Brasserie Caracole Nostradamus

Made special in the Walloon Region of Belgium comes Brasserie La Caracole’s Nostradamus Belgian Brown Ale.  “The Belly” was so kind as to provide this fine libation the other night and so we were lucky enought to have a go at it…

This brew was quite exceptional.  At 9.5% ABV, it is not for the faint of heart… but honestly, you don’t even note it, so don’t get to caught up.  The pour is very brown in color… the head is nice and tight.  Nose is slightly sour and leads into a super smooth body… there is just a hint of sour ale in this little brown and then you get a nice short and sweet finish.  Overall, this brown has a multitude of flavors to keep your interests peaked and allow you to revel in its complexity.  Probably one of the best brown ales I have ever tasted, thank you very much.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Abita Turbodog

Coming straight from the south, Abita Turbodog graced Mr. Dave’s fridge the other night and he was kind enough to share it with me.  This Louisiana brew comes from Abita Brewing Company, who has been around since 1986.  They have some good info on their site and I was pleased to see that they use Pacific Northwest hops.  Thanks Abita!

As far as the beer goes, it is a good one.  It is a dark brown ale but I swear it is more like a dark lager in taste and texture.  Either way, though, it is a tasty little beer with an earthy/dusty nose, a clean and light body, and a dark roasted finish that sticks around just long enough.  Overall this and the sound of some of the other beers on their site make me very anxious to try more from them. 

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

The only reason this post is going live is because Mr. Dave thinks I look like the guy on the front of the bottle… I will let you be the judge on that, but glad to get some brew anyhow… Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar.

Nose is super sweet, almost like candy. A tad bit nutty, but not overwhelming… smell toffee, really smells good, in fact, you could make the smell a candle scent and be good to go… light brown color.  Taste carries similarities from the nose, but it is lighter than it should be… it should have stayed strong like it smelled, but instead it dissappointed me.  It tastes watered down and too light. there are only hints of the flavor and the aftertaste is kind of off… So close yet so far on this one… and it was the first of the night, so I know my pallate was on target.  I will have to try this on tap somewhere and see if I can change my mind.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Hale’s Ales Nut Brown Ale

Another beer that has been in the fridge for quite a while and that need to be consumed… so I did the dirty deed and here we are with Hale’s Ales Nut Brown Ale.  This one pours a dark brown color with just a little bit of a nose.  The flavor is simple, mellow, and malty and does the body good.  A good, solid nut brown that won’t win many awards but will certainly satisfy.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Laughing Buddha Pandan Brown Ale

Being that it was a long week and meetings went late into the evening on Friday, Mark and I decided to have a quick little bottle of beer during our one-on-one.  That bottle has been sitting in the fridge for quite some time and for some reason, I had it in my mind that my last outing with Laughing Buddha wasn’t so spectacular (Laughing Buddha Mango Weizen)… but now that I look back, it looks as though I was wrong and actually didn’t mind it one bit… go figure.  So, long story short, Laughing Buddha Pandan Brown Ale was opened and consumed…

Overall, it went over well with both Mark and I enjoying it as well as a quick drive-bye from Nabil who also noted it was a fine little brew.  As we all agreed, the nose was very nice… sweet with the smell of sugar… I thought it was brown sugar but the bottle says palm sugar and so I was quickly corrected.  The overall body was very nice and mellow with enough taste to keep it interesting and somewhat complex throughout… I have to think some of that comes from the pandan leaves that are built into the brewing process.

A tasty beer that really hit the spot on a Friday afternoon… I can only imagine it would be as good while consuming Asian food as the website suggests, as well.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

New Belgium Frambozen

Had to take a drive by Malt & Vine in Redmond today to make sure I had the appropriate beverages for the 4 day weekend I am about to enjoy.  In doing so, I noticed a wonderful new brew from our friends at New Belgium… New Belgium Frambozen.

Having not heard of this beer before, Doug at Malt & Vine noted it was a seasonal that is pretty damn good and so I knew I had to check it out.  From the bottle:

“Flemish for “raspberry”, is our big, luscious celebration of the ruby red fruit found in Belgium’;s Framboise ales.  Our version is brewed with real northwestern raspberries.  Gaze upon Frambozen’s deep warming color and infuse your senses with berry goodness.  This Colorado holiday tradition should be served cool in a worthy glass for the best sensory experience.”

