Flyers Game / Crazy Tasting

Yesterday I got together with some friends to watch the first game of the Flyers-Devils playoff series.  The Flyers won, 4-3, in OT (woohoo!!!) and we opened some great bottles over the course of the day...and into the night.  I thought we'd just have a few beers but somehow that turned into a counter full of rare and delicious brews. 

(Left to Right) -  Brouwer's 2009 Imagination Ale (brewed by Port/ Lost Abbey; 34% ale brewed with honey, raisins and rosemary and aged in bourbon barrels 33% ale aged in bourbon barrels 33% ale with raisins and aged in wine barrels), De Cam Kriek Lambic, Olfabrikken 2005 Islay Cask Stout, DuClaw Double Naked Fish, Allagash Coolship Cerise, Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Upright Fantasia, Upright Late Harvest, Cigar City Campeador - Fergus Mor Ale, and Upright Fatali Four.


My favorites of the day were:
Olfabrikken 2005 Islay Cask Stout - Scotch and more Scotch!  Huge sweet waves of lightly charred wood and lots of smokey peat.  So smooth and unbelievably balanced. This was a special treat that I'll probably never get to taste again.
 
Cigar City Campeador - Fergus Mor Ale (2009; bottle #20 of 204) - Another incredibly rare bottle that I feel lucky to have tried.  This was a blend of Big Sound Scotch Ale, Bolita Brown and Imperial Stout aged in a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel.  All of the flavors merged so well and this beer really blew me away.  Caramel, bourbon, dark fruits and maybe a bit of burnt vanilla highlighted the taste of this delicious brew. 

Upright Fatali Four - This was the third bottle we opened from Upright and my first time ever trying their beer.  I was highly impressed with everything I drank but this one took the prize.  Fatali Four is a saison brewed with fatali peppers (the 6th hottest pepper in the world).  The sour, citrus funk was met with a slow, subtle heat from the peppers.  The finish delivered a flavorful spiciness that lingered throughout my mouth while never overpowering the other tastes.  Very complex and one of the most memorable beers I've recently had.  Upright really nailed it on this one and I would definitely like to see more breweries experiment with hot pepper/ chili beers.  

The biggest disappointment was DuClaw Double Naked Fish, an imperial chocolate raspberry stout.  We all agreed that it tasted very dry and almost chalky.  Maybe this was just in comparison with everything else we had tried, but this brew certainly was the low point of the day.  I still have another bottle and look forward to drinking it at some point with a clearer palate.

This impromptu get together and tasting turned into an unforgettable drinking session.  Huge thanks to Craig and Eric for sharing some of these cellared gems. 

Team BrewOneFive - Tough Mudder

This Saturday, April 28th, the BrewOneFive team (me, Ari, Allison and Andrey) will be competing in the 2012 Tough Mudder.  GO TEAM!!!


Click to view full map and take a glimpse at the madness that awaits us. 

http://toughmudder.com/events/pennsylvania-2012/


LET'S DO IT!!!!!

Goose Island Christmas Ale

This beer seemed like a solid choice for a cold, rainy Sunday night.  Goose Island's Christmas Ale definitely wasn't as spicy as other Christmas ales I've had in the past. In fact, this really didn't seem like much of a traditional holiday ale at all.  That observation didn't keep me from enjoying it though.  The initial taste was subdued but after caramel, malt, cinnamon and some dark fruit, a lasting hop presence lingered from sip to sip.  This beer seemed less like a Christmas ale and more like some sort of special-release brown ale.  While I wouldn't go out of my way to buy more of this, I'll gladly finish off the 4-pack I purchased. Good, not great, but certainly served its purpose of being a satisfying beer to wrap up the weekend with.    

Heady Topper

Wow, what a great beer!  So delicious, so drinkable, so sad I can't have a stockpile of this around at all times.  Until last week, I wasn't sure when I'd ever have a chance to try Heady Topper, the much sought after double IPA from The Alchemist Brewery (Waterbury, VT).  I read that The Alchemist was going to start distributing Heady Topper to Philly and within a week I had a couple of cans in my fridge.  Score!

