The Drunken Polack

Goose Island Sofie – Sofie is a Saison/Farmhouse Ale from Goose Island. After I had this beer I just remember saying that it was a beautiful beer. Very nice on the palatte, terrific taste and aroma, and a joy to drink. Easily one of the finest Saisons I had so far.

Sofie pours a hazy golden color with a huge fluffy white head. Nice carbonation throughout. Just a good looking pour. The smell is fantastic. Yeasty, funky, spicy, and fruity. Taste is fantastic and refreshing. A good amount of funk from the wild yeasts. White pepper and other spices. Round that out with citrus and lemon. The mouthfeel is slightly sour and tart and has a nice dry feeling to it. Between light and medium bodied Overall just a joy to drink and would easily order more of this stuff.

Found: Archer Liquors, Chicago, IL (Mail Order)
Price: 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.gooseisland.com
What the company says: Fermented with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels with orange peel, Sofie is a tart, dry, sparkling ale. A subtle, spicy white pepper note, a hint of citrus from the orange peel and a creamy vanilla finish make Sofie an intriguing choice for Champagne drinkers and beer drinkers who are fond of Belgian Saisons.
ABV%: 6.50%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Other beers to try within the same style: The Lost Abbey Carnevale Ale, Victory V-Saison
Rating: A

Rock Art Vermonster – So this is the beer that turned the beer world upside down for the past couple of months. If you didn’t hear, Rock Art Brewery came out on top over Monster Energy Drink. Congrats Rock Art! It’s really good to see the little company win over the big company. I honestly thought the whole thing was silly. It just so happened that the whole time this was happening I had a Vermonster sitting in my fridge!

Vermonster is labeled as a barleywine but I see a lot of reviews that state this is more of a Imperial IPA. I can definitely see this if you had this beer at it’s freshest point. There are a good amount of hops in this beer but when I had it, it had a more malty aroma and flavor. More on that in a little bit. It pours a dark ruby red color. A great sized fluffy head pours. Great retention. It would of stuck around for ages if I let it. Good lacing throughout. The smell is full of rich caramel malt. In the background sits the citrus hops. I could defintely see the hops being more up front when this beer was younger. Still a decent aroma. The taste is more of the same. Malt is stronger then the hops. Mixed in there is a bitter hops taste. I think one of the great things about this beer is actually it’s mouthfeel. It’s really thick and creamy. Just coats the mouth. This beer sits at 10% abv. But it’s really drinkable. You sometimes get a little bit of an alcohol taste but not enough to ruin the good taste.

Definitely a decent Barleywine. I’m glad Rock Art fought and won the war.

Found: My buddy Jeff
Price: No Idea
Website: http://www.rockartbrewery.com/
What the company says: We brewed THE VERMONSTER with 110 pounds of malt per barrel and jacked up the pour into a wide mouth thin glass goblet. For an amazing pairing get some Smoked Gouda from Taylor Farm Cheese and a friend!
ABV%: 10.00%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Rock Art Double Smoked Porter
Other beers to try within the same style: Lagunita Olde Gnarlywine, Stone Old Guardian
Rating: B+

Summer is over and wow did I drink a ton of great beers during my second favorite season (fall being my favorite)  Along the way some of those beers were just forgotten about or well I was to lazy to write about them.  So here’s some quick thoughts on some of those forgotten beers.

Stone Vertical Epic 07/07/07 Aged in Red Wine Barrels – When I visited Stone,  it was my goal to bring back some one off brews that I could enjoy in the hotel room.  I came back with two growlers.  One of them was the beer you see above.  I love their Vertical Epic line.  I enjoyed what the Red Wine barrels gave to this beer.  It added a bit of a sweet taste with a mixture of a smokey aroma.  Very nice to try something that you can’t buy in the stores

Rating: B+

Stone Old Guardian Aged in Red Wine Barrels -This beer was a little bit of a disappointment.  But it was still really nice to try.  The Red Wine gave the beer kind of an off taste.  I enjoyed the Vertical Epic just a tad bit more. Old Guardian is one of my favorite Barleywines ever.  I don’t think the Red Wine made it any better.

