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On the list of breweries that I do not often talk about, BJ’s Restaurants but the number 25 got me hooked. The chain has that many years of brewing its Grand Cru which started along with the new millennium.
Grand Cru is a “Belgian-style pale strong ale gets its fruity, spicy kick from a unique Belgian ale yeast, plus a blend of bitter orange peel and coriander for a flavor that’s perfect for the season.”
Two strikes firstly for this 25th anniversary release from Cascade Brewing. Star anise is not my favorite featured flavors and second, my poor tum tum can only take so much sour.
On the upside, I do like the limited tastes I have had of cascara plus the Tartini release from Cascade was great.
Two things got me to writing about a special limited release beer from Ommegang Brewing.
One – 25 freakin’ years. You can’t not celebrate that.
Two – imperial amber ale, how often you gonna see that style
oh and Three – it’s in bottles.
Here is more on the beer from the brewery, “25th Anniversary Ale is an imperial amber ale that conveys a traditional Belgian sweetness balanced with spicy citrus notes. This beer pours coppery brown with a billowy cap, and notes of lemon and white pepper flakes that are present straight away. At first sip there is a presence of sweet maltiness, that is refined by late additions of Cascade hops, resulting in a dry balanced finish.”
It is important to really recognize craft brewing milestones and Brewery Ommegang has reached one and they have thankfully eschewed an IPA for an imperial amber ale with orange peel, grains of paradise and coriander.
Since I am here in Paso Robles, seems good timing to speak of Firestone Walker and their recently released 25th Anniversary blend..
Here are the details from the press release:
“Winemakers from the following Paso Robles wineries participated in this year’s blending: Booker Vineyard, Desparada Wines, Epoch Estate Wines, Halter Ranch Vineyard, Herman Story, Ledge Vineyards, Tablas Creek Vineyard, TH Estate Wines, Thacher Winery and Torrin Wine.
For the first time, the winemakers were joined by two members of Firestone Walker’s Brewmaster’s Collective beer club, who won the chance to participate in the blending session. Russell From of Herman Story Wines and Taylor Mathiesen of Booker Vineyard, along with Brewmaster’s Collective club member Paul Rios (with guest Christian Smith), created the winning blend that became “25.”
Parabola Autumn Edition – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (41%) Russian Imperial Stout
Tequila Barrel Merkin – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (28%) Milk Stout
Brandy Barrel Barley Wine – Aged in Brandy Barrels (13%) Blonde Barley Wine
Stickee Monkee – Aged in Bourbon Barrels (10%) Central Coastal Quad
Whiskey Barrel Wheat Wine – Aged in Tequila Barrels (8%) Strong Golden Barley Wine
One of the favorite of the summer beer events for both the breweries and fans alike has been the Mammoth Bluesapalooza. It is still on my bucket list. Maybe 2022 for me. But this year is a milestone, # 25!
And Mammoth Brewing is releasing a 10% TIPA to mark the occasion. In bombers no less.
Yes, Double Barrel Ale from Firestone Walker is 25 years young this year and to mark that occasion, the label gets a refresh…
…and might I suggest that you refresh your palate to this beer. It is a heritage beer and I mean that in not only a good but great way. These are the beers we drink at Super Bowl parties, the beer we know will be really good and that many will have fond memories of.
Not much Avery news (other than their re-branding earlier this year), but that changes with their milestone 25th Anniversary ale. And they go with the Dark Ale. I like the choice to lean into their dark side.
Unibroue Introduces 25th-Anniversary Blonde de l’Enfer.
Here is the description of what looks to be a perfect winter beer for when you are feeling a bit devilish…
“Blonde De L’Enfer (Blonde from Hell) is brewed to celebrate Unibroue’s 25th anniversary. Staying true to our tradition of Belgian style inspiration with a touch of Québécois culture, we crafted a nonconformist take on a classic style, the Belgian Golden Ale. These ales are traditionally named after hellish demons due to their lust for power and in reference to the beer’s deceitful drinkability. Our golden 25th anniversary ale is such a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Brewed with a unique Belgian yeast strain, this sinfully smooth refermented specialty ale is artfully crafted for a delicate balance of spice, malt, and hop flavors with a fine Champagne-like effervescence.”
This beer was brewed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of brewing by Alaskan Brewing Company. It was initially released into the wild in September of 2011
And this “limited edition Imperial Stout is brewed with glacier-fed water, birch syrup from the Alaska Birch Syrup Co., fireweed honey from BeeAlaskan Apiaries, brown sugar and an array of different malts including malted oats and a dash of our world famous alder-smoked malt”
Let’s see how the years have treated this rarity from up north…….The initial aroma is full of that alder-smoked malt almost to the point of bacon. The aroma is, quite frankly, a bit off putting. Some beers you just get sucked into and this one is doing the opposite. The taste is considerably better. The combo of the syrup and honey goes a long way to ameliorating the smoke notes.
The texture is quite smooth and for a Russian Imperial Stout surprisingly light. The combination of the sweet and the alder almost make for a minty type aftertaste. I double checked the BJCP Off Flavor Flash Cards to double check myself and see if the cellaring had gone sideways but from what I can tell, this probably hasn’t run into trouble. It may just be that the sweetness has faded more quickly than the alder smoke, unbalancing the beer.
I let the beer warm up a bit and the flavors did drop a notch in intensity with some licorice notes adding in as well. And my overall rating rose based on that fact. But it still is quite the Alaskan Rauch to it. I just wish it had a bit more muscular malt body and an easier hand on the smoke to balance the competing flavors. As it is, this is not one of my favorites.
Verdict? I have never had this beer before so I do not have a benchmark. I was darned lucky to find this on sale a year or so later. I would say that there wasn’t any issue with where I bought it nor with the aging but it would be interesting to see how this beer gets reviewed in years to come as others pull their bottles out of their cellar.