Open mike: Strong beer!

Thanks Bob! I've never actually managed to find Rougue, so only know it by its (great) reputation. From my colleague at the book shop who also imports beers, I've learned that the stout is true to its type and delicious. I wish I could find some of these American beers over here. But I guess the demand over there is so great that very little is shipped to this side of the pond.

’05 GOUDEN CAROLUS Grand Cru of the Emperor

Opened this old favorite with a pizza party on Friday night. That was a mistake as the beer is huge with loads of chocolate and sweet tobacco flavors. At 10% this is the biggest beer I have ever tasted and is not a quaffing beer for pizza but a beer to enjoy on a cold winter night in front of a fire. It is a Belgian ale but not really that typical as it is more like dubbels on steroids. I have the '04, '05 and '06 and with the '07 I will probably open each one and compare sometime next winter. Gouden Carolus makes a NV offering that many prefer since it is not quite as over-the-top, but I like my wines classic and balanced but my beers big. One problem is that I am not a hops guy or pilzner guy so this style I find much more interesting.
Walt

Thanks Bob! I've never actually managed to find Rougue, so only know it by its (great) reputation. From my colleague at the book shop who also imports beers, I've learned that the stout is true to its type and delicious. I wish I could find some of these American beers over here. But I guess the demand over there is so great that very little is shipped to this side of the pond.

Thanks Otto, anything for you!! I have another big black monster here called "Terrible" from Quebec. 10%, wiil keep for the rodeo crowd in 2 weeks!!!

Reviving an old thead, because we just received the Christmas beer from the Norwegian brewery, Nøgne Ø God Jul! It weighs in at a hefty 8,5% abv and costs 4,22€ / 500ml. It's more expensive than good Muscadet in other words.

It uses Chinook, Columbus and Centennial hops and Münchner, Caramel, Black and Chocolate malts.

With only 26 EBU, I would have expected such a mighty package to be a bit flabby - I've thought the bitter qualities of beer act a bit like acids in wines. But this works very well. The first thing I notice about the nose is that it isn't sickeningly sweet. Sure there is a touch of sweetness to it, but it is all balanced by savoury, herbal qualities.

The palate is full bodied, rather low in carbonation, with the hops being delightfully in evidence even though this isn't a beer that I would describe as prominently hoppy. Rather the hops and the malts are in impeccable balance.

A lovely Christmas beer. As it is bottle conditioned, it might be fun to "forget" a couple of these bottles for Christmas 2010!

-O-

Well, here is my contribution to this weeks OM. It is all down to you Otto!!! I have to admit that I am not a beer drinker, the Innis and Gunn sometimes but never have much beer in stock for myself. The Rogue beers from Oregon have won a ton of awards world-wide so guess you know-alls are up on this winery, plus the style of beers!!

Roque Shakespeare Stout, Oregon

Oats, chocolate and wheat on the nose. The color is kinda ebony with a rich creamy head. Has a light caramel rim, 6% alc. Looks like my beer batter made with Guinness!!.
On the palate there are some big flavors here. Earthy, wheat, chocolate chips. Not at all what I am used to but can sure taste the hops! Cannot imagine drinking a bottle of this in one go!! But the fans will love it, hello Otto!!

I haven't had Shakespeare Stout, but Rogue Dead Guy Ale is one of my favorite beers, period. I had an excellent Belgian last night, La Biere des Collines Hercule Stout Brasserie Elleelloise, weighing in at 8.4% alc; it is seriously intense, rich and bitter at the same time, with coffee and dark chocolate flavors. I quite liked it, but I wouldn't drink more than one at a time under most circumstances.

Trying lots of artisinal beers while expanding that part of my department, so I'll be checking back in with updates regularly.

Ciao 4 now,

geo

Harpoon Oatmeal Stout. From their 100 BBL Series, an Encore. Originally brewed in ’01 and this is the first encore. Alcohol level: 5.05%, ibu 33 and og 14.9. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what ibu and og are. This is a very rich, heavy, and nutty brew with traces of all sorts of spice in the mix. My only complaint is the minute head. I don’t think this is a normal characteristic of OS, as others have had more head. I still recommend it at around $10 per six pack.

