Large Bottle) 1894

1894 Barrel Aged Belgium Ale (Petrus)

My friend gave this to me for my birthday. So, of course, we shared it. De Brabandere who makes beer under various brand names, produced this one under Petrus, and this special barrel-aged Belgium ale is also a limited edition for their 120th anniversary.

1894) My first impression of this beer was the bottle. The classiness of the gold letters on its side and the base's indentation bespeak quality. The resounding pop from the cork further foreshadowed the incoming bubbles. And indeed, this Belgium ale had no lack of such mini effervescence.

The initial taste reminds me almost of a wine, but then that complexity that is characteristic of a Belgium beer hits. I got lost then for a bit before being able to discern some fruity flavors and a mild sourness. In the finish, I found a touch of bitterness, but not enough to cause me to balk at having that next sip. 

I really enjoyed this one. ☆☆☆☆

25/100) Schlenkerla

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Lager, Weizen, Urbock

These beers make me wish I knew German because I can't read their website. However, that doesn't matter because they know what they're doing with beer. The hook that got me to purchase these beers was a small advertisement that Spirit World in Omaha attached to their Urbock display. The little hand-written slip of paper had these enthusiastic magical words: "Tastes like BACON!"

Lagerbier) We all know the drill with lagers right? Little flavor. Smooth. Light. Refreshing. Right? This beer has all that, but there was a malty taste on the finish that made it feel more robust. A step above the rest certainly. Also, Lager comes from a similar German word that means "to store away" because Lagers were invented in cold storage caves during the winter. ☆☆☆

Weizen) This beer has a nutty warmness upfront that drops into a smooth smokey flavor. At first it was hard to identify, but the taste reminds me of having some nice melt-in-your-mouth brisket. If you could produce that taste in a beer, this would be it. The question is, do you want that in a beer? Or could this beer make some phenomenal beer brats? ☆☆☆

Urbock) The big question is "does it taste like bacon?" The short answer is "yes?" The initial taste is a bit Marzen-like, in other words it tastes like an oktoberfest up front. However, then the malts hit and merged with a lovely strong smokiness. The finish left me with a lingering sensation that made me think I did just in fact have bacon. A great novelty, but as much as I like bacon, I can't see myself craving it as a beer. It lacks the crunch and fatty goodness. Although, I'd be up to try this beer again with a nice helping of sausage, eggs and bacon. Yum! ☆☆☆

24/100) Brew Dogs 2

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Cocoa Psycho, Dogma, Tokyo

After how good that last set of Brew Dogs was, I broke the piggy bank, and from the shards recovered enough coinage to splurge on these three beers. A tank of gas would have cost me less. Was it worth it? Well, the short version is: [Errr...? yes? Yes!] Either way, keep reading and don't forget to later check out Brew Dogs website for their fantastic disconnected descriptions.

Cocoa Psycho) With a name like that, I expected something more crazy than what I got. The flavors were not very chocolaty, and there was an odd acridness in the finish accented by bitterness. I'm guessing that could be the psychotic part of this beer because it made me not too happy with it. All things considered, it was not worth the *ouch* price tag. ☆☆

Dogma) I have no frame of reference for what sort of effect kola nut, poppy seeds, or guarana are supposed to have on a beer. There were some unusual flavors playing around in this one. That to me would be the opposite of dogmatic, but hey, this one was really good. It was smooth, not bitter, and really easy to drink. I just fail at being able to tell you anything specific. ☆☆☆

Tokyo) This "beer" cannot be technically classified as a beer. I don't know what the exact reason is, but I suspect the 18.2% alcohol content is what makes it a "flavored malt liquor." Furthermore and following from their unusual description, that explains why this Japanese titled, Scotland produced "beer-yet-not-a-beer" has existential problems.

Classified as an intergalactic stout, Tokyo's flavor profile places it outside the norm for this world. I could taste the alcohol, but it didn't zing. When I sipped it, the malt and sweetness hit at the same time confusing my taste buds. Whenever I took a swallow of it, the malt and subtle bitterness hit on the finish. Somehow though, this beer reminded me of a radical version of Lucky Bucket's Certified Evil. I approve. ☆☆☆☆

23/100) Schlafly

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Raspberry Hefeweizen, Kölsch, Pumpkin Ale

I picked up these beers when I stopped through Branson a little while back. I had never heard of Schlafly in my region, and sadly, I haven't seen them since. I find that odd since they are based in St. Louis Missouri which isn't that far. Regardless, I do plan to keep my eyes out for them.

Raspberry Hefeweizen) A very good light Hefeweizen. You can detect the a touch of a grain flavor. And unlike my expectations, no sweet raspberry flavor cut across my palate, but instead hid lightly in the backdrop only reminding me of raspberries. This beer is a classic example of a true fruit beer as opposed to a fruit flavored beer. ☆☆☆

Kölsch) Light. Best served iced cold. No bitterness or nuttiness and very light on the peppery aspects. It's good, but I think I prefer my Kölch's with a bit more pepper. Not that you're really supposed to expect a massive burst of flavor from this kind of beer. ☆☆☆

Pumpkin Ale) Pumpkin, nutmeg, clove and cinammon. You know them. Well, this ale hit you with none of those spice you hear about. Instead, there is a nice pumpkin note in the backdrop that makes this beer taste like a pumpkin pie smells. As a result, it doesn't leave you craving pumpkin pie but luckily leaves you content with your vicarious experience. This may be my favorite pumpkin related beer that I've ever had. ☆☆☆☆

22/100) Breckenridge

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Agave Wheat, Vanilla Porter, Imperial 72

Did you know that the agave plant's heart is what is used to make Tequila? Well it is, and the heart is this huge 40 pound or so mass of plant material. I don't know what they exactly used to make this Agave Wheat, but the source wasn't likely the same. Instead, they probably used agave syrup. If so, then I wonder if the yeast got a chance to munch on it, or if they added it post-production. There's so much potential for speculation, so little time. On to the beers.

Agave Wheat) Despite loving the subtle Day of the Dead reference on the cover, this was just okay. There was a light Sweetness in the backdrop. The linger though was sharp or perhaps crisp? Anyway, it was dry. The more I drank sadly, the less I liked it. ☆☆☆

Vanilla Porter) Vanilla enveloped the background. The middle was perhaps more porter than vanilla but the overall flavor was light. The finish could have been smoother, but I think they got the vanilla accents just right. ☆☆☆

Imperial 72) This chocolate cream stout was excellent. The initial had a light watery mouth feel making that first sip easy all the way to the last one. A malty roasted note came through in the middle. Then, the finish had a light creamy touch to it, but the linger was where the flavors hit in a slowly blossoming array. It was not a problem for me, but I did wonder where the implied chocolate was. ☆☆☆☆