Rating: B

Alpine Exponential Hoppiness -This is one of the beers I came to San Diego to get.  The girlfriend and I took the 35 minute drive to Alpine on  one of our last days there.  I plan on posting some pics of the actual brewery soon but let me just say that it’s small.  Very very small.  If you blink, you miss it.  But size matters not as Yoda says.  In my opinion, Alpine makes the best bunch of IPAs on this Earth.  Duet, Nelson, Pure Hoppiness, Bad Boy, O’Briens and well this beer right here.  Let me have Alpine explain this beer because well, it’s right on.  It’s amazing and it belongs on the top 100 of Beer Advocates best beers in the world.

Very popular. A complex hopping method where each hop addition is double the previous amount. More hops in the hopback and then two dry-hop sessions. The second dry-hop session is with whole hops and oak chips. 1.093 OG 10.75%ABV

It’s a mixture of hoppy goodness with a beautiful smokey flavor.  It’s dangerous.  It’s so easy to drink.  I was just estatic to try this brew.

Rating: A+

Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA -Ballast Point makes a ton of beers but this is there only Double IPA and its a really good one.  A great mixture of floral, citrus, and piney hops.  Easy to drink and crisp.  These guys are just amazing.  The one – two punch of Sculpin and Dorado is one of the best out there.

Rating: A-

Ballast Point Victory at Sea -This is the second brew I tried at the brewery and wow it just blew me away.  Dorado was very good but this was just fantastic.  I wish I would of bought a bigger glass but I was already feeling a little buzzed and I had to drive around San Diego.  A place I really don’t know to well.  The mixture of coffee and vanilla in this porter is just spot on and the mouthfeel is amazing.  Easily my favorite porter.  See this somewhere, you make sure to buy a glass

Rating: A+

Stone Sawyer’s Triple – The reason this beer exists is a sad story.  You can read about it here http://blog.stonebrew.com/?p=149 But there is a happy ending.  100% of the sales of this beer go to fight ALD.  So if you are at the brewery, pick up this beer.  Not only are you helping a good cause but hey this is actually a pretty damn fine beer.  Taste is full of candied sugar, fruit, and honey.  A real treat.

Rating: A-

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Starr Hill Northern Lights – What you see here might be the worst beer I had all summer.  I had it while I was at the Dave Matthews Band concert.  It was a bitter mess.  I would of thrown it away if it didn’t cost me 12 dollars for the plastic cup you see above.  Maybe I’ll have to try this beer again in bottle.  I see it all the time around my area.

Rating: D

Dogfish Head Goser the Gosarian -Yes this is definitely a Ghostbusters reference.  I had this brew at the Rehoboth DFH Brewpub.  It’s a brewpub exclusive and I don’t know if they will ever brew it again so I’m really glad I got to try it.  Hey look it’s even smiling at me! Gozer is classified as a Gose.  Beer Advocate says this about the style:

An old German beer style from Leipzig, Gose is an unfiltered wheat beer made with 50-60% malted wheat, which creates a cloudy yellow color and provides a refreshing crispness and twang. A Gose will have a low hop bitterness and a complementary dryness and spice from the use of ground coriander seeds and a sharpness from the addition of salt. Like Berliner Weisse beers, a Gose will sometimes be laced with various flavored and colored syrups. This is to balance out the addition of lactic acid that is added to the boil.

Somewhat recently, Gose has seen a mini-revival with a handful of breweries bringing back the style in the Leipziger area and pubs like Gosenschenke “Ohne Bedenken” serving traditionally brewed Gose.

The writeup was pretty much right on.  It defintely had a little sour twang to it.  Not much, just right for me.  Mix that in with a decent amount of coriander, wheat, and lemon and you have a nice small tart brew.

