High Water Brewing Old & In The Way Barley Wine Style Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is High Water Brewing Old & In The Way Barley Wine Style Ale. High Water Brewing is becoming a staple in my beer fridge and for a good reason. Steve Altimari makes great beer!

From the High Water Brewing website: “Well the wait is over and you may now try our Old & In The Way Barleywine. This is one beer I really enjoy brewing and aging and sampling and aging and sampling and aging... well you get the picture. I ended up racking the entire 2 batches into 12 Year Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels and then blending them all back together. The caramel and toffee notes are surrounded by hints of coconut and vanilla. I hope you enjoy this beer as much as I do.
Enjoy!!! Steve”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown with ruby red highlights, a very thin tan head and minimal lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel malts, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, oak, dark fruit and a slight bourbon smell.

Taste: Sweet caramel malts, bourbon, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, brown sugar, toffee and balanced nicely with citrus hop bitterness.

Overall: I completely enjoyed High Water Brewing’s Old & In The Way Barley Wine Style Ale. At 10.5% ABV this is a great beer to sit and sip by a roaring fire. I only wish it was a little more affordable as I’d keep this one on hand.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Green Flash Brewing Company Trippel Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Green Flash Brewing Company Trippel Ale. 

From the Green Flash Brewing Company website: "Rich, pale malt flavors provide a solid base for zesty Styrian Golding and Czech Saaz hopping. Trappist ale yeast contributes the fruity, spicy profile of classic, monk-brewed, Belgian ales. Our Trippel is a luscious, fiery, golden brew and a contemporary rendition of traditional Belgian Trippel."

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden color with a nice white head and light lacing.

Aroma: Belgian yeast and candi sugar, pale and bready malts, fruit, spice and banana.

Taste: Sweet and fruity, coriander, Belgian yeast and candi sugar, bready and pale malts and finishes with raisins and a nice hop bitterness.

Overall: I have come to expect greatness every time I open a new Green Flashing Brewing company beer and their Trippel Ale does not disappoint.  Well balanced and complex, this 9.7% ABV beast is superb.  The alcohol is very well hidden (which is dangerous).  I could drink this one over and over again.  Pick some up if you see it.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend Quadrupel

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend Quadrupel. 

From the Brewery Ommegang website: “Three Philosophers is a unique blend of a Belgian-style strong dark ale and Liefmans Kriek, an authentic cherry ale from Belgium. Cherry chestnut in color, it's opaque but not cloudy with full carbonation topped by a smooth, tan head. Flavors and aromas of roasted malt, molasses and brown sugar, dark fruits, brandied raisins and chocolate, Three Philosophers has notable sweetness with low hop bitterness. The mid-palate shows a soft malt center which gives way to a dry, warm, wine-like finish.

The strength and complexity of this beer make it a good candidate for ageing gracefully, as spicy sherry and port notes should intensify.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep red with a small off-white head and very little lacing.

Aroma: Cherries, plums, raisins, figs, Belgian candi sugar, caramel and bready malts.

Taste: Cherry, plum, caramel, toffee, raisin, sweet and roasted malts, chocolate, Belgian candi sugar and yeast. Amazing!

Overall: Complex and incredibly tasty, Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend Quadrupel is pure excellence! At 9.8% ABV you’d be hard pressed to taste the alcohol, but you’ll certainly feel it.  

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Widmer Brothers Brewing Barrel Aged Brrrbon 2011

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Widmer Brothers Brewing Barrel Aged Brrrbon 2011. After reviewing the 2012 Brrrbon I found this 2011 Brrrbon at a decent price ($9.99). Since I enjoyed the 2012 version I wanted to see what the difference was.

From the Widmer Brothers Brewing website: “BARREL AGED BRRRBON '11 IS A SMOOTH WINTER WARMER AND THE FIRST RELEASE AS PART OF THE ALCHEMY PROJECT. FOLLOWING THE INITIAL BREWING PROCESS OF BRRR, THE BEER WAS GIVEN A FRESH CHARGE OF HOPS DURING SECONDARY FERMENTATION AND THEN PUT INTO KENTUCKY BOURBON BARRELS AND AGED FOR FOUR MONTHS. AFTER BARREL AGING, THE BEER WAS ALLOWED A TERTIARY FERMENTATION FOR FINAL CONDITIONING BEFORE RELEASE."

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish orange with a decent beige head and decent lacing.

Aroma: Oak, bourbon, vanilla, sweet caramel malts, bready malts, citrus and dark fruits.

Taste: Sweet toasted and caramel malts, spices, vanilla, dark fruits, oak, bourbon and a peppery hop presence.

Overall: Widmer Brothers Brewing’s Barrel Aged Brrrbon 2011 is a solid beer. At 9.5% ABV the alcohol is undetectable. I really enjoy bourbon barrel aged beers. I don’t think I would pay the premium for the 2011 (if I find it for $9.99 again perhaps). Interestingly enough a local store is now selling the 2012 for the same price as the 2011 ($13.99) and that’s just TOO steep for this one.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Brouwerij Het Anker Gouden Carolus Noël

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Brouwerij Het Anker Gouden Carolus Noël. 

