February « 2009 « Brews and Blues

28Feb/090

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

I have had my eye on this bottle for a couple weeks, but I finally broke down and brought one home with me from Gail's Hops & Grapes earlier this week. The Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is a member of the "Extreme Beers" collection from Samuel Adams lineup. As you can see in the photo, the bottle is gorgeous. There was a tag hanging on the bottle with the following message from Jim Koch:

For centuries, the world's finest brewers have created rich, complex dark beers known as bocks. The best bocks display many layers of luxurious flavors. I wanted to brew a bock beer that would represent the traditional style yet surprise the palate wtih a unique character and complexity. We started with a complex selection of carefully roasted malts combined with hand-selected Noble hops from Barvaria, the world's oldest growing area. After using a centuries old brewing process, called Krausening, we slowly aged the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs from Felchlin, a renowned Swiss chocolatier. Known for their quality these wild cocoa nibs, harvested from the rainforest of Northern Bolivia, impart complex aromas and flavors of chocolate, honey, and vanilla in the beer. The resulting beer, Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, has a big, malty character that is combined with the subtle sweetness of chocolate, giving this brew a complex full-body taste with a velvety finish.

I hope you enjoy sharing the unique drinking experience of this Limited Edition brew.

Cheers,

Jim Koch
Brewer & Founder

When sampling a beer like this one, it is really difficult to compare it with other brews... even other beers in the genre. When you pair a beer with a flavoring like chocolate, it really sets it apart from everything else. Fruit beers are the same way... the specifics of the flavor set them apart from others like them. This chocolate bock is absolutely phenomenal. I can't really say much more about the quality and flavor of this brew. Jim Koch appropriately used the term velvety in his description. The only comparison I can make between this beer and other bocks and stouts is that it makes an outstanding after-dinner drink. It's like a dessert in a glass. At 5.5% ABV, it's not going to knock you into a loop, and you can enjoy it without having to worry about after effects. I don't think I would pair this beer with much of anything on a dessert menu unless it was something like a really fluffy slice of cheesecake :)

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Bock No Comments

27Feb/090

Lonnie Mack with SRV

Here's a cool video clip of Lonnie Mack and Stevie Ray Vaughn having some acoustic fun with "Oreo Cookie Blues." The studio version of this track is available on Lonnie Mack's "Strike Like Lightning" CD...

Filed under: Smokin' Blues No Comments

26Feb/090

Black Mocha Stout

Today marks round two of my sampling from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. I found a bomber of Black Mocha Stout over at Gail's Hops & Grapes, so I decided to give it a whirl. This beer definitely has the chocolate thing going on :) It sports a nice creamy chocolate colored head as well.

From the website:

Highland's most robust beer, having a very malty body with a large, roasted chocolate flavor, all achieved solely through the use of special roasted barley grains. It is black in color with a very clean finish and a moderate hop flavor.

IBU: 25
ABV: 5.3%
Hops: Chinook and Mt. Hood

In my opinion, an IBU of 25 is rather low on the hop scale for a stout, but the hop presence is definitely noticed in this beer. The website also notes that this beer contains wheat, which isn't all that common in a stout recipe. At any rate, this is another excellent dessert beer. I'm still waiting for an opportunity to make a stout float with some ice cream, but I just haven't made it happen yet. This beer would be a great candidate for that project though...

Filed under: American Stout, Beer Reviews No Comments

25Feb/090

Samuel Adams Irish Red

Just for kicks the other night, I decided to check what my favorite convenient store had in their beer cooler. I had never really bothered to look before, but I was surprised to find a six-pack of the Samuel Adams Brewmaster's Collection for $7.99. This six has two each of the Irish Red, Black Lager, and Honey Porter, so those will be coming down the pipe soon as well. Since I had just tried a great amber ale last night, I figured I would follow it with another for comparision.

The New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale that I tried last night was definitely one of my favorites. I can't quite compare the Irish Red to the Fat Tire because they are rather different overall. The only plus I see on the Irish Red is that it's a little fuller in body than the Fat Tire, and not quite as crisp on the finish. The Irish Red has just a tad more hop punch, but the balance with the malty side is still right on target.

From the website:

The gentle rain and fertile soil of Ireland helped inspire this style of ale, known for being remarkably balanced. Pale and Caramel malts give the beer its rich, deep red color and distinctive caramel flavor. The sweetness of the malt is pleasantly balanced by a pronounced hop bitterness and an earthy note from the East Kent Goldings hops. Samuel Adams Irish Red finishes smooth and leaves you wanting to take another sip.

5.5% ABV

For those of you who like Fat Tire Amber Ale, I would suggest giving this one a try as well. The Irish Red will be more readily available and you might be surprised at how nice it is...

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Irish Red Ale No Comments

24Feb/091

Fat Tire Amber Ale

I scored another big hit this afternoon at Gail's Hops & Grapes. I stumbled across some New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber Ale while browsing the cooler. This is a beer that is not foreign to me, but I haven't had it in a long time. I was surprised to find it in a local shop, so I bought a bottle. Popping the top and tasting it reminded me exactly why I liked it so much when I tasted it originally in Colorado.

From the bottle:

Fat Tire Amber Ale's appeal is in its feat of balance: toasty biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Named in honor of Jeff's mountain bike trip from brewery to brewery through Europe.

Fat Tire is still crafted following the original home brew recipe that Jeff brainstormed on this cycling trip.

5.2% ABV

The equilibrium mentioned on the bottle, in my opinion, is one of the greatest points about this beer. A lot of amber/red ales that I try are a bit on the hoppy side, but since I prefer the balanced approach to this style, this beer sits on or near the top of my favorites list for amber ales. I actually like this beer more than Ft. Collins Brewery's Retro Red, and I really do like the Retro Red a lot. Colorado is definitely known for its beers, and I hope to make a trip out there sometime in the near future to attend one of the Great American Beer Festivals. It probably won't be this year but I intend to be there in 2010 for sure.

I also picked up another top shelf brew at Gail's this afternoon, so stay tuned for that one. I have a mid-term on Thursday so I really shouldn't be drinking anything this week, but the top shelf will probably appear before Sunday...

Filed under: American Amber, Beer Reviews, Red Ale 1 Comment

22Feb/090

OHB – Weizen Bock

When I picked up my bottle of Bardstown Barley Wine last week, I also snagged a bottle of Olde Hickory Brewery's Weizen Bock. I popped the top on this one this evening and was absolutely floored by what I tasted. Steve and Jason went after this beer with both barrels smokin'. This Weizen Bock has a solid malt presence and wonderfully sweet flavor and aroma. From the bottle:

Our Weizen-Bock was inspired by the rugged, majestic beauty of the Alps. Brewed with malted wheat and barley, select German hops and a special Barvarian yeast, our Weizen-Bock exhibits pronounced notes of banana, the spiciness of cloves and coriander and a warmth on the finish. this handcrafted beer is best enjoyed in the company of good friends. Cheers!

8% ABV

Until recently, I had never spent much time drinking wheat beers. I had tried a few over the past years and just never really got into them so much. After some recent tastings, I have come to the realization that these beers, with their lighter body and refreshing taste and crispness, will be most excellent companions in the summer months when it's so friggin' hot and humid outside.

I brewed my first wheat beer this afternoon, and I can't wait to taste it. It's called "Orange Blossom Special" and you can read a little about that rather disasterous experience in my LOG if you like... Wind is not a brewer's friend. This should be a rather nice beer and the aroma should be quite interesting too :)