Sierra Nevada Stout

Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, California)
Style: Stout
ABV: 5.8% 

Ah, what a night! It’s hovering in the teens, temperature-wise, in Chicago. What better way to cap a long day than a California stout?

Luckily, I picked up Sierra Nevada’s finest Stout.

The adjectives on the label aren’t kidding. The Stout pours a deep, deep color: almost black with hints of red. In fact, it is very opaque yet even when put up to the light. Its foamy head even has a reddish tint to it.

I wasn’t anticipating drinking beer tonight and my refrigerator kept the beer a bit too chilled for my tastes. Because of this, I wasn’t able to detect much of a scent. All I could get was a faint scent of roasted malts; I couldn’t smell the chocolate or coffee that others have claimed.

The Stout has a medium mouth feel, which surprised me because I was expecting a very thick brew due to the color. Again, the feel was very even on my tongue with a quickly fading carbonation to boot.

The brew was very smooth and crisp. It tasted more malty and slightly of chocolate once it warmed up. It had a long, hoppy aftertaste.

Overall, it’s a very good beer. Sierra Nevada makes yet another refreshing drink that is sure to please party-goers looking to delve into stouts. Its 5.8% alcohol by volume definitely makes it sessionable during long winter nights.

3/4 Dark Stouts

Arcadia Ales Nut Brown Ale

Nut Brown Ale
Arcadia Ales (Battle Creek, Michigan)
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 6% 

I have to come clean and say that the label made me purchase this beer. It’s not so much cool as it is pleasant and informative. It shows the silhouette of a squirrel in a pastel-shaded forest. Very pleasant indeed.

The Battle Creek, Michigan brew has a strong smell of roasted malts. It pours into a consistent reddish brown color which was promising.

The mouth feel is medium to light, wavering more on the light side. This surprised me, as I come to expect some body to nutty brews.

The Nut Brown ale does not taste like anything spectacular. In fact, it does not taste like much at all. It has some notes of malt but little else.

Personally, I would not buy a six pack of this brew. However, if you are an Arcadia Ale fan, this is a sessionable beer.

2/4 Silhouetted Squirrels

Round Barn Brewery Oak-Aged IPA

Oak-Aged IPA
The Round Barn Brewery (Baroda, Michigan)
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.75% 

A patient of mine was kind enough to bring a bottle of Round Barn Brewery’s Oak-Aged India Pale Ale. Round Barn, apparently, is a winery in Michigan that recently opened a complementary brewery.

I have not had much experience with Michigan brews, so I was very excited when my patient surprised me with a bottle!

Oak-Aged pours an opaque orange blonde, with a sizable head. The head is very foamy and chunky, and tastes distinctly of hops and wood.

The smell is quite nice and sweet. I could detect smells of grape, woody and hoppy.

The mouthfeel was medium-to-light, but more on the side of medium. Taste-wise, it was just okay.  It tastes woody, with a mellow hop kick. The hops aren’t extremely strong and the finish is quick.

Overall, it was a nice treat but there was ultimately nothing noteworthy about this particular brew. I would, however, definitely be open to trying the rest of Baroda’s finest.

2/4

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, California)
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.6% 

I’m ashamed to admit that I’m a California-born beer enthusiast that has not enjoyed Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale while sober. Tonight changed that.

I poured it out and enjoy what many believe is the quintessential American-style Pale Ale. The ale has a deep, consistent orange color. It has a rather thick, lacy head and clung to the side of the glass.

Aromatically, it smelled sweet but not overpowering. Just tempting enough to want to smell again.

The body had a medium mouthfeel that was very consistent, much like its color. I could feel the carbonation, but only slightly.

Sharp finish, with a delayed, bitter, malty aftertaste.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a very smooth, sessionable beer. It will certainly pop up again in my rotation.

3/4

Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale Review

Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, Missouri)
Style: Saison
ABV: 8%
$2.75 per bottle ($10.99/four 12oz bottles)

I’ve been looking for this brew of the last six months, and I finally tried this complex little saison for the first time in Lisle, Illinois’ Bavarian Lodge. If you’re ever in suburban Chicago, do yourself a favor and go to that German restaurant and beer cache. You’ll thank me later.

The Tank 7 pours a clear, barely translucent gold. It has a huge, cloud-like head that won’t dissipate much during your drink. The ale is very bubbly and carbonated.

Tank 7 smells buttery, bready and distinctly of citrus — dare I say grapefruit? The smell is very complex and I’m sure you can pick out some other scents once you’ve tried it.

It has a light to medium mouthfeel. It feels feels carbonated, but it’s not an empty carbonation like lesser beers. In some ways, I wish it were less carbonated so my senses could concentrate on the ale’s complex flavor.  The taste isn’t sweet but it does have a tart citrus flavor to it. The ale leaves a lasting, hoppy dryness that doesn’t come off as harsh.

Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse is a hit.  I enjoyed it immediately because of its complexity. Try it with some Dutch Gouda cheese and you won’t be disappointed.

It tastes like it could be sessionable but it is a 8% beer, so let’s say it’s sessionable for badasses. It is, however, definitely a beer you can sip on and enjoy on any occasion.

