Heretic Brewing Company Worry - Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Heretic Brewing Company Worry - Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels. As I continue my search of the best bottle shops in the Bay Area I visited Willow’s Market in Menlo Park (here) and I can say my trip was well worth it.  Not only do they have an incredible selection, but the owner Nick is a cool guy.  I can see making the drive over there often to see what Nick is bringing in. He is a connoisseur and he knows great beer. On this trip I finally found Heretic’s Worry (and a few others).

From the Heretic Brewing Company website: “This golden blond Belgian-style ale is a symphony of bold and delicate wrapped into one. We took our 9.8% Belgian-style golden ale and aged it in Grgich Hill Estate Chardonnay barrels. It has a gentle warming with a light alcohol sweetness and a tantalizing fruity character full of apples, pears, and oranges. The barrel aging give it a great Chardonnay character and a dry finish.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance:  Pours a hazy pale orange with a large white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Chardonnay soaked oak barrel, white grape skins, citrus, Belgian yeast, biscuit malt and a slight hint of spice.

Taste: Flavor like the nose with sweet light fruits and candi sugar, white grape, a serious dose of chardonnay soaked oak barrel, pale malt and Belgian yeast.  Spices are mild, but apparent.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed Heretic Brewing Company Worry and found it to be incredibly drinkable.  At 9.8% ABV there was just a slight alcohol presence.  The chardonnay barrel character really stood out on this one.  I had my wife try it and she was amazed at not only how good it is, but the noticeable chardonnay barrel flavors. I told her not to be surprised…this IS a Heretic beer and their beers never cease to impress me.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Anderson Valley Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Stout

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Anderson Valley Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Stout.

From the Anderson Valley Brewing Company website: “Complexity.  Aged for three months in Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels, this luxurious stout has a deep ebony hue and a beautiful mahogany head. The woody, vanilla-like notes imparted by the barrels mingle with aromas of fresh baked bread, toffee, and espresso and envelop the rich chocolate and roasted barley flavors with a fine bourbon character.  Our exclusive partnership with Wild Turkey gives Anderson Valley a world class, consistent source of barrelage, allowing our brewers to explore new frontiers in barrel-aged craft beer.

Since its introduction, Wild Turkey has maintained a distinctive distillation and ageing process that gives it a smooth taste and a lingering flavor. Wild Turkey uses a differentiated process whereby the bourbon is distilled at a low proof to seal in its flavors. Very little water is added to Wild Turkey, resulting in a full-flavored authentic bourbon taste similar to what one would get straight out of the barrel. Wild Turkey is a genuine drink with a sought after “burn” that comes from its high proof, an attribute fundamental to the brand and critical in maintaining its authentic bourbon characteristics.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours an almost black dark brown with a tan head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Chocolate, vanilla, coffee, caramel, oak, bourbon and toffee.

Taste: Vanilla, bourbon, chocolate and dark malts, oak, coconut, caramel and coffee. Nicely sweet finish with notes of bourbon.

Overall: Incredibly drinkable, Anderson Valley Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Stout is delicious.  If you’re into bourbon barrel-aged beers, this 6.9% ABV gem is for you.  I’m certainly picking more up.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Clown Shoes Brown Angel Double Brown Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Clown Shoes Brown Angel Double Brown Ale.

From the Clown Shoes website: “Brown Angel was designed to have three distinct levels: a dark brown backbone with notes of chocolate and coffee resulting from the use of 1500 pounds of Maris Otter malt, aggressive American hops (Amarillo and Columbus) provide bitterness and some citrus, while a more delicate floral finish is achieved from the use of the classic English hop, East Kent Goldings.  This is NOT your old school brown, but rather a sexy American interpretation.  At 40IBUs and 7% Alcohol it goes down sneaky fast.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a rich burgundy with a fluffy off-white head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel and roasted malts, chocolate, toffee, roasted nuts, coffee and citrus hops.

Taste: Pine and citrus hops up front followed by roasted and sweet caramel malts, chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, toffee with a nutty and hoppy ending.

