The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 5 Hazelnut Brown Nectar Rogue Ales and Spirits

Beer # 304 Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Brewery: Rogue Ales and Spirits

Type: Independent Brewery Est.: 1988

Location: Newport, Oregon, United States of America

Beer Style: Flavoured Nut Brown Ale

ABV: 5.6%      IBU: 33

Format: Crown Capped Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 750 ml

Cost: $6.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer




Another brewery that I haven't had for a while, and yet are always good for a nice brew. Tonight's offering is a take on a nut brown ale, that has been infused with extract of hazelnut. I'm not a huge nut fan, I think it stems from the time I spent in the U.K. as a kid. At the time I was living with my Aunt in Glynneath, Wales. Behind the town on the mountain-side grew wild hazelnut trees, we called them filberts. My cousin and I would play on the mountain-side and snack on the nuts which were still on the terribly green side. Although edible (just barely), the very green filberts had a lovely tendency to make a belly very ill. I doubt I fully recovered from that.

Onto our beer...

Pours a rich chestnut colour with a gorgeous off-tan head made up of tiny bubbles. Aroma is roasted hazelnuts, sweet malt, hints of bread, frangelico and a little molasses. The first sip is dominated by roast hazelnuts, coffee and french vanilla hot chocolate. Pure dessert in a glass. mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly creamy. Finish is bitter, with hints of that brown nut paper that rubs off of freshly roasted hazelnut.good balance between bitter and sweet. Slightly intense flavour associated with the hazelnut extract. Overall flavour reminds me of European pastries,  rich, nutty, cakey, slightly bitter, and not overly sweet. Aeration gives us the intensity of the nut extract with some deeply caramel malt, green hops and some light espresso notes. Finish is coffee and hints of dark chocolate.


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
Christmas Cheer: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Another really good beer from Rogue. The balance is quite good between sweet and bitter. The only fault I find is that the nut flavour is slightly artificial feeling. I have trouble when breweries use extracts, they usually end up being too intense, and this is one of those cases. However, it doesn't ruin this beer.  Definitely worth a shot, especially if you like hazelnuts. What I would really like to do with this beer, is cook desserts with it.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 295 Juicin' New England IPA Sawdust City Brewing Company

Beer # 295 Juicin' New England IPA 
Fever Dream Series

Sawdust City Brewing Company

Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Independent Microbrewery Established 2012
New England India Pale Ale
ABV 6.3 %  IBU: 45
Aluminium Can 500 ml.
$3.50 (Canadian) At the The Brewery

Twitter @SawdustCityBeer

Back Again with another Sawdust City beer. Certainly not a brewery to rest on their laurels they continue to push boundaries and try new things. Their stable of beers is filling up fast. First there was the five core beers, then the regular seasonals like Blood of Cthulhu, The Princess Wears Girlpants, Long Dark Voyage to Uranus, Twin Pines, 11/05, and Sägemehl Stadt Oktoberfest beer. Then Came the Winewood Series which was barrel aged beers, and now a new series has emerged, "Fever Dream." There isn't any word on what the theme of fever dream is but we can easily guess it is about bringing some fantasies to reality. The first beer in the series is Juicin' a "New England IPA." and the second is coming out on December 1st and it will be "Hygge", a sour Belgian Tripel with black plums. Wait a minute, what's a New England IPA you might ask. Well I'm glad you did... because I had to ask too. 

