Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

 

GRADE: B

 

This brew came up in conversation at our last Brew Council tasting as a solid stout.  Canned beer, for me, conjures up images of my very first beer at the ripe old age of 18 years old back in 1985: Budweiser.  And, sadly, it was not a good memory.  I remember thinking, "I waited all this time to drink a beer and it tastes like THIS?!"  But as I looked all around me, everyone else seemed to be enjoying drinking this urine water.  And, not wanting to seem even more out of place, I pretended that I was drinking the best beverage money could buy.  In fact, I kept this act up until my junior year when I had a Corona with a slice of lime at a local Mexican restaurant: beer actually can taste good!

After my band played a gig down in New Hope, PA, my wife and I spent the night and did a little antiquing the next day.  Before we headed back home, I asked a local shop whether there were any good beer stores nearby.  I was directed to a place that I later discovered is a very highly rated store with a pretty incredible selection.  The name of the store is The Candlewyck Beef & Ale and it lived up to the hype!  Among the other things I found (Bells Two Hearted Ale and Founders Imperial Stout to name a couple), I found this gem.  Can beer in a can be any good?  Apparently so...

 

Appearance: Syrupy think with a mocha/tan two finger head after a fairly hard pour.  For some reason, it seems especially blacker than other stouts I've had.  It looks like carbonated black coffee.

Smell: I had a really hard time picking out a distinctive aroma for this one.  It was at cellar temperature so couldn't be that it was too cold.  Even my very nose-sensitive wife had a difficult time for the first 3-4 minutes.  As it warmed, I finally began to pick out chocolate, alcohol, bready biscuit and dark fig.  But all of it was very subtle and subdued.

Taste: Again, very difficult to pick out a dominant flavor but followed the nose.  At first, it's licorice and coffee followed by a bitter hop finish.  The taste is very balanced.  However, drinking this is akin to listening to a good song with the volume too low.  The bitter finish tens to linger and I can't say that it's completely pleasant but it does keep you interested.

Mouthfeel: Very little carbonation.  Almost flat.  Even with constant agitation, not a lot of lacing or retention.  It's smooth and syrupy and coats the tongue nicely.

Overall: There is no denying that this is a good beer.  Just like when drive BMW, you know it's a good car by how it feels sitting inside and how it handles on the road.  Unfortunately, there's no real excitement in the flavor.  I think it may need some time in the cellar to develop some character.  I wasn't sure how long cans could age but a little online research revealed that I can keep them for at least a year.  A good find but it think I'll have to revisit this one again next year.

The Brew Council

Last year, I went to my first beer tasting at a local shop in Montclair called Amanti Vino.  It was called "Hoppy Belgians" and I was excited not only for the beer on offer but also for the opportunity to "geek out" a bit about my favorite beverage.  My brother in-law Dion and I showed up early in the upstairs class room eager not to miss anything.  Although it started off very subdued, as the beer started pouring, the volume increased and next thing you know, we are in Beer Heaven!  Sitting directly across from us were a couple of younger guys (we're in our 40's) who, I soon found out, were friends who brewed their own beer.  Tom and Garrett chatted with Dion and I for the whole tasting.  They both were much more knowledgeable that Dion and me but they weren't obnoxious about it.  The thing that struck me the most was the shared passion about buying, drinking and critiquing beer. 

Towards the end of the tasting, I put out this idea: they were brewers and had beers that they wanted others to sample and get feedback about.  Why don't I invite 10 or so of my beer loving friends to my place and they could come over with their beer and do a private tasting.  They liked the idea immediately and we exchanged email addresses and promised to make it happen.  A few days later, I emailed them both to discuss further.  They thought that we should meet at The Cloverleaf Tavern to chat.  Over a few bottles of very good beer, we came cleaned up the vision: not only will it serve as a focus group for their beer, but it could work also serve the purpose of beer education as we both had sets of friends who were very knowledgeable about beer and some who next to nothing but were curious to know more. 

This led to our first tasting last June.  It was EPIC!  Beers ranged from IPAs to stouts.  I also learned a lesson that night: never go to your cellar to bring up beer after you've tasted a few.  I have no regrets but as the evening wore on, I started bringing up my gems: Founders' KBS and Samual Adams Utopias to name a couple.  I was lucky that I didn't have to drive home!  It was a great way to start and we got inspired to do a tasting once a month.