Overall: Clown Shoes Brown Angel Double Brown is delicious.  At 7% ABV this beer is highly drinkable, balanced, smooth and creamy. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Port Brewing Company Board Meeting Brown Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Port Brewing Company Board Meeting Brown Ale. I’ve long been a fan of Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey beers so when I saw this new offering I was looking forward to trying it.

From the Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey website: “Port Brewing beers are typically boldly-flavored American and hop-forward West Coast style ales or lagers, and Board Meeting Brown Ale is no exception. An amplified brown ale, the beer is brewed with liberal additions of coffee from local San Diego roasters, Ryan Brothers, and cocoa nibs sourced from famed San Francisco chocolate maker TCHO. Alcohol by volume is 8.5%.

Board Meeting offers the malty richness and assertive hop presence that you expect in an American brown ale, but enhanced with pronounced roasted coffee and bitter chocolate aromas and flavors,” Arthur said. “I think people will enjoy this beer by itself and at the table paired with meat dishes like pork, roasts and barbeque. I imagine it’d be pretty good washing down a sausage omelet at breakfast too.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown with a frothy tan head and great lacing.

Aroma: Dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malts and nuts.

Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee with a slightly sweet and bitter finish.

Overall: Rich, robust and balanced, Port Brewing Company Board Meeting Brown Ale is a fantastic Brown Ale.  Weighing in at 8.5% ABV this was super easy to drink. I plan to pick up more.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Four Peaks Brewing Company Hop Knot IPA

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Four Peaks Brewing Company Hop Knot IPA. Here’s another beer I brought back from my somewhat recent trip to Phoenix, AZ.  Four Peaks Brewing Company makes a number of solid beers and I had the chance to try a few of them years ago when I visited their brewery so I figured on this past trip to bring a few home with me for review.

From the Four Peaks Brewing Company website: “Hop Heads this is your beer. American malt, lots of American hops, mixed in with a bold pioneering American spirit. Hop Knot IPA gets its name from weaving seven different hops added at seven separate times during the brewing process. Including the cavernous hop-back, which gets so stuffed with whole leaf hops that we feel genuine guilt for its excess. So you know it’s chock full of hoppy goodness. It’s the cure-all for the hop obsessed.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear honey color with a large off-white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Big hop scents – pine, citrus and floral with almost no malt aroma.

Taste: Citrus, tropical and pine hops balanced nicely with a slight malt sweetness.

Overall: Very approachable and quite drinkable, Four Peaks Brewing Company Hop Knot IPA is good stuff.  The alcohol is hardly noticeable on this 6.7% ABV offering.  Try it on tap if you make it to AZ!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Prairie Artisan Ales Standard

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Prairie Artisan Ales Standard. Here’s another beer I picked up from Whiskey Business (here) a Fine Wine, Spirits & Craft Beer shop on my not so recent trip to Tulsa, OK.

From the Prairie Artisan Ales website: “Prairie Standard is our everyday beer. Its a light, crisp saison with a hoppy finish. This beer is dry hopped 1lb per bbl with Motueka hops. A lovely New Zealand hop with a spicy lime like flavor and aroma.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color with a nice off-white head and great lacing.

Aroma: Big and hoppy with spicy and citrus hops, grainy and toasty malts, farmhouse yeast funk and fruity esters.  There’s a floral and earthy hop thing going on as well.

Taste: Citrus, floral, spicy and grassy hops collide with Belgian yeast funk, bready and biscuit malts and Saison spices.

Overall: Prairie Artisan Ales Standard is outstanding.  At 5.2% ABV his hoppy Farmhouse Ale delivers and here’s yet another beer I wish I could get in NorCal.  Crisp, well executed, highly drinkable this beer is a perfect beer for summertime.  If you find it, pick some up…pick a lot up.  You won’t regret it!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Moylan's Brewing Company Orange & Black Congrats Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Moylan's Brewing Company Orange & Black Congrats Ale. As a life-long San Francisco Giants fan I knew I had to pick this bottle up when I saw it at Artisan Wine Depot (here). 

