Sunday, February 15, 2009

SF Beer Week Part 4: Flanders and Chocolate and Barrels


Thursday began at City Beer, where we got there early to squeeze in for the Sour Beer and Bitter Chocolate night. For $25, we got drink tickets for 6 4 oz tastes of Flanders Style Sour Red ales and all the TCHO bitter chocolate we could handle. TCHO, a local Chocolatier dedicated to deliciously bitter and sustainable, free trade chocolate, had four of their offerings in shaved form there: "Nutty", "Chocolatey", "Fruity" and "Citrus". They weren't specifically paired with the sour red ales, but overall, the "nutty" one paired poorly and the "citrus" paired hands down the best, really playing off the cherry and sour-tart flavors in the beers. Most Importantly, I had the chance to finally try the infamous New Belgium La Folie, over a year old according to Craig. Most of the beer offerings in the lineup were that old, which was a good age to taste, and having all six in a row was a great way to compare, contrast and judge each of these beers. I had tasted two of them night before, after all. The supplication was the only one really out of the style range, as more of a fruit lambic in my opinion than a sour red due to the fermentation. And unfortunately only two were new to me, but I'll list them all here. The Dissident, upon additional review, was the standout here.

New Belgium La Folie
This is New Belgium Brewing's interpretation of a traditional Belgian Sour Brown. This unique beer has been peacefully aging in oaken barrels for several years.
Sharp nose of tart cherries, currants, lemon and light caramel. Body light to thin, orange to light amber in color. Strong cherries flavor, dried fruit, light toast, tart raspberries, very light toast and apple. Light to medium acidity. Incredibly dry finish, tart, very lingering. 4.4

Ommegang Grand Cru Rouge
Flanders Red ale aged for 18 months in oak.
Nose of cherries, malt, tart fruit, plums. Medium to dry mouthfeel, amber to mahogany in color. Very strong cherry, citrus, and light malt, toffee and toast. 3.9

Russian River Supplication
Brown ale aged in Pinot Noir wine barrels for one year with sour cherries, Brettanomyces yeast, and Lactobacillus & Pedicoccus bacteria.
Nose of barnyard, oak, cherries and light toffee and toast. Very light mouthfeel, light gold with ruby highlights. Flavor very sour, tart, honey, toast, fruit, pears. Very dry, puckering, lightly bitter finish. One of a kind sour. 4.4

Itchgems Grand Cru Rouge
Flemish Red ale aged in Oak Barrels
Nose of cherries, raspberries, light oak, toast and vanilla. Very light body, slightly hazy and amber in color. Definite a pucker. Pears, lemon, toffee, light oak, and strong cherry in the finish. Very dry, not so lingering though. 3.7

Rodenbach Grand Cru
Flemish Red ale aged in Oak Barrels
Intensely sour ale with a mild malty background. Nose of dark cherries, berries, plums, currants, wood, earth and definite barnyard. Mouthfeel is very puckering and acidic, slightly thin but still rich. Additional notes of caramel, oak, plums, chocolate. Has a slight vinous quality, and the tartness lasts past the finish. 3.9

Deschutes The Dissident
Fermented for more than 18 months in isolation from the rest of the beers, The Dissident is a distinctive Oud Bruin, Flanders-style brown ale, with a fruity aroma and flavor, the first wild yeast beer made by the award-winning Deschutes Brewery.
Powerful yet smooth sour brown ale. Nose is of dark cherries, raisins, figs, plums, toffee and chocolate. Medium bodied and mouth filling, with a tart and slightly tannic aspect to it. Flavors similar to the nose, but slightly more wood, earth and slight toast and caramel. Not overtly farmhouse or barnyard, the brett flavor is subdued, but the sourness and cherries pervade. 4.5



After the Flanders and Chocolates we made our way down to 21st Amendment where we tried out some 21A Strong Beer Month and Elysian Barrel Aged "Got Wood" offerings. I won't say I was blown away on any of the Oaked offerings, especially the 21A one, it seems like many may have been chipped for a short period. In any case, these were some rich, strong ales, and $4 got you a pretty damn full snifter. Also, it was awesome to see that more TCHO chocolate was in store in the 21A Imperial Chocolate Porter!

21A Hop Crisis on Oak
IIPA on Oak
Aroma of Grapefruit, vanilla, light toast and toffee. Light bodied, slightly thick, deep orange color. Orange, light toast, light toffee, biscuit and vanilla. Light bitter finish, somewhat acidic, not too lingering. A nice IIPA with notes of Oak, at 11.2 ABV alcohol well concealed. 4.1

21A 2005 Strong "Oaked"
Barleywine on Oak
Nose of oak, malt, strong currant, toffee, caramel and light apple. Medium to light body, slightly silky. Deep garnet with ruby highlights. Complex flavor, caramel, toast, chocolate, currants, cherries, light pear. Medium to thick finish and sweetness. 3.8

Elysian Bi-Frost
Winter Ale on Oak
Aromas of vanilla, toast, pear, lemon. Medium body, creamy, light orange hue. Strong flavors of grapefruit, orange, toast, pear, light vanilla. Medium finish, slightly slick. 3.6

Elysian Jack Frost
IIPA on Oak
Nose of orange, alcohol, slight toffee, toast, dried fruits. Light orange to deep gold hue, medium body with some viscosity to it. Orange, grapefruit are powerful in the flavor, slight toffee, currants. 3.7

21A Double Trippel
Belgian Imperial IPA.
Nose of pepper, earth, pine, light orange and lemon, toast, toffee. Medium to light body, light amber color. Flavor is overwhelmingly citrus, lemon and orange, with white pepper, banana, pear, earth, wood, pine flavors in there. Complex hop profile, backed by a light phenolic yeast profile. Medium finish, very smooth and not overtly bitter as expected. 3.9

21A Ripple Imperial Chocolate Porter
Made with TCHO chocolate
Nose of cocoa, roast, caramel, light dried fruits and molasses. Medium bodied, jet black. Flavor very similar to nose, more chocolate and roast, less caramel, slight apple ester to it. Medium to dry finish, medium bitterness but not lingering. 4.2

No comments:

Post a Comment