While I like a stout or porter...for me, when the holidays come around, I reach any ale or lager that that has a significant amount of hops.

My current holiday fave is Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. The India PA is good also...but doesn't quite have as much hop character.

Richard

While I like a stout or porter...for me, when the holidays come around, I reach any ale or lager that that has a significant amount of hops.

My current holiday fave is Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. The India PA is good also...but doesn't quite have as much hop character.

Richard

Hops rock! I crave for hops in beer like I crave for acids in wines. We just got Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale (no IPA unfortunately) over here. Any idea how that is?

Hops rock! I crave for hops in beer like I crave for acids in wines. We just got Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale (no IPA unfortunately) over here. Any idea how that is?

SNPA is not a bad beer. It was one of the first American Pale Ales to hit the market and is one that helped define the style for the BJCP. Medium-light to medium body, a bit of malt, citrus/grapefruit hop aroma and flavor (from the Cascade hops), moderately bitter (~30-35 IBUs), moderately high carbonation (~2.5 - 2.8 volumes of CO2) which lightens the body of the beer a bit. It would be a good introduction to American craft beer.

I'll order a SNPA when there are no better choices, but I find it rather mainstream and dull. I do like the SN Celebration Ale, though it tends to be inconsistent from year to year IMO. I didn't know they made an IPA, other than the CA; I'd like to try it.

I'll order a SNPA when there are no better choices, but I find it rather mainstream and dull. I do like the SN Celebration Ale, though it tends to be inconsistent from year to year IMO. I didn't know they made an IPA, other than the CA; I'd like to try it.

I agree with you about SNPA. But since Otto is in Helsinki, I doubt he would be able to find US hop head beers like Three Floyd's Alfa King, Bell's Two-Hearted, Victory Hop Devil or Stone IPA.

I'll order a SNPA when there are no better choices, but I find it rather mainstream and dull. I do like the SN Celebration Ale, though it tends to be inconsistent from year to year IMO. I didn't know they made an IPA, other than the CA; I'd like to try it.

I agree with you about SNPA. But since Otto is in Helsinki, I doubt he would be able to find US hop head beers like Three Floyd's Alfa King, Bell's Two-Hearted, Victory Hop Devil or Stone IPA.

.

Man, Bell's Two-Hearted Ale is my single favorite IPA. I love the floral hop notes from an all-Centennial brew.

Jeff,

Oops, I meant the SNPA...not an IPA.

Richard

Strong beer is for people who want to get a buzz on fast. Myself, I find vodka more efficient, if that's what's called for.

I make an exception for the Trappist Ales as a class. But stuff like "Belebuth"--French ale that's 13% alcohol--is just absurd. If it's strong, it's sweet. If it's sweet, brewers try to "balance" sweetness with hops. In my personal and vociferous opinion, it's never been done successfully.

If you are having trouble understanding what I'm talking about, try a Sierra Nevada "Bigfoot." Grotesque!

Strong beer is for people who want to get a buzz on fast. Myself, I find vodka more efficient, if that's what's called for.

I make an exception for the Trappist Ales as a class.

Well, as wine is generally much more alcoholic than strong beers, I guess we're all alcoholics then! I appreciate Trappists only intellectually, but frankly I need less sweet malts and more bitter hops for the beer to work for me. But would you still reccomend some Trappists for me to try? I'm always willing to explore!

-O-

FWIW, I treat strong beers like I treat wines: a bottle shared is the ideal - with food! I really do think the buzz is not what these beers are about.

I've recently been exploring ageworthy beers, so seems like a good time to resurrect this thread . . .

I had the opportunity to taste and purchase multiple vintages of the Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or, which pushed me well along in my interest in experimenting in aging a few brews to see what happens. I was able to taste them side-by-side, but my fuller analysis based on a full bottle required a few nights along the way, but my comparison is below (with the caveat that there was a significant change in recipe after the 2000 version--so the differences cannot be accounted for by the effects of age alone). A fun experiment--I plan to pick up some more of the 2007 (and soon, if possible, the 2008) and leave them be for my own future edification. From label: Golden Carolus “Grand Cru of the Emperor” is brewed once a year, on the 24th of February, the birthday of Charles the Fifth.

