Beer style of the week; English Barleywines

Week 49

Well, winter is finally upon us in New England. I know I’ve been blathering on for the past month about special warming beers brewed to ward off winter’s nasty effects and we’ve had plenty of near winter conditions, but some lousy weather front, or stupid global warming effect prevents my bold decent into the basement for the really BIG liquid warmers. The time has come! And I couldn’t be happier! It’s Barleywine time! YES!!!!

To be honest, I didn’t know where the snow shovel was hiding, but I knew exactly where to find the Barleywine. Some of us have our priorities in order!

Barleywine is a misleading name. It’s not in any way, shape or form in the wine family. It does, however, possess wine-like strength; from between 8.5% and 13% ABV. English Barleywine is a deep colored, full bodied ale, with varying degrees of fruitiness in the aroma and taste. Citrus and/or resinous hop bitterness with noticeable caramel sweetness is common to the style. A potent alcoholic kick is a certainty. There are some beers listed as Barleywine that weigh in at fewer than 8.5% ABV, but they are probably better suited to the Old Ale or Strong English Ale family. Barleywines should be very strong ales! American Barleywines are generally more hop-forward ales, while the English style tends to be more rounded, earthy and balanced. A taste of “toffee” is more prominent in the English style, but not uncommon in the American versions. Both styles age very well in a cool, dark place. Serve cool, not chilled.

From the land of origin

J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale – Manchester, England – 11.5% ABV

2000 Limited Edition. Sampled in 2004

Poured into a slim bodied Lindeman's Lambic glass to create a head.

It pours an orange-tinged deep amber with a substantial beige head and solid strips of horizontal lace. A big upfront vintage port aroma along with fresh bread dough, hops, sweet malt, alcohol and mild woody notes comprise a complex array of sweet smells. A full and sweet caramel Maris Otter malt house an amazing variety of flavors. Rich toffee, butterscotch, prunes, coffee, candy sugar and honey. A mild lime-like bitterness and beautifully balanced warming alcohol add just the right amount of contrast to this exceptionally well-crafted brew. Add a touch of creamy sherry and you get the picture. Bring on the winter!

Strong Golden Barley Wine – Samuel Smith Old Brewery – Tadcaster, England – 10.2% ABV - Cute 180ml bottle. 2010

Found in the small beer/wine section of the small convenience store next to our hotel in County Hall, Westminster.

Served in a globe-shaped glass.

It pours an oily golden color with a thin white head along with small specks of lacing.

A fumy Triple Sec-like aroma blasts out of the glass at first pour. Sweet doughy malt smells follow close behind. Wonderful fruit and citrus notes play nicely off the maltiness. A light smell of peppery spice floats in late.

The flavors mirror the aromas very closely. Add a taste of toffee and a somewhat harsh vodka-like warming alcohol taste in the breath.

The mouthfeel is a little syrupy, but that was to be expected.

I wanted to grab another bottle the next night, but I guess I got the last one. I do count my blessings though for having stumbled upon a rare find.

New England

Leviathan Barleywine-Style Ale – Harpoon Brewing – Boston, MA – 10% ABV

12 oz. dark brown bottle. No freshness date. Served in a Piraat goblet.

Pours a ruby-hued amber with a 2” off-white creamy head and some patchy and spotty lacing.

A rummy and sweet malty smell vie for quick attention. Smells of citrusy and resinous hops flow forward, as does some peppery spice and prune juice.

Tastes of toffee and sweet malt are upfront. Flavors of orange zest, rum, tobacco and peppery spices come in right behind. A white rum heat is well masked within the spiciness and hop bitterness, but can be tasted in the breath ½ way through.

This is a bit on the thin side for a Barley malt, but not in a negative way. It’s just not as slick and only as many within the style range.

Shipyard Barley Wine Style – Shipyard Brewing – Portland, Maine – 8.5% ABV

Served in a short Corsendonk goblet.

Pours a dark woody mahogany color with a creamy inch and 1/2” fast-fading mocha head and some patchy lacing.

Smells of mashed figs and plums are upfront, with a whiff of sweet roasted malt. Light citrus notes slide in behind. A light whiff of Kahlua is noticed throughout.

The flavors, in Shipyard’s style are edgy and bright. Crisp flavors tart orange citrus, tobacco, peppery spice mingles with tastes of toffee, caramel malt, figs. A taste of amber rum rolls in late and hangs around.

This is a medium-bodied Barleywine with just a bit of oily slickness to the mouthfeel. It tastes a little stronger than the 8.5% ABV listed. Maybe it will keep folks (me) from pounding it down like a fool.

