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.