4/4

Josephs Brau Dark Toad Dark Ale

Dark Toad Dark Ale
Josephs Brau (San Jose, California)
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.3%

My dad picked up a six pack from Trader Joe’s. I was delighted to try Joseph Brau’s (Trader Joe’s brewing front) “Distinctive Dark Ale.”

It pours a consistent, opaque, dark brown with a red tinge. The beer had little to no head.

Dark Toad smelled like coffee, but its scent was not strong. It also had an underlying nuttiness to its smell. At first whiff, I really couldn’t detect much of a scent, but it became more complex as it warmed up.

The beer has a medium mouthfeel. It is slightly carbonated. The ale smells like coffee, but not strongly. It tastes very malty with a medium hoppy finish.

Dark Toad is just a bit too strong-bodied to be sessionable but maybe manlier men can throw down a few. It’s a very interesting flavor that certainly has more to offer than you would expect from a Trader Joe’s beer.

3/4

Unibroue La Fin du Monde Beer Review

La Fin du Monde
Unibroue (Chambly, Quebec, Canada)
Style: Tripel
ABV: 9%
$3.00 per bottle ($11.99/four 12oz bottles)

When I laid eyes on La Fin du Monde, it instantly beckoned me. French for “the End of the World,” the name was so ominous and yet so inviting.

Honestly, I choose this beer solely on its branding. I was a French minor at one point during college and the name makes me feel like I’m in an exclusive, pretentious club.

A little more than an inch of head appears upon pouring. Once the head disappears, it leaves a thin but consistent foam lace behind.

Very musky and opaque, dark gold color. And its high alcohol content can embolden you to face the end of… anything.

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly Beer Review

Blanche de Chambly
Unibroue (Chambly, Quebec, Canada)
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5%
$2.87 per bottle ($11.49/four 12oz bottles)

Unibroue’s Blanche de Chambly is a capable torch bearer for witbiers but is overpriced.

I went to Binny’s, Chicagoland’s alcoholic beverage superstore, with the intention of buying some cheap brandy and leaving. The beer drinker in me thought, “I’ll scope out the beer section to have a better idea of what I’d like next time I come in. I won’t actually buy any beer. I need to save money so I will not buy any beer.”

My steely resolve wavered, especially after seeing another aesthetically-pleasing Unibroue product: Blanche de Chambly beckoned me this time. Something about the foil-covered tops draws me. It must subconsciously remind me of unwrapping a present.

I popped open a bottle to enjoy during the Butler-VCU Final Four game.

The Blanche de Chambly looked a deep, golden yellow. It was very opaque; I could not see through the glass. The head was about an inch and it left soon after it appeared.

It had an aroma of yeast and wheat that I could barely detect. It essentially smelled clean without much else.

Once in my mouth, Blanche de Chambly felt very fizzy and carbonated. It was almost like I had taken a swig of soda. The taste was crispy, light and again very subtle. It does not linger.

The Blanche de Chambly isn’t a bad beer; it’s actually a solid witbier. But it’s underwhelming and impractical, given that it costs about $12 for four bottles. This somewhat disappointing experience will likely end my foray into Unibroue’s collection.

2/4

Allagash White Beer Review

Allagash White
Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, Maine)
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.2%
$2.25 per bottle ($8.99/four 12oz bottles)

I remember my first encounter with Allagash: my friend, Chad, and I were sitting in a bar in the near southside of Chicago. We were killing time so, naturally, we decided to binge drink.

I’m partial to wheat beer and spotted “Allagash White: American witbier” on the drink menu.

Allagash. It sounded to foreign and mysterious, even Nordic god-ish.

I pointed at the menu item and Chad said, “Dude, you’ve never had Allagash? It’s the bomb.”

I responded with a stare that said “I hate you for being cooler than me.” Although it probably looked like a confused “I can’t read” to him.

We smothered the spat with beer, and drank in style. Ever since that first time, my face has lit up with possibilities whenever I’ve seen Allagash on a restaurant’s menu.

For the clinical purposes of this review, I picked up a four 12-ounce bottle pack. It put me back $8.99, which isn’t inconsiderable given my precarious financial situation. But it was worth it.

Upon pouring, the Allagash White’s zesty, pale, orange color immediately becomes apparent. It is slightly cloudly in the middle and especially up top, almost resembling a miniature funnel cloud. The head is foamy and about a finger’s width but it doesn’t stick around for a while, leaving a web of foam in its wake.

The smell matches the zesty look. It has a very fresh scent that isn’t overpowering. I could detect orange, spices and a bit of lemon.

The White tastes every bit as delicious as it looks. It tastes of citrus and herbs with a lingering spice aftertaste. I’m not normally a person who likes lingering aftertastes, regardless of what I’m tasting, but this beer makes it work.

Allagash White is a great beer to have on its own. It is extremely drinkable. Most folks can certainly enjoy this witbier during the dog days of summer because it’s light but retains flavor. This is personally one of my favorite beers and remains a stalwart go-to beer after all of these years.

4/4