New England IPA has it's mythical roots at a Vermont Brewery called The Alchemist in Stowe Vermont. Perhaps you may have heard about one of their beers called "Heady Topper." Heady Topper was a style onto itself, cloudy, unfiltered, soft, balanced, fruity, and soft on bitterness. Heady Topper is one of the most consistently, highest rated beers on Ratebeer.com and as One person put it "... it would be easier to find "Champ" the Lake Champlain monster than a can of Heady Topper." Heady Topper strangely is not a limited release; although the hours long line up at retailers to buy a single can, would beg to differ. The Alchemist makes 10,000 barrels of it a year, and it does not make it any farther than 25 miles from the brewery. They plan to open a second facility to brew another 10,000 barrels, I doubt it would get much farther. It was originally only on tap, but a rash of Beer Pirating (yes you read that right...) forced them to start canning Heady Topper on their own. It was said that people were going into bars buying a pint of Heady, and taking it to the bathroom to bottle and cap. They would then download artwork from the website print a label and then sell the pirated beer on e-Bay (Um... bathroom beer? ugh...no thanks). Still to this day, retailers sell out their allotment of 80 to 100 cases  in less than an hour. Why? Simple. This was the first New England IPA. 

Now the term New England IPA is not really officially recognised yet, and it is not a term that was developed by the brewing industry. It is more of a "Fan Name." Often you will hear it called "Vermont IPA," and there was some discussion that it should be named that for the state of it's origin, but by this time it had grown beyond just Vermont and "New England IPA" kinda has a good ring to it. So New England IPA began to grow with other breweries trying to experiment with the style. Eventually it made its way here... to Ontario and into the minds of the brew-master at Sawdust City. This is their take on the new style.

Onward ho, to New England...

Pours a cloudy light gold with a good white head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is a rich tapestry of tropical fruit, with peaches hints of grass and some light breadiness. First sip is heaps of fruit and a light sweetness with  citrus pineapple and peach. Malt is light and airy, subtle grassiness, toasted oats and a light hoppy spice. Aeration gives us a creamy mouthfeel hints of grain some hay some malt a black pepper. 

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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

Experience: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

This beer is delicious. I certainly haven't had another New England IPA to compare it to, but if this is a good representation of the style, I want to correct that immediately. I may have to venture down to Stowe Vermont and try my luck in line for one of the Heady Toppers. But, if I can't, I will be satisfied with one or two more of these. And if you can find one of these, try it and see what all the fuss is about. Just don't buy any on e-Bay... (bathroom beer, remember?)
Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 281 Lawrence of Arabica Coffee Orange Porter Amager Bryghus

#281 Lawrence of Arabica Coffee Orange Porter
Collaboration with 18th Street Brewery


Amager Bryghus

Kastrup, Denmark
Independent Microbrewery
Flavoured Porter
7.0 % ABV 32 IBU
500 ml Brown Glass Bottle
$6.30 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @18thStreetBrew


It's been a while since I had a beer from Amager in Denmark. They tend to be quite good. However I didn't originally pick this up because it was from Amager, I didn't even know it was a collaboration until I logged in on Untappd. I was initially struck by the artwork on the bottle, and I'm a sucker for good ( read: bad) puns. So basically I bought it because it was punny. Tonight's offering, aside from being the aforementioned collab between Amager Bryghus of Denmark and 18th Street Brewery of Hammond Indiana, Is a coffee and orange peel infused strong porter. 

Onto tonight's tasting...

Pours an inky black/brown with a thin dark chestnut coloured head. Aroma is smoky, slightly tarry, with chocolate, coffee, molasses, and charcoal. First sip is a deeply roasted malt with strains of dark coffee and espresso. A slight charred bitterness, with light hints of citrus and a minute sparkle on the back of the tongue. As the beer warms a nice woodsy whiskey flavour. The orange is more evident at warmer temperatures. Aeration bring out smoky wood, and charcoal campfire coffee, and hints of vanilla.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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


Final Thoughts:

This is a wonderful beer. very flavourful, aromatic and complex. This sultry smoky deliciousness is exactly what a porter should be. The coffee and the orange are light enough to compliment the dark roasted malts, and not too heavy as to hijack the taste profile. Well balanced and worth a try.


CJT


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New Glassware and Lagunitas IPA

#275 Lagunitas IPA

The Lagunitas Brewing Company

Petaluma, California, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Partially Owned by Heineken International
India Pale Ale 6.2 % ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.