Rating: B+

Stone 10th Anniversary and Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans (sitting right behind the glass of 10th =) – One of my first nights in San Diego the girlfriend and I went out to visit Joey from South Bay Drugs.  We met him at a bar that was holding a Stone night.  Joey also brought in some Stone brews.  I got to try Juxtaposition for the first time but the highlight was trying Stone 10th Anniversary.  I missed the 10th anniversary beer because I really only got into craft beer with the 11th anniversary beer came out.  Stone 10th was classified an American Double/Imperial IPA when it first came out.  But after all the years of aging this beer is tasting more like a Barleywine these days and wow was it just fantastic.  Thanks Joey!  Also I got to try an tap only Stone beer.  Their Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans.  Wow!!!  Smoked Porter is ok by itself but with the vanilla it’s just out of this world.

Stone 10th Anniversary Rating: A-
Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans Rating: A

First off what the hell is a Flying Mouflan?   This guy here comes as close as we’ll ever find out.  Shhh it’s a Troegs secret.  I’ll tell you what I do know about the beer.  It’s limited by me.  My local beer place only got a case of it and from what he said good luck finding anymore around my area.  I was lucky enough to take two bottles from the case even though he really only wanted to give me one =)  What I also know is that this is classified as a American Barleywine.  What I noticed right off the bat with this beer is that it gives off a very big Double IPA kind of aroma and taste.  I had a hard time really saying this was a Barleywine.  This overtakes Nugget Nectar in the hops war at Troegs. 

Mouflan pours a deep caramel color with very little head and spotty lacing.  Like I mentioned before this smell reminds me of a nice big Double IPA.  Grassy and piney hops.  Deep and rich hop aroma.  The aroma of fruit is also quite big in the smell.  Sweet smelling fruit.  Raisins came to mind and it all ended with a nice chocolate like quality with caramel malt. 

Hey do you want some Barleywine with your hops?  Yes the taste is full of hops.  Like I’ve said for the 3rd or so time this is full of hops.  Close to being the hoppiest Barleywine I’ve had.  Ok maybe it is the hoppiest. The hops come in first.  Piney, citrusy, grassy. Next I noticed a nice rich caramel and chocolate taste with the sweet taste of fruit.  Then in the end the beer goes from being full bodied to a bit thinner and a tad bit bitter.  The beer has a lot going on throughout but it’s a good ride.  Never bumpy.  Nice scenery throughout =) I’m really glad I got to try this brew.  It’s definitely different in a lot of ways. Not the usual Barleywine.  Rumor is this is one of their scratch beers from a while ago.  So it was released at some point.  Why did they not keep it on the market back then?  Who knows.  It deserves to be out there.  I’ll be back tomorrow and Friday with reviews of Victory Wild Devil and The Lost Abbey Devotion.  It’s been a good beer week!

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: Around 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.troegs.com
What the company says: Behold Scratch 4-2007, the latest offering from Tröegs Brewing Company’s Scratch Beer Series. Dubbed The Flying Mouflan (for reasons that become clearer toward the bottom of the glass) this strong, alluring ale is two beers in one.  Cracking one open this fall season unleashes hops and heat with more than 100 IBU’s emanating from three hop varieties and the sweet burn of 9.2% ABV. The Tröegs Brothers classify this beast as “pushing Nugget Nectar off the side of a cliff”—think hops dipped in candied sugar and rolled in dark chocolate nibs.For virtuous traditionalists who cellar big beers to release their dark secrets, The Flying Mouflan’s palette transforms into lush raisin and chocolate overtones. Cellaring The Flying Mouflan in a cool, dark place at 50 degrees for a minimum of four months will mellow out the hops and wash away the heat.  If you can resist temptation, you will be rewarded with two memorable beers in a single bottle.
ABV%: 9.30%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Troegs Nugget Nectar, Troegs Mad Elf
Other beers to try within the same style: Lagunitas Gnarleywine, Stone Old Guardian
Rating: A

I believe this is the first beer I’ve ever drank that was brewed in Alaska. How many breweries are actually in Alaska anyway? If you know the answer let me know. It just so happens that the first beer I’ve ever had is from one of my favorite styles of beer. American Barleywine. I reason I love a good Barleywine is because they pop with flavor. Whether it be hops or any other ingredient, to me the good ones are just packed of flavor.  This one starts off great.

