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. ☆☆☆☆

21/100) Dia de los Muertos

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.

Pay the Ferryman, Immortal Beloved, Death Becomes You,
Queen of the Night, Hop on or Die, Death Rides a Pale Horse

Welcome to the night of nightmares, costumes and all manner of candy. However you celebrate it, or don't, All Hallow's eve has come again. What is more fitting than to celebrate with beers thematically appropriate? This week I tried all six Cervezas de Los Muertos (Beers of the Dead).

Yes there are just six in America. Determining how many existed was a bit of a challenge. The internet is rampant with confusion about them. Many websites erroneously classified these beers as produced by Los Muertos Brewing Co. They are not. Instead, Cerveceria Mexicana in Tecate, Mexico brewed them. The easiest way to actually find out more about these beers is to search for "the beers of the dead."

To the undiscerning eye, I understand how these two companies can be confused. Los Muertos' "Agave Maria" smacks of the same fun naming style of these beers. A shorthand way to remember the difference is to note that Cerveceria's beers are themed around the Day of the Dead art style while Los Muertos beers focus on inserting skeletons into their art. Onto the beers!

Pay the Ferryman) This porter is one degree from coffee. I can only presume that Styx's main turnpike guard must take his coffee like this porter, black with just a touch of sugar. A rather solid roasted coffee porter. I tend to prefer mine to have less coffee flavor, but I did enjoy this one. ☆☆☆

Immortal Beloved) This hefeweizen is light and citrusy, but not enough to come across as sour or tart. The good smooth mouthfeel and the refreshing finish both entice you to drink more. Unexpectedly, it had more flavor than the smell revealed. ☆☆☆☆

Death Becomes You) Aside from having a title that sounds like a zombie pick-up line, this amber ale finished a bit bitter. Before that part though, this semi-malty ale did have a nice sweet and roasted middle. Not my favorite of the bunch, but good. ☆☆☆

Queen of the Night) This pale ale spares you from a strong bitter finish. Instead it has tantalizing mix of robust flavors mixed with just the right kind of bitterness. In short, this Queen has all the pluses of a pale ale without any of what I see as drawbacks. ☆☆☆☆

Hop on or Die) This IPA sadly seems to encourage some sort of Day of the Dead driving antics. Or I suppose it could imply that you should get on the bandwagon with hops. Either are hard for me to endorse. Like most IPAs this one has a smooth clean initial. Then the pine hops hit followed by a small burst of bitter on the finish. Not sure I really want to have again, but it's a decent IPA. ☆☆

Death Rides a Pale Horse) I never really thought of death riding a horse. Perhaps he's actually a dullahan which is a sort of Irish headless horseman harbinger of doom. Anyway, this blonde ale was malty. The flavor depth to this step-above-a-lager beer caught me pleasantly off guard. ☆☆☆

Honestly, I was surprised. I was afraid these beers would be mostly marketing and only partially flavor. However, you can't go wrong with any of these six. They are solid baselines for the type of beer that they are. There isn't too much adventure or craziness with them. They are stably solid, and that can go a long way in making a beer a staple.

20/100) Weyerbacher 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.

Merry Monks, Insanity, Nineteen

The Merry Monks are keeping secrets to their happiness, and their experiment XIX requires a dose of insanity to really understand. After night falls and the jingle of the clown bells fade away, will the darkness consume you? Or will you stick around for Halloween

Merry Monks) While quadrupels are great to me, tripels might not be my thing. There was a sour touch to the fruit backdrop in this beer. That taste was prohibitive to my taste buds and made it hard to drink. I know other people who liked it though, so I'll probably give it a second chance in the future. ☆☆

Insanity) Right after a a light initial, this ale quickly let me know that it had matured in oak barrels. The backdrop had a robustness that smacked of the high alcohol content. The flavor profile though was confusing. It had that sort of sweet complexity in the middle that reminded me of a barley wine, yet in that crazy mix, the ale flavors came through as well. Much to my delight the lack of bitter hops made this beer a smooth experience from start to finish. ☆☆☆

Nineteen - XIX - ) The mango wasn't overt, but I could tell something fruit-like was in it just from the the sweet smell. I felt like this wheat beer was to mangoes what cider is to apples. In other words, I would guess that they used a mango puree in the brewing process instead of adding in the mango flavors late in the game. I enjoyed the uniqueness, but I really couldn't see myself drinking this one again. ☆☆