Category: I would love to taste,,,

These are the beers that I wish I could taste for the first time.

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Crooked Stave

Thanks to the Beer Wench for sending the info on this pair of new beers…..

“Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project announced they will release their first two bottled beers, Pure Guava Petite Sour and Wild Wild Brett “Rouge” on Thursday August 11th.

Here’s the run down…

750 ml bottles of Pure Guava Petite Sour and Wild Wild Brett “Rouge” will make their debut at the bottle release party held at funkwerks brewery tap room in Ft. Collins CO. starting at 6PM on Thursday, August 11th. This is the first of many bottle releases from Crooked Stave as we look to roll out with plenty more barrel-aged sour, specialty release and funky Brettanomyces beers. Also available on draft for the releases will be a single keg of Crooked Stave’s Good Glory, a beer brewed exclusively for Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen in Denver, CO. as well as Wild Wild Brett and Petite Sour.

The bottles of Pure Guava Petite Sour have been quietly conditioning since May 23rd awaiting their release. This refreshingly tart, spontaneously soured, rustic wheat beer, brewed with the addition of oats and spiced with coriander and sumac, was fermented entirely in our distinct oak foeder. Pure Guava is an unfiltered, golden wild ale with tropical fruit aromas and bright citrus flavors created by a proprietary Brettanomyces strain. This will be the only time Pure Guava is released, as each Petite Sour will change to reflect the seasons it is brewed and the mischievous minds of our brewers.

The anxiously awaited first release from the Wild Wild Brett R&D series is over! Historically considered ”wild yeast”, Brett is responsible for 100% of the fermentation in each installment of the series, which looks to play off the colors of the color wheel for ingredients to match with the different strains of Brett. This first installment of the series, dubbed “Rouge”, incorporates hawthorn berry, rose hips and whole hibiscus flowers in an unfiltered, slightly tart wild ale. Rouge pours a reddish hue delivering soft floral aromas and tropical fruit flavors with a tart earthy finish.

With only a little over 100 cases of each bottled, we expect bottles won’t last too long. Not able to make it to the release? Never fear we have made sure to save away some cases for a few of our favorite liquor stores throughout the Denver metro and Colorado front range areas.”

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Point the Way

The brewery that I can walk to in 20 minutes, Golden Road, has been making fast progress.

A name and a keg collar ready and soon the first beer will be too.

And speaking of ahead of schedule, what I consider the “backlash” articles are showing up. Just one now, and it is fairly tame but I do not like even an inkling of this sort of thing in an industry that I believe to be super collaborative.

Personally, I don’t care how or when you got involved in craft beer or how big or small your participation level is. All are welcome in my book.

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Kick

Elysian is really branching out pumpkin wise. First collaborating with Stone and The Bruery and now this…..

Here is what New Belgium has to say about it, “Harvesting the creativity of Kim Jordan of New Belgium and Dick Cantwell of Elysian produced this ruby-hued, slightly sour, pumpkin, cranberry ale. It’s a treat that does the trick.”

I have started to see Kick in bottles (Portland) and on tap (Los Angeles)

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Beer Brittle

I saw these at the fabulous Bruery Provisions store in Old Town Orange and I hadn’t spent all of my money on beer, I might have picked up these to try.

Here is the description….“Joy Lyn’s introduced their newest product in early 2009 and it has quickly become a popular snack and gift item. The Beer Brittle is a peanut brittle made with Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. Each small batch is cooked the old-fashion way….in a large copper kettle, then poured and spread by hand on a warming table. It is packaged in resealable bags displaying the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Logo.

The beer brittle has a subtle hint of hops and malt and is a delicious taste of sweet and salty. The buttery brittle is a rich golden brown color and has a delightful crunch.”

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Without You….

Evil Twin and Mikkeller have some serious creativity. Though the label is boring the name of this new sour ale is pretty cool.

I am hoping that 12%, the importer can bring the beers over here in good condition. And then I hope they can make it to LA.

Would be cool to have a Mikkeller. Evil Twin taste off.

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Commercial Suicide

from Jester King in “weird” Austin, Texas comes one of the best beer names that I have heard this year… Commercial Suicide.

It is an Oaked Dark Mild. A somewhat forgotten style with a twist.

“A true “session beer”, Commercial Suicide is an authentic English dark mild with notes of caramel, coffee and chocolate. A portion of each batch is aged in medium toast American oak barrels, lending very subtle toasted, oaky notes to the finished beer.”

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Be Stoic about it

I have an Abyss in my cellar and this new offering might need to take the spot next to it.

“The newest beer in Deschutes Brewery’s coveted Reserve Series, The Stoic’s journey from Belgian-style Tripel to American Quad is a remarkable one. A simple German Pilsner malt bill and a low-key profile of Hallartau, Czech Saaz, and Northern Brewer hops equip you for the more distinctive aromas and flavors that lay ahead. Ingredients like Belgian candy sugar, beet and date sugars, and pomegranate molasses impart a clean, tangy sweetness. Pinot Noir and rye whiskey barrel-aging suggest notes of spice, citrus, pepper, vanilla, and toasted caramel like offerings to the gods. Unraveling the intricacies of The Stoic is evidence of a life bravely done.”

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2500 IBU’s

Now that the highest ABV battle is pausing (thankfully) a new battle front is opening with Alpha-fornication.

This is what the brewer, Peter Chiodo has to say about it, “Clocking in at 2500 IBUs and 13.3% ABV, Alpha-fornication proves that sometimes people climb mountains just because they’re there. And sometimes, Beer Geeks will try anything on a dare. The hoppiest beer we know of was a meager 2007 IBUs, so we bested that and then some. We Flying Monkeys see extreme beers as the continuing evolution of Craft Brewing and the expansion of Ontario beers. It’s not just a contest of bravado to see who can make the world’s strongest beer (even though now we’ve got the world’s hoppiest one covered); it’s a movement – a movement to showcase the craft and how complex and versatile beer can actually be.”

Named for the alpha acids, or the compounds in the hop plant that are the source of hop bitterness, Alpha-fornication is brewed through highly creative and complex manipulation of the high alpha acid hop varieties, Warrior (17% AAU) and Centennial (11.5% AAU). A hop-steeped wort re-circulated through an additional “Hop Vorlauf” punches up the insane intensity of this brew to a stupefying 2500 IBUs. Keeping with the concepts of extreme brewing, the 13.3% ABV of Alpha-fornication adds bigness to this beer.”

I am not so sure about this one. Maybe a small taster will be enough but I do like the end of the press release that talks about the series that Alpha-F is part of, “Created as part of the Flying Monkeys’ Everest Experiments, a series of extreme beers showcasing the complexity and versatility of artisan brewing, the Flying Monkeys are actively engaging the expanding minds and palates of Ontario’s craft beer drinkers.”