This Barleywine pours a dark red color.  The head on this one is pretty big but quickly disappears.  As soon pop the cap on this beer, you’ll be hit by a good amount of hops.  It actually smelled like the amount of hops you would get in a nice big Double IPA.  But when you pour it, the smell turns into a totally different story.  The hops are still there but mixed in with a sweet fruity flavor.  I also got a good amount of caramel and alcohol.  Nice and big. 

Now this is where the beer falls apart a little bit.  Like I said above, the smell is pretty big.  But the taste is really muted.  Disappointed me a little bit.  The taste has a little bit of everything that I found in the smell.  Caramel malt, grapefruit, and the hops.  What I also didn’t like about the beer was the mouthfeel.  While it was a nice smooth beer, it was a little thick and syrupy.  The beer actually stuck to your lips.  Made your lips stick together.  The alcohol in this beer is not really a big part of the taste but it is for the feel.  It burns your throat and chest as it goes down. 

I will say this.  All is not lost.  The second glass of this brew was better than the first.  The flavors started to come together a little bit more.  It wasn’t because the beer was warming up, I let it sit for more then 30 minutes before I drank it.  I just think the flavors started adding up more and more.  This beer gets an A- on BA.  I can’t give it that but overall it’s not bad.  It’s just not fantastic to me. 

Found: South Bay Drugs, Imperial Beach, CA (Mail Order)
Price: 8 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/
What the company says: Alaskan Barley Wine is a full bodied ale, deep mahogany in color and brewed with an array of complementing malts to achieve its high original gravity. Multiple hop additions in the boil and dry hopping during fermentation provide contrast to the big malt character resulting in the smooth balance that distinguishes this specialty brew. Like many fine wines, Alaskan Barley Wine may be aged in the bottle and gains deeper malt complexity and smoothness over time.
ABV%: 10.40%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Alaskan Smoker Porter, Alaskan Amber
Other beers to try within the same style: Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine, Stone Old Guardian
Rating: B

Yes I am back.  I cannot disappoint the 2 fans of this lovely site.  I can’t say I really had a good reason for taking off last week but I will say it didn’t slow down my drinking.  So you’ll get your 5 reviews this week.  Scouts honor! 

First up this week is my favorite style of beer at the moment.  The Barleywine!  I hold Stone Old Guardian and Lagunitas Gnarlywine on such a high pedestal it’s really hard to beat them.   This one comes in with a fighting but just doesn’t over take them.  I would put this between those two and Southern Tier Backburner and Great Divide Old Ruffian.  Which means this is a pretty damn good Barleywine in my book and what makes it better is I really don’t enjoy Left Hand Brewing beers to much.  It’s given me a little bit more faith in them now.

The look of this beer is very pleasing.  It pours a huge white fluffy head.  The head quickly disappears and leaves minimal lacing. The color is a cloudy amber color with a tad bit of carbonation.

The smell on this one is really nice.  Like a lot of Barleywines it has a candy like smell.  Brown sugar, caramel, dark fruit, and what really sets it off is the oak aroma.  It hits your nose and sits there nicely.  Overall this is a very inviting aroma.

Now with the taste, it’s not as balanced as other Barleywines and this is what might set it a little behind from my big two.  Like the smell, the taste is sweet like candy with brown sugar, caramel, and dark fruits (figs and raisins).  You’ll also get a bit of orange and bitterness.  What I didn’t really get with the smell is the alcohol taste you get.  It’s there but doesn’t get in the way of everything else.  What does get in the way is the buzz you get after finishing the bottle.   In the end the nice oak taste really sets it off into a quite enjoyable Barleywine.  If you see this bottle give it a try.  It might just win you over.  Expect to see a ton more Barleywine reviews soon.  I think I have at least 10 waiting in the fridge.