Our Finest Regards – Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project – Westport, MA – 13.5% ABV

22 0z. Dark brown bottle. Freshness date on cap label. 2010
Served in a short Corsendonk goblet.
It pours a mahogany/amber color with fast-fading mocha head and a fair amount a patchy and trailing lacing.
Big blasts of complex aromas rise at once. Mashed fig, banana bread, Tripel sec, citrusy and resinous hops, peppery spices and white rum, invite inhale after inhale.
The flavors are even bigger and bolder than the smells. Tastes range from rum-soaked figs and ripe banana, to toffee and buttery caramel, to Indian pudding, to resinous and peppery spice, and back to that rummy flavor. The tastes sometimes are similar and cross into a Quadrupel-like profile...not a complaint...just my perception.
The mouthfeel is wonderful smooth an silky, and not as oily as it appeared when pouring. I was going to cap it, but couldn't resist.
Whew!

Must try/Grand Examples

Weyerbacher Insanity

Arquabus – Cambridge Brewing Co.

Next Week; American Barleywines

Cheers!

Quote; “Beer makes you feel as you ought to feel without beer.” - Henry Lawson, Poet – (1867-1922)

Beer style of the week; Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Week 36 (Today is my son, Liam and future daughter-in-law’s wedding day! And niece, Jennifer’s Birthday! Cheers to all!)

Different than an English or American Strong Dark Ale, The Belgian Strong Dark Ale marches to the beat of a different brewer. Tannish to deep mahogany in color, big and bold maltiness, yet subtle in the hop and phenols department. Flavors of chocolate, toffee, coffee, dark ripe fruit are common. These are tricky beers. The alcoholic strength can be well-disguised, lurking quietly within the malty sweetness. Don’t be deceived, the Belgian Strong Dark Ale can provide a potent kick.

This is one of the styles brewed as a liquid “food” by Trappist monks to provide them with nourishment during periods of fasting. Drinking a few growlers of Belgian Strong Dark Ale on an empty stomach may bring you much closer to a God in many unusual ways.

From the land of origin

Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue) – Bieres de Chimay – Baileux, Belgium – 9% ABV

This unusual Trappist pours a deep mahogany with a frothy, foamy beige head and loads of clingy lace. The aroma is yeast, malty, hoppy with citrus and fruity notes. The body is heavy and a bit sweet and a little sour. Cloves, hops, over-ripe bananas and alcohol are in your face. A bit of spicy tastes lingers. This brew is really strong in most every way. Well made, but harmony and balance isn’t one of its strong points.

Abbaye Des Rocs Grand Cru Belgian Special Brown – Honnelles, Belgium – 9.5% ABV

This rare beauty pours an orange-tinted amber with a firm rocky beige head, and tons of sticky lace. The aroma is complex mix of crushed berries, damp earth, apples, sweet malt and light alcohol esters. A candy sweet flavor melds with fresh bread, caramel apples, mild lime-like bitterness, light pine, a hint of chocolate, and an ever so faint astringent camphor taste. A warming alcohol works its way through the crowded flavor field. The mouthfeel is buttery and smooth just after an initial fizzy effervescence. This should be a "must try" beer.

Canada

Trois Pistoles – Unibroue – Chambly Quebec, Canada -

This Dark Ale is a deep brown color with ruby highlights and tan head. The complex aroma includes roasted barley, spicy hops, fruit, cloves and fumes of alcohol. The deep rich malt houses flavors of caramel, toffee and a hint of banana. Highly hopped with spicy and lemony citrusy bitterness along with ripe mixed fruit. A powerful, well-made brew!

New England

Allagash Black – Allagash Brewing – Portland, Maine – 7.5% ABV

Served in an Allagash goblet.

Pours a blackened cola color with medium-sized khaki head and plenty of sticky lacing.

Smells of burnt roasted malts with notes of chocolate, coffee and toffee and some peppery spices.

Tastes like it smells with deeply roasted malt and mingling flavors of chocolate, resiny hop, spices and a slightly astringent yeasty background, followed a taste of dark rum.

A spritzy effervescence fades quickly and a fuller body is revealed. A bit more of the malty sweetness is noticed as it warms.

Others well worth a try

Raison d’etre – Dogfish Head (Rum-soaked prunes come to mind)

Mad Elf – Troegs Brewery (Fruity berries and extremely potent)

Local 2 – Brooklyn Brewery (Sugary and spicy and everything nicey)

Cheers and Salut!