Brouwerij Het Anker. 2007 Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Grand Cru Of The Emperor (blue label). Mechelen, Belgium. (Belgian strong dark ale) sparkling wine-type cork closure with wire cage, 10% - appears caramel red, very red soda look about it, big fluffy tan head, smell delicious and expressive, at first quite reminiscent of German hefeweizen with banana and strawberry, fruit salad nose, quite fresh and delicious, mouthfeel thick and substantial, good flow, taste toasted malt, sweet upfront, quite malty, at first this thick sweet malt feels like it is going to be too much, especially on finish, but as it opens up this just feels like the most delicious baby fat and takes on an amazing depth suggestive of intense figs, each subsequent entry of the beer feels like the first time I have ever tasted it, this would be a fun beer to age and see what happens as that amazing baby fat burns off. $9 for 1 pint, 8 ounces.

Brouwerij Het Anker. 2004 Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Grand Cru Of The Emperor (blue label). Mechelen, Belgium. (Belgian strong dark ale) sparkling wine-type cork closure with wire cage, 10% - appears reddish, quite dark, big foamy tan head, tiny slower bubble movement, smell molasses, lots of spice, carmelized turkey fat, beautiful honeycomb complexity of smells, lots of sweet depth, mouthfeel sheets of foam, great layering in mouth, taste rounded, nuttier approach, sweetness there but quite a few interesting features popping out of the background, tasty steak and meaty elements, very nice tar, the beer definitely still leans toward sweet, but the savory aspects are quite lip smacking and the tar was particularly wonderful. $9 for 1 pint, 9.4 ounces

Brouwerij Het Anker. 2000 Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Grand Cru Of The Emperor (blue label). Mechelen, Belgium. (Belgian strong dark ale) sparkling wine-type cork closure with wire cage, 8% - appears significantly lighter than later vintages, red root beer and see-through, bit hazy with thinner head, smell very brooding, still got gingerbread element, but more tire and dirt, lots more of ground, nice far less sweet nose than 2004 and 2007, bit more licorice and perhaps sweaty socks (in a good way), mouthfeel smooth and tightly bound yet ethereal texture, light foam on top, nice in mouth, taste concentrated yet reserved, some raisins, figs, fig newtons, very tender, subtle and sublime, wonderful settled feel that indicate it is ready for the armchair, finish is there and lasting, but not on the tongue, a much vaguer more ethereal feel to finish, caramel pecan pie lurking, but only pops its head up occasionally, this is a nice nice beer to pay attention to, far more like wine than the 2004 and 2007, and rewards your attention, though I wouldn’t say it requires concentration, just that is so smooth and so pleasant you would not necessarily feel the speedbumps that indicate you should slow down and appreciate, I thought this a magnificent beer, I was told there was a significant change in the recipe between this version and the 2004 version, and I felt that was reflected in what I perceived as lower malt and alcohol content in the 2000 version, still this had all sorts of interesting features coming out of the woodwork while the blustier characteristics of the younger versions lurked in the background, what a great experience . $9 for 1 pint, 9.4 ounces

I've recently been exploring ageworthy beers, so seems like a good time to resurrect this thread . . .

Doubt that anyone can find it now but I opened a 1999 Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barley Wine a couple weeks ago. This is sitting at a nice place right now. Very complex nose with lots of spice and a little citrus(orange). More complex than a lot of wine I have had recently. Definetly sweet but balanced. Hops are present but subdued. Alc was 9%.

A few more explorations into the world of beers worth aging . . .