The Final Word

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
Price: 7 dollars for a 22 oz bottle
Website: http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/
What the company says: Couldn’t find anything on the site about this beer.
ABV%: 8.80%
Other beers to try from this brewery: Deep Cover Brown Ale
Other beers to try within the same style: Stone Old Guardian, Lagunita Gnarlywine, Southern Tier Back Burner
Rating: B+

Found: State Line Liquors
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.mendobrew.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about this one.

What I say: It’s been a while since I’ve reviews  Mendocino brew.  The last one I had was their Blue Heron IPA.  This time I’m drinking their strongest beer, their Barleywine named Talon.  I spotted this for the first time ever up in Maryland.  I love trying new Barleywines so I couldn’t pass it up.

The Look: A very dark amber/brown color.  Pours a huge head that quickly disappears. 

What the nose thought: On the first smell this was one of the best smelling Barleywines I had ever smelled.  It was strong but sweet and a little bit hoppy.  Big smell of caramel, raisins, and dates.  Awesome big smell. 

And the tastebuds?: Ok so on my first couple of sips of this brew I was pretty disappointed.  Up front the beer started off awesome.  Everything was big.  Huge caramel, dates, raisins, brown sugar and hops.  But in the middle of the beer it tapered off into a very light tasting Barleywine.  It teases you and then disappoints but as you drink the beer more and more that feeling and taste goes away.  The beer lasts from start to finish and ends up being a fantastic little Barleywine.  Ok it’s not exactly little.  The alcohol taste is there to and by the end of this beer, which is 10.5% ABV, you’ll feel pretty damn good.  

The feel: Smooth up front but is a little bit carbonated once it hits the back of your mouth.  Medium bodied.  The alcohol taste stays in your mouth.

Ending notes: Up front this one disappointed but as you drink it gets better and better.  Still not as good as others but it’s worth picking up and trying for it’s magic trick.  Abracbabra or whatever (as I’m drinking this beer as I review and yes I’m buzzed so please forgive me).

Rating: B-

Found: State Line Liquor
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.smuttynose.com
What the company says: Our Barleywine is rich and malty, with hints of fruity esters and a well-hopped finish. Enjoy this hearty ale with fresh fruit and ripe cheese on a cold winter’s night, or lay it up and savor it with a friend for a special summer treat.

What I say: What I’ve learned from these guys is that they don’t mess around with the brews they put in their Big Beer series.  Most of them are just fantastic and this is another great one in the line.  I’m really starting to love Barleywines.  In the beginning of my journey with this type of beer I just couldn’t get into them but now I just love them.  This isn’t any different, while not my favorite ever, it’s quite good.

The Look: Deep Orange color with very little head.  Head laces the glass.

What the nose thought: Big candy like caramel front end.  Hop bitterness in the background.  A very sweet smell 

And the tastebuds?: This isn’t as big of a barleywine as say my favorite Gnarlywine from Lagunita’s but the good news is it still tastes fantastic.   I’d put it in the same class as the barleywines from Great Divide and Southern Tier.  Like the smell you get the nice caramel malt taste with a good amount of piney bitter hops.  The fruit taste in this one mixes in well.  There is a bit of an alcohol taste lingering within but it really doesn’t get int he way.  Everything is balanced nicely but might be a bit muted.

The feel: Smooth, creamy and full bodied. 

Ending notes: I would definitely recommend this one but I might recommend a few other’s in front of it.  Yet another good beer from Smuttynose.  Now to find their Farmhouse Ale.

Rating: B

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.lagunitas.com/
What the company says: Nothing on the site about the beer other then announcing it will be out soon.

