Bell’s Black Note Stout – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

Bell's Black Note Stout

Black Note Stout from Bell’s Brewery, Inc. is a blend of their Expedition Stout and Double Cream stout. It is then aged in retired bourbon barrels for months. I was lucky enough to try this beer on tap at Chappy’s Taproom in Dayton, Ohio. This beer was recently released in bottles in extremely limited quantities for the first time.

From the Bell’s website:

One of the most sought-after stouts in Bell’s history, Black Note Stout blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout and ages the combination in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months. The resulting harmony of flavors captures the finest features of all three components: malty notes of dark chocolate, espresso & dried fruits, all buoyed by the warmth and fragrance of the bourbon barrel. Aimed squarely at the stout and bourbon aficionados, Black Note makes a grand statement about the art of the dark.

Alcohol by Volume: 11.5%
Original Gravity: 1.112
Shelf Life: N/A

APPEARANCE

Well, what do you expect? It’s black as night, and sat under a mocha-colored head that dissipated quickly. There was no lacing, but the beer had some pretty apparent alcohol legs. There wasn’t any light coming through on this one. With a name like Black Note, would you expect anything else? [Read more...]

Dogfish Head Tweason’ale – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

Dogfish Head Tweason'aleTweason’ale from Dogfish Head is a gluten free, sorghum based beer brewed with strawberries and honey. This is the first 4 pack in the Dogfish Head lineup in 5 years.

From the Dogfish Head website:

The No. 1 thing Dogfish lovers ask for at our pub, in our brewery and on our website is a gluten-free beer. But not just any gluten-free beer — they want gluten-free with gusto.

“It seems as if lots of folks who have gluten-tolerance issues are pining for an interesting beer,” says Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione. “While there are a few well-made examples that mirror traditional beer styles, there arent any off-centered offerings.”

Enter Tweason’ale.

For our first new 12-ounce 4-packs in nearly half a decade, we replaced the classic barley foundation of beer with a mild sorghum base. The hints of molasses and pit-fruit are balanced by vibrant strawberry notes and a unique complexity that comes with the addition of a malty buckwheat honey.

We believe health-conscious beer drinkers and the millions of Americans who suffer from Celiac disease can cut back on gluten while relishing the distinction and drinkability of this very special brew.

Tweasonale is a seasonal for between the seasons. It will first hit shelves in late January 2012 and will be released four times a year through our national network of distributors.

This beer was pretty labor-intensive to make, but it was a beautiful process. We invited our artist friends Jamie and Kevin to come document our brew with their ultra-cool Cinemagraph process. Check out the process here.

Original Release Date:
07/2011
Food Pairing Recommendations:
Fatty fish, dried fruit, salted nuts
Wine Comparable:
Rose

Here is my review for this beer.

APPEARANCE

Beautiful stuff – it’s a crystal clear honey-blonde color. The head was small and didn’t stick around for very long, but there was some nice visible carbonation in the glass sort of like champagne. In fact, this beer looks a lot like champagne due to its clarity. I must say it makes me thirsty just looking at it!  [Read more...]

The Bruery 4 Calling Birds – Snobby Beer Written Reviews

The Bruery 4 Calling Birds

I know, the holidays are over. But it is still the Winter season, and there’s still plenty of beer to be enjoyed! This one was consumed on Christmas Eve 2011.

4 Calling Birds from The Bruery is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, and is 11% ABV. This is part of the 12 Days of Christmas series. The Bruery will release a beer every year, and started with A Partridge in a Pear Tree. This is the fourth in the series. Each beer is made to be aged until the 12th year of the series (12 Drummers Drumming).

From The Bruery’s website:

Spiced Strong Dark Ale. The Twelve Days of Christmas series continues! We took inspiration from the traditional winter warmer for our fourth verse, integrating gingerbread spices into a robust dark ale. Notes of licorice & banana bread mingle with dark fruit, molasses and bitter chocolate for a perfect cold weather sipper!

APPEARANCE

The beer pours a deep, dark reddish brown – almost black. It had a mocha head with large bubbles, and disappeared quickly. As I drank, there was no head and no visible carbonation. Large alcohol legs grab the edge of the glass. Not a bad looking brew. [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Review – Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Christmas (Xmas) Porter

Three Floyds Alpha Klaus 3 Floyds

Alpha Klaus is an American Poter from Three Floyds Brewing. While other holiday beers usually feature spices, Alpha Klaus only features Mexican cane sugar as an adjunct. The beer comes in at 6% Alcohol By Volume, and is released in November.

From the Three Floyds website:

Alpha Klaus is Alpha King’s festive cousin. A big American Christmas Porter brewed with English chocolate malt, Mexican sugar and of course, tons of strange American hops. Cheers! November release.