ISO Standard Tasting Glass

$2.49 (Canadian) At the LCBO ($14.95 for a six pack)

Twitter: @LagunitasBeer

So over the years I have used a number of glasses for tasting my beers. They have varied in shape and size, however, mostly I use wine glasses over beer glasses. Originally I started out with an ISO Standard Tasting Glass. Used mainly in wine tasting it tends to highlight the less than favourable qualities of the beverage. So basically if the wine can overcome the glass... it's good. From there I migrated through a number of glasses (mainly because my cat disagreed with Issac Newton and kept trying to test the theory of gravity...) I recently settled on a stemless wine glass as my go to beer taster and it does a good job of concentrating aromas and enhancing flavours. 

Teku Glass

Lately there has been some buzz in the glassware world (it's not often anyone gets to say those words...) A Italian stylist (and beer lover) partnered with brewers to develop a glass that enhanced the craft beer experience. The Teku was born. While on the surface it looks great I just wanted to put it to the test. So I thought the best way was to do a side by side taste with my stemless glass against the new Teku. I chose Lagunitas IPA because IPA is one of the main beers this glass was designed for.

Onto the side by side.

Teku Aroma: Very fruity. Tons of tropical fruit passion fruit and hints of pineapple.some sweet caramel notes with hints of vanilla and soft malt notes.

My stemless wine glass vs the Teku

Stemless Wine Aroma: Nutty and malty fruit notes are very muted more caramel and wood notes.

TeKu First Taste: Fruit driven sweet IPA with hints of lemon and orange peel

Wine glass first taste: Sweet sugary, some caramel, malt driven, tropical fruit and lemon in the background

Aeration (too similar for each glass so just recorded it once): sweet malty west coast style IPA some turbinado sugar with light hints of molasses and herbal hops notes. Some marijuana, and a little funk.





The Results


Teku Glass Pros: The build is the best positive of this glass. The long stem prevents early warming of the beer. The shape concentrates the aroma and delivers it straight to your nose. Plus I noticed that because of the shape of the glass my nose was positioned far closer to the beer helping to deliver those delicious volatile compounds and esters right into my olfactory. The lip of the glass is very thin. I have heard many people claim their biggest fear is breaking this glass. Yes, it is more delicate but that also helps by giving a nice slick runway for the liquid to be delivered onto your tongue better. Thinner glass, less turbulence, more flavour. The same principle is used in high end wine glasses. Yes it is probably best to break out the mugs for your beer if you are day drinking and out for a rip.... (or may I suggest a solo cup...) But if you are in enjoying one or two craft beer the more fragile TeKu is well suited. Lastly this beer accentuates the more subtle nuances of the beer. The fruitier lighter tones came out... mainly because those flavours are the most volatile and evaporate the quickest while the heavier malt tones and caramels tend to linger longer. The exageratted tulip of the TeKu traps the volatile compounds and gives you an opportunity to savour them before they are lost.

TeKu Cons: I think the biggest con is that this beer glass is "too good." It makes every beer taste good. Worse, it makes a flawed beer taste much better than it should.

Final Thoughts

The Teku is fine, expensive but fine. It your new date is a beer snob and you want to impress his or her pants off... Pour them a hoppy APA or a tart sour beer in this glass, and the night is going to go well (results not guaranteed). But for my purposes, a.k.a pint glass pontification... The Teku is kinda useless. However I am certainly not about breaking it out to sit in my lawn chair to watch someone else mow the lawn...

Oh, and the Lagunitas? A very good IPA Truly a shame they were bought out.

Cheers

CJT

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Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout Beer

Beer # 245 Rogue Sriracha Hot Stout Beer

Rogue Ales

Newport, Oregon, USA
Independent
Flavoured Stout 5.7 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle with Vinyl Shrink-wrap label 750 ml.
$6.60 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @RogueAles

This is a beer I have been wanting to try since I heard it was going to be made. I love hot sauces and chiles and Sriracha is one that always has a place in my fridge (try it on Macaroni!)