Since then, we've done about four with various themes: "Fade to Black" (brown ales to stouts), "Belgians and Barleywines" and, most recently, "A Few of Our Favority Things - The Best of 2011".  Garrett stared a facebook page which is has about 40 members.  We average about 10-12 people per tasting and I host it at my place.  What's made this so much fun is the people we invite and the atmosphere we create.  We've got a great mix of beer enthusiasts (like myself) and knowledgeable beer (and wine) people.  This combination keeps the conversations from getting to scholarly and it makes it easier for those who have a lot of questions to ask them in a non-threatening environment.  We have just started to add an "intermission" in which we break out food (cheese, pâté, etc.) which helps with those who need to drive afterwards. 

I can't say how much fun this is for us to do!  Tom and Garrett do a great job preparing notes and giving overviews of the beers we select.  Everyone there is enthusiastic and interested in learning.  If you're in the tri-state area and want to join us, let me know.  Or, join our facebook page.  I've added some random pictures below to give you an idea of how we get down.  LONG LIVE THE BREW COUNCIL!

It always starts off serious...

Yes, we DO take notes!

Amelia, Tom and Garrett hold forth...

My brother in-law Dion savoring that Dogfish 120...

Black Ops makes an appearance...

The Brew Council 2011



Firestone Walker XV Anniversary Ale

GRADE: A+

I'm not sure how I heard about this beer and it's bothering me!  I got familiar with Firestone Walker and their quality brews last year when I picked up bottles of Double Jack and Parabola.  I loved the latter so much that I bought 3 more bottles that are sitting in a far corner of my cellar aging gracefully.  I am not sure if it was my random web surfing of beer blogs and websites or if it was a tip from a friend.  Either way, when I sent an email to my local beer guy asking about it, I was VERY pleased to hear that they will have two bottles waiting for me at the end of the month. 

This past weekend, I decided to hit a couple of well respected beer stores a bit off the beaten path for a bit of an adventure before band rehearsal.  At the second shop I visited, a guy named Adam asked me if I was a fan of bourbon barrel aged beer.  I still wonder what made him ask me that question.  Was it my look?  The way I spoke?  My body language?  Regardless, I practically yelped that I loved that style of beer much to the surprise of a couple of customers standing near by ("No, really, I'm NOT an alcoholic..... I just like beer....  A LOT....").  He walked me over right to this beer: Firestone Walker's 15th Anniversary Ale.  I literally jumped in front of him, took the last two bottles off the shelf and asked if he had more in the back.  Adam looked pleased but swore those were the last ones.  I bought a few more bottles on that trip but these two bottles were the pick of the litter.

Firestone Walker is known for barrel aging their beers.  According to their website,

"Our patented union of barrels uniquely incorporates 60-gallon heavy or medium toast American oak barrels into a brewing process that yields beers of extraordinary character and complexity. This system improves the fullness of the palate, enhances hop maturity and lends a clean briskness to the finish. The influence of the toasted oak also imparts unique hints of smokiness and vanilla, as well as a subtle fruitiness to the flavor profile."

Yeah, what they said!  The bottom line: their beers are full of complex flavors that you will enjoy.  I have yet to be disappointed with their offerings so far and I was excited to try this brew. 


Appearance: Before I even get to the actual look of the beer itself, I must talk about the packaging.  As you can see above, it comes in a beautiful cardboard box designed very elegantly.  When you have it in your hand, it looks like one of those Johnny Walker Black scotch boxes.  Not only does the bottle inside look good but they included a double-sided one page overview of the beer.  I discovered that it is a "blended" beer that is a combination of 8 different beers that were aged in different barrels (?!).  They even LIST the beers and the corresponding percentages that make up this brew!  Pretty intense!

Now about the actual look of the beer: dark plum, not black.  Deep mahogany yielding very little head. 

Smell: Bourbon but not too boozy (surprising for 12.5% ABV).  Toffee and oak.  As it warms, aniseed, licorice and vanilla.  My brother in-law and I could not stop smelling this beer the whole time we were drinking it!  Beautiful nose...

Taste: Follows the nose.  Bourbon up front, dark fruit, licorice and vanilla on the way down.  Extremely well balanced for a blended beer.  Nothing dominates or overwhelms.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth and light.  Very low carbonation.  This is definitely a "big beer" but it doesn't overpower like most big beers.

Overall: I thought that Founder's Backwoods Bastard was the best barrel aged beer I had ever had.  Until now.  This is, by far, the best barrel aged beer I have ever tasted!  I must add that the "experience" of drinking this beer (the packaging and the one page detailed description of the beer and its brewers) makes it all feel special.  I guess it's because it IS  a special beer.  If you can find it, buy at LEAST two bottles: drink one now and enjoy the other years later.