Beering Around Tacoma

In the Meantime:

2009-01-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

I've updated my pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28858317@N07/ , and my cellar spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pqZGnczWjou3a7VrskRHwHw&hl=en . Enjoy!!

Trying to get back to normal!

2009-01-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the complete lack of posts, but I will try to get back at it soon as I settle into my new home after 6 weeks of moving, fixing, negotiating, etc!! I'll be sure to review the upcoming Un-Superbowl party and some of my recent purchases. I'll try to make it up to you!!

Alesmith 2006 Imperial Evil Dead Red

2008-12-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, as I have been a little under the weather and my taste for detailed accounts has been eschewed, and our family is going through the big change of buying and selling a house. Big changes ahead! 15 minutes closer to my friends and my favorite stores and establishments!

Anyway, to celebrate our offer on the New house today, I chose to delve into a recent acquisition pf a rare treat: Alesmith Imperial Evil Dead Red, the 2006 Decadence Anniversary Ale. This slightly musty, deep Garnet, 9.9% monster, pours with a fluffy head, that continues to leave about a 1/4" on top as I continue to sip, also hanging a sticky, thick off-white lacing around the glass. The nose is slightly carmelly with a hint of dark fruit and a slight whiff of the remaining spicy hop aroma.

The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, slightly effervescent, and hits you with a complex blend of tangy, breadiness, followed by the spicy hop bitterness that lingers temporarily, inviting you to take another draw of this very intriguing elixir! As I sip it continues to challenge the taste with its many dimensions that range from the aged quality of the aroma, the mildly sweet carmelly malt, to the signature spicy hop of the style, this is a beer to be savored, enjoyed for a special occasion!

Stone 10th Anniversary IPA!! Again!

2008-11-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

It has been said that this Imperial IPA is way past its prime and has really lost it! As an IIPA, yes. As a world class strong ale it is still up in a class by itself!

It pours a murky bright orange, with a very slight head (not that I really care how much head it has, as I feel carbonation is very overated in aged beers), that continues to leave a layer of effervessence on the top as it sits.

The first whiff upon tipping the glass is of the slighty musty, aged scent you'd get from a fine port or aged whiskey, just to let you know that it has been stored like a genie in a bottle for 2 years and 3 months! Not a lot of the Summit hops in the nose, maybe just a bit of a hay bale sort of character that is strangely enticing.

As I sip this I cannot help but find the flavors almost indescribable! The hops continue to have a citrus (slight grapefruit/tangerine), as the well developed semi-sweet malts fight to overtake the ever present, but not as long lasting hop bitterness. I have said I would really almost classify this as a Barleywine, with its fruity-citrus and bitter hop, with the sweet malt that has the ability to age as this does.

As it warms and I sip, I still can't put my finger on it, but this is still developing into a fine, fine ale of great taste and quality. So, who cares if it's no longer an IIPA, who needs the beer reviewing sites anyway! Except for this one of course!

On BA this rates.. Oh who the hell cares why would I even bother to put a number on something like this, or hype some beer so you could only by it on EBay for $50-$400? I'll just think for myself, thanks, and just give you my thoughts on my experience and not on what I'm expected to say!

By the way, never expect me to rate something compared to those two rating sites. I feel it's unfair to some brewers and breweries and just plain takes the experience of trial and error out of an individuals hands! That's just my two cents worth!

On The Horizon

2008-11-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

Just because I was ill doesn't mean i wasn't out hittin' the streets when I could to obtain future treats. I was able, Thanks to Donna @ TB, to get just the right amount of Deschutes Abyss 2008 for cellaring and vertical tasting. I also, through a mysterious source was able to obtain a case of the ever changing Stone 10th Anniversary IPA (now fine Barleywine!). A lot of folks out there don't have much respect for this beer anymore, but I find it to be an elusive example of aged IIPA gone right! Also more Left Coast Hop Juice should be coming this way, along with a few other SoCal goodies! The other major news is my Bend Brewing Hop Head IIPA will be here Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Weekly (Give or take) Report 11/18-11/26

2008-11-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

As I figured, I'd just get this blog started and find a way not to keep up with regular postings! Well forgive me, I've been a little, and at times, a lot, under the weather! This does not make for good beer tasting, evaluating, and blogging! Not that I could stay away completely, as I had a few minor indulgences this week.