For those who don't know, Sriracha is a hot chile sauce made with select hot peppers ground into a paste and mixed with vinegar, garlic, salt and sugar (representing the four cornerstones of Asian cuisine: spicy, sour, salty, and sweet). The sauce is thought to be first produced in a small village in Thailand called Si Racha, where it was used as a dipping sauce for seafood. However, the version we are familiar with is actually produced in California, USA.  "Rooster sauce," or as it is more saucily known as "Cock Sauce" is a stateside iteration of the Thai sauce produced by Huy Fong foods. In 1978 David Tran fled his country of Viet Nam during the war and escaped to the United States on a Taiwanese freighter called Huey Fong which Mr. Tran would eventually name his company. (So Sriracha is a Thai style sauce made in the USA by a Vietnamese man who runs a company named after a Taiwanese ship... Confused? Me too). Oh and the rooster on the label? Mr. Tran was born in the year of the rooster in the Chinese Zodiac.

Meanwhile... Back in Canada...

The beer is produced by Rogue Ales and Spirits... The lovely people who brought us Voodoo Donut beers. Tonight's offering is a very lovely stout that has had sriracha infused into it. 

Look out taste buds... here it comes...

Pours a slightly muddy black-brown that is so opaque light will not shine through. The head is deep tan in colour with red highlights, made up of small to tiny bubbles. Aroma is intensely dark chocolate and cocoa powder with hints of fresh chiles. Some wood and caramel. First sip gives us Sweet chocolate stout malty caramel, some woodiness, then the heat kicks in. Capsaicin heat trips across the tongue, and warms the throat. Heat builds. Aeration gives us a creaminess and an explosion of heat that almost singes the tongue. Flavours meld well together like Mexican Chocolate.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


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

Final Thoughts:

Wow, this beer rocks. You can't drink it fast though you have to sip at it or else the heat becomes too intense. It is a beer I would enjoy cooking with... BBQ sauce springs to mind.
CJT


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Beer # 192 Sorachi Ace Brooklyn Brewery

Sorachi Ace

Brooklyn Brewery


Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
Independent
Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale 7.6% Brown Glass Bottle 750ml.
$9.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @BrooklynBrewery

It has been some time since I strolled down to Brooklyn Brewery and had one of their many delicious beers. Brooklyn Brewery is, of course, home to Brewmaster extraordinaire Garrett Oliver "The Wizard of Hops." Garrett is certainly a driving force in the rapidly evolving craft beer scene in the USA, and he is generous with his wisdom. Many, many craft brewers around the world have stories of inspiration from Garrett Oliver. Me, I'm just happy anytime I get to drink one of his beers.

Sorachi Ace is a very rare hop. Previously, it was used almost exclusively by the Sapporo Brewery in Japan. It has since become sporadically available in the US. Giving off a distinctive lemon/citrus flavour it is slightly more subtle than the heavy duty grapefruit flavoured hops favoured by the IPA-APA makers of today. This beer has been "blowing up," so to speak (in the current vernacular) the craft beer blogosphere lately. It sells out rapidly wherever it shows up. Heaps of praise and accolades are piled on it... Let's see what all the fuss is about... Shall we?

Onto the tasting...

Pours a hazy light gold colour with an ample fluffy white head made up of small to medium bubbles. Nose is citrusy sweet with bready yeast aromas. First sip is lemon and Seville orange, with some mandarin and marmalade notes. Lightly spicy, some allspice, or mace. Honey and lychee make an appearance. Aeration brings out the tangy citrus, A slight bitterness like the pith of an orange, and a very warming bready yeasty note. Beer is very dry, crisp, and clean. finish is short, and mellow with a hint of grapefruit.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

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


Final Thoughts:


A near perfect score for an absolutely exceptional beer. Lively fruit flavours, crisp dry taste, every sip left me wanting more. I can see why so many people have been raving about this beer. I was ecstatic to find this beer... all too often I have to read about stellar beers from the Craft scene in the US and never get to try them... I'm looking at you Sriracha Beer, Chile Beer, and Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout...


