Deschutes Black Butte XXI

Deschutes Black Butte XXI is a new take on the old Black Butte Porter.  Thick and viscous, this brew has both chocolate nibs and coffee beans (dry hop) in it, giving it a solid hit of each.  Chocolate in the nose, coffee in the body. Rich and velvety finish.  Nice and smooth for an 11% monster.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

2009 Pike Entire Wood Aged Stout

The 2009 vintage of the Pike Entire Wood Aged Stout looks awesome in the glass, doesn’t it?  Really… that is an amazing head with some dark beer syrup under it… mmm mmm good.  I wish it all were true… I think the wax around the top may have been to try to pull this beer off as a little more than it ended up being.  At 9.5% ABV, wood aged, and looking good, this beer is a bit like some of the women in the Philippines that I tried to hook my good friend Doug up with so many years back… looks good on the outside but when you actually get close, things aren’t what they seem. 

Either way, here is our tasting… thanks to Mr. Dave for bringing this one over and sharing.   The nose starts it by being just a little bit off… a little too mannish, if we keep with the mental picture.  This leads to a definite off-ness in the body, as well.  You can taste the oak and wood aged characteristics, but it is a bit esthery… not going to go there with the mental picture… a potentially too bitter finish brings this one to a close just like your friends telling you she is a dude… so… think of this blog as your friend saving you before things progressed… she is a dude. 

Maybe next year will be better.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Widmer Brothers W ‘10 Pitch Black IPA

I just finished off 2/3 of a six pack of these bad boys (Widmer Brothers W ‘10 Pitch Black IPA)  in nothing flat… easy to drink, nice as a session, this 6.5% beauty tastes good and packs a punch.  I drank out of the bottle tonight, but you could smell, even through that small little neck of a bottle, that this was maltier than hoppy… the black malt came through both in the nose and the body, making you wonder where all the hops had gone.  Then… all of a sudden… POW… HOPS IN YOUR FACE!  They sneak up on you and give you a little ‘hows your father’ right as you think you are safe. 

Overall a really balanced brew with complexity that keeps you guessing and the right amount of malt and hop to please just about anyone.  Nice work Widmer Brothers!

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale

I was very excited to get to my new BBFF (Beer Best Friend Forever) tonight with dinner after opening the box yesterday (Oh Happy Day #10 – Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale).  Offical tasting splendor: Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale.

Let’s just say I was not dissappointed!  This is one of those brews that, moreso than any in the past 6 months, I really wanted a six pack with me.  Sure it has been a bit of a dry spell, but this beer broke it.  Overall = oustanding.  The nose is malty and sweet, the color is dark brown/amber.  It poured a perfect thick, rich, and creamy head with a thick body as the bubbles took a while to mill about in the glass and then finally rise to the top of the thick nectar.  The body is nutty, mild, and smooth with malt sweetness in the undertones.  And the finish is short and tight, leaving you ready for your next drink immediately.  This beer was so easy to drink yet full of flavor that it may be my new favorite session beer once I get my hands on more.  I could drink this beer all night and wish I had more… right now!

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Oh Happy Day #10 – Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale

Oh happy day!  Came home from work late after a long day of work and night of catching up with some friends to a familiar sized/shaped box.  Upon opening it, I found two bottles of brew that I have been very, very interested in tasting… Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale (which is a reincarnation of their past nut brown ale).  In to the fridge they go and tomorrow will be the official tasting.  Great to have a bottle for me and a bottle for Po, although the packaging wasn’t nearly as cool as some of the previous shipments (I swear I am not trying to be a beer diva or anything). 

Tasting: Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale

Previous Oh Happy Day posts:

• Oh Happy Day #1 – Pipeline Porter
• Oh Happy Day #2 – Fish Tale Organic Ales
• Oh Happy Day #3 – Bell’s Brewery
• Oh Happy Day #4 – Widmer Brothers Brrr
• Oh Happy Day #5 – Redhook Double Black Stout
• Oh Happy Day #6 – Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale
• Oh Happy Day #7 – Redhook Tripel Belgian-style Ale
• Oh Happy Day #8 – Widmer Brothers Cherry Oak Doppelbock
• Oh Happy Day #9 – Redhook Treblehook

Official Press Release:

Nut Brown Ale Returns to Grocery Stores and Draught as Mudslinger Spring Ale

Woodinville, Wash., Jan. 11, 2010

This month, Mudslinger Spring Ale, previously known as Nut Brown Ale, from Redhook Ale Brewery (NASDAQ: HOOK), will return to grocery stores in 12 ounce bottles and on draught in the Western U.S.

