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brews in the tank, conditioning/aging, and brand new
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April 11 My Last Four BeersOkay, I’ve been a little busy lately. School is almost done, so I hope to be brewing, touring, and tasting in the upcoming months. I do have a few things I wanted to share with all of you. The last few beers I’ve had have been some real monsters!! Three oak aged beers, and a new addition to my top 10 stouts (not that I really have a list of the top 10). Avery, Brabant – Their first in their new “Barrel Aged Series.” A dark ale, brewed with malt, water, hops, and two strains of brettanomyces, Then aged for 8 months in Zinfandel barrels. Wonderfully complex, with layers of flavors that change throughout a single sip, and overtake your pallet. The bret is up front, with a pepper spice tailing. Overall, a very nice ale that probably pair with braised meats. A 12 oz bottle of it is probably meant to share with a friend or a date over a nice dinner. I’ve had this dream of hosting a nice beer dinner at my place, and this ale just may end up on the menu. Thanks for the tasting Ron! Hitachino, Nest Beer XH – described as a horse sweat beer from a local bar man, to which I reply, That’s the first and best horse sweat I’ve ever had!! A sipping beer to be sure, but oh so complex and mysterious to try to describe on a silly blog. As I passed the glass around the table, every one had another descriptor for the ale, and we were all describing it right. I do not enjoy any Japanese beers or sake, so when I heard of a Japanese beers aged in sake barrels, I figured I would really torture myself by buying a bottle. But two wrongs do make it right in this case! Not sure how to really pair this ale, not sure if sushi, or seafood such as muscles and oysters would work, but that’s where I would start. Though I didn’t buy any to take home, I would buy another bottle to share with a friend! The Lost Abbey, Angel’s Share – I’ve had this one a few times, on draft, bottle, and I even think I had some right out of the barrel once. A wonderful barley wine, strong and oaky. Boozy to the nose, but not so much on the lips. Aged in brandy barrels, it tastes more like a fuller bodied sherry than a barley wine. At $30 a bottle, you may think it’s too expensive, but seriously, I’ve paid more for bottles of wine that were just average. This is an exceptional barley wine, new and unique to the senses. Lower in carbonation than most ales, making my Old Trail Head even more impressive. It’s okay for beer not have a rich, creamy head. I’d probably serve this in a large bowl wine glass, much like a red wine. Decant, allow to breathe and warm, pour, sniff, sip, and allow your senses take a trip away from your day. Buy one to save a year or two, but buy one for your next special occasion! Thanks very much Matt and Tomme. Mikkeller, Beer Geek Brunch – Just in time for Easter!! This is one for all you stout lovers out there!! If you can afford a case, do it. If you can only find one bottle of it, and a little old lady has it in her hands, knock her over and start running! A dry oatmeal stout, with a creamy/full body mouth feel, and an amazing coffee note brought you by the most expensive coffee in the world – Kopi Luwak. Kopi Luwak is an extremely mild coffee I was surprised the coffee wasn’t overpowered by the dark roasted malts. When Matt and I made our Italian Roast Stout, we used a cold brewed method in order to keep the acidity to a bare minimum. I believe that’s what made it a big success. Kopi is a low acidic bean from being digested by the Luwak that ate it, and thus it makes it a perfect blend. I may have to work on a blend of my Irish Porridge and the Italian Roast Stouts, I may have a winner. Just a side note to Cheri, Find a bottle of this!!! If you can’t I have a bottle in my fridge, hop on a plane, I’ll share…..maybe. February 07 Barley Wines ReviewedOn Feb 6th we had a Barleywine tasting at 1044 (aka my place). Lots of good stuff. Last years Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (which use to be my favorite barleywine). Last years Stone Old Gaurdian, last years Bridgport Old Knucklehead (which I had shipped to me cause it's not available in AZ), Nogne-O #100, 2007 Alaskan Barleywine (which I also had shipped to me, but now 2008 is available in the state if you are lucky enough to find it), Matt brought a barleywine from Iron Hills which isn't available here, Left Hand Widdershins (which I've been holding on to for some time), and the first opened 22oz bottle of my very first barleywine - Old Trail Head.