Dogfish Head. 2008 120 Minute IPA. Milton, Delaware. (American strong ale—double/imperial IPA) crown cap, bottled 17 April 2008, 20% (but oddly not listed on label) – appears cloudy apricot/grapefruit juice color, thin white head, small streams of bubble movement, smell complex and interesting nose, some figs/raisins and dried fruit, slight hickory or other wood, soft yet tightly integrated, suggestive of classic IPA nose but with far more depth and far less obvious, pointed apricot, mouthfeel thick, bit heavy, very slight spritz, taste wondrous heavy fruity concoction, apricot, spice lurking and popping up but never offensive, not hot, but wow—do you feel the power of this beer, one sip tells you you won’t be driving anywhere, lingering cinnamon and curry, almost clove-like in its persistence and buzz on the tongue, 120 minutes is, at a minimum, 60 minutes too short, there is no way one person could drink 12 ounces of this beer in less than 3 hours, I enjoyed it over four and a half, despite the marketing description by the brewer—which I did not find encouraging—this was an amazing beer, it is super powerful and the finish lasts (no kidding) for more than 5 minutes, it is an amazing buzz on your tongue, but the hops are so finely-tuned and so beautifully integrated that this is not a matter of the Liberace-style too-much-of-a-good-thing-is-wonderful approach to hops that seems to have a following among some US craft brewers, this beer is clearly unique and does not fit well into a comparison with other beers with which I am familiar, but it was an amazing experience, I picked up a few more to see how it develops in bottle, most expensive beer I have yet had at $9 for a 12 ounce bottle, and worth it for savoring over the course of an evening. From producer: Too extreme to be called beer? Brewed to a colossal 45-degree plato, boiled for a full 2 hours while being continuously hopped with high-alpha American hops, then dry-hopped daily in the fermenter for a month & aged for another month on whole-leaf hops!!! Our 120 Minute IPA is by far the biggest IPA ever brewed! At 20% abv and 120 ibus you can see why we call this beer the holy grail for hopheads! In case you care... the average 12 ounce serving has 450 calories.

Dogfish Head. 2008 Immort Ale. Milton, Delaware. (American strong ale/barleywine) crown cap, bottled in 2008D, 11% - appears clear reddish color, off-white foamy head, tiny bubble stream, smell smoky chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, barbeque sauce being freshly prepared with strong brown sugar and Indian spices evident, bring on the wings! nose, mouthfeel foamy and light, very even, lots of spread, little grip, taste maple syrup (yet not syruplike in texture nor that sweet, but the true essence of maple syrup), panoply of spices, yet not quite bound together, firm buzz in mouth that lingers, overall I preferred the nose to the beer in my mouth, little too much like beer concentrate in the mouth right now, yet the nose is so wonderful that I have great hopes that things will come together on the palate, I have three left and I don’t plan to touch another for around 3 years. $15 for four 12 ounce bottles. From producer: Brewed with peat-smoked barley, this strong ale is brewed with organic juniper berries, vanilla & maple syrup. It's aged on oak and fermented with a blend of English & Belgian yeasts.

Dogfish Head. 2007 Raison D’Extra. Milton, Delaware. (American strong ale/Belgian strong dark ale) crown cap, bottled 15 March 2007, 18% - appears bright vibrant red color, thin tan head, scattered bubble movement, smell very savory raisins, plum sauce, very slight smoke, very plumy, sweet with some nice depth, very inviting, mouthfeel slightly thick and stringy, bubbles smoothly contained within, taste lots of hay, but dominantly and repeatedly raisins and prunes, raisins and prunes, bit of a buzz on the tongue, the nose was far more promising than the experience on the palate, the beer was balanced and certainly could do some heavy lifting, but the dominant approach of its flavor profile was not something that I appreciated, though this beer has lots of room for more development in the future, I just don’t think I like its essence, at $8.50 for 12 ounces, I think I’ll pass at picking up some more of these to age. From producer: A bigger, bolder version of our Raison D'Etre. This is a bulbous, brown ale brewed with a bunch of malt, brown sugar and raisins. 18+% abv, 41 ibu. In case you care... the average 12 oz. serving has approximately 425 calories.

Clipper City. Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning Über Pils. Baltimore, Maryland. (American double/imperial pilsener) crown cap, 7% – appears caramel orange, bit white head, tons of small bubble movement, smell fresh lemon and hops, lemon drops, mouthfeel tons of sharp refreshing bubbles, taste obvious hoppy presence, but also obvious malt, clean but suggestions at times of syrup, bursting with flavor, not quite molasses, savory cheese, background malt caramel, heavier beer, I loved it. $9 for six pack of 12 ounce bottles. From producer: Hops: Amarillo, Saaz, Hersbrucker and Tettnang; Malts: German Pils and Carapils, ABV: Approx. 7.25%, We call this beer an Über Pils - a pilsner style bock lager. Rich, malty, and well rounded but with a firm structure of noble hops. Surprisingly pale in color for such a powerful, complex beer. Available year round.

