Bodega Familia Schroeder - 2011 Deseado torrontes

Today's review is outside of my usual realm - I'll be reviewing a white wine. It's not that I am not against white wine, I just don't drink it very often because I don't like the flavors. I also am allergic to fish, so I don't often eat dishes for which white wine would be an appropriate pairing. There are a few whites, however, that have struck my fancy and I acknowledge that there are good white wines out there.

Today's wine is one such wine - a Patagonian sparkling torrontes grape that longtime friend and wine merchant Charles Bissell of Charles Fine Wines recommended. The wine is from the Argentinian winemakers Bodega Familia Schroeder and weighs in at 10% ABV, so a little weaker than a typical red. I got this bottle on special order, and it cost around $20 for the bottle.

Torrontes is one of my go-to whites and definitely a summer white. It's sweeter than a chardonnay but lacks the caustic taste that a lot of sparkling white wines have, which makes it the #1 choice for me when entertaining or choosing an afternoon wine. Since this white is meant to be served cold, it's also a great choice for hot days at the beach or yard parties. I drank this bottle over my vacation at our beach cottage.

The wine comes topped with a muselet, also known as a champagne wire (also known as the twisty wire thingy that holds the cork in.) The cork came loose with very little effort and issued forth from the neck of the bottle with a satisfying POP.

The carbonation was high - lots of little bubbles shooting to the top of the wine from inside the glass. The color was greenish-yellow (the picture does not do it justice) and there wasn't really any nose at all except for a slight whiff of sugar.

This wine was very sweet and heady with lots of sugared apple tastes. Sugar is really the dominant taste here, which is okay, because it's not overly sweet. Some wines overdo it but this one manages to maintain a firm, sweet taste while delivering apple flavors. The finish was crystal-clear and surprisingly, the wine had no aftertaste.

Naturally you need to refrigerate this and get it nice and chilly. It's best when served cold and is very refreshing as such. This wine would go great at the beach, on its own (how I drank it), or paired with some cheese and crackers. Alternatively, you COULD pair this with a light salad if you wanted to, but easy on the dressing and fruit. You don't want the sugars in the food to mess with your wine!

Stone Brewing Company - 2011 Old Guardian Belgo

As you may recall, I have a thing for barleywine ales. They're (usually) sweeter and (almost always) stronger than most ales, and the variety of ales and brewing methods used can make for some pretty unique variants. Quite a few brewing houses have gotten into the game, so to speak, with varying degrees of success. Southern Tier makes a fine barleywine as I have noted in the past; Stone's Old Guardian is the quintessential barleywine. Other less-successful barleywines I have tried include 21st Amendment's Lower de Boom, which was expensive and sour. Beer can be hit-or-miss in general, but for specialty niche beers like today's review, it is particularly the case.

Today's review is a rather special review, as I delved into my cellar and found a 2011-vintage Old Guardian Belgo barleywine. I bought this beer in the summer of 2011 and it's been in my collection ever since.

Every year, the Escondido, CA-based Stone Brewing Co. releases two kinds of their Old Guardian barleywine: the classic release and an odd-year release. The classic release is, well, classic and simple. The odd-year release is a second version of the ale, made with different ingredients and using different methods. It's meant to be an experimental take on the Old Guardian and oftentimes yields very interesting results. For example, this year's odd-year release is aged in oak-smoked barrels.

The 2011 off-year release, of which I have several currently cellaring, is 12% ABV barleywine made in a Belgian style. This is rather unique and has been cellaring since 2011, so the strength of the beer coupled with the fact it's been in my basement for two years means it's probably closer to 14% ABV by now. The beer itself is made with Belgian yeast and is intended to have a lighter, maltier flavor than its twin brother. Naturally, here at Sip and Puff we do not take such hearsay lightly and simply must try these things for ourselves.

My brother Dan and I cracked it open on a hazy summer day at my mother's beach cottage in Connecticut, where I am taking a (brief) vacation.We opened the bomber of ale and let it sit for a moment before pouring it into burgundy glasses (yes, we do not have a full range of tasting glasses down here at the beach, so we have to make do.) The beer had very little carbonation, almost still, and the nose was fruity, pungent and full. Wow! It was very potent and we knew we were in for a treat.