APPEARANCE

The beer is very dark and it looks thick, much like a stout. The head was huge, light brown, and has tiny bubbles which makes it look like a big fluffy pillow. The lacing was pretty high throughout the session, and overall this beer is an absolutely gorgeous porter.  [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Reviews – Deschutes Jubelale

Deschutes Jubelale

Jubelale is a winter warmer from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon.  The label says that this beer is “A Festive Winter Ale”. The beer comes in at 6.7% Alcohol By Volume, and is brewed with 2 Row Malt, Crystal Malt, Roasted Barley, and Dextrin Malt as well as Cascade, Gelena, E.K.G. and Willamette hops. It is a seasonal release.

From the Deschutes website:

“A dark, malty celebration ale with layered flavors and beautifully balanced hopping. Jubelale pours deep garnet in color, medium bodied, with notes of chicory, earth, spice and fruit. To beer lovers, it’s like Yule fire and family.
The collaborative art of Central Oregon artists Cara Thayer and Louie Van Patten adorns this year’s label.”

APPEARANCE

The brew pours a deep mahogany red color, and rests under a large khaki head. The head went away fast, and left some lovely lacing along the glass. It looks  a lot like a dark red wine, and there isn’t much visible carbonation. Overall it looks like a beer that is appropriate for this time of year. [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Reviews – Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Sierra Nevada Celebration AleSierra Navada‘s Celebration Ale is an american IPA brewed with fresh hops, meaning that the hops were used in the brewing process very soon after they were harvested. This is a seasonal beer that comes out every year in winter. This 6.8% ABV IPA contains no spices or other adjuncts.

From the Sierra Nevada website:

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration® Ale. Wonderfully robust and rich, Celebration® Ale is dry-hopped for a lively, intense aroma. Brewed especially for the holidays, it is perfect for a festive gathering or for a quiet evening at home.

 

APPEARANCE

Celebration is a reddish-orange and slightly hazy ale resting under a full, off-white head. The soapy head is about 2-3 fingers, and disappears very slowly. There was a ton of beautiful lacing along the glass, making this beer beautiful the whole way through. [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Review – Jolly Pumpkin Noel De Calabaza

Jolly Pumpkin - Noel De Calabaza

Noel De Calabaza is brewed by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan. This beer is released once a year around the Holidays. Unlike other “Christmas” beers, this ale features no spices or adjuncts. Like all Jolly Pumpkin brews, this beer is open-fermented and aged in oak barrels. Batch 903, bottled 10-3-11. 9% Alcohol by volume. Enjoyed on 11-23-11

APPEARANCE

The beer pours a murky brownish-red, with a little bit of green (yes, green!) in certain lighting. It had a huge khaki head that had tiny bubbles, which is expected from a bottle-conditioned brew. There was a very loud pop when it was opened, a sure sign of heavy carbonation. Overall, the beer is pretty typical of a bottle conditioned Belgian-style Dark Ale. [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Reviews – Stone / Tröegs / Jason Fields & Kevin Sheppard – Cherry Chocolate Stout

Jason Fields & Kevin Sheppard / Tröegs / Stone Cherry Chocolate Stout

This beer, a Cherry Chocolate Stout, is a collaboration between Stone Brewing Co., Tröegs Brewing Co., and home brewers Jason Fields & Kevin Sheppard. The recipe for this beer, created by Fields and Sheppard, was selected in a contest held by Stone. This milk stout comes in at 7.3% ABV. From the Stone Website:

The rich, smooth stout was brewed in late April, with a blend of dark-roasted specialty malts, Callebaut chocolate liquor, vanilla beans, and 9000 pounds of dark and tart cherries.

Here is my review for this beer.

APPEARANCE

This beer pours thick and very dark. It looks pretty viscus, almost like syrup. The beer has almost no light coming through in the glass, and has a small khaki head with moderate lacing. This is a very lovely beer, and I was expecting a lot more of a reddish hue.  [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Reviews – Surly Furious

 

Surly FuriousFurious is a 6.2% ABV IPA made by Surly Brewing Co. in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. From the Furious website:

A tempest on the tongue, or a moment of pure hop bliss? Brewed with a dazzling blend of American hops and Scottish malt, this crimson-hued ale delivers waves of citrus, pine and caramel-toffee. For those who favor flavor, Furious has the hop-fire your taste buds have been screeching for.

APPEARANCE

The beer is a dark red with a good amount of haze. There was a 1-2 finger off white, somewhat khaki-colored head, and the beer has a nice amount of lacing throughout the session.  Overall, it looks like a Red IPA, and is very lovely. [Read more...]

Snobby Beer Written Reviews – Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad

Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad

Sierra Nevada brings us their third and final edition of their Ovila series – a Trappist-style Quad. The beer comes in at 10.4%, and like the others in the series, proceeds from the sale of this beer will go toward the Abbey of New Clairvaux.

APPEARANCE

It looks like a typical quad, maybe perhaps a little darker than others. Pours a Coca-Cola brown with some slight red coming through from the light. The khaki head was about a finger and had very small bubbles. It is slightly viscus, but not syrupy. Overall looks true to the style. [Read more...]