A few more explorations into the world of beers worth aging . . .

Dogfish Head. 2008 120 Minute IPA.
Dogfish Head. 2008 Immort Ale.

Where your bottles vintage dated? I have at least one of these in the cellar (I may still have both but don't recall) but I don't remember them being vintage dated. I know mine are prior to 2008 so wonder if this is new.

Where your bottles vintage dated?

No, the year of release/brewing/bottling is not listed on the label itself. Rather, it (the bottling date) is printed right onto the bottle.

Where your bottles vintage dated?

No, the year of release/brewing/bottling is not listed on the label itself. Rather, it (the bottling date) is printed right onto the bottle.

Thanks. I guess I never noticed. I will check mine tonight.

Keith, great to see some notes! I recently very much enjoyed Gouden Carolus's Christmas Beer. I've never had Dogfish.

Sinebrychoff Porter aka Koff's Porter, 7,2% abv; 1,74€/0,33l

While writing up a back-log of wine TNs I was sipping this bottle and thought that it might warrant a TN of its own. I tend to be very disappointed by Finnish bottled beers: they are mostly bland, commercial lager, with a few superficially more interesting bottles thrown in that just don't please. There are several very interesting small breweries making great beers for certain restaurants, but I can only think of one truly interesting Finnish beer that is bottled and widely available: Koff's Porter.

Dark, bitter chocolate, malty, roasted, with a curious milky scent that works very well; very full bodied, but dry, the pleasantly bitter hoppiness brings some freshness. Long, bitterly creamy aftertaste. Very nice!

IIRC M. Jackson was a fan of this. I am, too, but for some reason I don't drink all that much of it. Most of the production is exported so has anyone here tried it? Am I a victim of nationalistic pride in liking this so much?

Just back from Franconia on a wine tour:

Kloster Weltenburg (oldest monk brewery in the world based near Kelheim whose beer is brewed by the neighbouring Mönchshof brewery in Regensburg)
- Baroque Dunkel (from vat at the brewery): very nice dark colour, enjoybly malty
- Anno 1050 (idem): golden colour, nice spiciness on the palate, very good but heavy

Held (very small artisanal brewery in the Oberfranken area)
Altfränkisch Dunkel: amber in colour, too malty for my taste, very good with local food

Schlenkerla (small private brewery in Bamberg making beer from smoked malt - [url]see http://www.rauchbier.de[/url])
- Rauchbier: very smoky, with notes of lard and bacon. Not my style
- Weissbier (idem): nice, not too smoky

Kitzmann (large private brewery based in Erlangen):
- Bergkirchweihbier (made for the annual bierfest - the equivalent of the Octoberfest) - from tap: very Budweis (the Czech one) in style - sappy, drinkable, very good.

Tucher (large private brewery in Nürnberg)
- Kupfer Dunkel: traditional amber colour, malty good zest and not too sweet

Weissenohe (private cloisterbrewery north of Nürnberg making beer from organic products)
- Altfränkisch Dunkel: traditional Fanconian (amber) with more weight and complexity than other beers
- Klostersud: my favourite beer - brewed twice dark beer - very intense in taste but light on its feet (less than 6% alc)

Trunk - VIerzehnheilige (artisanal private brewery based at the Cloister Vierzehnheilige in Oberfranken)
- Dunkel (from the tap): amber brown in colour, spicy, fresh and nicely bitter. Very good

Winkler (Small private brewery near Neustadt id Oberpfalz)
- Kupfer Spezial (from tap): more malty than I really like it but very nicely balanced with good spice.

ah yes, I also tasted some wines

I tend to be very disappointed by Finnish bottled beers: they are mostly bland, commercial lager, with a few superficially more interesting bottles thrown in that just don't please.

Does Finland offer more interesting choices on tap that are widely available or does the tap world mirror the bottled one?

I can only think of one truly interesting Finnish beer that is bottled and widely available: Koff's Porter. [redacted] Most of the production is exported so has anyone here tried it?

I don't recall seeing it in the USA, but I'll keep my eyes open for it . . . selection of beers from abroad seems to be expanding rapidly--at least in the places I've lived. Would love to try something Finnish . . .