Whale Hunting

Recently, Andy and I had an epic little tasting of some very rare and truly world class brews (read: whales). First up was a beer that Andy brought, Goose Island's King Henry, a 13.4% English Barleywine.

Goose Island King Henry

King Henry is kind of a big deal. One of the highest rated barleywines (#1 on Beeradvocate.com and #3 on RateBeer.com), as well one of the highest rated beers period (#7 on Beeradvocate.com), King Henry was released late last year. The big hype surrounding this whale is that it was aged in the same barrels as one of the most sought after beers of all time, Bourbon County Brand Stout Rare (Imperial Stout, 13%). These same barrels were first home to the most sought after bourbon as well, Pappy van Winkel 23. Needless to say, we were both very excited to finally give this beer a try. It was a very rich and decadent brew, full of smooth toffee, vanilla, dark chewy fruit, and bourbon, all seamlessly melded together to create a nearly flawless offering. Thanks again to Andy for giving me the chance to try it, I was beginning to think I never would.

Next up was a beer released about a month and a half ago at Three Floyds Brewpub, their Conquistador de Muerte (Milk Stout, 8%). To make this beer, Three Floyds took their Moloko milk stout and aged in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels with ancho and guajillo peppers for two years.  The particular bottle we enjoyed was #307 of 405.

Three Floyds Conquistador de Muerte

We were both excited, yet apprehensive to try this beer, mainly because Andy has had Three Floyds Cognac Dark Lord de Muerte, their Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout aged in cognac barrels with similar chili pepper treatment, and said that it was dangerously close to being too spicy. This de Muerte poured as black and viscous as motor oil, with no head to speak of. The nose was reminiscent of chocolate Tobasco, but everything came together in the taste, with smooth chili peppers, chocolate, light bourbon vanilla, and toffee rounding out this fantastic beer.

All in all a great chance to have some good beer, and I'm really looking forward to opening some more rare and delicious bottles with Andy in the future.

Half Acre Brewery Tour

For our next brewery tour, Kristin and I went to Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago this past Saturday in the early afternoon. It was kind of a last minute decision, as we were on our way to Local Option (a Chicago craft beer bar Andy has profiled before) to watch the Notre Dame vs. Stanford game. Even though it was last minute, we're glad we stopped, as it was the best brewery tour we've been on yet.

In line for the tour!

Every Saturday at 1pm, Half Acre admits 60 guests at a price of $10 each to come on an hour and a half to two hour tour of their brewery. Though a little skeptic of the $10 price tag, Kristin and I soon realized this was the single best deal we've come across in a long time. This modest fee gives you a Half Acre pint glass, 3 pints of beer (from which you had 4 options) over the course of the tour, and a very intimate (in a good way) experience with how Half Acre runs their brewery.

First off, let's mention the beer, which I should add is top notch. We each had a pint of Daisy Cutter (American Pale Ale, 5.2%) and Ouija Pilz (Czech Pilsner, 5.7%). Daisy Cutter is Half Acre's most well known and best selling beer, as it should be, sitting just below Three Floyds' Zombie Dust and Hill Farmstead's Edward in my favorite beers in the style.  This was our first time having Ouija Pilz, and I have yet to look at reviews on it, but I thought it was a very delicious and representative take on the style, while Kristin preferred her Daisy Cutter.

Half Acre Daisy Cutter

Our tour lasted about an hour and thirty minutes, though it may have been longer had we not left immediately at its conclusion in order to make it to local option and see the game. The two tour guides (unfortunately I forget their names ) tag-team led us through the typical brewing process, while periodically adding details about what makes Half Acre the place it is. They were both a lot of fun, and made the tour enjoyable and understanding even for those not familiar with the brewing process.

Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

I can't help but mention our great time at Local Option, where we got to watch the game and I got to enjoy a Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout (Imperial Stout, 9.5% - a long time want of mine), and Kristin had a Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf (Double IPA, 9%) All in all a great Saturday, and I highly recommend stopping by Half Acre for some growler fills, cans, or if you are able to, their Saturday tour!

LaSalle Grill hosting Dark Horse Beer Dinner

We are just 10 days away (October 25th) from another great beer dinner at LaSalle Grill in South Bend. These are now a fairly common occurrence from them, as they take great food and craft beer quite seriously. I would reiterate the details, but I blew up the flyer so you can see for yourself...

IPA Fun

Recently, I've had the fortune to come across and trade for a handful of world class IPAs and double IPAs. Most of these were acquired through trading on beer website forums (specifically Beer Advocate). For the last decade, hops were showcased prevalently on the West Cost, with breweries like Stone (Ruination IPA), Russian River (Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger, Blind Pig) and Alpine (Bad Boy, Nelson, Exponential Hoppiness) producing huge hop bombs that do far more than showcase the bittering properties of our favorite vine, the hop. While we've been blessed to enjoy world class IPAs from Three Floyds, most areas of the Midwest and East Coast were void of world class pours of this delicious style - until recently. The curious thing about the IPAs I've had the privilege to enjoy recently, is that they come from a very unsuspecting place: Vermont.