From the Brouwerij Het Anker website: “Thirty-eight years we had to miss the Christmas beer but in 2002 the tradition was restored with Gouden Carolus Christmas.  It’s a strong, dark ruby beer with character and contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5% VOL. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach optimal balance. Three kids of hops and six different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer. Top-class!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a cloudy brown with an off-white head and a little lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, dark fruits, toffee, caramel, anise, nutmeg, ginger and a slight chocolate scent.

Taste: Anise is the first to hit my taste buds followed by dark fruits, coffee, brown sugar, toffee, nutmeg and molasses.

Overall: With its strong black licorice flavor Brouwerij Het Anker Gouden Carolus Noël took me by surprise.  I do not typically care for anise in any form, but this unique blend of flavors was really enjoyable and at 10.5% ABV is had some “other” effects going on.  This is a very complex beer that got better as it warmed.  Worth a try!

Merry Christmas and Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Merry Christmas

Here's wishing you more happiness
Than all my words can tell,
Not just alone for Christmas
But for all the year as well.

Cheers! 

Mark Harvey

Bison Brewing Company Organic Gingerbread Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Bison Brewing Company Organic Gingerbread Ale. 

From the Bison Brewing Company website: “Bison’s ever popular Gingerbread Ale is a delicately spiced holiday porter brewed with ginger, nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon. This medium-bodied ale boasts an intoxicating aroma of fresh baked gingerbread cookies straight from the oven. Well-balanced flavors of molasses, chewy dark malts and holiday spice dominate the palate, leaving behind a smooth, dry spicy finish. Bison’s Gingerbread Ale is an excellent match for all your favorite holiday favorites from roasted sweet potatoes to candied yams, game, duck, butternut squash soup, curries, Thanksgiving turkey, bread pudding, pumpkin pie and cheesecake.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark amber with a thick beige head and thin lacing.

Aroma: Gingerbread, sweet malts, bready malts, molasses, chocolate and holiday spice.

Taste: Roasted and bready malts, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, caramel and chocolate.

Overall: Not your typical porter, Bison Brewing Company’s Organic Gingerbread Ale is a good holiday beer.  It drank more like a spiced ale (as opposed to a porter) and I enjoyed this 6% ABV offering.

Merry Christmas and Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Brouwerij Affligem Noël Christmas Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Brouwerij Affligem Noël Christmas Ale. 

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
“For the season we offer you our best wishes and especially delicious Ale. Rich and dark like our Dubbel. Sumptuous and smooth like our Tripel. Enjoy.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark red with a large tan head and little lacing.

Aroma: Dark fruits, Belgian candi sugar and yeast, spices and caramel.

Taste: Sweet malts, raisins and other dried fruits, Belgian yeast, spices, anise and a slight banana flavor.

Overall: Complex and enjoyable Brouwerij Affligem Noël Christmas Ale was a welcome gift from a co-worker.  At 9% ABV it was enjoyable from start to finish. A nice beer to drink during this Holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl. Scaldis de Noël Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl. Scaldis de Noël Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

From the Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl. website: “Scaldis de Noël was born in 1991 to satisfy consumers seeking a hearty beer for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
A product made exclusively from malt, hops, candy sugar and water, Scaldis de Noël is a high fermentation, filtered beer and has an alcohol volume of 12%.
The substantial use of caramel malt gives it a coppery red colour and an exceptional roundness. Particularly carefully studied hopping gives Scaldis de Noël a consistent, fruity flavour with a delicately hopped aroma.  A limited edition beverage, Scaldis de Noël is an indispensable reference among the end-of-year beers.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with an off-white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, dark fruits, spice, Belgian yeast, toffee and banana.

Taste: Sweet dark fruits – raisins, figs, caramel, Belgian candi sugar, nutmeg and banana.

Overall: An incredible Christmas beer, Brasserie Dubuisson Frères sprl. Scaldis de Noël  Belgian Strong Dark Ale is HUGE at 12% ABV and dangerous as the alcohol is very well hidden.  This beer is very easy to consume and enjoyable.

Happy Holidays and Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Tripel

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Tripel.

Commercial description: "The end of the world. The excellence of triple fermentation through a blend of special yeasts gives this malt beverage an exquisitely robust flavor of exceptional refinement." (Read more about the beer here)

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a nice white head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Sweet and citrusy, with banana, cloves and a certain tartness.

Taste: Spicy, estery, citrusy and fruity.  Bready malts, banana and hops round this out.  This beer is fantastic!

Overall: Crisp, refreshing and incredibly easy to drink, Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Tripel is exceptional.  Although this is 9% ABV the alcohol is hidden well. One of my favorite beers.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey