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

SF Beer Week Part 3: Sours and Belgians and Cheese

What could be better than a bar with Russian River tap handles two rows deep? Ommegang and local cheese piggybacked on top of it. I missed the madness Tuesday night, but they still had all of the Russian River beers on tap sans 1 (Erudition ... we shall meet one day soon). There were at least four new to me, along with many of my barrel aged sour favorites. Once the line died down to the "secret room" in the back of the Toronado (I had no idea) where they kept the Ommengang wares, I jumped in to get two of my favorites, Three Philosphers and Grand Cru Rouge, paired with local cheeses.

Three Philosophers
Belgian Quadrupel with Cherries, Three Philosophers is a remarkable limited edition strong ale brewed by Brewery Ommegang in response to a home brewer’s description of his dream beer. Realbeer.com, the internet’s largest beer website, hosted a contest called “Create a Great Beer.” Brewery Ommegang was chosen by Realbeer.com to brew the Belgian-style ale for the winning essayist. Noel Blake, a home brewer from Portland wrote the winning description for what his “dream beer” would be like.
Malts, caramel and slight berries, notably cherries and raspberries. Medium amber color, slightly slick and medium to light body. Toffee, caramel, light pear, orange and cherries. Medium finish, light sweetness but not distracting. 3.7

with Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy Queso De Mano
Very nutty, and creamy, funky and toasty. Rather firm and slightly tangy-bitter finish. Not an awful pairing but would have loved something smoother, nuttiness pairs pretty well though.

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. Strong cherry, citrus, and light malt, toffee and toast. 3.9

with Brie
closest description I could find. Very creamy, light lactic, smooth, milk, light mold and bitterness. Pairs well as more of a counterpart to the strong malt and sour flavors in the beer.

here were a few of the Russian River offerings that were new to me ...

Defenestration
"Hoppy belgian ale"
Nose of strong orange, slight grapefruit and esters, notablely pears. Light body, light orange color. Really strong grapefruit flavor, orange, toast, and apples. Dry finish, lingeringly bitter. This really seems like one of their IPA passed off as a Belgian, maybe with a Abbey yeast strain. 3.8

Damnation #23
Trippel on Oak Chips
Nose of malt, vanilla, pear, light citrus and oak. Light gold to yellow in color, medium to thick mouthfeel. Sweet malts, honey, toast, biscuit, vanilla, oak and light pear esters. Medium finish, slightly sweet, low bitterness. Interesting take, maybe a bit drier and more oak, still slight cloying nature to it. More complex but less enjoyable than the standard Damnation Golden Strong. 3.7

Mortification
Belgian Quadrupel
Nose of dried fruits, caramel, chocolate, cherries, boysenberries, cranberries. Slight must. Medium to full body, deep garnet color. Figs, chocolate, malt, slight cherry, earth and complex melanoidian like aspect. Slightly sweet finish, finishes full. 4.1

along with some old favorites ....

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

Sanctification
Who's afraid of the "big bad BRET?" We'll tell you who: winemakers! Because of our close proximity to several hundred wineries, we often get winemakers visiting our brewery. (After all, it takes a lot of great beer to make great wine!) Because we use 100% Brettanomyces yeast to ferment Sanctification, most winemakers will only smell the glass, and only a very few will venture to taste the beer. Sanctification is one of the most unique beers you will ever taste! It was fermented with 100% Brettanomyces, rather than the traditional Saccharomyces.
Tart nose, citrus, acidic (is this possible in the nose?), orange, light horse blanket. Very light body, straw colored with gold highlights. Tart, sour, acidic, light wheat and straw notes, orange. Very dry finish, though not incredibly lingering due to the mouthfeel, only light bitterness. 4.2

Compunction
Ale with currants added and aged in oak barrels.
Sour, cherries, figs, raisins, toffee. It has a dry, vinuous character, should age superbly, and the barrel character is quite apparent, slight notes of vanilla, oak, earth. Quite acidic and a lingering sour finish. This one sticks with you. At 10 percent, it has a more viscous character than the others, and is wonderful. 4.4

Beatification
100% Spontaneously Fermented Ale (lambic).
Wow. This is as sour and bubbly as they come. Almost no brett flavor, very dry, grapefruit, tart and hints of wood, pear, apple. This is an incredibly one dimensional ale, and I mean that in a very good way! If you like sour, dry and bubbly, this is the way to go. 4.7

SF Beer Week Part 2: Barrel Beers ... all the way from Maine?

Wonderful evening at the Tornado. Allagash had a stellar lineup of their best offerings. Their White, Trippel, Black, and Four were there, along with more complex barrel aged offerings such as the Curieux, Odyssey, Interlude. Listed below were their four offerings which were new to me, but I love them all!



Fedelta:
Allagash had the honor of hosting De Struise Brouwers Brewmaster Urbain Coutteau and his co-workers Carlo Grootaert, Phil Driessens and Peter Bruin along with the "Homebrew Chef" Sean Paxton of homebrewchef.com on August 29. The Brewers with our Brewmaster, Jason Perkins collaborated on a Belgium Blonde called Fedeltá which means Fidelity in Italian. De Struise had previously brewed a version of this beer at their farm brewery in Belgium. After collaborating strategically over e-mail, phone and in person on brew day, the five brewers were able to put all their hard work into a great brew. Fedeltá, 8.2% Blonde was brewed using a selection of imported Pilsner Malt, Domestic Pale Malt as well as 15% Wheat Malt. American Cascade and Amarillo Hops were also selected resulting in 35 IBU. Also added in the boil was Cane Sugar and Honey. Fedeltá was fermented with our house Belgian-style strain, producing a subtle ester profile. The result is a smooth beer with subtle flavors of spice, honey, and vanilla as well as citrus hop flower notes. Fedeltá will be available in limited markets, draft only in the fall.
Trippel like nose: spice, banana, pepper, slight toast and orange. Light gold, medium body. Flavor is fruity, notes of pear, honey, sugar, vanilla, slight toast and biscuit and earth. 4.0 out of 5

Hugh Malone:
The base of the beer includes English two-row malt and pale crystal malts, establishing an understated sweetness. To give Hugh Malone its hop character we use generous portions of Simcoe hops at three points in the brewing process. To begin with, we use a technique referred to as first wort hopping, in which Simcoe is added to the sweet wort as it enters the kettle. When the wort comes to a boil in the kettle we add Warrior hops, adding another layer to the bitterness of the beer. Later in the brewing process we steep a large amount of Simcoe in the whirlpool to impart a distinct hop aroma. Finally, during secondary fermentation in our conditioning tanks, we dry hop the beer, which instills a hoppy aroma with notes of pine and grapefruit.
Balanced, zesty orange nose, slight earth and vanilla. Deep amber, medium body, slightly hazy. Very smooth flavor, zesty, resin, apple and pear esters, Medium to dry finish, slightly creamy. 4.1

Victoria
To create Victoria Ale, the brewers drew on references to Bucchus, the Thracian god of wine, in the history and artwork of the Victoria Mansion as inspiration for this new beer. One hundred pounds of chardonnay grapes were brought in, crushed on site and added directly to the mash. With a focus on the subtle wine-like character of the grapes, the 9.0% ABV brew boasts a pale copper color, Belgian yeast influence and a medium body with a long finish.
Slightly sweet nose, toast, sourness, white wine. Light body, slightly slick and acdic, light gold color. Flavor is of white grapes, apples, pears, vanilla, light vinegar even. Slightly acidic finish, toast and oak. 4.1

Victor
Similar to Victoria, but red grapes (Chancellor) were used in place of white.
Nose of pear, cider, and slightly generic citrus. Light to medium body, light orange hue, acidic. Notes of cherries, oak, grapes, plums and sherry. Dry, slightly stick and acidic finish. 3.8

SF Beer Week Part 1: Double IPAs and Palate Fatigue

Well, what can I say. I've been in the Bay Area for over 7 years and this is my first venture to this 7 year old event in Hayward ... thank god it is a stones throw from BART.

The venue was expanded this year I was told, and took up a half a block of downtown Hayward's wonderful streets. The farmers market was going on at the same time right around the corner, there was needless to say a lot going on this sunny afternoon. Maybe the perfect time to finally visit this institution. Got there at the opening at 11, and it really didn't fill up til 1:30 or so. It was really a showcase for California Double IPAS, with a few exceptions from Delaware (Dogfish Head, ever heard of it), Oregon and Colorado. Greg and I figured we had tasted about one third of the offerings already, so went to divvy up the remaining 30 or so beers between our tickets.



I really feel for those who had to judge these brews and choose the winner. Palate fatigue? Everything started tasting the same after a bit, the flavor aspects were difficult to pick up (except for a couple of notable offerings: Dogfish Head's 120 minute IPA and Stones Sublimely Self Righteous [aka, 10th anniversary] ale). Almost a study in different bodies and different finishes, and hop characteristics, to an extent.

My Top 5:
Bear Republic Mach 10
Pizza Port Hop 15
Fifty Fifty Landslide
Russian River Pliny the Younger
Drakes Denoggenizer

tasting notes and ratings:

Pizza Port Hop 15
Lawnmower nose, grass ,resin, orange and grapefruit. Medium Body, light orange hue, and large orange and slight pepper flavor, light toffee and esters, and slight warmth. Smooth, moderate bitter finish. Really solid. 4.1 out of 5

Pizza Port Poormans IPA
Really huge grapefruit nose, slight apple and caramel. Medium to light Body, deep orange color, resiny flavor, with giant orange flavor supported by toast and soft toffee. Distinct nose versus flavor hop profiles. Smooth, bitter finish. 3.8

Pizza Port Lou P Lin
Grass, orange and toast nose. Light body, deep golden color. Flavor very similar to nose, maybe more orange and slight grapefruit. Dry finish, very bitter finish. 3.6

Russian River Pliny the Younger
Resin, earth, malt, toast and grapefruit nose. Medium body, light orange color. Caramel, toast, orange and grapefruit flavor. Finishes smooth, not too bitter. This beer hides its warmth quite well. 3.9

Drakes Denoggenizer
Light resin, caramel nose. Medium body, light amber color. Really rich flavors, resin, caramel, yeast, orange. Smooth finish, medium bitterness. 3.8

Bear Republic Mach 10
Grassy nose, orange. Medium to light body, light amber color. Flavors include caramel, toast, grass, orange. Really awesome orange presence throughout, and quite dry, smooth and easy finish, medium bitterness. Another great offering from Bear Republic. 4.3

Green Flash Imperial IPA
Grassy, Grapefruit and slight toast and earth in the nose. Light body, light orange to deep gold color. Flavors similar to nose, but more toast, orange and slight estery, apple characters. Dry, but a much too bitter finish. 3.7

Sierra Nevada 393 Hop Secret
Caramel and grapefruit nose, slight toast. Medium body, deep amber color. Rather malty in the flavor balance, low hop complexity, caramel and grapefruit. Finishes slightly full and sweet. 3.0

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
Serious hop overload in the nose. Orange, grapefruit, soap, basil, burning. Medium body, slight and sticky, pale orange color. Flavor is like basil, grass, orange and alcohol. Not even really an double IPA, this is something different entirely. Finish is acidic and pucking, you pull back. Points for the effort. 2.0

Mendocino IPA
Malty and floral nose, orange. Medium bodied, light amber. Smooth, caramel, toast, earth, orange flavor, with slight apple esters. Slightly bitter finish 3.5

Flying Dog Double Dog
Clean, sharp nose, full of orange. Medium to full body, light orange color. Flavor is similar, more malt than hops, orange profiled. Bitter finish, sharp. 3.2

Ballast Point Dorado
Grapefruit, orange and toast in the nose. Medium to full body, light amber. Flavor similar, really balanced yet hop forward. Medium, lightly bitter finish. 3.8

Alpine Brewing Pure Hoppiness
Caramel, toffee, grapefruit, lots of orange. Medium to light body, orange color. Orange, toast, caramel flavor, slight esters, pear. Lightly sweet, bitter finish. 3.5

Sonoma Chicken Coop Jersey Giant
Toast, yeast and grass in the nose. Very light body, very light amber-orange. Flavor like the nose. Dry, fruity, lightly sweet finish. 2.9

Fifty Fifty Brewing Landslide IPA
Bold lemon and orange nose. Light body, sightly opaque, but gold to orange color. Flavors of fresh lemon, orange and toast. Medium, dry finish, very zesty. 4.0

Rubicon Rex IPA
Grapefruit, orange and somehow bitter nose. Medium body, orange color. Strong orange, toast and slight pear esters and zest. Lightly sweet finish, and slightly bitter. 3.7

Stone Sublimely Self Righteous IPA
Malt, toffee, cream, chocolate and orange in the nose. Medium to heavy body, deep amber to light brown color. Citrus still dominates flavor, but the backbone is caramel, toffee, chocolate, roast. Drier finish, slightly creamy, medium bitterness. Interesting. 3.6

Auburn Alehouse Isotope PU240
Sharp, bright and zesty hoppy nose, orange. Medium to light body, light amber. Flavor similar, more grapefruit and lemon though. Light finish, rather bitter. 3.8