adam but a fraction of the calories.  If you are not inclined to drink flat Adam Lite, save it to use as the base in a soup or for a marinade.  But don’t just pour it down the drain.  Angels will weep.

Anyway, back to Dave.  I continued checking and skimming throughout the day (I had a mark on the Pyrex to let me know where to stop).  The entire process took approximately seven hours from start to finish.  In the end I was able to reduce my thirty six ounces of Adam down to sixteen.  I probably could have run it through one more session in the freezer to get it closer to Hair of the Dog’s one-third ratio, but it seemed good enough for a first attempt.  It may not be 29% ABV, but I’m certain it’s somewhere over twenty. 

I poured my homemade Dave into an empty twelve ounce bottle, capped it, set it in the fridge, and waited for the right occasion to crack it open.  New Years ended up fitting the bill.  I had some great friends over who are also passionate about beer.  We all got about three ounces of homemade Dave in a snifter, which was actually just about enough.  My Dave was intensely woody and smoky.  It was a deep mahogany with (obviously) no carbonation or head.  It had a port wine flavor, with strong dark stone-fruit notes.  The final product was so incredibly rich that it more than three ounces may have been challenging to finish, but we powered through what we got like champions.

I don’t know that I would necessarily classify this a Hair of the Dog Dave clone recipe, but it’s an interesting project that will probably put you in the ballpark if you don’t have two large to drop on a beer.  I don’t know that I would do this project again, but I certainly don’t regret the time or expense behind this one.  It’s fun sometimes to glimpse through the window and see how the big dogs drink.

-Matt

Old Ale Project – Harviestoun Brewery’s Ola Dubh 30 (#7)

11.2oz bottle decanted into a snifter.  8.0% ABV.  Served at 55F and allowed to elevate to room temperature. 

Appearance:  The color of a deep porter.  No head, virtually no carbonation.  Visually, it lives up to the name “Black Oil” (3.75/5).

Aroma:  Sweet whisky, oak, and damp mustiness.  Molasses and licorice.  Very rich and interesting (4/5).

Taste:  Very dry and oaky.  Nicely attenuated.  Smoky and charred.  But fairly one dimensional.  It’s like drinking a nice whisky, but after the tumbler has been sitting out for a while and all the ice has melted.  And maybe somebody put a cigar out in it.  Where’s the beer flavor in this beer? (2.5/5).

Mouthfeel:  Thinner than expected.  Flat and heavy on the tongue.  A lingering astringency from the wood (2.75/5).

Overall:  Well… this was kind of a letdown.  For a beer that cost almost $20, I would have expected something that tasted more like beer and less like diluted, smoky whisky.    It reminds me of Hair of the Dog’s Adam, but watered down.  It's not awful, but overall it's too thin, too woody, too little like beer (3/5).

-Matt