Thursday is generally "Date night" for my wife and I, and we managed to make it to Doyle's before heading off to see "Quantum of Solace", which by the way, is not as great as "Casino Royale", but it has it's moments. Fortunately we hit Doyle's before the nights crowd had come in so it was relatively quiet. Their beer selection has been pretty fair, and I usually end up with the same beers when I go. They were the always consistent and mildly exciting Maredsous 10 Trippel, and Delirium Tremens. Both are solid Belgian Ales, but neither has quite the enjoyment level of a Gouden Carolus or St Bernardus Trippel. And please, Doyle's: at least have One non-Stella, strong Belgian on tap, at all times! Tripel Karmeliet, Delirium, Affligem, or similar! Some people need more than the German, English, and Irish macro beers! Just one adventurous tap full-time would be nice! Thanks! Otherwise it was still a fine experience for a quick meal (Lamb Shepard's Pie) and a couple decent beers. I will say in their defense that The 22's of Ruination and Wipeout are always good options in my book!

On Friday I resumed one of my great "Every Friday Off" traditions by ending up at the beloved Parkway for lunch. Not only was the Turkey and Swiss sub delicious, but I was able to enjoy a very new keg of Full Sail's Wreck the Halls and the hop lover's dream- Pliny the Elder! Not much more needs to be said about Pliny that hasn't been said already, so I won't go over that again. The Wreck, though, is a wonderful Dark Amber,spicy-hopped IPA that continues to impress. Kind of like what that Celebration beer is supposed to be, but with actual flavor! And believe it or not, this 6.5% ale actually ages well! Unfotunately it will be keg only this year, so I don't know if I will be able to have the 2006,2007, 2008 vertical I was hoping for, but one can always hope a growler can be had at just the right moment!

Friday seemed to be my most healthy day of last week so I decided to have my beer tasting pal over for a couple,and to help me move a table to make way for a new one! By the way, Congrats Dan on the new addition to tour family, Issac!! Here's what we had:

Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA:
9.5% Amber ale, very good up-front aroma with a smooth balanced malt backbone and a great biiter-hop finish. Hopefully they make this a year round addition to their line-up. 12 oz bottles would be great! Thanks! Anyway, this is quite enjoyable, not up there with the giant killers of Imperial/Double IPA's but a solid quaff indeed!

De Regenboog 't Smisje + India Pale Ale:
10% Belgian Imperial IPA that is a dusty straw color with the head of a Duvel, but much more rewarding! this is probably the closest a Belgian Brewer has come to getting this style to have the hops of a NW or Cali IIPA and the yeast and malt of a strong golden or trippel! One of the best new Belgian varieties I've had in a while. Nice aroma of grassy hops, sweet, slighty citrus yeast/malt combo, with a nice mellow finishing bitterness from the hops. Look for this, hopefully a Tacoma Boys someday, capiche?

2007 Left Hand Imperial Stout:
10.4% Dark as night, smooth as silk, lightly carbonated, surprise of a Stout! Dan had brought this over as an offering a little over a year ago knowing that I would bring it our for sampling at just the right time, and I guess a toast to Issac was just the right time. The flavors of mild chocolate, dark sweet malt, slight coffee, and just a touch of finishing bitterness made this a complete surprise! I hadn't had it when it was fresh, but no matter, it was just fine, and also says something about the quality of Left Hand's bottling, that a standard everyday release bottle is given proper handling to age. Good thing I have another from about the same era for later!