Everyones favorites were the Bridgeport and the Alaskan, though I'd through in Nogno-O as well. Bridgeport Old Knucklehead is blended new and bourbon aged barleywine that has a very smooth vanilla finish. Very enjoyable, the type of ale that warm you up even without the alcohol. Matt described it as "Fucking Brilliant". It deffinatly got more enjoyable with every sip, partialy cause it warmed up a bit, but partialy because the flavours really had to take charge of the tastebuds and sink in a bit. My line up made it tough for the first few sips of Ol'Knuckle cause I put Stone OG right before it, which is a very hopped barleywine. I remember opening Ol'Knucklehead a couple times and thinking it was good, but not one of my favorites. But as it has aged, it really has improved and found a longer lasting spot in my cellar.
07 Alaskan Barleywine is now my favorite barleywine officialy. Rich but with an added sweetness to it, it easy very nice to drink on a cold night, sharing a bottle with a loved one (or a room full of friends, coworkers, and my neighbor worked out nicely for me). Though I can't quite tell if it has improved with age, it definitely still kicks ass. I bought a couple bottles of the 08 at Papago and plan to collect a vertical tasting once I've collected 5 or so. Planning for the future is painful ya know. Though I didn't pit Alaskan with my previous favorite, Rougue Old Crustation, I still think my choice for favorite would remain the same. I now have three years of Old Crusty saved and wanna do a vertical tasting of that in a couple years as well.
Nogne-O #100 was the breweries 100th batch. They wanted to do something big and exciting, and what they came up with was a very traditional, very dark and heavy beer. This one is still available here and there in AZ, so if you find it, pick up a bottle for now and one to hold on to. That way you are not torn as to when to open the one bottle you bought. All the way from Norway, Nogne-O makes a lot of exciting "small batch" beers. They also make a good porter, several winter ales, and a coffee stout which I could sell on ebay for $300 I'm sure.
Old Trail Head is my very first attempt at a barleywine. Using plenty of malt extract and elderberries, as well as a couple yeast strains, I only bottled 18 bottles. I saved a whole gallon which is aging on sherry soaked oak cubes (both the oak and the sherry came from SuVino Winery in Scottsdale). My plan is to make the beer again and add the gallon of the 08 into the 09, then take out another gallon anc age it til 2010. Every batch will have a little of the original in it. OTH is sweet and smooth, with better body now that it has aged. The carbonation is still very low, but once it warms up, it tastes fantastic. One of those ales that truly NEEDS time to age. Since there are only 18 bottles out there, I decided to number and wax the tops of the bottles. If you were lucky enough to get one, I'd give it another 6 months to a year before you open it. Oh, and remember, it is 12% whether you believe it or not, so, share it with someone!
All in all, the night was successful. Some new people showed up and some old. We had about a bottle for every guest, so everyone got there fill. Again, I didn't take pics, man, I've been bad lately! But stay tuned for March. Matt will host the tasting, with a guided tour of his stuff and maybe our tripple as well. January 22 Intro and Orange Table, ScottsdaleWelcome to PBCblog
This blog this is sorta lost on me, only cause it takes a lot of time and effort to keep them updated. Anyone who knows me, knows time is an illusion, lunch time doubly so! But here it goes.... I really want to use the blog to highlight beers, breweries, bars and restaurants, and general traveling related to beer.
Orange Table - Old Town Scottsdale 7373 E Scottsdale Mall # 6
Last night Ed from Stone and our very own Matt from Port, held a tasting at Orange Table. It was my first time to the restaurant and I have to say, I liked it a lot. A small place that mixes together beer bar, wine bar, espresso bar, burger place, and plaza cafe all together. It was almost like they didn't know what to specialize in, so they decided to try all of the above. Where as most places would have pulled off the "jack of all trades, master of none" motif, Orange Table seems to be quite more than that. The atmosphere was relaxed, the staff and patrons seem to mix and mingle with each other unlike any place I've ever seen. The burger list was impressive. Noshes and flat bread pizzas also available all sounded very good. The wine list as small, but having recognized a couple labels, I can tell you from experience, it is well rounded and impressive for such a small place. Duck Pond, a winery owned by friends of my family, makes very good wine. The beer selection was nice. Nothing I hadn't heard of, but most stuff I liked a lot. One label I actually hadn't had yet. Prices a bit high, but what I would expect for that type of place. After all if you want to drink for cheap, don't go out! The tasting was free, and available was three labels from each brewery. You could easily get your fill on beer and food, then buy a bottle to just sit and relax making any ordinary night a memorable one. For some unknown reason, I didn't get one picture of the event, a mistake I will not make for future entries. Maybe someone else did??
I hate rating systems, so instead of giving it a grade or a number, I'll simply say this; I would come back again and again.
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