So, tonight sounded like as good a night as any to try this wonderful sounding beverage and I brought one in from the beer fridge just a while ago.  The folks at New Belgium suggest the right glass, so I have a big tulip drinking glass that does the trick (as pictured).  The first pour shows a dark, dark ruby color… darker than I expected.  As it pours, it doesn’t look like it will have much of a head, but it catches up as the bottle reaches about 1/2 left and then hits hard with a mountain of foam at the top.  The dark ruby red color is nearly to dark to see through without a strong light behind it.

The first smells, at ~40 degrees Fahrenheit, don’t offer much.  A bit of the raspberry comes through, but not really that much.  As the beer warms up, though, the raspberry really starts to open up and you notice it as the dominant fragrance.  The taste wasn’t nearly as sour as I thought it would be.  I had Flemish sour on the brain, so when this hit my tongue, I wasn’t prepared for it to be so smooth and subtle.  It definitely isn’t a bad thing… just something I wasn’t necessarily expecting.  The body is sour, but just not overwhelming and the raspberry is much more subtle on the body than the nose.  The finish is short but impactful and leaves you satisfied, although wanting for more.

Overall, this is a great beer that everyone should try out for its unique and subtle fruity and sour flavors.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown

Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown has a short lived head that literally disappeared as quickly as it took me to find its dedicated web page.  My first whiff of the brew brings about an interesting tartness that I will wait to see whether it comes through in the body… oooo… interesting… my first reaction is cream soda and my second is caramel.  This carbonated beer hits the tip of the tongue quickly and then follows right to the middle of the mouth for the cream soda and on to the finish in the back of the throat with a roasted caramel.  Very nice and easy to drink.  It does have that edge about it that I caught in the nose, but the mellow taste of the beer keeps it in check and gives you some really interesting tastes.

Well done, Leinie crew!

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Deschutes The Dissident

Carrying over from the other night is a beer that I will remember for quite some time.  Deschutes The Dissident has to be one of the most unique beers I have tasted in a long time.  I find it similar to the first time I tasted the Monk’s Café Flemish Sour Ale.  You just can’t prepare yourself for it and so the first couple of tastes almost make your eyes cross.

A dark pour, with a bit of a red tint, this one is not for the week of heart.  If you like barley wine and you like flemish sour ale, then you will probably like this one as it is nearly a perfect mix.  It offers a very sour/tart taste and finish but has some sweetness just offsetting it.

I don’t quite know where to go with this one, though.  I like the flemish sour and I like a good barley wine, but this one is just really hard to put a finger on.  I am going to have to go with Middle of the Road for now since the only reason I would buy this again, really, is to give it one more chance… because I know I want to like it… really…

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Skagit River “Steelie” Brown Ale

Tonight’s beer comes to us from a Skagit River Brewery in Mount Vernon, WA.  It was consumed at Sockeye’s Restaurant and Bar in good ol’ Monroe, WA (about 4 minutes from my house).  More and a picture below.

Skagit River “Steelie” Brown Ale was on tap and looked interesting, so I gave it a try as my second beer of the night.  As you can see, it is a dark amber colored beer… not really brown.   It had a good head and a good nose on it with the smell of slightly roasted malt.  The taste was slightly hoppy with a bunch of malt to finish it off.  The taste was deep and rich… good in the mouth.  Where this one didn’t make it on my list, though, was the finish.  The finish was too bitter… bad taste bitter, not Flemish Ale bitter, and it left me wanting to munch on something to mask it.  Maybe better with food at the table, but I wouldn’t get it again just at the bar.

Below is a view of the choices at Sockeye’s.  Not a bad one at all.  And the best part… $3 pints during happy hour!

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Ahh, lunch in the Issaquah Brewhouse… halfway through a very decent Kobe burger (great wasabi relish, fries a bit cold) something bad happened. My glass was empty! I was out of beer! Luckily, the menu was close to hand and a glowing pint of Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar was soon in front of me.

I wanted to say a foaming mug, but what little head this started off with soon disappeared. Nevertheless, it’s appropriately named, for it does smell nutty and indeed looks brown, with a ruby-red tinge if you hold it up to the light. It also tastes brown, in a very good way – not sure if they throw some kind of nut extract in here, but to my tongue at least it tastes good. As the nectar part of the name suggests, it’s fairly sweet too, but not overpoweringly so.

I don’t think I could go a whole session just drinking these, but for the occasional pint it’s certainly one I’d pick up again.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again