According to their website (http://www.alchemistbeer.com/), "The Alchemist Brewery is currently focused on brewing one beer perfectly. Heady Topper, our flagship Double IPA, is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of hops will creep up on you and leave you with a dense, hoppy finish in your mouth. So drinkable, it’s scary."

This beer is not over the top, instead it is perfectly balanced with all of the qualities one would seek from a DIPA.  The sweet maltiness and mild carbonation do a great job providing a substantial, yet non-overpowering, counterweight to this 16. oz hop bomb.  There are loads of complex piney, earthy, citrus hops that resonate in your mouth long after you try pouring out a last drop of goodness from the empty can.

Great job to The Alchemist for making this delicious hop nectar available in the 215.  Heady Topper is one of the best DIPA's I've ever tasted and it's probably the best canned beer I've ever had!  I really hope that there is going to be an Alchemist event planned during Philly Beer Week.  Fingers crossed!!      

Glassware courtesy of Brawley's Beverage (The best bottle shop in Charlotte, NC)  http://www.brawleysbeverage.com/

Uinta Hop Notch IPA

I just finished up food shopping and realized that we could use some more beer in the house.  I mean, what fridge is actually ever truly "full"?  There was a display set up advertising Hop Notch and it totally caught my eye.  Appealing label, cool graphic.  I really wasn't sure what to expect from this IPA and it totally blew me away!  After popping off the cap, the sweet smell of citrus hops, pineapple juice and honey instantly made me happy with this purchase.  The delicious scent translated extremely well to the flavor of my first sip. This beer tasted incredibly fresh and I wasn't surprised to see that it was bottled on 4/2/12...just over a week ago.  It's pretty amazing that we're able to get something that fresh all the way from Utah in just over a week after it's bottled.  Hop Notch is very drinkable (dangerously drinkable) for a 7.3% brew.  As with all IPA's, I'd suggest consuming it as fresh as possible because over time some of the bold qualities I admire in Hop Notch will fade and mellow out.  I loved this beer and strongly recommend picking up a 6-pack of this stuff SOON!  I plan to buy more...tomorrow.

The Bottle Shop at Local 44

I went to the Bottle Shop at Local 44 last night and was highly impressed.  The folks at Local 44 know their beer and it definitely reflects in the great selection of bottles offered in their new shop.  Local 44 is one of my favorite bars in the city and what I consider to be the best bar in West Philly. There is always a warm, neighborhood feel and they consistently have a fantastic tap list.

Two weeks ago, Local 44 expanded by adding an attached bottle shop next door to the bar.  According to their website, "Our bottle list rounds out at just over 500".   The shop is basically divided into 2 areas.  There is a refrigerated section with single bottles and 6-packs that is separated by style (red & hoppy, Belgian, etc.).  The highlight of my visit though was the second room, located a few steps away, that housed a remarkable selection of high class craft beers.  The aesthetic layout to showcase the bottles was simple by design yet visually appealing to a very high degree.  I could easily spend a good amount of time looking around here!  Some examples included Rodenbach 2009 Vintage Oak Aged Ale, Firestone Walker 14th and 15th Anniversary Ales, and also brews representing Lost Abbey, Dogfish Head, Russian River, and Trappist Achel.  A lot of hard work went into the construction of this shop and it definitely paid off! 

In addition to the bottles, there are also 2 taps of hand-pumped ale pouring behind the counter.  Customers can sit at the 4-seat bar and enjoy a fresh glass of beer while shopping.  Currently on tap: Yards ESA and Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA.

Along with Local 44, the staff at the bottle shop are very friendly and approachable.  Definitely ask any question you may have because the guys here are extremely knowledgeable about the products they sell.  I already drank the beer I purchased last night (Port Brewing Co. Mongo IPA, Weyerbacher Simcoe IPA) so I guess I'm already due for another visit.  See you soon!



http://local44beerbar.com/bottleshop.htm