Commercial description: “In honor of the 2012 World Series Champions, and in anticipation of the 2013 Major League Baseball season, Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant is releasing a freshly brewed batch of the Orange & Black Congrats Ale, on Saturday, March 30th, 2013. A smooth American Black Ale brewed with orange zest, this hearty brew isn’t just for the bleacher bums!  Made with North American two row malt from Gambrinus Maltings in British Columbia, even fans of those others teams will enjoy this grand slam of a brew. Some of the robust flavors in the beer can be attributed to German-grown barley supplied by Weyermann Malts and Mt. Hood and Liberty hops grown in the Yakima Valley by Puterbaugh Farms for Hops Direct. All the oranges used in this batch were grown locally in the California sunshine. This special ale is a reflection of the many dedicated hearts and minds needed to brew a quality beer.

As Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant welcomes back the Bay Area’s ball club, it is proud to offer an adult beverage in salute to the Thrill, the Bat, the Stick, the rally thong, the crab, the seal, the golden voices in the booth and all of the baseball legends that helped them see the dream become reality, twice in three years!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown with a nice tan head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Dark roasted malts, chocolate and orange.

Taste: Chocolate, dark malt, sweet orange and zest, slight coffee and hop presence.

Overall: I’m glad I had the chance to try Moylan's Brewing Company Orange & Black Congrats Ale.  At 6% ABV the combination of roasted malts, orange peel and hops went down smooth and easy.  This may not be a “go to” beer for me, but I’d certainly try it again in honor of the San Francisco Giants!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Lumberyard Brewing Company Red Ale

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Lumberyard Brewing Company Red Ale. Here’s another beer that I got while in Phoenix, AZ.  On a trip to Sedona, AZ my wife and I took a trip up to the Grand Canyon and on our return trip we stopped at Lumberyard Brewing Company for dinner and beer.  I enjoyed their Imperial Red and Trippel on this trip and am happy to review their Red Ale tonight.

From the Lumberyard Brewing Company website: “This handsome amber ale is created by balancing a selection of crystal and caramel malts, moderately hopped, resulting in a rich full bodied satisfying brew.  Most well received, well balanced, and flavorful ale to the public.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a bright copper color with nice off-white head and decent lacing.

Aroma: Caramel and roasted malt, toffee and a slight scent of citrus and pine hops.

Taste: Sweet caramel and toasted malts, toffee balanced well with citrus and pine hops.

Overall: Lumberyard Brewing Company Red Ale is an enjoyable Red Ale.  At 5.8% ABV if you are a fan of the style it is worth a try. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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Boulevard Brewing Company Long Strange Tripel

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

Tonight’s featured beer is Boulevard Brewing Company Long Strange Tripel. I picked up this bottle at Cork 'n Bottle Liquors (here) in Fremont, CA. They have a great selection of craft beer as well as a number of beers on tap.  Add Cork ‘n Bottle to your list of craft beer destinations.

From the Boulevard Brewing Company website: “Lately it occurs to us that if, back in 1989, you planned on starting a brewery in the back of your carpentry shop, you'd been wise to seek out someone like Harold “Trip” Hogue. A collector of ancient Volvos, Trip was well qualified for the make-do engineering required to coax recalcitrant equipment out of retirement and into making the first Boulevard beers. Today, he is our longest-tenured employee. We offer this rich, golden Tripel in grateful tribute to dedication, everywhere. A golden-amber colored, full bodied beer with an intense fruity aroma of bananas, a prominent sweet malt flavor containing a hint of toffee, and a low to medium citrusy hop flavor and bitterness.”

Let’s get started!

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

Aroma: Sweet and biscuit malts, citrus hops, Belgian yeast, banana, clove, candi sugar, fruity and inviting.

Taste: Sweet bready/biscuit malts, candi sugar, banana, cloves, citrus hops, Belgian yeast, coriander, orange peel and fruity esters.

Overall: Sweet and smooth, Boulevard Brewing Company Long Strange Tripel is really, really good.  At 9% ABV I wanted more after I finished the bottle.  This is one I’d most definitely purchase again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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