There was very little head to this beer, and once it settled down there was no lacing or foam to speak of. It was almost still, thick, and was throwing off lots of fruity notes right there in the glass.

Look at that color! It's a hazy reddish-amber when held up to the light. Dan calls it "neon Thanksgiving turkey."

It almost looks like wine, which is a coincidence because it's a little bit like wine.

The first sip was sublime. This beer definitely aged well, and as a result was very strong. The taste was very full, powerful, and fruity with a strong, heady delivery. Lots of fruit tastes and sugar tastes here. The flavor was strong, fruity, malty, with a nice lush finish of fermented hops. I really liked it! It was strong, too, so each gulp took a few moments to process.

Unlike the regular Old Guardian, the Belgo is a little more subdued and not as sweet. My experiences with the Old Guardian line in the past have been positive, for sure, but I find that the Belgo is a lot more mellow and a little less sharp than the regular line. This may be a function of the Belgian yeast used or a function of the two and a half years it spent cellaring. Or both!

The Old Guardian is readily-available and released every year. If you are interested in a stronger beer with an unusual taste profile, I'd give it a shot. This beer also cellars very well - meaning that you can pop it in your basement or closet and let it age for a couple months to a couple years. Only certain beers can do this. When you age a beer, it may get stronger in alcohol content and the flavors will change slightly. It's a fun experiment, but if you choose to try it out, do a little research first and make sure that the beer you want to put away is OK to cellar. This one is great for cellaring, but also great for drinking now! I wouldn't pair this beer - just drink it on its own. If you positively absolutely do-or-die had to put some food with it, I'd try a charcuterie with a side of dates.

Uinta Brewing Co. - Baba Black Lager

This past weekend I decided to crack open one of the brews that my brother sent to me for my birthday. As you may recall, he sent a ginormous box from Seattle filled with various West Coast / Rockies beers, many of which are not distributed in the mid-Atlantic region.

Today's review is of the Baba Black Lager, a 4% ABV black beer (or, more accurately, a schwarzbier)  brewed by the Uinta Brewing Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also, for the record, I am well aware that Utah is not precisely on the West Coast.

Organic, kosher, and brewed using 100% renewable power, the Baba is released in bottles and cans. The color of the pour is black, as the name suggests.

Courtesy 20th Century Fox

The pour out of the can was quick, surprisingly - many dark beers are often slow and thick so the quickness of pour surprised me. As you can see, there was a khaki-colored head that was very foamy. The beer laced the inside of the glass very well and the nose was of mixed malts, deep roasted grains, and chocolate.  There wasn't a lot of carbonation to this beer, which I frankly like. I've had too many over-carbonated beers in my time to dislike them. That's also why you will find very few, if any, sparkling white wine reviews on here. Your intrepid blogger does not like burping carbonation through his nose.

The taste didn't disappoint at all. Baba had a nice clean lager taste, which I wasn't expecting. There were no traces of burnt anything, no dark smoky flavors, but a deep clear smoothness. It's also a little bit sugary, too, which is nice. All the flavors were subtle and clear - I keep using that word - with no traces of nastiness (technical term) or unneeded flavors. I tasted a bit of chocolate and warm malt flavors with some smoke in there, too. The finish was smooth with very little aftertaste, and no flavors lingered on the palate.

It's kind of unusual, in my opinion, but in a good way. I was pleasantly surprised. I guess that's where the "lager" comes in - it's not a porter or a stout so it doesn't have that gravity associated with it. I would heartily recommend this to anyone looking for a dark beer but not looking for roasted / charred / singed / burnt / toasted / burnt-to-a-crisp hops flavor.

The light and dark tones of this beer make it exceptionally drinkable and I could see myself having this beer on hand just to enjoy. In addition, the fact that the beer pours and drinks like a lager makes it appropriate for summertime enjoyment as well - a time when most stouts and porters are relegated to the cellar to age for wintertime. The more I think about it, Baba might be a good introduction to beer novices who might be used to lighter fare - folks who might be reading this who aren't into beer. Naturally, I can definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good sessional beer. Baba is fine on its own, but could work well with desserts particularly. I'm imagining a nice chocolate pudding, or perhaps some chocolate eclairs.

As far as I know, Uinta is available on a limited basis here on the East Coast. I've never seen their stuff but SeekABrew says they are available out here, so who knows. If you see the Baba black lager, give it a shot!