Quote: “Life is too short to drink cheap beer” – Larry Hallahan, ‘Beer Styles’

Imperial Pumpkin Stout - A Bastard Style of Beer

Beer Style of the Week – The One of a Kind Beer (The Bastards) Imperial Pumpkin Stout - Part 2 of 4

Week 17

A few weeks ago I have was having a deep beer discussion with German Beer Historian and Writer, Horst Dornbusch (FYI- All beer discussions with Horst can become deep… as in, put-on-your-thinking-cap-deep). I wondered what “style” of beer Samuel Adams/Weihenstephaner collaboration, Infinium fell into. Is it a Biere De Champagne? Horst, catching me slightly off balance asked me a seemingly simple question in reply? He asked, “Is a Raspberry Vanilla Cream Wheat Double IPA a style?” Huh? I replied back. He clarified, “How many brewers need to brew the same type of beer, for it to be considered a real “style”. He added that for a beer to fall into a “style” category there must be at least some comparative analysis. In other words, several brewers need to create a beer using similar ingredients and similar brewing techniques and processes so that a “style” of beer can be compared to and matched to each other.

We didn't determine an exact quantity of brewers brewing a similar beer to qualify for a "Style" designation, but we did agree that at least, several brewers need to brew the same "type" of beer in order for it to fit into a "Style" range.

And that, my friends leads us to our second, One of a kind Bastard beer series;

The Imperial Pumpkin Stout.

Fisherman's Imperial Pumpkin Stout – Cape Ann Brewing – Gloucester, MA – 11% ABV

22 oz dark brown bottle. Freshness date not noticed.

Served in a Nonic tumbler.

It pours a ruby-hued dark chocolate color with fast-fading tannish head.

Big robust whiffs of pumpkin and roasted malt blast forward, followed by pumpkin pie nutmeg spices and a trailing resinous hop nose. A perfumy rum vapor rises through and lasts throughout. Interesting compound aromas...

The flavors are not shy! Tastes of dark rum, coffee, cocoa, pumpkin, spices and resiny hops pound away at all spaces and corners of the mouth. It's all quite good! I'm looking for some subtle tastes, and I guess a faint taste of limes and a little prune flavor may be present...though they tend to peak through, then shy away.

The body is rich and almost syrupy...nearly cloying, though maybe correct for what it is.

It's a bastard style, belonging to several mothers and fathers and maybe some distant relatives, but it will always be welcome to dwell in my cellar.

Let’s welcome the Bastards everywhere. They may not fit into any one style, but they do provide an enriching diversity upon the olfactory senses.

Cheers to the Bastards!

Quote: “Did you ever taste beer?” “I had a sip of it once,” said the small servant. “Here’s a state of things!” cried Mr. Swiveller…”She never tasted it-it can’t be tasted in a sip!” – Charles Dickens (1812-1870) from ‘Nicholas Nickleby’

Beer Style of the Week - One of a Kind (The Bastards) 1 of 4

Samuel Adams – Utopias – Boston Beer Company – Boston, MA – 27% ABV

Jim Koch, Founder and President of Boston’s Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) has been at the forefront of America’s Brew Revolution. When he entered the micro/craft beer scene, there was only a hand full of true craft beers being brewed. Today, Samuel Adams is perhaps the most well-known name in Craft Beer industry. Since launching their flagship brew, Boston Lager, Samuel Adams has released over a hundred different variations of dozen of styles, but none has approached the extremeness in style as Utopias.

Utopias were first released in May of 2003. At the time it was rated the most potent beer on the planet, weighing in at 24% ABV. The second release was a bit stronger at 25% ABV. The newest release, just hitting the shelves comes in at a whopping 27% ABV.

Here is Jim Koch’s description of Utopia’s 2009 Release:

Sweet fire, with a rich malt and wood complexity.

Truly the epitome of brewing's two thousand year evolution; Samuel Adams Utopias® offers a flavor not just unlike any other beer but unlike any other beverage in the world. The 2009 release is a blend of batches, some having been aged up to 16 years in the barrel room of our Boston Brewery, in a variety of woods. We aged a portion of the beer in hand-selected, single-use bourbon casks from the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery. The latest batch also spent time in Portuguese muscatel finishing casks, as well as sherry, brandy and Cognac casks. This flavorful, slightly fruity brew has a sweet, malty flavor that is reminiscent of a deep, rich vintage port, fine cognac or aged sherry.

My friend and fellow researcher, Larry each bought one bottle of the first release in May of 2003. We decided one bottle would be opened within the year, the other in the distant future. The resealable twist cap is supposed to keep the "beer" in fine condition much as brandy or sherry can be recorked (time would tell).

The collectible brew-kettle shaped decanter is a copper-coated ceramic. A limited Edition # was stamped on the bottom (01644).

It pours a dark toffee/amber color. There was no head or lace, just a light syrupy slide down the inside of the glass when tilted.

A sherry-like aroma mingles with maple, lemon peel, caramel and alcohol. A faint whiff of vanilla lingers throughout.