What I say: I’ve had Gnarly Wine a few times but I’ve never gotten around to reviewing it.  Right of the bat if you notice what I’ve said is that I’ve had it a few times already.  That would mean I really liked the beer and yes it’s true, I really like no love this beer.

The Look: Dark amber color with little to no head.  Orange highlights. 

What the nose thought: There’s balanced Barley wines, then there’s extreme balanced Barley wines.  This is the latter.  Every smell in this beer pops and pops big time.  Awesome hoppy smell along with fruits, caramel, spices,  and candy like flavor.  This smell is just amazing.

And the tastebuds?: Move over Old Guardian, a new Barley wine is the king in the Polacks list.  This my friends is my favorite Barley Wine.  Everything in this beer is extreme.  I might not of tasted a beer that has flavor that pops as much as this one.  Nice malt background with a huge hit of hops, caramel, fruit, sweetness, and a taste of candy.  Just fantastic. 

The feel: This one is a little thick but with some much going on it won’t matter.  The flavor is just fantastic.

Would you drink more?: No doubt on this one.  #1 on the Barley Wine list for me.

Ending notes: I have a few more Lagunita reviews coming up but I’m sure they won’t touch this.

Rating: A++

Found: Grape and Gourmet
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.stonebrew.com/
What the company says: Stone has a page dedicated to this brew.  You can check it out here:  http://www.stonebrew.com/og/ 

What I say:Lately I’ve been enjoying a bunch of Barleywines.  But I haven’t had one that truly blew me away as being great.  Well that’s all changed now.  This one is fantastic on draft and in a bottle.  Read on.

The Look:  This one pours barely any head at all.  Amber color. 

What the nose thought: This is one of the better smelling barleywines I’ve had.  Complex and a lot going on but it all meshes together to smell fantastic.  Brown sugar, caramel, sweet sugary smell, fruity, and at the end a nice kick of hops.  Not overwhelming but you usually don’t get this amount from a barleywine.

And the tastebuds?: Like with the smell it’s very complex but it’s probably the most smooth and balanced barleywine I’ve ever had.  Well so far anyway.  Sweet candy like taste, caramel, nice fruit taste, little bit of grapefruit and hops.  Taste is big up front and tapers off a bit for an great aftertaste.  A pleasure to drink. 

The feel: A little bit heavy.  Oily feeling.

Would you drink more?: This is my favorite barleywine so far.  So yes. I will be picking up more.  Just a warning though.  This will put you on  your butt.

Ending notes: Stone is just amazing.  They know how to make a quality brew.  Everything they make is just fantastic.

Rating: A+

Found: State Line Liquor
Price: Around 6 dollars a bottle
Website: http://www.greatdivide.com
What the company says: Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine. Seemingly mellow at first sniff, with its subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, this deep mahogany-hued ale quickly shows its true character marked by bold hop flavors and massive hop bitterness. Old Ruffian’s rich, slightly creamy, caramel malt mouthfeel balances its grapefruit, pine, and floral hop flavors, working wonders on your palate.

A mind-numbing 90 International Bittering Units (IBUs).

What I say: This is my second review of a beer from Great Divide.  I have a few more to go.  So far they make some quality stuff.  This isn’t any different.

The Look: As you can see in the picture I had a little bit of a bad pour.  It did calm down though.  The huge head stuck around a bit and laced the glass as I drank.

What the nose thought: Smells very good.  Sweet sugar smell.  Good amount of hops.  Nice fruity smell with some caramel thrown in. 

And the tastebuds?: Right off the bat this beer reminded me a lot like Southern Tier Backburner but a little rougher around the edges.  Not as smooth.  This one is big on hop bitterness.  Sweet taste.  Fruity.  Caramel lingers. 

The feel:  The hop bitterness on this one stings your tongue a little bit.  But it didn’t stop me from enjoying this quality Barleywine. 

Would you drink more?:Easily.  A very good Barleywine.

Ending notes: Old Yeti here I come!

Rating: B+