Beer # 71 Imperial Crème Brûlée Stout

Imperial Crème Brûlée Stout

Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, New York, USA
Independent
Imperial  Flavoured Milk Stout 9.6% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml.
$9.25 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Back again with one of my favourite New York breweries, Southern Tier, to do a beer style I have not yet posted about. Milk Stout. Milk Stout differs from "Dry Stout" (I.E. Guinness) in the the fact that lactose has been added during the brewing process. Lactose is a type of sugar derived from milk.Without getting too scientific, Lactose is a disaccharide (meaning, simply "two sugars"). It is formed by bonding the two simple sugars of glucose and galactose. Another disaccharide is maltose which is formed from complex plant starches such as grains like barley, rye, and wheat; you guessed it, barley malt equals maltose equals beer. Isn't science fun? During the brewing process, yeast requires sugar to form three helpful byproducts. Heat, carbon dioxide, and everyone's favourite... ethyl alcohol (beer, wine, vodka etc...) Now maltose is made up of two glucose molecules, and is the perfect food for yeast. However, lactose cannot be digested by yeast and remains untouched in the final product. So the question you ask is: why put it in, in the first place? The answer is simply: medicine. During the last half of the 19th century doctors believed that stout beers contained many of the nutrients and vitamins necessary for life. (Suddenly that old ad "Guinness is Good for You." starts to make sense...) So when food was expensive and beer was cheap, to help the average worker keep working doctors would prescribe a pint of stout a day to people who seemed weak, and thin. (where do I get one of these? Will Healthcare cover the cost of beer?) So back to the lactose, where does it come in? Yeast consumes the sugars in the beer, thereby reducing the calorie count. So to increase the calorie count you would have to put in a sugar that doesn't get consumed. Hence the lactose. Milk stouts were invented as a fortifying drink full of vitamins and calories to help you get through your day. Even to this day, many people believe a pint of stout a day for a nursing mother is good for her, and the baby! Another similar beer with a similar back-story is Oyster stout (yes with real oysters in it!) when I find an authentic oyster laden stout... you guys will be the first to know!


Now a note about tonight's beer. It is listed on the bottle as an "Imperial Milk Stout." Now what does the imperial mean? Imperial was a designation for a very specific stout brewed for the Russian court of  Catherine the Great. It was first brewed by Thrales of London (England) in the 1700's. It's defining characteristic was its high alcohol content ( about 9% ). Today the lines of distinction have been blurred and often any beer of a high alcohol content tends to be called "Imperial." One may find Imperial Porter, Imperial Baltic Porter, Imperial IPA etc. So Imperial's true meaning has been lost, if you see something denoted as "Imperial" today, just drink one... the alcohol is probably pretty high. As well, tonight's beer has been flavoured with real vanilla bean. Yes, yes... it is dessert in a glass.


Alright enough science for today.... Onto the tasting:

It pours black/brown with a thin wispy head lightly tan in colour with tiny bubbles. Intoxicating aromas of vanilla, burnt sugar, and chocolate. First sip gives us a creamy sweet milk-like attack which gives way quickly to the snap of caramelised sugar, and almond extract. As the sugar subsides the taste moves over to a coffee, toffee, chocolate, caramel latte taste, and finishes with a hint of malted barley. Well balanced and carefully crafted it drinks almost exactly as the eponymous dessert, layered strata of flavours building one on the other. Aeration is fascinating to say the least. The introduction of air whips the beer in the mouth increasing the silky creaminess. It feels as though the beer has turned to whipped cream. The flavour also slightly changes to a more pronounced stout, coffee and espresso, with a hint of coffee liqueur. Residual sugar in the brew leaves a "sticky" feeling around the lips, not unpleasant in the least, like one has indulged in a very caramel laden sticky dessert.



Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional                        

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 Exceptional
Re-Order:  6/6 Exceptional  
Experience:   6/6  Exceptional


Final Thoughts:


Quite a remarkable beer, truly a dessert in a glass. Very satiating like a three course meal. 
Looking forward to my next Southern Tier.


Cheers
CJT

Beer # 61 2XIPA, Southern Tier

2XIPA

Southern Tier Brewing Company 
Lakewood New York, USA (Independent)

Double India Pale Ale 8.2% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.

$2.95 (Canadian) At LCBO.


Twitter @stbcbeer


@Twitter Hashtag of the Day: #IPAday

Well Happy IPA Day! As you may or may now know today was declared International IPA Day by a grassroots movement of Beer Bloggers and Craft Beer Producers and has become quite the sensation on Twitter. So @pintjockey is not one to be left out so I shall post an IPA today.


Heading south of the border again to what is quickly becoming one of my favourite producers: Southern Tier from Lakewood New York, today we sample 2XIPA as their website puts it: a "not quite imperial IPA" but a strong (8.2% ABV double IPA. Brewed with 4 hops and 3 types of Malt it has a very distinct flavour, and a beer I quite enjoyed tasting.


Onto the IPA


Golden in colour with a hint of green. Cream coloured head made up of tiny bubbles that disperse quickly. The nose is grapefruit and herbs. Dark malted flavours unusual for a lighter looking beer, more grapefruit some citrus sweetness, caramel and alcohol. Some wine or brandy/cognac notes near the end. The beer does not mask it's full 8.2% ABV the alcohol warms the beer and lingers on the tongue and in the throat. Bitterness seems mild however I would say it is balanced out by the other strong elements of the beer. Very drinkable and refreshing, but only one or two please... feeling the alcohol right away!

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  5/6  PASS        

Beer Style:  5/6 PASS 

Re-Order:  5/6 PASS   

Experience:   5/6  PASS

Final Thoughts:


A very good turnout again from this great American Brewery. Time and again the USA is setting the standard for advancing the craft beer industry. What began in the kitchens of medieval homes has grown into the avante garde laboratories of modern craft breweries. With late night beer fueled ramblings turning into delicious experiments. Hop, malt, and flavour combinations never dreamt of before... it is a great time, to be a beer drinker.


Cheers

CJT

Beer # 52 Gemini

Gemini 

Southern Tier Brewing Company, New York, USA (Independant)
Blend (see below) 9.1% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 650 ml
$9.00 (Canadian) at LCBO.

Today's beer is a blend of two other of a brewery's regular beers, and it is the first time I have heard of it being done with an IPA. The first beer is Unearthly Imperial IPA a hefty 9.5% 

heavily hopped ale that is described as being very fragrant. The second is Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale ale, a substantial 8.5% ale described as delicate and elegant. Both beers sound impressive on their own, whatever led the brewers to try the two together, well no-one is saying. What I say is the two beers are very similar in nature, so the selection of Gemini as the name rings true... the Twins.

Colour is light copper with a good sized off-white head made up of small bubbles that last a decent amount of time reducing to a skim across the top and some lacing on the glass. Aroma is strong floral hops with some fruitiness and as the beer warms a good hint of barn and molasses. First sip gives us a lot of sugar and a little cheek puckering astringency, herbal floral hops dominate, with the malt sugars bringing up the rear. There is a lot going on in this beer and I taste a little more with each sip. There is a little orange and bergamot, lingering inside. Mouthfeel is actually a little sticky. Aeration brings out the alcohol, and medicinal qualities. Almost gin-like.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost: 4/6 SO-SO
Colour: 5/6 PASS      
Beer Style: N/A it's an unusual blend
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:
This is a very complex and interesting beer I found myself racing through the bottle inadvertanly trying to taste all of the different nuances. Unfortunately I think I ran out of beer before I found everything I was looking for. The only fault I think is that the beer, however good, is over priced, six or seven dollars, maybe, but nine is stretching it.



Cheers
CJT