Nutty caramel, sherry, raisins, maple, honey and candy sugar are housed within a solid, slightly smoky malt. A mild lemony citrus flows from the middle to the back of the tongue. Traces of milk chocolate and oranges are noticed, as is a slight saltiness. Fumy and warming alcohol is present throughout.

This brew still maintains a distant ale quality, however creamy, oily and brandy-like.

Almost true to our plan, we opened Larry’s within a month and we cracked mine open two years later. To our amazement, very little had change with time. Perhaps a bit mellower? Hard telling…

The 2011, and strongest version thus far has just been released. One is being saved for me at A Taste for Wine and Spirits in Cohasset. This will be opened on October 23^rd, for my son, Liam’s wedding reception. Ain’t love grand?

Cheers!

Quote: Beer…”A high and mighty liquor” – Julius Caesar

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project - Novemeber 15, 1901 KK - Black Ale

Westport, MA - 7.8% abv
22oz dark brown bottle. No Freshness date, although the legend on the label suggests cellaring.
Pint glass.
It pours a very deep dark smoky cola color with a firm and rocky tannish head and loads of lacing.
The smell is a little here and there. Burnt rye toast, grapefruit zest, coffee and bread dough is followed by a slightly astringent camphor and witchhazel fuminess.
I like the overall flavor mix, although it reminds me of several homebrews I have sampled over the years. The citrusy and metallic hops are surprisingly up front. A resinous hop taste is always present, yet mild. Burnt sugar and rye crackers tastes follow and some warming alcohol is in the finish.
The mouthfeel is a tad raspy though not enough to keep me from taking some large gulps now and then.
Interesting brew!

Nogne - Sunturnbrew - Barley Wine

Nogne Sunturnbrew - Grimstad, Norway - 11% abv
16.9 oz dark brown bottle. A place for "Best fore" date but not stamped on label. Batch # 474.
It pours a spent motor oil black with a thin beige head and some splotchy lacing.
Smells of rum-soaked prunes and an odd whiff of camphor on a Band-Aid are released upon first pour. Smells of fresh rye bread, molasses, citrus peels and mixed fruit follow.
This huge-bodied sweet beast is certainly boozy! A big hit of Kahlua hit home beat feet fast. Caramel candy and bread pudding comes to mind as does honey and Vicks Cough Syrup. A medicinal taste of camphor and Band-Aids takes me down a road best forgotten, but it's not altogether unpleasant.
It's a bit on the thick side, so the drinkability factor comes down a notch.
Brie and crackers would go well with this.

Brasserie Dieu du Ciel-Rigor Mortis Abt

Brasserie Dieu du Ciel-Rigor Mortis Abt - St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada - 10.5% abv
12 oz brown bottle. Indecipherable freshness date code.
Allagash glass.
It pours a muddy Coca Cola color with a thin, fast-fading beige head.
Fruity, yeast esters are quite potent. Smells of horse barn, cut hay, cloves, and citrus blend very well together. A nice warming gin-like perfume fuminess rises.
As in the aromas, there are big dominant flavors. Tart white grapefruit, strong gin, limes and a slightly astringent medicine taste slowly allow the sweet caramel maltiness to inch forward. Tastes of rum-soaked prunes and lemon zest peek through and lasts throughout. A little bit of wood, peppery spices and tobacco is noticed.
The mouthfeel is rich, slick and deeply satisfying.
Two of these powerful brews is plenty.
Rich creamy cheese and strong tasting salami goes well with this big, flavorful brew.

Samuel Adams and Weihenstephan - Infinium

Samuel Adams and Weihenstephan Breweries - Infinium - Biere de Champagne (Biere Brut)
Brewed in Boston, MA 10.3% abv
50 ml dark brown bottle. Best before July 2011.
Served in an Orval goblet.
Pours a very clean tea-colored amber with slow fading fine effervescent white bubbles and some patchy and trailing lacing.
The initial aroma reminds me of an oaky Chardonnay with light smells of light-roasted malt and some citrusy hop notes.
This unique brew has a very tart fruity white grape at first taste. A slightly sweet malty taste slides through and gains ground as it warms. The hop profile is fairly simple with a little lemony citrus and a slightly resinous back-of-the-throat flavor. A taste of salt is present throughout. An ice wine-like taste provides an unusual, though agreeable alcoholic kick.
The extra bubbly effect fades within minutes of pouring
Champagne is not high on my list of favorite alcoholic beverages, though, it's the perfect drink to enjoy with friends and family on certain occasions.
This is just the beer for special times.
Enjoy with fine aged cheeses or, perhaps fruity, tart sherbet.