“Mudslinger is one of my favorite beers. We brew it in a traditional American Brown Ale style, using six of the highest quality malts available. The malts, which include pale, chocolate, three different caramels and a touch of roasted barley, lend flavor, complexity and offer excellent drinkability.”

 – Greg Deuhs, Redhook brewmaster

Tasting Notes:

·         Mudslinger Spring Ale has a medium body and features malty layers of dark chocolate and caramel along with subtle notes of brown sugar and vanilla. 

·         The seasonal ale was brewed with six barley malts and two hop varieties, creating a smooth, well balanced brown ale flavor.

Mudslinger Spring Ale Rundown:

·         Brewed in a traditional American Brown Ale style

·         Alcohol by volume (ABV) of 5.8 percent

·         30 international bittering units (IBUs)

·         185 calories per 12 ounces

·         Available through April

Recommended Pairings:

·         Grilled meats, fowl, stews and even smoked oysters or salmon.

Midnight Sun Berserker Imperial Stout

It is said the that berserkers fought with wild, unrestrained agression… (Bing)  well, welcome to a wild, unrestrainedly aggressive beer… Midnight Sun Berserker Imperial Stout.  This black-as-night beer  has a sweet, fruity nose (dark fruit like prunes/plums) and pours thick and viscous.  The body is smooth and strong-like-bull (12.7% ABV) with dark roasted malt coming through with authority.  The low IBU keeps it easy at 30. 

All the aggression, none of the stinky Norse ball sweat.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Maui Brewing Co. CoCoNut Porter

I have no idea what their saying on the saying on the can means “…like hot chicks on the beach” but that is ok since Maui Brewing Co. CoCoNut Porter is actually pretty good.  Dark and roasted looking with a nice tan head, the malty nose gets you ready for what is to come… although there isn’t any discernable coconut smell.  similar into the body with very faint coconut hints and a faint memory of coconut in the finish.  Overall a pretty solid porter that I would buy again…

I doubt I will be buying it again any time soon, though since Mr. Dave had to bring this back in his suitcase from Hawaii…

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Fat Weasel Ale

I thought the bottle of this one looked a little fishy and unfamiliar and after digging around on the internet found this little tidbit from ratebeer:

Editor’s note: Contract brewed for Stienhaus Brewing Co. / Trader Joe’s by both Firestone Walker (for the west coast) and August Schell (for the east coast).

So… that all being said, this golden ale isn’t half bad.  I see mixed reviews over all, but at 7.1% and taken in line with other’s of a similar ilk (scottish, golden) it is balanced yet has enough character to be present and accounted for.  Finishes well and is nice and easy to drink.  Thanks to Mr. Dave for the taste on this one!

JBB6 Rating:  Will Buy Again

Snipes Mountain Porter

I hear about Snipes Mountain Brewery quite often from The Belly as he travels to Sunnyside frequently for work.  He digs it and I can see why.  Snipes Mountain Porter is a solid offering from the brewery and thanks to Mr. Dave, we were able to enjoy it fully the other night. 

At first impression, it is sweet and slightly malty in the nose leading to a mild, roasted, and nutty body.  At 4.15%, this mild porter would make for a good session beer if you were in the mood for dark and roasty.  Good for a cold winter night writing beer reviews, for instance…

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout

Had heard this was coming out, was excited, and much to my surprise the other day at Safeway, there it was!  Picked a pack and took ‘er home and popped ‘er open and here you go.  I figure folks that have been making beer for 250 years can’t go too wrong… so dove right in.

In summary, daddy likes… in more detail, it looks nearly identical to regular Guinness from a body color/complexion perspecitve.   The head is not as creamy, but that is fine.  It is still respectable. The nose is slightly bitter and malty and this carries through the rest of the tasting experience.  I will say, though that it is overall more robust from start to finish in a really good way.  Reminds me more of a a black lager than a stout. 

In the end, a great addition to the Guinness offerings and I hope they bring it back as a standard. 

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again