October « 2009 « Brews and Blues

12Oct/095

Rogue XS Imperial Stout

Here we are at #100. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity this year to taste 100 new beers. I wanted #100 to be special, and I'm quite excited to have been able to locate a bottle of the Rogue XS Imperial Stout (2008) on a trip to Charlotte yesterday afternoon. This was not my original pick for my 100th beer, but when I found this one yesterday, it replaced my other option in a heartbeat. I have been impressed with my experiences this year with Rogue's beers. The Imperial Stout is one I have been looking for without any luck, and when I spotted this one, I bought it right away. It was the last bottle available at the location where I found it.

This beer poured a deep black color with a chocolate tan colored thick and foamy head. The aroma of roasted barley was dominant. Being an imperial stout at 11% ABV, I decided to let this one warm up to 55° before really digging in, and I believe it was a good decision. The alcohol is not evident on the tongue and the rich full-bodied roasted malt blast has an intriguing velvety mouth feel created by the addition of the rolled oats in this brew. I still can't seem to find anything negative to say about Rogue Ales. In my humble opinion, this imperial stout is as good as any and a standard to which others should be held. I'm possibly biased by my love of stouts and clouded by the fact that this one is half empty at this point in my writing ;)

I don't know if anyone at Rogue ever sees what I write, but I'd love to make a suggestion for a future XS beer. One of my favorite Rogue Ales is the Dead Guy. The Double Dead Guy is pretty good too. I think someone should craft a new XS called DeadGuy³ for those of use who teeter on the brink of our mortal existence :)

Cheers and check back for my next post where I'll choose my 10 overall favorite beers from the first 100...

5Oct/090

Carolina Blonde

Tonya and I went to the World Market in Mooresville yesterday afternoon, so I picked up another obligatory mixed sixer (plus a bomber of Coney Island Freaktoberfest that we will get to shortly) for the tasting regimen.

Today's sample is the Blonde Ale from Carolina Beer Company in Mooresville, North Carolina. As you can see from the photo, this beer poured with a beautiful golden blonde color with a nice thick head on top. The aroma that followed had a light sweetness of malt and a faint floral presence, but not overpowering. It definitely has a crisp bite on the tougue, and it serves well right out of the refrigerator. I think this beer has one of the more perfect hop and malt balances for a beer of this style as well. It's a fantastic brew for a summertime cooler. It rings in at 5% ABV, which is only slightly higher than I would personally prefer a beer in this style, but it's definitely a keeper. I find this beer on tap occasionally at my local brew pub as well, which is nice!

This is beer #99 in the quest to 100. #100 is staring me in the face, so I'll toss it in the fridge and we'll crack it open sometime in the next couple days. After we hit the 100 mark, I'm planning to make a top 10 list of my 10 favorites from the first 100 beers. We'll see how that goes as well...

Filed under: American Blonde Ale, Beer Reviews, Home Brewing, Recipes No Comments

4Oct/090

Unibroue Maudite

As we slowly approach my 100th beer tasting, I decided to have another sampling from the Unibroue sampler pack that I recently purchased. This is the 98th beer I have tasted since I started this project in December of 2008. I have purchased a (hopefully) really good beer to have as the 100th, so stay tuned...

Today's sampling is the Maudite from Unibroue in Quebec, Canada. This is yet another heavy beer from the 4-pack sampler I purchased. It poured with a deep reddish color and a cola-like head in the glass. This beer poured with some cloudiness due to the bottle conditioning. The malty aroma of this beer came through immediately. It has an excellent malt and hop balance and actually tastes decent right out of the fridge without warming it up first. From the sampler pack box:

The robust maltiness and spiciness of our amber-red ale is counterbalanced by an assertive hop finish, offering a distinctive flavor that is cognac-like in complexity. Whether it is paired with pasta marinara, a brick-oven pizza, Flemish stew, spice-rubbed pork tenderloin or dal makhani, Maudite is devilishly satisfying. Maudite (Damned) was the first strong beer to be retailed in Quebec. It's deliciously complex flavor improves with age.

I have two more left in this sampler that we will get to soon enough... I'm making a run to the World Market this afternoon where I hope to pick up another assorted six pack of new beers to try...