Cheers


CJT



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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 21: Game of Thrones Valar Morghulis

Beer # 185 Game of Thrones Valar Morghulis

Brewery Ommegang

Cooperstown, New York, United States of America
Owned in Part by the Duvel Moortgat Brewery of Belgium
Belgian Dubbel 8.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$9.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO


Twitter: @BreweryOmmegang


Okay, I admit it. I'm a nerd... and I should be watching Game of Thrones... but sadly I have not caught the bug... yet. Perhaps this beer will change my mind. If you have been living under a rock... on Mars... with your eyes closed... and fingers in your ears... going "Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala." You may have missed the phenomenon that is George R. R. (I'm jealous of J.R.R. Tolkien) Martin's Game of Thrones. The sexy book series that has taken HBO by storm (No... not True Blood... That's the OTHER sexy book series that has taken HBO by storm). From what I have gathered it is about a fictional quasi-medieval kingdom in Britain that is ruled by sex fiends and murderers... I'm just paraphrasing here. So I WAS very interested when I discovered this bottle in the LCBO of a limited Game of Thrones series from Brewery Ommegang. Now I had heard of Ommegang before and I have followed them on Twitter. But I had not delved deep into the mysteries of the brewery yet. The brewery was opened in the States by a family that shares in ownership of the great Duvel Moortgagat Brewery. Now Duvel is widely recognised as one of the finer commercial Belgian producers, and I was interested in seeing if that experience had transferred to their American brothers.

So, as I sit on my Iron Throne... I declare... That the Tasting is coming...


Pours a cloudy chestnut brown with a light tan head made of small bubbles. Nose is wheaty, nutty, licorice and sweet molasses. First sip is molasses and cloves. Toasted wheat, caramelised bananas and allspice. Finish is very earthy and mushroomy. Aeration gives us caramel and baking spices.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Very simple, and straightforward. This IS a Belgian dubbel. The flavour profile is right on, and it is an excellent drink. Is it the best dubbel?... no. Is it a great dubbel?... possibly. But for a Belgian styled dubbel brewed in America... this is bang on. If you can get your hands on this bottle (it was the VERY last one in the store I bought it from) or any of the other Game of Thrones series... please do try them.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 19: The Poet

Beer # 183 The Poet Oatmeal Stout

New Holland Brewing Company

Holland, Michigan, United States of America
Independent
Oatmeal Stout Ale 5.2 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.33 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @NewHollandBrew

 Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
    But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
    And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
            Merely this and nothing more.

The Raven -- Edgar Allen Poe  1845

 Years ago I got a copy of Poems, Chiefly Narrative, well, I still have it. But in its pages I first began to enjoy poetry. One of those poems was, of course, The Raven. A dark brooding, twisted tale of a man haunted by ( choose one: Grief, guilty conscience, mental illness, alcohol, drugs, disease, loneliness... etc.) whose fears manifest in the form of a raven that speaks but one word: `Nevermore.`  Poe leaves us to fill in the blanks, Why is the raven there? Who does he represent? What has the hero done? (so many questions). A good beer should be like a good poem. A little thought provoking, a good topic of conversation, and a leave you with desire for more.

Tonight's beer does not specifically invoke the name of Edgar Allen Poe or the Raven, but a cheeky raven is silhouetted against a full moon on the label, leaving us to draw our own conclusions... just like Poe's poem.

Enough literary devices... onto the tasting...

Pours a hazy chocolate brown with a generous tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is caramel, toasted grains, rich chocolate, cedar, and pencil shavings. The first sip is a rich but soft tasting beer. slightly effervescent on the tongue. the oats are dominant... with  lots of toasty grain notes caramel chocolate and a sweet woody finish.Aeration gives us an earthy, caramel, licorice flavour.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 



Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

A very standard oatmeal stout. While good it does nothing special to attract attention.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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