Ephraim

Two of the brews I've gotten to enjoy come from my absolute favorite brewery, Hill Farmstead. Located literally in the middle of Nowhere, Vermont (well, Greensboro actually - but you do need to drive down a lengthy dirt road to get there), owner and master brewer Shaun Hill has been brewing up quite a buzz in the craft beer scene for the last year. After only one year of operations, Hill Farmstead was voted the 5th best brewery in the world according to ratebeer.com. Most beer enthusiasts who have had his beer agree, myself being counted in that number. Mr. Hill's IPAs are never bottled, only served on draft or in growlers, in order to ensure they are consumed when they are at their freshest and most delicious. The two double IPAs I've had recently from Hill Farmstead are Ephraim (DIPA, 9.8%) and Society & Solitude #5 (DIPA, 7.8%). Ephraim is one of Shaun Hill's most famous creations, an absolutely gargantuan double IPA packed with flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, mango, and a light pine, all supported by a hefty caramel backbone. The other double IPA, Society & Solitude #5, will only be brewed once as part of an ongoing experimental IPA series. Society #5 is brewed to showcase the magnificent citrus qualities of New Zealand hope varieties. Utterly drinkable given the ABV, Society #5 bursts with grapefruit and oranges, while bolstered with a light sweetness (the malt backbone was practically inexistent). I can unequivocally say this was the best beer I've ever had, and I couldn't decided after the last sip if I was happy I had the opportunity to try it, or sad knowing I would never have it again. Either way, it will be the benchmark by which I judge all other double IPAs in the future.

Society & Solitude #5

Another Vermont brewery making serious waves is The Alchemist, located about an hour Southwest of Hill Farmstead in Waterbury, VT. The Alchemist is most well known for its flagship double IPA, Heady Topper. Only distributed in cans, Heady Topper has garnered enough accolades to become the third highest rated beer in the world on Beer Advocate. A well deserved spot, as Andy noted after he tried his first one last week:

Heady Topper

One of the interesting things about Heady Topper is that the brewers encourage you to drink it out of the can (it even says so ON the can!) in order to maximize its flavor. I'd have to agree, I poured a Heady into a glass once and it was just not as good. I typically have a steady stream of Heady Topper coming in every month, so if any readers ever wish to try this masterpiece, shoot me an email!

Broo Doo

While Vermont is churning out some second-to-none beer right now, we can't forget about the IPA king in our own backyard, Three Floyds. This month, Three Floyds monthly release is its wet-hopped IPA, Broo Doo (IPA, 7%, brewed with freshly picked whole cone hops).  Delicious and bursting with citrus and hop aromas, Broo Doo is another great installment in Three Floyds repertoire of fantastic hoppy beers. Though I have never had it, Andy has me very excited for Founders own wet-hopped IPA, Harvest Ale (IPA, 6.5%). Both Harvest Ale and Broo Doo will be available in our area within the next two weeks!




So that's my segment honoring the juicy hop. Thanks for reading my short novel, and I encourage you to seek some of those beers out. And as I said before, if any readers ever wish to try some of them, I might just have a few if you ask! Cheers.

Founders Bolt Cutter Release Details

Today, Founders released information concerning the upcoming release of its commemorative 15th anniversary ale, Bolt Cutter (American Barleywine, 15%). This is shaping up to look like a pretty phenomenal ale, with portions of it being aged in bourbon barrels and maple syrup bourbon barrels, while the remainder was fermented through normal processes.  Fermentation and blending has been finished for several months, but Founders has held on to the bottles and kegs to allow them to mature. If I say so myself, that sounds incredibly delicious.

The release is set to occur on multiple levels. First, this Saturday (October 6th) at 11am EST, tickets will go on sale that will allow you to purchase an allotment of two Bolt Cutter bottles on a specified date between Sunday, November 11th and Friday, November 16th (my birthday!!!). If you are lucky enough to score one of these tickets (250 for each day, they will go FAST), you can go buy your two bottles on the day you are assigned (and ONLY on that day). Tickets will be sold here: Bolt Cutter Ticket Sales

The next release of Bolt Cutter will be on draft at Founders 15th Anniversary Party on Saturday, November 17th at 11am in their Grand Rapids taproom. This is a free event that will operate as first come first serve. I would certainly expect this event to be crowded with a sizable line, so if you do plan on attending, arrive early.

Finally, bottles of Bolt Cutter will see normal Backstage Series distribution (this ale is in fact being considered their next installment in the series) as of November 19th. This means it will be a limited release, but should not be impossible to track down. With a little proactivity and patience, you should be able to find yourself a bottle or two.

So there you have it! Between now and December there are quite a few special releases from multiple breweries being distributed in the area. Happy hunting!