Old Ale Project – Eagle Rock Brewery’s Jubilee (#19)

22 ounce bottle poured into a tulip.  8.1% ABV.  Stored and served at 55F.

Appearance:  Burned amber with an ever-so-slight haze.  The bottle poured with a strong head, and as it dropped it left a lovely lacing pattern on the edges of the glass.  All that remains are lonely, little islands of passing bubbles (4.5/5).

Aroma:  Brown sugar, caramel, and raisins.  A little light roast coffee.  The label told me that I should smell banana bread, and as soon as I read that I did.  Thank you, power of suggestion (4.5/5).

Taste:  There is a surprising lack of sweetness.  The beer is built on a foundation of malt, but it is very well attenuated and almost dry.  The holiday spices give the perception of liquid fruitcake (without all that weird candied fruit).  I get suggestions of nutmeg, allspice, dates, and molasses.  The alcohol gives it a comforting warmth right there at the end (4/5)

Mouthfeel:  Medium body, light carbonation (4/5).

Overall:  The bottle stamp has been fairly worn, but I’m pretty sure it says to “enjoy by” June something 2014.  Well, I’ve stored it properly since I purchased it in 2013 and I’m pretty sure I haven’t done it any harm.  This is a very nice beer and dangerously drinkable.  I think an Old Ale should probably not be so thoroughly fermented, but that may be a result of the three plus years it’s been sitting in my cellar.  I probably ought to grab a fresh bottle and compare.  Also, I wish I could try it without the “holiday spices”, but just because I’m typically not a fan of “holiday spices” in my beer.  They are not overwhelming or detracting at all.  Ultimately, a very enjoyable edition to the Old Ale arsenal (4.25/5).

Old Ale Project – Avery Brewing Co.’s Old Jubilation Ale (#18)

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip.  8.3% ABV.  Stored and served at 55F.

Appearance:  Dark chocolate brown.  A beige head billowed upon the pour, but immediately sank into the glass.  This bottle has been in storage for a couple years and a fair amount of sediment has dropped out of suspension over time.  The glass looked like a snow globe at night for the first minute or so, but the chunks eventually settled to the bottom.  Held up to the light, the beer is brilliantly clear with beautiful amber highlights (4.25/5).

Aroma:  Boozy, metallic, and oxidized.  Deep in the background I can detect the smell of dark malts, brown sugar, chocolate, maple syrup, and soy sauce (3.5/5).

Taste:  Restrained sweetness with hints of coffee, oak, toffee, burned sugar, and dates.  There is also an underlying bitterness that cuts the sugary base and balances it out nicely.  Maybe a touch of a metallic taste, but the bottle has been stored on its side so that may explain it (4.25/5) 

Mouthfeel:  Full body and light carbonation.  Perfectly smooth and rounded (5/5).

Overall:  The bottle stamp is apparently written in Klingon, so I can’t say for certain what year this is from.  But I believe I’ve been holding on to this since the early winter of 2013.  Avery’s description says this beer is “cellarable for 2 years”, but I think that’s kind of cutting it short.  I don’t think the age is hurting anything.  In the end, I really enjoyed this beer but it didn’t blow my doors off.  It is often cited as a “commercial example” of the style, but I think there are better options out there.  I liked having the old bottle, but I’d like to try a fresher sample to see if I’m missing something (4.25/5).

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