January 2009

Well, 2009 brought a swift cessation to the high caliber and quantity of beer I have been consuming. The recession has taken its toll on my employment, so I'll be drinking quite a few less beers this year, but not necessarily any less variety.

I did manage to make it to the Jolly Pumpkin Event this month at the Jug Shop. They had four selections, all fermented directly in oak barrels: the La Calabaza Blanca, Bam Biere, Roja, and the Bam Noir, lightest to darkest, in that order. They did not have my two favorites, the Luciernaga and the Oro de Calabaza. Still, they manage to grab my brewery of the year title from 2008, so hats off to them and the Jug Shop Staff, who were being quite generous with amounts of pours.

La Calabaza Blanca:
Nice, refreshing, slightly sour and lactic wit beer. Slight spiciness up front, a little funky, and really refreshing overall. 3.9 out of 5

Bam Biere:
Really rough barnyard character to this one. Light, bitter, dry and slightly vinegar like aspect, it was tough to put down at first, but once the tartness starts to build up after a few sips, you can get the complexity of the beer behind it, notes of vanilla, oak, toast. 3.5

Roja:
Most by the book sour ale, this is a Flanders Red, a la Rodenbach (but this version much lighter bodied). Refreshing for a red, this one goes down smooth, and avoids the "sweet-tart" aspect that many have. Much lighter bodied, tart up front, and only a mild malt complexity behind it, notes of cherries, toffee and oak. 4.1

Bam Noir:
This was certainly the least sour of the four, and was originally the hardest to get behind. But after a few it is really enjoyable (note: a few means one oz. tastings). I figured it would be a dark version of their Bam, but not really. More of a Belgian Dark ale with funky highlights. Roast, coffee, caramel in the nose, slightly sweet up front, with some lactic qualities, and filling, smooth, and slightly chocolately through the finish.
3.7

Others this month:

NapaSmith Wheat
Had this at Taylors at the Ferry Building. Really nice, an American wheat beer with some phenolic and spicy complexity. Full bodied, notes of wheat, toast, pepper, citrus. There is a slight sweetness to this that I'm not sure if it is distracting or makes it so enjoyable. Another sample is in order.
3.6

Stone Cali-Belgique
Bevmo on Van Ness. This is slightly a mess of a beer. Their IPA fermented with a house Belgian Strain. I don't know where this strain originates, but is weird. The nose smells like bubblegum and cotton candy, with slight citrus from the hops. Mouthfeel is medium to thin, but the flavor tastes a little like soap, bubblegum, oranges and banana. Really weird phenolics going on in this beer, needs to go back to the lab. 2.2

Ballast Point Sea Monster
Bevmo on Van Ness. Newest to get on the Imperial Stout train. I thought this would be cheaper since most of their ales on the shelf are at $4 or so, but I got this one before the BevMo staff could tag it, and paid $9 for it. My expectations were not met, since there was an Abyss just down the shelf for $3 more, but a good imperial in any case. Nose of alcohol, chocolate, espresso, currants, toffee. Much less burning in the taste, and a much more carmelly-chocolate flavor comes through, hints of roast and licorice. The body is medium, and the finish is slightly slight and warm.
3.7

Much more to come next month with SF Beer Week!