Port/ Urthel Ne Goeien Saison:
5.5% Light Gold, almost champagne like carbonation. This kind of Saison seems to be the best palate cleanser / refresher at the end of a tasting session. It's mild clove and bready yeast, along with the slight hoppiness (for a Saison), make this a very nice sessionable ale.

All in all not a bad week for being sick, but I would have like to enoy myself just a bit further!

Weekly Report 11/10 - 11/16

2008-11-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've been fighting of a cold for a few days now, so I haven't been as interested or able to enjoy the brews as much as I would have liked to, but I had a few anyway.

Wednesday brought em over to a friends for a small tasting. Here's how it went:

Port Brewing Panzer Imperial Pilsner - 9.5% Dusty straw colored brew that was crisp and clean in a Lager sense, but a little underwhelming for something I expected to be comparable to a Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner ( probably the only SA beer you'll see mentioned in this blog), that was almost Imperial / Double IPAish in it's hop character.

New Belgium 2-Below - 6.6% Medium Ruby Winter Seasonal. (Probably another brewery that won't be mentioned often here). This one does surprise me, as it has a nice fresh hop-bale character that blends well with the slighty sweet bready malt. I will drink this again soon!

North Coast Old Stock 2006, 1st Edition - 13.25% Dark Garnet Old Ale. No surprise here, that this continues to age like the Port wine for the beerset. The malts have developed into a semi-sweet, rich, almost velvety with hints of dark fruits and cigar tobaaco. There is just a hint of hop essence and finishing bitterness that reminds you that the hops are there! Looking forward to this again 6-mos down the road.

Friday night at home I selected a couple of beers to sit down with during movie night. First I had the very underwhelming Grand Teton Sweetwater IPA, which had some flavor, but standard IPA's like this, with few exceptions, usually ahve a hard time reaching my palate. Upon recommendation my next pour was a 2007 Mad River John Barleycorn Barleywine. This is aging very well and may be up in that higher tier of bw's that includes Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws 2006, Stone 10th, Harmon Rajah's 2007, and Stone Double Bastard 2003. It is nicely nuanced with some up front hop, but a smooth malt that is not to heavy or syrupy, but still a little sticky and sweet. Next time I have it I will provide a more in-depth profile of it. Also I plan on stocking up on this years version for the years to come!!

After taking Saturday of from the sauce, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a tempting text with nothing but a picture of a lonely beer on a Sunday afternoon. If that's not a red herring I don't know what is! This lead me to the King of all Tacoma beers hangouts: The Parkway Tavern! Here's what I had:

Full Sail Prodigal Sun IPA- 6.5% Dark Amber underwhelming IPA. The bottled version I had during the summer was in my opinion, pretty hoppy and bitter. This was just mediocre, probably because it was brewed during the summer and is just past it's prime.

Boundary Bay IPA - 6.6% Light Amber fresh tasting hoppy IPA! This rarely fails to provide a nice hit of hops! This batch was no different, rendering the Full Sail helpless in a side-by-side! What more needs to be said!

Boundary Bay Imperial Oatmeal Stout - 8.5% Black, smooth stout. This was very pleasant. If I hadn't needed to drive home as soon as I did I would have had more! Next time J, insist that I get this first! I don't remeber the specific characters of this, but I do recall fully enjoying it, and even getting a pour of part of someone else's so I didn't have to order more!

It was a pretty fair week in my beer drinkin' world! Soon I'll give a short synopsis of Ramone's visit from SoCal and the many rare and delicious beers that were consumed!

Jumping off the High Dive

2008-11-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm finally going to try and go ahead with this, hoping I can create interest in my casual interest in all things beer related. This will include my occasional trips to my favorite local establishments, my travels near and far, and tasting notes and observations from purchases and my beer cellar.

I hope I can keep this updated fairly regularly and make it interesting enough to you who are reading this now and my future readers. Any suggestions will be gladly accepted!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fitz